A day in Pocatello

 A few people have expressed confusion as to why we are in Idaho for a puppy.

So. Many. Reasons.

First and foremost, I feel we are getting the highest quality puppy experience from the highest quality breeder. Sure, sure... DNA checks out and all... but for my money, I wanted a breeder to really ask if I was good enough for one of her puppies. Then spend the time to make sure my puppy was well adjusted and happy so the transition would be as good as it can be too. I'm invested and I loved that Six-Love was just as invested.

(Did I mention in an earlier post that puppy-mills are common, as are breeders who JUST care about a timely Venmo transaction before adding you to a waitlist? Yeah... it's disappointing.)

Long story short, I would have flown, driven or walked even further than Idaho to make sure my anxieties about puppy welfare were alleviated. 

We arrived here yesterday and I have to say, Pocatello and the entire drive into the area is naturally gorgeous and a pleasure for the senses. 

Our first morning was spent back at the Six-Love house with Leslie. We (may just "I") had narrowed our selection down to Yellow pup and Blue pup overnight. Even that had been tough. Choosing between these two had given me a lot of anxiety overnight. Not because there was a wrong choice, but because one puppy was being rejected by us for no good reason and it feels wrong. So wrong. But it has to be done anyway. (Despite me contemplating taking two  - shhhhh... don't tell Mark.)

This is Blue puppy. AKA Teddy. By a narrow margin he was chosen over Yellow puppy and will be coming home with us tomorrow. 

Our next stop was to Emily the extraordinary quilter. I connected with her via Leslie and Emily was finishing... like actually finishing,  quilts I started in 2002-2003. Yes,  19 years under the bed in a box!

Check this out!

Before: 

After:

Just when she thought I was done bringing her old unfinished projects ... I had one more up my sleeve. When I found this one, the patchwork top had not even been finished. So I spent a little time on it, then loaded it in the car and drove that one to Pocatello too!

Now it was time to soak away yesterday's long drive and mentally/physically prepare for tomorrow's long drive home.  Mark and I headed to Lava Hot Springs for the afternoon. It was LOVELY!

It was a beautiful evening driving back to Pocatello.

Our final event was super special.  We had been invited out to dinner by Ross and Leslie. What an honor. A blessing. Warm fuzzies overload.

One delicious Italian dinner later and some shared stories,  gratitude, laughter... Mmmm... I was feeling so satisfied and content and downright wonderful. <sigh>

Final thought: Not one for having sleep issues normally,  I'll now admit to waking at 4:45  am with heart burn.  Anticipation at getting Teddy and also some worries about being a good enough dog-mom I guess...