Thanksgiving 2011 :: So Very Much To Be Thankful For

Most of you will not be reading this on Thanksgiving, as you will be spending time with your loved ones, cooking up a storm, and of course watching those NYC Rockettes on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade! It is so important that we pause and remember all of the things we are thankful for in our lives on this busy day, during this busy season, and of course throughout the entire year. So often we get caught up and we forget what is really important.

The day becomes about baking the right pies and if we’ve having corn or carrots (both of which are high in sugar and should be eaten as a vegetable in moderation!) and if we are stuffing the bird or just baking the dressing separately. We are so caught up in the sales ads in the paper and getting ready to leave the house by 9 to get in line at the doors of our favorite stores.

This year, my heart is so heavy and calling to mind all of those things I have to be thankful for is what gets me through. There are a million reasons to complain::

• deployment looms over our heads and every second can so easily become one second closer to D-Day instead of one more precious second with my Prince Charming.
• We have sparse decorations and I am neither crafty or wealthy enough to decorate the way I want. It is hard to remember we’ve been “together” less than a year, and as Newlyweds nobody has every decoration they ever wanted! As we break our our Christmas Decorations though we will discover we have more than some folks married 15 years have and the spirit will fill our house!
• We are away from family and my heart aches to be with them… they are with me in spirit though, even though we shall sit at a table for two.

There are a million reasons to be thankful::

• Our health! We both have good health and that is certainly not something to take lightly.
• Our Family! It might be just the two of us right now and our three furbabies, but it is our little family and we are always there for each other.
• A roof over our heads: we are blessed with a house big enough for our love!
• Food in our bellies: we will dine this afternoon on quite the feast! (and then again tomorrow… and then again on Saturday!)
• Creativity: I have found such joy working in my shop! The process of coming into my little space and creating something is amazing. I can’t wait to grow my supply inventory and learn some new techniques!
• The love we have for each other! I have an amazing husband who takes me for all the good and all the crazy. Who could ask for anything more?

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! What are you thankful for?

A Trip To The Vet with my Baby Bosco

Since last week, there has been little change in Bosco, and in fact he has gotten a little worse. He got a hold of my hand pretty badly over the weekend and caused quite the welt to form. It was with a heavy heart but hopeful disposition I took him into the Vet this morning.

My handsome boy!

He was excited to be going for a ride with his momma all by himself and I was so nervous, but he was great… until he proceeded to defecate all over the exam room! My boy is getting big weighing in at a whole 18 pounds! We went through the usual deets about how he doesn’t like his ears touched and I told the tech how he was getting increasingly aggressive over the last month or so. Yada, yada… you know the story.

The Vet took Bosco away from me and the exam room and took him into the back thinking it was mostly protective aggression and she was completely right. He was fine once I was a distant memory in his little doggie mind! They were even able to trim his nails… ALL OF THEM! It’s been forever since we’ve had someone able to get all of them in one sitting!

The diagnosis is that he’s a chihuahua who loves his momma but doesn’t know how to show it. We need to have Hubs feed them, and feed them all in separate spaces. We need to have separate toy area for the boys or no toys at all. We also can’t give them snacks where Bosco can see the others getting them, even if he is getting some too! We are also starting him on a low dose of puppy prozac to see if it helps, which I am hoping beyond hope it will!

Thank you all for your puppy prayers! We are trying our best to make our home his comfortable haven and create a less anxios environment for him! Hopefully we will have great success! I’ll be sure to keep you all posted!

My Baby Bosco

The past few days have been really difficult with my Baby Bosco. I love him more than I ever thought I could love a dog. We even got three little stockings for our three little pups. Recently, he has become something of an abusive boyfriend and we have nick named him Emily Rose! He goes psycho on you or will attack me, but then comes sulking back and gives me kisses, acting affectionately apologetic.

His aggression is out of hand and his possessiveness of me has driven us to the point where we are beginning the re-homing process. I don’t even know where to start. I just know I need to do it before deployment and while Hubs and I can go through it together.

He has not been himself lately.

Right before we left to go back to VA he scratched me pretty badly across my face and recently he has been picking fights with Jonesie for no reason. He growls at Hubs when he goes to kiss me or hand me a drink, and he has gotten really aggressive mixed with possesiveness. I know I don’t want to take him to a shelter because I know we have gone there looking for dogs and it just isn’t where I want my baby to be.

