let our travels begin...

Well, we have been very busy the past few days and Charlie has been on his best behavior! (Get ready, this a long post!) I needed to go into work for a few hours before I left town for the holidays so I left Charlie alone in the house for the first time. He did SO well - no accidents and everything was all in one piece when I returned home. Charlie really likes hanging out on the balcony off of my bedroom - here are a few pictures that I took Monday morning before I went to work.

We began packing our bags (yes, charlie has his own overnight bag too!) We packed his food, treats, his leash and what was left a hotdog squeeze toy and his chicken too. Charlie likes to follow me everywhere I go - so he made as many trips down the stairs as I did. We were soon all packed - even had to give the car a good cleaning to make room for my stuff and Charlie too and we were off on our journey! It was Charlie's first time to ride in my car and he loved hanging his head out the window!!

We made it to Little Rock with NO accidents - yea! Charlie slept the entire time. Charlie was a little confused when we got to Robert's but he was wagging his tail in no time! We also learned a few new things about Charlie on our first visit to Robert's. One, we learned that Charlie WILL get on the couch. We decided that it is because there is more room on Robert's couch for Charlie. We also learned that Charlie will chew on things other than his toys. He chewed a belt loop off of a pair of Robert's pants - So we know what Charlie will be getting Robert for Christmas:) We also learned that when we leave Charlie in the car to run into the grocery store he likes to move to the front seat! I was laughing historically when I got back to the car on a quick trip to Kroger. We said our goodbyes and parted ways for the Thanksgiving holiday. Charlie was so sad to leave Robert and we think a little confused too - where am I going now?!

On the way out of town, we stopped at Fresh Market to pick up steaks and shrimp to take to his grandparent's - when I got back to the car there was a man putting grocery's in his car and he said, "mam, I have to tell you, when I walked by your car I thought to myself, wow, that kid needs a haircut!" That kid is Charlie! Charlie will not be getting a haircut anytime soon - we love his big fluffy, curly hair!

We made our journey over to Forrest City (yea, no accidents!) but it was a little tricky introducing Charlie to my parent's german shepard, Maddie. Charlie was VERY calm, but Maddie went CRAZY! Barking and jumping everywhere! We let them sniff each other and Maddie finally calmed down. Charlie has had a few accidents in the house, but we know Maddie just scared him (or that is what I'm thinking). They have been running all around the house and it sounds like a herd of cows but all is good. My parents also have a cat that Charlie has been trying to find. The cat likes to hide behind the tv - she will probably not come out until we leave on Saturday, but Charlie has enjoyed looking at her - the picture is below.

meeting charlie..

YEA! We have Charlie and he is a so much bigger than he looked in his pictures but he is our new best friend!! We made the trip to Branson to pick up Charlie and meet his owner Erin. She was so sweet and even sent us with his leash and some of his favorite toys. He was a little hesitant at first to get in the truck, but after some lifting we got him settled. I rode in the back with him and it was to much surprise that when we both sit up he is SO much taller than me and his head almost hit the ceiling! Erin told us that the drive to Branson was the longest he had ever ridden in a car so we headed straight back to Fayetteville. We did very well until we were about 20 minutes away when Charlie had his first accident. Luckily, Robert had put some towels on the backseat.

We got home and Charlie walked all over the house checking out his new crib! We found out that Charlie's collar and bed that we had bought was not BIG enough, so we will be making another trip to PetSmart! Charlie is such a big and loving dog and is so soft!! He did very well and just laid on the floor all afternoon watching football with Robert - I think the ride wore both of them out, they were snoozing after no time! Charlie is so well-mannered. He doesn't get on the furniture or even drink out of the toilet.

Last night a big group of our friends got together for a Thanksgiving party. We took Charlie with us and he even got to meet his new doggie friends, Blake and Clarence. They had the best time playing in the back yard! We just know Charlie is going to be a social butterfly like his mom and dad! We all had a great time at the party and Charlie slept all night! He laid by the bed and didn't budge all night!

Here are a few pictures from our first day with Charlie. We have a big week ahead of us - Little Rock tomorrow and Forrest City the rest of the week for the holiday. We can't wait to see how it all goes:)

Charlie checking out his new toys and bed - the bed is a little small for charlie, but he has been using it as a pillow and he has already pulled the squeaker out of one of his chew toys too:)

Yes - Charlie is much taller than me when he sits up in the car!

it's official!!

Well....it's true. Tomorrow at 10am, Robert and I are going to become dog owners! For the past few months, we have had a serious craving for a puppy and tomorrow that dream is coming true. We are not getting a puppy, but a 75 pound golden doodle named Charlie who is just over a year old. Long story short, my mom received an email a few weeks back from her cousin who knew of a family needing to find a home for Charlie. As soon as we opened the picture we were in love with him! He looks just so darn loving and cute, how could we not resist!? So, I got in contact with the owner the very next day and it was a done deal. We decided to wait 2 weeks to give them a little more time to say goodbye to Charlie and we set the date - November 22nd, 10am in Branson to meet our new four-legged friend and to for a new chapter in our life to begin!

We have been doing the normal things to prepare for our furry friend - trips to PetSmart and PetCo, checking out doggie daycares, and I even checked out Charlie's crate for myself! We have all the essentials - dog food, dog bowl, chew toys, and even an overnight bag for when we go see Robert in Little Rock. We are keeping our fingers crossed that Charlie likes to ride in the car:)

We will post pictures soon of our new friend...countdown has begun...less than 12 hours!