Meet Our New Addition: Lacy

Today we headed south for a seven hour drive to pick up our new puppy. After meeting mom's new puppy yesterday, we were hoping for another wonderful addition to the family. The drive was long and the anticipation built as we got closer and closer to our pick up spot. When we got to within an hour of our pickup point we called the breeder. She agreed to meet us an hour north of her house to save us a couple of hours coming and going. We got to the Walmart pick up point and waiting...and waiting....and waited. FINALLY she arrived and we met our new addition. She was clearly sweet and energetic. She was wiggly and excited. We finished reviewing the puppy's health with the breeder and headed back on the road. But before entering the expressway for the seven hour trip home we made a stop at the Harley dealer to pick up T-shirts to be a reminder of our visit and puppy pick up. While in the Harley store, the puppy threw up her breakfast - not once, but twice. Oh, well! At least I was hopeful that she had nothing left on her stomach and the trip home might be free of such activity. T-shirts in hand we headed to the car and the expressway to head north. The trip home was long and snowy. The puppy bonded with us right away. With great company and the Steeler game on the XM, the time flew by, until we got to the Ohio border. Once home we settled the puppy into her new environment and introduced her to her cousin, Abby, and other two older sisters. It has been many, many years since I had a puppy. Let the adventure begin.

A Christmas Gift: Abby

Tomorrow we will be getting a puppy to add to our other two Yorkie Terriers. It was in sharing about this anticipated day with my mother-in-law that we learned how much she wanted a dog for herself when she asked us for one of our other two Yorkies. She quickly denied that she was "serious" and asked us to forget the whole thing. However, we couldn't forget the request as it was evidence of what we already suspected, she was wanting "company" in the form of a dog. She had a Yorkie several years ago, but gave her up. Now she was seemingly longing for another Yorkie. So, the hunt began. We contacted a breeder near the breeder we were going to see tomorrow hoping we could pick up two pups in one trip. When that didn't work out, we turned to the want ads. There to, our delight, we were drawn to two different breeders. After two calls, and two messages and no return calls, we were worried that our desire to surprise my mother-in-law was not to be. Then the phone rang. We were off. On our way we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch. There, while we began to eat in the car and get back on the road, the phone rang. It was the second breeder. This time, we were drawn to this breeder first. After an hour we arrived at the breeders house. Once inside we were introduced to two female Yorkie pups, seven weeks old. While this breeder generally doesn't let the pups go prior to eight weeks, she was willing to let us take the pup after we shared with her that she was going home to two other mature Yorkies and a new pup that we were picking up tomorrow. After reviewing the pup's health record, we got back into the car and headed home to let our girls out prior to taking the pup to my mother-in-laws. We were already scheduled to pick her up so she could stay with us for a few days. We arrived at her house, with the pup wrapped in a blanket. She thought it was one of our dogs, so when we handed her, what she thought was our dog, we unwrapped the blanket expecting the find our dog, only to see a new pup with little bright eyes looking at her. She immediately thought we had gotten our new pup a day early. We corrected her and shared with her, that it was her new pup, Abby. She hug Abby and began to cry. It was a very moving moment. She was speechless and in disbelief. She was very grateful for her Christmas gift.

The First Snow Fall 2009

I love the first snowfall of the year. It always seems to be beautiful and peaceful. Generally, the first snowfall isn't some major storm or blizzard, but a gentle few inches that melts by mid-day. As a child I eagerly anticipated the first snowfall, anticipating months of sliding, skiing, and occasionally snowmobiling. I grew up not far from the lake shore and experienced the wonderful lake effect snow that can only be experienced in a handful of states in the United States. Where I live now, the annual snowfall pales in comparison to where I use to live. What we get throughout the winter was often the total snowfall for a week in January. However, the excitement and beauty is no less amazing whether it be 25 inches a year or 125 inches a year. Our first "accumulating" snow fall this year occurred at night, adding to the wonder and beauty. A walk around the neighborhood revealed an enhanced beauty as the snow was illuminated by the Christmas lights that adorned many, many houses. While I eagerly await spring and opportunities to bike and ride my motorcycle, I will pause and take in the beauty of the season.

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree

My mother's favorite holiday was Christmas. However, it could be "argued" that her favorite holiday was the one that was coming up. I remain steadfast in my belief that it was Christmas above all holidays. Her influence has been passed on to me. I love Christmas for many reasons. First, it is the celebration of my Savour's birth. Second, I love the Christmas decorations and celebrations. The lights are so special and warm a very dark time of the year. They remind me of the Light of the World and how his birth brought light into the World. I love the tree. A symbol for me of the living that continues to shine during a dormant time of the year. Each year I look forward to putting up the Christmas tree. Each year the ornaments remind me of "our favorite things". Each year, like so many years since my childhood, we add an ornament to the tree to continue to remind us of our favorite things. Once the tree is decorated and lite, I love to sit nearby and view the ornaments and reflect back upon the wonderful events, places, and people they symbolize in my life. Often, each ornament reminds me of multiple memories that I pray never fade as they serve as a gentle reminder of how precious life and people have been and remain so to me.