t W h: Plans for travel, a puppy, a home

Harrison and I have been busy lately making all sorts of plans. We've always wanted to take a trip to Europe together, and we're finally going to go very soon! We began our plans by consulting with a travel agent, but it quickly became apparent that she wasn't going to be very much help. Because of this, we took on the giant responsibility of coming up with a 15 day trip to France, Austria, and Germany! I have to say that I'm quite proud of the plans that we've come up with. I'll be sure to post photos of our adventures once we return.

After getting back from our vacation, we are finally going to get a pug puppy! Anyone that knows me is well aware of my love of pugs. I have wanted a pug for 10+ years or so, but the timing was never right. In 2004, Harrison put made a deposit on a pug puppy for me. At that time, he was just about to leave for nearly five months to hike the Appalachian Trail, and he didn't want me to feel lonely. I was thrilled that he wanted to do this for me, but my dad felt that it was too big of a responsibility for me to handle. As a sophomore in college with a crazy schedule, he was right, although I didn't admit it at the time. I never would've had the time to properly take care of a dog. For that reason, we've continued to hold of on getting a dog until now. We finally feel like our lives have settled down a bit and we can take on the responsibility. I found a very nice, reputable pug breeder (Angie's Kennels) two hours from Auburn. Last Friday I went to Chapman AL and met the breeder, inspected the kennel situation, and played with a bunch of adorable four week old pugs! The breeder, Angie, was very kind and knowledgeable about the breed, and the kennel was very clean and comfortable inside. After meeting the sire/father (General Beauregard Lee) and the dam/mother (Layla), I got a chance to get acquainted with the litter. All EIGHT puppies looked very healthy, but I quickly chose one that caught my attention due to her personality and light fawn color. Here she is:

In other news, Harrison and I found a new place to rent. Our current place is okay, but we would really like to have a little more space in a private home (rather than a townhouse that we're in currently). We are planning on building our own home, but that's a couple of years away, so we'll continue to rent until that time comes. I love that this home has some character. It was built in the 50's and has hardwood floors throughout, high ceilings, picture rail crown moulding, and a fireplace. It's located about a block from Harrison's work and is pretty close to Auburn University. We might do some tailgating this year in our front yard (home is located on Samford Avenue)! The current renters are a couple of bachelors in their mid-twenties that have lived there for several years. They haven't kept the yard very groomed, but we plan on doing so!