The Flood

If you know me IRL or have been following for a while, you remember Teddy. If you're new, click here to catch up.

For some reason, we didn't get our dog Jackson fixed, or neutered, early like we should have. My husband felt bad for him and I was lazy to make the appointment, so we kept putting it off until it just never happened. He's a year and a half now, and most dogs can be neutered as soon as their balls drop at around 4-6 months old.

Ruby is fixed, so we wouldn't have to worry about puppies with a boy dog that wasn't, but it is a bit awkward going to the dog park with his huge balls dangling down for the world to see. Also, Jackson is a serious marker (as in he pees on every single tree on walks and at the park and if we go somewhere new, he'll usually mark something there). Over Thanksgiving weekend, someone started talking about a male dog they had who used to mark the baby. The dog would PEE on the BABY. All the time. As soon as I heard this, I looked at my husband and told him it was time for the big snip. I called that Monday and made the appointment for today.

When we first got Jackson, just a couple of months after Teddy died, I took him to a new vet because I couldn't bear going back to the same place where I had to put Teddy down. However, this new place was very expensive. The other place was much more reasonable, plus they come highly recommended from several rescues in the area. So, for Jackson's neuter, I made the appointment at the old vet figuring it would be fine since it had been a year and a half since I went through one of the most difficult experiences of my life there.

Well, on the way this morning, the memories flooded back and I started crying. I kept thinking about Teddy and worrying that something bad would happen to Jackson. When we got there (we meaning Jackson and I), I pulled myself together and took him in. However, once I had to sign the papers that said that if something happened the doctor had permission to resuscitate him, I lost it again. I explained to the techs that I had to put a dog down there a year and a half earlier, so I was very emotional about being back and they were so nice. They reassured me that they would take good care of him and sent me on my way.

I cried the whole way home, but was ok when I was able to snuggle Ruby. I took a nice long nap (it was amazing) because I felt so drained from the whole experience. I can't imagine how I'll handle my own kids getting hurt or going through any medical procedures.

Jackson is home now and doing well. He's a bit drugged and groggy, but doesn't seem to be in any pain and I can tell he wants to run around and play.

Photo by Michelle York

Before I had dogs, I never understood why people would get so emotional over their animals. Now I understand that, for some, pets become part of the family. I can't imagine life without our dogs. It would be so boring! They are such a source of comfort and love to me and I know we'll always have dogs as part of our family.

If you have pet, are they a part of your family? If not, do you ever plan to get any in the future?

Holiday Photoshoot

Last weekend, my good friend Michelle took some pictures of us for our Christmas card. It was really chilly and our dogs were crazy, but she did an awesome job making us look good (if I do say so myself). Here are a few of my favorites, some of which will appear on our cards and I'll share those as soon as I mail them out.

I'm so glad to have a friend who loves photography and is willing to practice on us! I can't wait to have her take pictures of the baby...

Shutterfly Giveaway Winners!

Thanks to all those who entered the giveaway! I used random.org to pick the winners to keep it fair.

The three sets of 25 shutterfly cards go to...

Comment #5 from Emily at Oh! Apostrophe! This one is funny because she also hosted a shutterfly giveaway on her blog (and had the funniest post ever for it, by the way).

Comment #13 from Turtle Girl! I went to college with Megan and she's an English teacher now, too!

Comment #12 from Angela! She is most definitely my top commenter, so I'm really glad she won!

Congratulations, ladies! Check your email for the codes!

Now, to make you giggle on this Monday morning, here's our pup Jackson yesterday before his haircut:

And after:

Poor guy. He'll look cute again in a couple of months... I hope.

Weekend Wrap-Up

This was my last weekend before summer break. After this week of work I have six and a half weeks off to sleep in, read, lesson plan, and play. I'm not anxious for this school year to end because I have to leave the school that has been my home for the last four years. I started my teaching career there and leaving is definitely bittersweet.

On Friday, we babysat Gracie, a three year old cutie with a brother on the way. She LOVES my husband and could probably care less if I came with him, but I think her parents prefer me to be there for bathroom trips and PJ changing. We played trains and watched Wonder Pets and read stories.

