Audrey Life

A Weekend Recap That Will Wear You Out

I am ill prepared today… Last weekend was one of those weekends that was so electrifying and exciting- but also sooo draining. I’m exhausted. I need to soak in a nice bath with  warm cup of Starbucks and the Harry Potter soundtrack playing in the background (Order of the Phoenix, of course). That’s how everyone relaxes, right?

After work on Friday we popped out to my parents’ house to collect my car (K had been replacing a brake line out there) and then headed up to my grandparents’ to return their Honda that I’d been driving all week as a “rental.” I’m going to miss that car- it had push start, key-less entry, and Bluetooth. I felt like a real adult in that car. When we got home I made dinner & started cleaning the house for our guests & watched an episode of The Mindy Project with K.

While at my parents I spent some time with the adorable neighbors...
While at my parents’ I spent some time with the adorable neighbors…

Saturday was crazy… We visited our new gym to get our swipe cards and take a tour, then K had a meeting & I cleaned all afternoon, and then my friend Kayla and her pup Ernie arrived for the day/night. My 17 year old cousin was going to prom so we went up to my grandma’s and watched her take photos with her date. (It was nice to have Kayla around to reminisce about high school and how much we don’t miss it. Ha.)

Kayla’s purpose for being in town was to take our annual anniversary photo with the tree we planted and the attend a brunch in the morning (featuring Chef Aubrey). We snapped our tree-pictures in between rain drops and went back home to let the dogs play and wait on Aubrey to arrive (who was also staying with us). The night consisted of catching up, yummy Mexican food, good drinks, and sinful cookies. It was so wonderfully amazing to have two of my best friends in my house, on my couch, spending downtime together.

Weekending 1

On Sunday morning K and I left our guests sleeping in the spare bedroom and joined my parents at 6am to make the two hour drive to Columbus for my brother’s college graduation from OSU. (Back in my hometown Aubrey was cooking the pop-up brunch (9am-3pm) and Kayla was attending the brunch. I’m still SO heart broken that I missed out on all the food.)

Weekending 3

We arrived at OSU at 9:15am (after a quick breakfast stop) and stood in line for the gates to open… Then they opened at 10am and we claimed five seats and sat around until the actual ceremony at noon. It was a long day. Fortunately, the ceremony didn’t last too long- we were out by 3pm. We took some pictures with Fred, toured his main lab/classroom building, and popped into the local Lush (for me, haha) before going to Hudson 29 for dinner.

Weekending 2

Dinner was ok, my drink was delicious, and it was SO nice to spend time with my brother on his graduation (and 23rd birthday!) and my mom on Mother’s Day. We didn’t leave Columbus until 8:20pm and we were all exhausted, but it was worth it.

And now I’m frazzled and tired and ready for another weekend. But it’s Monday. So I guess I’ll put on my big girl pants and pour another cup of coffee. What did you do this weekend?

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Audrey Critters & Pets, Life

The Dog Park Chronicles

As I mentioned on Monday, Enzo and I took a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit our friends Kayla & Ernie. Enzo loves going to Columbus because we always spend some time at the dog park! My hometown doesn’t have a dog park (hopefully I can change that some day) and the closest parks are usually missing one key element- DOGS. In a city like Columbus, though, the parks are packed and the puppies are playful.

Dog Park

If I haven’t made it clear in prior posts, Enzo and Lylee are our children. I know there’s a silly debate about calling dogs “kids”, but they rely on K and me for food, love, health, etc. so in my eyes, they are my babes. That being said, I will be referring to Enzo (and the other park dogs) as “kids” from here on out. I hope you’ll stick with me and get past that… 😉

So without further ado, here are my dog park observations from this past week.

| 1 | I want my kid to hang with the “good” kids.
Columbus is a major city with many people and, therefore, many dogs. This weekend I saw some beautiful Huskies, German Shepherds, Labs, and even a Catahoula Leopard Dog. Unfortunately, some of the dogs weren’t getting alone. Some of the dogs were accosting (…humping) other dogs. Some of the dogs were completely ignoring their owners. Long story short, not everyone was behaving. Enzo is a fairly well-mannered dog and my heart just bursted with pride every time he ran with the well-behaved kids. He didn’t pick any fight or react to aggressive dogs- he stuck with the happy-go-lucky boxers and hounds. He made some good decisions!

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| 2 | Everyone thinks their kid is special… and they are.
More than once I heard someone say, “Isn’t Spot/Lucy/Rosie just the smartest, most cutest, bestest doggie ever??” Of course I feel this way about Enzo, but he’s just another happy dog in a dog park, being a dog. In our small town people gush over how soft he is and how beautiful his eyes are, but in a sea of city purebreds my little mutt tends to get lost… But I still think he’s the bees knees and smarter than all the rest 😉

He loved these two dogs- perfect size and temperament!
He loved these two dogs- perfect size and temperament!

| 3 | I am a helicopter mom and I’m not ashamed about this.
A helicopter parent is one who hovers. (Get it? Hovers like a helicopter?) I always imagined myself as a laid back, easy-going mom, but when I set Enzo loose in the park I never took my eyes off him. (I am 100% sure this will mirror my future parenting behavior with human-children.) Some of the other pet owners stayed in one place (verses following their pup from area to area) or were so engrossed in a conversation until they’d sudden stop and say, “Wait, where’s my dog?” Not this bear mom. I always had my sights set on my little dog-cub.

** I’m not for or against helicopter parenting- I just noticed that I am, in fact, a hovering “mom.”

| 4 | Playing with others truly brings out Enzo’s personality.
When my little munchkin got tired he would stop and sit in the shade. He shared his water with whomever needed a sip and wasn’t shy about nosing into other bowls. If two dogs were growling or establishing their dominance near him he didn’t shy away, but rather tried to get between them and calm everyone down. (I know that sounds crazy, but it’s the exact same thing he does with Lylee when she’s panicking about a storm or foreign dog- he nips at her ears, bumps against her, and nips at her neck to distract her.) Watching Enzo engage in dog packs is so fascinating. I could study his behavior all day!

See little Ernie (the wiener dog) in the foreground??
See little Ernie (the wiener dog) in the foreground??

| 5 | I have a great kid.
Ok, ok. I have a great dog. But honestly, I’m just so proud of his personality. When he runs with other dogs he constantly checks in with me. He isn’t afraid to snuggled up to other dogs or humans. He isn’t aggressive and he isn’t timid. And he’s the smartest, most cutest, bestest doggie ever 😉 Hehehe.

Have you ever taken your dog to a dog park? Animal behavior is so fascinating! What have you observed in your time with dogs/cats/at the zoo? This dog park has trees and logs and tunnels- what’s the coolest park (human or dog) that you’ve been to?

-Louise