Monster Monday: WeimaRyder

Ryder in the pool.

You might hear me complaining about how Ryder, my 95 pound Weimaraner sits on my face every morning until I wake up & pry him off of me. He's probably the biggest trouble maker you'd ever meet but his eyes still make me melt. I know he's "just a dog" but he's my dog and I seriously am happier because he's in my life. If he's not eating my freshly baked cupcakes, he's opening the lid to the toilet for an extra swig of water. He snuggles and lays on my body until I go numb. He has zero proximity issues and choses to remind me of that every chance he gets. I'll have a massive pup breathing on my face until I tell him otherwise. He jumps on my ivory comforter with his muddy paws. He eats snacks like there the last piece of food he'll ever see, smell, touch, taste...
I don't know--I guess I'm just obsessed.
-M.

Ryder in Ben's old t-shirt.

Weimaraners are the coolest dogs ever! Enjoy...

Palm Sunday: Backcountry Skillet Pancakes

We just made it back from our annual trip to the Smokies and it was better than predicted. We convinced our two best friends, Adam & Sam, to join us on our backcountry adventure which turned out to be the best idea ever. "Roughin' it" was probably an understatement--our first day was an intense 12 mile hike with heavy packs and hard terrain, we laughed as our toes began to ache because we knew it was only the beginning. In the backcountry there aren't many luxuries or glamorous things like toilets, running water, or high-end food so we made it a point to bring a little comfort from home. We premeditated our meals and we made sure to pack the pancake ingredients and the pour-over coffee. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so I knew I wanted it to be special. Our first task was to boil the water for our delicious coffee, as we sipped our warm cups we then proceeded to mix the pancake batter. With a dash of cooking oil on the skillet we slowly poured the batter and dropped a few chocolate chips in for good measure. It was a timely task but worth every bite of comfort.
-M.