surprise (or not)

So like I said, this isn't much of a surprise to a lot of people, given our inability to keep quiet. But this weekend's trip to Michigan was mostly to collect this cutey:

Darcy! She's not always this cross-eyed...but I kind of wish she was. In fact, she's sometimes pretends to be grown-up and sophisticated with impeccable posture, especially when observing new things:

We've had lots of questions, so here's a random list of answers/facts/musings (because I still love lists...and Darcy!)

-She's a Rhodesian Ridgeback. They're athletic dogs bred to hunt lions, but also happen to be very chill family dogs - which is convenient since Alexandria is short on lions.
-The "ridge" is just a line of hair that grows in the opposite direction down their backs. Yes, our dog has a mohawk.
-If you know us this isn't really a question, but this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. We learned that our dog-buying process is even longer than our mattress-buying process (some may have thought this was impossible).
-My cuddling quota is actually met with this sweet girl around (again, some may have thought this was impossible).
-She takes a while to warm up, but doesn't seem to be scared of anything so far. Oh boy.
-I'm not a fan of people calling owners "mommy" and "daddy" - she had lovely parents, and they were dogs. She's also not my daughter. But she is a part of our awesome new pack. [I know lots of people don't feel this way, and I'm not trying to convert anyone. Just sayin' my piece.]
-She climbs on things so much that Will thinks she's a goat - which, since he can't have a real goat right now, could not make him happier.
-She bounces like a bunny.
-And just to round out this menagerie, she sits like a kangaroo (her rear doesn't touch the ground, and she just balances on her hind legs and tail).

-I love my new pack.