Happy Father's Day

     This is a big year for Mike. He turns 40 this October and I had been looking for the perfect gift for the man who not only has everything but gives everything too. He deserved to be spoiled. Many times in our marriage he has told me the story of his dog R.C. and what a good dog he was. I know better than to think that a guy like Mike would be fine with a great tempered poodle. With some guidance from the man himself I called up Alex Dunbar at CQBK9 (this is short for Closed Quarter Battle K9). I was a bit nervous getting a dog that on video looked like it could rip my throat out for a snack before devouring my children but Alex was patient with my super stupid mom questions. "Do you have dogs that like to play catch with kids?" "Can the dog change diapers?" He told me about his puppies he had for sale and also about some 1 year old, great looking, trained dogs he had but by chance I came upon a picture of the puppies next to their mom and I literally held my breath. 

     When people ask me what drew me to Mike I always say that he was nothing I was looking for but everything I ever needed. (Except he was hot too) Well, that is what Aspen was as well. I started looking for a puppy that had a long sable coat but after getting a glimpse of her liquid onyx coat I couldn't imagine having any other dog. Not to mention those eyes. She's got eyes like my hubby; caramel pools you could swim in for days. She is fierce when it comes to attacking the enemy but you should see her lick Nico from head to foot each morning. She also comes with a long list of commands in a foreign language. How cool is that? Just look at Mike hugging her, holding his cheat sheet of commands that first day. I love that she is a mommy just like me. I think that is why she spends the afternoon herding the babies in the back yard. It is really fun to watch. 

Aspen is kind of a big deal ( Ron  Burgundy voice). See her videos below

She was on the show Doomsday preppers and here she is doing some Bite work

Alex came down with Aspen to teach us how to command her but also to see if we were worthy of her. He is an exceptional trainer who truly loves his animals like his own children. He was patient with all of us and agreed to all of our requests which mostly consisted of seeing how Aspen did in social settings and in places we liked to go together. She passed with flying colors but now we truly understand what Alex meant by her being a bit fixated on balls. Like really fixated on them. She may never go to a baseball game with us because she would dive into the field to retrieve them. My heart melted to watch Golden play catch with her on the first night. But I also was supremely ticked that he could learn twenty odd Slovakian words in 24 hours in order to speak to her but cringes when I ask him to speak two Spanish words to me in the past 12 years. 

Do I really even have to comment on what the triplets think of her? 

Since we have had her, she has gone to the beach twice, the pool every day, and paddle boarding. She went to Scout camp and became the honorary mascot of the troop and earned a badge or two. And did I mention she is a counter terrorism, tracking, and service dog too. At camp, Mike sent a cross country kid off to hide and sent Aspen after him half and hour later and it only took her three minutes to find him. The kid said he rubbed his shirt on trees and went the opposite direction, ran through water and up trees to try and confuse her. No luck. She is a master at finding lost people which comforts me with this brood. I'm glad to see her following Mike all over the house and bonding with the family so well. The biggest problem we have is arguing about where she should sleep each night. I put her bed in our room for now but I think the kids will eventually coax her up to their rooms. 

Here is Alex with our family. We took him parasailing and I am sure Aspen could of done it too but I kept her with me.

I think she may be able to surf  too

Her first flight

She knows how to relax with us girls.

Just thought you should see Beau as a sand mermaid

 When Alex first came to us with Aspen he asked what my biggest fear was and I said that Aspen, to me, was like a gun that I had no idea where not only the safety was, but also the trigger. Now that we have been trained with her, I couldn't imagine a more secure form of protection in a home full of children. As Alex said in his video, she can never be bribed, she is tireless and loyal to a fault. Just like my husband I suppose. In short, we instantly fell in love with Aspen. She is amazing and I am glad that I didn't get a puppy because I have enough people to chase around cleaning pee and poop for. I'm glad Mike loves his present and I hope that she watches over him and keeps him safe along with the rest of my family for years to come. 

Surprise Stay at Seaside

I like it includes pets in population

Florida Summers are always my favorites. I suppose it has to do with the fact that this is where I grew up and an adventure always seems around the corner. That is exactly how this weekend began. I cut up a watermelon and laughed when I saw that Golden picked his piece out which was actually the half I had not cut. In his defense he ate all of it except for the bits he shared with Carlos,the other caveman in my family.I could have stayed in the backyard all day but Mike asked me what I wanted to do on Saturday and seemed ready for an adventure outside of our four walls so I said, "Let's go to the beach at Seaside. And away we went.

The first time we went to Seaside, Golden was in diapers. It is such a fascinating and beautiful oasis of Higway 30A. J.S. Smolian fell in love with it too in 1946 when he bought 80 acres there. He was a man with a dream but never chased it. Instead, his grandson Robert Davis saw the potential and in 1981 Seaside was born. If you think you've never seen Seaside, rent "The Truman Show" Confectioners Sugar Sand beaches, blue waters and a community that still believes in taking the backroads by foot or by bike. The town is lined with white picket fenced homes and cottages. And if you have time to look you will see that no two fences on the same street are alike. No homes have grass in the yards to reduce the use of pesticides and noisy mowers. And they have in the center of town one of the most photographed post offices in the United States.

This is the face of each one of my kids when they first touch sand at the beach

This is the face of my kids after 15 minutes at the beach

Beau is hands down my most dirt and sand loving child

We weren't at Seaside for more than 15 minutes when Mike surprised us by saying, 

"Let's just stay here for the weekend." Packed with nothing more than extra shirts we all screamed "yes" in agreement. Let the adventure continue.

I always get a bit emotional when I see my children interacting. It will pass so quickly.

And Golden could't look more like a man these days. It is good to see him act like a kid here.

Miles of umbrellas

This is what anticipation looks like when you reach the entrance gazebos

The morning view before the crowds.

Seaside even finds a way to make entering the beach seem magical. There are pavilions lining the pathways into the entrances.No one is the same. And in case you need reminding, a bell rings every day to mark the sunset.

The pavilion in the center of town

My favorite pavilion entrance

Every home looked so inviting

And each home has bikes for you to use during your stay

The very popular Seaside post office

Even the restaurants are dreamy

It's like they knew I was coming

Of course, there is a fairy colony that lives in the trees at Ruskin Place. And there is a charter school ranked 3rd in the state of Florida for academic excellence.

Eva seemed thrilled to stop and take photos with me. Here are the food trucks.

In the town is also every sport venue you will need including a playground to get your cars dirty in and pools to cool off in. 

Nico enjoyed it all thoroughly including his first taste of ice cream.

And we came across a wedding going on. I loved the limes in the centerpieces. That's what I do.

The house we stayed in was cray cray in color but the electronics in it kept daddy happy and it had 5 bedrooms. Gigi is really starting to love taking pictures and insisted on being in each one of my shots. So enjoy.

I think Nico was not so impressed with the electronics.

I liked to spend the next morning taking a soak with Eva and having her make me laugh. I got a small prick from a jelly fish on my finger and she said, "Mom, you know who the rich people are because they always tell you, 'Rub a credit card over it' but poor people will tell you to use vinegar." I informed her that we are a vinegar using household.

In all, the weekend was a success. We got to slow down and enjoy one another inside this little microcosm of Heaven. We need to slow down with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the love in our hearts. Thanks, Mike for letting us do that this weekend. 

One last fact, the author Rebecca Wells worked on her book at Seaside. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.  She sums up my thoughts on my family. I leave you with her words:

You know how some people when they're together, they somehow make you feel more hopeful? Make you feel like the world is not the insane place it really is?

That is my family time to me. And for all those who tell me my hands are full, you should see my heart.