I’ve never had to get rid of a dog and it hurts me more than I thought I could hurt. He is so much more than just a dog to me. He really is my little baby and I feel so guilty that we weren’t the right fit, or that we aren’t a good enough fit for him anymore.

I have been praying about it and I really think he deserves a better home. Possible with no other pets and definitely no children. I know I can’t let it get to the point where I have to out him down. My heart would shatter more than it is right now! Maybe we can put up a flier at Dogtopia and they can help find my boy a new home!

Please pray for our family at this point in time. He and I most definitely need it!

The Little Thngs :: Like Balls and Dogs

This week was a pretty rough week. There were definitely a few little things that carried me through though, and I’m hoping there are little things to carry me through the next year as well! In fact, I’m counting on all the little things to get me through this no good, very bad year.

Last Friday night was the Navy Ball for the North County in San Diego. I know I still haven’t posted my recap, but I have made this following picture my background on my screen. It makes me smile and not think about him being gone for a year.

We are a smoking hot couple!

We clean up pretty well! He always makes me smile! We went out for Caramel Apple Ciders and the following took place: I ordered one, and since weigh ins are coming up, he got his sans whipped cream (gross!) and when we got home, he asked if I wanted his. He said he doesn’t even like apple cider, but wanted to be like me!

deliciousness!

That necklace has also made my week! I have enjoyed wearing it more than any other accessory I own! You can find it over on My Sweet N0vember along with tons of other gothic jewelry!

I consider myself pretty lucky to have my little furbaby’s too! They are three of the best little things and I know they will definitely get me through to 2013! These boys are bananas!

They even held it long enough for an awesome picture!

I know they will keep me on my toes and will  be a good comfort around the house!

These are little things that got me through this week… I hope there were little things to get you through yours as well!

The Little Things Like Dogs, Bed-head and RAIN!

I know most of you are thinking “Rain? What is she talking about?” Oh, rain, how I’ve missed you! While our lawn is watered on a regular schedule, most of Southern California is not and I was so happy to hear the pitter patter of raindrops falling earlier this week! The ground sucks it up, and while too much rain could be a bad thing in our area with mudslides, we were blessed to get just enough to quench the dry soil!

Oh, and rain means I get to break out my favorite shoes! We used to live in Downtown Norfolk, where a sprinkling would cause a flood, so anytime it rained, I got to wear these and protect my little feet… unless it was a heavy rain and I needed to wear my taller rain boots. I’m just lucky to be able to break these out once in a while here in SoCal!

Mt Sperry rain shoes

Let’s get to the rest of the list, shall we? Les Petites Chiens have been super cute this week. Jonesie is finally settling into his new home (almost a month later!) and Bosco and Fiona are finally realizing they have a new forever baby brother! They are all jealous of each other and sometimes, all of them gang up on one of us in a fashion like this:

Other times our baby boys hang out on the couch with us in a more subtle “not touching every inch of our bodies to yours” fashion:

My three boys hanging out on the couch with me!

Lastly: I have trained my hair to be pretty amazing every now and then. When I was growing up, I loved sleep more than most teens. No lie. I would shower at night so I could sleep in more in the morning. I would then roll out of bed, throw on my clothes, grab my book bag and walk out the door. I had it down to a five-minute routine.

Sometimes my hair remembers how good it had to look bright and early and has a flashback. Hubs loves my hair first thing in the morning, and 99% of the time, I do to!

Yep, that's me making waffles at 5am!

If only I could get that volume any other time of the day! You know what has not made my week? Visiting bloggers I love, visit often or have found in link-ups and seeing this:

This means I try, but just can't leave a comment.

I give that a boo and a hiss! I’ve been reading, but unable to comment on about 99% of your blogs! I am finding I can comment if the page pops out, but not if the comment form is under your post. How awkward is that? I even cleared my cookies thinking that was it! It has been all week!

Luckily, I had a bunch of little things to get me through and let me know tomorrow is a new day, and today isn’t too bad!

Step Brothers :: Bosco & Jonesie

Have you seen the Will Ferrel/John C Riley movie “Step Brothers”? I sometimes feel like Hubs and I should get bunk beds so our boys will have more room for their activities. From the time we wake up in the morning (and on the weekends, before we’re ready to get out of bed) they are at it. I know they’re just playing – wrestling, nipping, boxing with their little paws. The roll and rumble from one end of the house to the next. They crawl under the coffee table and the bed. The tug on tore up foxes and giraffes! There are quiet whimpers and growls, there are teeth and exposed gums, and inevitably there is a Fiona off to the side barking at them to stop.

