a little here and there...

Well today was a pretty uneventful day.  I had a day off and I enjoyed sleeping in and enjoyed having some peace and quiet for most of the day.  The weather was so beautiful that I left my "kids" outside to play for most of the day.  It is so funny to watch them outside sometimes because they act like real kids.  It sounds kind of silly to say that but its how it is :).When I watch them outside its funny to see their personalities shine and they have a good time together. 

Now before I talk more about them let me tell you more about the loves of my life (because I know I will talk about them a lot because they are my kids until I have some of my own :) )..... 
Marlee is a nurturing mothering type of dog.  Every time we introduce her to another dog or add another one to the family she lets them become comfortable with her first and then she takes care of them.  When Izzy was a baby, Marlee took to her like she was her own.  When they would play she would lay down and stay down and let Izzy play with her in a way where Izzy was comfortable.  She has never been too rough with her, and that's what I love about my Marlee girl.  Since she is a pit, she already has a label put on her and to be honest I was a little nervous when my husband (then boyfriend) wanted her.  She has totally changed my mind about her breed and it makes me sad that some people will only look at the breed and not the dog itself.  Now if someone or something were to threaten her family she will protect us and that makes me feel safe. 
Izzy is my loud mouth cuddle girl.  She loves to talk and tell you what is on her mind.  When I lived by myself she stayed with me and we have a special bond because of that.  If I don't feel good or if I had a bad day she will lay where I am and cuddle with me all day long.  She LOVES toys that squeak and LOVES balls.  Izzy loves her Marlee of course, but Sammy on the other hand.... well she isn't too fond of him.  She liked him when we brought him home but I think she was hoping we would send him back.  She will play with him once in a blue moon but it doesn't last long.  The only time they really get along is when they are outside, they both LOVE to run and bark outside.
Now to my Sammy boy... he is something else.  It is so funny to me how different he is than my girls mainly because he IS a boy.  Just how he acts is total boy.  He is clumsy, plays rough, doesn't know his strength, and is a MESS.  When we added him to the family it was definitely like having a new born... staying up all night, potty training, and having to keep an eye on him constantly or he will get into mischief.  He is the biggest pup that we have and he still thinks that he is as little as Izzy.  He loves to be outside, which is good because that's where he stays until he comes in for the night.  When he comes inside at night, after he settles down, is my favorite time with him.  My night time Sammy Boy is my sweet, cuddly, lovey boy. 

Now I promise I won't always have a full blog all about my dogs but they are a big part of my life so it is hard not to talk and talk about them. 

ON ANOTHER NOTE.....
I am challenging myself to just be a better person all round.  I get so content in my life that I forget to challenge myself.  I'm not someone who likes a huge amount of change, so its hard for me to challenge and change myself, by myself.  I think that is another reason I'm starting this blog just to be more accountable in my life.  I think if I share more about me, because I am a private person, that it will challenge me a little more to improve some areas in my life. 
I am on a mission right now to change a few things about my life:
1. Gaining a closer relationship with God-I have been a Christian for most of my life and I have lived my life in a Christian life style, but I want more.  I want to feel more confident in my relationship with Christ and just get to know Him more.  I want to fall in love all over again.
2.  Getting in better shape- Now I have danced all my life and I have a thin build, but now that I am mainly teaching dance I dont get as good of a workout.  I am starting to go to barre3 here in the city and I love it.  I eventually want to go more but for now I only go one night a week.  My schedule is pretty busy with two jobs, one of which I drive an hour to get to, but I want to challenge myself to workout more because I know it will make me feel better.
3. Getting more on top of my house work and dance work- Sometimes I feel like I get overwhelmed when I think about how much I need to do on a daily basis.  I either get behind on keeping up with house work or I get behind on my dance work, which is choreography and editing music.  I want to stay on top of everything more so when I do have kids it will be second nature and it wont be too much on my plate.
4. I want to get better at couponing!!-  I have started this adventure with my longest and closest friend.  We started couponing together this summer and we are trying to master it.  I feel like we are getting better than when we started for sure, but I want to be super good at it!  Now I dont want to get crazy with it and create a stock pile room out of my guest room, but I want to save more money and cut my grocery budget to nearly nothing.

This blog has been a little everywhere but I will get better at this...promise :).  I am going to try and write everyday so I can have a visual reminder of what I need to do with my life. That's the plan Stan... the end

Allison