Twenty-Six To Life

Wordless Week: Monday

2012-02-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

After I posted last week about how busy I am, someone made the great suggestion that I just post photos of the dogs each day. I think that's a great idea, and I figure it's really not fair for me to deny you their cute faces just because I'm swamped. So all week this week I'll be posting wordlessly (well mostly anyway since this explanation has words in it...). Enjoy!

Moe doesn't like Monday mornings any more than the rest of us.

One Thing At A Time

2012-02-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

I've always been the kind of person who takes on a lot. I like it really. I like being that person who gets things done, that person you can rely on. I like being busy and learning new things.

Sometimes though, I take on too much.

For those that may not have noticed, I haven't been posting here as regularly, I've been slacking on updates for the facebook page, and I haven't been commenting on other blogs very often. Those are seriously deadly sins in the world of blogging. And in the land of Kate, I don't like it much either.

What's been keeping me away? A healthy dose of EVERYTHING. Work picked up. Family came into town. I'm working on ~~one~~ ~~two~~ ~~three~~ too many different projects for my rescue group. I've hit that place where I'm starting to hate what I have going on even though I should really be enjoying each thing individually.

Now that I've hit that place though, I know it's time to ease up on myself and tackle some of these projects one at a time to get them wrapped up.

That means that it might be a little sporadic around here for a little while longer. Some weeks I might post once (like last week) and some weeks I might post three or four times (like this week). Maybe I'll even share some of the things I'm working on if I can.

So I hope you'll bear with me and understand that I'll be back to normal soon. In the meantime, I'll be more envious than ever of my dogs' not-so-demanding schedules...

Wordless Wednesday: Heidi Is So Patient With Our Shenanigans...

2012-02-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

I Have A Confession To Make

2012-02-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

I think Nemo is sort of... ugly.

Now before you jump all over me, let me say that I think Nemo is adorable. He is so darn cute I can't stand it sometimes. I get such a kick out of him and his grumpy face, I couldn't possibly love him more.

But that doesn't mean he's a beauty. Let's face it, you'll never see his face on Dog Fancy.

I try to post flattering photos on the blog, so you're used to seeing this handsome face:

But, this is also a typical Nemo face...

And even with my bias towards posting flattering photos of Nemo, it's no secret that he can look gargoyle-ish.

He has crooked little teeth.

Itty bitty little ears.

Oddly long nails.

A waddle worthy of it's own episode on Ally McBeal (anyone remember that?).

And icky skin tags all over his body.

Those aren't exactly marks of beauty.

Still, with all his little superficial imperfections - even though people cross the street when they see him because they think he looks mean - he's one of the biggest love bugs I know. Five minutes with him and even die-hard pit bull skeptics are won over. Nemo epitomizes the idea that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

I think people can learn a lot from a dog like him.

Working Like A Dog: Part III

2012-02-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

Good old Heidi. Just when I start talking about how easy the dogs have it, she goes and takes a new position to earn some extra moolah. This time she's trying to become a celebrity impersonator.

Although I'm not quite sure if she's going for one of the Blues Brothers or the Terminator here. Maybe both?

Swimming With Melanie

2012-02-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we took Malanie swimming at a local "pet resort." Ohhhhhh Ahhhhhhhh. Very fancy shmancy.

If you've been reading this blog for a long time, you might remember that we took Molly for a swim back in the day too.

If the dog is into it, I'm very pro-swimming. Especially for senior dogs. It's a great low-intensity way to get exercise. If the dog has arthritis (which many seniors do) swimming helps to get them moving around without running and jumping, so it's easy on their joints.

Plus, watching a dog swim is just about the cutest thing ever.

So when I found out that a new swimming facility opened up in the area I knew I had to go check it out. Melanie has been swimming in the past, so we know she likes it, but she's never been in a real pool before. She's only ~~swam (swum?)~~ been swimming in rivers and creeks, so a pool was a brand new experience.

First we suited her up in a life vest. She can swim fine without one, but the vest makes it easier for the person in the water to help guide her. I also think it made Mel a little less cautious about the whole thing since she didn't have to work so hard to stay afloat in the water.

She is so stinkin' cute in that vest.

