Rocky

Christmas Blahs

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I’m having the hardest time with the holidays this year. I just can’t get into the spirit. Normally I’m singing holiday songs by October and jumping for joy because it’s my favorite time of year.

Not this year.

The holidays snuck up on me and I know people get annoyed when folks say, “Oh, how can it be XYZ already?!”, but well that’s how I feel.

Our rental house, while perfectly fine, isn’t really our style.  It also has a bit of an awkward layout that doesn’t really invite a lot of decorating.

I’ve also been so focused on our move, learning about our new city, and trying to meet others that I haven’t given the holidays a second thought.

Now Christmas is like two weeks away and the thought of buying gifts and doing holiday baking just makes me feel MEH.

I have no desire to do any of it.

Plus if I’m going to be completely honest, Christmas isn’t the same without this mush face around.

So if there’s a lack of holiday posts this year, that’s why.  I’m not really in the holiday spirit.  Scott and I have decided to just play things really low key this year.  Sure I’ll make us some treats and plan some kick-butt dinners.

But going all out?

Not happening.  Maybe next year.

Maintaining and Gaining

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Yesterday was a horrible pizza fail. Horrible.  Scott, bless him, will always try to make things positive.

I was bummed out but damnit I will master this deep dish pizza if it kills me.

So since I don’t have any lovely pizza to show you, let’s get updated on the Rocky situation.

If you remember, Rocky had surgery on his paw three weeks ago.  We basically lived in our living room for two weeks.  Scott picking him up and carrying him on and off the couch, and down the deck stairs for potty breaks.

He was doing really well and last week he was set to have his stitches out.  However we had to take in him a day early because we noticed his paw was red and swollen to twice its size.

He had an infection.  We figured this would happen.  No matter how hard we tried, he did have an open wound on the bottom of his foot.  There’s no way to really protect that area because it had to be left open to dry and form a scab.

He got his stitches out and was put on antibiotics.

That night he had a reaction to the antibiotics (shortness of breath), a call to the vet, a dose of benadryl, and a 3 am vomit session took care of everything.

New antibiotics were provided the next day.  He hates them but handles them like a champ.

A week later he is doing so much better! He has no scabs (thanks to him licking them off. sigh) and the hair on his leg is growing back.

He paw isn’t swollen and we no longer have to live in the living room.  No more air mattress!  And he can go up and down stairs, jump on and off the couch on his own.

No walks yet but we’ll get there.

However, he still can’t be left to his own devices just yet.  We did a test run and went to the grocery store for about an hour yesterday.  That’s when he decided he didn’t need any scabs on his paw, thank you very much.

His paw is fine and everything is closed up and healed.  Just some pink skin where everything is new and probably tender.

However,  the much anticipated and much needed date night for this evening has been cancelled.

Other than a few very brief moments, Scott and I have been cooped up in the house for three weeks now.  Most of that time, confined to the living room and kitchen.

To say we need a break would be an understatement.

We’re shooting for next week.

Peanut Butter Dreams and Tequila Wishes

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Since Rocky had surgery, pretty much all of our time is spent in the living room.  Rocky needs to be constantly monitored so that he doesn’t jump up and down off the couch and so that he doesn’t lick his wound or fiddle with his stitches.

For the record, I think e-collars for animals is a cruel punishment.  Unfortunately the inflatable donut collar won’t work in this situation as he would still be able to reach his front paw.  So hanging out with him until his wound is healed is how we have to roll at the moment.

When he was sleeping peacefully, with Scott on a nearby couch, I was able to sneak away into the kitchen (which is connected to the living room, hooray!) and make some yummy eats. Recipe for each item soon!

I made some flourless PB cookies which taste as awesome as they look.  My version is a little different than the standard ones but not by a whole lot.  I had been dreaming of peanut butter cookies all week long and finally had the chance to make some.

Dinner was gobbled up super quick!  I brined some chicken breasts with some tequila for extra kick!  I then brushed mine (Scott just had roasted chicken breast) with some BBQ sauce during the last 5 minutes of cook time.

