Since we both want to own a farm full of four-legged furry children, it is no surprise that we each have a few of our own. We spend hours laughing at the ridiculous, stupid, sweet, and unexpected perceptive and intelligent things our pets do. And while some might feel disinclined to have pets of their own (which is totally understandable), we couldn’t imagine our lives any other way, despite how difficult it can make traveling or on a long day when all you want to do is sit down but you have to clean up vomit; these guys are our babies, our family, and they make everything better and complete. The beautiful thing about pets is that they will always love you - unconditionally - and be happy to see you, regardless of how you’re acting, who you are, or how you're feeling, because you’re their whole world and that’s something that just can’t be replicated by many other things in life. So, without further ado, we would like to introduce to you our fur babes, in no other order but alphabetical. We've linked a bunch of pictures from our personal Instagram accounts so you can see our goofballs in their true forms - feel free to check them out!

Lauren & Cody's Fur Babes

Grendel

This little rascal. Somehow he manages the perfect combination of puppy and old man, even at his ripe old age of 4. We jokingly call him our box puppy because Cody picked him out of card board box. We also call him Gren-diesel (courtesy of moi) but he also answers to Gren. While he is the oldest, he's also the baby. He needs all the attention you can muster and even more, if you can spare it. Grendel is part husky and part lab and it makes total sense when you meet him. He is loyal, friendly, joyful, needy and sassy just like a husky and yet loving, intelligent, kind, and mild-tempered like a lab. He loves hard and snuggles harder. He's the pup who will ram his nose under your hand relentlessly, in order to get all the rubs. He's ruthless on his path to rubs, so be prepared should you encounter a Grendel. He also is full of sass and will talk right back at you, which makes it hard not to laugh or get even more annoyed, if you are reprimanding him. Grendel also is the proud owner of the happiest feet you'll ever know, when he gets super excited, he will tap his two front feet over and over, really quickly and it's pretty much the best thing. While both dogs are my shadow, we jokingly call Grendel my protector. No matter the activity, whether I'm doing my makeup, washing dishes, cooking, he will sit by my side the entire time and rarely moves, unless he sees a light or reflection. He's obsessed with light, by the way: lasers, flashlight, a reflection of light off an object, you name it. He will stare a hole through the wall trying to find and capture it. It's unreal and terribly futile but he is a dog after all and you just have to commend that kind of commitment. Side note but important, he loves PBR and hates wine, we raise 'em classy! 

Naga

The actual baby, she's 2 1/2 and wiser than you might guess, when you first meet her. Masked behind a complete goofball, she's incredibly intelligent. She carries her head low and reminds me so much of a wolf sometimes, it makes me laugh how majestic and goofy she can be all at the same time. She's stubborn and independent but incredibly loyal, loving and protective, just as you'd imagine a German Shepherd would be. Unlike our adventurer Grendel, who would run off for days and come back with what I'm sure would be novels full of stories, she tends to stick close by Cody and myself. We are always in her field of vision and she is very vigilant of both of us. She has her younger child tendencies: she gets jealous (especially when Grendel is getting attention, which happens often because he practically demands it) and she can be greedy with her food and bones. We have had to make an effort to teach her to be happy with her current bone (at any given time we have like four cow bones lying around) and not to try and collect them all and hoard them. But she's learning to share and that's something! All the same, she's extremely loving towards both of us and Grendel, I will find her cleaning/licking him regularly, and it just bursts open my fur mama heart. And despite the fact that she loves to hoard the bones, regularly she will give Cody or myself her bone and while it’s all gross and covered in slobber, it’s pretty dang sweet that she wants us to have it. Naga has never quite grasped the concept of snuggling, she'd rather be off in a corner chewing her bone (see independent) but she loves to lay at your feet and always be in close range to either of us. Her name entertains some fun nicknames, including Naga-laga, Nags, Nagalita, and Nagahyde. If you haven't guessed nicknames are unlimited around our house, we kinda love them and we name just about everything (including but not limited to our plants and even our Christmas trees).