Then it was time to hit the water. I'm not going to lie, Melanie didn't take to it quite the way we had hoped. Even though she's always loved outdoor swimming, she had second thoughts about the indoor pool. We definitely had to cajole and encourage her to walk into the water, but she didn't flail around or fight us too hard on it. Some dogs go NUTS if you try to get them in the water, but Melanie didn't do that. She was just hesitant about it.

It probably also helped that we brought out some really stinky peanut butter and bacon flavored treats to reward her whenever she walked in the water. She loved those.

Once she got the hang of it she started swimming on her own, albeit with her "concerned face" on. But look at that rockstar doggie paddle she has going on! She's like a baby seal the way that she swims in that water.

And the swimmer was always right next to her to guide her around the pool. Mr. T and I walked around the edges to encourage her to swim towards us.

Even though Melanie wasn't quite sure about the whole "swimming for her life" thing, she loved the swimmer she was with. Every time she was out of the water she'd trot right up to her like "look what I did!" with her tail wagging. Uber cute.

We made sure to give Melanie lots of breaks from the pool. She'd swim a lap or two and then we'd let her out of the pool to walk around and feel normal again. We didn't want to terrify her by making her stay in the water the entire time we were there. Plus, she's old, so goodness knows she couldn't swim for that long anyway. But by the end of it she really started to get into it more and seemed to have a good time doggie paddling around on her own.

Of course I caught some it on video too:

When swim time was over Melanie got toweled off by her new best friend. She seriously loved that swimmer to pieces. I have to remind Melanie sometimes that she lives with us, and that no, she cannot go home with whoever gives her the best treats and most attention that day.

The whole pool experience lasted for less than an hour, but, for Mel, that was plenty of excitement for one day.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

I Want To Be One of My Dogs

2012-02-07T09:35:00.000-05:00

I mean seriously, they live the life...

Aside from Heidi's short freelancing gigs, they never have to go work. They sleep in late and lounge around all day wherever they please. Meanwhile I grumble and groan every morning when I have to wake up before the sun rises.

They eat only the best high quality food and have it served to them twice daily by their doting servants (ahem, that would be me and Mr. T). I'm lucky if I remember to bring something for lunch when I go to work.

They have extensive wardrobes, full of high-end doggie luxury items to keep them warm in winter. While I certainly own a winter coat and sweaters to keep me warm, they're definitely not the human equivalent of Martha Stewart's doggie fashion line or the handmade quality of Our Waldo Bungie's tiennots.

My dogs are web-celebrities in their own right. I might write the words on the screen, but I know you're all here just to see their cute smiling faces.

They receive top-notch medical care from the best practitioners. They even have "home nurses" to administer their meds for them as necessary. I don't go to the doctor as regularly as they do and no one has ever hidden yucky pills in peanut butter for me when I have to take them.

So yeah, I want to be one of my dogs. Seems like a pretty good gig to me...

Remembering Knox

2012-02-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

Last week, our friends’ dog passed away from a serious medical issue. Today’s post is in memory of Knox, and a tribute to his loving family, Jessica and Brian (known in the blogosphere as Pittieful Love).

Even though we never got the chance to meet him in person, we know that Knox was an amazing dog. He served as a great foster brother to many a dog, was a doggie-blood-donor, a breed ambassador, and above all, a loving dog.

Knox’s life was cut far too short by a completely unexpected illness, and his loss will be felt forever by his family and friends.

We ask that you please not comment on this blog post, but instead go over to Pittieful Love’s Facebook Page and leave them some kind words; a thoughtful message of support and hope to help them through this very difficult time.

RIP Knox D. May, 2009 – February 3, 2012.

Run free. We love you.

Friday Randoms

2012-02-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week has been crazy-busy for me and I'm not sure when this busyness is going to let up. Hence the light posting schedule this week... (and sorry to all my blog-buds for completely falling off the commenting wagon too...)

Here's what's been going on in my world:

- We had to get a new HVAC system installed for the house last week after the old one died. It turns out that heating systems are less-good when they only blow cold air in winter... I had big plans to buy a new camera lens, but now I'm turning into a Scrooge while we build our our savings back up. On the plus side: we have heat!

- Anyone ever go to the No Kill Conference? Anyone going this year? Talk to me about it.

