Yeah I totally agree with you on that. We got our puppy about three months ago now and honestly it's been such a joy. She's a golden retriever mix and has the most energetic personality I've ever seen in a dog. She loves to chase after tennis balls in the backyard and will literally play fetch until she collapses from exhaustion. The first few weeks were rough with the training and all the chewing but now she's settled in beautifully. She knows sit stay and come already. I'm working on teaching her to shake hands which is hilarious because she just paws at the air. Honestly having her around has been great for my morning routine because I have to get up early to walk her. Would you ever consider getting a dog yourself or are you more of a cat person? I've been thinking about taking her to the dog park this weekend to see how she does around other dogs. Hopefully she behaves and doesn't get too excited around the bigger breeds.

I finally tried that pasta recipe you sent me last week and it turned out amazing. I was a little worried about the sauce because I've never made a cream-based sauce from scratch before but it was actually way easier than I expected. I added some roasted cherry tomatoes on top and a little bit of fresh basil from the plant on my windowsill. The whole thing came together in about 40 minutes which felt reasonable for a weeknight dinner. I ended up using penne instead of the spaghetti you recommended just because that's what I had in the pantry and it worked fine honestly. I think next time I might add some grilled chicken or maybe some mushrooms for extra texture. Let me know if you have any other recipes you'd recommend trying out. I'm getting more confident in the kitchen and want to experiment with different cuisines. The leftovers held up well the next day too which is always a nice bonus.