Bug of the Month....times a Thousand!

We've been invaded! By bugs!
I thought we left the bugs behind in Maryland....apparently not. When we looked out the window, there were hundreds of them all up and down the pillars out front.
I asked the neighbors and our Realtor what the heck these were, and found out they are Box Elder Bugs. Perfectly harmless. Just millions of them! Sheesh!

We also snapped some cute pics of The Boys this afternoon:

Spike had his first vet visit since getting back to Minneapolis. The Dr. declared Spike in amazingly good shape for a 17-year old dog! Go Spike! He had some problems adjusting right after the move, but he seems to be back to his normal self, which is very good news.

We had a quick-passing storm this evening, and when I turned around to look out the window, I saw this:
It was one of the largest rainbows I've seen, thickness-wise, and very bright.
The pictures don't do it justice.

Equal Time - Spike The Dog

Spike the Dog was protesting all the blog-time Max (Fluffy) got, so tonight I am devoting this post to him! The boy has relocated with us 5 times now! We got him in Frederick, MD, moved him to New Jersey, then to Minneapolis, then Phoenix, back to Frederick, and now back to Minneapolis. He's got alot of miles on him! And at 17+, he has seen it all!

When we told Spike it was Road Trip time, he was not quite as enthusiastic as Max. As a matter of fact, he did not move. At all.
Once in the car, his excitement picked up!For the first hour....then it was this till we hit home.After exploring the yard and all the new and exciting smells, we stuck him (and Max, who never misses a photo opp) out ont he small deck off the dining room. They were quite confused over the glass panels.
It was such a nice day, Spike decided to get some sun:
This is a Spike Action Photo:
That's about as good as it gets....he heard something and moved his head. When you are 17, action is not high on the list :)

Go Spike!

Who loves driving cross-country!?!?!

Max and Spike were very happy to see us when we got to Mom's house on Friday! And when we told Max we were going on a road trip?! Thrilled!!
So off we went! Bye bye, PA! Pfffftttttt:
So let's see. First we drive across Ohio, and then across Indiana.....yay......
...and....then......Illinois (yawn).......
....there's the sign for (yaaaaaaawwwnnnnn) Wisconssssss...........
Max! We finally made it to Minnesota!!
ZZZZzzzzzzz........

The boy did good. It's funny how he can fall asleep sitting. Haha.

More pics in the coming days :) But they are home - YAY!

Finally Settling In

After 2 weeks of unpacking and organizing, I think we're finally settled! I have to say, this is the first house we've bought where we were able to move in ant not have to change a thing. The wall colors, the light fixtures, the carpet, the blinds - even the artwork and wall decorations would have fit us perfectly!

But, we felt a little odd asking for artwork, so we kept our requests to stuff we really wanted - like this furniture!
...and the pool table!
It's a really nice table - we've always wanted one!

The foyer and kitchen have these really nice Brazilian cherry hardwoods. The granite top on the wine rack was custom made to match the granite in the kitchen, so we got that as wel, along with the rug in the foyer.The master bath has an Italian marble floor and shower:
Did I mention the floors are heated? And yes, we've tried them out a few times already - what a neat feature!

Stay tuned! We leave later this week to fly back, pick up the pets and drive them back to their new home! Yay! It's been 4 1/2 months since we've had them - and Mom is ready for a break!

Welcoming Committee

WE had a visit from the local welcoming committee our first day here!
I think he was checking us out to make sure we were acceptable as neighbors.

When we say we are surrounded by a sea of boxes, we aren't kidding:We'll get some pictures of the inside posted soon, once we get things unpacked and a little more organized.

Minnesota Homeowners!!

We closed this morning on the new house - yay! Everything went fine and smooth, and we are now the proud owners of this:
It's a very cool house - we both loved it the minute we walked in. We'll post more pictures in the coming days, but here's another view of the front:
All our stuff gets delivered tomorrow, and we'll be sleeping in this place tomorrow night!

Fast Puppy Dogs!

At the State Fair, one of the fun things we stumbled across were the doggie races and obstacle course competition. These pups were fast!

The first competition involved running over a series of hurdles:
...hitting a box at the end that dispenses a tennis ball:

...and then turning around and going back through the hurdles: These dos were fast and focused!

The second competition was involved zig-zagging around posts, going through a tunnel, and over a see-saw! This little guy was SO funny - he yipped the entire way over the see-saw, as if to say "I don't like this, dammit and you better give me big treats when I get done!":
It was fun to watch them figure out the tipping point:
Now I am on a mission to train Max! I'll let you know how that goes....