-I'm really bummed that I'm not getting a new lens. Whiny whiny complainer = me.

-I'm really excited that one of the reasons I've been so busy lately is because I'm doing more rescue work! Of course that's involved learning some new skills, so I'm giving myself a crash course in fundraising.

Anyone have any recommendations for fundraising guides, books, webinars? I'm all ears!

- The old sofa is gone! Woohoo! I'm so excited to have it out of the house!

- Alas, the leopard print chair that I loved for so long is also gone. I didn't think I'd miss it, but I actually do a little. I'm sure that feeling will be gone though as soon as I can buy something new (my feelings for furniture are shallow that way).

Adios chair!

-I love this quote by Nelson Mandela: "It all seems impossible until it's all done." I feel like it sums up a lot of how I've been feeling lately. Trying to get everything done, feeling unsure about some of it, but knowing it's going to come together in the end.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

I've Decided

2012-01-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

...that I want my fireplace to look like this:

I know that this probably seems a little random with all of the dog talk lately, but I've been thinking about my fireplace for awhile. I love this picture of this natural stone with a white mantle (although my mantle would be lower than the "mantle" in the above photo).

The problem is that my fireplace currently looks like this:

Try to see beyond the table and chairs. It's just white brick back there.

My other problems include: I have no idea how to apply a stone surround. Or where to buy it. Or if I can even afford it. Plus there's all those other half-finished projects around the house that I should probably complete before I start something new.

Realistically, I'll probably just paint the ugly paneling, but I can dream that someday I'll have a beautiful fireplace too.

Anyone else dreaming of the things you would love to do in your home?

Working Like A Dog, Part II

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

I've already shared that Heidi's been on the lookout for more job opportunities. As a member of the household, it's only fair that she pull her own weight. This weekend she found another way she can help out: personal shopper!

First she made a quick pit stop at Home Depot for some household supplies.

Then it was time to do a little grocery shopping. Heidi dutifully looked over all the merchandise to find the best deals.

She sniffed the treats to make sure they were fresh.

And read the labels to make sure the food was healthy and nutritious.

Eventually she made her choice and picked the best kibble of the bunch.

After doing such a thorough job, I might have to let Heidi do all of our grocery shopping.

To see Heidi at work in her other job click here. To see even more photos of the dogs, like Twenty-Six to Life on facebook.

Fat, but Happy: An Update on Nemo

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Awhile ago I shared a scary event we had with Nemo when he had a seizure in the middle of the night. After rushing him to the vet and having some tests done, we were told that Nemo has pancreatic insulinoma - or small insulin producing tumors on his pancreas. These tumors, and the resulting insulin, cause Nemo's blood sugar to be abnormally low which is what caused the initial seizure. His diagnosis is troubling because there's not much we can do about it. Although pills and surgeries could potentially treat the condition in the future, they aren't a cure. The life expectancy for dogs with pancreatic insulinoma is only about two years after diagnosis (if we're lucky) which is pretty grim.

All that said, we're certainly not the type to sit around wait for bad things to happen, so we've been taking all the steps we can to keep Nemo as healthy as possible. Luckily for now, managing his condition isn't too difficult. It's primarily revolved around three central things: less exercise, frequent feedings, and monitoring his blood sugar.

Reducing Nemo's activity level. Gone are the days when we play fetch for over an hour at a time. Exercise increases insulin production, which lowers blood sugar, and since Nemo already has low blood sugar we have to prevent it from dipping further. This one is tough because Nemo loves playing ball sooooooo much. Playing ball is almost his favorite thing in the world, so it's tough to not be able to do it much anymore (and to only throw the ball a few times before stopping). That doesn't mean he never gets out though. We still walk Nemo and throw the ball a little bit (although never to the point where he's winded) and he always gets a little extra food after he's active.

Feeding him frequently. The same day that we talked to the vet we went out and bought an automatic feeder. After looking at what was available, we bought this one and have been really happy with it (although Melanie broke the first one we had, so if you have a crazy pig-dog like I do who will chew through plastic to get to food this may not work for you).

Mel is such a pig-dog that she'll even try to steal food right out of Nemo's mouth.