Saturday morning, we slept in late. Like almost 10am late. Usually my husband will get up early to feed the dogs and go to Home Depot and start some work around the house while I sleep in, but not this time. He did get up to feed the dogs, but he came back to bed and slept in with me. It was nice.

Even though he slept in, my husband still ended up taking a trip to Home Depot to get some pieces he needed to hook up the water to our new refrigerator. While I cleaned behind the old fridge, he hooked up the water and we made the switch. Then, I cleaned out the inside of the old fridge and stocked the new one.

After that, we took the dogs to the dog park before heading out for a festival of short films my husband had to go to for work. We ate at Umami burger first (YUM) and then sat through the most boring three hours of my life. The bar/lounge/theater it was held in was freezing cold, the chairs were terribly uncomfortable, and the films were awful. Well, most of them were. There were a couple that I liked, but mostly I wanted to be anywhere but there. I was happy to support my husband, but you can bet I won't be going to another one of those for a looooong time.

On our way home, we both had a craving for some Mexican hot chocolate so we stopped at the grocery store and bought some Abuelita's hot chocolate mix. I'd heard about it from someone on twitter and have been meaning to try it ever since. It was sooooooo good. Even my husband loved it and he's not usually a big hot chocolate person. It will definitely be part of my nighttime routine from now on (or at least until it gets too hot outside).

Sunday, we both woke up early for a change and I made us omelets. I never make breakfast on the weekends because I'm not a morning person AT ALL, but my husband begged me to cook him breakfast for once since he's always the one who gets stuck with the chore, so I did. It was yummy and it made my husband happy. Win win!

After breakfast, we headed out to Huntington Beach to hang out with our friends Paul and Jackie. These friends also happen to have Jackson's brother, Marlowe and since Saturday was their first birthday, we had a little celebration.

Happy Birthday Pups!

Paul made some delicious steak sandwiches and grilled peach sundaes and Jackie showed us around town. The dogs had a blast, though we did leave poor Ruby at home, and it was nice that they got to see each other for their birthday.

We also got to see the house my husband grew up in:

Isn't it amazing? And one block from the beach. I'm so jealous.

For dinner, we headed over to my parents' house to celebrate father's day. Jesus, my stepdad is a chef and, even though it was supposed to be his day to be pampered, he cooked so much amazing food for the family. This makes the card we got him so much more appropriate. Oh, and my mom and little brother also got him the same exact card. Great minds think alike, right?

sorry for the crappy phone pic

After eating enough food for five family dinners, we played Life until we couldn't take it anymore. I think we lasted until about 9pm.

Overall it was a great weekend! How was yours?

Gardening Fun!

While I was at work on Saturday - yes, I had to work a full day on Saturday, we need the money - my husband prepped the area behind our garage for our garden. Our garage is in our backyard, so there is this patch of dirt and weeds behind it that we can easily block off with a little fence to keep the dogs out of it.

Here's what that space looked like before:

Oops! Forgot to include this in the original post. Sorry about that!!

We didn't get an "in progress" picture, but after he cleared all the weeds (and broke his weed whacker in the process), my husband broke up the soil so it would be easier to plant. We planned on waiting until the following weekend to buy the plants and get them in the ground, but we got excited and decided to do it on Sunday. We drew up a rough plan and decided what plants we wanted to get, then headed to the nursery.

Once we were there, the plan sort of went out the window. We got too excited by all the amazing options and went a little crazy.

We already had some compost that was ready to go at home, but we got one big bag of soil amender to mix in with it. I usually leave the yard work to my husband, but planting is sometimes fun, especially when it's not too hot outside. I had lots of fun and only got sick of it at the very end. We even made a scarecrow!! Here is the final result:

Yay!!! The grassy/weedy patch in the front right hand corner is the one little spot we didn't get to clearing. We also forgot to plant carrots, so those will go there this weekend when we get it prepped. The wood thing in the back right hand corner with the weeds in it is one of my husband's horseshoe pits that he put in the summer we moved in. I don't think he's played horseshoes there since that summer, but he's still too attached to it to rip it out. Maybe one day...

