life with luna-gotcha day

Guys, my lifelong dream of owning a dog of my very own has finally come true, and I can’t tell you how much joy this girl brings to my life. If you haven’t seen on my Instagram already, meet Luna:

IMG_0140

About a week ago, my boyfriend, Geordie, and I decided it was finally time to get a dog. Well, actually, we decided more than a week ago, as the last weekend in July has been circled on our calendar all year. We have had so many out of town weddings this summer that that weekend was the earliest weekend that we were going to be in town and able to get our new pup settled. On July 28, we went to the PSPCA just to browse (year right) for a pup.

I had gone to a charity event the night before benefiting the PSPCA and fell in love with a puppy named Louise. When we got the shelter on Friday evening, Louise had been adopted and I was a little bummed. I turned around to look at the other row of kennels, and we locked eyes with this little black lab mutt, named Emma at the time, and our hearts melted. Not wanting to jump the gun, we browsed through the shelter, while Geordie assured me that, “no, we can not get three of them.” On our way back around we stopped at her cage again, and were amused by how she looked at us while all the other dogs in the kennel barked. It was the look of “IDK what these guys are barking at, they’re crazy.” I think it was that moment that we decided that we wanted to meet this little girl, and possibly take her home.

IMG_0122First family picture

We took her outside to let her run around and fell in love with her energy and love of life. I’ve never seen a dog look so happy running around, tongue out of her mouth and everything! I wish I had a picture of that. It was a no brainer that this silly girl was going to be our girl.

We were able to take her home a few days later (she still had to be spayed), and our life has changed so much in the past two week – but for the better. It is incredible how this animal who can not speak can have so much personality. Luna loves chicken (it’s the only way she will take a pill), tearing apart toys (especially stuffed ducks), pulling blankets inside her crates, and chasing bugs and leaves. She also is the biggest baby in the world and loves to cuddle.

IMG_0176Begging for chicken

I’d love to share my future experiences as a dog owner with you, especially living in the city. I’ve already learned that it’s really hard to keep her focus while outside , so any tips and tricks would be welcome!

Welcome to our family, Luna! We love you!

who let the dogs out-rachel:week 2

As much as I want to write 1000 words about Copper and his pool party, I’m not sure that is what you guys are here for. That being said, expect a BUNCH of dog party gifs.

My Takeaways

Rachel_Episode 2_Dog Party 1

The first date of the week is a group date, where after a BBQ and some backyard football, the men compete to show Rachel who is the best “husband material”. The relay race includes changing a diaper, vacuuming, unclogging a drain, and setting a table. The star power was amped up big time this episode, with Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis serving as guest judges for the competition. I know that tons of celebrities are fans of the Bachelor, but I think it speaks to the popularity of Rachel that two A-list celebrities wanted to come on and help her find love.

Rachel_Episode 2_Ashton and Mila

Unfortunately, Whaboom (this is what most of the men call him, and I think it’s funny so I’m going to join them) wins the competition. I’m unsure if he won any extra time with Rachel, or if he is so boring that they just didn’t show it. I was rooting for Kenny in this race because as a dad it seemed like he actually had the most experience in this arena. And he knew better than to dunk the babies head in the sink while “unclogging the drain”.

During the evening, Rachel and the guys spend time, and Rachel is #unimpressed. None of the men are wowing her, filling her time with uninspired conversations, and the inability to make a move. The only guys who even attempt interesting conversation are Dean, who Rachel shares a sense of humor with, and Kenny, who tells Rachel about his daughter. We also find out on this date that Whaboom and Blake know each other from outside of the show. Blake says that he used to live with Lucas’s ex-girlfriend and that he knows he is there just to gain publicity. Funny that Blake would say that, as Whaboom and Blake were on the same season of a show called ‘Ex Isle’, where couples came to fix their relationships, only to be tempted by ‘sexy singles’. Lucas was there with his ex-girlfriend (the same one that Blake lived with), and Blake was there to try and create friction in the relationship. I don’t blame either of them for not liking the other, but it’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black for Blake to say Lucas is there for the wrong reasons. Dean gets the group date rose, and finally takes initiative and kisses Rachel as he walks her out.
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Rachel_Episode 2_Copper ArrivesThis has got to be the greatest surprise of Peter’s life.

Is everyone ready to swoon? Peter gets the first one-on-one date, and Rachel is taking him to Palm Springs on a private jet. Not only that, her dog Copper is going along, and they are going to a dog pool party. If any of you know me, you know that this is literally my dream. I want to live at this dog pool party.