So far the automatic feeder has worked out really well. When we're out, we set up the feeder and it rotates at certain times throughout the day so Nemo can eat. We leave him in the guest bedroom while we're out so the other dogs can't eat the food that's meant for him. The only obstacle we've encountered is that sometimes Nemo doesn't eat a meal when it comes around. I'm not sure if he misses meals because he's sleeping during the day (so he doesn't hear the feeder rotate) or if he's just bored with eating sometimes because we're feeding him 6+ times a day now. I've started "hiding" treats in the feeder to get him more eager to eat out of it though.

Monitoring His Blood Sugar. This is the one that's going to seem really crazy to people. On the advice from our vet we bought an AlphaTRAK Blood Glucose Monitoring Meter Kit. It's just like a blood monitoring kit a diabetic would have. At first, the idea of drawing Nemo's blood was really daunting. I hate the idea of hurting him, even it's just a tiny little needle. With a little practice though, T and I have become experts. It's really not hard at all and Nemo doesn't seem to mind (he is more annoyed with us fussing over him than he is with us actually sticking him with the lancet).

For the first week-ish we took his blood several times a day to create a curve of what his blood glucose levels do over time, but since then we only do it once a day. We test his blood first thing in the morning (literally it's the very first thing - he doesn't even get out of bed for it) and record his blood glucose levels in a diary before we feed him. So far we've been lucky that his levels have been relatively normal, but there's no telling how long that will keep up.

Having his blood drawn is no big deal, but Nemo gets annoyed when you interrupt his beauty sleep.

The possibility of medications and surgery is out there. So far we don't have him on any meds on the advice of our vet. When we start to notice that his blood glucose levels aren't in the normal range anymore, that will be the first next step. Surgery to remove the tumors is an option, but it's risky and not a cure. If we did have the surgery the tumors would invariably come back and the pancreas is very tricky to work around. Given all that, plus the stress involved with surgery and subsequent recovery, T and I (and our vet) aren't sure that it's something we'd do, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

The important thing is that now Nemo is happy and feeling good. He gets more snuggles than he knows what to do with some days and, even more than his ball, snuggling is his favorite thing in the world. Thanks to all the extra food and lack of exercise he's gained a few pounds, but as long as he's happy, he can get as fat as he wants.

Weekend Volunteering Report

2012-01-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

Lately I've realized that I'm not giving you guys the full scoop. I've been doing a lot more volunteering lately and I've been neglecting to talk about it on the blog. That's pretty dumb considering I take tons of photos while volunteering and there's certainly no shortage of things to talk about.

So here's a recap of what I did this weekend.

This weekend was a pretty typical event weekend. We have regular adoption events throughout the month at various locations where we can show of the dogs and get them some exposure. Even though we don't have a foster dog right now, I always make sure to volunteer for local events whenever I can. Since I don't have a foster dog I can transport another person's foster to the event if they can't make it, talk to people about our rescue, and just generally act as another set of free hands which is always helpful.

Oh, and can I take a lot of photos :)

This weekend I got to do a little bit of everything: transporter, puppy wrangler, public liaison, and phodographer (see that little pun? hehe).

First, I went to pick up this cutie. He's currently being boarded at a local "pet resort" (seriously the place is awesome - I want to live there) until a foster home opens up for him.

Love.Him.To.Pieces.

I didn't spend too much time holding him (I spent a lot of time answering questions and taking photos), but I still spent plenty of time smooshing his little face and giving him lots of treats for being so awesome.

And then there were the puppies. Puppies always get a lot of attention, and for good reason. They are adorable.

One of the puppies even found his forever home this weekend. His family was so excited to bring him home, it was heart-warming to see him with his new family. They are going to be awesome together.

As the event started to wind down, the dogs who stayed until the very end started having a hard time staying awake. Eventually they climbed into a nearby dog bed and rested until it was time to go home.

He May Be The Smallest Dog Of The Pack, But Moe's The Best Guard Dog We Have

2012-01-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

I Went Downstairs And This Is What I Saw

2012-01-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

Nemo's face squished behind the sofa cushion, with his little paws curled up under him.

I love how dogs can be both weird and adorable at the same time.

