First Foster!

Tomorrow we are becoming foster parents

to a wonderful little female GSP!!

Can you tell I'm a little excited?

Her name is Robin, she is 9 months old and she is traveling all the way from West Virginia.

She has been spending time at a prison out there for a cell dog program (glamorous, I know.)

In an effort to home dogs that would be otherwise put to sleep and to also keep inmates from becoming too hardened while inside, programs like this get to exist!  I am told she will have basic doggy manners such as sit and lay down, but luckily she is already spayed, housebroken, and crate trained.

I can't wait to see how her and Remington will do together!  I hope she likes to swim... because I bought a pool!  After seeing Remington try to jump in my mother-in-law's fountain repeatedly, I figured it'd be a good $16.99 investment haha :)

Please check out GSP Care of Ohio for more GSP's that need loving homes! Send me a message or text or whatever if you're interested in Robin, too! :)

Here is the dog product I'm loving at the moment: Compressed Rawhides from Dog.com .  They are listed at a super reasonable price, ship quickly, and it takes Remington hours just to chew the little nubs off each side of the bone.  Another great thing is that the rawhide won't fall off in chunks like regular rawhides do.. I always worry about Remington not swallowing them right or if it could hurt his tummy!  Dog.com definitely has a TON of things to offer that you won't find in a lot of the pet stores around here, and at really good prices :) Plus they send you a bunch of coupons and frequently have sales! Right now is the Memorial Day sale...


XOXO,
KMZ.

Swimming Lessons

Wow... been a while!

Happiness project is still going well, living it more internally than externally (read: I remind myself everyday but don't always want to be on the computer blogging lol)

Last weekend we took Remington to his FIRST event at the Dearborn Mutt Strutt.  Ultimate Air Dogs had a dock diving competition and I guess I just assumed Remi would be wonderful at it.  Well, he wasn't... and I think I may have scarred him for life!

We went attempted to go swimming one time before the event, which got him excited abotu water, but not so much about being up to his neck in it.  After failing to jump in after Justine's dogs, I had to throw him into the water so he would realize what he was supposed to do... I got this instead...

Kolby, Abbey, and Remington

 Talk about feeling guilty after seeing this face!

At Mutt Strutt:

Poor baby :(

Um...really??

The same afternoon i was still really upset that he didn't love water, and it was warm enough so I put on some old clothes and ran into the water so he'd chase after and realize it's fun.  Luckily he has separation anxiety enough that he followed and realized that he actually can swim and that it really is fun!

Proud Momma :)

 Remington has been swimming four days in a row now and starts barkign and prancing when water comes into sight!  He even races down the hill and jumps in the water before I can meet him down there.  So proud of his progress!  Hopefully we do better at this weekend's dock diving event :)

XOXO

-KMZ,

Day Thirteen

Lovely trip to Disney World this past week!

We were whisked away by Brandon's grandparents in order to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, so fun!

We ran out of batteries and I didn't feel like buying more at DW for $1,000,000 so I'm mooching pics off of everybody else :)

Here is my favorite Disney Character- PLUTO!

Speaking of dogs, I just submitted an application to foster German Shorthaired Pointers. I know that we want to add to our little canine family, but we want to help a rescue dog instead of a breeder this time. While looking for younger dogs in need, I came upon http://rescue.gspca.org/ which led me to a specific one in Ohio, named http://gspcareohio.org/

I am hoping that they choose us to help their dogs in need, because I have a lot of love to give! Hopefully our home will be an in-between from pound/surrender to forever homes. Just thinking about being able to keep the dogs safe from harm and shelter killings makes us so happy!

