Inconclusive

I feel so damn helpless over here right now. I don't know what I should be doing but I feel like I should be doing SOMETHING.  

While we were in San Antonio this past weekend, we had Veenie and Gee at the pet sitter. When we picked her up on Sunday afternoon, they informed me that she had thrown up three times immediately after eating a ton of grass. Doggies obviously know to do that to induce vomiting. They said after she threw up, she went right back to her normal self. 

When I got her home Sunday night, she was anything but normal. I have a past history with Gee of RUSHING him to the vet only for him to be totally fine the next morning. I tried to wait it out with Veenie thinking she was probably just weak from so much voming. CB and I sat with her on the couch while we hand fed her and let her sip water out of a cup. 

By Monday morning, she was back to her crazy, high energy Jack Russell self. I went to work and didn't think much of it. When I came home I gave her an extra half a cup of food thinking she must be starving. I was thinking I was helping, but it turns out I was being the worst dog mom ever and she got sick all over again. 

Sick in the bed. Then sick again everywhere Tuesday morning. I went home and checked on her on my lunch break though and she was totally normal all over again. I then took all the blame and realized I stuffed her full of too much food. Again, I didn't go to the vet yet. 

Tuesday night and into Wednesday, no problems. I get home from work last night though and she doesn't greet me at the door. This has literally NEVER happened. She was hiding under the couch, shaking and seemingly terrified. I realized she had thrown up just outside the bedroom door and I told CB we were going to the Emergency Vet. 

At this point, I feel like the biggest failure as a mother. I should've had her there on Monday morning. 

About $300 later, we left the vet without really getting ANY kind of information. They did x-rays, but all they could see was poop (sorry, I could've gone with "feces" but I'll just say it in Layman's terms here) backup all through her. The vet had no clue if she had an obstruction, and presented us with three options. 

I'm so incredibly thankful CB was there and he took charge asking the questions as all I could do was fight back tears. I hate it when a vet gives me options. I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette, what if I make the wrong choice? I went with the option of anti-nausea medicine and an enema. The vet said if she throws up again, she needs to be rushed back in. She also told me Veenie would have a rough and very messy night.

I wrapped her up in puppy training pads, making as much of a diaper as possible and she slept in a crate rather than under the covers in bed with us. I set an alarm for every few hours to check on her. 

Nothing. No vomiting, no poop AT ALL. 

I walked her this morning, still nothing. So now I'm even more confused than when we started. 

I've got her back at her normal vet this morning where she'll stay for the day. Sorry for all of the information, but I knew it would help to write all this down. 

I'm now just waiting. 

Waiting, stressed out and helpless while someone else has my little girl. 

This totally sucks. Everyone say a little prayer for Veenie for me, ok? At the very least, pray that they figure out what is wrong, and not just stumble on more inconclusive tests. 

48 Hours in San Antonio || Where We Stayed, What We Did

I'm going to first start out by asking all of you San Antonians a very big question that plagued me the ENTIRE trip.....

How many people fall in the Riverwalk each year?

How many? It's gotta be in the thousands? More? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?!?!?! Do tell.

First of all, there were about a trillion people jam packed into the Riverwalk. I don't know if it's because Dallas is so spread out, but I feel like I never see THAT many people (I'm assuming mostly tourists) in one part of the city. Sure, the Grassy Knoll attracts a lot of visitors, but not nearly as many as I had to dodge on the Riverwalk this past weekend. 

Second, there are no railings or guardrails. That blew my mind. Tourists, myself totally not included, are pushy and oblivious to anyone other than themselves. CB and I walked one by one, to be polite and make way for the families of 24 that all insisted on walking side by side, blocking the entire walk for anyone else. It got really dicey about 12 different times, and is nothing short of miraculous that I wasn't pushed into that water. 

I TOTALLY understand now why it's probably very rare to see a local at the Riverwalk. At least at the busy parts of the Riverwalk. That's a total shame because DAMN is it beautiful. This Dallasite was totally jealous that you guys have such a beautiful stretch of water to stroll whenever your heart desires. 

So, if anyone has the answer to my question, I'd love to know. Siri wasn't much help. 

Aside from my constant terror that a drunk idiot was going to push me into the water, and aside from the fact that CB got pooped on by a bird in the middle of a gorgeous, sunny afternoon on Friday we had the most fun during our trip. 

I'll start by saying... we failed on the food selection. I won't even tell you where we ate because you'll be so embarrassed to be reading this blog that you'll probably click away. 

Ok fine, you got me, we ate multiple meals on the Riverwalk. 

SORRY. 