Mallory & Travis' Fur Babes

Bambam

Bambam is my first baby, and our old man. He is a 8.5 year old black lab/boxer/chow mix - basically your good ole mutt. I got him right after my sophomore year in college from my old boss at Port City Java coffee shop, where I worked for over 2 years. And man, Bam was one hell of a dog back then - he literally ran away every day, he would have explosive diarrhea all over our walls, furniture, carpet every damn day, literally, would pee at the drop of a hat and leave a treasure map of pee for us to follow; he was exhausting. Of course, I am no dog whisperer, but I pretend to know why - so here is my justification: I was his 3rd or 4th home, so I think he had a lot of anxiety when we first got him, but once he really realized that I was his forever, he chilled a lot, but became a lot more protective of us. Especially when we brought his brother into our house. They became instant buds, and literally do everything together. He can be a total jerk sometimes. But we love him all the same; he's just a big ole baby. He is definitely a daddy's boy now though, he loves him some Trav. He is our guard dog, our protector, our big goofball, and is insanely sensitive to our feelings. Legit if I am crying or he can tell I have had a bad day, he literally comes and hugs me until I am not sad anymore. It's the best.

Hok'ee

I know, it is a weird name. We pronounce it "Hokie", although we are well aware that is completely Americanizing the word; it comes from the Cherokee language, and means "one who has been abandoned". When I worked at an animal hospital back in Wilmington, a super nice client came in one day with 2 new puppies and a momma dog. She had taken these dogs from a farm she drove past all the time (I know, that sounds terrible), but she told me that she thought they were being poisoned!! So after they were treated, Hok'ee (or Blue, as he was called back then because of his one blue eye), came back in because he had gotten Parvo. It was then that I fell completely in love with the 14 week old pup. When our client came back to pick "Blue" up, I asked her to let me know if the adoption falls through with him because I would love to take him home and see if Bambam could handle a little brother. And she called the next day! They have been the best of friends ever since; typical brothers, mostly playing, sometimes hating each other. He is a husky/pitbull mix, and is my baby. He throws tantrums like a typical husky, sasses us if he doesn't get his way or we don't move fast enough for him, and is an all-around weirdo! And he is so smart, too smart sometimes. Even though he is 5 years old, he still acts like a puppy. He is our adventurer, our burrower and percher, our hunter, and our 60 lb lap dog.

Keller

Keller is also a product of working at the animal hospital - can you tell I have a weakness?! She and her whole litter came in from a rescue organization we worked with, and they were all in really bad shape with upper respiratory issues and eye infections -they were so tiny! (If you have ever seen the movie Hostel, that scene where the girl's eyes are being torched out - that's what the poor babes looked like - graphic, I know). So, we all vowed to take one if the doc could save them - and she was able to save all but one! They all had permanent vision damage, though, earning them the names - Keller, Stevie, Wonder, Ray, and Charles. Keller was the worst surviving, losing both of her eyes, but man she is SO amazing. When we moved, she literally learned stairs (for the first time) and the whole house in about 15 minutes. And she beats up the dogs, and bosses them around, which is awesome, but also loves them and sometimes she lets them know. Queen Bee over here. She is still a typical 4 year old cat otherwise - sassy and independent, but extremely cuddly when she wants to be!

xoxo, your fur-loving mamas

Hey Everyone!

For those of you that don't know me, I would like to introduce myself - I'm Travis, (or as I may have been referred to: Trav, or Rav, or Hubbs), or whatever other funny thing I've earned the title of according to my wife, who you all know - Mallory. 


I've never considered myself a blogger nor thought I would ever be writing one, but Mallory finds so much joy in doing these so hey, I thought I would give it a shot. I wanted to go with a topic that was easy, because let's be real I have no clue what I'm doing here, so what better to talk about than my favorite things to do with my favorite person. The list could go on and on, but to keep it short and sweet and not bore you guys to death, I narrowed it down to my top 5 (in no particular order)...


Being Outdoors

Anything from watching the sunrise drinking a cup of coffee (this is a rarity because if you know me you know I'm not a morning person, in fact a zombie - but I'm working on this, I promise) to camping in the middle of nowhere - these are things I love to do with her. I've always been the type to want to be outside, seeing, doing, and feeling everything this earth has to offer and when I met Mallory years ago I quickly learned she felt the same and this was one of the many qualities she had that ignited our chemistry together. Heck, the first date we went on we took my old Jeep on Carolina Beach, NC and ended up sleeping on the sand with only a blanket all night and 2 Shiner Bocks to drink; a few years later, we're married and I would do it again in an instant. 


