Meet Gus!

About two weeks ago we became a family of three when we added this cool dude to our family!

It's just too bad he wasn't happy about it at all!

Let me start by saying I'm still kind of shocked this really happened. If you would have told me a year ago that we would bring a puppy into our family I would have told you no way, and people who know me at all were pretty surprised when I told them about our new addition! Now I really have never had anything AGAINST dogs, but I definitely wouldn't label me or my husband "dog people". Both of us had a dog growing up, but neither of our families have had pets since we were really young, so we were just really not that into them and, up until recently, had no desire of adding a pet to our family.

But, for whatever reason, something changed and I started to ever so slightly entertain the idea back in January. I think it was just the fact that we finally have a somewhat normal life with a house, yard, normal work schedules, very little travel, and a lot more free time than in dental school life. I am blessed with a job schedule that allows me a lot of free time and long weekends, and I found myself looking for a productive way to fill that time.

Being that I don't have a single spontaneous bone in my body, this was not a quick process. There were months of conversations that started with "it might be fun" and "maybe one day" leading to, "I'll just check this book out from the library and learn more about it", leading to "let me just look up some breeders to see how much they cost", to "let's just go meet the adult dogs at the breeder to see how we like being around them" and before I knew it we left the breeder with a deposit down on a puppy that hadn't even been born yet! The funny thing is, I was the one who initially planted this seed, and I had NO plans of reserving a puppy the day we visited the breeder. I just knew I would want to take a little more time after the visit to talk things over for the thousandth time before officially committing. Then, before I knew it, Adam was reaching for his checkbook asking who to make it out to! So there was that! I think actually being around the dogs finally convinced him, and I also think he knew that if he didn't just commit right then I might never talk myself into it. So, after reserving our spot we had 3 months of preparing, reading books, and educating ourselves on just what it is we got ourselves into and finally went to pick up our little guy a few weeks ago from Buford, GA! 

So here's a huge photo dump of our life the past two weeks with our new addition!

Gus with his mom and all his brothers and sisters.

Gus at 5 weeks old

6 weeks old-- this is the day we went to pick him out as our puppy! 

8 weeks old -- the night before we picked him up!

Last minute kisses from Mama before we take him home!

annddd... one last meal! ;)

He did GREAT on his car ride home! For about the first 10 minutes he was really curious trying to crawl around check everything out but then he settled right in for a nap! We stopped about half way home for a potty break and he got out and did his business right away like he knew exactly what we were stopping for!

Hanging out in his new place!

I think Adam's heart has grown 5 sizes in the past two weeks. ;)

We put Gus in his crate for the night and went to bed fully expecting to hear him crying/whining within a few minutes. We fell asleep and were shocked to wake up and realize it was 6:30 am! I couldn't believe it! So thankful to have a great little sleeper.

Friday night we took him to Home Depot just to get out of the house for awhile.. he loved all the attention! 

Another great night of sleep!

First trip to the Vet!

One of my best friends, Townsend, has a golden retriever, Sully, that is exactly 3 months older than Gus. We met up for a play date on Saturday and they had a blast! Gus was asleep before we even pulled out of the driveway! I can't believe that Gus will be as big as Sully in only 3 months!

 

We have found Gus in the funniest sleeping positions since he's been home. We grabbed a few pictures the first few times thinking we were capturing a funny moment, but it's becoming pretty much the norm now! I think it's safe to say he's pretty comfortable here. :)

And some other pictures from our first two weeks:

He LOVES riding in the car with the window down!

Playing on the big football field!

Happy, happy, happy after his first day of school!

We found a sandbox at a local playground and he had a blast digging!

Gotten SO big already in only two weeks! Wish we could keep him this size forever!

Gus has really been the sweetest puppy over the past few weeks and we never knew how much fun we would have with him! We are leaving this weekend for a long vacation and are already getting so sad to leave him for 10 days! 

Two Are Better Than One

May 29th, 2011

4 whole years of soaking up life with this guy by my side.

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls,

for he has no one to help him up. 

Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;

but how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

A cord of three strands is not easily broken."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one. I can't think of a better way to sum up the past 4 years. 4 years of life in which we are truly better because of each other. A life where joys are doubled and sorrow is divided because of marriage. 

Marriage is the sweetest gift I've ever been given this side of heaven. I pray that I never take for granted the gift we have been given in our constant, stable relationship. Thank You, Jesus for this blessing!! 

Year 5, here we come!!

A Year Ago Today: "The End of an Era"

It was a year ago today that we moved into our house and spent our very first night here! A whole year of coming home to this place. Sometimes its hard to believe and then other times I can hardly remember living anywhere else! I did a little reminiscing this past weekend since it was Memorial Day Weekend last year that we spent the entire weekend moving, unpacking, and finishing final projects.

I came across a post that I typed out the night we moved in. I'm not much of a writer, and I rarely feel the need or urge to document my thoughts, but spending our first night in this house was so emotional and monumental that I decided to jot down my thoughts before going to sleep that first night...

As I write this I am sitting in MY house. In my bed. And when I finish I will turn out the light and go to sleep in this house for the very first time. I wanted to take the time to document this moment. Because it’s a big one. We made the big furniture move on Saturday (thanks to a huge moving crew my husband recruited!), but due to some surprise work we ended up having to do in the kitchen last minute, our kitchen has been a complete construction zone for the past few days so we weren’t really able to live here yet. But tonight the kitchen work was finished enough that we at least have basic appliances and I can start unpacking some of my kitchen stuff so that we don’t have to eat out every meal. So we made the last minute decision to pack up the rest of our essentials and spend our first night here! And oh my goodness I never thought this would be so emotional! It truly is the end of an era.

