Happy Birthday Dave!

I am a bad puppy parent this year ~ too busy with packing and finishing up projects at work ~ I haven't been doing ANY cooking or baking for me let alone my 4 legged children...and I didn't even make it to the pet bakery to get a traditional puppy birthday cake, so what you see is a 'stock' image from last year's "celebration"  :)

 

I hope she hurries up and takes the stupid picture already...I have some cake to eat!!

 Yum...this is REALLY tasty!

 Hurry up Duncan, I want another turn...you better not lick off all the peanut butter frosting!

Today, Dave is 8 years old!  I've had him for almost 2 years now ~ I 'adopted' him from a woman who was moving and couldn't keep him...when I got him, he was looking pretty sad...

sportin' some Donald Trump comb over hair on his forehead

VERY overweight

very out of shape...I didn't 'walk' him so much as 'drag' him along on our first outings...

 the boys checking each other out after meeting one another

He had a bad limp, bad hips/arthritis, just generally unhealthy...I wasn't sure what I'd gotten myself in to with him...it definitely helped to have Duncan and already have an established routine - we started out taking shorter walks and just gradually built up...he started getting a glucosamine pill every day and there was almost an immediately noticeable difference in his walking - no more limping and not nearly as stiff.  He did require some dental work as well (said good-bye to 11 teeth at one time - ouch!).  But he is SO much better now ~ and he is SUCH a sweetheart.  He actually is scheduled to have a few more teeth come out tomorrow (I found out dogs have LOTS of teeth...42 to be exact).  Unfortunately he just has bad teeth...but the vet assures me they adapt over time, and quite frankly, I know he doesn't chew with those teeth right now anyway.

Both of 'the boys' are on the larger side for Cavaliers, and Dave could probably STILL stand to lose a couple of pounds, but at this stage of his life, I'm not going to begrudge him a little extra 'fluff'.  He gets good exercise...he actually RUNS now (Duncan has some competition chasing those bunnies)...and he is such a snugglebug.  I didn't intend to ever own two dogs, but now I can't imagine NOT having him... :)

Today he and Duncan are having a 'play date' (actually, they've been having a play date for the last week or so) with two little girls who I know love them very much, so I think he's going to have a pretty good day in spite of his neglectful mom! :)

Old Yeller & Murphy

I was not one of the kids in high school who got her own car the day she turned 16.  But I was able to drive one of the two family vehicles pretty much whenever I needed a car...it usually meant my mom was left at home without transportation but I think she was okay with that because it just meant her taxi days shuttling us around were done.  My preference was to drive our yellow Ford Courier pick-up truck, very similar to this one here, minus the awesome orange racing stripe.

 Source

I can't remember if it was a 1980 or 1982 (little Ford Courier trivia for you...they stopped making these in 1982, which I learned reading on the site carlustblog.com) (seriously, there is a website for EVERYTHING!!) but we'd had it since I was young...when we got ours (used), it did have the camper shell, but by the time I was in high school, the shell was off so it was just a regular old pick-up truck.  Instead of the orange racing stripes, picture strips of rust going up vertically on each front panel just behind the front tires...and THAT's what our truck looked like when I was 16.  Everyone at school knew who owned this truck.  Our nicknames for it were 'Lil Rusty' and 'Old Yeller'.

That's the only vehicle I've ever driven that was given a name....until now... :)

I've decided my 'new' Ford is being christened "Murphy"  can you guess why?

 This lovely message appeared on my dashboard as I drove home from dinner last night...

Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong"

I rest my case. :)

"I'm Busier Than A One-Legged Man In A Butt-Kicking Contest"

There's another movie quote for you...describes exactly how I'm feeling these days, between tying up things at work (sort of - more on that for another day), making trips to Goodwill, seeing as many people as I can "one last time", running last minute errands (think making keys, buying furnace filters, getting replacement bulbs for the bathroom vanity, returning unused / cruddy storage tubs to Walmart after buying better/sturdier ones at Target), learning how to back up with my trailer, CLEANING my condo...and on and on...Why oh why is it only when you're moving you decide to complete those small 'projects' you've been meaning to do but never got around to...wouldn't you want to do them while you LIVE there so you can get some enjoyment or fulfillment out of those completed tasks?  That's what most SENSIBLE people do...me??  Not so much... :)

I really wish there were 2 or 3 of me right now...I know that's a scary thought for some people...but it would really come in handy!! :)

Just have to stay focused!

the movie?  Somewhat obscure, but for whatever reason, it's one I remember, in particular that quoted line...the image makes me laugh every time...

"Straight Talk" starring Dolly Parton...can't say I'm a BIG Dolly Parton fan...just a coincidence that she's in this movie AND "Steel Magnolias"...she DOES have some funny lines though!

"The Only Thing That Separates Us From The Animals Is Our Ability To Accessorize..." (best said in a Southern accent)

Anyone know what movie that line comes from?  It's another one of my favorites...one that makes me laugh AND cry every time I see it...and I've seen it MANY, MANY times...there are A LOT of great one-liners in it...