A close-up of one of the yellow squash plants. I can't wait until we can pick the veggies and eat them!

In front of our little fence and to block the gap, we have our strawberry planter and a mini fruit tree we've had for a few years. We still haven't gotten fruit from it, but we're hoping this is the year. When I was taking this photo, I realized that Ruby can fit through the little fence we put up. I thought she's be too fat, for sure!

Look at our awesome scare crow!! She's wearing some of my old PJs (I wore those bottoms to our prom after-party; I call them my prom PJs), one of my favorite old sweatshirts (it says, "live happily ever now" - I've always loved that line as a twist on the classic), one of my husband's freebie baseball caps, and some old gardening gloves. I think it is doing it's job because Ruby is terrified of it and was barking at it nonstop until I showed her it was fake.

I woke up pretty sore this morning from all the digging and planting, but it feels good! I know it's cliche, but having our own home with a yard and growing our own food is so fulfilling. It makes me so happy to know that our future children will have this in their lives as they grow up.

Amy A to Z

Jenna over at That Wife posted this today and since my last blog post made my husband cry (though I'm sure he doesn't want me sharing that, sorry babe), I think we need something a little more light-hearted around here.


A. Age: 28
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore you hate: All of them! I'd say I avoid folding laundry the most.
D. Dogs: Two. A puggle named Ruby and a labradoodle named Jackson. We're so cool with our hybrid dogs. Or not.

They're messy, but really cute.

E. Essential start to your day: I check my email, then facebook, then twitter, then my dictionary.com app word of the day (in English AND Spanish). I also have to have breakfast and something hot to drink. Lately I've been having decaf green tea and a multi-grain waffle (plain with no syrup or anything - I eat it as I'm driving).
F. Favorite color: I like green, blue, pink, purple... not a fan of yellow and orange.
G. Gold or silver: Both!
H. Height: 5′7″
I. Instruments you play: None. I played the clarinet in elementary school and sang in middle and high school.
J. Job Title: Teacher... for now, at least.
K. Kids: Working on it! We babysat two really cute kids today (separately, not at the same time).

This is Eva. She is almost 1 and super cute.

Gracie is almost three and loves to be silly. She's wearing my UGG boots and posing for the camera.


L. Live: Los Angeles, CA
M. Mom’s name: Peggy, originally Margaret.
N. Nicknames: Amers, Ames, Babe, Booboos
O. Overnight hospital stays: I've never had one, except maybe when I was born.
P. Pet peeve: Loud eating or breathing noises, angry drivers, people who bring drama.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Nobody puts baby in a corner." Dirty Dancing
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Marina (stepsister) and Mateo (half brother),
T. Time you wake up: Weekdays at 6:15am, weekends I get to sleep in as late as I want (my husband is so nice and gets up early to feed the dogs and sometimes he makes me breakfast and even cleans the kitchen), but I'm usually up by 8 or 9.
U. Underwear: I wear thongs almost exclusively. TMI? Well, you asked!
V. Vegetables you dislike: I honestly can't think of any. I used to hate tomatoes, but I love them now. My favorites are asparagus, zucchini, and broccoli romanesco (which we just planted in our garden).

W. What makes you run late: I wait until the last possible second to get out of bed. I don't really give myself any extra wiggle room, so if something unexpected comes up, I'll be late.
X. X-Rays you've had: Besides dental? I had an MRI for my brain once. I used to get migraines, so they did an MRI to make sure I didn't have a tumor or anything. I didn't, thank goodness.
Y. Yummy food you make: I asked my husband and he said, "Salmon, pesto, and your enchiladas are pretty good... for a white girl" haha.
Z. Zoo animal: Zebras! And turtles.

The Sea of Resumes

Wow, has it been a week since my last post? I'm sorry, I've been lost in a sea of cover letters and resumes. So far, I have submitted resumes to 10 schools. There are a couple of job posting online, but I have to wait for my letters of reference first. I have one, but am waiting on a couple more...

