So You Want a Dog?

It's been a month ago now (I'm behind on everything), but we took Munch to the dog beach at Bear Lake for his first time and he was in doggy heaven. I was like a proud mom watching her kid graduate from preschool, seeing my pup splash through the waves and chew on sticks. 

In March, it marked a year since we rescued our Munch. We couldn't imagine life without a dog. We sure got lucky, because Munch is perfect for us. Everyone's experience is different, but I thought I'd just give a little spill of the things we've learned since becoming dog-owners. Maybe it will help someone else who wants to add a canine friend to the family. 

Tip 1: Check your local shelters before buying a dog from a breeder!!

People might think I'm a goofball, but I'm definitely passionate about pet adoption! My very favorite dogs we had growing up were poor puppies that we found as strays. My parents live up a canyon in a secluded area and people often drop their dogs off and leave them for dead (sad face). We often found these strays and my big-hearted, sensitive mom would take them in. My parents' current dog is one we found when I was 15. He had been wandering around in a snowstorm for hours. My mom loaded him in the car and brought him home. I remember helping her feed him and warm him with towels . . . his whole body was quivering. We couldn't find his owner, so we kept him as our own and named him Ringo. He is the sweetest and most loyal dog, and I swear it's partly because we took him in and loved him when no one else would. They say an elephant never forgets . . . I like to believe dogs are the same. Because of my childhood experiences, I knew for my adult life, I wanted to adopt my first dog. Brian and I chose to adopt through Four Paws because they are a no-kill shelter. Sadly, many shelters put dogs down if they don't find forever homes. Four Paws rescues many of the dogs at our local shelter when their time runs out. Four Paws sincerely cares about the animals they provide for and they want to find homes that are a good fit. Because of this, Four Paws was super amazing to work with. They let us do a "trial run" with Munch before we officially signed all the papers. They also had a lot of information on all their dogs because they really work on getting familiar with each dog's personality. Oh, and an added bonus with Four Paws is that they fix all their dogs and have their shots up to date, so you won't have to worry about it. Since rescuing Munch, I think I'm going to go with the rescue route for life. Munch is the sweetest dog. Again, I think it's because we gave him a home when he went without for so long. I don't know where Munch came from before Four Paws, but we've found evidence that he was abused. He flinches if we make quick movements or pick objects up. It is tragic to know he probably didn't have the best life as a puppy, but I feel a little bit of fulfillment knowing I can now give him the love he so deserves. Going to a dog shelter is heart-breaking. There are way too many dogs that go their entire lives without loving homes. Many of them have terrible pasts (we refer to it as Munch's "thug life"). I wish I could adopt them all (maybe one day when we have a bigger yard . . . scooping poop should be fun). So please, please, PLEASE if you are considering getting a dog, check with shelters before going to a breeder. You might not get the exact breed you want, but get over it. The dog's personality matters much more than what breed it is. Surprisingly enough, you can often find full-bred dogs at shelters if you check frequently (they get snatched up fast though). Tragically enough, this is due to irresponsible breeders and irresponsible owners, which brings me to my next tip . . .  

Tip 2: If you do go to a breeder, make sure they are reputable 

If you really do want to pay for a full-bred dog (which will cost more money than pet adoption, mind you), make sure you do your research on breeders. There are way too many irresponsible breeders who don't care about the safety of the dogs. They have only money in mind. With that being said, there are breeders who are passionate about what they do and they act responsibly, making sure their dogs go to safe homes. Choose one of these loving breeders to go through and avoid evil puppy mills at all costs! 