They seem to be happiest rumbling right on top of us, as if we didn’t know they were fighting over the same toy. Oh, we have about two dozen different toys for them to play with. Cuddly critters and ropes, squeaky snowmen and knotted monkeys. They never want their own toy, they always want what the other one has.

I think it’s safe to say our boys have become the best of step brothers.

This was around 7 am on Saturday morning. Thanks for letting us sleep in, fellas.

Oh, that great display of teeth? All for show. No dogs were harmed in the taking of these pictures. (great cell phone shots at that!)

finally calming down a bit

Don’t let them fool you, when it’s not a battle royale between them, it’s attack of puppy dog kisses, which I don’t mind at all!

See, they are capable of being calm!

I love my boys!

Three’s Company!

Saturday was a very important day in our lives over here at TYR! We embarked on a new journey with a new little friend:

“]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the most regal: Duke Jonesie von [our last name

We give our dogs “royal” names, but we just call him Jonesie! We went up to Temecula Saturday afternoon for some Five Guys (um… I’ve been craving their bacon dog ever since I tried it a few weeks ago!) and we heard all the barking doggies at the Petco across the parking lot. Just a quick drive by couldn’t hurt, right?

But when you have a connection with a dog, you just know you need to give them the forever home they so desperately deserve! [Enter PSA on adoption] There are so many animals out there in need of good homes! Animals in shelters and foster homes waiting to find the family the fit into it. Don’t think they are all mutts either- there are well-bred dogs in shelters, and some with AKC certification. You just have to look and be patient!

You can’t just get a dog because you want a cute accessory in your life. You can’t just get one because you’ve always wanted a bulldog. You can’t get a dog just because you want a buddy for one you already own. You have to want to add a member to your family! There should be a connection and you should just know! We’ve been frequenting the shelters for the last two months looking for our next family member and leave every time heartbroken that from all the dogs, we didn’t feel a spark with any of them.

When we saw Jonesie we just knew, and the minute they let him out of his kennel and into our arms, he jumped into our hearts and we were sold. Our new baby brother is getting along pretty well and already has momma wrapped around his [kind of big!] paws.

Today we had to get some boosters and a shot for tapeworm Not loving that, but hopefully we can get rid of all the junk inside of him and move right along. He’s a mama’s boy, even if he fell in love with daddy first:

Jonesie swooning into daddy's heart as mommy filled out the paperwork for him!

When The Lights Went Out In Fallbrook!

I heard we made the 11 o’clock news in Norfolk, on the night the lights went out in Fallbrook. I was in the middle of a movie when the lights flickered and slowly faded out. I thought nothing of it other than it must have been the heat. I tried to call Hubs and was unsuccessful. Anyone who knows me knows I am a panic person. The longer he did not answer my page, the more worried I became.

Soon, word came from the gal next door that the base was locked down. Not much later CNN was reporting about a terrorist attack and with no power to verify I relied on words from a friend that helicopters were flying back to base and preparing. My husband got home from deployment, off the ship, and in the last two days his life has been at risk? WHAT? 

Still no word from Hubs.

We were just talking about how we needed to build a little Emergency Center in the house which I have begun calling “The Fallout Shelter”. We have yet to start. I was able to meet the Marines across the street and one of the wives (as there are three Marines, two are married, living across the street). One of the fellows just got off base, so obviously they weren’t locked down. *Sigh of relief!* We chatted, and I returned home. Then I just sat and waited.

I booked the dogs for Dogtopia in the event we still did not have power today, and then I sat thinking about blogging, tweeting, facebook and MFP! What in the world did we do before the internet?

My phone because usable for emergencies only, as I assume the networks were crazy busy. Hubs got home shortly after midnight from dealing with hospital stuff. I laid in the dark, in bed with a busy mind: after I drop the dogs off I would have Chick-Fil-A for breakfast (as Temecula did not lose power!). Would I head back up there for lunch? Maybe Panera so I could use wi-fi and get some blogging done! Would the two pounds of shredded cheese in the fridge go bad? I just went grocery shopping!

Late into the night, around 1 am our power was restored. The dishwasher (which was half way through when we lost power) kicked on. I felt the fan above us create a cool breeze. The sounds of home alarm systems began to blare throughout the neighborhood. We closed up shop and turned all the lights off. A calm fell over me and I fell into a peaceful sleep. I don’t think I will soon forget the night the lights were out in San Diego County, and most of Southern California, Arizona, and Tijuana!