<3 Mrs Zupi

Day One

today happiness is realizing that i can't possibly paint the whole house in the time i allotted myself. happiness is realizing that i am only one person and worrying about what is and isnt painted isnt the most horrible thing in the world to have to worry about.

happiness is finally making myself enjoy my sitting room. its a good glass of spotted dog wine, a new book, and my own spotted dog at my feet :)

its also not caring that im typing this on my blackberry and for some reason it won't let me capitalize letters.. let go!

xoxo,

mrs zupi

The Happiness Project

It seems like everyday we strive to do more, be more, and feel more. All I've ever wanted is to be happy, and that has sometimes been a challenge for me the past year. On the outside how could it be anything but happy? I got engaged, obtained a 'big girl' job, and eloped with my best friend. But certain losses in life have held me down. The introduction of planning a wedding along with going through other momentous life events was a struggle, looking back now. The inability to relax seems almost hereditary, but I can change that!



I have finally been feeling like myself again... happy, optimistic, ambitious, gratuitous, etc.



I know it might sound materialistic, but pulling into the driveway of our new house makes me grin from ear to ear. It's not that there's a house in front of me, rather a reflection of the hard work the past year or so I put in to be able to obtain it.



Being able to settle in to a space that really is just 'ours' has been wonderful. No landlord, no one teling us our dog is barking or that we can't paint the walls, and so on. I love hearing the people around me mow their yards and the birds chirping. I think the season of spring is allowing me to mentally, emotionally, and physically turn over a new leaf.



When I went to go check my email this morning, I saw the following link:

gretchenrubin.com/happiness/happiness.html

Gretchen Rubin spent a year striving for happiness, doing different things everyday in order to reach the level of happiness she desired. It definitely inspired me to start down my own path to hapiness project, which I will be documenting here from now on:)




On a different note, we are finally in our house and everything is slowly coming together! I will also be posting updates on that soo, too! :)


xoxo
mrs zupi

A Long Time Gone

Wow, it's been a while!

Mr. Zupi and I have had so much going on...

With school and work, we're always busy, but we added on the task of searching for a home!

The homebuying process was confusing, overwhelming and aggrivating... We found a house in our hometown in a cute little neighborhood, but due to a dealine we didn't know until the day we closed if we could actually close on it.

The house also came with tenants that did not move out when they were supposed to... so we've been in limbo since closing... two weeks ago. And on top of that, we have to figure out how to sub lease our apartment. We've come close a few times, but things seem to fall through at the last second. Crossing our fingers it will be someone else's this week!!

Unfortunately, we lost our lovely cat, DeMayo. It breaks my heart to think about him and his untimely death. He was only 4 years old and a virus presented itself all of a sudden, a problem that was out of our control. We brought him to the vet thinking he had an obstruction in his bowel and we could have him go for surgery to remove it, but it turns out he was going into kidney failure and had no obstuction. The vet told us that even is she had put him on fluids and a feeding tube and kept him in the clinic for a week, he still would have only had a 10% of survival. We had to do what waas best for him, but it has been really hard to process since he was so young and there was truly nothing I could have done to make it better. I miss him so much still.

DeMayo and our previously adopted cat, Angelo

I'm excited to move into our house- we get to move on St. Partick's Day, which is also the day of my cousin's bridal shower, so it'll be a very busy weekend! I can't wait to feel like my house is actually my house! After we are settled in, there will definitely be a trip to the Humane Society in our future. I would love to give an older cat a loving home, just as long as they can tolerate Remington!

More updates and pictures coming soon, promise!

-Mrs. Zupi

Slow and Steady...

SO... The Mr. and I are trying to buy a house.. We have our apartment lease until August, so we were looing at a forclosure or shortsale to get the most of our money's worth and we had the time to spare, so why not?

Well, we found a shortsale, but due to timelines for the bank everything has sped up super fast!

All parties are planning on closing by the 23rd of February which is less than two weeks away now. Which has made everyone scramble to get documents together and stress out!

Hopefully it works out for the best! Fingers crossed that everything will be ok :]

House Hunters

So... instead of doing homework I'm trying to figure out pinterest... and as usual, I'm behind the trend! And as usual, I already have problems with it!

1.) Why do I need to be invited?!

2.) It seems like things start repeating after a while

3.) I'm not quite comprehending the idea of a bulletin board online that I share with people...

