2024 Blogging Goal and Puppy!

We have 1:30 church this year. That makes for a long morning. Especially on fast Sunday. So I am going to blog on my long, fast Sunday mornings this year. I haven't been blogging as much, and I miss it. Not the actual blogging, necessarily, but the having of the blog. And I'm sure that my extensive audience of readers has been missing it, too. 

We ended 2023 with a bang by getting a puppy in November. I've recorded and reported it in every possible word-friendly venue: Our Christmas letter, Instagram, Facebook, testimony meeting, etc. But I have not yet reported it on the blog. 

CHARLES BINGLEY!

It was a journey through the wilds of our marriage to get this little guy. Puppies are no joke. Don't get one on a whim. Don't get one for Christmas. Don't give one to your child who is currently living with your ex-wife. (True story--happened to my neighbor.)

Am I glad we got Charles Bingley? Absolutely! But he takes a lot of work, even though he's a low-energy dog with a calm, sweet temperament. 

The kids and I are in hard-core dog-training mode. It was intense for a month or so. But Charlie has learned a lot, we've learned a lot, and I can glimpse a future where I don't have to be totally obsessed with the dog's bowel schedule or the fear that I'm doing it wrong.

The people keeping us off the crazy train are Doggy Dan and Cesar Millan. I'm seriously so grateful for these guys! If you have dog woes, they will help you! Learn to think like a dog! Be the pack leader! Calm Confidence! Better human, better dog.

"If you learn anything from this video website, it's to ignore your puppy."  --Doggy Dan (This sounds bad out of context. He means that you should ignore your puppy until they are calm and only then call them over to you for affection.)

"There's no such a thing as a bad dog." --Cesar Millan

We got Charlie from Aaron's brother and sister-in-law, Russell and Rachel. They bred their dog, Laila. She had five puppies. I picked Charlie after seeing him on Marco Polo because he was resting his head on Russell's foot. I needed a puppy who had good rapport with Dennis men.

On Annie's birthday weekend, we went up to Utah to get the puppy (and do other fun things which I will report on later.) And lots of puppy firsts ensued: 

First time meeting Charlie. (He was so cute. I was so crazy trying to avoid having him go potty on the floor at my in-laws' house. He totally went potty on the floor. It was tile.)

First time meeting Charlie's fam. (This is his litter mate, Benny. I like to call him Mr. Bennett. You know, to go with Charles Bingley. And his mama, Laila. Rocking the Christmas sweater.) 

Charlie's first time in an airport pet relief station. (He hated it. He didn't release a single drop of urine. But he also held it on the plane in his travel crate for the whole flight. He does seem to have excellent bladder control.) 

First time meeting our fam! 

First bath (with us) when we discovered that Charlie is part rat. Remember how we wanted pet rats for a while? We got a Two-fer!

First adorable after-bath nap. 

First time homeschooling.

First fan-girl. (Annie's amazing friend gave her this shirt for her birthday.)

First time being tortured for a photo in Annie's cowboy boot.

First puppy playdate! This is my friend Amanda's dog Pippin. He and Charlie got on swimmingly, in spite of the size difference.

First time receiving affection--too strong a word--acknowledgement from Aaron. Aaron does call Charlie to him occasionally, and you would think puppy had just won a Pulitzer Prize for how quickly he gets himself over there.

First (and hopefully last) time playing Baby Jesus.

First Christmas!

First camping trip! He was so good in his kennel at night, in the 32 degree December night, that I thought he might be dead. This is a common occurrence, me worrying that Charlie is dead, proving that I'm a little crazy, and Charlie is a good dog!