Fan of Fridays Vol. 2

Happy Friday! This week went by fast but I won't lie, I'm glad it's over. Each day was jam-packed and I'm looking forward to a (slightly) slower paced weekend. This week, I've been a fan of:

1. The Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffin candle from Target. They have a small size for $5 and a bigger size for $10 and when I first bought it, I got the smaller size because I tend to have candle ADD. But this candle smells amazing. I burned through the first one and ran back to Target for the bigger size! They smell so so good and are reasonably priced for a candle. If you're heading to Target, you should add it to your cart!

2. Travel days! J and I are leaving this morning to North Carolina! It's his cousin's wedding and his dad invited us to go up. I haven't been to North Carolina in a long time but from what I remember, it's beautiful. Plus, they're having cooler weather than we are, so I'm looking forward to this tiny taste of fall!

3. The new Sherlock trailer! It's no secret that I love TV, yet another reason why fall is one of my favorite seasons. But there's always a handful of shows that come out in January, including the new season of Sherlock! It's been so long since I finished the last season, I'm going to have to do some re-watching to be ready for the premiere. Any other BBC fans out there?

4. This possum cuddling a toy kangaroo! I'm a sucker for all things animal related so naturally, this melted my heart. No lie, when I first adopted Keller, I had hoped he'd be the kind of Chi who cuddled with tiny stuffed animals and who carried them around the house. Because I had these aspirations for him, no surprise, he has less than 0 interest in anything fluffy (besides blankets). Go figure. In the mean time, I'll keep looking at pictures of this possum.

5. The fall fashion all over the place. You guys know how I feel about fall and it does my soul good to know I'm not the only one obsessed with the upcoming sweater weather! Laura, Jen, Lauren, and Caroline are some of the ladies I've seen around the blogosphere killing it! Seriously, if you're posting about peacoats and ankle boots, holler at your girl. I'd love to read it!

What are you loving these days? Hopefully a fantastic weekend is one of those things! Happy Friday :)

Keller's Sweet 16

On September 26, Keller turned 16 years old! If he were a human, he'd be zooming around in a car right now but because he's a dog, he's instead curled up under a fleece next to me, watching old Community episodes.

I adopted Keller 10 months ago and every day, I am consistently reminded of how great a decision that was. 

The Origin Story

Keller was found as a stray when he was 14, his eyes and ears clouded with infections, missing half his teeth, afraid, alone, and feeling very uncooperative. Initially, he was sent to the city shelter, where his age, his poor health, and his 'aggressiveness' immediately landed him on the euthanasia list. The big animal rescue in town, Austin Pets Alive, took him in and cleaned him up. They found out he was completely deaf, partially blind, underweight and gave him the treatment he needed. In exchange for their hospitality, my scared little dude tried to bite them. 

By all accounts, he was very unadoptable. He flourished in his foster home, becoming the sassy, very vocal, very loyal pup he is today, but after over a year, I'm sure his foster owner thought he was going to be there for life. 

Around Month 13, I was at a coffee shop, browsing through available dogs as a method of procrastination, when I saw Keller's picture and description on the website. He was old. He was crotchety and to me, he was absolutely perfect. One month later he was my dog! The first dog I'd ever had on my own and goodness, was it awful. 

The transition period was hard. He didn't know me and I'm sure he was having flashbacks to the lost time he was abandoned. He shook in his kennel and shied away from the touch. He sang the song of his people at 3 am and took approximately 20 minutes to find a satisfactory spot to pee. He hated walking on concrete but he also complained when I picked him up. For about 2 months, we lived in this stalemate and I was convinced he was going to be the one to cave first.

I was right. Eventually, he started to warm up to me. The carrying he had hated became his preferred mode of transportation. I found out he loved to sunbathe and to watch TV on the couch, never more than an inch or two away from me. Now, he is my best friend. Yes, an elderly Chihuahua Mix is my best friend. 

Every day, I am thankful for the shelter that did so much for him and I am thankful for the people who were patient and kind enough to get my boy to his 16th birthday. And if you're considering a dog but aren't sure you want the high-energy craziness of a younger dog, I would recommend checking out your local shelters for the senior pups. All of those myths about them not bonding with their new owners or about them being boring are wildly off base. 

Keller gets into more shenanigans than I would have ever guessed and every day, he politely requests to be tucked into bed next to me, and keeps me company through the mornings. He gets so excited he runs in circles when I come home and he enjoys a healthy dose of Hulu (Fall TV lineups though....). 

Happy birthday, my first dog! Thank you for being you. 

Dog Days

(To offset some of the more word-heavy posts, here's some pictures of dogs!)

As awesome as summer is, I've always been more of a 'fall' person. That could be because a Texas 'fall' is the same as everyone else's summer. If that's the case then you guys are lucky folks, because we're going on the end of September here and it is still outrageously hot. While I may not be the biggest fan of this season, Windy definitely is so we're trying to squeeze the most out of what's left of summer by hitting up parks as much as we can.

This past weekend, we were in Houston so my sister invited us to a dog park that recently opened. Apparently, it's the most expensive dog park in the city, but let me tell you, that money did not go towards pet clean up stations. Beyond the serious need for more bags and trashcans, the park itself was pretty nice!

I guess they had just installed new grass or something, because orange fences EVERYWHERE. 

There was a water feature with fountains so dogs could cool off and plenty of grass for them to run around in. Water + dirt/grass = mud though, so don't be the fool I was and wear sandals. Tennis shoes all the way.

In typical Winnie fashion, she wanted to play fetch the entire time and ignore all the other dogs at the park. I can throw a ball from underneath a tree though, so I don't mind.

There were also plenty of little dogs soaking up the shade who seemed to be having the time of their lives, so little dog owners, don't be discouraged! This place is great for everyone.

In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't been to another dog park in Houston so I can't compare, but this was a pretty decent park. There are benches for the humans and nice spaces for the dogs.

This may easily be Winnie's favorite part of summer, but I'm still anxiously awaiting the next season, which is today!

Hello There, Blog

I have this bad habit of inspiration with no follow through. That's why this blog was registered about a month ago and this is the first post. There's still something about commitment, after all these years, that still gives me pause. But I'm learning, I promise.

This is going to be Hustle and Whoa. A sort of chronicle/to do/not to do/how to guide of these first cautious steps into real life adulthood.

Here's the sitch: I just graduated law school a few months ago. I get my bar results back (Lord, help me) in a few more months. I'm at an internship that lasts until then and afterwards, it's the big bad world at large. In the mean time, I've got a boyfriend in Houston (and he's taking care of our two cats, Charlie and Rufus), I've got two dogs here (Keller and Windy), I've got siblings, parents, friends, bills, student loans, and a cautionary, positive outlook on the future. So I guess this blog is about all of those things: the #hustle (you already know) and the whoa! (for the happy surprises along the way). Plus it's a pretty good movie. (Taraji + Terrence for life).

I appreciate all of the luck you have to spare and in return, I promise to make the risky moves (for educational purposes, of course).


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