Carpinteria and Canines. That describes the last two weeks of our lives. The end.

OK, I guess I will elaborate. After all, this our family scrapbook of sorts, so someday I may want to go back and read all the nonsense I have posted!

Over Labor Day week, we went camping at Carpinteria State Beach with my sister's family and some great friends. Although my sister and friends have camped there for years and we have visited them in the past, this was our first time actually camping there. It was just so wonderful! The campground is right on the beach, the little town is so charming and delightful, and the weather was divine. We ate our dinners every night on picnic tables in the sand, graced by the beauty of the setting sun and marvelous company. The kids had a blast playing with their friends, digging holes in the sand, riding their bikes and such, and just being kids. Sunburned and rashed kids, but they didn't mind. Our vacation was cut just a tad bit short, as Dave ended up having the work on the day we were supposed to check out, so we left one night early. Our first day home was an obvious ode to God's sovereign hand, as Dave had a motorcycle accident on the way home from work. Now before anyone starts mumbling about how unsafe motorcycles are and "I can't believe Dave rides one of those things every day," let me just say Dave is fine. It was the best possible outcome if you are going to hit an oil slick in the road. Dave went sliding one way, and the bike the other. No other cars were involved. And my dear sweet hubby was as protected as protected can be. Helmet, gloves, jeans, jacket with pads, boots...all of which took the damage for him, leaving him with just some minor road rash. Praise God. And in all the years Dave has had a motorcycle and not crashed, most of you have probably been in an accident. Dave is a very defensive and proactive motorcycle rider. Unfortunately, this could not have been avoided. These things just happen. We're all thankful he is alright! Needless to say, being the avid fixer/designer/creator/fabricator that he is, he's been out in the garage fixing things up and creating his very own gauge package and headlight setup. He has long wanted his bike to look less like a production bike like everyone else owns, and more of a unique and vintage cafe racer. But he never wanted to spend the money nor did he ever feel it was a priority. But since the front fairings and headlight were all busted, he was given the unique opportunity to change things a bit. Since he is eliminating parts instead of replacing, and making parts instead of buying, it is costing us very little to get the thing back on the road. The quicker, the better, as it saves us a ton of gas money for him to commute on it. Before and after pictures in a later post. I know you all will be on the edge of your seat waiting.

And for the grand finale, this house full of boys now has another girl!!! It's a little (well, not so little) puppy girl!!! The boys have always wanted a dog. I mean, every boy really does need a dog, right? I think this was just the perfect time for one. The boys are old enough to take care of her, train her, and really enjoy her. So while the kids were gone for the day at the museums last weekend, Dave and I visited the animal shelter in Van Nuys just to look. By the way, the shelter has recently been redone, and it is a beautiful facility. I would highly recommend adopting an animal this way. For $102, we got a dog, all her shots, and she was spayed and microchipped. What a deal! We just fell in love with this 6 month old Boxer mix. Dave has always loved Boxers. Our good friends had a couple in the past, and they were excellent dogs. Dave was instantly drawn to this pup, and she to him. We took her out and interacted with her, and just loved her personality. After some decision making, we decided to adopt her and surprise the kids. We couldn't take her home that day, because she needed to be spayed before we could take her home. When we picked up the kids, we nonchalantly brought them to the shelter for a surprise visit with their new dog. They were ecstatic, to say the very least! It was a long two days waiting to go pick her up from the vet. In the meantime, we acquired everything we needed for her, and decided on the name Summer (simply because it was the first name they all agreed on). She was a little out of it when we picked her up, and over the next couple days, she slowly started getting her energy back. We just finished our first full week with her. She has been such a good puppy. She learns fast, already sleeps through the night, never whimpers or whines in her crate, is pretty much fully housebroken, and is generally just a really good puppy. A bit stubborn at times, but a good girl nonetheless. I'm so thankful! The transition from cat owner to zoo owner has been a bit difficult. The cats are starting to adjust and are learning when to come out. She just wants to be friends with them. And they don't. It will take some time. We have all enjoyed becoming dog owners. We have enjoyed walks at the park, throwing a ball in the backyard, and visiting the dog park. I know she will be a wonderful addition to this family, hopefully for many years to come. As for me, I am learning to enjoy having doggie slobber on my legs. OK, enjoy was way too generous of a word. Tolerate. :)