Two Years Already?

Yesterday was our Two Year Anniversary. It's crazy to think that two years have gone by so fast! Everyone says the first couple years are the hardest, and it was extra hard on us with everything else we were facing. It's nice to know that we made it through, and that makes us that much stronger. Especially looking at everything we've had to face...it's nice to go back and think about how well we've made it through.


*Moving out here, away from everyone and everything that we knew and loved, to a place that we absolutely hate. Going from always being in big cities, to being out in the middle of Texas-in-California was really tough. I even cried on the first drive out here to look for an apartment. Driving 20 minutes just to get into "town" (which is a strip of stores, and that's it), 45-60 minutes to a decent sized town, 2 hours to the mountains, 2.5 hours to the beach, 3 hours to LA, 4-5 to San Francisco...you could imagine how many times we even feel like going out knowing how long the drive is. I'm thankful we both like gaming, because I don't know how else we would not go absolutely crazy out here!

*Dealing with the issues on this base, especially with the quality of medical care I've received, was tough. Even today, I was told that I couldn't get back in to see the OB/GYN for another month (for an important follow up visit), unless I was pregnant. Pregnant people ALWAYS come first there, even if it is routine pregnancy check ups. By the way, I did get through to a nurse who scheduled me in quicker. And I was told that I didn't have asthma, that Valley Fever (which is VERY common and can be VERY serious) doesn't exist/is rare, and that my breathing problems (which I never had prior to moving here) basically didn't exist and/or weren't brought on by here. It's tough when you can't even trust the medical staff anymore...and that's one of the reasons we've been waiting to try for a baby, which has been driving us nuts because we really want one!

*Employment - the long hours Dustin works have been hard too. 14 hour days, 4-5 days a week takes it's toll. Especially when I was working, we would be two ships passing in the night. Also, not having any jobs out here for me (well, nothing professional or using my degree) is tough. I am such an independant person, and feel so guilty not working, even though it really isn't my fault!

*The problems we had with Sierra, which I'm not going to get into here, but you all know the story already anyways. That was really hard on both of us.

*Money of course is always an issue with newlyweds, especially here in California when everything is so crazy expensive. I don't think I have to mention the stress with debts, credit cards, or misc expenses that we all face...and that double when you get married.

*We haven't really met anyone out here that we REALLY feel a connection to. Back in our homes and in Virginia, we had really good friends that we could count on...out here it feels like a different world that we don't belong in. Anyone who we might've been able to get along with seems to get out of the navy or change bases too quickly for us to make any real connection. Anyone else, while they might be fun to hang around, we don't really feel CLOSE to in the same way.

*The stress of our Vow Renewal, and planning everything from out here. But we wouldn't change that for the world, and we are so thankful that we could have that and have all our friends and family there (though we were really sad that a few people couldn't make the distance or get their leave granted).

And I'm sure there's even more things I'm forgetting about. But it makes me feel so much better to look back at all these stressors and problems and think "We made it." I feel like we can make it through anything life throws at us now. And all of the stressors will hopefully be changed in the next 2 years, as we move and grow and opportunities present themselves. There's hope and love, and, really, what more do you need?

Trials and Tribulations of a picky eater

Lola is starting to drive us crazy with food! When we got her from the previous owners, she was used to her Pedigree Puppy food. We decided to switch her to a better brand. For most dogs, this is a relatively easy switch, considering the better foods have more meat and are actually more appetizing to them. But not to our pug, of course! Keep in mind we are mixing wet canned food (that we know she likes) AND some of her Pedigree in each time we try to switch her.

First we tried Taste of the Wild. We bought a bigger bag since we have to go out to Visalia or Fresno for it (30-45 minutes each way). She scoffed at it and refused to eat for 2 days so I gave up on that one. I wrote to them, Dustin had thrown away the bag since he dumped it into our food container, and they said that I could mail in the receipt for a refund. Thankfully, most of these food manufacturers have 100% guarantee. They also sent me a bunch of samples of the other flavors, but she wanted nothing to do with them. Strike one.

Next, we tried Wellness. They sent us some samples of Super5Mix, Core, and a few others. She didn't want anything to do with any of those either. Oh, did I mention that when she doesn't like a food, she will drop it all over the kitchen and living room floors? Lots of fun to pick up, and I'm just hoping we find a good food before the mice start coming out again.

Next, Halo. This is Ellen DeGeneres' food...it's good quality but EXPENSIVE. Well, of course she likes their chicken variety. BUT it's weird shaped and tiny pieces, and because of her weird-shaped mouth, she has trouble eating it I think. When I mix it with her Pedigree, she picks the pieces out and spreads them around as if she doesn't like it, but then she will go back and eat them. Oh well, we bought a 3 lb bag of it since they had a special but we still want to find her something cheaper, and that she won't keep spreading.

Next on the list - Blue Buffalo Small breed (formulated for picky eaters!). Now, she DOES like the food itself. BUT there is a catch. There are these little ball things called "Lifesource Bits". They are a bunch of vitamins/minerals that are cold-formed rather than baked into the food. This preserves their antioxidants and keeps them at relatively full strength. Great thing, right? Well, Lola doesn't like them! She'll eat the regular kibble part of the food, and pick out the Lifesource Bits, spreading those around the floor. Without those Bits, this food is just as good as a cheaper brand. So this food is out, and we get to do our first "satisfaction guaranteed" return of an opened bag of food to Petsmart.

Speaking of which, I never knew so many places had this policy! If they didn't, we would easily be out $100 by now because of her picky taste buds.

So, what's next on the list? There's Solid Gold, who don't offer samples. But most of their products contain fish, and I'm fairly sure she doesn't like fish. So that's a potential "return the opened bag" situation. Another option is Innova Evo, who also don't offer samples. This is the MOST EXPENSIVE brand of dog food, but also the best. It's the closest you can get to a BARF/Raw diet in kibble. In between the two, is Nature's Variety. They have 2 types of food, Prairie (high quality kibble) and Instinct (high quality and also grain-free). Grain-free can be tough on a dog's tummy though, so I think for now we will try Prairie. I have a coupon for "buy 1 get 1 free" on their bags, so that will let us try more than just one flavor.

Now, the question is: do these small pet stores take back opened food? I tried calling 2 of the listed retailers, and I got 2 "answers". One was, "Generally, if its within 14 days and most of the food is there we'll exchange it for another kind of food." The second was, "I believe its 100% satisfaction guaranteed, you can just bring the bag back." I'm kind of curious what ever happened to "yes" and "no" answers. I guess I'll just have to ask again at the store and make sure before we buy it.

And if she doesn't like this? Back to the drawing board, AGAIN! Thankfully, she seems to like whatever canned food we throw at her. I thought Pugs were supposed to looooooooooove food! Oh, and we recently found out she likes lettuce (of all things!) as a snack.