Introducing Finnegan Jones

I have been asking begging Jeff to let me get a puppy since early in our marriage. I ain't no fool...I laid the ground work well before we were married so it was no surprise to him when the pleading began. Every time he would travel for work, with friends etc., I would spend hours googling puppies close to our area. I have always wanted an Old English Sheepdog, but they have so many health issues and they are big, too big for our current house. Then I thought cockapoo, then sheepadoodle, then I was thinking anything hypoallergenic, closely, fairly small...this is when I hit the googling jackpot.

You know when you are so deep in googling - traveling from one site to another you don't even know what you were originally looking for? That happened to me when I came across "mini golden doodles." I had never heard of this breed, but it was love at first site (get it "site" haha) and the breeder I stumbled upon was close by and had 1 male available the weekend we were headed to the area for a trip anyways...it was fate right?

When Jeff returned from a bachelor party weekend away I hit him with every argument for why we  I needed a dog that I could think of. There were tears, yells, walk aways, hands in the air and within 2 hours of the best begging I could muster - he agreed! I emailed the breeder the next day and 4 weeks later we drove down to pick up our pup - a pup I didn't know existed until 4 weeks before.

Mini golden doodles are the result of a toy poodle crossed with a golden retriever...it basically makes a real life teddy bear.

The moment the breeder walked out holding him, I was totally in love.  He was actually supposed to be a petit (15-25lbs), but he was the biggest guy in the litter so they figure he is more like a mini (25-30lbs) and this somehow got us a discount on him.

Jeff came up with the name on the car ride from getting him to back to our trailer. I loved it, he was a little bugger and Finnegan seemed like the perfect name.

Here are some pictures of him...(boy did he grow big fast)

First Family Photo



Riding back to our campsite

I wish he could stay that size forever!



Exploring the yard 

With my Mom and Joey (he was only smaller then him for a couple weeks)



That time he had 3 baths in one morning...having a real good time in my tomato plant.



He took $40 out of my mom's purse and was running around with it - smart dog ;)



Fall hike - I love his crazy hair



Cone of shame after getting fixed.



WORST haircut ever! He looks like Fozy Bear - poor guy



First Christmas

Playing in the snow is his favourite thing in the world!



Best buds...only 18 years apart



The time he ate 4 holes in my favourite sweater...dammit!

He is the most entertaining dog. He LOVES everyone and has to meet everyone he sees. He loves his toys - has destroyed about 10 stuffies, loves balls, being outside, rolling in snow or any water source and treats. In the mornings he loves to cuddle and sleep in, but then he is pretty crazy all day.  Finnegan is sweet, playful and hilarious. Right now he is 9 months old and weighs 27lbs, we are not really sure how large he will be, hopefully this is about it. I love his hair long and crazy, it suits his personality. I cannot recommend this breed or his breeder enough, I know I am totally bias but he really is the best dog!

If you have any questions about the breed or Finnegan let me know!

Family Pets

When I was in grade 5 we got a Bichon Frise that we named Joey...Joey was or I should is -  a spunky, pain in the ass, perfect family dog. He is 18.5 years old and has been in more family photos then my father. He has lived a really good life, unfortunately tomorrow he will be put down.

This breaks my heart, but the poor guy has lived a long, wonderful life. He is mostly blind and can barely get around and finally it is to the point that it is no longer fair. So, before I get into the story of our puppy, I have to give props to Joey who has been around most of my life.

Dogs are amazing animals, they become part of your family in a way you never thought could be possible. They love unconditionally and bring so much joy to a household.

Love you Jo Jo! 

Ohh Snap...I'm back!

So I got married and I disappeared. Oopsies! My list of excuses includes...

1. I was adjusting to married life?
2. I got busy?!
3. I got lazy?!
4. I got a puppy?!
5. I was learning how to cook for a man?!
6. I got a new job?!
AND
7. My computer took a turn for the worst!

A combination of all of the above occurred, but here I am! Brand new Mac and Mrs. Jones is back in action!

I guess I owe an update on the last year and 3 months. When I was looking over my blog the other day I realized I really did do a good job of updating it for a while - I hope to get back to that. Not that anyone reads this, but for my own sake.