I'll come back to the movie trivia in a minute...

After receiving my amazing b-day gift, seen here, I knew I needed to get some kind of protective cover for it...but the ones in the Apple store were a little more than I wanted to spend AND they were rather generic...so where did I go to accessorize?  Good ole' Etsy!!  Specifically THIS shop.  She had great fabric selections ~ I'm partial to Amy Butler fabrics and there were several options.

I settled on this one...

I love the bright colors and combo of floral / polka dot fabrics...definitely makes it easy to keep track of my laptop! :)

P.S. - the movie?  "Steel Magnolias"  total chick flick ~ one that's great to watch with your good girlfriends!

New PJs

How did I go so long without owning a pair of these cool pajamas??

I've never shopped at Cabela's but I hear it's a pretty cool store for those outdoorsy types...I still haven't had the 'privilege' of shopping there...probably one of the few places I HAVEN'T shopped in my life :)  These fun moose pj's came to me courtesy of my friend, Ashley, who IS the outdoorsy type...I can't imagine a more perfect place to wear these than in Alaska!  Thanks Ash ~

How Cute is this??

One of the things on my 'to do' list before leaving was to get Duncan & Dave to the vet for their necessary shots and teeth exam.  I knew Dave was going to need to get a few teeth pulled...and Duncan had a couple that were questionable. 

One of my neighbors also has a Cavalier and I'd noticed that he had a mobile pet vet come to his home to take care of his dog the last few times.  I thought it was a great idea...you'd think it would be more expensive to go this route, but the mobile vet was actually quite a bit less than where I'd been going.

Dr. Amy came to my office last week to see Duncan & Dave ~ they started barking at the big bulldog on the side of her vehicle as apparently they thought it was a real dog

 Turns out, there ARE real life bulldogs in her life and she had one with her, who is expecting puppies in about another week or so...poor thing looked pretty uncomfortable.

Anyway, D&D are good with their shots...so we should be able to cross the Canadian border with no trouble...we scheduled an appointment to have their teeth cleaned / pulled in another week or so...a couple of days after our initial meeting I got THIS in the mail...

Front

Back

How cute is that??  What a great follow-up idea ~ too bad she doesn't go as far as Anchorage!  I'd love to keep her as their vet.

And now, it's time for me to get back to packing...

It's All Relative

One of the first things I do when I wake up each morning is check the weather...I used to turn on the t.v. to do this, but now with that new fangled technology out there, I just pull up the weather app on my phone...it's great because you can set it to see the weather in multiple locations so I can check Colorado, Alaska, Russia, South Africa...wherever I want to see. It's been in the mid to upper 80's here recently, so when I saw the forecasted high of ONLY 75* my first thought was, 'Oh, it's going to be colder today.'  And then I started laughing (yes, I laugh at myself / by myself sometimes...don't you??) as I thought, 'when I'm in Alaska, if it gets UP to 75* I'll be thinking, Wow, it's really WARM today!'  :)

COLORADO Today Jun 17

Sat 18

Sun 19

Mon 20

Tue 21

Isolated T-Storms	Isolated T-Storms	Mostly Cloudy	Scattered T-Storms	Few Showers
76°F	79°	79°	66°	72°
High	High	High	High	High
55°	56°	56°	54°	55°
Low	Low	Low	Low	Low

ALASKA  Today Jun 17

Sat 18

Sun 19

Mon 20

Tue 21

Sunny	Partly Cloudy	PM Showers	Showers	Showers
69°F	70°	64°	64°	65°
High	High	High	High	High
51°	53°	53°	54°	53°
Low	Low	Low	Low	Low

Saying Goodbye

WARNING:  THIS IS A VERY WORDY POST...

YOU'VE BEEN FOREWARNED...

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!  :)

The goodbyes have begun...I'm trying to spend time with as many friends as I can in the remaining days I have in CO ~ tears are definitely hovering under the surface, just waiting to spill over (and may have in some cases).  I'm still very excited about what's to come ~ and know that these last couple of weeks will be a whirlwind ~ but I'm realizing just how many people I'm leaving behind...it makes me so thankful for the many special friendships I have in my life.

For the past 5 years or so, I have volunteered at my local library.  Tonight was my last night going in as a volunteer.  As I've mentioned before, I LOVE to read...books have always been a big part of my life.  Several years ago I responded to an ad in the local Parker paper looking for volunteers to help in the library for what turned out to be a temporary volunteer project...I enjoyed doing it and was a little disappointed that there wasn't an on-going volunteer opportunity...but a few weeks later I received a call from the volunteer coordinator asking if I'd like to come in on a regular basis.  And I've been doing it ever since.  I've done a variety of different tasks while I was there, but for the past year or so my primary responsibility was keeping up the used 'bookstore' within the library ~ it's called "The Second Chapter" (isn't that a great name for a used bookstore)?  People donate books they no longer want and the library sells them for $.50 (for kids and some paperbacks) up to $2.00 (for hard covers) and the money goes back to the library ~ it's the best deal around in my opinion.  I've always loved the movie "You've Got Mail", partially because I love the children's bookstore Meg Ryan's character owns and runs in the movie...I've always thought it would be SO fun to have a shop like that, but I know there's just no way to compete with the Borders, Barnes & Nobles, Amazon and Costcos out there.  But working in "The Second Chapter" kind of felt like my own little bookstore.

