Crawfish, Fog & 1-Year-Olds

So, I don't want to jinx anything but it seems the dogs are getting along. I still don't want to leave them unattended but I feel like they've overcome any initial reservations they had about each other. Now, I look back fondly to the days they had to be kept separate. Not really, no, but now all they do is run around with their stiletto paws, roll around and cause all kinds of ruckus. Soon enough they'll both be barking at the cats together. I really am glad they're not trying to take each others' face off though. I really am. I'm glad they're getting along.

They have pelicans here! Why am I so excited about pelicans?

Last week, we went to attend Alexa's first birthday. It was great seeing my family again.Wish we'd live closer and could hang out more often but I guess Abbeville's quite a bit closer than Vienna, so there's that. Anyway, Alexa's adorable and astonishingly advanced for a one-year-old. We ended up getting her a pair of Ugly Dolls, which proved to be a good choice because not only were they a big success, all the other toys we contemplated, she either received that day or already owned. It's a bit of a drive from one 'ville to the other 'ville and the weather sure didn't help that day. It's been a bit fickle lately. resulting in the thickest fog I've seen in a long time, which made crossing Pontchartrain a bit of a drag but I got some cool photos out of it. Thanks to Jill for chauffeuring me around! I will have to start driving soon though. I feel bad having her drive all the time.

The wedding planning is coming along nicely. We've made all our big purchases, we're getting our wedding license tomorrow, the ceremony itself is taking shape... WE'RE GETTING MARRIED! 

Jill found a sale she liked

A crawfish drive-through!!!! How awesome is THAT?!

Emme trying to get back in the ball-pool

The birthday girl

Yes, mom, I'm eating (VERY) well.

How do you know this is our laundry room? There's a big Christmas wreath in it. 

Dogs, Baths & T-Shirts

How is it that Uwe Boll is still allowed to make movies? Why is every other title recommended to me by Netflix an Uwe Boll film? And why can't I stop watching them? And since we're talking about compulsion... Why do I keep buying T-Shirts? Is that what handbags are to women?

By popular demand... our inappropriate mugs 

Anyway, yesterday marked the day of our first dog-training session. I must say, they did remarkably well. John's a little bit used to training but even Dexter was on his best behavior. Apparently, it's us who need the training the most. According to the trainer, it's all about dominance, which does make sense, I guess. What I wasn't aware of was to what degree the dogs passively influence us. They 'tell' us when to play with them and pet them. Guess we have to learn to give them attention only when we initiate it. Apparently, my lack of leadership also causes John's separation anxiety. According to the trainer, he feels anxious when I leave because he feels like he needs to take care of me. Well, shucks! Guess I'll have to be more assertive. 
Since we're already talking about the dogs... remember the photo of John rolling around in the front yard? How much he enjoyed himself? Now, take that happiness, triple it and you have an estimation of how bad he smells after such a roll in the grass. See, it's not just grass he's rolling in. I don't really know what the source of the smell is but my guess is that it has something to do with all the stray cats around here. I'm starting to understand why Dexter wants to get at 'em.

I made brownies!

My first piece of mail

Our cute little Yaris

Our grill

Garden gnome, Abbeville-Style

Birthdays, Friends & Margaritas

Another year older and hopefully a tid bit wiser. So, birthday week is officially over and what a week it was. I had a blasty blast!

Many thanks to everyone for making this such a memorable time. Very special thanks to my love, my partner in crime and future wife (who at the moment, unfortunately, is not feeling well). 

On my birthday, I woke up to find the kitchen decked out in Star Wars decorations and a doughnut birthday cake waiting for me. Jill took me out for some steak and margaritas at Abbeville's very own Chili's restaurant (my choice) where I was lucky enough to witness a lady butting in on a couple's date one table over. She kept asking them for menu advice and observed that it must be 'a very special date' because he was wearing a button shirt and she was wearing a dress. That was Abbeville's present to me.

FREE Birthday Dessert!!!

