Everything I Need to Know in Life, I Learned from Nancy Drew

When I was younger, I wanted to grow up to be Nancy Drew.  Sometimes, I still do (or, at least, I would like my life to resemble Nancy's in some ways).  Nancy was a great role model:  smart, pretty, physically fit, a good friend, a sharp dresser, and, apparently, financially set for life (check out the wikipedia entry on Nancy Drew if you need a refresher; it's a pretty interesting read).  Nancy made me long for red hair ... something I still yearn for periodically and am currently considering (my fair, fair skin and light eyes make it possible for me to try on various hair colors ... for about a six month period back in 2006, I vascillated between brunette, red, and blonde.  Currently, I'm blonde since it is, honestly, the easiest for me to maintain).  Nancy Drew was the inspiration for the name of this blog, and will probably be inspiring a lot of posts on here, along with other childhood favorite books and toys, which I plan on using as a springboard into talking about my life in general (if you are feeling particularly nostalgic about literature, please go over to this fabulous website ... you won't regret it ... unless you don't have hours of time to waste laughing and reminiscing).  As far as the Nancy-Drew-inspired-the-name-of-my-blog tidbit is concerned, what labradors am I referring to, you ask (you:  "Duh, that would be the two labradors in the picture at the top of the blog?")? 

My husband and I have 2 labradors:  Augie, a male black lab, 5 years old, roughly 95 pounds, terribly spoiled; and Layla, a female yellow lab 3 years old, roughly 90 pounds, very sweet and pure of heart.  Way back when Alan and I first got married, a good friend of his passed on some advice that had been given to him while he was in medical school:  When you think you might be ready to have a child, get a puppy.  Raise the puppy into adulthood.  After the puppy is grown, if you still think you are ready to have a child, get another puppy.  Ha!  Unintentionally, we've followed that advice, and I think it will turn out well as we head into the uncharted waters of parenthood.  I'm pregnant with our first child, due on or about May 1, 2011, so hopefully all of this Labrador-raising will come in handy (ha!).  I'm only 14 weeks, and am ready to get further along into the pregnancy, since I'm a worrier and will feel more certain about everything when it's more obvious that I'm pregnant, and I can feel the baby moving, etc.  As excited as we are for the baby, I am hoping that this blog doesn't turn into me talking obsessively about being pregnant and then, later, about the baby.  I'm sure it will be a part of my blogging, but I want to try and be pretty diverse.  So, get ready world:  a new blog is born!