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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

2021: A year in review

February 22, 2022

In the past when I did my year in review post(s), they tended to come out in late December or earlier in January. 

But that’s OK – I haven’t done them in a few years, so this turned into a much longer post.

I have a feeling many of us would say 2021 was a year of craziness. Between Covid and all of the other things happening around the world, it was going to be nuts right off the bat. 

But, when you get into personal worlds, things can be different. Depending where one lives, you may have been able to do things differently or were able to kind of have a “life” of sorts. 

Living in a small area has allowed me to live life a little more loosely, all while making sure I follow the guidelines set in place. So let’s take a peek back at 2021. 

1. Harper

To say my life changed on July 2 would be an understatement. That’s when this little furball of a puppy came into my life. We had picked out Harper from a breeder about 1.5 hours away and got her at nine weeks. I had done so much research on dogs and golden retrievers over the past year or two, so I thought I was ready for this. 

To a point, I was. But in a lot of ways, I wasn’t even close. 

Puppies are a lot of work. 

I took two weeks off from work when she came home and I was naive to believe that’s all I would need to get her into being the perfect dog. 

Harper on the day she came home!

Ha!

I can’t even say how wrong I was. 

Let me say this … if I didn’t have the emotional attachment I have to Harper, and I could go back in time knowing everything I know now, I wouldn’t do it. I would likely still be dogless, or would have tried to find a rescue I could bond with. But, I can’t go back in time and with Harper being more than eight months old now, it’s amazing to see how far she has come. 

That doesn’t take away how hard it was for a few months, physically and emotionally. I also think it’s quite safe to say I will never go through having a puppy again. One time is enough for me. I was at the end of my rope many times. I questioned if I should keep her or talk to the breeder about returning or maybe rehoming. 

Then she’d look at me with that golden look. And she’d sit at my feet. 

Like I could get rid of her?

I also was fortunate in finding a great doggy daycare/boarding place. The owner owns goldens, so that was great. And Harper loves going there. 

But…

The biggest thing that happened was finding the right trainer. I had one session with a trainer and I just didn’t agree with the style, so I contacted another who was highly recommended. 

Harper in December

Life. Saver. 

I truly believe it’s safe to say that if I hadn’t found her, I’m not sure where I’d be. She doesn’t just train the dog, she trains you. She’s always there to help and work with you. She’s also into dog sports and we’ve worked to make sure Harper is, too. While she enjoys everything so far (toss and fetch was the first), it seems her love is dock diving. I want to also try some agility, eventually, with her, but I love dock diving and that’s what I want to focus on. It’s so much fun and Harper showed great strides in the fall. I can’t wait until spring to see where she can go with this!

One thing I’ve learned, however, is this is going to be constant. She will continue to learn and grow. And it’s a constant growing experience for me. We are still working on some things – such as her wanting to jump up on people or trying to get stuff on counters. But that will come in time. 

Over the six months she’s been with us, what have we learned? A lot. She’s grown into a great dog. She’s one who will cuddle and snuggle. She loves to play fetch, more with tennis balls. And she will go for a long time if I let her. She’s curious. She’s stubborn. She loves to walk, but she needs a job so she is usually carrying a stick or a stuffed animal. 

I’ve been told I seem to smile more and laugh more. I hope that’s true. She’s brought a lot of enjoyment (and frustration at times) into my life, but I’m really starting to have a crazy good bond with her, and I’m trying to plan more places I can go with her. I also love when I come in from work and she comes running to see me. 

Where from here?

Well, I want to work on her with photography more. She tends to shy away from “posed” photos, but I can get plenty of sleeping and action photos. The jumping needs to be worked on as well. Finally, the other big thing is working on her in cars more. She gets motion sickness at times and will throw up. I have a lot of places I want to take her, so this is something I need to keep working on. With my 50th coming up in a couple of years, I’m already planning an epic road trip and I want her with me, of course. 

I post plenty of things about Harper on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hoohaa29/), and I’m sure there will be posts on here. But, Harper also has her own Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/harper_dublin/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HarperTheGolden), but I need to do a lot more work on that one.

There is no doubt that Harper is my No. 1 item for 2021. I look forward to watching her grow and develop and continue to be part of my world. 

2. My health/personal life

I was doing so good.

