"They're going to have THREE DOGS!"

When we got engaged this summer, our lives changed pretty dramatically. We had to figure out how to merge our two families. This blog is the story of that process.

When Katey moved out to Rosebud in 2006, she adopted Al, our little American Eskimo Dog. As an "only dog," he was the king of the house. "Big Boy" loves other dogs, but isn't so crazy about new people. Once you win him over, though, he'll love you forever. He's a little snippy, and maybe a little spoiled (it's not his fault; he's tiny).

Dave adopted Zero, an American Bulldog, 5 years ago. She's our athlete. She's pushy, and likes to get her way. Dave thinks she's an excellent judge of character--she's only growled at a few people, and they're usually pretty shady characters. Katey calls her "Big Booty Z."

Clem, a purebred Rez dog, wandered into Dave's classroom in March of 2009, and quickly cemented her place in our hearts. She's content to lay on the couch all day long, and will contort herself into any position, as long as you pet her. She often has a vacant look in her eyes, which has earned her the nickname, "Special Chicken."

Clem and Zero sorted out their differences awhile ago, but Al and Zero are still working on it. They've had a few scraps, but right now, they're laying together on the floor sleeping.

In addition to teaching three dogs of varying dispositions how to get along, we started taking advantage of Dave's hunting hobby. We rarely buy meat anymore; instead we get by on pheasant, grouse, and venison. It's nice to know not only where our food comes from, but we also know pretty much how it lived.

Since we're getting married this summer, we thought it would be fun to document the merging of our lives, and also to catalog our culinary adventures cooking and eating wild game. Expect to see lots of pictures and stories involving our dogs, as well as recipes we've tried. Sometimes we'll post individually, sometimes together. Feel free to comment, offer advice, or share ideas for the kitchen.