Wordless Wenesday

2012-01-11T09:45:00.000-05:00

About That Rug

2012-01-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

Over on my facebook page a few of you have asked me to finally post about my new rug. Well, here's that post!

You've already gotten little teasers of the rug, thanks to the dogs and my incessant need to photograph them whenever possible, so you probably have a pretty good idea of what it looks like.

You also saw the rug when I got my Secret Santa gift and Nemo helped me open the package.

I promise that these little glimpses were not part of some master blogging strategy to drum up interest in the rug. I am not nearly that smart.

The truth is that I'm both lazy and busy (a horrible combination) so I've been busy finishing the floors in the rest of the house (they're done!!!) and tiling the front entry (you didn't know about that one! ha!) and then I got lazy and decided that I didn't really feel like taking pictures of a boring unfinished room.

Consequently these pictures aren't great, but they are how things really look right now so... c'est la vie.

Without further ado, here's the rug as it looks right now in our basement family room:

Bold right? Everyone who sees it says that...

It should go without saying (writing?) that a lot still needs to happen in here. I'll get to that in a second.

The details of the rug are:

-- It's from Rugs USA. I ordered it online.
-- I paid $150 for it (a steal!). Rugs USA has great sales and I was happy with how quickly I got my order.
-- It's about 8x10
-- I added a gripper rug pad underneath of it. The rug itself is a little thin, but the extra cushion makes it work. (I still need to trim off the edge of the rug pad because the pad is a little bigger than the actual rug.)
-- It hides smudges from dirty paws really well.

It wouldn't be a photo of a room in my house without the dogs in it...

Now that you've seen the rug, it's time to explain the rest of the crazy stuff that needs to happen in this room...

One of my many unfinished projects around the house is the fauxdenza under the TV. I hit a roadblock when I originally only bought three cabinets and decided I needed four to span the wall. As you can see, I finally made it out to Ikea for a fourth cabinet and it's now up on the wall - yay!! Not-so-yay is the fact that I still need to get a top on it, drill holes for all the wires (so they're hidden) and put in the last couple of shelves (they're those long white things on the floor under the TV). It'll all happen.

Eventually.

Other things that need to happen in here:

-- Get rid of the old sofa! Argh! I've been wanting that thing out of the house for ages now. Originally I was going to freecycle/craigslist it. Then my parents were going to move so they said they wanted it, so I didn't sell it. Then they didn't move. So I was going to freecycle/craigslist it again. But now my brother wants it and the plan is to get it to him by the end of the month. That better happen or I'm just putting the sofa on the curb and waiting for someone to take it. It's time for it to leave my house.

-- Move the anthropologie inspired dresser somewhere else. We only moved it in here for extra storage because the fauxdenza wasn't finished.

-- New curtains! I'm thinking something with color. Contrary to how is seems now, I don't want this to be a black and white space.

-- Replace the old sofa with new seating. Chairs. Two of them.

-- Buy/Build a coffee table and/or ottoman.

-- Paint? I'm on the fence with this one (which is why it hasn't happened yet). This room is open to the whole house so I'm not eager to paint, but it could still work.

-- Come up with a better solution for the laptop. You can see it over there in the corner to the left of the sofa. It's actually not all bad now, but the little table isn't on wheels so it's not the easiest to move.

-- Figure out the area behind the sofa. You can't see it in these pics, but behind the sofa is the treadmill (still trying to get rid of that too), the old entertainment stand that the TV used to be on, and an old dog bed. The plan is put up a couple shelves on the back wall and a narrow table behind the sofa.

All of that seems like a ton of work, but when you consider that this has been the progression of the room so far...

...I feel like I've already come pretty far...

Excuse Me While I Geek Out a Little

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

Just in case you haven't heard, the Mr. and I have been together for quite awhile now.

To celebrate, we took a little trip out of town to Staunton, VA. It's a small town just a few hours away from Northern VA (where we live), but it's not a typical "go to" location for a weekend trip. The town's secret though is this place:

Blackfriar's Playhouse

It is an amazing theatre with an amazing company. We bought tickets to see A Christmas Carol and it was one of the best performances I've ever seen. It was uplifting and unique and funny and charming. The theatre is very interactive with the audience; there are seats on the stage and the actors walk through the audience as part of the performance throughout the show. It's just an all around incredible experience. For anyone living in the area, I highly recommend taking an overnight trip to Staunton to see a play here. Also, stay at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel. It's close to everything - right next door to the theatre, and just a block away from historic downtown - so you won't have to drive anywhere and it's very charming.

