The Story of Dodger

There was a girl. And the girl loved dogs. One day while in college, the girl came across a pair of the most beautiful dogs she had ever seen. They were majestic and alert, calm but reserved. She knew she would have one of these lovely animals one day. She searched and searched, and found the perfect breeder. A veterinarian in Oklahoma who had an upcoming litter. She was the lucky recipient of the only pet quality ridged male in the litter. Imperfect in the eyes of some, with his wily ridge, but perfect to her. His brothers went on to achieve championship titles in the ring, he was busy winning over hearts. A plump puppy, giant paws, too big for his body. Shy and cautious at first, he would grow to love you and forever remember you after a few encounters. Stubborn but submissive, he had a hearty appetite and was very easily taught a full repertoire of tricks that entertained and brought smiles to many. A wedding and a move to Dallas. A good running buddy he made. Miles and miles logged. A bit of a straggler, but he would make it through. Time passed. A few gray hairs appeared. Hours spent sunbathing. The dog loved the warmth of the sun on his red fur. Predictable. He would come running when he heard the last of the yogurt container being scraped. He knew it was his to lick. A gentle giant he was, some of his best friends being creatures much smaller than him. A Westie, Phoebe. A Scottie, Sophie. He loved enticing them into a friendly game of chase. Brother to an ornery boxer. He kept him in check while always letting him think he was in control. More years passed. A single white whisker appeared. Long walks in the neighborhood. A baby girl joined his family. He wasn't sure what to think at first. But he soon grew to love her and enjoyed lavishing her with the occasional lick on the face. The baby grew to love the dog. Happy shrieks and smiles would pour forth when she happened to gaze upon the dog. This made the girl very happy. Months passed. Something changed. The big red dog who loved his food suddenly wasn't finishing his meals. He no longer greeted his beloved owners at the door, tail wagging, ears pulled slightly back in a show of affection. The girl and boy were worried. Off to the vet the big dog went. Tests run. Something wrong. Liver enzymes and white blood cells and platelet counts off. Specialists seen. Scary words thrown around. An outing to the preserve. Time passing quickly. The majestic dog getting sicker. The boy and the girl were ever more worried. One awful night. Many tears cried. Pain seen in the eyes of their faithful friend. A teary phone call to the vet. A decision was made to let go. Sweet friends cried with the boy and girl. One dog, full of heart, he gave all that he had, but he was ready to go. Arms around him whispering sweet words of love. He left them, no longer in pain. Tears tumbled forth, they cried for the loss of their wonderful friend. A quiet house. No more footfalls from the big dog are heard. Memories all around. Tears spring forth. We loved him so. Always in our hearts. The story of Dodger.

Lily's Dedication

We love that we've found such a wonderful church to become a part of since living in Dallas. There are so many opportunities to learn, to serve, to connect and we've met some of our best friends there as well. We had Lily dedicated a few weeks ago and we stood up in front of the service and committed to raise her within the church in the hopes that she will come to know Christ one day. Some of Phil's family joined us for the occasion and we had a nice lunch at Celebration following the service. We are so thankful for our sweet Lily and all of the joy that she brings to our family. She is truly a blessing from the Lord.

Wordless Wednesday

Small Batch Brownies

Phil has been going to the coffee shop to do his studying lately, and he went yet again last night, so Lily and I had two hours to kill before we started our bedtime routine. We had less than half of a bag of chocolate chips left and I felt like baking, so I googled "small batch brownies." I stumbled upon the recipe blog Cookie Madness and decided to make these brownies. Oh my goodness, they are awesome! I have never made homemade brownies that I thought were better than a package of Ghirardelli brownie mix from the store. But these are it. They have a delicious crunchy top layer but a fudgey interior, and the kicker is that they aren't too sweet. I like bittersweet chocolate straight out of the bag and these have the perfect amount of chocolate and sugar that keep them from being over the top, milk chocolate sweet. And with the "small batch" you won't feel quite as guilty if they dissapear in one day.

Small Batch Boudin Bakery’s brownies

1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz) plus extra for greasing
4 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate
2 1/2 large eggs – (to halve an egg, crack 1 and use 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups (3.19 ounces) flour
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for glass pan, 375 for metal. Grease your pan with butter.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add chocolate, turn off heat, and stir until melted from the residual heat. Let it cool for about 5 minutes.

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. You can do this in a stand mixer or with a hand-held, but I used a stand mixer since the beating time is so long. Beat in the melted chocolate (which should be slightly warm, but not piping hot at this point), vanilla and the salt. By hand stir in the flour until it is almost combined, then add the nuts and continue stirring gently until all flour disappears. I do this with a heavy scraper.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth to the edges, and bake in the center of the oven until puffed and almost set, about 38 to 40 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

Not so sure

Lily has never been a horrible sleeper, but she could also be better. She was great between 3-4 months, and then she started waking up again around 3:00 am, which has gotten better, but every now and then she'll throw in a late night/very early morning waking. I was really looking forward to her turning six months and starting solids. I waited and waited and listened to my doctor on this one, so I was counting down the weeks until she started to eat and I [hopefully] would be getting more sleep. Things really aren't bad, and I stay up way too late, but if she slept in until seven or eight, I would be a very happy camper. I digress. So she actually liked her oatmeal cereal the first couple of times she had it. Then decided she didn't care for it. Since then we've tried a few different fruits and veggies and they've all been met with the sour lemon face for the most part. She might suffer through a few bites, but in general, she hasn't been interested. Enter guacamole. I made some for Phil and I last night, and I gave her a smidge on my finger and she liked it! So I fed her more of it, and then tonight we went out for burgers with the Kretzes and I ordered some avocado on the side and mashed it up and she had a good 5 bites or so and would actually open her mouth for it. Still some funny faces, but I'm so glad that she likes something. I was actually going to take a break on solids for a couple more weeks, but we might just stick to avocado and try to mix a few things in with that and see where it gets us. Oh and I knew this, but feeding a baby is messy stuff! See for yourself.