HOWEVER, there were some super cute ideas for fixing up bathrooms and other rooms that I can't wait to try......

because the MR. & I are trying to buy a house :]

We had an offer in on a house this weekend, but I wasn't too keen on the location. Also, the previous owners apparently didn't believe in vacuums or washing their hands or bodies, because the whole place was a hot mess! We knew we'd have to put some money into it for new floors and a fence for Remington, at the very least. We were about the have the home inspection today, but at the last second I got an email about a listing in Saline!

We thought our hometown just wasn't going to work with our budget and the kinds of things that were on our MUST-HAVE list. However, this house fit the bill wonderfully. It even already has a fenced in yard and finished basement, and is super close to downtown!

So, knowing that there were other showings scheduled for this house, we put in an offer. Yup... we put in an offer without even seeing the house. Some of our best friends live right near this house and it has a pretty identical floorplan, so we knew what we were getting in terms of space. We do get to actually see the property this Wednesday and can cancel our offer based on the home inspection, so it was a calculated, but pretty safe risk, by my standards at least!

I think that this house appearing at the last second, in our price range, was a blessing. I'm hoping that the process continues to be a blessing to us and that we can finally have our little house :] We are excited at the thought of walking downtown with Remington, being close to coffee and botiques, and of course the 'stimulating' night life Saline has to offer ;)

Trying not to get too excited, as the seller has not even looked at our offer, but we are hoping and praying for the best!!!

Until then, here's a video of Remi misbehaving when his Grandpa came over!!

-XOXO Mrs. Zupi

Trail Goers

I think our favorite thing to do with Remington is to walk the trails behind our apartment.

Since we don't live in a big city we stil have country in our backyard, and it's secluded so Remi can be off of his leash.

He follows behind us dutifully until we turn around and head back. That's where his instincts take control- he runs for about 20 feet with his nose to the ground, tracking our scent, and then stops and looks back to check in. He runs back to us, then returns back to his trail. It's so cute to watch and I'm glad he has the opportunity to traipse around back there!

Something I am looking foward to doing this spring and summer is learning about dock diving. It's where dog owners throw out a toy for their pup to catch mid jump on their way from the dock into the water. From my understanding there is mch finess involved with timing and placement of the throw or toss. I think Rem would be great at it due to his build and that it could be a fun, structured activity for our little Zupi family to get involved in :]

We'll keep you updated!

New Beginnings

Happy New Year!

The past two weeks have just FLOWN by...

The Zupi family had a wonderful jam-packed Christmas season with lots of family time!

I think we have developed our own New Years Eve ritual, inspired by my Dad and Stepmom

We walked around town with Remi and reflected on the past year thinking of all the good things that have happened, and picked our absolute favorite. My favorite moment of 2011 was how I felt when I was looking at my best friend on the beach at sunset while he recited his marital vows and and how wonderful and uncomplicated that day was. It brings me to tears just thinking of it now. I think I am going to make a new resolution to try and feel like that more than once a year!

We talked about our future, what we wanted to do in the next 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. It basically involves graduating, finding employment and furthering education... maybe even settling down or something like that!

For now we are trying to take things as they come, live in the present while also looking foward to the future. We've discovered that it takes guts to make decisions that affect the rest of your life... being full time students we haven't hardly had to make any in a while! (Except getting married, and no we didn't take that lightly!)

PS Is the Mrs. a traitor for getting a Master's at MSU??

(at least it'd be online only...!)

x0x0

-the zupi's

Remington ♥

Well... we got Remington early!

I had originally planned to get him the 14th, after finals, but our breeder called me and told me he'd be ready the Saturday beforehand... and I couldn't resist! So I made the 2+ hour drive up by myself to get our little puppy :]

It was a long, whiny trip home, but after 1 night her got used to us being his new family.

We thought we were prepared, but It's been 5 years since I had a puppy, and he was a few months old at that time, not seven weeks!

So, we learned how often a 7 week old puppy had to go outside since a 7 week old puppy bladder is apparently 1/4 cup big (or so it seems...)