For the first part of 2021, my A1C continued to go down. It was awesome. And the last 3-4 months of the year changed that. High stress – from work and Harper and the holidays and everything else, I just wasn’t good. I was still working on Harper and walking, so I wasn’t moving as much as I should have been. And I also ate more crap and my portion control went out the window. Thankfully, I haven’t put on a ton of weight, but at the same time my A1C took a jump up (got my results a few days ago). 

It’s not an excuse, but I know what happened. And I know the reason. So it’s time to dial it back and get myself on the right path again. I have done it before and know I can do it again. 

Harper walking more will help. 

I’m also trying to utilize my normal planner into a life journal. The weekly look at things has more on it than just the normal stuff. If all goes well, that will give me some accountability. It won’t happen overnight as I don’t have a ton of self-control at times, but it will happen. 

All of my other blood test results looked fine. My blood pressure and such was fine. 

In regard to other things, I’m pretty content in life. I was able to travel a little and get out and see things. More on that below. 

Being able to get away some, like this short trip to the Jersey Shore, has helped my mental and physical well being.

I think the reality of our current world situation – not just the pandemic, but everything political and all, has made me realize that I need to find the more fun things in life. I have to find the simple pleasures. 

Part of that, of course, is trying to find things to ground myself and enjoy the steps in life. That, in turn, should help with my health. 

See, I’ve always been a bit high strung when it comes to stressful things. Over the past few years, I’ve worked on that to try and dial it back. Part of my issue is work. I tend not to say no, or take on way too many things. When I was at the newspaper, I rarely turned something down or made a case why I shouldn’t do it. I just did it. I’d have vacation days at the end of the year that I needed to take or lose them because throughout the year, I’d not take them. 

In the end, I was laid off due to cuts. The newspaper didn’t show me any loyalty when all was said and done, so what did I get in the end? Notta. 

Therefore, as I moved forward, I knew I had to watch for myself. Everybody is replaceable. At my current job. I still push myself probably too far. But I don’t sacrifice “me” time. I take vacations. I take care of myself. And, for the most part, those above me encourage and support employees to take care of themselves. Mental health issues are real and I’m lucky that my employer(s) take things seriously and don’t want to see people have issues. 

That means I take vacations and unplug. I try to get outside and explore. I look to see new things and experience different parts of life. With Harper, I like to go and see different things. 

And a lot of times, when I do this, I don’t look at my email etc. 

Exploring the world around me has been beneficial healthwise. I tend to smile a bit more when I get outside and I’m seeing different things now. Everything is new to Harper, so it’s enjoyable to explore with her and see what she finds interesting. 

My health – both physical and mental – are doing much better since the start of 2021. Though I took some steps backward with my diabetes control, everything else seems to be doing better. It’s a long road and I will keep working on it. 

3. COVID

What a world in which we live. 

COVID has taken over everything. And no matter what side of the fence you are on when it comes to the severity of it, masks, or vaccinations, the reality is we are still deep into it. 

And we’re also at a breaking point. 

The reality is, the majority of people who are going to get vaccinated have already done so. Those who are against it are likely not going to change their mind. And masks? Those who will wear them do so. Those who won’t, don’t. 

We’re two years into this. Almost 5.75 million people around the world have died from the disease, including more than 900,000 in the United States. 

People are going to be set in their ways and beliefs. Sure, you’ll get some who might change their minds some. But the reality is, most are staying along the path. At some point, though, you have to wonder when we start coming out of this. Is there herd immunity? Is there something with the variants getting weaker as they come out? Will it become a yearly “flu” shot? 

I’m vaccinated. I have a booster. And I wear a mask. I’ve been exposed a couple of times and am thankful I didn’t show any symptoms. I haven’t had to be quarantined because I am vaccinated. But at the same time, it still wears on me. I try to do what I can to stay safe and healthy. And I hope others, even if they are against the vaccine and masks, will take others into consideration when making decisions. The sooner we can all get closer to being on the same page, the sooner we can hopefully move away from this and get back to some sort of normal. 

4. Baseball! 

One thing felt a bit normal in 2021 – being able to go to baseball games. 

It started in April when we went to a Phillies game. At that point, there were limited seats. Only like 10,000 people were in the stadium, and masks were to be worn. 

As the season continued – at the minor and major league levels, more people were allowed in, of course based on where you were. Mask mandates were lifted or softened. By the end of the year, it truly felt like baseball again. 