Tonight the volunteer coordinator put together a good-bye party for me ~ she's so thoughtful, clever and sweet.  She MADE a table full of goodies...chocolate truffle pie, lemon glazed bundt cake, banana bread, brownies and HOMEMADE strawberry ice cream (everything was SO good, but ESPECIALLY the ice cream...I REALLY want to get an ice cream maker now...I don't CARE that I'm moving to the Arctic circle) :)

I didn't have my camera with me to get any pictures of the table spread, but I came home and snapped a coupe of shots of some of the goodies she used to decorate the table...

And not only is Sylvia a wonderful baker, cook, friend, grandma (she has a set of Quintuplet grandchildren among others) and volunteer coordinator, she is also a creative, crafty jewelry maker as well ~ she made this beautiful tree necklace for me and snuck it in among my things tonight...

Isn't it so cool?  I'm proud to own a Sylvia original! :)

Thank you Sylvia for the very thoughtful send-off this evening...I will really miss seeing you all each week...I hope to find another opportunity to do something similar in Anchorage....but I know it won't be the same because you won't be there!

Signs of the Times

You know how it is when you are in a particular situation, or something is going on in your life, and suddenly it seems that everywhere you look you notice it popping up everywhere?  Like if you're adopting, suddenly you notice all kinds of articles / stories that appear on adoption, or you meet all kinds of people that HAVE adopted or BEEN adopted etc...Or, if you're planning a trip say to China, suddenly everyone you talk to has either been there or KNOWS someone who's been there...and you start noticing headlines relating to the place you're planning to visit...

Earlier today I had a quick errand to run for work...as I was sitting at a stoplight, I noticed the car next to me had a license plate in the back window...specifically, an ALASKA license plate...and it was personalized...it said "AK GIRL".  I didn't think to get a picture of it until after the car had driven off, but it made me smile.

La Sandia

One of the things I like best about Colorado summers is the opportunity they provide to sit outside on restaurant patios...today was a perfectly sunny, warm Colorado day so I was able to do just that for lunch with some good friends.  I'm kicking myself that I didn't snap a photo of the terrific view of the mountains, but it was beautiful...blue skies, lots of sun...and a shaded / cover patio for us to sit under.

La Sandia is a great Mexican restaurant that has both an upstairs and main floor outdoor patio / bar area.  They make guacamole table side, provide sangria by the pitcher, and have fabulous food!  This was the first time I'd been on a weekend, so was able to try out their brunch menu...

Iron Skillet Tacos with potatoes, eggs, onions, cilantro, chorizo sausage, flour tortillas, black beans, salsa verde and salsa rojas...it was delicious!   And I always love their presentations...

Ashley's choice...tortilla soup, cheese enchilada and chicken tinga taco...

 And Dean's choice...chicken quesadillas...with a Coors Light... :)

 the blue skies turned somewhat cloudy by the time we left, but it was still a great day...

 close up of the cool punched tin stars decor hanging from the ceiling

Thanks Dean & Ashley for a fun birthday lunch!

Friends Paraphernalia

My friend Mary sent me a Groupon gift for my birthday to Cafepress.com.  It's a great place to find pretty much anything you want printed onto anything you can imagine...t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, tote bags, water bottles etc...  They have prints for just about any t.v. show, movie, author, animal or quote you can imagine...you can even create your own if you want.  It took me several visits to the site to decide on what I'd like to get...there were just too many choices!  

But I finally settled on these two items...

This tee...

in honor of THIS episode of "Friends"...

 and this water bottle....

 

in honor of THIS episode of "Friends"

This show makes me laugh EVERY time...seriously think "Friends" is one of the funniest shows EVER!! :)  Thanks again Mary for a really great gift ~ I'll think of you every time I wear the shirt or drink out of my new water bottle! :)

Etsy find

I love Etsy.  It's such a great site if you're looking for a unique item, or you want something handmade/homemade but don't want to make it yourself.  I could easily spend HOURS browsing on there (actually, I know I already have)...I've bought several items from different sellers over the last couple of years - a lot of items for gifts, and some items for myself...and everything has always turned out great.

I saw a link to THIS site tonite and had fun browsing her Etsy shop...I saw this particular necklace and thought it was rather appropriate...or soon will be... :)

  Source

 She has one available for pretty much every state and many popular countries.  And she takes custom orders as well...definitely something unique that I don't see many any people wearing.  I don't feel like I deserve to own the Alaska one at this point...but the Colorado one is SO boring!

Source 

 

What do you think?