let's be real.

Friday night we picked up these little peaches.  

Meet Boone and Etta, the new loves in my life.

Other than Nick, I honestly can say I don't think I've ever loved something quite so much. Yesterday, however was my first day alone with them and it.was.tough.  There were times where I regretted taking both of them.  Even one of them for that matter.  I just kept telling myself I'm not sure if I was capable of doing it...

I had to step back.  I ran them both up and down the street, threw them their ducks, and tried to forget about all of the hard stuff that had happened.  They jumped into my arms and licked my face and eventually both fell asleep next to me on the couch while I continued my job search.  I learned that without bad situations, there is absolutely no way to enjoy the good.  All of my perfectionist traits have been tested because yes...they're messy, they're noisy, and they're messyyy.  Let's be real, life isn't about a spotless house and two puppies being as good as humans.  It's not worth picking up their toys after every time they play, cleaning up the water dish after every time they spill, or straightening the rug each time they try to rip it to shreds.  My house is no longer perfect and my days are no longer revolved around myself, and Nick and I are no longer just a married couple.  We have a little big mac who never lets go of his tennis ball and gets stuck coming down the stairs and looks at you in pure panic and nudges his boxy head against yours before every nap.  And we have Etta, the little pill who thinks it's necessary to pee every 10 minutes, bite the recliner chair no matter how many times we say no, and tackles her brother every time he's sleeping or takes her duck.  I needed yesterday to realize that life isn't picture perfect.  It's not always about you and each day is never ever the same.  I'm trying so hard to completely let go of the small stuff and the things that are out of my control.  I never grew up with pets before so this is a brand new experience for me.  While I'm definitely not a perfect dog mama yet, I sat there with both of them last night while my husband and I drank a bottle of wine.  And this little family so far, is my dream come true.

Last but not least, a recipe.

These coconut energy bites are better than dessert.

1 cup dried oats

1/3 cup coconut flakes

1 cup of peanut butter

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup raw honey

1/4 cup flax seeds

stir ingredients into a large bowl and roll into balls.

place them on a cookie sheet and let them cool for about two hours.

(or you can eat them right away, i did both)

ta-da!

I also paired them with this.

And now I'm going to do some of this before work.

 

Remember the hard times have a purpose.  Like the seasons, they come and go.  Some are beautiful, bright with colors and warm sunshine.  And some not so much, rainy days and cold cold mornings.  But they make us work and they make us frustrated as hell but they consistently make us enjoy little parts of them year after year.  Continue to do the very best that you can and enjoy little parts of the hard days because just as I promise myself, I promise you that God has an immense amount of good coming your way.  Be blessed today.