Road Trips & Travel

There's just something special about driving someplace far with your favorite person. You share stories, listen to music (loudly for us), laugh, and just have fun. I also have a love for all things 4x4 and off-road so whether it be her Jeep or my Toyota, we love to be together on the road taking any adventures we can along the way. We've made so many memories just by simply traveling or being on road trips, so I'll always love to travel with Mallory and make the most out of every place we go. 


Walking/Playing with our Dogs

This kinda ties back into the outdoor thing, but better because DOGS! So really simple, I've always loved walking our dogs together, letting them run, throwing toys, and everything in between. We were together the first time they saw the Ocean and it was so funny - they had no idea what to think. I also think back to a recent trip we took when we hiked up Grandfather Mountain with the dogs and they were mesmerized at their surroundings. We were so happy from the exercise they got because they slept so good that night, therefore so did we because they always wanna change cuddle positions and that wakes us up every night.  


Cooking!

Whether or not this is something you all love to do, let's be honest, we all love to eat. With our recent change in our diet, this has gotten us in the kitchen so much more and allowed us to discover many new recipes and foods. It's truly exciting and theres something new we come across every week. There's nothin' like putting on some good music, opening a good bottle of wine (or a can of PBR in my case) and cooking together! 


Date Nights

This will always be a classic for us and I'm sure the same for most of you couples. There are times when we've had rough days at work or just with life in general and we want to go out for dinner and drinks at one of our favorite places and come home to cuddle up on the couch with the animals and find a good movie or two to watch. It's the little things...

These are all pretty simple things, but hey, we're simple people and these are just a few of my most favorite things to do with Mal. I'm excited to continue to discover more fun things to do together and check the boxes off on our bucket list. If you all have favorite things you do with your special person please share because we are always looking for new and exciting things to do together! Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you all have a great week!

Your new pal, 
Travis

If you know me, even barely, you know my unapologetic love affair with Mexican/Tex-Mex food. I could literally eat it every day for the rest of my life and be just as happy as I am - right now - writing a blog post about it.

This right here is easily one of my most favorite meals of all time, and can so easily transform into anything you want to make it. What I truly love about this, and why I have literally been running around sharing it with everyone I can possibly get to listen to me ramble for 4 minutes - it is totally customizable based on your diet and what you are looking for in a meal.

Keep it vegetarian, like we do, or add some meat in there to get some more protein - fish, chicken, pork, beef, whatever your heart desires

Swap the rice for another grain of your choice, like quinoa if, again, you want some extra protein

Add any herbs you want, like cilantro (which I can't stand, so I leave that out of basically every recipe known to man)

Add or subtract any veggies or legumes that you love and hate

Swap the amounts of rice and greens and easily transform it into a southwestern salad

MAKE IT ALL A BURRITO FILLING

... you get the picture

It has very quickly become a staple in our house - literally, we usually have it once a week. It is inexpensive, quick, and SO easy to make. It is hearty, but not so filling that you want to take a nap right afterwards. It is so good, even our pup, Hok'ee, wants a bite (ok, so I am pretty sure he would accept any human food if we were to give it to him, but he just looked so cute begging for it I had to snap a picture).

Yield: 3-4 servings (unless you have a Travis living with you, then 2 servings is all you get!)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ready Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
Bowl:
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup salsa
3 cups spinach, or green of your choice, sliced into strips
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, or legume of your choice, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1-2 avocados, diced

Chipotle Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced (I eyeball this from a pre-minced jar)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt

Site note, we use Himalayan salt in our house rather than plain table salt, which is why you see pink stuff in a jar here - that's our salt!

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add the rice, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a pot and cook (about 30 minutes usually).

While the rice is cooking, I like to go ahead and do my prep work!

2. To make the chipotle sauce, combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until completely mixed. Set the bowl in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

3. Chop your spinach (or alternate greens) into slices, and dice your tomatoes and avocados as large or small as you like. Set aside.

4. In 2 small pots or pans, give the beans and corn a little warmth on the stove (since they are already cooked coming out of a can, you just need to heat 'em up).

5. Once rice is done, fluff with a fork. Then add the salsa and stir together.

6. Fold the rice into a bowl. Then top with spinach, beans, corn, tomatoes, and avocados.

7. Drizzle with chipotle sauce and serve!

**A note of caution to you guys - something my husband unfortunately learned by trial and error - this chipotle sauce can be overwhelming in flavor and in heat for some people. Don't go too crazy with it until you figure out how much you like on there, then go wild. But for anyone who has a sensitive palette, it can ruin the whole meal for you if you go overboard. trust. **

I hope you guys enjoy this, and let us know if you decide to give this a go yourself - did you go verbatim by our recipe? If not, what did you add/remove to make it your own?! We would love to hear how creative you get!