I didn’t make a lot of baseball trips this year. In fact, I only hit four stadiums – Syracuse, Binghamton, Philadelphia, and Aberdeen. The last one was on a late-summer trip to the Baltimore area for geocaching. 

It was nice to be able to hit a few baseball games this year, even if the majority of them were closer and quick trips

It was nice to be back in a stadium for games. I likely would have been to more games, but with getting Harper, it was harder. We did take her to one “Bark in the Park” in Binghamton and will do so again this upcoming season. 

The little things truly do help you cope with the bigger picture. Even just a fireworks night at a baseball game can help make you smile a bit.

It’s funny, though. A few summers ago, I was pushing 75 games. At the end of the summer, I was thinking how crazy it was. Fun? Yes. But still crazy. And it wore me out. Then the first summer of covid, where all minor league games were canceled and no fans for MLB came and went. And, shockingly, I didn’t miss being in the stands as much as I thought I would. 

It was great to get back to it this summer, though. I’ve realized that if I stay in the 25-40 game range most summers, I’ll be quite content and not feel burnt out from going to games. 

It’s only January, but baseball will be back soon enough. Well, hopefully. They still need to figure out the CBA. 

5. Travel 

Travel returned this year to many people. With the loosening of requirements, people got out and visited friends and family. Went to new places. And tourism started to come back into the world. 

I can’t say I went a lot of places, but I got out a little bit, even if just for a few small trips. I had the chance to go see some baseball games this past summer and I also hit up the shore twice, so that was nice. 

I didn’t travel as much as I might have liked this year, but one thing is for sure — I’ve realized you can travel closer to home and still find fun things to do!

I will admit that I’m still a little skeptical about flying. I realize it’s probably overall safe, but I’m not sure how I feel about being masked up for a several-hour flight. And remember, I’m pro-mask for myself in most situations – and being in a tube above the world for a few hours would be a place where I’d wear it. 

But, as things seemingly start to slowly once again improve (I hope), maybe things will get better. 

One other thing to consider moving forward, though, is Harper. I plan to hopefully take her on many trips, which will scratch flying. I am not one to want to put her through that experience if not necessary. 

I’ve also realized over the past year, there’s a lot of things within driving range I’d like to see. New York State has a ton of amazing parks to explore. There are different places throughout the Northeast I’d love to see. And heck, there’s much more in the United States and Canada I’d like to see – and it can all pretty much be done via car, which also means being able to bring Harper with me. 

Look around your own backyard and parks and such near you – sometimes traveling doesn’t have to be far to find some fun things to do. 

6. Geocaching/getting outside

Getting outside was a must in the past two years.

And though I haven’t geocached as much as I once did, it was nice to get out there and do it again. There’s plenty of them to find around me, so it has been good when I’ve needed to do something. I’ve done a few geocaching trips as well, which has allowed me to see some new areas and parks. 

I’ve tried to be out more and to also get back into geocaching a bit. It’s been fun and it’s also nice to find some creative hides.

In 2021, I found a total of 231 geocaches, which isn’t my best year by far, but also isn’t my worst. The good part of it is that it was toward the end of the year that the numbers started coming around. I did 23 days worth of geocaching, averaging 10 per day. 

The good part is many of those caching days were toward the end of 2021, which means I started getting into it again. As 2022 has started, I’ve already started getting some days in, which is great. And I’ve been bringing Harper along, which is even better. 

Obviously, Harper won’t be logging in her finds and such, but she seems to enjoy wandering around and exploring as we’re out on the trails caching. It’s just been really nice to get out and find some caches as well as place a few. 

7. Financial 

I’m in a better place at the end of 2021 than in the beginning, that’s for sure, I’m still not where I probably should be overall, but it takes time. 

If you think back to when I came out of college, I went to work for a daily newspaper. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting rich there. Looking back, I have to wonder how some people survived (or still do) working for newspapers. It’s definitely not a way to get rich. Hell, in many cases, it’s not a way to even be middle class. And while I’m currently not on track to be rich, I’m comfortable. And even better? I’m saving for retirement, and doing so rather aggressively. 

A few years ago, I opened a new credit card and transferred all balances because it gave me interest free on the balance for like 21 months. I paid that off last January, which was outstanding. That meant I was out of credit card debt. 

