Praying for sunshine.

I am grumpy today. Why, you ask? Because it has been raining for months! Seriously, I have never been around so much rain in my life. I'm not exaggerating. Let's look at the stats: The average total rainfall for Columbus in September (according to weather.com) is around 3.6 inches. This September we got 13.11 inches! Yuck. The average rainfall for October is around 3.2 inches. We are only half way through the month and are already at 6.5 inches. Here's another one for you: Seattle, Washington, which in my mind is the rainiest place on earth, has only had .39 inches of rain this month. And I repeat, for dramatic effect, that Columbus, Mississippi is already at 6.5 inches!

I am usually a fan of a good rainy day but this is beyond ridiculous. This much rain is taking a toll on everyone. Jake's UPT class is way behind in their flying because their flights keep getting canceled. Jake should be flying almost every single day and he has not flown in 2 weeks! Apparently, they might have to start working Saturdays to make up for lost time. And then you have my sad puppies, who have a nice, big fenced yard to stay in during the day but now have to stay cooped up inside all day long because the yard has flooded and turned into a huge mud puddle.

Fall is my favorite season and I haven't even been able to enjoy it. I feel like we have jumped straight into winter, except for the fact that its still hot and humid (oh yes, another weather joy of Mississippi). So now I am desperately praying for sunshine; praying for a chance to enjoy a nice fall before winter sets in, praying for my hubby to be able to catch up on his flights, and praying that I can soon take the dogs on walks without boots and an umbrella and unleash them to play in a dry yard. I am wishing & hoping & praying for sunshine!

Meet Badger.

This sweet little guy is the newest addition to the Pruitt family!

He is a lab/boxer mix and he's 4 months old.

Jake and I have been wanting to get another dog for quite some time now; partly for us, but mostly for our dog Bailey. She loves other dogs and seems to be so lonely while we are gone during the day. We have looked to adopt again on numerous occasions but just never found the right one. Then we saw this guy...

I saw him on Petfinder.com and I thought he was so cute. I called to ask about him but assumed he had probably already been adopted. Turns out he hadn't actually been adopted yet but they had received 3 applications from families that wanted him and were going to decide that night! Jake and I decided to send in an application and figured that if they liked us we would make a family trip (including Bailey of course) to go visit Badger in person. The shelter decided that we were his perfect family and said that if we wanted him, he was ours! The next day (Saturday) we hopped in the car and drove the long drive to Jackson, MS to meet him. When we got there, it was love at first sight and I knew he was perfect! We decided that we just had to take him home with us!

Let me tell you a little about why Badger is such a special puppy...

He and his 3 other siblings were found at 3 weeks old and brought to the Jackson shelter. The shelter then found a foster home for the puppies so that they could be raised and trained until they found good homes. Because of this, Badger, at 4 months old, is fully potty-trained and crate-trained, has been neutered, and has already had all of his shots. He's fortunate enough to have been raised in a loving home his entire life and has been socialized with other lots of other dogs, cats, and people. He is not your typical shelter puppy for sure! In fact, Jake and I said that we would not want another puppy because we wouldn't have the time or energy to train it but this little guy is already trained and everything!! He sleeps in his crate all through the night and knows to go to the door when he needs to go out. He is very easy-going and listens really well to commands such as "sit" or "no" or "come". Like I said, he's the perfect addition to our family!

Bailey and Badger have quickly become best buds. They are a great match for eachothers energy and together they keep themselves quite entertained. Bailey's dominant personality and Badger's laid back personality are a great balance. He just loves being her little sidekick and she loves always having someone to play with her.

So there you have it. We are officially a family of 4 and loving it! To see more pictures of Bailey & Badger, click here.

Small town USA.

This is a picture that I took on my phone when I was walking out of work yesterday. It is the view from my office in West Point, Mississippi. West Point is one of those towns that you would never know existed unless you accidentally drove through it. There is really nothing in this little southern town that entices outside visitors and when you are here you feel as if you are a decade or more behind the city of Los Angeles.

With all that said, there is something about this town that is so charming and has made it a joy for me to experience. Most people I've met have lived here their entire lives just as the generations before them. Their lives for the most part seem simple and slow, spending fall evenings on their front porches with family. People are so connected here and it seems impossible for them to go anywhere without running into someone they know.

To be honest, I could never imagine living here forever, in this slow southern lifestyle. Some people love it and I've always kind of thought that I would too, but I've learned that its just not for me. In fact, last night Jake and I were talking about how we often miss the fast-paced, always-changing, "everything at your fingertips" lifestyle of living in a city.

I'm always amazed at what I learn about myself when I travel to different parts of the world and I'm thankful for all the different settings I've gotten to (and will get to) experience over the years.

Thankful Thoughts #3.

I am thankful for coffee.

I am thankful for fall weather.

I am thankful for helpful neighbors.

I am thankful for Snickers' ice cream bars.

I am thankful for the snooze button on my alarm clock.

I am thankful for the evenings when my puppy is a perfect angel.

I am thankful for the little notes that my husband leaves around the house.

I am thankful for good friends who won't allow me to fall out of touch.

 I am thankful for people who always know the right thing to say.

I am thankful that each morning offers a fresh new start.

I am thankful that God has a plan even when I don't.

I am thankful for people who really know me.

I am thankful for the words I love you.

Feeling lazy.

Lately I have been feeling very lazy and sluggish, even though I've been consistently very busy. The picture of my dog Bailey above captures the feeling perfectly. I find myself dragging through the work day only to come home and drag myself through household chores before laying on the couch for a large portion of the evening.

This funk I'm in doesn't surprise me though; this is what I tend to do. I go through periods of life where I am very active, using every minute I have for something good, healthy, and productive. Then I flip the other way around for a while and drag through my days trying to have the energy to get everything done. Sooner or later I reach the point where I realize my laziness is a problem and want to fix it (thus launching myself back into the other lifestyle so the cycle can continue).

Today I have reached that point and I am going to start using the little bit of free time I have for better purposes. I need to go back to my every-other-day work out routine, cut back on the unhealthy foods I've been rapidly consuming, and fill my TV couch time with hobbies that I've shoved off to the side. I know that when I do this, I will be filled with more energy and a better spirit, making my days easier and more enjoyable.

On a side note, I recently found a Christian blog post called "How to Stop Being Lazy" and I think it has some really good points. It identifies what the Bible says about "slothful" people. It made me realize that I never want to let myself fall into that category and it gave good advice on how to make sure that doesn't happen.