You Were Here

he's not big on birthdays, but he sure does love pie

It was my husband's birthday yesterday, and so, naturally there was pie to be had.

And a dog who put on his very best begging face to get in on the pie.

And a little something followed me home (and paid for itself at the cash using my credit card - little fraudster) from the yarn store conveniently located (technically not) on the way home from the pie store.

There is more birthday celebrating to be done this weekend, but not nearly enough in my mind - I'd celebrate him every day in the biggest way, if he'd let me.

successfully speaking dog… umm, sometimes

This week, Boomer (our supposedly housetrained dog) peed in the house three times. Once in the kitchen while we were both at work. And twice in the family room, squarely in the middle of the carpet, and right in front of my husband and I… oh yes, somebody was making a grand statement with that one! A statement that was totally lost in translation… we humans are completely stumped at the motive behind this move and are, furthermore, quite unimpressed by it.

But, when I think about how Boomer also spent the last few days 'retrieving' my husband's shoes from their spot by the front door and positionining them very clearly inside the house (in the kitchen, in the dining room, in the bedroom…), he was being crystal clear in telling us that this guy, who had just gotten home after a week away for work, was not to go anywhere anytime soon. 

 

And husband is wisely listening to him.

a perfect evening

... if not the perfect outcome to the evening (Canada lost the World Junior Hockey Championship to Russia). But, before that:

I spent an hour with my pup at the dog park.

He played with another pup - wrestling and jumping and, ahem, humping. There was a not-so-nice incident with a ball in which Boomer accused the other pup of stealing (when, in fact, it was me). But, all was forgotten quickly and the two were back to the afore mentioned games.

And then, there was the odd little boss of a bulldog, who discovered his hilariously-muffled super quiet bark only after hearing my hardcore hound-of-a-dog's BOOMing bark reverberate around the park (according to his owner, at least). The owner was more than unimpressed with the hardly raucous bulldog,  but I for one would gladly let my dog bark nonstop if that was the volume on it. Seriously, you could hear crickets (if there were any in these parts in the dead of winter).

And finally, what visit to the dog park these days is complete without a labrador 'something or other' snatching up my mitten and bolting across the park. At least, this time, I got it back unharmed (and with countless apologies from the very nice owner).

After all of that excitement, a little dinner date with my guy at a local pub, complete with beer, a burger, and a hockey game.

Except for the 5-3 final (for the other guys), this night couldn't have been any better.

2010, oh how I've loved you…

Even as the last day of the year winds down, I am smiling silly in awe at just how wonderful this year has been. My (now) husband promised - as we watched a tearfully sad 2009 draw to a close - that 2010 was going to be amazing. And it was nothing short of that.

• We took walks together, just the two of us, in the absence of walks we used to take with my sweet old dog.
• We ate burgers and pie in Kensington Market.
• I threw myself into learning with classes at night and a project on the side.
• We celebrated Olympic hockey awesomeness with friends and pints.
• We found a little old house to call our own.
• I eagerly planted tomatoes and flowers (and proceeded to neglect them all summer long).
• We drove to Maine and fell in love.
• We crossed the border back into Canada with a sweet spazzy puppy named Boomer on my lap.
• We took our annual trek up north - with more friends joining us than before - and came home with even more amazing memories.
• We spent evenings at the beach trying desperately to tire that puppy out... just a bit.
• We got married!!!
• We walked around the Louvre, ate our body weight in croissants and crepes, and I fell head over heels for the Eiffel Tower.
• We celebrated our first Hallowe'en together - a pumpkin was carved, seeds were roasted and eaten, and kids trick or treated on our front porch.
• He travelled halfway across the world (three times) to eat poisonous fish and talk business, and Boomer and I bonded with each other in his absence.
• He celebrated our first Christmas together - he carried home a tree from the corner store and I decorated it, and marvelled in all it's white-light loveliness.

2011, here we come!!

12 days of christmas

And just like that... we are 12 days from Christmas. The month of December saw my guy fly to the other side of the world and back, my friends help celebrate my birthday in style in his absence, my dog learn (quite remarkably) how to be patient and sweet while his owner handled a severe bout of the stomach flu, and the onset of real winter weather in these parts... a few weeks ahead of schedule.

And now, we get to the Christmas'ing. It is our first real one together, and the first in our home. We've strung lights in the windows, carried home a tree for decorating from a lot just up the street (my first real Christmas tree in years!), hung up three stockings (one for Boomer too, of course), and are trying our best to think creatively and avoid the mess at the malls, filling the house with delicious meals and treats, and just enjoying being together, the three of us, for our first holiday together.