Last weekend I took back a dress that my husband got me for my birthday and used that credit along with another gift card to buy some interview clothes. I got a blazer and three shirts. I already have a skirt and pants that will go with the blazer and I have some not too high heels as well. I still want a new bag, but I'm really trying not to spend any money as I won't be getting a paycheck starting in July.

Speaking of saving money, I haven't eaten out since last Monday, the 14th! Not a single breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I did have Maria's takeout last night, but it was free since my parents both work for the company. I'm pretty impressed with myself!

We were supposed to take a little trip during my spring break, but it looks like that is out of the question now. Maybe we'll just go down to my in-law's ranch instead. It always feels like we're on vacation when we go down there!

I just remembered something: last summer when we started trying to get pregnant, I had imagined that we would have an infant at Easter and go down to my in-law's with my parents. I actually pictured it in my head. The hardest part of this whole infertility thing has been all those holidays and milestones that I had allowed myself to mentally plan out. I'm really trying not to do that anymore.

On the subject of infertility, I'm going to the doctor on Monday to ask about starting clomid. I'm really nervous about it, though, and am not sure I'm totally ready. It doesn't seem like fun to go through all of those hormone changes while also interviewing for jobs. It might be too much to handle at once. On the other hand, I'm so ready to be a mom and I can't put it off forever. The timing will never be just right, so I might just have to keep moving forward, especially since we don't know how long it will take and what other treatments we'll have to go through.

I'm trying to think of more things to write, but my brain has gone blank. I'm so tired and stressed. I should go to the gym, but.... I'm just going to be lazy instead.

I'll leave you with a picture that shows what my lovely dogs did about 5 minutes before my sister-in-law came over last night.

Good thing our friend Emily had the couch treated to be stain resistant!

SFAS Filming: Day Three

The final reveal!!!

I was really nervous for this one. I felt a bit of pressure to react the "right" way, whatever that is, and was trying to keep my energy up even though I was exhausted from going to my in-laws the night before to get the dogs.

We did our reveal and oh man, it is so beautiful. I am sitting in my new living room right now and I can't believe I get to live here. That Emily... she's got talent. It is pretty amazing how she is able to make a room that feels so "us" while still surprising us on so many levels. So many of the choices she made are things we would never consider, but they work! It's magic, I tell ya.

After we got to see our new space, the pups got to check it out! I was really nervous that they would misbehave and embarrass us big time, but they were actually really good! I hope they don't cut them out, because it was kind of a pain to get them here in time for filming. Plus, they are part of our family and I'd be sad if they weren't included!

So, what's next? Well my honey has one LONG "do" list. First up is to try to skim coat the hallway and entryway to make the walls smooth and eliminate the awful texture. Second, painting those same areas plus the kitchen and office. Then, we start working on furniture and accessories for the kitchen, office, and master bedroom. The guest bedroom will be sort of in limbo until we have a baby on the way.

Emily told us she really wants to do a nursery. How awesome would it be if she came back??? I mentioned it to the producer and she laughed at me, but I think it is a great idea. They could review our living/dining room and show the changes we've made to the rest of the house. Then, she could do the nursery! It would be SO cool.

It was so great to see my friends and family today. Everyone loves what Emily did and they are all inspired to make some changes in their own homes! Be sure to start watching the new series Secrets from a Stylist, starting February 26th at 9pm. We don't know which episode we will be yet, but when we find out, I will most definitely be shouting it from the rooftops! Or... eh... this blog.

Crazy Dream!

The first part of my crazy dream last night was all about the home makeover. They did the whole house, including the front and back. They even seemed to move the house to a place where there was an amazing view out the back windows, much like the house where we filmed the style diagnostic on Tuesday. Our kitchen was completely redone and totally amazing. There was a wet bar in the living room, but no TV, which we seemed to be ok with. That would never happen in real life.