I'm SORRY to have let you down.

Chips and salsa are like the world's most powerful magnet to me. When I see it available, I'm physically unable to turn it down. Furthermore, I'm even more embarrassed to tell you that I thought everywhere we ate on the Riverwalk was freaking delicious.

I'M SORRY. I'm so boring. This is why I can't have nice trips.

Ok ok ok. How about I just shut up and start our trip recap?

Where We Stayed?

Hotel Indigo at the Alamo

Anytime we travel for work, we always stay in IHG properties. This is fantastic when it comes time to travel and I have points built up. We stayed at the Hotel Indigo for free, and even got upgraded to a corner suite which had a fantastic view of the Tower of the Americas and the Alamo!

Loved this historic hotel, would for sure recommend for the great location and charm!

What We Did

Alamo, Tower of the Americas, Riverwalk, Market Square, Explored, Ate

CB was born and bred a Texan, but I've only been here a few years now, so I embraced my new Texas side by paying my respects at the Alamo. We weren't allowed any photography inside the Alamo, so here are some snaps from the outside!

We walked to the Tower of the Americas. CB and I can be slightly impatient at times (see also: always) so we didn't wait in the crazy long line to go up the Tower. We're lame, I know.

As I've already discussed, yes we did the Riverwalk. Again, not wanting to spend 3 hours of our very short time standing in line, we didn't get to take a Riverboat cruise. We instead walked a good majority of the entire thing! Probably better for us anyway. (And enjoyed some cold beer while doing so!)

Sunday morning we got up bright and early and walked to Market Square. This was quite the interesting walk, seeing as we had a homeless man trailing us the whole time yelling cuss words and telling us he was going to beat the BLEEP out of us. Looking back, I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking to us, more just to his invisible friend, but it creeped me out either way. YAY Happy Easter to you too, SIR! 

I was very relieved to finally arrive at the most colorful little square of shops and eateries I ever did see! 

Here are a few more snaps I took around downtown San Antonio! 

^^^ we had cocktails at this bar. Went for the history, but ended up leaving before even finishing our drink. I would recommend peeking through this hotel, but would not recommend sitting down for a drink. 

In a totally opposite scenario, we had a blast at this perfect little bar on the Riverwalk. 

 
On our way home, we left early enough to stop at what I was told was a Texas institution, Salt Lick BBQ. We got there around 11:15am, and they were already on a thirty minute wait. TOTALLY WORTH IT THOUGH. 

There is a chance I might be brought to tears just sitting here thinking about this place's BBQ. Dear lord. 

Now I'll be putting my luggage away for a while and never eating again. 

If you've made it this far in this VERY long post, I'm impressed by you. 

Tomorrow morning I'm going on a quick, but fun little adventure. 

Follow along with me on Snapchat to see where in Dallas I'm headed! 

San Antonio Here We Come

MAN has 2016 been a whirlwind for me. I've been on adventure after adventure -- some work, some play -- and I'm coming up on my final planned trip for at least a few months. I have Good Friday off from work, so CB and I decided to take a romantic little long weekend road trip getaway to San Antonio. If you're reading this (assuming we didn't sleep in) the two of us are in his truck traveling down the highway right now playing the ABC game and listening to Fetty Wap. 

I've never been to San Antonio before, and CB has only been once or twice so we are definitely prepared to do the touristy things. Here are the spots I have written down for us to check out. 

|| Do || 

Take a River Walk Cruise

Visit Market Square

Drink at a Brewery Tour

Walk around The Pear Complex

Ride bikes together around downtown

Have a drink at the Menger Saloon

Go up the Tower of the Americas 

--- So SUE me, yes we are tourists and these are THE MOST touristy things ---

|| Eat || 

Taps Y Tapas

Mi Terra in Market Square

Southerleigh

Lulu's Bakery

Like I said, I have never been there and have just jotted down a few ideas that I caught from articles I found on Pinterest.  Help a sister out here! Where should we go? What should we do.

More importantly, what should we EAT! Added points if you can point me toward a killer Bloody Mary.

One thing that I DO know though is what I'm bringing along with me for the trip. Here are five things I have packed for our Romantic San Antonio Weekend! 