Learning to fetch quite well!

Gunner is not quite sure what to think at first, but now they're the best of friends :]

♥

Now Remington is 8 weeks old, and he seems to have doubled in size!

And he sure loves cuddling and playing with his brother, DeMayo... and yes, he's a cat!

& Tinkerbell tolerates him...

He is mostly potty trained and whines next to the door when he's ready to go out and sits when we attach or unattach his leash, and Brandon taught him how to shake today!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

We are very ready for Christmas festivities and hope to make this Christmas a relaxing one!

Merry Christmas to everybody! Love your family and stay safe :]

Oh, and if you're running errands on Christmas Eve, please be nice to all of the workers and other drivers! I swear I was almost involved in a shootout between to soccermoms in SUVs yesterday at the Bed Bath & Beyond parking lot!

Love,

The Zupi's

Decorating for Christmas :]

As I carted several tubs of decorations from my Mom's house (we have no storage), I realized I was done with tchotchke things cluttering up my 850 square foot apartment... dusting and navigating around them was just not worth the effort! I was able to restrain myself and keep half of the decorations in their bins, ready for when we owna house one day.

Here's how it ended up looking:

(Keep in mind apartments don't normally photograph well, at least not in my price range!)

Our first real Christmas tree!

We sold off our table so we could have more room to just move around

without having to worry about running into chairs and knocking things over...

My baker's rack that houses our microwave and my Irish dishes and plaques

I love this light-up poinsettia garland from Target!

It looks even better when the lights are off, very cozy ;)

And what's this?

We got a GINORMOUS kennel for our new puppy!!

It seriously comes up to my hip,

which isn't an easy thing to do since I'm almost 5'11"

Isn't he darling??

We're planning on naming him Remington!

This time next week I'll be cuddling with my brand new baby :]

I already have big plans for him...

-dock diving

-hiking

-awesome tricks

-5am walks every morning

-Playing with hus big brother Gunner in Grandma's yard ;)

How can you resist that face??

So excited!!

Of course, we plan on giving him a yard as soon as we can.

Our lease ends in Augustand we know that

we need to provide him with room to run.

In the meantime, Grandma will be getting Rem an electric collar for her invisible fence so he can run around until his heart in content with my other pup Gunner :]

Enjoy the Christmas season!

Please don't drive like you're the only one that needs to get somewhere

& please don't shop like you're the only one buying presents

or cooking food for Christmas festivities

& lastly please be kind to all of those working retail, they have to put up with thousands of cranky shoppers on a daily basis and it only gets worse with each day!!

XOXO,

The Zupi's

♥

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year!  A ton has happened, and as the year winds down it is time to ponder the events that have taken place.  

The Mr & I are extremely thankful for:

-Eachother, of course

-Our HUGE, loving family and the time we spend with them, even though it's loud and crazy, it's always eventful!

-Our continuing education.  Even though it's taking a very long time, we are grateful that we have the opportunity to be able to attend an institution of higher learing so one day we can have fancier jobs other than court clerk and pizza delivery boy :]

-... our jobs.  Even though they're less than glamorous, we have them.  I am able to provide our small family with great insuance and a meger paycheck, and the Mr is able to work around his full time school schedule, but they both put food on the table and provide for our lifestyle.  With the economy being what it is, we have to acknowledge our good fortune.

-Our health! Sniffles and sneezing aside, we are truly grateful that we are in one piece, able to do the activities we both have to do and love to do each day.

-Our friends.  They are really our extended family, and we love spending time with them.  It's great to not have a shortage of people to call up and waste away a Saturday night with :]

Thanksgiving was super busy for us, we made it to three family get-togethers with starting times of 12, 2, and 4. Even with those three different families, I still wasn't able to see my Dad's side of the family, which kind of stinks! There's always Christmas.  As for now, the Mr & I are tossing around ideas fro next year and how to just go to one family on Thanksgiving, without it ending up like the movie Four Christmases, which is really good I might add! And super relevant if you're from a divorced and remarried family!