Now, I use my credit cards sporadically for purchases and then work to pay them off as fast as I can. It was nice because I had a Lowe’s card that I put the fence for Harper on. That will take some time to pay off as it was an investment, but I felt a lot more comfortable doing it with having a clear balance. 

I also am adding more to my retirement accounts as I know it’s something I have to keep building. When I started this current job, I had zero savings for retirement. And what little amount I did have, I had to use when I was unemployed. 

With working for the state, I have a pension now, which is nice. I also have two retirement accounts I’m building. Who knows where this world will be when I finally can retire, but I want to be as ready for it as possible. I wish I had worked for the state a lot sooner in life, but there’s not much I can do about it now. The end result is I will just have to work until at least 65, if not a bit beyond that, to maximize certain things. I’m OK with that. It’s just nice to know things are building toward that age. 

Finances are tricky and always a work in progress. I’m definitely better now than I was 10 years ago, if not just the understanding part of things. 

8. Looking back

I know many people will look at 2021 and yell about how bad the year was. With Covid still running rampant, and everything else in my country and the world as a whole, the year was tough for a lot of people. 

The one thing with the pandemic is I’ve tried to find the silver linings. I do think when this is all done and past us (and I do believe it will at some point) we will find some positives. I can think of a few. It’s just a shame we’ve had to go through a lot of negativity and a prolonged pandemic to find any of the good things. 

To me, 2021 will always be the year of Harper. It’s hard for me to think of it as a bad year when she came out of it. The key is for all of us to keep pushing forward and try to make this world a positive and better place for all!

And, at the same time, will anything positive from this ever outweigh all the bad that happened? Will we ever have a normal again? 

For me, I look at 2021 in a few ways.

I feel I became more in touch with different things and I really think I appreciate things a bit more. The little things, anyway. We’re only here for a short bit of time, so we need to start realizing what is important. 

In 2021, I got Harper. For that alone, it’s a pretty good year. Though it’s been hard and frustrating at times, she’s become such a big part of my life. I’ve learned a lot from having her and I know the future with her will be a fun journey. 

And 2021 ended with hope. Will we get out of all of this in 2022? Will things start to return to somewhat normal? Time will only tell but we can continue to hope. 

Until then, try and be good to one another and yourself. Here’s hoping 2022 is a good year for all of you and that we have a lot to be thankful for when we flip the calendar.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Filed Under: A 'lil HooHaa, blogging, Harper, My world, Photography, Year in Review Tagged With: 2021, 2021 year in review, golden retriever, harper, looking back, my world, year in review

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Secret Subject Swap: Choose your own adventure

February 4, 2022

This post is for the Secret Subject Swap, a monthly blog challenge. Information about the swap can be viewed at the end of this post, as well as links to all others taking part. Have a peek at some of the other bloggers and see what they had to come up with. If you are a blogger, consider joining up for future months!

My theme is “You’re the Australian Immigration Minister in charge of Novak Djokovic’s visa and thus participation in the Australian Open: how will you decide and why?” and it was submitted by Part-Time Working Hockey Mom.

Let me start by somewhat apologizing here as I’m sure this isn’t going to necessarily be what Tamara had possibly hoped for when she submitted this theme.

Alas, the one thing I’ve tried to do with my blog in the nearly 20 years I’ve had it is to try and stay away from most current events and/or controversial topics. That being said, I think I can answer this theme decently without going too crazy.

I titled this post “Choose your own adventure” as this is basically what the world has become with the pandemic. I’m willing to say 95 percent of people dealing with this have gone stir crazy and no matter if you agree with mandates or don’t, you are ready for this to be over and get back to something along the normal lines we had before March 2020.

I know I am.

Alas, the issue is between regular ol’ joes like myself, and government people, and rich people, and other countries, and extreme left and right people, and others who somehow have a say in all of this … can’t agree and can’t get along. What happens, of course, is people disagree, get all mad at one another, and this just triggers many more things.

It’s not a very nice cycle.

So, when a famous athlete arrives in a country for a sporting event and hasn’t done what is required; and then we find out his paperwork to forego said requirements was done wrong; and we also find out he hasn’t followed a lot of mandates and requirements in his own country — it’s hard to feel bad for him.

Let me preface this by saying it’s rare for me to feel bad for an athlete, especially somebody as top of the sport at the one we are speaking about. He’s rich and famous and probably has hundreds of people working for him — if not more.

