Jackson vs. The Cold

Upon moving to Tucson, we were informed that there would be generally warm "resort-like" temperatures throughout the winter. Then El Niño happened. Jackson has now experienced hail, living with parents who won't give into his request to keep the house at 80º, and bath time in the winter. He would like for you all to know that although being outside in the cold makes him want to sprint around the house upon being let in, he does not in fact enjoy the cold weather. (Also, that he has a new penguin toy and he LOVES it).

 

Road trip with Casey!

Hey everyone!

Well, what a week it has been around here.

The first weekend of December one of Ben's old roomies got married so we had a grand ole reunion and had a fantastic time celebrating Michael and Sarah. Then, Ben got to hold our niece for the first time (!!!!) before flying back to Tucson for work, when he accidentally left his keys in the car..in GA.

 

This past week, I drove back west and was extremely fortunate to have my friend Casey make the drive with me (she obviously was unaware of the misery of driving through west Texas..sorry, Casey)! Casey and I decided to take a different route than the usual in order to do some more exciting things than the usual drive all day. We got to see her family in New Orleans, hang out at the Alamo, eat on the riverwalk, and bark at statues in San Antonio (maybe that was just Jackson..), and then watch a classic Arizona sunset as we finished the drive. We had this grand idea that we would be taking a lot of pictures on the trip, but there is only so much to photograph while sitting in a quickly moving vehicle.

  

Once we made it back to the desert we were welcomed with really cold temperatures, rain (#elnino apparently..) and Ben's brother Dominic! Because our go-to with visitors is to go up the mountain we were at a loss on how to entertain our guests, but after a brief hailstorm sunshine did eventually come and we were able to show Casey and Dominic a proper Tucson vacation! We experienced a bit of downtown, played jenja with new friends, went to a street fair and ate fried oreos, went up the mountain and got a picture with a saguaro, and went further up the mountain and saw snow and an amazing sunset.

(we have since been informed that hail is a pretty frequent thing out here)

Speck

While making the trek back across the country to Tucson after Thanksgiving I found out that my best bud, Speck, passed away. Speck was 15 years old so I knew that the day would come when he wouldn't be with us anymore, but I was never truly ready for the pain of losing him. Speck was always there for me growing up and I'm not actually prepared to go back to Georgia without him there. 

Speck, thank you for being my grouchy old man. Those 15 years with you as my best friend were the bomb. I don't really know what to do without you these days. I know Christmas/your birthday were your favorite time of year, you loved your Christmas sweater and getting an awesome rawhide bone each year but I also know that you are no longer in pain. I love you, Taterbug.

If the thought "Ben and Georgia have it together!" has by any chance even started to cross your mind, then let it go quickly.

Keys seem to be our downfall. If you remember one of the very first posts, then you might remember that we had an issue with keys that cost us a bit of money and only allowed us the use of one car for our first week in Tucson. You might think we would have learned our lesson and would be more careful with keys in the future. Not so, apparently. Well, here is the story.

After a weekend in GA celebrating some friends' wedding and hanging out with our new niece, Ben needed to fly back to Tucson. So we packed his belongings and took a family trip to the airport in Atlanta. True to Atlanta nature, there was traffic on the way to the airport which meant the drop-off went pretty quickly. As I pulled back into my sister's driveway, Ben sent a text to say the plane was about to take off and he would talk to me once he was back in AZ and then turned his phone off. I turned the car off and realized...I had his entire set of keys. Now, again, one might think that after leaving the keys in GA once, we would get a spare made immediately and would not do it again. We didn't get a spare made.

Ben apparently realized the error of our ways the moment I did. We both separately started brainstorming ideas and then talked to each other as soon as he landed to figure out the situation so Ben could get home and to work. Renting a car and staying in a hotel were both options considered, but in the end calling a locksmith to cut a new key was the solution. Ben got back to the house super late, but we do now have a spare and are slightly more financially committed to not forgetting our keys in another state.

We have so many more updates to give, but this one seemed the most entertaining at the moment.

Over and out!

P.S. Thanks for asking me to marry you a year ago, Ben!

 

Jackson's Trip Back to GA

Hey everyone!

As I'm sure you're all aware, Jackson goes everywhere with us and that meant he got to make another trip across the country! Jackson has thoroughly enjoyed his time back in Georgia which was filled with family time, swim practice, and lots of fetch (oh and a ton of time traveling the grand state of Georgia in the car...). We've also tried our hardest to follow the vet's recommendations and keep him as calm as possible, but that is quite the struggle.

Jackson was able to play in the tall grass at a park near Ben's parent's house and he LOVED it! It was as though he was playing hide and seek with the bumper.

Jackson also got to play a lot with his cousins! Gunner and Cash have a lake in their neighborhood so the little (huge) desert pup out on his jacket and went for a swim. We found out that Cash is by far the strongest swimmer and will always win the race to the bumper and that Gunner would prefer to run around like a wild dog!

He also got to take naps with dad and take selfies with mom.

Oh, and here is the reunion photo at the first stop on the road trip that had grass and tree in abundance.

As always, there will be more to come. This trip has been quite jam packed. 

Until next time!

This Past Week

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the absence, but this past week has been one heck of a week. The Pattison family packed up the car and traveled back to Georgia to spend time with family and be present for some major events in our loved ones lives.

So here goes the short recap of some of the events...

We watched and cheered for my oldest and one of my best friends as she married the man of her dreams (who happens to be one of the kindest human beings in the entire world). Then we celebrated the night away with bluegrass music, hibachi, s'mores, and fireworks. It was wonderful.

We spent time with my sister and brother in law on the due date of their first baby, which culminated in nap time on the couch and taking the wild beasts to the lake for a chilly swim.

We went to Thanksgiving celebrations in my hometown and were fortunate enough to see most of the family! This meant it was a Thanksgiving marathon, truly testing our eating abilities, and reminding me of Gilmore Girls. We then chaperoned the annual Thanksgiving hike through the woods surrounding my grandparent's house (apparently we're adults now?).

I went to my little brother's state championship football game. I cheered my heart (and voice) out as he and his teammates played one heck of a game, and although they came up short in the end, they played with class and character. In that game I felt like my little brother had grown up and has become quite the young man. I am honored to call you baby brother forever, Cameron.

It was exhausting. And I feel refreshed from being around our families so much over the Thanksgiving holiday. We decided that being back in Georgia made Arizona feel like a dream. Being back where we spent most of our lives, driving down the familiar roads, and being around family made it feel as though we never actually left. I think we will forever be suckers for being close to family and massive old oak trees.

Here's to more adventures (and more updates coming soon)!