“Happiness, it hurt like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back…
The dog days are over, the dog days are done.”
-Florence and the Machine

Well, truth be told, I probably should have written this post last night. I had such a wonderful weekend…followed by a rotten Monday. My mood may have changed.

I can always tell it’s going to be a challenging day when I wake up to Scout harrumphing in my face, (impatiently) waiting for my eyes to open. It seems that the more I give, the more he takes. I take him for a run and he gets into the trash and eats dirty diapers; I take him to the dog park and he eats the entire bag of oreos (oh. no. he. didn’t.) and bag of candy corn; I play fetch with him for hours and he eats the cake off of the counter. And no matter how much or how little I do, if I sit still for one second, he starts bringing me all of his toys so that we can play. It’s hard to enjoy a cup of coffee when the dog is chewing his bone on your leg…and/or nudging his slobber-sodden tennis ball in your lap. Can’t make this stuff up.

To top it off, it was either raining or threatening to rain all day long. Back in the day I would have welcomed a cool, rainy run with open arms – but that was before I got a 9 month old running buddy. So, while stuck inside I tried to get some of Scout’s energy out by making him do tricks, marching him around the downstairs, and playing fetch in the rain (desperate). It didn’t work.

Fortunately I had Graham to keep me sane. He thought marching around the house was hilarious. He liked Scout’s tricks…until Scout ate the treats out of his hand (Graham thought the treats were for him).  He helped me pack up his 6 & 9 mos clothes. Actually he unpacked the clothes as I tried to pack them. Kind of annoying. He hung out with me while I put together an IKEA bedside table. And he gave me a couple of hints on this morning’s crossword puzzle.

To wrap up my case of the Mondays, I took advantage of a break in the bad weather and took the boys for a run. I made it home in the nick of time – it literally started pouring as we ran into the garage. Phew! I cleaned up Scout’s throw-up off of the landing after he drank too much water, too fast, too soon after our run. I collected the trash and found a pool of murky liquid in the kitchen trash can. I took the trash out and found a MONSTER spider with his army of smaller spiders in the garage. I went to town with insect killing spray. Now I’m sitting on the couch with a beer and a chocolate, finally relaxing.

This is therapeutic….I feel better already.

The weekend was great. We didn’t have any plans for the first (and last)  time in ages. But of course we didn’t sit around! Graham and I stayed very busy.

Here’s the beautiful fall weekend told through the lens of my iphone:

-nap time craftiness

-Petting zoo @the Potomac Station Fall Festival

-Cox Farms w/ the Strocks and Jill

-While we were having fun on the farm, Peter was cutting our grass….which means green paws.

-Sunday I took Scout to the dog park, went to church, set up baby gates, enjoyed the great weather out on the deck, and had the Strocks over for a spaghetti dinner.

-Sunday was also pretty important because it was Steve’s “dirty thirty” birthday!!!!! A couple of years ago I forgot how old he was (in my defense, I also forgot how old I was)…but not this year. No way I’m forgetting the big 3-0. I have really enjoyed spending the last decade together. I have watched him change and grow into an amazing man, husband, father and friend. I can’t imagine my life without him. I’m looking forward to the next few decades together.
I love you. Thanks for everything you do for us. We’ve decided to keep you around.

-As per usual, you were missed this weekend! Can’t wait for holiday fun when you get home.

xo,
Jo