The Williams Family +1?

First ... holy moly we haven't blogged in a while! After painting seemingly every free night and weekend for all of January, we needed a non-house project month.

Second ... Ashley is not pregnant. The +1 we speak of is the possibility of adding a furry friend to our family!

Our plan all along has been to get a rescue dog sometime this summer or fall once we got some of our outdoor house projects complete. However, this plan might have changed after we dog-sat for our good friends, Corey and Monica.

Meet Chloe!

You see, my dear wife is impatient. How impatient you ask? Let me tell you.

Exhibit 1: Ashley often reads the end of a book after the first couple chapters.
Exhibit 2: If eating speed were an Olympic sport, Ashley would be a medal contender.
Exhibit 3: When it comes to cleaning, her impatience has spawned a cleaning style called, "Ashley-clean" ... a dedicated 10 minutes or so of hiding items in closets and sweeping under the rug.

So needless to say, any thoughts of logically waiting for a dog until outdoor projects were finished went completely out the window when Miss Chloe stayed with us this past week.

My laundry quickly became Chloe's bed.

As we begin our search, we thought we'd ask our dear readers for some advice. Here are our guidelines:

1) We'd like to get a rescue dog, preferably one that has been potty-trained and has received it's shots.

2) Because we live next to a nature preserve, we have lots of animals roaming our yard, including turkeys, owls, rabbits, deer, raccoons and foxes. We just can't have a dog that goes bananas every time Bambi raids our apple tree.

3) Ashley loves to run and would like a dog big enough to accompany her.

4) Growing up, we both had super-hairy, fluffy dogs. As much as we loved them, we'd prefer a dog that doesn't shed as much.

5) Finally, we need a dog that isn't needy. We want a dog who is able to relax with a bone while we watch a movie and we definitely will not allow our dog to sleep with us in the bed.

Look at how well-behaved I am!

Please share your suggestions and personal stories with us! Who should be the new Williams +1?