I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

But I can dream all I want! That's definitely not going to happen with the temp being 64 degrees this morning on my way into work! Oh yeah, be jealous :)

So here is a picture of our beautiful, fake, blue Christmas tree. We didn't really have the space or funds for anything larger so it's only 4 feet tall, but very pretty I think.

Unfortunately, this year the tree is so small Mabel can't lay up in it like she did last year (although she was a lot smaller last year, this year she might have broken a tree limb!) so she's found other places to cuddle up like this one...

I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!
I miss y'all very much and wish I could be there!

Here's Sookie

Before I posted pictures of Bosco I should have introduced Sookie. Two posts ago I mentioned that we got her but she didn't have a name yet and I hadn't taken pictures. Well here she is...

She's the black and white one - that's Maggie that she's with. They are housemates and love each others company. They were just recently upgraded to an amazing three level cage - lucky rats! Sookie is much more mischievous than Maggie or Gerty...I've got to watch her really well or she'll just disappear. The other day I couldn't find her but when I called her, her little head came poking out of the hood of a sweat shirt hanging on the coat rack! Such badness :) Here she is again, up to no good and Mabel looks thrilled, haha.

Meet Bosco the Bunny

This is Bosco, he is the newest addition to the zoo! We got him a few weeks ago but I'm just now posting a picture. He is a lop as you can see and he is very sweet, but also very frisky! We took him to the vet but he can't be fixed yet because he is too young, so we just have to wait it out until he's ready. In the meantime, interaction between him and all the other animals is limited which means he can't come out and play with everyone, he has to stay in the bedroom by himself when he comes out of his cage. Poor thing! But that's what you get when you try to hump everything that moves!!

Again, I knew it was only a matter of time...

Just like with this blog, I finally gave in...Bella got her first article of clothing last week and I'd say she looks pretty darn cute in it!

And she stayed cute for a little bit, long enough to give Abby kisses, but soon after she was attacking poor Mabel!

Poor Mabel couldn't catch a break - even the rats were after her!

Actually Maggie is very sweet, she just wants to cuddle with Mabel. This is Gertrude, or Gerty for short, she's the one to watch out for :)

We got a new rat last weekend which makes three. We got her so that Maggie could have someone to snuggle up with. They are getting along perfectly and I think that Maggie is very happy. The new rat doesn't have a name yet and I haven't taken pictures either, but I will soon!

I can't believe I work here!

How funny is this! Yep, this is where I work. The first time I saw this lit up I burst out laughing. I know the trend these days is to revisit the 80's but to have never left the 80's is a different story. I feel like I'm goin' to the club or the casino. I think it's great! I chuckle every time I see it so I just thought I'd share!

As promised...

Bella looks completely different with her schnauzer cut! I really didn't like it at first but it has totally grown on me and now I think she's adorable. Plus the really short parts are so soft! I was amazed at how much her color changed - she's so much lighter now. The groomer said she was really good even though she cried and whined a little bit.

The whole ordeal wore her out though - she slept most of the day. I had to wake her up to get her to go outside so I could take these pictures. We ended up not going to the dog park, we had a lot of chores and errands to run, but we will be going on Friday!

Bella's not the only pet - I had to post this one of Gus and Mabel. They did this for quite a while yesterday. The best thing we ever did for Gus was get him a kitten!

And here is the tank and the two fish. The pictures don't do the fish any justice. They are so much more beautiful than this. I think the flash washes them out. One of them has bright blue lips that are so cool, it looks like he has lipstick on but you can't see it here. They are typically aggressive fish and rarely can be housed together, but these two seem to get along. They came from the same tank at the store and seem to have opposite personalities so we're hoping it works out. We have to watch out for aggressive behavior because they will kill each other if they aren't separated in time if they do fight. They don't have names, we don't usually name the fish in the tanks, we only name the bettas.

I tried to take some pictures of the rats but the camera battery died last night. So check back to see more of the menagerie!

She's a big girl now!

Bella got the last of her puppy shots yesterday, including rabies, and we have an appointment to spay her in December. She's getting her first haircut on Saturday and she's going to the dog park on Sunday! Pictures will be posted on Monday :) She weighs 8 lbs now, 2 more than 3 weeks ago, and the vet told me that you can expect her full grown weight to be double what it is at 4 months old - she's gonna be an even bigger girl! It's just a guess, but she does have big paws.

