Onward to 2026 & December Recap

Happy New Year, dearest blogger friends & readers! 

It has already been a wild start to the new year and we're only 5 days in. Poor baby girl had a bout of food poisoning this past weekend and it was not fun. 0/10 do not recommend. 

On the upside I did end 2025 with two weeks of PTO and immensely enjoyed the time away from work and with my husband and kids and our closest friends.  

My personal 2026 goals are super mundane and modest because being a working full-time parent with two toddlers underfoot is already THE challenge. 2025 was a lackluster year for riding but my fitness improved just by pushing a lawn mower, redoing all the landscaping, raking leaves, and shoveling snow from my driveway, front steps and sidewalk. Having Onyx as my loyal and ever-eager walking buddy has been really nice too. And of course, I'd also love to keep blogging here as best I can with the aim of monthly posts. 

To start, here's the December Recap: 

Waiting together for the school bus to arrive. 

"More petting, less working!' - Onyx

During break, we met up with close friends for an ice-skating playdate. My husband is a trooper and handled the on-ice part. I never learned how to rollerblade/ice skate as a kid and definitely do not have any talent or skill in this area. 

It has been bitterly cold for the past several weeks. Both of us are bundled up for our walks.

For my birthday, one of my closest friends generously treated me and the husband to a restaurant that served Japanese hambu. We decided to finally do a lunch date during our time off and it was so good. The staff was 10/10 and even gifted me a complimentary drink.  

It was another SUPER cold day so we did an afternoon unlimited playpass + arcade food. One of C's best friends from daycare also happened to show up (we parents think alike!) and the boys had a ton of fun together. 

Our first Christmas morning in our new home <3

Onyx modeling on Christmas Day. The cute holiday bow tie was a gift from a pet store groomer who stopped to admire him while we were bathing him in the self-service dog wash. We always seem to meet folks wanting to say hi to Onyx.

No holiday break is complete without a barn visit to see my best mareface <3 Quest is doing super and holding her weight very well so far this winter.

We arranged a huge group playdate at a local ninja gym for C's close friends. My baby girl T got to enjoy a lot of obstacles fit for her size and ability and had fun.

I was SO impressed with C for tackling the warped wall repeatedly. It was so cool seeing him persist and finally figure it out. His confidence grew each time he reached the top!

Onyx got a nice fluffy donut dog bed for Christmas. I think he likes it.

Introducing: Onyx

I had a doggy-shaped hole in my heart and it needed to be filled. It was only a matter of time before it happened. 

Long-time readers and close IRL friends know that I have mused about adopting a retired racing greyhound for a very long time, close to two decades. 

I knew it would take time for my husband to get comfortable with having a dog in the house though. After we got married and bought our condo together, we made a point to stop by several greyhound adoption centers and even met up with a local adopter who generously hosted a meet-n-greet at her home for us. Each encounter further cemented my resolve that greyhounds were the breed for us. However I could tell that W was still hesitant, so I did not push the point. 

Fast forward six years, two kids, and one house move later. 

When Seeing Eye puppy raising program didn't work out (the issue was ultimately with my workplace. I'm very disappointed with them but that's a story for another time...), the conversation about greyhound adoption came up again. This time my husband was ready...or more ready than he was before. 

I put in the application and in less than 24 hours, a volunteer got back to us to go over questions and next steps. She commented that one of my references mentioned that I was a horse owner; they loved hearing that as the combination happens quite often and those adoptions go very successfully. I re-iterated that I had young kids who knew how to behave around animals but they are toddlers. The volunteer appreciated my candidness and reassured they take everything into consideration when evaluating dogs and matching them with a family. 

After a very busy month of October and early November birthday celebrations for both me and my son, our appointment day finally arrived. We packed plenty of snacks for the kids and drove 2 hours south to the adoption center. My nerves and excitement somehow made the trip feel both long and short at the same time. 

When we arrived, we let the kids off the car and let them stretch their legs while we waited outside to meet the adoption center owner, L. 

After asking us a couple more questions, she said "I think I have just the dog for you." 

She had one of the volunteers bring out a gorgeous black greyhound with kind deep brown eyes. We were introduced to CET Onyx who was just about to turn 4 years old. He had a respectable track career with 103 races, winning 9 and coming 2nd in 17. The breeder/owner has a toddler-aged son so Onyx was exposed to young kids his entire life. 

He and his littermates arrived at the adoption center less than a week ago and he was a perfect gentleman from the start. 

After Onyx got a chance to meet us and the kids, the volunteer handed the leash to my husband and we went for a family walk on property. Onyx walked politely. He was interested in another greyhound who was meeting her adopter in the fenced-in kennel yard but his excitement was contained, nothing out of control. 

We waited until the kennel yard was free and got our chance to meet and observe Onyx off-leash. While chatting with L, I kept a close eye on my kids as they decided then it was time for zoomies. Onyx was at most mildly interested. After doing his business, he came back to the adults and asked each of us for pets. We couldn't have asked for a better first-time introduction as he was exposed to my kids' unfettered antics and didn't even bat an eye. 

