PART 3: BRINGING BRODY HOME

He's heeeeeere!  And we are so happy with him, we are just bustin' buttons!

If you read HERE and HERE, you know that we made plans to add a Yorkie Pup from Deb Sillers of AmazingYorkies to our family.  We could have had him shipped but neither my husband or I could stand the thoughts of it!  So I made plans to fly from Pittsburgh to Kansas City, MO (and back!) on 8/13/13 to pick him up myself.

Since we live two hours from the Piitsburgh airport, and since I had to be at the airport by 6:00 am, my husband and I went the night before and stayed at the Hyatt.  I got up early the next morning and hopped on the 5:45 shuttle to the airport.  Hubby spent the day toolin' around Pittsburgh, with plans to be at the airport that night at 8:00 pm -- when I got back WITH BRODY!

I flew PIT to Dallas/Fort Worth, and Dallas/Fort Worth to MCI (Kansas City, MO):

I was a little nervous.  I had 4 flights that day, without any extra time to spare.  One delay could have thrown off everything!  But guess what?!  Every flight went WITHOUT A HITCH and I arrived at Kansas City right on time.   I was texting Deb and my husband furiously!

I walked off that plane and Deb was waiting for me, with the most precious puppy I have ever laid eyes on!  I did almost cry!

Once I had Brody in my hot little hands, I wasn't quite as worried about flight delays, etc. By that point, at least Deb could get back to her regularly scheduled life (LOL!) and of course, I HAD BRODY!  I updated my husband:

Brody was a champ.  His day had started early, too... Deb had bathed him that morning and they had a two hour drive to the airport, too.  Then he waited in the airport with Deb and her two friends till some crazeee woman (me!) scooped him up and smothered him with hugs and kisses!!!

My longest layover (2.5 hours) was in Kansas City (the BEST time for the longest layover -- I'm tellin' you, it was ALL PERFECT!) so it gave me a chance to start getting to know Brody.  His sweet personality was already shining through.  He was everything Deb had promised, and more!

In Kansas City, I even had time to get a quick lunch. Which was good, 'cause by then I was staaaaaarving!

Brody didn't eat or drink, though -- and the poor baby did throw up three times.  But he never complained; he was an ANGEL the whole time.  I was falling more in love by the MINUTE!


So now with my precious cargo in tow, I boarded my last two flights.  Kansas City to Chicago O'Hare and Chicago O'Hare back to PIT.

Brody was SOOO good!  With his carrier stowed safely under the seat, at my feet, and under my watchful eye EVERY SECOND, he slept quietly on both flights.  Not a PEEP out of that precious boy THE WHOLE TIME!

We arrived back at PIT at 8 pm -- right on schedule -- and Daddy was waiting for us there.   He was so happy to finally meet Brody!

We had a two hour drive home, and Brody slept most of the way.  I texted Deb to let her know we were almost home.  I was starting to get concerned that Brody hadn't eaten A THING since Deb fed him breakfast that morning.  Deb suggested that I scramble him an egg with cheese when we got home.  So that's what we did... and he ate almost the whole thing!

Introductions with Boo and Bentley went very well, as I was sure they would.   Bentley was especially curious!

I took the next week off work to spend time with Brody and help him get settled in.  He has been nothing but a JOY and a DELIGHT.  He is sweet, mellow, loving, and just a little feisty!  We are so happy with him!

I took him to the vet and he got a perfect check-up.  He weighs 3.6 pounds, and Deb expects he will probably be about 6 pounds full-grown.   But believe me, there are 100 pounds of personality in that little body!

And, OH -- he's such a SNUGGLER!  He likes napping with me.  And you KNOW I love THAT!

I'm telling you... I couldn't be happier with this little guy.   Stay tuned for LOTS more pictures and updates!

PITTSBURGH - #1 Best Place to Move (WooHoo!)

As a Pennsylvanian (and native Pittsburgher) I was pretty jazzed by this recent article which names Pittsburgh as the #1 American city to consider moving to! 

The article reads, in part:

What people are looking for when they relocate changes from time to time. In the 90s, it was a city with low crime. Then, it was places with good schools.

"These days, you want a job and to make sure you can get a house there," said Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, which helps people find the best places to live, work or retire.

Sperling crunched the numbers to find the 10 best cities to relocate to today. The list takes into consideration all kinds of data points from cost of living to crime rates, the number of colleges and how healthy the population is, as well as access to museums, shows, sporting and other events. Plus, one you might not think of - stability.

"We're a big believer in the concept of stability, where there is modest, controllable growth," Sperling explained. "Big booms lead to disruption, and ultimately big busts. Neither is good for livability."

Here are Sperling's Best Cities to Relocate to in America - Why they're the best and who's hiring there.

1. PITTSBURGH, PA
Pittsburgh, like Buffalo, has also made a major transformation from an industrial town - in Pittsburgh's case, steel -- into the 21st Century as a hub for education, health care and the arts.

Yet, it's still surprisingly affordable: The cost of living is 12.2 percent below the national average and the average home price is $116,400, well below the national average of $171,700.

It's repeatedly ranked as one of the most livable cities: The crime rate is low, it ranks high on both arts and colleges, and it's at low risk for a natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane or tornado.

It's also repeatedly ranked as one of the best sports cities, with the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team and the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. You would be hard-pressed to find a city with more loyal sports fans - a fact that should not be underestimated when it comes to quality of life.

The unemployment rate is 7.8 percent, well below the national average of 10.2 percent. Indeed.com has named it the No. 18 job market, with two applicants for every job available.

Companies that are hiring now: HCR ManorCare, BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, Ernst & Young, Westinghouse Electric Company, and UPMC, according to Indeed.com.

As for me, I happen to LOVE Pittsburgh.  I think it is a beautiful, culturally diverse, exciting and just-plain-*FUN* city.  We live about 2 hours away now (out in the country) -- but going to Pittsburgh for the day (or the weekend) is still one of my favorite things to do!

Sooooo, anyone out there thinking of relocating?  Well then, I urge you to consider PITTSBURGH!

Oh FYI, the other top 9 "best cities to move to" are:
# 2 Buffalo/Niagara Falls NY
# 3 Omaha, NE/Council Bluffs, IA
# 4 Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
# 5 Austin-Round Rock, TX
# 6 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
# 7 Madison, WI
# 8 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN
# 9 Denver-Aurora, CO
# 10 Indianapolis-Carmel, IN.

(Pittsburgh at night photo credit: HERE)