Also, let us know if you want to hear more recipes that both Lo and I live for - because you knowwww we love to eat, and have so much we could share with you!

Later pals!
xoxo, your amiga, Mal

This place is just about everything it's made out to be and more, iconic in all the ways, which is why, when Cody and I moved to New England, we knew we just had to make it out there. And we liked it so dang much, we've been several times now. 

Our first trip was in October of last fall and it was terribly dreamy. The weather was a little on the cooler side but nothing a jacket couldn't handle. The sea oats were like golden rods, without looking too closely it looked like a meadow in some fairy tale. 

We spent part of the day camped out, in the back of the 4Runner, snacking on some fresh oysters that were caught just that morning. Cody did all the shucking but I cheered him on admirably, don't you worry!  We lined those bad boys up on a 2x4 (because, we fancy) and enjoyed those on the beach, watching the waves come in. You can check out more of that day here, a little video I put together because meeeemmoorriiieesss.

The other part of the day and easily the most exciting, was all of the off-roading we did on the beaches out there. Pro tip, at Race Point Beach, you can go to the Vehicle Permit Station (National Park Service) and get yourself an oversand pass, to drive your 4-wheel drive vehicle on the beaches. A week pass costs $50 and the year pass was $150 (totally worth every penny). Once your vehicle is inspected and you watch a short orientation video, you're good to go! Just go air down your tires and you'll be well on your way.

They'll give you a map of what trails and coastlines are open and have at it! Blazing across the shore and through the trails is a blast and it's completely stunning out there, for such a popular area, it feels somehow untouched and wild. It's something special.

Needless to say we loved it so much, there just had to be another trip back but this time we brought along some of our best pals. 

They also drove their Jeep Grand Cherokee and ripped through the trails with us, bringing along their little (most cutest) baby boy, to enjoy all the fun and he pretty much did just that! That little turkey loved sand more than any little boy has, in the history of ever.

I look at the picture above with the boys and I don't care who you are, that picture will just make your ovaries or for my dudes out there, brovaries, just want to explode. Calllllmmmm downnnnnn, baby fever hasn't struck yet but this picture sure does make my heart happy.

Back to this adventuring business, we explored more of Race Point and took a view of Race Point lighthouse and the Keeper's house. It wasn't open for an inside tour but you can tour May-November and you can even vacation in the Keeper's house, which is pretty cool, if you ask me.

Speaking of the time of year, both times we have been, it's been close to the off-season, going in both October and April, we have been thoroughly pleased. It was a little breezy and on the cooler side but far less people, which makes oversanding all the better. 

And of course, no good adventure is ever complete without food. We made pallets on the beach, also known as, we laid out our blankets for all of you non-southerners, who give me head tilts and half-smiles and ask me what that even is. And we got to test out some of our new cookware for an upcoming camping and off-roading venture, Cody and I will be doing this summer. We grilled hot dogs on the beach and truth be told, ate every single one. Doritos, to boot! Insert okay hand emoji!

To round out an already stellar day, we even got to see whales scaling the coastline and watching them surface to breath and expel air with their blowholes (which is a funny word, when you continuously think about it, sorry not sorry) was pretty spectacular. I've never seen whales like that in their natural habitat and that was something else! In fact, on our last trip, we saw a seal as well, which was c-o-o-l! I didn't get a picture of the whales because you know, it's like when you try and take a picture of the moon, it never turns out as big and beautiful and monumental as it actually was. And truthfully, I was too mesmerized to look away anyhow. 

We did however find two starfish, well, my husband actually found them and I lost my mind in excitement because purple starfish?! So that was pretty sweet. We held them for a few short minutes and returned them to the Atlantic and I hope they'll remember us, forever. But seriously, go tell Ariel I wanna join the mermaid club, okay?

Because this post doesn't already have enough pictures and/or sap. I'm so thankful for good family and friends and a special thanks to these pals for joining us and making the day even more rad!

All in all, Cape Cod was a gem to us and treated us right nicely. If you find yourself in need of a quintessential New England wilderness fix, you just go ahead and add the Cape to your list. It'll do you just right.

xoxo, your adventurers