On Wednesday, while I was at work, Clayton adopted our puppy, Merlin. He is definitely a yellow Labrador Retriever, with possibly another breed, but being a shelter dog, we'll never really know. Merlin's papers say he's about eight weeks old, but the veterinary tech on base estimates him at about ten weeks. Either way, he is a happy, healthy little dog, who wants nothing more than to be adored by Clayton and me.
On Friday, I grabbed my bags, and my boys dropped me off at the airport in Jacksonville. From there, I flew (as indirectly as possible) back to Rochester. Clayton's mom was good enough to pick me up at ROC, and to deposit me at my sister Erin's rehearsal dinner in Albion. The food was delicious, and I got to meet her fiance's immediate family. Saturday, we got up bright and early, so everyone could get through the shower. Then we went to the hall where Erin and Shaun's reception was to be held, and set everything up. That task accomplished, we went to the rectory of the church, had pizza (chicken tenders for me, to avoid tomatoes), and got dressed. When everyone was dressed and coiffed, we walked to the church. Erin and Shaun had a small, elegant ceremony. Then we grabbed our stuff from the rectory and went back to the hall. There, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner, put on by my mother and grandmother. After we ate and laughed a good long while, we picked up everything and went home.
Sunday, I spent a lazy day at home with my mother and youngest sister. We ate leftover wedding food (except cake, there wasn't any of that left) and watched movies from the 1980s on Netflix. Monday, Erin and I went Christmas shopping at a real mall, which was exciting for me, since we don't have any of those around here. Tuesday, I helped my mother pick up her house some more, called tech support for her printer, ordered Christmas gifts online, and made memory cards of Erin's wedding pictures for her and Mom. That evening, I went on a great date with Clayton's mother. We did some light shopping in Brockport's many boutique shops, had a nice dinner, and then saw the last installment of "Twilight." Judge us all you want, that movie was actually fantastic and kept us on the edge of our seats, even though we've both read the books.
Wednesday, the 28th, I flew back down to Jacksonville, where my husband and quickly growing puppy picked me up. We came home and played for a while, and then I went to bed early, and Clayton went off to work. Today, we took Merlin to his first vet appointment, where he had a great time meeting other dogs and being generally adored by the techs (because he is so VERY cute).
So, we've had a lot for which to be thankful this past week. Our new puppy is an adorable and energetic addition to our little family, we have a great family of Marines to celebrate with when going home isn't possible, and my first little sister is happily married to a very nice guy who loves her as much as her family does. Besides dealing with airport security, this has been the type of week that makes me feel like life just can't get much better.
That's all for now, but tomorrow I plan on posting albums of many of the events I've recounted here, so check back soon!