Meet Charles

As I was enjoying a rare afternoon off today, I was scanning the DVR looking for something to take my mind off school and work. Little did I know, my wonderful fiance, Kevin

had DVR'ed one of our favorite movies, Marley and Me. As I watched the movie for probably the tenth time, I was inspired and the result was a new blog, Charles and We.

Meet Charles aka Sir Charles, Charlie, or Chuck.

We, Natalie and Kevin, are "nearly weds" getting married in October. Charles is an almost year old Pembrooke Welsh Corgi. He was born in Livingston, Alabama on a farm with 10 brothers and sisters. Originally named Troy, his owners couldn't understand my (Natalie) southern accent and thought I was calling him Charlie. We kind of liked it and ever since the little pup has been referred to as some version of the name Charlie. Charles moved to Birmingham, Alabama in March of this year and neither of our lives will ever be the same. We plan to use this blog to share Charles's funny stories and hope they bring as much humor to your lives as he brings to ours. I think it would be fair to say neither one of us were quite prepared for the chaos and confusion the six month old bouncing baby corgi would bring to our lives. Three months after Charles took up residence in the Houston home, we are down a window sill, two sets of wooden blinds, several dozen pairs of shoes, a handful of shredded bills, one pair of prescription glasses, one coffee table and one blue rug, but we are up many smiles, laughs, and one faithful companion always willing to go for a walk or snuggle on the couch. We hope you will enjoy following Charles's tales as much as we are enjoying living them.

This weekend we are taking a quick 4th of July vacation to

Lake Martin, Alabama, one of our favorite places in the world and site of our October wedding. It will surely be a weekend full of good food, family, friends and many happy memories. We took Charles to the lake last weekend and he enjoyed long boat rides and lots of swimming. I can't wait to watch him this weekend as he usually gets a little braver and more independent when he gets acclimated. I'm sure he can't wait to put on his favorite accessory

He may not necessarily need it but he sure looks cute in it! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend.

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."