The fact that paperwork was done wrong means maybe he needs better people in big spots. These are the types of “oopsie” moments that shouldn’t happen when you have that kind of power and money.

All that being said, I don’t feel bad for him.

If I was in the position of Australia, I would have done the same as they did. And I would have done it quite pissed off, too. And why pissed off? Because the tournament is better with him in it. It likely draws more money etc. People want to see the best. And because he was sloppy and careless, the country was forced to follow its own mandates.

Which is the right thing to do.

Again, no matter if you agree with or don’t agree with the mandates, they are out there. Each country is different. But if they are in place you need to follow them, or you could face repercussions. And if and when that happens, you deal with it — no matter if you are a top-level athlete or not.

What are your thoughts on celebs/entertainers and stories about them?

Five others have taken part in this challenge, so go check out the other posts and have some fun reading their secret subjects!

  • Baking In A Tornado
  • Part-time Working Hockey Mom
  • Climaxed
  • The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Filed Under: blogging, challenges, My world Tagged With: blog challenge, blogging, challenge, challenges, secret subject, Secret Subject Swap, swap

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Photo Blogging Challenge (January 2022): Black and White

February 1, 2022

The one month I would have loved to have been able to use color photos, and I selected black and white as the theme.

Go figure!

That’s OK, though. That’s part of having a challenge like this. Sometimes images you capture won’t always fit the theme, so you have to figure something out!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is PBC2.jpg

Black and white is always cool to me, but more for nostalgia. As a kid, I learned how to develop my own film. There was a darkroom in the house when I was growing up. I was also a “darkroom technician” at a local weekly paper.

So black and white reminds me of newspapers of old, and the smell of the chemicals etc. It always gives a cool feel to photos.

But, in today’s way of photography, no everything fits black and white. We are so accustomed to having everything in color that sometimes taking said color away is almost jarring. But there are some scenes that still scream to be without all of the color.

I’m excited to see what others have come up with.

I hope everybody has had a great start to the year!

Here are my five for the month!

1. Harper!

It’s hard for me to put Harper in black and white because she has such a beautiful color. But this one seemed to work out well. This is her frolicking in the snow!

2. Abandoned car

This is something we found while out geocaching. It’s always interesting to find an old car in the woods, no matter how far from a main road.

3. Cold picnic

I was out for a wintry walk with Harper at a local park and came upon this scene. I thought it worked quite well in black and white, though the pieces of blue in the sky were nice.

4. #BallLife

No matter the season, Harper love retrieving and chewing on her Chuckit! balls!

5. Covered bridge

I had the post all set for publishing, and then I passed this Sunday and I loved the look. I knew it would be perfect for this challenge. So I snapped some shots and had to, unfortunately, eliminate, some ice!

If you took part in this month’s challenge, make sure to link up below.

And for those of you who participated, make sure you try and get to other people’s blogs and comment (here, too!).

Let’s continue to grow this challenge and have a strong community. Come back and check out the others who link later on, too! NOTE: We have a Facebook group for those who participate in the challenge and are interested. I’ll post any announcements there and hopefully it can be a place where things are discussed and some interaction etc. You can access it here.

** CHALLENGE CHANGE **

From this point forward, I am going to do the next theme at the bottom of each linkup. Also, the posting date will now be the first of each month, thus giving you the entire month to take the photos etc.

That means it’s a one-stop shop! Hopefully this helps out with everybody.

So, below is the linkup for January. Make sure you drop your link there. The theme for February Photographer’s Choice! Remember to come back on March 1 to link up and check out the theme for that month!

Photo Blogging Challenge: January 2022 results

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Filed Under: challenges, My world, Photo Blogging Challenge, Photography Tagged With: blogging challenge, hoohaablog, photo, photo blogging challenge

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20 Days of Chill 2022: Plan it! (Day 20)

January 28, 2022

Let’s talk planning. 

I’ve always wanted to be somebody who could plan things well. It’s not that I can’t plan, per say. It’s that I don’t do well with planners and organizers. 

That’s not for a lack of trying. 

Over the years, I’ve tried many things ranging from traditional pen and paper to electronic ways. Nothing seems to work, and I end up failing. I keep trying and trying. 

Over the past year-plus, I’ve been slowly working to make it better. Last year, I tried too much and I failed. This year, while I have a similar setup as last year, it’s better in several ways. 

