Life with the Gambles...

Well, my dear Aunt Sharon made a very reasonable request... that I tell about what Josh and I have been up to lately! lol.... I guess I just get so wrapped up and excited about what my friends and family are doing, that I forget to tell about us! :o) Here goes! Sorry, it's a really long post, but at least there's lots of new stuff to read and see :o)

The weekend of October 17-19, we went down to Fairhope, AL to see our friends Sarah and Keith...(who just got engaged a few months ago!) and their 2 yr old golden/rotweiler mix, Patton. We had a wonderful time and it was so great to catch up and hear about wedding plans! They had never met Miley, so we were extra excited to be able to bring her with us! (We don't really go out of town these days if Miley can't come, apparently haha) Here are some pics of Miley and Patton playing. Miley (whom I have deemed "Miss Congeniality" b/c she never meets a stranger and has won the heart of multiple non-social dogs) is in this energetic, loves-to-play stage. She will play until she is seriously exhausted or until we split her up from her friend. Well, this was exactly how things went in Fairhope. She and Patton played SO hard that sweet Miss Miley slept from Fairhope, all the way to Birmingham, and then some more when she got home! haha...
The water bottle goes everywhere!
Miley flirting with Patton- so cute! She'd look at him and when he'd look at her, she'd look away. lol.
Mid-play
Miley discovering the joy of destroying a paper towel roll. (the cardboard tube thing)

SWEET Mr. Patton!
The week after we got home, inspired by sweet Patton's catching abilities, Josh started working with Miley to teach her to catch a ball, etc. in her mouth. She doesn't have it 100% of the time, but she can do it! I probably get a little too excited haha... what can I say, I'm a very proud pup mom and no one can deny that she is deeply loved!

The weekend after our Fairhope trip, we went to Nashville for Vanderbilt Homecoming October 24-26! This has been a tradition for Josh and me since we started dating back in Summer of 2004-we have gone every year and look forward to many more together :o) This year's homecoming was kind of a bust b/c not a lot of people came back for it, but next year should be great b/c it'll be my 5 year reunion! We walked a lot that weekend! We went around campus, got SATCO (of course!), and then walked up where the tailgates were and then back down 21st to our car... which, if you know Vandy's campus, that's a lot of walking, especially for Miss Miley! When she got in the car, she passed OUT! The highlights of the weekend definitely were getting to see Josh's parents and meeting my Big Big Sis, Kristin Zaleuke Westberg, for breakfast! Here are a few pics from the weekend. It was also Miley's first trip to Nashville and first time to meet Josh's dad, Milton. She still does such wonderfully riding in the car and I can tell that she loves Josh's parents! We got Miley a Vanderbilt collar while we were up there-she's so cute!

Getting some water by You Greek, Me Greek. Sacked OUT after walking around Nashvegas!
Josh's parents puppysat so we could go get dinner and hang out in Nashville :o)
Worn out on the way home... she's getting so big!
This weekend has been pretty low key. Friday night, I had to go down to UAB to do a big school project while Joshy and Miley handed out Halloween candy. Saturday morning, we took Miley to the vet for her last round of shots after Josh's morning ride. She is 23 weeks and is up to 32 lbs now! On November 21st, she'll be 6 months old. The past 4 months have been a great lesson in patience, love, and responsibility, and I am SO glad we rescued Miley in July! She's such a great addition to our little family and brings us so much laughter and joy :o)
Saturday night, Josh and I were honored to attend a wedding party for Lindsay McGinnis and her fiance', James Morris at Lindsay's parents' house. They are going to be married at St. Simons, so their friends and family had a party for them in Birmingham b/c they knew not everyone would be able to make the trip for the wedding. We were also excited to go b/c we got to see our great friends, Claire and Brian Jackson! (Lindsay's sister and brother-in-law)
Miley has gotten to where she absolutely loves going to play in the backyard, so we'll let her go out for a while here and there. Since she is still a curious puppy, we try to monitor how long she's out there (to cut down on how much trouble she could possibly get into! haha), but she actually usually ends up coming back to the door before we call her to come in, so that's good. Sometimes Josh and/or I will go out there to run around with her and throw the tennis ball. She loves it!
Miley has started doing the cutest thing where she'll stand up, lean on the back of the couch, and look out the window. 99% of the time, she doesn't bark or anything... just checking out the view! haha. She's also gotten more snuggly again :o) She and I have developed a routine of getting the bed to watch tv while Josh messes around on the computer, or like last night, watch football. We get all snuggled together and usually both sack out before Josh comes to take her out and put her in her crate. Josh and I also have gotten some stylin' sheets to lay over stuff we really don't want dog hair on--our bed and the day bed in the study. The day bed in the study is probably Miley's fave place to nap, something she's been doing quite a bit of lately. Mama Tay thinks she's going through a growth spurt!
Checking out the view.
LOL... I love this one... just hanging out.
Sacked out on her stylin' TJMaxx Tommy Hilfiger surfboard sheets on the day bed. haha. ,Tired girl...My view from the love seat most evenings :)
Our sweet Miley! Miss Congeniality!
Josh's view this AM when Miley fell asleep on his legs. lol.
Different angle
My view later... They are so precious to my heart.
Hope everyone enjoyed the update! We have spent all day today, Sunday, (I started this blog entry a few days ago and finally got the chance to finish it this evening) cleaning.... well, purging the house. It's tough work, but it will feel AMAZING when it's finished! Repeat after me... "If there's doubt, throw it OUT!"