One of the things I enjoyed about the trip was walking around the downtown area. It's all small businesses and shops which I love (there aren't many places like this in my area).

While we walking around town I found a camera store and museum that I had to check out. It had tons of old cameras and lenses that I got such a kick out of. I wandered around this little store for a long time. There were so many cool cameras there, and for once the owner didn't give me a weird look when I started taking photos inside his store.

My favorite camera though was this one:

It was ridiculously large. And heavy. Definitely don't drop this thing on your foot.

I was talking to the store owner and apparently this camera was made in the 1920s to photograph baseball games. They only made eight of them (one camera for each major league team at the time). Looking at it made me realize how far camera technology has come... This was the telephoto lens of the day! Can you imagine hauling that thing around!?

The lens was the size of my face. It was so huge I couldn't resist snapping a photo of our reflection in it.

We only stayed for one night, but the town has already become a favorite to me. I can't wait to go back.

An Update About Boo

2012-01-05T10:01:00.000-05:00

I got a great update from Boo's forever home last week.

After we fostered her for about a month, Boo was adopted at the end of October. I've gotten one or two small updates about how she's been doing since then, but getting this one was a great way to end 2011 and start 2012 out strong.

From Boo's Person:

Hi,

I just wanted you to know that I have made a contribution to your rescue group in honor of your great volunteers for their efforts in facilitating my adoption of Kalee, aka Boo, in October of this year.

Kalee is doing great - she's very loving and sweet, and has captured my heart, which I thought might never happen after I lost my beloved dog in June. She's a bundle of energy and very happy. Loves to eat, walk and ride in the car, in that order. Although she still lacks manners sometimes, I am starting training lessons for her (AND ME!) in January.

Thank you sincerely for your efforts to save Kalee-Boo and other endangered pit bulls/mixes.

Updates like that are why I love volunteering so much. To think that Boo was in a shelter just a few months ago, with an uncertain future, and that now she's being spoiled rotten by someone who loves her dearly is incredibly uplifting.

Even though right now we aren't in a position to foster - between constantly monitoring Nemo's blood glucose levels and having Moe in the house it just isn't feasible - I've been doing more behind the scenes work, like fundraising and marketing, and I've really been enjoying it so far.

When I started volunteering, I had no idea what an important role it would play in my life. I knew that I wanted to help others, but I didn't realize how much it would help me in return. I've gained skills and friends and knowledge that I never would have had otherwise. Hopefully we'll be able to foster again in the summer, but either way it's great to know that I'm helping dogs like Boo find their own Person.

Not Your Average Christmas Recap

2012-01-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

Like a lot of people, our Christmas was full of presents, and family, and food, and all kinds of other fun stuff.

Unlike a lot of people, our Christmas also included one very large horse.

My little grandmother next to the big horse.

This horse belongs to my parents' and he's very big.

I have a weird history with horses. On the one hand, I really like them. I think they're cool, and in general they're very docile and friendly. Growing up, I had the opportunity to ride horses a bit and while I was never an expert at it, I have a general basic idea of what to do. Plus, I sort of think of them as really large dogs and since I love dogs so much I have a real affinity for horses too.

On the other hand, horses make me really nervous. Being around horses when I was younger put me in close proximity to a few "horses behaving badly" situations that really rattled me. However, since my parents own a few horses, my mother is on a quest to eliminate my anxiety around them, so she's constantly encouraging me to go to the barn and be around the horses more often.

Even though I'm not really ready to ride again, I do enjoy feeding them. And petting them. Those things are fun. So on Christmas day I threw some peppermint patties in my pocket (special holiday treat for the horses!) and hopped in the car with my family to go out to the barn.

My parents' horse has a quirky treat preference: he likes Lipton Green Tea! As soon as he saw the bottle you could tell he was excited. He drank the entire bottle and loved it.

He was rolling around in the dirt earlier that morning, hence all the dirt on his face.