The main reason is I have one planner – my Hobonichi Weeks – that I am trying to use as my EDC and have it be for all aspects of my life. The main issue, however, is that I can’t get into a good flow with it. 

If you are a planner of any sorts, my guess is you’ve seen videos and such about it on YouTube or other social media. The people doing these spreads definitely set aside time to do it every week and they look amazing. 

Problem! I don’t have the time or skill they all have to create these planners. 

I feel I’ve found a decent setup for my planner, but it’s utilizing it more. I know the things I need to do in that regard, so I’m getting there. I have so many things I want to focus on – Harper, videos, blog posts, baseball games and other entertainment, bills/finances, health-related items, work-related items etc. As you can see, it’s a lot to jam into one planner. 

I’m trying to color coordinate things as well, so a quick look helps. That’s slowly coming along. 

The thing with the Weeks is 200 or so blank pages in the back. I like this as it gives me a place to go more in-depth, but there’s also the reality that I need to be able to find these items, so I’m trying like hell to create myself a system so things don’t get lost, and so I also don’t waste a lot of those pages. 

The reason I am trying to figure this flow out is because I’d kind of like to set up this whole planner now so when I have things to add, I can do it and not worry about not having things set up etc. I tend not to write in the planner pages that aren’t set up as maybe I’ll change it etc. But if I settle in on how I like things, I can add appointments and other things to the planner as they come up. That makes this Weeks way more valuable to me and more likely I’ll start carrying it to most places I go. 

It’s a lot to work on, but it’s somewhat coming together. Eventually, being I’m switching almost fully to Apple products, I really want to also start utilizing the Apple Reminders and Notes apps to help with all of this. 

How about any of you? Are you planners? If so, what do you use and how do you stay focused in doing it?

One final note when it comes to planning – the 20 Days of Chill. You can mark this down that the 2023 version starts on January 2! 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

Link up:

Filed Under: 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge, blogging, challenges, My world Tagged With: 20 days challenge, 20 days of chill, 20 Days of Chill Challenge, 20 days of chill writing challenge, 20 DOC, blog challenge, blogging, monthly writing challenge

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20 Days of Chill 2022: Woof (Day 19)

January 27, 2022

Like I wasn’t going to have a few themes that covered the dog world and though Harper isn’t much of a barker, woof indeed! 

As we come to an end of this January’s challenge, Harper will be approaching her nine-month “birthday.” It’s crazy how fast time has gone by with her. From this cute little furball to a beautiful “adult” dog. I feel as though she’s reached her growth peak – give or take a few pounds and such – and I’m happy she’s not huge. She’s the right size. Now, that’s not to say a growth spurt isn’t coming, but my vet seems to think she’s peaked and I’m OK with that. 

Everything else I’ve seen in Harper since I got her in July is truly amazing. I look back at the initial thoughts I had from getting her, the ups and the downs, the frustrations and celebrations, and everything in between and it’s been a journey unlike anything I’ve ever had. 

I had wanted a dog for a long time. But I never really found what I had wanted. I went looking at shelters and everything else and I contacted rescues. Nothing fit and nothing clicked. 

Then, it did. 

I had been on a waiting list for a golden (after a couple of years of breed research) and I never heard anything back. Well, when I contacted, nothing was ever happening. I knew I didn’t want to try and train a dog in the winter (goodness… I look back now and realize how much I would have hated doing it in the winter!) so I was in a spot where I needed to find a dog. 

A couple of late-night searches via Google allowed me to find a spot and soon enough we went and looked at the puppies, met the pup’s parents, and put a down payment on one. 

Seems she was the runt, too. 

The roller coaster began a few weeks later when I picked her up. She was nine weeks old. Within 15 minutes of leaving the breeder, she threw up. I stopped, cleaned it up and got her settled (I had brought a laundry basket for the front seat). She settled in and slept the rest of the way home. 

Then she was home. So much excitement. She explored the yard and sniffed around. She ran and followed me around. That night, I had her sleep near me in the basket. Midway through the night, she was out and exploring on her own. 

Exploring is a theme she’s followed throughout her existence. 

That first month was extremely hard. We had a session with a trainer the day after I picked her up. Two hours of a session was extremely tough to take in. In the end, I didn’t feel a connection with the trainer. I needed to start anew. 