Tip 3: Do your research

Different breeds are often more apt to have certain personality traits, abilities, or health problems. For example, some breeds have higher energy levels than others. If you get a higher energy dog, you'll have to plan on having space for it to run around and you'll have to walk it more frequently. Certain breeds make great running partners while others are just not natural-born athletes. Certain breeds are also more likely to have joint problems later in life, so that's something you need to be familiar with and prepared for. If you think you want a certain type of dog, do your research beforehand. You might find that in reality, it's not the best dog for your lifestyle. I once heard a story of a couple who bought a dog when they were both in school and working, only to later find out the certain breed required constant attention. They didn't keep the dog for long and then sold it to the first person who was willing to buy. Not a great situation for the humans or the dog. The problem could have been avoided if they would have learned about the dog before bringing it home. I have another example from my own life. When "101 Dalmatians" came out, I was obsessed to say the least. I was a dalmatian for Halloween two years in a row and I watched the cartoon on repeat. Then I begged my parents to get me a dalmatian. Since at the time, I was their only precious daughter, they caved and let me get my dream dog. From my childhood memories, I recall that dog being a total demon. I don't even remember his name, I only remember being terrified of him. If you didn't know, dalmatians are VERY hyper dogs. Every time I set foot outdoors, I was knocked over, held down and drooled on by that dalmatian. I have a very distinct memory of being pinned under him, screaming for help while my parents watched and laughed. So anyway, a dalmatian might not be the best choice of dog to get for your three year old . . . unless you hate your three year old.

Tip 4: Make sure you have the time 

Being a dog owner is a real commitment, especially since dogs live for over ten years on average. This is a living, breathing thing that needs your attention and love. You'll need to walk it, feed it, clean up after it, and socialize with it. If you are not home often, you might want to wait for a time in your life when you are around more to get that pup. So yes, if you're in school and working, I'd suggest waiting. If you travel a lot and don't have someone to care for your pet while you're gone, wait. Brian and I both grew up our whole lives with a dog around. Honestly, the hardest part of moving away to college was being away from my dogs. After we first got married, we were dog-hungry, but we knew getting a dog would be irresponsible of us. We were both in school and working full-time. We hardly had time to spend with one another . . . how would we have the time to pay attention to a needy dog? When we got a better handle on our lives, we brought Luna home. The nice thing about cats is that they aren't near as dependent as dogs. Luna worked with our situation at the time since we were only home a few hours a day and were also living in a small apartment. Brian and I made the decision early on that we wouldn't get a dog until 1) we were both done with school and 2) we had a yard where a dog would have room to roam around. Even though I missed owning a dog for several years, I'm grateful I waited.  

Tip 5: Puppies are cute, but they're not for everyone 

Puppies are probably one of the most adorable things on the planet. However, they are also destructive. They will chew things apart. They will have accidents. They will be annoying at times. Yes, puppies are cute . . . but they are not always the answer. If you get a puppy, you will need the time and commitment to train it. You will also need patience. I mean, a puppy is a baby after all. It doesn't know any better. It's a baby you need to teach. A baby with claws and sharp teeth. Just keep that in mind. While I love puppies, Brian and I knew a more mature dog would be better for our life situation. While we are home more, we both still have jobs. We wouldn't have the time to work with a baby dog. And while puppies are cute, so are grownup dogs. Munch is probably around four-years-old. This means he is still young and playful, but he's old enough that he is rarely naughty. He's a great age for our situation. He was already trained to some degree when we brought him home, and he still has the energy to go on runs and hikes with us.  

Tip 6: Be patient 

To be a good dog-owner, you must have patience. Your dog isn't going to act perfectly the second you bring him or her home. Your dog will make mistakes and you will make mistakes too. Don't be too hard on yourself or your loyal friend. Over time, your dog will get comfortable, feel more at home, and also behave better. With time, you will also become more familiar with your dog's strengths and weaknesses. We quickly learned that if Munch isn't on a leash, he will make a mad dash for it. There were several times last summer when we accidentally left our gate door open too long and Munch took off, painting the town red. It was embarrassing to say the least, when we had to drive around asking neighbors if they'd seen him. Luckily, we always found him or he came back home. Now we know better though. Munch knows better too. A year later and he knows he's not supposed to leave the yard. Another thing about Munch is that he was attacked by a bigger dog while at the shelter. When we first brought him home, he actually had some battle wounds from the attack. With that being said, Munch can sometimes be hesitant around other dogs. We've had to be patient working with him on this. We've learned that if we are in a controlled environment, he has no problem being around other four-legged friends. Be patient. Over time, you and your dog will find your groove. If you feel you need extra help with your dog, many places offer affordable obedience classes.    

Hopefully those tips are of assistance. I'm no professional dog expert but just wanted to share some things we learned from our own experience. We can't imagine our lives without Munch. Being a dog-owner is the absolute best. It can be a lot of work, but I know you will love it!  