Rachel_Episode 2_Dog Party 2

It took awhile for me to settle down from seeing all those dogs, but once I did I liked what I saw. Rachel and Peter have an ease about their relationship that can’t be manufactured, you either have it or you don’t. At night, Peter and Rachel bond over their mutual love of therapy and gapped teeth. The therapy conversation was interesting because it showed that both of them are interested in improving themselves, and are not afraid to ask for help when it comes to relationships. I think that this will help them both immensely as their relationship progresses.
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The last date was another one I would love, a basketball date featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This season is really amping up the star power. The men were put through drills by Kareem, and he essentially just made fun of them the entire time. It was fantastic. DeMario and Eric thought they were ballers on the court, but only one of them could back up their talk with an actual game. Unfortunately for DeMario, that wasn’t the only game he was playing.

At the conclusion of the date, Rachel is confronted by Lexi, a girl claiming to be DeMario’s girlfriend. He essentially ghosted her upon coming on the show, and she had the text messages to prove it. There were so many great moments in this exchange; whether it be the look on DeMario’s face when he recognizes Lexi and then remembers that he has to pretend he doesn’t know who she is or, Rachel telling him to ‘Get the F*&! out’. Gold.

Rachel_Episode 2_DeMario Reaction

Rachel is upset by this whole exchange and tells the remaining men that she isn’t there to play games and if they are they can get out as well. I was surprised that she chose to have the nighttime portion of the date. In the past, I feel like if the lead has a large disruption to their process like this, they normally cancel the nighttime portion because the day has just been too much. At night, all the men seemed very concerned about Rachel, and how she is holding up after the afternoon’s shocker. She has the best conversation with Josiah and gives him the group date rose.

At the rose ceremony, an uninvited guest shows up. Any guesses who? Obviously DeMario comes back to talk to Rachel. We don’t get to see if Rachel allows him to talk to her as the episode ends with Mr. Harrison (as the security guard calls him) telling Rachel of DeMario’s arrival. To be Continued….

Best Tweets

https://twitter.com/PrincessProbz/status/869353019384750081

Best Dressed

Obviously Rachel is always going to be the best dressed in this season, unless her gal pals make more appearances. Here are the details on some of her outfits from this episode!

Rachel_Episode 2_BBQ DressFor the afternoon BBQ, Rachel opted for a fun floral dress. Her dress is Self-Portrait and can be found here.

Rachel_Episode 2_Purple Sparkle DressRachel wore this sparkly shift dress to the nighttime portion of her basketball date. This dress is Mlv and appears to be sold out. I found a similar dress in a different color which can be found here (and it’s on sale! WOOT!).

Rachel_Episode 2_Zipper DressThis zipper detailed dress Rachel wore is absolute fire. This dress is by Michelle Mason, and can be found here (at over 50% off).

Rachel_Episode 2_Rose Ceremony DressRachel’s rose ceremony dress is by Mac Duggal and can be bought here.

Rachel_Episode 2_SweaterI tried so hard to find this asymmetrical ribbed sweater that Rachel wore to play with Copper. Alas, I didn’t have any luck. I did find a pretty similar sweater here, although it has a bit of a high price tag.

What did you guys think of Episode 2 of Rachel’s quest to find love? I’m still loving Peter and Kenny, and am looking forward to getting to know even more of the men!

the box score: november 2016

I’ve always loved reading link round ups, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite things I’ve read in the month of November (Hopefully, in the future it will even be posted in the correct month!).  I may even throw in some funny pictures, inspiring Instagrams, and dogs. Always dogs.

smile-dogI have this picture saved on my computer to look at when I’m having a bad day at work. Always. Dogs.

bullet I know the election was at the beginning of the month and all the Facebook posts are starting to die down (thankfully), but I’ve got one more for you. Carly from The College Prepster wrote a really great post about getting involved in our country’s political system.  We don’t all have to be president (or want to be), but we should all be informed.
bullet One of the first shows I binge watched was My So-Called Life. This oral history is a great read.
bullet As the child of a sports and football loving dad, I could relate to this article of a father sharing his love of the San Antonio Spurs with his sons. My dad never got to have a son, so he shared his love of sports with me.
bullet Another oral history, this time about everyone’s favorite childhood game show: Double Dare! How did I not know they originally filmed in Philly?!
bullet No link round up of mine would be complete without a Philadelphia sports story.  ESPN did a great piece on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.  It’s not all blitzes and schemes though, the article really focuses on how Wentz won over the locker room as a rookie. (If you’re into front offices, player development and basically the future of existence, check out the piece on SI on another (ex)Philly guy, Sam Hinkie #TrustTheProcess)
bullet  For your dose of cuteness, behold this goat whose owner helps her with anxiety by dressing her in a duck costume.

polly

Did you guys like this post? I’m thinking it will involve into a link roundup with a bit of what I’m loving in the world but, it hasn’t quite got there yet.  Have any suggestions (I’m in the market for a good name for this series)? I’d love to hear them! You can always find me in the comments, or on twitter @third_and_girl.

xo
Em

 

 

 

the man.

