(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

My, what a big bone you have!

A-Z Mondays, "B" is for "Bathroom Buddies"

Ha! You thought I forgot about posting today, didn't you? Whew! Almost! With everyone home from work and school, I nearly lost track of what day it was today!

Today's "B" post had me thinking...what do I post ...of course there are the obvious things that you'd expect from me....bowsers, barking, blogging, beach, botanical gardens...but nothing really struck me. Nothing, that is, until we got home from dinner this evening, and I had to go to the bathroom.

There it was, right in front of me....staring me in the face.

My Bathroom Buddies! Just remember, you are never, ever alone when you have a dog in your life...even when you'd really LIKE a little alone time!

If you'd like to see what other bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays, be sure to stop by Jen's blog here!

Golden Christmas

Ok, I'm going to try this again. I'm still having some issues with the puter, but hopefully these will post.

I have tons more pictures to post, but can't get them to load right now....grrrrrrr! Here is at least a start... Milo and Harley are worn out from an exciting Christmas morning. Here I am doing my best Ceasar Milan impression. Kona and Jack napping with a new toy. Kona, viciously attacking a penguin. Grandpa showing all of the pups that he is out of treats! Hopefully I'll get these issues resolved soon....

Its

Driving

Me

Nuts!

Frustrated

My computer, or at least part of it, is on the blink. I've loaded pictures from yesterday, but I can't view them. I know they are out there, waiting somewhere for me in cyber-land (or rather on my hard drive), but I can't get to them. I can view one at a time, and when I click to view the next one, the folder locks up, and I have to reboot.

Recently Hubby upgraded my OS. I know he thought he was doing me a favor. I know my computer needs to be overhauled. But, I'd rather have had it working slow like it did before, than have to deal with this.

I am, to say the least, frustrated beyonds words.

'Nuff said.

Merry Christmas Eve!

From our home to yours, wishing you all the best!

With love,

Sue, Hubby, Bear, AJ, Pickle, Jack, Jill, Kona & Harley

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

AJ - aka the Golden Whisperer

Young and old....Kona, 2 years old, Milo, 12 years old. Both sweet as molasses!

House Guests!

We have the honor of taking care of our friends' three gorgeous fur babies this week! Our friends had an East Coast trip planned for the holidays, and at the last minute their dog-sitter wasn't able to care for their pups after all. Of course the minute I heard what had happened I wanted to help, but with the short notice, and Hubby being on vacation this week, I wasn't sure how he would feel about it.

Have I mentioned what an awesome hubby I have?

He jumped right in and offered to help. He has such a huge, loving heart!

So, as of today, we have Laverne & Shirley, and Milo visiting with us. Laverne and Shirley are 10 years old, and Milo is around 12. They were all lucky enough to be rescued by a wonderful, loving, devoted couple, and the are all beautiful, special, adoring creatures. Having them here is an absolute pleasure!

Here are the first of what I'm sure will be a lot of pictures we take over the next week!

The initial sniff...
Checking things out...
AJ gets everyone's attention with a treat. He's practicing to be the next dog whisperer!
Hubby does the same trick! Laverne and Shirley are the two in the front - looking at the camera and smiling! Milo is the elderly gentleman with the white face sitting next to Kona.
Milo and Bear have a crush on each other!

Bear and Milo, Kona and Hubby...getting settled in.

I think it was love at first sight for these two!

A-Z Mondays, "C" is for Complicated

If you may have been wondering why I didn't blog all weekend, maybe this picture will help explain a little bit. (Isn't it cool that I can still muster a smile when I'm in a heck of a lot of pain? Yeah, I'm cool like that...)

I was, shall we say, out of commission for a couple of days. It's a bit complicated, to be sure. I started feeling rotten on Friday night, was able to make it through the night without going to urgent care, but gave in early Saturday morning and preceded to spend all day Saturday in urgent care getting different tests, poked, prodded, etc. Not a fun way to spend the day.


Anyway, after being diagnosed with diverticulitis, and a burst ovarian cyst (oh yeah, double whammy Baby!) I was sent home with 2 different antibiotics, and pain medications.


I'm starting to feel better, thank goodness, but still feel like I've been stabbed in the gut. Nice. Nothing like an all day stay in urgent care, and a blown weekend to get you into the holiday spirit!

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

If you'd like to see what other bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays (and I'm sure they are probably cheerier than me today) please stop by Jen's Blog.

Sweet Pickle turned Sweet 16 on the 16th!

Happy Birthday Pickle! A day or so late on the posting, I know, but I had to wait for pictures!

It just seems like yesterday that I looked like this....just hours before you were born.

And then, before I knew it, I was holding you in my arms!

You were my very own, very special holiday delivery! The nurses even put you in a special Christmas stocking!

We were so lucky to have my Grandma (Omi) visiting from Germany at that time. She was such a wonderful, loving, sweet, warm person. Her face always lit up around her great-grandchildren. Bear was her first great-grandchild.

And you were her last. I remember the moment this picture was taken. She was so excited to hold you! It was a very special time for all of us.

And then, in the blink of an eye, you are 16! A beautiful young lady, independent, strong, smart, sassy, and full talent and fun.
I'm hoping that your birthday was all that you wanted it to be. You certainly deserve it!

Welcome Home!

Last night we had the honor of going to the airport with a group of other therapy dogs, and joining with the USO in welcoming some troops that were arriving home from the Iraq and Kuwait. It was pretty cool, to say the least!

The whole group.

Waiting anxiously.

The payoff.

There were more pictures taken, but for some reason they came out really blurry. We didn't see as many troops coming in as we thought we would, but it was great to see the folks that did come in. One young man in particular, really got to me. He came down the escalator with a brand new baby in a snugglie on his chest. His young wife had obviously made her way to the gate to greet the new Daddy. The pride and smile on his face were contagious. It was, to say the least, a very special moment. I know for sure that that little family will have a very, very Merry Christmas.

Wordless Wednesday - Kona's Special Friends

Do you see a pattern?

You'd think I like Goldens or something...wonder where my friends got that idea!

A-Z Mondays, "D" is for Dogs on Display, and it's my Special Day!

Over the course of the last week or so, we participated in two different Christmas parades with our Golden Retriever Group. The dogs were dressed up, and looking divine in their holiday best. Our group was a huge hit with the crowds at both parades!


I mean seriously, how could you not love these dogs!

Our group from the La Jolla Christmas parade.

Kona in his Christmas best!

Our friend Shad makes a great Santa Paws.

Kona was dying for a hot dog!

Waiting patiently for the results from the Escondido judges...Would our group win a trophy?

While we waited, a special visitor stopped by!

Yes! Our group won the 1st place trophy for our division! This was our second year in a row to win. Sweet!

Can you tell Kona was over the costume stuff? (Get this friggin thing off me!)

And...on a different note...as I mentioned....today is my special day. Today is the 25th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Yup...my birthday. It wasn't that long ago that I looked like this.... Or this...

or this.

Seriously, I was one cute little girl! Thanks Mom and Dad, for having me.

If you'd like to see what other bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays, be sure to stop by Jen's blog here!