Since Jill doesn't work Fridays, we were able to spend her birthday together... in the car... to New Orleans. Yes! On her birthday, Jill got to drive us all the way to NOLA. Lucky her, I know. We stopped in Houma and had lunch with Christy and JW at the country club and then made our way to Metairie where I was introduced to Jill's cute little niece, Opal, and was immediately tested on my diaper-changing skills.

parade leftovers

The next day, we had a lovely Beignet-birthday-breakfast with Jill's dad and then went for a stroll around the French Quarter, explored the French Market and stopped for (VERY delicious) lunch-margaritas and tacos at El Gato Negro where we also met up with the awesome Nanners & Nate. We had some more margaritas, saw a St. Patrick's parade, had coffee, met up with the ever lovely Lauren and 'Lawless Wallace' Lawles, had a drink and promptly decided to escape the drunken green craziness of St. Patty's to have dinner at Cafe B's (where we were joined by Chris Cole, who decided NOT to pull a Jillian on us). Thank you all for the amazing presents, for celebrating with us, sheltering us AND picking up the bill.  Seriously, THANK YOU! Can't wait to see y'all again.

Sunday was a bit bitter-sweet as we had to leave NOLA but at least we had a chance to see Louie, Katie and cuteness incarnate, Emmeline, before we headed out. 

multitasking

sorry we couldn't stay

little Opal

Jackson Square

Nanners & Nate

Thanks for lunch, guys!

MacGyver, Biscuits & Inappropriate Coffee Mugs

Look, mom! I made biscuits!

The wedding preparations are kicking into gear (60 days!) and now that we have Netflix, I can add watching MacGyver marathons to my daily routine.

"Why brother keep trying to eat me?"

I'm starting to settle in, even though it'll take another while longer until we can fully take over our new home. There are still boxes and random sh...items everywhere, most of which will be gone after the yard sale. That, however, only gives us about a month to make the house ready for the wedding. Guess we'll be pretty busy in April. 

I will not post pictures of our inappropriate mugs because Jill would flog me (and I don't want to go back in the naughty room). Just know that they are awesome. Thanks, Lauren!

Home, Sweet (NEW) Home

My new home

Abbeville: the final frontier. These are the misadventures of one little Austrian. His mission: to explore strange new places, to seek out new experiences and new memories, to boldly go where no Austrian has gone before.

Wanna know what I miss most (aside from dear friends and family)? Being able to walk wherever I need to go. That and real bread. Oh, and not having to worry about my dog eating/getting eaten by his stepbrother.

A brief reprieve...

So, leaving wasn't but getting here was (slightly) easier than I thought it'd be. My luggage arrived, my dog survived the trip without permanent damage, the parcels I mailed from Vienna got here relatively unscathed... I had a brief but very pleasant stop-over in Maryland... The trip was a success. Until John met Dexter and tried to eat him. Straight out tried eating his face. We still cannot let them get close to each other, let alone leave them unattended (even though the thought to just let them at it and resolve their issues once and for all did cross my mind). Hopefully, with the help of a trainer (not Cesar Millan, no) the situation will improve.

The important thing is that we're together and don't have to worry about one of us having to leave and travel thousands of miles away. It's been great just being able to spend time with Jill without that thought in the back of my mind.
Jill's found a job at a clinic nearby where she gets THREE-day-weekends, which is absolutely glorious, and I spend my days doing house-husbandy things and tutoring Jill's cousin. We bought a cute little Toyota Yaris (the sporty version - with RIMS ;)), which I'm not allowed to drive, and spend most of our time trying to finalize our wedding plans and organizing everything for the big day.
The house is a bit of a mess still but I hope that once the yard sale is done, it'll clean up nice.
Wish I had more exciting things to share or a big cliffhanger for ya... sorry. Oh... DUM-DUM-DUM... my email was hacked... DUM-DUM-DUUUUUM.

Fancy street name for fancy people

At least he enjoys the yard