Backyard Shenanigans [Part One]

Thursday morning, the house fell quiet. I didn’t really notice until it was too quiet. I went on a hunt for Bosco and Fiona. I went into our bedroom, where Bosco is usually hanging out on the bed and Fiona is usually hanging out on a comforter she manages to pull enough of off the bed (since she can’t jump high enough to get on the bed. Princesses don’t really jump, ya know?) They were not there, but I saw her shadow through the curtains of our patio door. Good deal. Then I saw his shadow. Alright. Then… I saw another shadow? I went over and there was a third dog in the backyard. That was different.

I opened the door and Fiona came barking through the door telling me all about it. Bosco came running up to me to introduce me to his new friend and the new friend, a teeny little chihuahua, got low to the ground and crawled towards the door. I stuck my hand out and she came to me slowly. I was able to hold her and read her dog tag: Fefe. Fefe lives next door and must have been able to climb through the fence.

We haven’t spoken to the next door neighbors since the guy came over drunk at 10:30 one night to introduce himself, the weekend Hubs got back from deployment. It’s been awkward. I scooped Fefe up and walked on over though. The gal was super sweet and apologetic. The dogs all got along though, so it was no big deal. I gave her our number, in case they were ever looking for her and couldn’t find her.

Yesterday, the house fell quiet once more and sure enough, I peek out the back window to this:

"I got a brand new girlfriend, the kind you bring home on the weekend"

Bosco and his new lady! I called the next door neighbor and said Fefe made her way back over and they were having fun, so if she didn’t mind, we would let them be for a while and I would keep an eye on them. They had the most fun afternoon!

The Three Amigos!

Bosco sure was sad when his girlfriend had to go home, and they’re kind of pouty today. This has only restored the idea that we need a third, cute little dog for Bosco to play with. Fiona is grouchy about it, but my old gal will come around.

But Was It A Good Bite?

from google images

Over the course of the weekend we decided since I would be going into Temecula today, we would drop the pups off at Doggie Daycare. They enjoy the socialization and the get groomed on location! Bosco needed his nails trimmed and a good scrub down while little miss Lady Fiona needed a shave and a good soothing bath. Even though we’ve given her flea treatment, we’ve noticed some scratching lately and she’s been whiny. Hopefully, a soothing scrub and a closer shave will help!

This morning I left the house and we arrived around 9 am at Dogtopia. There was a woman who pulled in a few parking spots away from us and proceeded to release her six small, obese dogs from the cage of her SUV. One little fatty didn’t want to exit. As I was getting out of the car with my two over-anxious dogs, the woman calls for hers: “Come here baby!” Bosco tries to make a break for it and I inform him he is not the baby she is referring to. I let the lady go in first, as Bosco is a little… shall we say, aggressive, when he is around strangers.

The woman would not leave the lobby! So we sucked it up and went on in. Bosco was showing a little aggression before so I had picked him up. As he snarled and growled the woman commented that she could not believe his behavior. I’m sorry, what? Luckily for her, the Dogtopia gal said, “oh, he’s just watching out for mom!”

It was about 9:16 as I pulled away and left my babies there to be pampered and play.

An hour and a half later, while I was in a session with Dr. J, my phone started vibrating and it was Dogtopia. We were almost done so I did not answer it, but I mentioned who was calling. My first thought (which became a comment) was “Oh gosh, if Bosco bit someone I hope it was at least a good enough bite to make it worth my time!” You know, like if you have kids and one of them got into a fight on the playground, you at least kind of hope it was a good fight, maybe a little blood was shed even. You don’t want to have the pussy of a kid who slapped someone! Oh, is that just me?

Back to Boscotti: Dr. J just kind of laughed. I said, “Yeah, we’ve been training him with puperroni on the neck, so I hope he didn’t let us down! I mean, we watched shark week while training him, so did he at least jump and twirl as he was biting, or was it a quick little sneak attack on the ankles? Did he breach?”

 When our session was done, I listened to the voicemail… yep, there was a voicemail- this couldn’t be good! To my relief it was just the groomer calling to make sure I wanted Fiona shaved closer this time than last time. *SIGH OF RELIEF* The five minutes or so between getting the cal, and hearing the voicemail were the most stressful five minutes since we adopted Bosco and Fiona (a year and a half ago!). My boy didn’t let me down!

Do you use doggie daycare? Have you ever gotten that dreaded call and instantly thought your dog did something that would get them banned for life? I know I can’t be the only one in need of Cesar Millan!