Then the dream morphed into another one where we were looking at our dogs and realized that the dog we thought was Ruby was actually a white fluffy dog. Jackson was himself, but Ruby had been replaced. We realized that she must have gotten switched with another person's dog when we moved from our apartment - no idea where this came from. We found the lady who did the switching and asked her about Ruby and she said she just let her go on the street. I was very angry and actually punched her in the face. This is SO not like me, but it happened in the dream and I made her bleed. My mom and I looked everywhere for Ruby, even at this restaurant that served grilled dog (ew), but we couldn't find her.

Then, as I was eating some very sticky candy, some of my teeth fell out and crumbled to pieces.

I'm guessing this means I'm having a little anxiety about all this. What's your analysis of my dream?

Randomness

My random thoughts on a Saturday...

I watched the Secrets from a Stylist special that aired over the summer online today. It brought so many memories back from when I watched it the first time (and live tweeted with Em and the gang - yes, I realize I'm a dork). I remember being in awe with her mad skillz and thought I'd never be so lucky as to have her give me a dose of her styling expertise. I am so lucky. Wow. I can't wait to see what she does. Seriously. I can't freaking wait.

The whole house is now completely organized and mostly clean. We did some yard work today and all we have to do is sweep and mop one last time before Monday morning. It was honestly not that hard to organize all the closets and cupboards and drawers. It just took a bit of time, but it feels so amazing. With the beautiful weather today and the windows open with our clean and organized home, I felt so light and free. I need to remember this feeling the next time I'm shoving junk in a drawer or closet.

I'm babysitting the most precious little girl tonight. She is so cute it makes my ovaries ache. I put her to bed and started a little craft project. I made a ribbon flower corsage like this one. Mine is hot pink and a little huge. I wanted it to be big, but I think I took it too far. I'm going to try to make another one that is a bit smaller so it doesn't scream, "LOOK AT ME!" I want to wear it for filming.

My cousin wants me to post about my outfits, but I have a question for you, my 3 readers: should I just post the outfits on the hangers, or should I try them on and take pics wearing them?

Tomorrow, I'm going to see my friend Kristine and she's going to do my eyebrows - wax and tint. I got my hair done yesterday and Monday I'll get a manicure to complete my primping process. I hope I look good on TV. I'm sure even if I do look alright, I won't be able to watch myself. I wish I wasn't so critical of myself.

I want to start a blog about pregnancy and babies. I want to have many different people contribute posts about their own stages of TTC or pregnancy, or adoption, or parenthood. I'd like to have men and women bloggers of all different walks of life. Are you interested in something like this? In my head, the bloggers would "retire" from the blog when their child reaches one year old. However, those who already have a child over a year would be able to blog if they were having another. This is just something I'm mulling over (don't steal my idea, k?).

I want to be a pescatarian (kind of like a vegetarian, but with fish), but I have a really hard time committing to it. For example, last weekend, I went to a friend's house for her birthday party and they served BBQ chicken. I hadn't had any chicken in a few days and was trying to eliminate it, but she kept asking if I had eaten any chicken yet and I didn't want to say, "I don't eat chicken anymore." I'd never want to be the one who doesn't eat this or that or whatever. I don't want people to feel like they have to make special dishes for me if I eat at their house. I also don't want my choices to affect my husband. If he wants meat, he should be allowed to have it. If he has it, I'll have it because I don't like to make separate meals. Plus, I do love sausage, bacon, burgers, steak... I don't have to eat it and I don't want to eat it, but if it is in front of my face, I'm not going to turn it down.

My husband is amazing. I love him so much and am so proud to be his wife. We make a great team. Something really awesome happened this week for him and it has made me realize that maybe everything is falling into place. Maybe it was meant to be that we didn't get pregnant last year. Maybe the Universe has something even better in store for us. I'm excited to find out.

I usually take power yoga on Sundays at the gym, but this week I'm going to take power yoga and gentle yoga back to back. I loved the class last week so much (the regular instructor is back from vacation) and I think I am at the point where I can handle two hours of yoga, especially with her.

My father-in-law picked up the dogs on Thursday and we won't see them again until after filming is finished. I miss them so much! They sleep in our bed (shame on us), but that doesn't fly at grandma and grandpa's. They've been putting them both in our big crate in the garage at night to sleep. Every time I think about it I feel sad. I know they're fine, but my poor babies! It is really quiet and lonely without dogs in the house. I love it in the morning because they're not begging us for food at 6:00am, but when I'm home alone it is far too quiet. I've realized I hate being completely alone.

