After several years of discussion and pining, T and I finally adopted a puppy. On Valentine's Day, we attended an adoption fair at Petsmart where 5 shelters were going to be with their dogs. I've done quite a bit of research on dog adoption and learned that the process can sometimes be pretty rigorous. With that in mind, T and I figured there would be no way that we'd be coming home with a dog, but had hoped that we would at least start the adoption process. We made several loops of all the adoptable pups and kept coming back to a pen with 4 sleeping puppies. After making some inquiries of the agency, we learned that these puppies were a mix of terrier, lab, shepherd and pitt. They had been dumped at the shelter after the previous "owner" had tried to clip their ears (without anesthesia or antibiotics) and couldn't stop the bleeding. Sicko. Since it was pretty cold that day in the shade, the agency had put little sweaters on the pups and T and I were drawn to a little female wearing a pink sweater with white markings and soft, short hair. I held her first and she snuggled right into my neck -- she did the same when T held her. We were immediately smitten and asked the agency what we needed to do to proceed. They gave me several forms to fill out and, as I was completing them, it became apparent that they were getting the pup ready for us to take home (putting in her microchip, getting all of her records together, etc)! Good thing we were outside a Petsmart because we didn't have anything at home that would prepare us for a dog! So we completed the "exchange" with the agency and took her into Petsmart to buy everything we needed.
I hate to admit it, but our new puppy didn't have a name for about 10 hours! T and I went around and around about numerous names, but we didn't love any of them. Finally, my friend, D, suggested the name Sox (because of her white paws and our love of the Red Sox!) and T and I decided that it was the perfect name for her! We can't wait for the many adventures we will have with Sox.
T and I ordered live lobsters (2 lbs each!) from Gloucester for Valentine's Day. They arrived on Friday afternoon packed in styrofoam, cold packs, and seaweed. D&J came over Friday night so that Z could meet the lobsters. He was a bit unsure about the weird-looking creatures, but he was curious enough to touch them and occasionally get close. 
On Saturday, we boiled the lobsters in our turkey fryer, which worked really well. I was also able to get fresh corn-on-the-cob from one of our local grocery stores (who knew that Mexico has great corn this time of year!?). The best part of it all was that we ate our lobsters pool-side in mid-February!!
