Wishing I was Home

I wish I was home.  The more I think about this, I realize that this doesn't actually mean Tulsa.  I just want to be out of the dorms and in a home.  Really, the only thing preventing me from living in my house is not having a bed there.  Who knows.  I may get desperate and try a sleeping bag.  My weekend has been most unproductive particularly because I am just burned out from classes.  Why does college do that to you?  My professors decide to put me in a zombie-like state by assigning me midterms this late in the quarter and then finals just two weeks later.  In fact, I have had a midterm about every single week since the third week of this quarter.   It's all part of being a biology major at a quarter system school.  Sure, the 10 week quarters fly by, but they make your brain bleed in the process.  If I come home a conscious human being who can still function, I will call this year a success.

In an effort to recover from my academic stress, I decided to put off all things school until today.  Friday, was an extra exciting day.  I remained glued to my phone and computer as often as I could.  My dad flew from Tulsa to Newark and then drove to Cold Spring to meet with Marcy and my puppy.  Let me say that I was taking a Calculus III midterm while my father was cuddling with puppies all afternoon.  After I got out of the midterm, Blake and I went over to the house.  He mowed the lawn and we made a trip back to the dorms to grab several boxes and suitcases worth of stuff we no longer needed to be with us until the end of this quarter.  We decided to reward ourselves with Little India (our very favorite).  Nothing compares to their Chana Masala and Onion Naan.  I am bold and ask for Indian Hot- this tells the chef to make the dish as spicy as he can!

In the meantime, Jade and my father arrived home safely.  They both had quite a day!  Jade was such an excellent traveler.  He pottied right when my dad laid out the pads in the airports and slept on the flights.  Jade attracted quite a crowd in Newark because my dad got out his tug toy and tugged with him while waiting to board.  Jade arrived home and met the rest of my family: my mother, my two younger sisters, Allison, and Olivia, and my sweet Golden girl Layla.  Layla let Jade know right away that she was not his mother and would not let him nurse.  My parents said she seemed really upset the rest of the night and actually ignored him.

Saturday, Megan, Blake, and I moved even more stuff into the house.  Her grandma was so generous and gave us a plethora of kitchen appliances, foods, and spices.  We even got two lawn chairs so that Blake and I could have somewhere to sit other than the floor after we made dinner.  Hey!  We aren't too picky!  That night Blake and I made Thai Chickpea Burgers with homemade sweet and sour sauce.

Today consisted of homework, cooking, and talking to friends and family.  Blake and I made dinner a second time at the house (we are really loving our kitchen).  We decided to pressure cook brown rice with fresh ginger and turmeric.  I stir-fried purple "green beans", lots of mushrooms, peppers, and spices together.  We combined the two pots for a tasty and extremely easy dinner.  Just a bit ago, I got to Skype with Jade for the first time since he arrived home.  He had just woken from a nap, so he was sleepy, but oh so very cute!  Jade has been nothing short of a fabulous puppy.  He is great in his crate, plays hard, and is finally starting to eat well at home.  Layla is starting to come around.  The Goldens chased each other around the yard today and Layla even showed Jade how to tug with her on a big stick.  My parents say that Jade is a great tugger and a fabulous retriever.  He is getting good at sitting for his meals.  I can't wait to meet this super star of a puppy!

I have attached a couple of photos of Jade on his journey to Oklahoma.  I cannot seem to get the newer photos of him to attach.