2014 Is Really Over?

Is 2014 really over already?  Did I really not blog the last HALF of the year?  Wow!

I suppose I can't complain though.

2014 flew by.  The first half of the year we spent traveling back and forth from Nashville to Illinois for baby showers, newborn nieces, my grandpa's 100th birthday, my grandpa's Cubs debut and then my grandpa's funeral.  Of course, in between there, we lost our beloved dog Jake.  

It was a rough year.  

We decided to make the last half of the year about us... 

Well, kinda....

We got new puppies.  Yes, plural.  Two labradoodles.  They were 5 1/2 weeks old when we got them, and are the cutest puppies ever.  They are now almost 8 months old, approximately 60 lbs and still growing like weeds. 

6 weeks old, and about 5 lbs.

The last picture was Christmastime and they were almost 7 months old and 55 lbs.   Oh... and did I mention their names are BATMAN & ROBIN!?!? :)  Oh yes...  They're definitely a handful, but they are sweet dogs and are doing well with training.  I really look forward to a year or so down the road when they finally calm down a bit though.  I suppose we weren't mentally ready for puppies, let alone two.  Oh well, live and learn.

So what else did 2014 consist of?

WE WENT TO THAILAND!!

Yep... you read that right!

In October, we spent 10 days in Bangkok with my brother who was temporarily living there.  It was great!  We did everything on our to do list and then some.  It was a lot of fun to eat our way around the city, try different foods and experience their culture.  

My all time FAVORITE part was riding elephants, walking tigers, and playing with baby bear cubs!  I'm such an animal lover.  I could do an entire post on just the animal stuff from Thailand because I love it that much.  But I won't put you through that.  Instead, below are a handful of my favorite Thailand pictures.  

Our gorgeous hotel pool

Delicious coconut ice cream from the Chatuchak Market

My brother, Matt, and I outside of the gates of the Grand Palace

Delicious-looking pomegranate at a stall on the side of the road

Riding the elephant -- this was after we gave him a bath

Josh walking a tiger

My new boyfriend -- 10 month old black bear cub

The bears were so much fun!!

Josh feeding his bear cub girlfriend

So what does 2015 have in store for us?  Well, you'll have to wait and see after my next blog post. :)

Myrtle Beach

**Warning: ridiculous amount of pictures below! :))**

I finally found enough time to actually sit down and write about our family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC a couple weeks ago.  After a LONG 15 hr drive, we finally made it there in tact. 

We spent tons of time at the beach and pool......

 

Jake normally hates the water and will hardly go in past his feet most times.  The ocean definitely took some getting used to for him, but by the end of the week, he was chasing ducks into the water (see down below).

We also spent some time at the boardwalk.  Tons of restaurants, bars, and shops there.  We ate at Pier 14, just off the water.  It was AWESOME!! 

My parents.  LOVE :)

This is the Skywheel.  It's ridiculously tall.  200 ft above sea level.

Pier 14.  The restaurant we ate at.

Josh and I at dinner

Josh on the pier with the skywheel

We also visited Barefoot Landing.  An outdoor shopping area with 100 stores.  We all cruised around there for awhile.  I bought a coozie and took some pictures, but that's about it.  We about ate at what seemed like a REALLY bad Mexican restaurant.  Ever had flavorless Mexican food?  I had a feeling that's what we were about to eat, so we skipped it and went elsewhere.

Since the timeshare didn't allow dogs, we boarded Jake at a place a couple miles up the road (which was a really good first step for me).  He absolutely LOVED it!  But of course, I was worried, so we visited almost daily to take him to the beach and for walks in the park etc.  On one of the walks, we went to a nearby park since we didn't have much time, and he kept chasing the ducks and turtles.  HILARIOUS!  Again, like I said above, he HATES water, but literally jumped in the water to chase them.  Now we know... if we want him to get in the water, just find an animal for him to chase.

This is a MASSIVE and AWESOME hotel nearby that we REALLY want to stay at (and who wouldn't?)

my iPhone takes pretty decent pics sometimes!  Wow!

In addition to all the above mentioned, we went to a local bar and played pool, drank lots, swam, tried to boogie board, went for walks, hung out at the pool, the beach, the jacuzzi, and a bit of time shopping at the outlet mall.  I even had some time to just relax and catch up on some reading.  That was super nice!  Overall, a relaxing vacation!  Definitely  much needed by all of us!!

Has anyone else been to Myrtle Beach before?  I had a lot of fun, but still didn't feel that there was a TON to do there other than bars, restaurants, and the beach.  Did I miss something??

This Week...

...is my family VACATION.  My hubbs and I, along with my parents, are in Myrtle Beach.  LOVE the beach!! Absolutely fabulous!  Now, if only I could have the beach as my backyard!! 

So... the reason you guys won't be hearing from me this week is because I'm enjoying the beach-ch-ch-ch-ch :)

And don't worry....

When I get back home, I'll be sure to tell ya all about it!!!

I think this may have to be my new picture on here.  Haha!  I love it!!

Now... I know ya'll are wondering how long it took to get this shot... but really, it only took like 3 minutes and 30 pictures.

I LOVE it! 

Oh... and HAPPY LABOR DAY!!  Make sure you don't do any laboring!  Be sure to relaxxxx... on the beach, perhaps? :)