Annapolis, MD {Part I}

My boyfriend and I were in Annapolis, Maryland last weekend for his sister's wedding (he's actually still there spending more time with his family), and I had the absolute greatest time seeing and exploring the city. 

We don't have standalone Alex and Ani stores in Ohio. The only place I had really seen them at was department stores where they don't always have the best selection, so I had never jumped on the bracelet bandwagon. Well... this Alex and Ani store in downtown Annapolis had the cutest selection and I walked out with a little starter stack - whoops! More on that to come later this week.

I found this pink anchor hanging inside The Lucky Knot... I strongly considered prying it off of the wall.  They had a great assortment of Vineyard Vines and some Annapolis coordinate t-shirts that were the absolute cutest. 

After much searching I stumbled upon this little Starbucks hidden beneath a hotel. It was decorated to absolute Christmas perfection - honestly, the whole town was!

I knew I had to stop by the Pink Crab during my visit; I've followed them on Instagram for years! They had the most gorgeous mural of Annapolis on the wall above the counter. This is just one half of it, but trust me when I say it is even more stunning in person.

Paws Pet Boutique was one of the best stops I made during my stroll around Downtown Annapolis. My two dogs are completely spoiled, but I love finding fun, new toys for them... to destroy. Paws had an adorable assortment of toys, collars, and gourmet treats!

My dogs were thrilled when they found their gifts from Paws hiding in the tree yesterday. Cooper has been dragging the elf all around the house by one leg - poor guy!

How cute is this tiny sailboat I stumbled upon?! Looking back, I should have bought it. It matches my room perfectly AND was 25% off... literally kicking myself as I type.

Maryland's State House sits up on a hill and is the center of downtown Annapolis. I'm a sucker for homes/buildings with a wreath in every window, so I practically swooned when I first walked up and saw the Christmas decor!

Fun Fact(s): Maryland's State House oldest State House in the nation that is still in legislative use AND it served as the capitol of the United States for about a year between 1783-1784. 

More to come (from the wedding) tomorrow!

Puddle Jumper Pups {Giveaway}

My pup, Riley, loves accessories. 

I'm being absolutely serious. Every since Riley was little he's always loved wearing collars, scarves from the groomer, etc., and if he isn't wearing one of them he will bark at it or carry it around in his mouth until you put it on him. Which is why Riley and I were so excited when Bretta from Puddle Jumper Pups offered to send us a bowtie collar to try out!

Riley was jumping up and down while I was opening the package containing the collar (He unfortunately thinks all packages are for him now that he gets BarkBox), and carried the collar around until I took his other ones off and put it on him. It was obviously an instant hit. I chose the "Parker" collar pattern for Riley, but it was an extremely difficult decision ( I also liked 1, 2, 3, 4). Puddle Jumper Pups also offers personalized collars, leashes, step-in harnesses, and flower collars for those of you with girl dogs :) 

Speaking of which, I tried turning Riley's bowtie collar around so it looked like a bow on the back of his neck and it was super cute... food for thought for the girl dog owners out there!

Riley's collar seems super durable thus far (he's an intense chewer and it's already withstood him carrying it around the house), and the bowtie is detachable (velcro) for those days when he doesn't want to be as dressed up. 

Bretta has been kind enough to offer one lucky winner (and their pet of course) a collar/bowtie package or collar/flower package! All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Riley's 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday to the craziest little pup I know. 

I'm excited for 10+ more years of you messing up the mulch, chewing up all of your cute toys, begging for human food, hiding your bones, crying, and dancing on your back legs whenever someone leaves the house. You definitely make going home a lot more fun

Silent Sunday

(Well mostly silent)

Here's some pictures from my week off of my Instagram - I'm thinking about making this a weekly thing, what do you think?

Riley Coyote

Back in July I posted about how my family got a new puppy - a cavachon we named Riley. Over the weeks we've taken to calling him "Riley Coyote" due to his crazy spirit and general wildness.

I'm not kidding, this dog is legit insane - definitely not a cuddler. 

I love his eyes, they have black fur around them (like built-in eyeliner) that makes them look huge. In this picture he was waiting by the backdoor hoping someone would take him out to play. Don't worry....after we had a little photo-shoot I did :)

Documentation of his craziness.

This is one of the few times I've ever seen him lay down by choice....and it was after a whopping 45 minutes of playing ball outside. He very rarely runs out of energy.

Riley loves to lay by Louis, and as long as he doesn't even think about chewing that's fine by me. At least he has good taste.

Riley's favorite toy is a hedgehog/porcupine (we really aren't sure what it is exactly), and by favorite I mean that he'll spend 10 minutes with this toy as opposed to the 5 minutes he usually spends with other toys. He's easily distracted. 

I miss him so much now that I'm back at school, love you Riley!

Meet Riley

My dog, Alex, passed away a few weeks ago due to a brain tumor. He was only 7-years-old and it was extremely upsetting for my entire family. However, on Saturday we got a new puppy, and although he will never replace Alex this little guy is earning his own spot in our hearts :)

This little guy is named Riley (today at least....his name has changed three times so far). Riley is a toy Cavachon - they are known as "Designer Puppies" and are a mix between a Bichon Frise and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He will only get to be around 10-12 pounds.

Isn't he adorable? I absolutely love his eyes - they have black fur around them which makes them look humongous.

Although Riley has not learned to bark yet he whines and cries all the time. My brother and I put him in his cage the other day before we went to work and he threw a whining fit and just stared at us with those sad little eyes. He made me feel horrible for leaving him! What a little stinker.

Trouble Maker

So for the past month my parents have been telling me that the crystal dolphin somehow keeps getting knocked off of the end table in the formal living room (which we never go in because heaven forbid we mess up my dad's vacuum lines). This apparently was a big mystery at my house which was solved today when my 13 year old brother sent my parents and I this picture....

Apparently my dog, Alex, wanted to look out that window.