See why I think horses are just big dogs?

Yum...

And even though I am kind of scared of horses, I love how big he is! I think pit bulls are small dogs (I love BIG dogs like mastiffs, danes, newfies, bernese mountain dogs, and st. bernards) so seeing such a huge horse was... well... it was like Christmas for me! Which was fitting since it was Christmas...

It was great too because Christmas day here was really beautiful. It was very warm for the season, I think it was in the 60s, and the sun was out so it was really nice.

These two are best buds.

I was pretty proud of myself for getting out there. I'm still gun shy about riding again, but I had a really good time feeding the horses treats and giving them a little extra love. I might even do it again when I get the chance.

I'm patting myself on the back for overcoming my fears a little with this one.

Anyone else do anything unusual for the holiday?

Project 366

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Everyone have a good holiday? Ready to start the new year?

I had a great holiday (update to come), but I'm slow to adapt to writing a new year on everything. Sometimes I still want to write "2010" on things so jumping right to "2012" is a real mind-bender for me. I think it's because I can't handle handle the idea that I'm getting older...

Since it's a brand new year, I thought I would re-visit a project I first did in 2010. Project 365. Or in this case, since 2012 is a leap year, Project 366. The goal is to take a photo every day for the entire year. When I first did the project I only had my point and shoot camera, so I'm looking forward to re-doing the project with my DSLR.

This time around I'm going to post the photos to my facebook page. My hope is that I'll get each week's photos up sometime during the weekend (so I have time to look through all the photos and edit them, etc.). Make sure you like my page on facebook to see the photos as I post them.

Just like with everything else, I like to play fast and loose with the rules (I'm such a rebel). The project calls for one photo a day, but I'm posting two photos for January 2, 2012.

January 1, 2012

January 2, 2012

Just like in 2010, I get the feeling that most of my photos will be of the dogs...

Top 11 Photos (of My Pets ) of 2011

2011-12-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Click it Up a Notch, Click Pray Love, and Nap Time Momtog are hosting a Top 11 of '11 party to show off your favorite photos of your kids or pets. Naturally, I'm sharing some of my favorite photos of my dogs. To see even more great photos click over to the link up to see what other people are sharing.

Here are my favorite 11 photos of my pets from 2011:

1. I love this photos of Nemo. If he had his own facebook account, I think this would be his profile picture.

2. Melanie and Heidi laying in the sun together.

3. Moe chilling on the arm of the chair. He's not really my pet, but he is living with us for now so I consider him part of the pack :)

4. Nemo with his ball. It's his favorite thing in the world.

5. Melanie checking me out while laying in bed.

6. Me and Nemo together. His face cracks me up. I swear he's not as grumpy as he looks.

7. Molly out on the deck. I got my DSLR right before she passed away and this is one of the last photos I got of her. I'm so happy I pulled my camera out and started playing with it right away.

8. Heidi looking very sophisticated. I took this in my kitchen right after I got my nifty fifty.

9. Heidi and Mr. T cuddling one Sunday morning.

10. Heidi playing fetch on a trip of out of town. The ears. The tongue. You know she's happy!

11. Heidi, Nemo, and Melanie all sleeping together. I think this photo actually says a lot about their different personalities.

And I'm adding one more photo just for fun. On Christmas I went to visit one of my parents' horses to give him some special holiday treats. He may not be my pet, but since he's my parents' he's sort of like my pet by proxy. I caught this shot after he enjoyed a particularly yummy treat, licking his lips to make sure he didn't miss anything. Horses are basically really big dogs, right?

10 Years Together

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago today, Mr. T and I had our very first date. We went to Olive Garden. And bowling. It was truly a magical evening.

It still surprises me today that we ended up together. When we first met we were both home on breaks from college. A mutual friend just happened to introduce us to each other. We went to different schools, over four hours apart, so we never thought we'd end up seriously dating. We had about ten days to get to know each other while we were in the same town - neither one of us expected the other to stick it out when we were going to be apart again so soon.

But we did.

Now ten years later we're still bumbling through life together, and I gotta say, it's been a pretty darn good ride.

I love ya T, and I can't wait to see what we'll do in the next ten years.

Want to read how we got married three times? Click here.