I'm going to sound like a broken record, here, but I can't say that I really have a whole array of new photos to share with you...that thing called work is interfering with my blogging life! That being said, we've had a fun couple of weeks :)  Here's the low-down:

I've been spending A LOT of time learning about these...

Neurology and neurosurgery is pretty crazy; I'm pretty sure I may know about 1/1,000,000 of the information I need to know! Oh well, it's not like it's brain surgery (yeah, yeah...bad attempt at a joke; ar least I'm not the brain surgeon!)  Really though, work has been great and it's been nice to get out of classroom orientation and spend time learning and interacting with patients and families on the unit.  I'm learning a ton each and every day!

Last week, party planner Mike arranged a little rendezvous with the neighbors/neighborhood dogs at the local dog park last Saturday morning.  Let's just say we had two quiet, sleepy chihuahuas for the rest of the weekend! YAY!

A look at what our house was like prior to the dog park...Tank arranging his posse of toys

...and leaving our new phonebook a completely mangled mess!

Always herself...Kaia was a bit anti-social

Tank had a chance to run off a bunch of energy!

If you haven't already had a chance to check it out...head over to Kelsey's new blog, Number315, which chronicles her life and adventures with (her) Mike and Chicharito after their recent move to Sheboygan, WI!!  It's fun to catch up and get a slight glimpse into each other's lives from a different perspective :)

See more pictures of Chicharito by heading to Number315

Beyond this, I've had the recent revelation that summer is wrapping up faster than I thought.  It's not bright and sunny during my 6 AM drive in to work anymore, the nights are getting cooler, AJ is heading back to school at the end of the week, and my parents are heading to their timeshare at Breezy Point next week (the official, unofficial end to summer in our house growing up).  Thinking about fall is getting us excited about the upcoming ROAD TRIP that Mike, Deb, Mick, and Lori are making in September.  We'll see how they feel after 20+ hours on the pavement! 

One last note before I go...anxiously awaiting the arrival of Tank's new Thundershirt! Never thought we'd ever try anything like this, but Tank's barking has been out of control since we moved to PA.  He.  Barks.  At.  Everything.  Everything.  Saw the Thundershirt at one of the local pet-specialty stores in town a couple of weeks ago; I talked with a very knowledgeable employee at the store who told me they've had great response from dog owners who've used this product!  Basically, it's an anti-anxiety, calming vest that applies slight pressure to dog-specific pressure points...giving the dog a constant "hug" of sorts and (hopefully) leading to a calmer, less-barky Tank!  The concept mimics similar effects achieved by swaddling newborns or the use of pressure or weighted vests to relieve anxiety and enhance relaxation and focus in people with autism and/or behavioral disorders.  Update to come once Tank has a chance to try his very-own Thundershirt on...that's it for now, happy Thursday!