Pippin Comes Home!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while since we have posted anything. Sarah and I have been on a double vacation in New York and Arizona for job interviews/family bonding. We got back on Tuesday, and the next day we picked up our new puppy Pippin. She seemed a little tentative getting into the car, but she enjoyed the ride home from Maryland (as evidenced above).
Most new parents try and take a picture of their baby's first steps, so I figured I would try to record our puppy's first walk outside on a leash, which seemed to contain a lack of much actual walking. Apparently, she had never been on a leash before and didn't enjoy it. So I was able to capture Pippin in the act of not walking/not enjoying herself. Fortunately, she got better, and our walks have improved to some extent.
Here's an action photo of her not enjoying her leash further. But she seems to be doing a bit better today on her walks and her potty training today. So things are looking up for the new addition to the family.

Ryan's Solo Trip to Chicago

Here are some pictures of my trip to Chicago. I got to go to Chi-Town for the ABA Annual Conference, which was pretty interesting. It's a really cool town. Unfortunately, I am not actually in any of these photos, since I was flying solo and didn't have anyone to take pictures of me most of the time. But I promise I was actually there, and I didn't just find these pictures on the internet. Here's the view of Lake Michigan outside our hotel window.
The Field Museum was really interesting. It had lots of stuffed animals (not toys, but actual animals), including the lions of Tsavo. Apparently these lions killed 140 people in the late 1800s before they were finally shot. Also, they were the inspiration for Hall & Oates' chart-topper "Maneater" (I may have made that last fact up).
Finally, this is a picture of the "bean" in Millenium Park. It's essentially a giant bean-shaped mirror, but it's pretty famous. Overall, my trip to Chicago was fun, but I missed the wife. Fortunately, we will be headed to New York this weekend, and then off to Arizona for a week. I'll check back in once we get back.

Blog-o-Rama (Part 1)

Hey everyone! I realize I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately, so I spent tonight completely updating the blog on all the things that we have been up to for the last months. So be sure to check out the three new posts underneath this one as well. I figured I would start off with some new pics of Pippin the puppy (also known as the Pirate Puppy because she sort of has an eyepatch).
We decided to drive out to visit her last Sunday. Even though it has only been a month, we could tell that she had grown a little. She seemed quite attached to Sarah especially, and even whimpered a bit when she left. She must love us already.
Here's one of Pippin with her sister, who has yet to be adopted. I feel like Pippin just told a hilarious joke, and her sister is laughing hysterically.

So, it was nice to get away for a bit and go visit our puppy. Unfortunately, we won't pick her up until August after we get back from our visit to Arizona. So, life is currently pretty good. Go ahead and check out the posts underneath to see what else we have been up to, unless of course you're not really interested, in which case I would wonder why you are on this blog to begin with. Also there is yet more exciting news that I didn't have time to put in an individual posting, namely the I am traveling to Chicago this weekend for the ABA Annual Meeting, and that Sarah and I will be heading to New York in a couple of weeks for a job interview with a big law firm. Wish me luck!

Blog-o-Rama (Part 2)

So long, Kotters! This post is to say goodbye to our good friends, Jason and Kay Kotter. They are an awesome family that befriended us here in the ward, and unfortunately, they are leaving so Jason can go to grad school in Michigan. We wish them the best, and we will miss them and their two children, Abby and Oliver.

Blog-o-Rama (Part 3)

Here's a glimpse into the madness from moving out of our last apartment. We got to the point where we couldn't find anything. A couple of days before we left the house, I could not figure out why our house smelled so bad. I searched forever before I found a plastic bag full of ex-frozen chicken that had been sitting on top of our buffet for two days. We had so many other bags lying around, we didn't even know it was there. I think you might even be able to see it stinking up our house in this picture.

Fortunately, the move is now behind us, and our new place looks great. I'll put some pictures up as soon as get it all together, as we have yet to put all our paintings up on the wall. But so far, everything looks great (and it doesn't smell like raw chicken).

Blog-o-Rama (Part 4)

Here are some pictures from our trip to Baltimore, which we actually took about five weeks ago. We have really fallen behind with our posts. Our first night there, we visited Little Italy and had some amazing food, including pistachio-flavored gelato (which I seem to be enjoying a little too much). We even saw some old guys playing in their bocce ball league.
There are tons of really cool neighborhoods in Baltimore. We stayed at a nice bed and breakfast in a 100-year-old house that looked kind of like these. Sarah was a little scared that the place would be haunted, but we made it through unscathed.
Here's Sarah in front of Charm City Cakes, the subject of the Food Network show Ace of Cakes. Since baking cupcakes has become Sarah's religion, this is kind of like her pilgrimage to Cake Mecca.
We rode a paddle boat around the Inner Harbor as well, right before we went to the National Aquarium.
The Aquarium was fun, and we especially enjoyed the Dolphin Show. Baltimore was loads of fun, and it was nice to escape town for a few days.

The Great Move is Upon Us

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted anything is awhile. The truth is that Sarah and I have both been ridiculously busy the past few weeks. Sarah has been working extra hours, as well as preparing to take the GRE next month. I have been working with my ABA internship while preparing resumes and cover letters to send out to law firms for the upcoming Fall Recruitment Program at GWU.

On top of all that, we are moving to a new place this Friday, which means we need to pack up all of our stuff in the next few days. Our new place is only a mile away, so I am debating just throwing things in the car and driving them over there. It would only take about 40 trips, and then I wouldn't have to buy any cardboard boxes. However, Sarah and I are still doing well. We are both pretty busy this week, but after this weekend, things should calm down quite a bit. Above, you will see a picture of our new place. We are really excited to finally move in. Then we'll be one step closer to finally getting our puppy!