Author: Allie Zottola

Currently: November 2017

Current book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I’ve been reading a few pages each day during my devotion time. I’m not reading anything for leisure, though. Any recommendations?!

Current obsession Having our pets complete “puzzles” to earn their food. Our trainer recommended using puzzles to keep Mavis’ mind busy, and we got all the animals involved. It has been really neat to watch each of the pets figure out the puzzles. Lola is definitely the best because nothing gets between her and her food 😉

Dog and cat doing a puzzle together with tennis balls

Current indulgence Napping when Mavis is sleeping!

Current beauty product Micellar Water. I was skeptical of how well it would work, but this stuff is amazing at cleansing and I love the fact that I don’t have to rinse it off!

Current procrastination Painting our office. I have a paint sample on the wall that has been sitting there for months. Eek! Maybe I’ll get that done by the end of the year?

peach whisper paint sample by Valspar

Current goal Still wanting to finish writing my book by the end of the year but I’ve been majorly slacking lately. Well, not slacking, just very busy!

Current craving A weekend away with Jimmy, perhaps a visit to West Virginia?

Current mood Happy and hopeful. Mavis had her second puppy level II class on Monday and did great! I’m really hoping, praying, and working toward having her become a therapy dog so we can visit hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc. together. It’s a lot of work, but we are both loving it!

Brown and white cocker spaniel puppy

Current food Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I’m working on perfecting a recipe. I have the texture and flavor down, but need to experiment with a different type of chocolate chips. I take my baking seriously!

Current blessing Having Jimmy home safely from his trip.

Current confession I feel totally behind on my real estate work. When I began working for my parents’ business, I thought I would mostly be doing that, and sprinkling in pet sitting to fill in the gaps. It has actually been the other way around, with pet sitting becoming a full time gig. There’s a lot of upkeep and things to be done in the real estate world, so I often find myself wishing there were a few more hours in the day. Either way, having too much work is quite the blessing. I’m definitely not complaining!

Chocolate lab sitting in grass

Pet sitting has been keeping me busy!

Current need Totally random, but I need socks. I’ve been stealing Jimmy’s when I run out (I totally fit his socks because I have biiig feet!) and he’s not too happy about it. I’ve heard these are a good brand, so maybe I’ll order them soon.

Current excitement The upcoming holiday season! This time of year is so incredibly special.

Current drink Coffee with peppermint mocha creamer. My mom had me try this combo when I slept over last week and it was delicious. Remember when I first blogged about her obsession with this creamer? It’s still going strong 😉

Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer

Current prayer A family in our church had their baby in the NICU for months and months, and she was cleared to go home but is now back in the hospital. I’m praying for health for her and strength for the family.

Current question Where would you travel for a weekend trip?

How I know he missed me + Mavis is getting big!

I’m not sure how, but another week has gone by since I last posted! It was quite an eventful week, as Jimmy was out of town from Tuesday through Saturday, I spent some time with my family, worked, and met my friend’s baby.

I dropped Jimmy off at the airport on Tuesday evening so he could fly to Las Vegas and meet his friends for a bachelor party. They visited Zion National Park, Sequoia National Park, and the Grand Canyon. He came home telling me I must go out west with him ASAP!

Sunset at Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park

A sunset snapshot Jimmy took at Sequoia National Park.

I really, really missed him while he was gone, but I’m so glad he had fun on his trip!

You know how I know he missed me? I got ready for church on Sunday while he was eating breakfast and asked his opinion on my shoes and how they went with my outfit. When he finished getting ready a little while later, he came out of the closet dressed in the same color as me, LOL.

Matching couple outfit

Jimmy thought it was so cool that we matched 🙂

My mom spent the night with me on Wednesday night and I spent the night with my parents on Thursday night while Jimmy was away. It was really nice to spend a good chunk of time with my family. Mavis and Lola enjoyed spending time at my parents’ house, too!

Mother and daughter

Comparing Mavis to my parents’ cocker spaniel, Brandy, made me realize just how big Mavis is getting! I’ve always thought her paws are pretty large, and wondered if she would be big. The fact that she isn’t even five-months-old and is almost the size of Brandy (who is four-years-old) is crazy!

Cocker spaniels

While at my parents’ house, I visited my friend Kim and met her son, Jackson! One thing I miss about living with my parents is how easy it was for Kim and I to hang out. She lives maybe two minutes from my parents.

We used to see each other at least a few times a week, and now that I’m on the other side of Pittsburgh, it’s a little more difficult to get together. It definitely makes it that much more special when we do see each other, though!

Baby with frog Wubbanub pacifier

Baby Jackson ❤

Life has been very busy lately, but it always feels so wonderful to take time to come to this space and document it all. I’ll be back again soon, with a post on some house projects Jimmy and I have been working on!

Tell me about your life lately!