Sunday Best: Summer Vibes

dress: Ross, hat: Roolee Boutique, sandals: Head Over Heels

About a month ago, I went to Ross looking for some cheap and cute flower pots. But alas, whenever one walks through the doors of Ross, they often exit with items they had no intent of purchasing. This is the story of how I got this dress. It was just hanging there on the end of a rack, begging me to take it home. I imagined myself wearing it to the farmers' market as I ran my hands across the light and cool fabric. I reached for the price tag and turned it over. Seven dollars, you say? Sold. 

I didn't even try it on before leaving the place. I do wish it came floor-length rather than ankle-length (slightly awkward), but you get what you pay for I suppose. I can't complain. I plan on wearing this hippie dress quite a lot this summer, paired with a hat and some comfortable sandals. For this outfit post, I accessorized with what Brian calls my "adventure hat". Everyone needs to go on an adventure every now and again, am I right? 

Just a random sidenote: Brian took these photos of me in the heat of the day, so pay no attention to the brightness and the glistening of my sweaty face. Summer is here to stay for a while, folks!  

Waffle-filled Weekend

Do you ever get just the silliest notions in your head of random things you want to accomplish before you die? One of my many silly notions that I've never been able to let go of is that I wanted an orange cat, male preferred, and I would name him Waffles.

On Saturday morning, Brian and I both woke up craving waffles. But being the lazy millennials we are, we refused to prepare our own waffles. Therefore, we got dressed and took the motorcycle over to our new favorite local spot, The Waffle Iron. I went with a sweet waffle and Brian went with savory. We shared a little.

A while after consuming our gourmet waffles, we decided to wander on over to Petsmart to check out the adoptable cats. We've been doing this lately, toying with the idea of getting a second cat if we just so happened to meet the right one. Well, on Saturday the stars aligned because there were adoptable KITTENS. And there was the most adorable, playful, clumsy, ORANGE, MALE one. I looked into his sweet green eyes and then turned to look at Brian. That's when we both whispered in voices of utmost reverence, "Waffles . . ." 

We then held him and played with him for a bit and it was settled. This cat was my silly notion coming true. He was meant to be Waffles Weller. And of course, I'm telling my side of the story here because it's the only side I know, but I think Brian was even more excited about taking Waffles home than I was. He grew up his whole life thinking he didn't care for cats. He's making up for his lost childhood of being surrounded by evil barn cats. Anyway, I filled out the paperwork and Brian shopped around for some toys and kitten food. Just like that, Waffles was ours.

If you are in the Cache Valley area and ever see the cats at Petsmart, they are actually cats rescued by an organization called Four Paws Rescue. This is the same organization that we adopted Munch (our dog) from. I can't say enough good things about Four Paws. They care about the animals so much. They're a no-kill shelter and they do their very best to get all their animals foster parents. This way the animals can flourish and be around other pets and people before going to their forever homes. I highly recommend adopting from Four Paws if you are searching for a pup or cat to love on.

It's only been a few days and Waffles is already right at home. He's a social thing. He also hasn't developed his coordination very much yet. That whole idea that cats always land on their feet? Yeah, I don't think that's true with kittens. Luna, our firstborn cat, had a much more difficult time adjusting to Waffles being on her turf. But hey, we didn't even warn her. We just came home with a new cat that just so happens to attack her tail 24/7, so I can't blame her for being a little prissy over it. We've basically rocked her whole world. The first day she basically just followed him around and hissed at his butt, but I'm happy to say she is now back to her normal self. The two of them have started playing together and even cuddling. Luna also tries to bathe him when she gets a chance (such a good big sister).

So . . . we are officially the creeps that have more animals living with us than people. My friends are all having babies right now. Me? I adopt cats. You can't leave a baby home alone or expect it to use the litter box. Cats are easy stuff.

Vacation Mode

Why is it that we worry so much about what others think of us? We so often let other's thoughts of us undermine our happiness. I mean, recently Brian and I caught this guy sitting in his car in the parking lot having a dance party by himself. He looked like he was having an awesome time. But he immediately stopped dancing when he noticed us. We were complete strangers who he'd probably never see again yet he let our opinions of him stop him from being authentic (we were total fans of his dancing, btw). 

