It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Hawaii for 3 and a half months now. It’s even harder to believe that our long, drawn-out move isn’t wrapped up yet. But - the end is near. With one month left of Sam’s fall term, we’re finally in the home stretch for getting him - and the contents of our house - here to Hawaii. In the meantime, we checked off a huge milestone in the transition last week: moving Lola! Continue reading
Sam tried to throw me a surprise going away party in Portland last month.
The planning was all going really well until he realized that he was actually going to be gone, at a conference in New Mexico. So after weeks of party planning and sneaking around, he spilled the beans right before he left on his trip. It was probably a good thing because I don’t love surprises. Naturally there’s one exception to that rule, which is the shock we experienced recently when we found Lola’s sister.
The craziest thing happened this weekend. We found Lola’s sister.
What are the odds of that? And at a surprise birthday party for one of our neighbors, no less. The party was held at a park near our house, and we decided to bring Lola at the last minute. The birthday girl has a large family, and quite a few of them were at the party - including her cousin and his wife. As soon as we walked up to the party, she ran up to us and started asking questions about Lola. She explained that Lola looked exactly like her dog, Maggie. And neither of us had ever met a dog that looked like these two do. We started comparing notes. Lola and Maggie are the same age. Born in the same month. Adopted at the same (somewhat random) shelter. With the exact same back story. Continue reading
We’re at the strange period in our lives where most of our friends are starting to have kids. We don’t have children, yet, but we do have a Lola.
Lola was part of a large groups of dogs that was rescued from a puppy mill down in California, and shipped up to Oregon to be adopted. Because of that, there are lots of things we don’t know about her - like her breed or her exact birth date. But, since we were told she was born “around April,” that’s when we celebrate. And this April(ish) marks her second birthday.
It’s no secret that Lola is a bit of a handful, to put it lightly. As a first time dog owner, it’s hard to know how much of that is our fault vs. simply her nature. We’ve done puppy training classes, read the books, tried different theories - but at the end of the day, she still does what she wants. And it usually involves one of two things: 1) causing mischief or 2) snuggling. Regardless of which one she’s up to, I’m so smitten. Continue reading
If you’re pet-obsessed like I am, you probably already read Pretty Fluffy. If not, subscribe immediately. But first, check out their latest Dogs Of The Blog feature… you’ll see a familiar face. Two, actually: me and Lola!
Check it out to read my interview and to get the recipe for my Pumpkin Dog Treats (shaped like squirrels) created just for Pretty Fluffy.
Aloha, and welcome to Margaritas In The Rain! My name is Marisa. I live in Hawaii, where I cook approachable food. With an island twist. And yes, I do love drinking margaritas on rainy days. Care to join me?