The vet said she looked great but she is a bit of a drama queen which I kinda already knew. She flailed around and whined when the tech tried to hold her to give her the shots. He suggested holding her tight to my chest or gently pinning her on the floor on a regular basis so she knows who's boss. Ha, she knows who's boss, she just doesn't care! But I'm gonna try. She's not dominating or aggressive at all, but she is spoiled and thinks she doesn't have to do what she doesn't want to do and I don't like that. I hear that this breed is like that - they are super smart and stubborn.

So look for pictures after the weekend - oh, and we got our 29 gallon fish tank set up with two beautiful Jack Dempsey cichlids, so if I can catch them swimming around and not hiding I'll post some photos of them too.

Blogging by request...

I have been asked a few times now when I was going to blog again, so here ya go Mom!

These are some pictures of the apartment complex that I live in...as you can see Florida doesn't really look like Florida in these pictures. I really don't think there are any naturally growing palm trees here. The first picture is the view from the porch and the second picture shows my apartment (I'm on the first floor) as I'm standing in the backyard. We're the only apartment building that has a private backyard and that's really nice with the dog.



These next pictures are of the parking lot and the building across from mine and then the road as it goes around to the other side of the complex. We're in the very back of the complex which makes it nice and quiet.



And here I am in the car waiting to pull into the parking lot at work today - just wanted everyone to know that it's not always sunny in the Sunshine State! Today reminds me of being in New England, except it's warm and rainy not cold and rainy.



Of course I have to post adorable pictures of Bella! That's her in her new bed chewing a bone, being sweet and fun outside off leash, and then complete badness inside! Yep, that would be the kitchen rug in the living room.

And that's really all...I have to take more pictures of the actual city and beach, that would be neat to see, and we are currently obsessed with fish tanks, so when we get our newest one set up I will have to post pictures of all our fishy friends!

First Day of Autumn

And I won't be enjoying it here - definitely the worst part about being here because I love the Fall. I realized that today when someone reminded me of the season change. I hate to beat a dead horse because I know all I talk about is the weather here, but it really is the strangest thing when you've lived in one climate for so long and then that changes. Moving has really made me aware of how it's the little things make me smile and how many of those things I have taken for granted or just not realized what they mean to me. So with that I say...take a minute, think about those little things, and smile...whether you've been somewhere for twenty years or just got there yesterday!

Bella, Bella, Bella...

Here are more Bella pictures - she has really started to grow! I think she's just about doubled in size since we got her 3 weeks ago. These are from the dog park that she is too young to go to (gotta wait until she's 4 months old). There is a dog beach at the dog park too - it is really cool, watching all the dogs play in the water was so funny!

I have heard from some owners of mini schnauzers that they like to be clean and groomed and pretty...well not this one!

These are from the real beach on the Gulf. She had no idea what the sand was and just kept trying to eat it and would of course then gag on it! Watching her trying to wash it down with sea water was of course hilarious too! But we quickly intervened with tap water :)


So that's Bella for you! Sorry I seem obsessed, but ya'll would be too! Now I just have to work on getting up some Florida pictures. The beach adventure happened close to night fall so I couldn't really get any good ones - I'm sure I'll go again soon.

And for anyone who wonders, the weather here is beautiful - the days are a little cooler, mid to low 80's instead of low 90's which is a nice break, and the early mornings and evenings are in the 60's thank gosh! I'm bummed about not having a real fall and I still can't get over that it's not going to snow here, although I've been told it will get cold - but we'll see what that means.

We all knew it was only a matter of time...

Or at least I did - I'm mostly doing this so that I can put up some pictures - it seems like an easy format and everyone is already reading Katie's blog and Heather's blog...so here is a picture of Bella! If you haven't heard she is my new baby...she is a mini schnauzer, she is 11 weeks old, and she is a pain in the butt! But she is completely adorable and very lovable when she wants to be. We have successfully spoiled her rotten already so she's going to be a total brat. She is actually bigger than this already so I will have to upload more recent pictures. And I can show everyone what Florida looks like! It won't quit be the same as Grammy and Grampy's lovely vacation photos that we all know and love...yeah this is a different part of Florida :) You'll see what I mean.