When we got home, it was the flurry of getting essential supplies and ensuring the house was dog-proofed (which is ironically similar to baby-proofing). The adoption center advised us to set up the crate and dog bed well in advance so the kids can get their curiosity out and eventually ignore it entirely. The suggestion was ingenious and worked perfectly. After about two weeks during which Onyx got neutered, UTD on shots, and a full vetting done, he was ready to come home. 

The first night was the toughest one, as expected, but after that he adjusted without further fuss. He's been with us for almost 3 weeks - we have a routine (which greyhounds love) and he's learned the rules of the house with minimal accidents and mishaps. My kids help feed during mealtimes and have been taught to respect his space when he's sleeping and eating.

...he sleeps in weird positions. 

Greyhounds are infamous for being 40mph couch potatoes and I can personally attest to that now. He is the laziest dog I've ever met/owned in my entire life. He enjoys nothing more than sleeping on his comfy dog bed in the same room we're in. Everyone who has met him so far has been impressed by his chill, laid-back personality. 

We're still in our early stages and I'm still ever watchful especially when the kids are playing in the same room but so far Onyx has been a quiet, gentle addition to our family. 

The kids were reading their new library books to him <3 

That Warm, Fuzzy Feeling

I have always been an animal-lover and grew up with them pretty much my entire life. When I became a mom, I could only hope that at least one of my kids loved animals as much as I did. 

Hmm... is there an extra member in the family?

For the past month, since we moved into the new house, my child has been telling everyone that we have dog...which we don't. 

Currently. 

I have been working on that with my husband though. He, unlike me, did not grow up with animals at home. However he knew what he was getting himself into when he married me. Quest was just the beginning and he knows very well that I love dogs. 

For forever, I've had my heart set on adopting a retired racing greyhound. I still would like one but for the sake of my marriage, I kept my eye on short-term arrangements (e.g.; fostering a shelter animal) to ease DH into the idea of longer commitment. 

After attending the 4-H Fair, I re-discovered the Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Program. In order to become an official Puppy Raiser, everyone has to start off by Puppy Sitting. This helps the Raiser if they are traveling away and unable to take the puppy with them and people who are new to the program can get valuable hands-on experience taking care of a program puppy. Win-win. 

We attended our very first 4-H Puppy Club meeting last night and it was a great experience for the whole family. The training was an hour long and went through all the basics. My kids were actually very well behaved for a 4yo and 2yo toddlers...but eventually got antsy. Thankfully halfway through the club leader allowed all of us, kids and other adults, to come and pet the dogs all over as part of the socialization training.  My kids loved that part the most.

For what I could observe so far, it seems to be a nice, low-key community. Folks in this club were all ages from different walks of life. Some of them were new, very new like us. A few of them were on their 4th, 10th puppy. Everyone was very welcoming and generous with help and encouragement.  

My son was sad we had to leave Puppy Club without a puppy.

Barn Days = Best Days

The house still has areas that look like cardboard explosions went off, but the whole family needed a break from unpacking. Couple that with the multiple birthday parties and weddings we attended this past month, we all barely had any time to relax. 

We somehow managed to have a rare free day this past weekend though and decided to spend a slow Saturday morning at the barn. 

The kids love doting on Quest. They make it a personal mission to find her the best patches of grass and love to brush her shoulder and legs. 

I also pulled out the nippers and rasp to do a quick maintenance trim. The mixed terrain of the pasture has helped keep her feet in decent shape. I rarely have a ton to do asides from heel height (pesky clubfoot) and cleaning up overgrown areas to rebalance.

The gelding posse awaits her return. 
Her most loyal follower, golden boy Atlas, is in first photo. 

We finished up the barn visit with a quick bath. The temperature was rising quickly, so I wanted to leave Quest feeling a little more comfortable. Mareface expressed her appreciation promptly with a nice roll in the dust. 

Our family then headed over to the local 4-H fair. We try to support the organization each year by attending their events and plus the kids love all the sights and sounds!

On the Move

 As promised, here is the big news...! 

After almost a year of searching, we found THE ONE. My husband and I were very particular about where and what we wanted. There were a few times it would have been easier, so much easier, to compromise but I'm glad we held out for the right family home to finally come along. 

The full story about our house-hunting adventure is a lot. I'll save that saga for a late night fireside/backyard firepit chat someday later. 

We have been very busy packing up and will officially start moving in our things this upcoming weekend. I'm very excited to re-organize my horse tack and art desk and will share photos when things are mostly set up. 

With the move/new home location, I now have most of mid-NJ accessible to me via major highways. As a result, I have been searching for a new place for Quest as well and have reached out to several barns. Most of the places I've found so far only have stalls with day turnout though so it might be tough finding a place with just pasture. It would be wonderful to have her close to home again. I miss our evening trail rides together. 

Keeping all fingers crossed that something good turns up!