A few months ago, Brian had a week-long business conference in Georgia. It just so happened to land on the same week that my sisters were out of school for spring break. They had plans to chill in California for the week with my mama. My mom invited me to tag along and Brian really encouraged me to go. You see, I get a little crazy and restless when I go long periods of time by myself. I think Brian was concerned about leaving me home alone for a whole week, ha ha. But I was being stubborn and saying I couldn't go. I had to stay home and work, be responsible and stuff. 

Well, I went back and forth between deciding if I should go to California or stay in Utah. I got to the point that I even made a list of pros and cons. Honestly, one of the biggest cons of going to California came down to what others would think of me. You see, Brian and I had a trip to Thailand planned and it would be not even a month after this California trip. My concerns were all things like, "What will my boss think if I ask for more work off? What will people at church think if I miss more meetings? People on social media will think I'm spoiled/irresponsible/lazy." 

It's really sad that I almost let other people's opinions of me make me miss out on a getaway with my mom and sisters. Yes, in the end I decided to pack up my suitcase and hit the road with my family. It was such a wonderful week away spending quality time with my favorite ladies (I think we need to have an annual girls' trip). It also made missing Brian a little more bearable ;). 

   

I'm happy my sisters let me crash their spring break. Hopefully soon I'll get my grand Thailand adventure documented. And as for worrying about what others think of me . . . I'm trying to take a permanent vacation from that.

Truth Tuesday

•  Brian and I got this idea for a children's chapter book series, and we're totally running with it now. We started story boarding tonight. It sounds a bit ridiculous . . . but it's ridiculous ideas that make you famous (or something). Plus, even if it never goes anywhere, at least we can say, "Hey, remember that time we wrote that goofy book series?

• I shaved my face for the first time yesterday (peach fuzz central). I learned how from A Ting Thing on Youtube. Check out her face shaving tutorial right here. Then watch all the rest of her videos. She's a sweet little bubble of energy, and I'll basically buy or do anything she tells me to now.  

• I'm toying with the idea of running a FULL FREAKING marathon. I'll probably chicken out and change my mind. I'm thinking it's probably the most ideal time in my life to train for one. But then I start thinking about the pain of a half marathon and I can't even imagine doubling it. 

• I'm a total huge fan of Beauty Redefined. Today on Facebook, they posted about how girls' and women's time spent on social media is correlated with depression, anxiety, loneliness, and a whole bunch of other things I don't need in my life. I really believe it, too. That's why I'm making an effort to spend less time in front on the computer screen and scrolling through Instagram. I just recently found out that some people actually track how many followers they have and who and when people unfollow them using some sort of an app. That just sounds exhausting. If you do that . . . stop. Stop right now. That's a waste of energy that could be spent elsewhere.

• It's been one year since we adopted THE MUNCH! Munchy is our dog. We adopted him from the most wonderful rescue shelter here in Logan. Since I'm a complete psycho and find any excuse for a party, we celebrated our pooch this past Sunday. I kind of jokingly sent a text to my sixteen-year-old sister saying, "Want to come to Munch's adoptiversary?" And they came! My parents and siblings came on Sunday, and they wore party hats and ate cake FOR MY DOG! Munch wore a party hat too and had his own special dog cake. I'm hoping to write up a post soon on our experience with pet adoption because I'm so weirdly passionate about it! I just want everyone to adopt now since our experience was so grand! But until that post . . . I'll leave you with a few phone pics from Munch's party.  

This baby sister of mine also drew the sweetest sketch of Munch that I may have to share here at a later date. 

Luna in the bottom-left corner kills me. She was all kinds of jealous that Munch was getting the attention. 

Costa Rica: Sloth Sanctuary

I figure I better blog about our trip to Costa Rica before it's really old news. I can't believe it's been two months since our awesome vacation!

Our first full day in the country was spent at the Sloth Sanctuary over on the Caribbean Coast. The Sloth Sanctuary is basically the WHOLE reason we even went to Costa Rica. Random, right?

You see, most normal people have things on their bucket lists like, "see the Great Wall of China" or "go skydiving". I have things on my bucket list like, "go see the sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica". I can't even remember how or when I first heard about the sanctuary. I just somehow discovered it and then knew I had to go.

To anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica, I would highly recommend adding the Sloth Sanctuary to your list of things to do. It did not disappoint. The people who run it are incredible. They take in injured and orphaned sloths. The goal is to nurse the injured ones back to health and free them into the wild. With orphaned sloths or babies born in the sanctuary, they will stay their whole lives since they don't really know what it's like to be a wild sloth (I feel like wild sloth is a total oxymoron, by the way). I love sloths (don't they just look like the best cuddlers?). Really, I'm just an animal lover, so being in close proximity to these creatures was exciting for me. We learned a lot of random facts about sloths, like that they only have one bowel movement per week. Who knew?  

The only downside of this part of the trip was getting there. The main airport in Costa Rica is in the middle of the country. Granted, the country is relatively small but traffic if unpredictable. Looking it up online, the destination time from San Jose to the sanctuary varied from two to five hours. We left early that morning to leave ourselves plenty of travel time. It ended up taking us four hours because we got stuck waiting to cross a bridge for an hour. Not fun. However, the drive was breathtaking. At least we had a lot to look at. Driving was also quite the adventure. We rented a car and BWell drove. There were a million one-lane bridges. On some of them, you couldn't see the other side. So you kind of would just cross the bridge and say a little prayer that a car wouldn't be coming from the other direction. Poor Brian, he was a trooper during our journey.

We arrived to the sanctuary before our lunch was quite ready. That left me and Brian time to meet Buttercup and have her all to ourselves. Buttercup was the first sloth at the sanctuary and basically the reason the sanctuary was started. She is 22 years old and just a sweetheart. When we entered the room and saw Buttercup on her swing, I forgot how to breathe and almost started crying. I am such a dork. I think between waking up early, our frustrating drive, and then just coming face-to-face with a sloth . . . it was just a lot of emotions. But really, look at how cute Buttercup is . . .

I felt like she was almost human. Like you know how Yoda from Star Wars is just this adorable little dude but then he's full of infinite knowledge? That's how I feel Buttercup is. Buttercup is Yoda. 

After we ate lunch with Buttercup, we went on a boat ride. We spotted some sloths sleeping in the trees, watched lots of pretty birds, and our boat guide even showed us some baby bats living in a log.

After the boat tour, we paid a visit to the injured and sick sloths. It was heartbreaking. A lot of them get electrocuted in power lines, some get hit by cars, others are abused. The worst story we heard was about a particular sloth who was set on fire by two stupid teenage boys. That poor sloth will probably never fully recover. It was sad to see so many of them hurting but nice to know they were in a safe place. We were able to pet and feed the injured adult sloths.

Then there were the babies. Oh, baby sloths, be still my heart. Baby sloths must be one of the top five cutest things in the world.

My favorite baby of all was actually very bad at being a sloth. A sloth's whole purpose is to use as little energy as possible. They eat a lot and sleep a lot. But my favorite little sloth acted more like a monkey. He was such a showoff and he immediately stole my heart. He kept doing tricks. Then he'd stick his little face and hands through the cage at me. I died. I died and went to sloth heaven.

 

This was such a great way to start off our trip. Luckily, our ride back to the hotel didn't take near as long. We even stopped and ate dinner at a restaurant on the beach while it was pouring rain . . . and then played on the beach in the pouring rain. It was magical. Sloths, beaches and rain. Yes. 

Up next on the vacation posts, you'll hear about how we took a sketchy little airplane to the most beautiful land on earth called Arenal, where we stayed in the middle of the rainforest and in the shadow of a volcano. Zip lining and river rafting adventures included. 

Pura Vida

Pura Vida is Spanish for "Pure Life". It's the law of the land in Costa Rica. It's used as a greeting, it's used for good luck, it's used as encouragement, it's used as a so long.

Recently, Brian and I returned from vacationing in Costa Rica. People really do live a "pure life" there. It's ironic how often we talk about people in less developed countries and feel sorry that they are so poor. In many ways, we are the poor ones. We are tied down to our phones, our computers, our nice clothes, and fancy houses. The people we met in Costa Rica didn't seem to be tied down to much. They live free of the unnecessary items that so often turn us into slaves. 

