Meet Percy!!

What a handsome boy!!

There are a few pictures of Percy in the photo album below & I bet some of you are asking, "Who is this new Percy character?" Well, he's the latest addition to our family of BBDs (Big Black Dogs) & he is most definitely a character!

Percy came over to our house with his foster dad on Thursday, December 11th & never left. :o) He's a Rottie mix & almost a year & a half old. His puppy-like antics keep Eric & I on our toes & laughing all the time! He & Sophie became friends almost instantly. Having another dog around the house is really helping Sophie emerge from her shell. She is learning from Percy that life isn't so scary and her confidence level has risen tremendously in the few weeks he's been in our home. It's amazing!!

Eric & I would like to give a little shout out to Austin Dog Rescue for allowing us to take Percy into our home. It's been an adventure and a blessing!

Here is their site for anyone looking to adopt: http://austindog.org/

For anyone who doesn't already know, Wallace, my parent's BBD (also pictured/mentioned on here often) came from Austin Dog Rescue. Both Percy and Wallace are living proof that perfectly wonderful dogs are waiting to be adopted from rescue organizations. It makes me sick to think that people are of the opinion that adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue organization is "willingly accepting someone else's problem". These dogs are not problem dogs!! Most of them were just dealt a bum deal through no fault of their own. Huh-hmmm, I'll step down off my soap box now, but seriously ... take a look at shelters and rescues before you run off to the nearest "breeder" for your next dog, okay? That's all I'm gonna say 'bout that....

And welcome to our home, Percy!! We love you and can't wait to see what the years have in store!

Here are some pictures of Sophie & Percy rompin' & stompin' the first week he was here:

Yes, that is "shy" little Sophie playing keep away with her new best friend.

Percy is always up for a good ol' game of tug-o-war!

And when they're all tuckered out, they like to curl up together in one of the two crates & take a nap. It's a match made in heaven!!

Look what my mom put together!

See ... we're all a lil' dog crazy 'round here!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Baby, It's Cold Outside

With all this talk of dogs, you may think we've forgotten about our first furry children. We have not.

As soon as the weather starts getting colder, all of the cats start getting a lot more clingy. They want to be on a lap or riding around on a shoulder at all times. The best part is at night ... who needs a heater when you have 3 furry cats and a husband in your bed?? I'm telling you, our electricity bill just keeps getting lower & lower! Woohooo!!

And when Eric & I aren't around to snuggle with, Bela & Lucy snuggle with each other ...

leaving Mr. Puss to snuggle with whatever he can find. On this day it was the giant Christmas frog on the living room chair: Poor Mr. Puss ...

Guess what??

ELEPHANT BUTT!!

I stole this from a friend's blog & had to share it with you. It doesn't get much cuter than this!

I Believe ...

A birth certificate shows that we were born.
A death certificate shows that we died.
Pictures & memories show that we lived!

I believe ...
That just because two people argue, doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, doesn't mean they do love each other.

I believe ...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe ...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe ...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe ...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe ...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe ...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe ...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe ...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe ...
That either you control your attitude or it will control you.

I believe ...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe ...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe ...
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing at all and still have the best time.

I believe ...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe ...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe ...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them ... and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe ...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe ...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world won't stop for your grief.

I believe ...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe ...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I believe ...
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe ...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe ...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you ... you will find the strength to help.

I believe ...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe ...
That the people you care about most in life are often taken from you too soon.

I believe ...
That the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything ... they just make the most of everything.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIMON!!

Simon's birthday was actually October 20th, but I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures on here. Shame on me...bad auntie!! (For those of you who don't know, Simon is my sister's dog)

We all met at my parent's house to celebrate in black dog extravaganza style. Simon ran around like a mad man, Wallace attempted to get ALL the tennis balls in his mouth at once & Sophie practiced her modeling skills by the pool ...

Nicola baked dog-friendly cupcake desserts for the occasion - they were actually pretty yummy - I tried a nibble of one! We (the two-legged attendees) toasted Simon with mimosas & we all sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him.

Simon had a lot of gifts to open &Sophie really enjoyed helping him ... not that he needed it!!

Wallace shreds wrapping paper (well, any paper) into tiny bits ... Christmas with him is going to be a blast!!

I think Sophie's favorite part was the "icing" on the cupcakes ... or maybe it was wearing a bow on her head. I'm not sure ... ;o)

Not really. I'm pretty sure she didn't like the bow idea, but she did look cute!

Fortune Cookies

Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes.

Sometimes fortune cookies are so dead on with what's going on in my life, it's creepy!

A Camping We Will Go ...

A camping we will go, hi ho the dairy-o,

a camping we will go!!

Sorry, I couldn't help it! ;o)

Well, obviously we went camping this past weekend. It was absolutely fantastic!! We had so much fun! Sophie went with us & she did really well - amazingly well considering it was her first camping trip with us. There were a lot of firsts this weekend. Eric & I have camped many times, just never together. I'm a believer that if you can put up and take down a tent without throwing things at each other, you have a pretty great relationship. Putting up a tent (especially the one we took - the 20 year old one I camped in as a kid) requires a lot of patience & communication. Go us!