Four Christmases

As for Black Friday, I had originally said that shopping at 12am, just hours after Thanksgiving dinner was against my religion, basically.  I just feel so bad for the workers having to disrupt their night.  I mean, can it not wait until 4 or 5am??

Unfortunately, I indulged in a few glasses of wine playing sets & runs with the Mr's family, and was convinced into going at midnight.  After a short nap and watching my pretty much favorite movie, Escanaba in Da Moonlight (YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!) we ventured out.

Apparently, the movie was a sign to how our night was going to begin... about half a mile away from Target we braked just enough to hit the hind quarters of a buck with a fairly large rack.  And no, I didn't have time to count his points!

Apparently the damage of this buck's butt is at least $2,000, but luckily insurance covers most of it! Amy's poor car :[

We waited for the police, but decided to go shopping anyways! I only ended up going to Target and Macy's and was amazed at people's manners.  Not only do people just jam their carts into you thinking you'll move, but they don't say 'please,' 'thank you,' or 'excuse me!'  I think next year, I'll probably just do all online shopping :]

My favorite midnight purchase were these flannel sheets from Target:

They're in the wash now, can't wait to sleep with them tonight!

As for the rest of the weekend, I believe the Mr will be forcing me to watch lots of football, but in return I'm going to make him pick out a real live Christmas tree with me afterwards!

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Shopping!

PS Watch out for those deer!

XOXO

The Mrs

The Holidays are Coming!

Can't believe Thanksgiving is next week, but we are VERY excited for the Christmas season!

So excited to decorate this weekend and see all the glitter, sparkle, and red and green*

I was looking through Etsy.com for some new fun holiday things and came across the following:

Merry & Bright Photo Collage by SweetBee Design Shoppe

Can't wait to make family photo cards like this to mail out to everyone!

 

White Christmas Bath Bombs by BathBombConfections

These look super fun for an inviting bubble bath on a cold fall or winter night!

Rustic Reindeer Ornaments by Diane Auston

These reindeer ornaments made out of slices of tree trunks are my favorite right now... I'm kind of obsessed with anything that showcases wood grain.  I wish I could make my whole house unfinished wood!

Better Homes & Gardens - Ornaments Made from Felt

These little pinecones look so cute and teeny tiny! I wish my hands were small enoguh to craft these...

I've been telling myself NO MORE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS for the past two years, I have at least 3 gigantic containers full of them, plus a tree for our 850 sq ft apartment!  Looking at JoAnn's and Etsy, I've definitely found a million more I want to buy!  Maybe if I keep being a good girl Santa will bring me some new sparkles to hang up...

We've been listening to Chrismas music since the week before Halloween, so needless to say we are definitely not Scrooges!  I can't wait for a weekend full of decorating, Christmas movies, and who knows what else :]

XOXO

-The Mrs

New Beginnings

The Mrs. has decided to start a blog.

With a somewhat lighter school schedule this year, my brain has been itching for new adventure and things to do!  I decided that starting a blog would be the best way to share all of our new, crazy, married life adventures with our friends, family, and fellow bloggers :]

A history Mr & Mrs:
We met in 2008 working at a restaurant in our hometown, and fast foward 2 and a half years of beginning a bunch of new school semesters, enduring crazy family drama, deaths, births, friendships, and job hunts and we're engaged!  Planning a 2012 wedding was going alright until we started kind of freaking out and decided to elope 10 or so months ahead of time...

We married August 2011 upnorth Michigan on a lake at sunset, and it couldn't have been more perfect.... time to tell the parents!  They all took it surprisingly well, and we decided to have a reception anyways a few months later.  We had so much fun at our reception, although the Mr did not quite like how many pictures we had to pose for... more to come later!

 Mr & Mrs

Daddy & Daughter

By beginning this blog I hope to keep coming up with new adventures for the Zupi's to have ad to be able to share our crazy anecdotes!

XOXO

- The Mrs