We packed up and left the house where we spent the last 10 months of our long-distance marriage. The house where my parents took in my husband for 10 months with no questions asked, not a single complaint or hesitation. Never once making us feel like he was a burden. The house where we dumped literally everything we own for the past 4 weeks after we moved from Charleston and our house wasn’t ready yet. The house I spent my childhood years in and came “home” to for every weekend visit, every Thanksgiving and Christmas break, and every Spring Break for 8 years during college and dental school. And when I left there tonight it took on a different role. I will no longer spend 3 weeks there every December. I will no longer wake up there on a Saturday morning in the fall to the smells of tailgate food and the sounds of Dad packing the car, getting ready to spend another beautiful day in Clemson. I will no longer walk into that house after a long drive in from Charleston, so excited to see my husband, my family, so excited for the weekend ahead. And although we are only 5 minutes away, and I will still spend a lot of time at that house, it will be in a new role. A different role. The end of an era.

We left that house and walked into OUR house. The first house we have ever owned. A house that we have owned for 7 months and that has just about consumed our entire lives ever since. And we were SO excited for this moment. With every project, every visit we got more and more excited about our lives in this house and for the day when we would actually live here instead of just work here. It was such a surreal moment to walk in knowing that’s what we were finally about to do. And even though it’s only been seven short months and we have yet to even spend one night here, when I walked in I was flooded with all the memories that have already been created here. The memories created during this Project B St journey. The countless hours that have been spent here turning this house into our home. The weeks and weeks we spent during December, painting cabinets, walls, ceilings, doors, windows, and every other paint-able surface here. The way my mom agonized with me through every decision-- every paint color, granite slab, and fabric choice-- helping me make just the right decision at every turn. The way my Dad worked tirelessly on this house down to every single detail of every single project. Right down to just this weekend as he worked on just one more project while we were all moving furniture in around him. How he worked here every hour of his Memorial Day weekend just so he could get it done so that we could move in. And when I look at this house I will always think of him. I will see him in every project, and the memories we made working on this together with him will forever be tied to this house. And although there is still plenty left to be done around here (and lots more I’m coming up with in my head), today marks the transition from a project site to a home. The end of an era.

And how do you say thank you to parents who have allowed us to basically consume their lives for 10 months in so many different ways. I've decided there really is no way. Because I guess that's just what parents do. They selflessly give up their lives for the happiness of their children. Without any utter of complaint. Any hint of inconvenience. I can only hope that I will show the same selflessness to my children as my parents have done for my sister and I for 29 years.

But the cool thing about an end of an era is that it usually means the beginning of a new era. A new era where we get to come home to this house everyday. Make this house our home. Make new memories here to add to the 60 years of memories these walls already hold. And that is what I’m most excited about.

So as I sit here a year later, I think we have done a pretty good job of filling these walls with lots of new memories in the past year. It is inside these walls where we have shared countless meals and laughter with family and friends, struggled with each other through the stresses of our jobs, celebrated birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and enjoyed so many other everyday moments together.

Every now and then Adam will look over at me and say "Do you love your house?". And the answer is always yes. But I love this house not just for its materialistic worth or looks, but even more because this house is now a home and I am so thankful for the family inside it and the experiences we enjoy together because of it.

So with that, year one is in the books. Here's to year two and more fun and memory-making to be had!

Beatrice W. L. Passat: 2002-2015

I dont know how normal this is.. actually I'm pretty sure this is totally NOT normal.. but this is my #realreel and around here our cars become members of the family. I'm talking names, personalities, and relationships. When they need gas they're "hungry", when they get tires they've gotten "new shoes", when we have to take them to the shop they're "at the doctors office", and when they get a car wash, they've "taken a bath". Just pretend I'm normal.

My sweet, sweet Beatrice. We've been a team for 10 years, me and Beatrice. She came with me to high school, college, and dental school. She came with me to the first job I ever had at Mr. Dipps Sandwich Shop when I was 15 and then to my first real, big girl job just 8 months ago. 

One of her proudest moments was when she accompanied us half-way across the country to Austin, TX! She had so much fun exploring and visiting all the different states along the way!

So proud of my girl after she got us safely back home after that trip! ;) 

She came with me on my big move to Charleston, SC where we both explored and learned our new city together. She also quickly learned the road home and drove it so many times that I think if you turned her on she could drive to Charleston and back by herself. 

Unfortunately, all the trips back and forth to Charleston really aged her and she has been deteriorating quickly in recent months. Last weekend she was carted off in an ambulance and has been in critical condition ever since. 

We've received word that her injuries are extensive and have decided to sign a Do Not Resuscitate order. We said our final goodbyes before she was taken away to be cremated. 

Although we are sad to see her go, we know that in her elderly state she was no longer able to provide us with the comfort, safety, and reliability she was once so proud to offer.  We look forward to the next chapter and finding a new addition for our family!

Thanks for the rides and the memories Beatrice! We will miss you!

Beatrice W. L. Passat
2002-2015

B. Passat, 13, of Easley, South Carolina, passed away Wednesday, February 18, 2015 following a sickness that could not be overcome in her old age.  

Born in Spartanburg County, she was the daughter of the late Volkwagen models. She is preceded by her sisters Perry W. Passat and Allie W. Audi. Surviving is the love of her life, Walter, of the home, and friends Elvis, Lenny, Streak, and Bernie.

She is best remembered for her loyalty to her family and friends and her resilience during long trips. She was an avid Clemson fan and proudly displayed her Clemson stickers and tags.  She was a member of First Baptist Church where she got great joy from listening to the church bells from the parking lot each Sunday.

Services will be held at an undisclosed salvage yard in Greenville, South Carolina where she will rest in peace.  The family will receive friends  preceding the service.  She was NOT an organ donor.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Beatrice Passat Replacement Fund.