More goodies

Rowdy is still adorable. He has developed a slight case of separation anxiety though. Even when he is asleep, if I leave the room he will wake up and follow me into the other room. If I jump over the gate which separates the dogs from the rest of the house, he will sit at the gate until I return. Sometimes he barks to remind me that he is there or to tell me to hurry up! Also, since Snarky pees twice as much as Rowdy, I have to take Snarky outside alone. Rowdy will sit at the door, bark, and watch our every move. I have read how important it is to raise independent dogs, ones that are comfortable when left alone. Snarky is miss independent... Rowdy needs some work.

Mister RowdySnarky and Rowdy love chasing each other up and down the stairs

Rowdy loved watching football on Sunday. Josh was so proud!Noah is still undecided about the dogs!

My how they grow!

Rowdy and Snarky are growing so rapidly it is hard to keep up! This past week, I took them to their first vet appointment. Both have doubled in size since we got them 4 weeks ago! Snarky is a fatty, weighing in at 14.2 lbs and Rowdy is slowly catching up weighing 12.9 lbs. CRAZY how fast they grow.

Rowdy and Snarky

Rowdy is a very sensitive and charming puppy. I feel terrible after having to tell him "No" because he will walk away, hide, and pout. He is usually super obedient except when he is fixated on killing and barking at his sister. Rowdy will be a very loyal dog. Snarky is a very pretty girl with many adorable qualities. She has a funny obsession with drinking water. She will literally drink until she throws up and will refuse to eat food until she can gorge herself on water first. Although cute most of the time, Snarky is also the definition of a female dog... yes that's right, a bitch! She is sooo stubborn. For example: At every meal time, we have the pups sit down and wait for us to provide their food. (this technique was recommended to us by several dog owners as a way to reinforce our dominance over the dogs). Well, both dogs are very obedient at sitting and waiting for us to deliver their meal. Rowdy will immediately begin devouring his food while Snarky will look at the food, walk off and do whatever she wants until she feels like eating. This is usually only a couple of minutes but I think it is just another way she is trying to establish her dominance.

But aren't they cute!!

Our pups

Our puppies sure are a handful but we love them! Rowdy is such a snuggler. If he could sleep all day everyday, he would. He is usually very calm unless his sister is attacking him or biting his throat. Snarky is an aggressive player. We are making tremendous strides with potty training but we think their bladders are still developing. Snarky pees probably 20 times a day! We try not to get mad at them when they mess inside but that is difficult too! Adorable SnarkyGunner and Rowdy are best buddies! Gunner is our friend's dog. They rescued him from the shelter days before we got Rowdy and Snarky. He is such a fun dog.

They have a favorite sleeping place: Under the microwave and next to the garbage can. Very cute.

Busy Month!

So it has been an extremely busy month for us. At the end of July, we packed up our apartment in Baltimore and I went to North Carolina for a week vacation with my family while Josh finished his last week of rotations and moved our belongings to Ohio with our friend Greg (thanks again Greg!). Two days after arriving in Ohio, we visited our good friend Adriano in Chicago before heading to New York for Josh's Dad's 50th birthday bash. New York was a riot, especially since 6 of Dmitri's siblings came in for the party from all over the United States. Josh and I had our hands full as the organizers of the event but it was great seeing so many friends and family for the weekend. On our drive back from NY to Ohio, we were informed that we were accepted into the rotation program in Saginaw, Mi for the next two years!! For those who don't know, this has been a very stressful process for us and we are so happy to living in one place for the next two years. We wasted no time renting a budget truck (for $99 dollars!!) and moving up to a townhome in Saginaw. We are surrounded by great friends and are grateful to finally settle down. To celebrate our acceptance into the Saginaw program, we decided to add two new additions to our family. (Sorry moms... this is not a pregnancy announcement!)

We responded to a classified ad this evening and instantly fell in love with these adorable pups. Rowdy is a complete snuggler and Snarky is a feisty little girl who seems to love chewing shoes and cords. Should be a very interesting couple of weeks!

Meet Rowdy and Snarky!

This is blue eyed Rowdy! More pictures are coming...

4th of July in Washington DC

We had such a great time in Washington DC for the 4th of July. Greg's wife, Amy, came into town from California for the weekend so the four of us took the adventure together. I would recommend anyone visit our Nation's Capital on the 4th of July at least once in your life. Josh, Amy, and Greg at noonishJosh's brother, Jay, and his girlfriend, Liz, even met us for the fireworks!

I remember when we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial around noon, I wondered, "Where is everyone?" I expected people as crazy as us to arrive early and camp out for the entire day. Not to worry, by 7pm we were packed together like sardines.

TIMELINE

To Our Backs; The Lincoln Memorial: Noon
4 PM7 PM

Our View of the George Washington Monument:
Noon3PM8 PM

Around 4 pm, Amy and I decided to walk outside the barricaded mall to find dinner for everyone. We asked some police officers where the nearest restaurants were. Apparently close by = 7 - 10 city blocks to local cops! We walked passed the White House and into business downtown until we found burgers, fries and milkshakes. We were excited until we realized our journey was only halfway complete. When we arrived back, we promptly kicked the boys out of the chairs and scarfed down our dinner.

From about 7 - 9pm, groups of people swarmed the area. It was especially hard fighting the experienced photographers. I set my camera and tripod up way in advance to "claim my spot". My present camera is smaller than the average professionals but I thought it was pretty obvious that I was going to take pictures of the fireworks. However, when I stepped behind my camera, the photographers, who had wisely arranged their cameras directly behind mine, panicked and became agitated. "Are you going to be standing there the whole time?" they asked. "Yes?!" I replied. Disgusted, they scrambled to find a new view. This occurred at about 8pm, so I thought I was polite enough to give them about an hours warning. I think 9 hours of waiting around entitled me to my spot.

Here are some of my personal favorites. This experience has reignited the photographer in me. I hope you enjoy my pictures and I hope you all had a great 4th of July!

"Obama for President"

Early Anniversary #2

Today, Josh and I returned from Ocean City, Maryland. Since the end of July and beginning of August will be very busy for us with moving and traveling, we decided to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary a month early with a weekend beach getaway. The parents of one of Josh's friends from college, Jackie, own a studio apartment in Ocean City, that they occasionally use for vacationing. They generously offered us the apartment for the weekend. We were so grateful, especially since standard hotel rooms in Ocean City during the peak season range from $200 - $500 a night. We baked in the sun, ate delicious seafood (yes I am acquiring a taste for certain seafood!!), and played some miniature golf. Aside from my nasty sunburn, we had a wonderfully relaxing vacation together. "I love my home... planet earth". Thanks for the reusable bag, Mom! It is a perfect beach bag.

Just 4 more weeks in Baltimore, and where to next is still unknown...

The life of a doctor's wife

More and more I am beginning to feel like the wife of a doctor. The long hours and the nerdy jokes. I am alone most of the day which is starting to weigh on me, especially when I am no closer to discovering what I want to do with my life! I am use to seeing Josh all the time or at least have other spouses I can relate with. But it isn't all bad! Last night we experienced the first "perk" of being in the medical profession. We were invited to attend a celebration for all of the graduating Residency at Good Samaritan Hospital (the hospital Josh is doing his rotation with). The dress code for the event was sport jackets and dresses. We even bought Josh his first suit especially for this evening. I found a nice dress at Target for $20 bucks, what a steal! We had a really nice evening. My favorite part was the dessert buffet with endless strawberries and whipped cream, pastries, cake, eclairs, and more. I was in hog heaven.

This is Josh and his first Resident, Nabil Zeinah. Josh loved working with him. Greg and Josh having a grand old time