2015!

It has been a blissful two weeks off over here and I decided I should probably post again. So here's a short and sweet and somewhat silly post. 

I present unto you Jasper's New Years Day pictures!

I'm not sure Jasper understands bribery, but he sure understands bone-shaped dog treats.

Last year was quite tumultuous for us and we had many adjustments throughout. Here's to hoping this year is just a little more stable and full of as much love, laughter, and family. I wish everyone a happy and blessed New Year in 2015!

Happy birthday, Jasper!

It was my puppy's first birthday this week.

If we're being technical, Jasper is not my dog, per say. True, I did pick him out of his litter and true, I did give him his name. I also basically raised him which is what happens when you're unemployed and stay at home all day. I might also be his favorite human (except Forrest.. he really loves Forrest), but I did not pay for him. Jasper belongs to my parents, but I feel that he is more like a family dog in that I did live under the same roof as him at one point. So anyway, Jasper is my pup.

What follows is probably more pictures of a puppy to dog transformation than you ever really wanted to see, but I cut it down as much as I could and I figured if I can't post them here, then where? So here they are: Jasper's first year of life. 8 weeks to one year.

It's unbelievable how fat he was. His belly almost dragged on the ground. We had to teach him how to eat hard food because the first time we gave it to him, he stared at it and whined because he was so hungry but wasn't sure what to do. We also had to teach him how to walk up and down a step. Watching Jasper build up his courage to take a flying leap down the one step leading from the kitchen to the back door is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

He learned how to sit and stay really quickly (like a few days after we got him) and he was so good at it. He was much better at it then than he is now. He's a snotty teenager now.

I made him sit and stay a lot (probably daily) so I could take his picture. He's such a proper puppy gentleman in the left picture. And a bear cub in the right picture.

This was before he could jump up onto the porch. We had to lift him.

This was the cutest ear phase where his ears were constantly changing from day to day. One ear would be up and the other down, the next day they would be folded over each other.

This picture is so hilarious to me.

And then all of a sudden, Jasper's ears GREW. One day he was a puppy, the next: batdog.

And then his fluff filled out and he just became handsome.

And then we left all summer and Jasper got fluffier and fluffier.

Jasper is such a good dog. I know that everyone thinks their dog is the best, but really, he's always so gentle and doesn't even care when we put him in footie pajamas. He's a winner. Happy birthday, pup!

Too Much New

Well, I just bought two sweaters and I had to sleep in flannel pajamas the other night, so I guess you could say summer's over. That and the fact that I'm currently sitting in a college library waiting for my 12:00 class to start.. but I'm still wearing shorts (with a sweater) so I haven't given up hope on my Indian summer. I'd say that wearing shorts in late September is more than my little heart could have possibly hoped for this summer. It has been glorious.

The evenings aren't exactly what one would call warm anymore. In fact, one could say that they're downright chilly. We had a big bonfire at my parents' house last weekend and it was exactly the right temperature to enjoy without roasting on one side and freezing on the other. It's just the right temperature of chill.

I started class last week and have been overcome by a level of anxiety that I don't think I have ever felt before. Not when I moved to a different country. Not when I got married. I haven't been able to eat and my stomach is in constant knots.

I suppose that being in a constant state of unease will do that to a person, but as I said, it's a completely new experience. Do people grow more anxious as they grow older? Is that a normal thing?

Everything I have been experiencing this past week has been new and uncomfortable: a new apartment, a new city, a new school, a new schedule, a new job, oh, and a new undergraduate research project.

I can only handle so much new before I implode, you know?

Thankfully, coming back to my parents' house this weekend as well as attending our very familiar church has had an overwhelmingly calming effect on me. I felt myself close to tears several times during the service for no reason at all, except for the realization that people care about Forrest and me and how we are adjusting. It may seem like a small thing, but it helped tremendously.

Being home is comforting too. I enjoyed sitting on the back porch with my Jasper dog and kitty who immediately climbed into my lap as I sat down to edit pictures. I do have some of the familiarity in my life.

I also took a few pictures of Megan's sunflowers which we have been waiting on for several months. 

Here's to hoping that all of this anxiousness will disappear as I grow more comfortable with my new responsibilities and interactions.

Also, my dad taught Jasper how to hold a treat on his nose and catch it. It's pretty impressive and he almost never misses.

My puppy.

Saturday's Harvest

The neighboring farmer told my parents on Saturday that he was done harvesting his field of green beans and that we were welcome to come pick whatever we wanted. Forrest took this offer very seriously and proceeded to pick (with my reluctant help) an entire five gallon bucket full of the things. 

The other field along the house is full of a much sweeter crop: raspberries. Though we had to pay for them (the injustice!), we walked on over to purchase half a flat of those as well. 

We ate some of the raspberries right away and steamed + froze the entire bucket of green beans. That is a lot of green bean snapping.. although I will admit that Forrest did the bulk of the work while I painted my fingernails.

I'd say that with the entire year's worth of green beans and at least a few days supply of raspberries at our fingertips, we are doing pretty well for ourselves these days, um.. agriculturally.

And as I'm never one to end a random post without a picture of our favorite pup, I took this rather Phantom-esque picture of the masked Jasper after I found him lying in some dust in the garage. He shook most of it off before I could take the photo..

Also, Jasper is not a fan of raw green beans, but did proceed to catch, chew, and spit out every single green bean end that I snapped and threw to him. He's a very trusting dog.

Super Sunday

I took a few photos of the year's biggest supermoon last night--coincidentally, the only one I have seen this year.

Plus, here are a few photos of a very irate kitty.

She almost looks like she's smiling..

..and the giant dahlias from our wedding are back! This is the first time I've seen them in person since our wedding and they're as pretty as I remember.

Here comes the moon!

And here is my mom feeding Jasper some banana + peanut butter.

I took these right after moonrise. It was glorious. The moon really was that orange!

Bonus: Jasper the wolf waiting for me to throw his ball.

He's very patient.