1. A Bright Bold Red Lipstick 

I'll admit that I'm pretty new to wearing lipstick. For years, a bold lip scared me off, but now I can't get enough of it. CB both loves and hates it when I wear lipstick. He gives me non-stop compliments, which is always nice to hear, but hates that he can't kiss me. I haven't quite figured out how to kiss him without getting red all over his face. If you have any tips, I'm all ears. My favorite lipsticks right now are Butter London: Lady Bird and Makeup Forever: Moulin Rouge

2. A Book To Listen to on the Drive

I have Jim Gaffigan's audio book Food: A Love Story as well as Aziz Ansari's audio book Modern Romance loaded on my iPhone and ready to go! I'm obsessed with listening to audio books, comedian's in particular, because they are actually the ones narrating their own story. It's just like listening to their standup. Via audiobook is how I found my love affair with Mindy Kaling.

3. A Sexy Top

Ok well, you got me. I don't own many "sexy" tops unless you count my Jason Witten Cowboys jersey -- which I'd totally like to count -- but something a little sexier than you normally wear would be nice on a romantic getaway for just the two of you. The striped off the shoulder top shown above is a new top I got from Forever 21 a couple of weeks ago for the occasion! 

4. A Bathing Suit

I HATE BATHING SUITS AND I HATE BEING IN BATHING SUITS. You all know this. Surprisingly though, I'm not ashamed or embarrassed of my body around CB, he makes me feel beautiful. I don't mind being in a bathing suit in front of him, so I'm being brave and packing one. Besides, I hear our hotel has a killer pool and the weather forecast is calling for 78 and sunny! 

5. Dove Dry Spray

This might be mind blowing information to you, but Texas is hot. WHOA. I know. I'll give you a moment to take that new information in. I actually already use Dove deodorant, and trust it in the Dallas heat, so when Dove invited me to collaborate and try their new Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant, I was on board. I'd never used anything other than a stick deodorant, so I was a little hesitant to try this latest beauty trend -a dry spray- for the first time.  It was honestly great though, the Dove Dry Spray went on instantly dry and had no visible residue. Perfect for a full 48 hour weekend of odor and wetness protection in San Antonio! It's in my bag, packed and ready to go!  

Be sure to follow along with us on our trip via Insta and Snapchat. I'm sure once I get that first marg in me I'll be snapping up a storm (per the usual). AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave me a comment with some suggestions on where to go in San Antonio! See you guys on Monday! 

Veenie and Gee Go To The Spa || #PetSmartGrooming

Soooooo, getting puppies to look at the camera is fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PetSmart . The opinions and text are all mine.

This post is sponsored by PetSmart® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about PetSmart Grooming Salons, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article.

CB and I are really good at a lot of things. Take throwing parties for example. Or attending parties. Or snuggling on our couch with the pups and a good tv show. Or even drinking a glass of wine on the back porch. As you can see, we are good at many things, one thing we are not so great at is landscaping and maintaining our backyard. We moved into our house last year after the Dallas floods totally wiped out all of the landscaping the developers  had done. 

In fact, in our home's description it said, "Gardener's dream back yard." Ruh rho, that ain't us. 

Needless to say, our back yard is pretty much a giant, dirt-filled, doggie haven. The pups run and hop and skip and jump and play outside for hours, only to come back in our clean home a complete and total mess. Just as a point of reference... this is what I'm dealing with on a daily basis. 

When I had the chance to partner with PetSmart®'s Grooming Salon, I couldn't rush into their facility soon enough. CB and I literally pick the dogs up, one by one, and wipe their feet with a damp rag every time they come back in the house after playing. Needless to say, it was time for the pups to get a spring cleaning. So we jumped in the car and headed to get groomed! 

I easily booked both of their appointments on the PetSmart Grooming website. I wasn't quite sure what they each needed done, but any service that included the word BATH pretty clearly jumped out at me. I selected the Dog Bath and Brush with FURminator Treatment for both pups. 

When I arrived at the salon though, their groomer was kind enough to first do a consultation with me and the dogs. We determined neither really needed the FURminator treatment. Instead, we went with the simple dog bath and brush which she said would work well with their already soft coats. I kissed them goodbye and headed out to get my nails done after I watched them scurry away to get bathed. Hey, they aren't the only ones who deserve some pampering!  

A few hours later, I got a call saying the pups were all finished and could be picked up anytime I like! When I got there, all that was left was to put the finishing touches on Gee and Veenie (their baby blue bandanas) and they were ready to go home. 

How handsome is Gee tho.... be honest..... #breaktheinternet. 
Veenie looked like an absolute beauty as well.
(Not that she didn't look pretty covered head to toe in fresh mud.....)

They looked so good in fact, on the way home we stopped at the famous Texas sign on I-20 just outside of Dallas to show off their good looks.

If your pups need a spaw (yes I did write that) day full of pampering, I would absolutely recommend you make an appointment with PetSmart Grooming! You can also check out more adorable (and squeaky clean pups) on their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts.

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