Thank goodness its the weekend, this week really seemed to drag on! This weekend, I’m ready for some relaxation: reading, cooking, (hopefully) FINALLY finishing Making a Murderer, and topping it all off with the Super Bowl! Today, I’ve got a little sports and a lot of cuteness for you!

Women & the NFL
There has been a lot of ugliness regarding the NFL and women this season (I’m looking at you Greg Hardy & Johnny Manziel).  Luckily, there are still plenty of stories about the NFL and its players respecting and honoring women, even if they aren’t the salacious click bait that has become a favorite of ESPN.

  1. The Rooney Rule
    At the NFL Women’s Summit this week, Roger Goodell announced that the league was working on formalizing the institution of the Rooney Rule as it applies to women in executive positions within both  individual organizations and the league. The Rooney Rule, as it stands, requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for a head coaching vacancy. The new rule would require both teams and the NFL itself to interview a woman for any front office or executive position that opens, in hopes to diversify leadership of teams. Who knows, maybe with more women in the league, I won’t have to hear about the Johnny Manziels and Greg Hardys of the world.
  2. Demaryius Thomas & His Mother
    Demaryius Thomas is a standout wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, and up until a few weeks ago, his mom, Katina Smith, and never seen him play professional football.  She had been incarcerated, and on July 13th was pardoned by the President, who was becoming fed up with the overcrowding of America’s prisons with many inmates who were jailed on non-violdent drug related crimes.  ESPN published a great piece on Katina’s jubilation at being able to see her son play football for the first time, but also details how difficult the transition is from incarcerated life to freedom. Imagine how different the world would look if you hadn’t been able to go outside of prison grounds since the late 90’s. Internet, iPhones, DVD players, all of these things would be new.  Demaryius treats his mother with patience, kindness, and grace as she adjusts to life outside of prison and is an up-and-coming NFL player to look up to.  To learn more about Demaryius’s story, E:6o had a great video feature about a year ago, that you can find here.
  3. Dad-dos
    So those last two were kind of heavy, so I’m here for some serious NFL daddy/daughter cuteness. As part of their “Strong is Beautiful” campaign, Pantene has created ads that features NFL superstars spending quality time with their young daughters, while doing their hair. The videos are so enjoyable, featuring adorable little girls and big burly football players struggling to do something that many parents can do with their eyes closed. A common complaint among the football players – their hands are too big for this!  To watch all of the videos, you can visit Pantene’s YouTube page (DeAngelo Williams’s videos are my favorite) or watch the 30 second ad below.

Cutest Instagram Dogs
I’ve been having awesome luck lately with seeing cute dogs on the street. In the morning, I get to see Foxy, a tiny pomeranian who is always down to say good morning. On the way to kickboxing I normally see a golden retriever puppy, going on his afternoon walk. In case you guys aren’t as lucky in the dog department as I have been the past few weeks, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite dogs on Instagram, so you can get your daily dose of cute.

  1. Samson the Goldendoodle
    This cutie can frequently be seen in some killer outfits.
  2. Bess the Wheaten
    Full disclosure: I am a sucker for Wheaten Terriers, my parents have two of them, and I treat them like my children. Case and point, everytime I talk to my parents the call ends with, “Love you guys! Tell the dogs I love them too!”. How can you not love pups with a face like this though?
  3. Brinks the Pit Bull
    This little guy always looks like he’s smiling, and whenever I scroll past him on my feed, I can’t help but smile too.

Statement Studs at Baublebar
I’ve always been a fan of the statement earring trend, but as someone who considers throwing her hair up in a top knot as “doing it”, I’ve always thought it a bit too much to wear a dangly, bejeweled earring. Enter, the statement stud. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite from one of the best affordable jewelry websites around, Baublebar.earrings

  1. Babushka Studs
  2. Crystal Ballerina Studs
  3. Ice Stud Duo
    (I’m partial to the mint pair)

I hope you all have a great end to your weekend! Who do you have in the Super Bowl? Are you #teamsheriff or #teamsuperman? I’m partial to Team Sheriff, Go Broncos!

Thanks for reading!
xxEm