I came home from our trip with a fresh outlook on life, realizing that a lot of the things I think matter so greatly, actually don't.

Brian and I felt so inspired that we are already planning our next trip. There are so many places to see in this wonderful world that are going to give me so much more life experience than having the newest iPhone ever would. Now it's just time to save up some money in the old bank account. Traveling might cost a lot but I feel like every time I do it, I come home feeling richer in character.

Hopefully over the next few days, I can do a recap of our trip (no promises since I've become the world's worst blogger). I have a plethora of sloth pictures that must be shared with the masses. 

A New Endeavor

I think it's pretty evident by this point that I've lost interest in blogging. I've always felt a little weird doing it anyway. Whenever someone brings up my blog, I just don't even know how to talk about it. The conversation typically goes like this:

"I like your blog."

"Oh, you're nice . . ."

Then I change the subject.

I don't know. I've just never felt like a blogger. At one point, I remember thinking, "There are tons of girls who make their blog a business. I could do that."

But then that moment quickly went away because I know I don't want that. I love sharing bits and pieces of my life and thoughts with you, but some bits and pieces are only meant for me. I'm a big, selfish meanie. Also, I have this very deep rooted fear of being unauthentic. Now I'll be the first to tell you that I'm a lot of terrible things. I'm a slob. I get jealous. Sometimes I watch R-rated movies. I love to use the word "bastard", although I'd never say it in front of my mother.

But one thing I feel I'm very good at is being authentic. I don't want to lose that by trying to be something I'm not so I can gain more "followers".

This isn't me saying that I'm ending the life of "A Little Bird Told Me". But this is me saying that I probably won't post so often. You see, I don't have much free time. Especially since I'm pouring my extra time and energy into a NEW WEBSITE!

I would absolutely love your support for this new endeavor of mine. I've started up a website called Sharing Shine. Sharing Shine is dedicated to connecting, inspiring, and celebrating women of ALL ages. We will share incredible stories of women who live right in our communities. There are also sections dedicated to women's health, DIY projects, food, and much more. It's kind of like an online women's magazine, only that it's for all of us regardless of age, background, or beliefs. Too often I think we see women tearing other women down. Sharing Shine is all about women helping other women.

We just launched the site this week . . . and the work has already been quite overwhelming. I feel like I've just started another full-time job on top of my real full-time job. I've been living in my office at my computer. My TMJ is getting so serious that I'm wearing my mouth guard right now as to stop myself from turning my teeth into tooth fairy dust. But despite the stress . . . it's also been SO rewarding. The support we've already received is humbling and sometimes I sporadically feel like I'm going to cry and laugh all at once. So as weird and corny as it is, I love you. If you're reading this and you've supported us in any way, whether you've followed us on social media, shared an article, whatever . . . I love you. Thank you for supporting this dream of mine. It feels good to use my journalism degree to write things I'm passionate about. I've always wanted to do something for women and I think this might be my little golden nugget.

We have a lot of great things planned for Sharing Shine. This is my invitation to you to follow along ;).  

Sharing Shine Facebook

Sharing Shine Twitter

Sharing Shine Pinterest

Sharing Shine Instagram

Sunday Best: ELLIE G!!!

shirt: Ellie Goulding concert tour, jeans: Smith's, sneaks: Target 

Let's be real, this post has really nothing to do with what I'm wearing and everything to do with me bragging about how awesome Ellie Goulding was in concert. She was good. Sooooo, soooo good. If you ever get a chance to see the girl live, grasp on tight to that opportunity. 

Brian got us tickets to her concert for Valentine's Day (best present ever) and then at the concert I even persuaded him into buying me the rad t-shirt seen above. Sadly, I caught a terrible cold last week but that wasn't going to stop me from having a good time. So we enjoyed a night rocking out at The Great Saltair, me with a packet of tissues tucked in my vest pocket. 

When Ellie sang "Burn" toward the end of the night, this drunk guy in his forties/fifties ended up right in front of me, dancing his heart out. It wasn't even aimless drunk dancing either, he had very specific moves at every point of the song. That's when I joined in and copied all his dance moves. Then I started a trend, because at least 10 people surrounding us started copying drunk guy's dancing. It was like Just Dance on the Wii . . . but in real life.   

XO/Kelsey