the girls.

I am loving all my time with Andy and Lou, or "the girls" as they're affectionately called in our family. I haven't seen them in months aside from a few skype calls with my parents where they cock their heads in the background, confused at the sound of my voice. I adore them both and am trying to soak up the time I have with them. This translates to me lying on the floor with them lots & getting in their personal space to tell them how much I love them. I have maybe become a nuisance to them but I just know how I'll miss them when I go. Isn't it amazing how much we can love a doggie? 

Lou, "the lioness" or "the model". We all think she's a great beauty. She is the sweetest dog my family has ever had.

Little Andy, the mystery mix. We have no idea what she is. When my parents first brought her home, she was fiercely
independent & has slowly become increasingly affectionate. She is now very loving. She also has her own baby pool. 

And just because, the puppy versions of the girls:

Sidenote: Both Andy and Lou were rescues so when my parents got them, no one could be sure how old they were. On both occasions, the vet assured my parents that the girls were absolutely done growing "because of their teeth size" or something like that. Both have more than doubled in size. "Little Andy" was 22 lbs & is now 56 lbs! We like to laugh about his miscalculation & the fact my parents unknowingly adopted big dogs.

. . .

it wasn't time to leave.

The original ticket we bought for this trip had me on a flight back to San Francisco yesterday morning. 

I'm still in North Carolina (insert big grin).

While I was at the beach, Finn finalized some travel plans for work that had him out of town in different cities for 9 days right after I got back. We discussed me sticking around NC for those days and decided to pay the fee and extend my stay! So instead of spending yesterday on an airplane, I had an awesome quiet day in town. I went to a sweetie 5 year old's birthday party where I saw lots of family I love. Afterwards, I crashed on my parents' couch and ate Captain Crunch for dinner - a proper summer afternoon. It's so nice having unplanned extra days that leave time for things like a sit on the porch or a morning walk (like the one with Lauren pictured below). The only downside is having to wait longer to see Finn, who I'm missing a good bit already (a nice problem to have). But I'll see him soon enough and am happy with my extra days to enjoy here. 

. . .

home sweet home.

Literally! Look at this cake my sister made for me, just because. I feel so loved.

The days are flying by. It's so wonderful to see family and friends and enjoy the parts of NC I've missed so much. I'd hoped to keep up with posts along the way but I overestimated the amount of down time I'd have. My days have been filled to the brim with people (and dogs) I love with little time left over for internet things, or sleep for that matter. I may be able to stop in a few times over the week, but I'm guessing things will be very quiet here until I return to SF next week. Until then, I'll be soaking up all the fun I can and enjoying my cake!

. . .

carolina bound.

Here I go! 

. . .