For those who don't know (which is probably only a handful of people by now), I adopted a sweet and silly lab mix this past March.  I have always had a dog growing up and knew I wanted to adopt when the time was right.  Well, the time is never right, but I pulled the trigger anyways and I couldn't be more in love with this goofball.  Given the amount of love I have for this DOG, I don't know how I'll have any love left to give to a child.

I had a name in mind for my dog, but when I met this lovable lab and discovered his name was Karsen - I kept it!  Ever since, this dog has been beyond spoiled.  When I adopted him, he was 7 months. Typical puppy, he was chewing and biting everything (RIP Tory Burch sandals and Sperry shoes.) My boyfriend and I discovered the "indestructible" rope, which is still around today, but doesn't look too pretty. Pretty much every other toy has a shelf life of 2-3 days.

It was just a month ago that I walked into Everything But the Dog in Reading, MA.  I happened to stumble upon it while running an errand at a nearby flower shoppe.  I honestly didn't need anything for Karsen, but I decided to pop in "just to browse."  Twenty minutes later, my arms were full!

Since this is Karsen's first Christmas spending the holiday with his FURever home, I wanted to make it special.  I'm not sure if the reindeer antlers are the best way to show my love, but he didn't hate it!

I sent the above photo to Karsen's foster parents who took him in when he came up from Arkansas.  I think this might have been the point when Karsen truly questioned the adoption. :)

As soon as I saw this plaid Christmas collar, I threw it in my bag.  I've received so many compliments on it while on our walks around the neighborhood.  I do a terrible job of explaining the print to friends verbally, so I always have to send a photo because it really is a classy collar! 

A good leash is underrated.  I was never a huge fan of the basic black leash we got from day one of having Karsen.  When I saw this super sturdy leash, I knew it would be perfect for Karsen's long walks - and it is!!

I know that I'll be back to Everything But the Dog in early 2017 to get a new collar and some treats for Karsen.  This store has everything - beds, toys, clothing, food, etc.  I highly recommend that you check this store out if you're local to MA and love spoiling your 4-legged friend like I do! Disclaimer: no cat merchandise.

AND then... I got an awesome gift from my brother in law for Christmas.  It's a friendship collar - a bracelet for me and a matching collar for Karsen.  To say I'm obsessed would be an understatement.  The site has all different patterns of collars, as well as leashes.  The perfect gift for any dog lover!!

My BIL also got me a subscription to BarkBox.  If you don't have this and are interested, definitely check it out.  I think it's worth it for the low price of $21/month (for a year subscription.)  I received my first box already and got some great treats and toys for Karsen.  #DogApproved

That's all for now on my rundown of Karsen's 1st Christmas.  The tree made it until January 2nd with no ornament casualties, so I'd say that's a success.  Until next December...