So without further ado, I give you Camp Carlson! Pretty impressive, isn't it?? ;o) Even Sophie liked it! It got a little scary at one point when she got excited & decided to rub her face along the walls & the bed like she does at home. I guess she didn't realize that the walls would be so flimsy in our new home & she hit the tent poll, knocking it down. You can guess what happened next ... the back end of our tent collapsed with us inside!! I couldn't do anything but laugh as Eric ran out to fix it. Then Sophie decided to get outside & get a whiff of the new, different smelling fresh air. She was very well behaved & stayed close to our site even when she wasn't on a leash! Then ... after our long walk through the entire campground, she thought it would be a grand idea to "christen" our site. She made a big ol' poopie right in the middle of our site! I know this isn't the sort of picture you usually see on blogs or websites, but Eric's face is priceless so I had to share it ... even if you can't get a good look at him. It was hilaaaaarious!! Trust me on this one. (the glowing ring around her neck is her reflective collar)

So after all that excitement was over, we (excuse me, Eric..) built a fire, had dinner & went to bed pretty early. All that fresh air made us, especially me, tired!! I didn't realize just how cold it would get & I ended up fa-reeezing throughout the night even though I had on 2 shirts, PJ pants, 2 pairs of socks & a hat! Even Eric was cold - now that's saying something!

The next morning we made coffee with a percolator ... it took forever! Really, it did - we waited at least an hour for a cup of coffee! Next time we are bringing the trusty ol' Mr. Coffee. I don't care how much Eric protests!!!


(Did you notice the action shot of the leaf falling? That's talent I tell ya!)










We spent the day reading, fishing, laying around & chatting with other people on the campground. One couple even let us tour their Eco pull behind thingie. It looked tiny on the outside, but was surprisingly roomy on the inside. Of course, now Eric wants to add it to the top of our list of things to buy before we go camping again ...

That night Eric roasted weenies & we had weenie wraps.
For dessert I had s'mores ... Eric wouldn't join in with me. He much preferred taking pictures of me looking like a goof instead.

Honey, do I have something on my face?

Eric brought along glow sticks & at first I was thinking he'd lost his mind or something, but he had a really great idea. He connected 3 of them together & then we put them around Sophie's collar. Ta-daaaa! Now we could see Sophie at night. Well, kind-of. Below is an example of what we could see ... but it was really helpful when she decided to go exploring during a late night potty break. (Don't worry! We took the "necklace" off when she was in the tent with us so she didn't chew on the glow sticks or anything.)

Sophie by day

Sophie by night ;oD

It really was a wonderful, relaxing time. I'd recommend Blanco State Park to anyone. They don't have a whole lot to do, but if you're going there to relax, read & nap that won't bother you one bit. Their bathrooms are clean & completely daddy long-leg free (major points there from me!!), the park rangers are friendly & helpful, the trees are beautiful & there are a lot of birds to watch & birdhouses to peek in. The only down side is the fact that there is a highway close by that can get a little loud. I only noticed it twice, but if you're going for real seclusion, it may bother you.

If anyone is looking to go camping before it gets too cold, we're trying to make it out one more time before the end of the year. Let us know & maybe we can plan something together!

Thanks for reading!

Happy Anniversary to US!!

Woohooo! One year down & 49 to go until the next giant celebration, right?? ;o)

Eric & I celebrated our first anniversary over the weekend. We had a really great time - however, I had a little too much champagne. I can't help it ... I love mimosas!!

I was sick most of last week, so we postponed our "real" plans for another weekend. We spent this weekend at home reminiscing about the whole wedding experience - all the planning that took place, the actual day & everything in between. It's amazing how much you plan & how quickly it's all over. It's almost sad.

We also talked a lot about our honeymoon to Hawaii & discussed what we'll do the next time we go. We made mini-plans for this year - kind of like you do on New Year's Eve, but these are plans & goals we plan to accomplish as a couple. We spent one afternoon driving around looking at houses & dreaming. It's one of our favorite past times & this time Sophie went with us. She's great in the car & really enjoys the wind in her face.

So, it wasn't one of those crazy, whirlwind weekends, but it was just what we needed: some time to slow down, take inventory of our lives & truly be thankful for all we have. It was an absolutely perfect way to spend an anniversary. We'll do the tiring, whirlwind kind of celebrating another day ...

Here are some pics from our special day, one year ago. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Lisa!!

Okay, so Lisa's birthday was a loooooong time ago, but I didn't have a blog then - I have a blog now. Family & friends celebrated together on August 17, 2008 with a pool party & BBQ at Wes & Lisa's house. It was a ton of fun - especially watching the water fights that kept breaking out!!

Enjoy the pics!!

Sophie the Dog

For those of you who do not know, Eric & I have added to our brood of animals. We now have a 2 1/2 year old black lab named Sophie. She came to us from Las Lomas K9 Rescue & Adoption Foundation in Floresville. We don't know a whole lot about her background ... we do know she was found under a dumpster with a litter of puppies. She was skin and bones, but all of her puppies were chubby & healthy.

Soooo, what exactly is a Sophie Dog?

It was said by a dear friend of mine that a Sophie Dog is "an unexpected creature that frolics when she thinks no one is looking". This has become a very true statement. As she comes out of her shell a little at a time, only certain people are "allowed" to witness it. I think she even surprises herself sometimes. She'll be bouncing all over the place & then stop suddenly to look around as if to say, "Was that me??" It's really funny.

From what I've read about shy dogs, it's normal for them to take 3 steps forward & then 2 back. This is also the theme in Sophie's little life. I read an online diary written by someone fostering a shy dog. The posts were both amazing and inspiring. I'm hoping to document some of Sophie's major accomplishments & hopefully inspire someone else who may have a shy dog.

Here are some pictures I snapped of her frolicking before she noticed that I was watching & some of her just being her cute self.

Enjoy!

Sophie's first day home

Gettin' cozy in both her beds at the same time!

Pouty face because she had to get out of the water

Having a blast with Aislynn, Molly & Maggie!!

Let's get this started ...

I was thinking it might be a good idea to start one of these here bloggie things. It's a fun way to keep in touch & connected with people. I think people enjoyed looking at the website Eric & I had while we were planning our wedding, so why not give it a shot?
I also would like to use it as a journal of sorts to track Sophie's progress as she begins to journey out of her shell.
Please bear with me ... I'm learning as I go!