Introducing Miss Bella

We had puppy sat 2 adorable Golden Doodles last weekend.  6 weeks old.  One black boy and one gold girl.  Dad was gone to the shack and I wanted to see just how the boys did with the responsibility of taking care of puppies.  Parker really did great.  He picked up poop in the yard, wiped up messes off the floor, played, cuddled and cried when we brought them back to their owner.  Emmitt wanted to snuggle his (black boy) but when it came time to having to let him out or watch him, he wasn't that in to it.  Parker and I had to pick up the slack.

After the weekend I was totally hooked and wanting them both.  I made a list of pros and cons to discuss with the anti-dog man in my life.  I had told the boys from the beginning that Dad was the one that we had to convince, not me.  Parker and I presented the list to Bear last night and he considered it.  Once the boys were in bed we really had to discuss it.  I was actually nervous about talking to my husband about it!  I think because deep down inside I knew I really didn't stand a chance in that discussion.  I had been quizzing people with dogs all week about what they really love and hate about their dogs.  Things like hair and poop and sitters when you are gone, but then the other side was companionship for the boys, responsibility, lifelong friends, and fun!  The bonus is that Golden Doodles don't shed!  So after going to bed with the final verdict of absolutely not two dogs and possibly not even one, I chose to go forward with just the one.  The golden girl who won my heart the first day I saw her.  The one who peed on the mat almost the whole weekend we had her, the one with that tiny little face and those blue eyes.  A girl to live in this house full of boys with me.

I presented an option to Bear today and he went for it.  I decided to call the owner and let her know we would be by to trick-or-treat and when the boys went to the door, she could hand them the puppy instead of candy.  It took them a bit to figure out we were for real and that Miss Bella was coming home with us.  It was totally priceless!

Jinkies! Zoinks! Ra-Ro!

Halloween 2012!  What a night to remember! We started the week off with carving our huge home (Loman) grown pumpkins.  So huge that Emmitt still fit in one and Parker half fit.  Next year he says we need to cut the top bigger so he can get in.  I don't think he realizes that he may have outgrown the pumpkins.    We had a great mess all over the kitchen and thoroughly enjoyed it!

We really struggled with coming up with a new family themed idea this year.  We had lots of options, but just none that really stuck with us.  We stuck with the original plan of Scooby Doo.  Emmitt and Parker both wanted to be Scooby for quite awhile, but the costume was borrowed and only fit Emmitt.  Problem solved.  Parker then became Shaggy.  Really was not sure about his wig and both Halloween parties he attended he wore his cowboy costume!  But every body that saw us trick-or-treating commented on how great his wig was!  And the little goatee was pretty radical dude!  I was Daphne.  With a horrid orange wig!  Freddie (AKA Dad) had a neon yellow mullet wig that he boycotted the night of Halloween and decided to just drive us around in plain clothes!  We'll be selling this set of costumes real soon!  The kids still enjoy having us dress up in a group and I am all for it!  One year they are going to moan and groan that they don't want us along...so we better take it while we can get it. 

 The highlight that they are going to remember is this is the night we got our Bella.  

Aunts and Uncles

After a weekend of shooting my cousins wedding...I put together a little collage of my mom, all of her siblings and their spouse's.  I remember growing up and having a conversation with someone about who was my aunt or uncle and who wasn't?  I could not comprehend what they were asking.  I think I answered, "well they both are."  Obviously not understanding the question. It's not that I didn't know who was my "blood relative" and who wasn't.  I just never thought of them that way.  They were always just my aunts and uncles.  They still are just that...

The end of an era or decade

The end of August brought an end to the Curves chapter in my life.  August brought me many, many tears...but life moves on. You are either on board or you are left behind.  I am on board.  Now that it's September.  August, I'm not so sure where I was.  On the 30th and 31st we simply moved things out of the facility.  I left the equipment until the very end.  The club was looking pretty meek those last 2 days, but I stayed open until the very end.

 

On Saturday the 1st, we moved the equipment out.  One by one, out the door and onto a trailer.  Milo gave the kids rides on the dolly and on the equipment.  I commented that at least somebody was having fun.  The kids did great while we moved and hauled and packed.  They have been told over the years to only touch the black part of the equipment!  The white was the money in this case. Being in a franchise left us stuck in an agreement we had to abide by or risk being sued.  So I was diligent at getting all my ducks in a row and following orders.  The main part being that I couldn't sell my equipment.  I either had to send it back to corporate, strip and scrap it or I could donate it to another club.  I chose to donate it and charge them a delivery fee.  But I needed the stuff to work when it got to where it was going. 

These 3 pictures of the empty, boring club make me sad. What once was a place for women to come together and always felt so warm and welcoming really was just paint on walls.  But when it was the club, it was awesome.

 

There was an art to stacking all of that equipment on the trailer and getting it home.  Bear and Milo worked very hard at getting it all set up.  We managed to get out of the parking lot and through town without losing anything. 

Here is what my garage looked like for a couple of weeks!  I am beyond wanting my space back in order.  I have delivered all of the equipment to their new homes, I had an impromptu yard sale last Saturday and made a nice dent in getting rid of stuff.  One more attempt and then the rest is going in the trash.  After all is said and done, I am okay with where I am at now. Closing was the best option for me at this time in my life.  It's been a great ride...