Cray-zay Day

First, I had to write four blog posts for my student blog by 10am.

Next, I have therapy at 11am. Going to have to leave early to make it to...

Pick up my brother at soccer camp at 12pm.

Then, take him home to change and eat.

Next, take him to a writing class at 1pm, pick him up at 2:30pm.

Then, take him back home for a voice lesson at 2:45pm.

Our friend is dropping off his dog at our house at some point during all this craziness. We are dog sitting Jackson's brother, Marlowe for a few days.

Hopefully I will be able to go to the gym at some point. Looks like the to do list will have to wait...

Jackson's Hair Cut

Right before Christmas, I decided I wanted to take Jackson into the groomer for a little trim. He was getting a little too nappy and we wanted him to be all spiffied up for the big party on Saturday. Here he is before:

Shaggy, but cute and cuddly. I had been wanting him to look like this again:

Well, that's not what we got.

Please excuse his dirty mouth. Apparently he decided to go dig in the yard right before his "after" photo shoot.

Ahhhh! Who is this dog?!?! I really hope it grows back before his television debut!

Camping in Joshua Tree

Last weekend, we packed up the dogs and headed out to Joshua Tree to get our camp on. We were hoping to score a campsite at Jumbo Rocks, but it was full by the time we got there. We had to settle for Cottonwood, the farthest campground from the main entrance. Our friends Paul and Jackie met us there with Marlowe, Jackson's brother.

The first night there was a full moon which made seeing in the dark much easier.

Pretty sunset on the first night in Joshua Tree.

We took a little walk the next morning and realized why the rangers don't want dogs on the trails.

They were covered in stickers my the time we were done. Their poor little paws had huge thorns embedded in them.

Jackie climbing the sloped rock.

Paul and Jackie during our game of dominoes. Jackie won, despite not really knowing how to play. Damn beginners luck.

My husband was trying to get a peek of my dominoes, little cheater.

After that game, I decided to read while the rest played cards. It was really warm in the morning, but got pretty chilly in the afternoon/early evening. I was so glad I got a new jacket (on sale at Old Navy) for the trip!

Ruby was on Jackie's team.

Then she joined me while I read. I always bite the side of my cheek (and my husband likes to take pictures of me making stupid faces).

Family photo! Wow, I could have used some makeup...

Believe it or not, this is the sunrise, not sunset. While the sunsets were kind of disappointing, the sunrises were incredible. I got up early the second morning to catch a glimpse.

Magical.

My husband cuddled Ruby for warmth. See those sock with sandals? Sexy.

All the pups wanted to cuddle.

Our camping coffee percolator. It takes forever!! I spent each morning staring at that thing waiting for the coffee to be ready.

Brothers: Marlowe and Jackson.

I enjoyed camping in Joshua Tree, but I don't think I'd go back for many years. I prefer woodsy or beach camping to camping in the desert. If we went back, I'd love to get a spot at Jumbo Rocks instead of way out at Cottonwood (though the running water and flushing toilets were very nice).

What is your favorite camping spot?

Camping at Jalama Beach

We like to take one camping trip each year. I'm sure my husband would go once a month if he could, but I can't handle that much roughin' it, so we have settled into our once a year tradition nicely. We left on Thursday morning with our two dogs and headed to Santa Barbara where we ate at Crush Cafe which was super delicious and very dog friendly. If you ever happen to go, get the Mexican hot chocolate. It is to die for.

After our halfway-there-pit-stop, we continued on to Jalama. I lost service on my phone about 20 minutes away from our final destination and I started to have crackberry withdrawal. Seriously. I took a few deep breaths and enjoyed the ocean view and we headed onto the campground. Our first order of business was a trip down to the beach. Ruby has never much like water and the beach has always kind of scared her, but Jackson loves to play in the water so we had high hopes.

As you can see, Jackson had a great time playing in the shallow water.