But the emotions. As I look back, I have to be honest. I was looking for any reason to bring her back to the breeder or rehome her. Anything. Despite taking two weeks off from work – I was a true idiot. I thought she’d be everything I wanted in two weeks. 

Here’s the kicker – when I would see other dogs who weren’t well behaved or barked a ton or whatever else, I’d always say “That’s because they aren’t trained well.” 

Harper loves the snow!

And here I was ready to give in because Harper was yet just a baby and needed to learn. 

I had emotional breakdowns. I second-guessed every single thing I did. There were times I fully regretted getting a dog. I hated that my life changed so much. 

And a side note? I had researched so much and knew what I was getting into and I still wasn’t ready or prepared. 

But, I persevered. 

Two saving graces for me – finding a trainer (who I still use) who had empathy and the uncanny ability to not only train your dog with you, but also train you. As a first-time dog owner, I was lost. I was frustrated. And I was drained. Nanci was one of the most important pieces for me keeping Harper and making sure she was my dog. 

The second was finding a doggy daycare that I trusted and that had an owner who looked at it more than a business. For a few years I had driven past one on my way to work. One day I called. I asked if we could stop by and meet her. So after a training session, we stopped. She met Harper and us. I felt at ease. She owned goldens. It was warm and welcoming. Harper still goes there once a week, and that’s also where she gets boarded if needed. I trust my dog fully with Moriah and I can’t speak highly enough about her and her services (she’s also a groomer!) 

The fact is these two ladies truly saved me when it came to Harper. I can’t speak highly enough about their professionalism, humanity and how they treat animals. I feel fully blessed to have both of them be part of this journey I have with Harper. 

Over time, things improved. The lifestyle change for me is still hard at times. I have said many times that if I could take what I know now, and go back to last June – I would say I’m not doing it. But that would also mean taking away the emotional connection I have with Harper. 

The emotional roller coaster is a little more level now. I can’t say I don’t get frustrated at times – I do. I know I have to be more diligent about Harper’s training. I have to set her and myself up for better success. Overall she’s amazingly well behaved. But, she’s still a puppy. We need to work on jumping and making sure she doesn’t do it.. And we need to work on drop/leave it because she constantly is picking things up on our walks. She still nips and bites at times, but it’s pretty playful. That doesn’t make it right, though, so we’re still working on it. 

She’s involved in dog sports and I look forward to the spring when we can start dock diving again. We did it at the end of last year and she really enjoyed it. I see dock diving as her sport, that’s for sure. And I have so many ideas for videos and photos surrounding that!

Nine months old. It’s truly crazy to think how fast the time went and all the different emotions that went along with it. She’s a true gem. She doesn’t really bark. She’s usually pretty chill. And she loves to have fun. In time, I hope she likes car rides more than she does now as I look forward to exploring so many places with her. 

There are times she’ll be on the couch near me at night and she’s off snoozing. I’ll sneak a peek over and she looks so peaceful and it always makes me think how lucky I am and still be in disbelief that she’s mine. 

This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and  themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!

Link up:

Filed Under: 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge, blogging, challenges, Harper Tagged With: 20 days challenge, 20 days of chill, 20 Days of Chill Challenge, 20 days of chill writing challenge, 20 DOC, blog challenge, blogging, monthly writing challenge

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She was so still for this photo. Make sure you f She was so still for this photo. 

Make sure you follow her on Instagram at: @harper_dublin !

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun
Life is good. #goldenretriever #dog #bestfriend Life is good. 

#goldenretriever #dog #bestfriend #dogsofinstagram #selfie #lifeisgood #enjoylife #instagood #iphonephotography #photography
After a nice snowy walk! ❄️❄️❄️ #gold After a nice snowy walk! ❄️❄️❄️

#goldenretriever #snow #winter #dog #dogsofinstagram #photography #photooftheday #ınstagood
Harper is counting down to Santa Paws! You know, Harper is counting down to Santa Paws! 

You know, of course, Santa Paws travels with Santa Clause, making sure to find treats and toys for all the good little doggies! (We know they are all deserving, right?) So, Harper put out some milk for the big guy, carrots for Rudolph and the reindeer, and special cookies for Santa Paws! She is ready! 

