brooke's nooks.

this is what happens when you hit snooze on your alarm not once, not twice, but three times & your little furball of a dog was energetically up at the first sound of morning life.

sometimes, i can get her to lay back down & fall back asleep,

but this morning, nope. 

she was all up in my grill.

literally.

if you thought leaving this scene would be easy, you’re wrong.

for the last 13 days, this little furball has been my sidekick….well, when her boyfriend BR was busy.

& today, i return to work.

i am ready to get back into a routine of sorts,

but i’ll always miss Bentley’s bark welcoming me home.

real talk: Christmas week was everything i had(n’t) hoped it would be.

per usual, the Christmas Eve service was gorgeous- attending the candlelight service with Mama by my side is one of my favorite holiday traditions.

the boys of the house cooked up a big pot of chili & we feasted on that until we were ready to unwrap the gifts. 

five shoe boxes & enough baking gear to make use of my double ovens later, we said our thank-yous & called it a night.

on Christmas morning, i awoke (along with Bentley) early enough you would’ve thought we were ready to celebrate again… instead, i was in major need of some cough drops, some Mucinex, & some hot tea.

the ladies of the house lounged on the couch & caught up on Lifetime’s best holiday films, when we got word that my mom’s dear, dear friend, Bea, had lost her battle with cancer the night before- talk about absolute heart break.

we are so thankful, as a family, for our good health & genuine happiness this year,

but it is still the unexpected moments of sadness that jolt us back to the reality of how short & precious life can be.

i ended up seeing on a doctor on Thursday afternoon & Mama said her final goodbyes to a very special friend yesterday morning as the snow covered the streets-offering a quiet & peaceful respite of sorts.

this week of Christmas was not like some of the years past- filled with unimaginable joy & extreme highs…

this week of Christmas was filled with moments of reflection & appreciation for everything we have & so often take for granted.

it was a good reminder, but a hard pill to swallow on many accounts.

as we begin to close the door on 2012, we’re hugging each other a little tighter & saying our “i love you”s a little louder,

because in the end,

isn’t that was life is all about?

(picture from Christmas Eve-Bentley thought she’d lend a hand paw)

Merry Christmas (!!!) from the ladies of the house.

on Friday evening, Mama noticed Bentley was squinting her left eye.

by Sunday morning, her face had become swollen & tender.

the vet put her on antibiotics, but by Sunday night, her left eye was almost completely swollen shut.

we took her on a walk to lift her spirits & before we left to circle the hood,

i told her i was proud of her for going to vet that day.

& then i told her that she can never get sick again, 

because, as the youngest member of our family,

our hearts will continue to break until she heals.

Smile Friday: the “picking up my girl from BR & Mama J’s” edition.

over the last several years, Bentley has shifted from being the puppy I once longed for after the whole “Jessica Simpson carrying Daisy around in a high-end bag” saga

(true story. perhaps considered a low moment in my life- not the procuring of Bentley part but the admiring of J.Simpson’s antics part)

to the dog now adored by my entire family, even those stubborn men who once proclaimed that they could never see themselves with “one of those yappy things running around the house.”

so, when it became real life that i would be moving out of the family home,

it was apparent that joint custody of the dog was going to be the best solution.

& one week in, i can already tell you that it’s a lot of work- the communication over schedules, the picking up & dropping off, the “if i pick her up at this time & have her back in the morning by this time, will that be okay?” questions, etc etc etc.

however, all the work seems worth it.

i mean, after a long week in the office,

how could you not want to have joint custody of such an adorable fur ball?

at 8:30 this morning i was awoken by a phone call that promptly caused me to sit up in bed & wonder who the heck could be calling me on a Friday morning.

then, i realized it was Thursday.

then, i realized i was supposed to be at work by 8.

then, i realized i had showered last night & therefore still needed to calm my fro.

then, i realized i have a furry dog who requires at least 20 minutes of my time each & every morning.

then, i realized it was going to be a crazy day if that 30 seconds of thought processing was any indication.

i quickly got out of a bed,

sprinted the 15 feet to my closet,

searched for something, anything appropriate to wear,

straightened my weave,

fed the pup,

started a k-cup,

brushed my teeth while [not so patiently] waiting,

grabbed a Clif bar,

& then walked outside in time to witness this serenity.

as Bentley ran through the fallen leaves, 

i took a deep breath & realized that being an hour late to work shouldn’t throw off an entire day-

especially such a lovely fall day like this.

so, here’s to hoping the rest of the day goes smoothly-

or at least that i continue to realize that there are far worse things that could be happening in my life.

this morning, i woke up to this precious face.

how could it not be a good morning when you look at that mug?

& then, i went downstairs to start our [weekend] morning routine.

it usually consists of the following:

• start the pot of coffee
• turn on the morning news
• feed bentley
• check gmail
• take bentley out to get the paper.

this morning, it was different.

items 1-4 went on as usual,

but this morning, it was a chilly forty-some degrees & when bentley was ready to go out to get the paper, i went to grab my jacket & something caught my eye…

the neighbor boys were running down the sidewalk after hand-delivering the Sunday morning news to my front porch.

i opened the door,

grabbed the paper,

& waved at their parents & thanked the young boys.

it only took that one moment to remind me that genuine kindness still exists in this world.

i wasn’t even doubting it,

but this morning, it was unexpected & that’s usually the best kind.

so as Bentley & i go out about the day,

i am grateful for the kindness from our precious neighbor boys,

& also, perhaps more importantly, to their parents who have instilled such a great attribute at such an impressionable age.

(+) this last weekend- four days off work (!)

(-) pulling a muscle in my back around day 1 & 1/2

(+) an excuse to lay on the couch snuggled up to a heating pad 

(-) restlessness after .5 hours on said couch

(+) cute company in the form of a dog named Bentley

(-) a somewhat waste of four days off work

(+) it’s September- which means fall fashion can wholeheartedly commence!