 

Ruby, on the other hand, avoided the water as much as possible.

The beach was just gorgeous and  we enjoyed the amazing sunsets each night.

It was extremely windy the first day and night (as you can tell by my wild hair) and we were worried it would be that way the whole weekend. We couldn't leave our chairs or drinks unattended or they would blow over instantly. We played cards with extreme caution and lots of rocks used as weights.

Sitting by the fire enjoying our first night!

 

The next morning, we took our coffee and headed down to the beach. We were very please that the wind had died down considerable and the sun was shining.

 

Ruby loved to lay on the picnic bench and watch her crazy little brother.

 

After some breakfast and more coffee, we headed back down to the water to read and relax. There were lots of surfers who were also camping and enjoying the waves. We also got to see a pod of dolphins playing pretty close to shore. In the picture above, you can see a mama and baby dolphin swimming side by side!

 

The dolphins look much closer than they actually are because the sand dips down a bit before it meets the water.

 

This surfer was enjoying the free dolphin show!

 

Here I am reading with the pups napping at my feet. It was pure bliss.

Right before dinner time, our friends Paul and Jackie finally arrived with their puppy (and Jackson's brother) Marlowe!

 

Puppies playing at sunset.

 

I smell a Christmas card picture!

 

I look pregnant in this picture, but I'm not.

That night, we had our ice chests out, but closed with latches. We knew that raccoons were out each night (they got into our trash the first night), but didn't worry much about them getting into anything as we packed it all up and took the trash to the dumpster before going to bed. Well, raccoons are really smart. They opened a cooler, lifted the latch, go out the eggs and opened the hard plastic egg case (not some flimsy cardboard one, the read deal with another 2 latches) and stole all the eggs. Some were broken on the second cooler, but most they carried off to eat. Good thing the Jalama market has just about anything, including eggs!

The next day was much more cloudy which wasn't terrible, but wasn't ideal. We headed to the beach again anyway and it turned out to be quite warm, even with the cloud cover.

 

There was lots of digging in the sand.

 

Ruby got a face full of sand and just tried to grin and bear it.

 

The puppies loved chewing on the seaweed. Jackson is on the left, Marlowe on the right.

 

How cute are they?? Marlowe is on the left, Jackson on the right.

 

Jackie with an armful of fluffy puppies!

 

This picture should be in a magazine.

 

Possible Christmas card picture...

 

Look at those teeth! Getting viscous!

 

Ruby finally joined in on the digging. We're so glad they picked up this habit at the beach...

 

Ruby in her prayer shawl. She's meditating.

 

Marlowe attacking my face.

Later that afternoon, we decided to take a short hike up to the train tracks. My husband told me we could lay pennies on the track and when the train went by they would get smushed and we could go retrieve our flattened pennies. Paul's dad (his parents had come up to visit for a few hours in the afternoon) told us that this was very illegal and dangerous. We decided to risk it (don't call the cops on us!).

 

On the way up, we had an incredible view of the sun glistening off the blue waters.

 

We laid our pennies on the track and headed back to camp. A little while later, we heard the train go by (it did not derail, thank goodness) and we hiked back up to see how it all turned out.

 

Here are the flattened pennies!

 

Another amazing sunset.

The wind picked up quite a bit that night, but we enjoyed our gourmet dinner of tri-tip and salmon with roasted potatoes and green beans and grilled corn on the cob (all cooked over the open flame - YUM). For dessert, we had s'mores, of course. This time we used Reese's instead of plain chocolate and I will never go back to the old fashioned way!

 

Awwwww... A + M forever!

The next morning, we packed up our things and headed home, back to reality and back to the blackberry.

 

The puppies posed one final time for the camera. How stinkin' cute are they??

 

When we finally got home, our pups were pooped!

I would definitely recommend Jalama Beach for camping. They have clean bathrooms with lights (!) and the showers are amazing (bring quarters). The campsites are a bit close together, but our neighbors were super nice (even the ones with little kids who went to bed long before we did). Best of all? The beach is huge and sandy and beautiful and just a few steps away.