#SantaPaws #Christmas2022 #HarperChristmas #MyDogHarper #GoldenRetriever #DogsofInstagram #PhotoOfTheDay #Photography #Christmas #IPhoneography
One of the best parts about having Harper as my be One of the best parts about having Harper as my best friend… ❤️
Couldn't resist stopping on the way to work to sna Couldn't resist stopping on the way to work to snap this shot. The colors in the sky were fantastic and the scene was nice looking (though, to be fair, I drove by what I think would have been a better scene -- the valley and hills full of snow etc.)

#Snow #Winter #Sky #Color #InstaLove #photooftheday #picoftheday #iPhoneography #nature #love #instalove #photography #happy #smile #photo
The best of times??? 🤪🤪🤪 The best of times??? 🤪🤪🤪
Just a break on our morning walk … #goldenretri Just a break on our morning walk …

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #mydogharper
Tired. Tired.
Harper is ready for tonight! Let’s go Phillies! Harper is ready for tonight! Let’s go Phillies! 

#phillies #ringthebell #baseball #dog #goldenretriever
I look at her and sometimes still can’t believe I look at her and sometimes still can’t believe I have her. It’s been a year and four months and she makes me smile and laugh more each day. It’s amazing how much a dog changes your look on life, and how much joy they can bring. 

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun #iphoneology #retrieveroftheday #ilovemygolden #dogstagram #dailygolden #dogsofinsta
I’ve recently realized how many photos I have to I’ve recently realized how many photos I have to post here, as well as on Harper’s (@harper_dublin) account). So, as I start to transfer photos, I’ll try and catch up. So photos coming could be from all seasons and who knows when. 🤣

This one is recent from the courthouse square in Delhi. We had some pretty good fall colors this year. 

#fall #delhiny #seasons #iphoneonly #love #photography #photooftheday #instagood #happy #picoftheday
From a few weeks ago. I was trying to get Harper t From a few weeks ago. I was trying to get Harper to put her paws on the bridge and looked out, but she was more content jumping on me and looking up. I do love the way she seems to be looking at me.
Instagram post 17992900117561614 Instagram post 17992900117561614
Couldn’t resist a quick stop this morning with t Couldn’t resist a quick stop this morning with the fog and frost settled in. 

Hamden Covered Bridge 

#coveredbridge #coveredbridges #bridge #fog #frost #nature #upstatenewyork
Harper’s friend Lucy is around this weekend! #g Harper’s friend Lucy is around this weekend!

#goldenretriever #dogsofinstagram #dog #goldenretrieversofinstagram #harper_dublin #akc #photography #photooftheday #love #mydogharper #harperdublin #instagood #happy #picoftheday #fun #iphoneology #retrieveroftheday #ilovemygolden #dogstagram #dailygolden #dogsofinsta #outside #sunshine #friends
So… @harper_dublin wants to know why she can’t So… @harper_dublin wants to know why she can’t have @mallons_homemade_sticky_buns.
This is why we can’t have nice things. Saw this This is why we can’t have nice things. Saw this on me morning walk Friday with Harper. Likely some college kids, but also as chance at local hooligans. I had Harper so not a lot I could do, but I managed to get the cart off the chair. (See second photo) This was in a local park.
Harper is ready for #nationalfetchday on October 1 Harper is ready for #nationalfetchday on October 15! @chuckitfetchgames 

Should be fun! @discgolfdarren @harmm23
Starting to feel like fall! #fall #nature #autum Starting to feel like fall! 

#fall #nature #autumn #colors #foliage #instagood #seasonchange #leaves #leaves🍁
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P.J. Harmer

P.J. Harmer
A video looking at my first year and a half of owning a golden retriever, my first dog. It's had its ups and downs, but I've truly loved the ride and look forward to the future. 

Music: Happy before we get old by Michael Shynes via Artlist. 

► My blog: http://www.hoohaa.com
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Thank you for watching. :)
When these boxes come, there usually some excitement. But this one ... is the ultimate unboxing! 

#cielovideo52 #52weekchallenge #week5 #weeklychallenge

Music: Happy to be Happy (Dapun)

► My blog: http://www.hoohaa.com
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I hate being in front of the camera, but also realize sometimes it's not the worst thing in the world. So, I'm getting better with it. Week 4's theme was all about us and having us in front of the camera, so I tried to come up with a creative way to do it. 

#cielovideo52 #52weekchallenge #week4 #weeklychallenge

Music: Infinite Wonder (Ben Fox)

► My blog: http://www.hoohaa.com
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