I didn’t have any homemade sauce on hand but Bullseye worked in a pinch.

We also had some mashed butternut squash and braised kale.  I inhaled my dinner!

And then had some cookies as I watched the Pens smoke the Devils (take that New Jersey!).

It was a good day!

Slumber Party

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Yesterday was a looonnnngggg day. We had to get up early because we had to drop Rocky off at the vet for some minor surgery.

He needed to have a tooth removed and some bumps removed.  Pretty basic stuff.

Once home I cleaned the house, we ate lunch, I prepped pizza fixings, and then I had two client meetings.

Since it was also Thursday, I didn’t want to miss out on pizza!  I decided to bake them ahead of time.  This way when we were ready to eat, I could quickly reheat them as opposed to waiting on the pizza stone to heat up, and waiting on the pizza to fully bake.

This worked out really well because I was able to make two pizzas!  Usually when we make pizza I’m so hungry I don’t have time to wait around on two pizzas to bake.  Making the pizza right after lunch, this wasn’t an issue.  So I made His and Hers.

His:

  • Whole Wheat Crust
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Shredded Mozzarella
  • Shredded Carrot
  • Red Onion
  • Ham Cubes (Locals, purchased at Blues Creek)

Hers

At 3pm, the vet’s office called to let us know that we would be able to pick Rocky up at 5pm.  My last client meeting was at 4:30 and once that was over we were on our way to get the Rock Monster.

Since he had a bump removed on the bottom of his paw, he has a bit of a limp.  He also can’t go up and down steps or do any jumping.

Scott and I pumped up the air mattress, fixed up Rocky’s bed and slept in the living room last night.  We got up a few times to let Rocky out during the night (IV fluids necessitate a lot of potty breaks!), Scott lifting him up and down the deck stairs.

Today he is resting and much more relaxed.  He’s passed out on the couch (I lifted him up!) and snuggled under a blanket.  We hope the bandage can come off tomorrow and that his wound can start to heal.  The next week or so will probably be much of the same.  Sleeping in the living room and helping make Rocky’s recovery a smooth one.

Deciding Our Travel Destination

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Previously, I talked with you about the fact that Scott and I will be taking a vacation next spring.

Scott and I sat down and discussed what we wanted out of this trip.  In order to figure out where we wanted to go, we had to first decide what we were looking to get out of this trip.

We realized that we wanted access to plenty of outdoor activities.  We wanted to be able to hike on trails. I wanted to be able to run and see some gorgeous scenery while doing it.

We wanted to be in a location where we could walk to a fabulous downtown area.  Meaning, we wanted a great food and beer scene, that we could walk to.

We also want to see some mountains.  Living in Ohio for almost 8 years now, has left us craving some sort of scenery.  Columbus is pretty flat and unless you head south to Hocking Hills, there isn’t too much to look at around here.

And the biggest consideration of all.

This guy!

Rocky goes on all our trips with us so everything needs to be pet friendly.  Given that he’s also a senior (almost 11!), I’m even less inclined to leave him alone. He’s my first and foremost consideration.

So to sum up we want:

  • Outdoor lifestyle
  • Great food and beer
  • Walkability to shopping, food, and hiking
  • Pet Friendly

So where did we decide to go?  Any guesses?

We’re hitting the mountains in Colorado!

Neither of us have ever been there and from the research I’ve been doing, Boulder seems to fit all the criteria we’ve listed out.

It’s a big trip for sure, it will take us about two days to get there.

It’ll be the longest trip we’ve ever done.  Previously our longest road trip had been 8 hours, traveling up from North Carolina to Pennsylvania.

This is going to be a trip broken up into two 10 hour stretches.  It’s going to be challenging for sure but also an adventure.  Scott already said that he’s looking forward to the drive and being on the road.

Have you ever been to Colorado before? If you’ve got any experience there, I would love to talk with you about it!  If you know anyone who lives there, I would like to connect with them about the area.

Like I mentioned, I’ve been doing research like crazy and I love chatting with locals to get an idea of what the area is really like.  Plus to get recommendations for places to eat and sites to see!