I guess I will start with our wedding. It was a magical winter wonderland, surrounded by friends and family, and I got to marry the man of my dreams and - Thank God Its Over! #anyonelse? JK...no I'm not.

As an event planner that reaction may make no sense, but let's cut the shit on the whole wedding spectacle. It's an overwhelming shit load of decisions on things that don't really matter. The man matters, your friends and family matter and sharing your unity with them is wonderful - it is the hours of choosing the perfect invite and font and days I won't get back from pinning DIY projects that I don't have the time or talent to complete I have a problem with. I am not a patient person and wedding decisions are not quickly made. I drank a lot of wine during my year of planning haha seriously though it all paid off.

The best decisions I made regarding our wedding:

1. Doing a first look (as recommended by our photographers). It allowed Jeff and I to share our first moment seeing each other privately (minus the photographers, videographers, my hair dresser and my mother and 15 of our closest friends hiding the background haha). The pictures from our first look are some of my favourite and I treasured that moment of seeing him. For us the pressure left at this moment and when we reunited an hour later at the church it was STILL magical but without the nerves of seeing each other while 200 other people looked at us. I recommend this for everyone!

2. Doing a winter wedding. I always dreamed of a winter wedding and it could not have turned out more beautiful  - the weather even held up lightly snowing.

3. Getting a wedding cape. It was like being 5 and playing dress up - only better! I almost loved it more then my dress, and that is saying a lot!

4. Going on a honeymoon 5 days post wedding. This allowed us time to hang out with our family and friends (some of whom travelled from Australia), celebrate new years with everyone, have time to relax and pack and then leave winter in the dust for Antigua - so amazing!

5. Hiring 2 photographers. Ours were a young husband wife team(Ilo Photography) that were the perfect people to have around all day. Dana felt like another bridesmaid and was such a calming influence on our long crazy day. They got so many amazing pictures - captured everything we wanted  and more. Having them both there helped speed up picture taking time and get more in. I cannot say enough good things about them!

6. Hiring a videographer. I have heard not getting one is the #1 regret of brides and I can see why. The day passes in a flash and in watching our video I got to see so many moments I missed or forgot about during the day and it is a timeless keepsake with our friends and family included. Our video was magical I watch the highlight reel often, like just now haha. Gino Mancusa from Zoom HD is a wedding video wizard.   Here is a link to our highlight reel: https://vimeo.com/91397317

7. My bridesmaids. I was surrounded by the most amazing woman I know, I felt so lucky to have them by side (all year and always but on our special day day). Getting ready with them and my mom in the morning was such a fun part of the day!

Bad decisions I made regarding our wedding:

1. Ordering my cake decorations (beautiful edible snowflakes) from someone on Etsy. I ordered them a month before our wedding after speaking with the lady an ensuring she could make them and ship them on time. Day before our wedding they had not arrived and the lady was a total so-and-so about it. They ended up arriving a week after our wedding. I was not impressed, her business is cake decorations all of which have deadlines. This was upsetting although our decorator decorated the cake and looked just fine to me! so it all worked out

2. Not getting a wedding planner (not that they exist in our city but still). Being the bride is awesome... having staff run up to you in a panic about where so-and-so is sitting is not. It would have been amazing to dedicate someone to being in charge of everything all night including things like getting your great-grandmothers wedding cake cutting knife back and ensuring your wedding envelopes are packed away safely. I found being the planner took away from the enjoyment of being the bride.

3. Not having enough time for family photos. *cue the stress* You want mama to get her photos (trust me) but you have to corral your father and brother-law-in and uncles and people loose their shoes and forget their jackets and go to the bathroom lol so allow more time then needed and if you can do these before wedding party photos...do it!

That's it really, no real complaints. Your wedding is just a day, (a day you plan for a whole friggin' year lol) so don't worry too much about it and enjoy it...but most importantly remember the day after the wedding that's when it all really begins!

Okay enough of the blabbing...here are some pictures from the day from our photographer's website http://ilophoto.ca/blog/http:/ilophoto.ca/blog/alexandra-jeff/

Some of my favourites...

At our first look

Be back real soon...so much to cover!