This Blog Has Moved!

Since Joe and I have been on the East Coast for almost a year now, we are no longer transplants! So, I have decided to start a NEW blog for our life going forward. So, please update your bookmarks!

http://myfamilyandfur.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Neighborhood Family of Geese

It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but there is a family of geese that live at our neighborhood lake and they are just TOO precious! I took Jackson for a walk this morning, and I had to stop and take their picture. The mom was pretty upset that I stood there with my furry beast. She was squawking at me like she was saying, "You wanna go? I don't care how big you are, if you come near my babies, it's ON b**ch!"

The cutest thing is that they are always walking around as a family, and the little ones will be eating and as soon as someone approaches, the mom squawks and the babies coming running in. It's just so human like!

An UnEventful Weekend

Not much to report about our weekend. It was a cold and rainy weekend, so we mostly just stayed in, cleaned the house, and hung out.

We rented the movie "Blindness" and I had to get up in the middle of it and go to the bedroom to watch something happy because it was THAT bad. Joe stuck with it, thinking it had to get better, and was pretty much in a depression once it ended. Once again, it was THAT bad. Don't rent it.

On Sunday, we had a friend over who owns an Italian Greyhound named Daisy. Ava and Daisy absolutely adore each other, so it was so fun to have the two of them together.

Seriously, that's about it. Kind of a pointless post, I know. But there you go. :-)

Ava Wants Warm Weather

Last week, and especially last weekend, we had phenomenal weather. I'm talking in the 80s and 90s. It was awesome. Ava absolutely loved it! She even got excited to go outside and bask in the warmth. Well, this week has turned cold and rainy again and she is NOT happy.

She would like to ask Mother Nature for the warm weather back, please.

March of Dimes Walk

I can't believe it's been 10 whole days since I've posted! It amazes me that it's already Thursday - last weekend and this week have been so busy that it just flew by.

I thought I'd show you some pictures from the March of Dimes event Joe and I participated in last weekend with my company, Birthday in a Box. We had company shirts made up and a lot of people showed up, so we had a nice big group. Our team raised $1,830, and I just have to say THANK YOU to everyone who supported me. It really means a lot.




As you can see from my red face in the last picture, it was a super hot day! But we made it the full 4.1 miles, and it felt good. (If you are wondering, our shirts say "Shop Click Party" on the back - that is Birthday in a Box's slogan.)

The rest of our weekend was spent doing dog transport. We got in two new rescues that needed to be taken to foster homes last weekend. So on Friday, Joe and I braved the rush hour traffice to take sweet Lili to her new foster home, and on Sunday, we drove 2 1/2 hours to pick up Lou and drive him to his new foster home.

It was a hot, busy weekend, but full of good deeds!

This week has just been crazy - Joe is writing his thesis AND seeing patients (yay!), I have TONS going on at work where I am just fried at the end of the day, Joe is developing his own website for his business (check it out - http://drjoechiro.wordpress.com), I am getting a lot of inquiries and releases through IG Rescue, Joe is trying to market himself by attending lots of after-work meetings and Chamber of Commerce events... you get the idea. Oh, and did I mention that we found a tick on Joe the other night?? Yes, it was horrible, but he got the gross little thing off of him eventually and has had no ill side effects.

It's just been crazy, so again, sorry for the late posting. I'll try to do better. :-)

A Weekend for the Dogs

What a busy weekend!! We had a very fun and interesting weekend - all about the dogs. First, we got Jackson groomed for the first time in 8 months. We were not very good parents, and he had some big mats in his hair that had to be cut out. Luckily, he did really well with it, and is now our little brown bear again.

(By the way, this is him with his new squeaky ball that his grandma got him for Easter. Wow - is it LOUD. I love how grandmas can pick out the most obnoxious toys that their granddogs will absolutely LOVE.)

We also took the dogs to the vet last week, got them all checked out and updated on heartworm preventative and Lyme's Disease preventative, and left with a clean bill of health. Yay!

Then, on Friday morning, we got a call from one of our friends in the local iggie group. They had a loss in the family and had to make a trip to Pennsylvania and they needed a last-minute dog sitter for their iggy. We of course said yes and Miss Brita was dropped off on Friday night.

She absolutely ADORES Joe. To the point where she refuses to be more than 6 inches away from him at all times. She slept either on him or next to him the entire time she was with us. It was so sweet, but I have to admit, I was a little jealous. I mean, I was taking damn good care of her, too! But she just didn't even acknowledge my existence. Sigh.



She had a bit of a tough time Friday night. She was anxious and every time she would hear the slightest sound, she would anxiously look at the door, hoping for her parents to come back. Poor girl.

We had a playdate on Saturday, so we took all three dogs to that. They had a great time and it was such a beautiful day!

Headed to the playdate - both girls on my lap.

Are we there yet?

Brita playing with the other dogs, Ava wondering why she is forced to be outside.

She is such a pretty girl!

But not as pretty as this girl!

Two completely tuckered out dogs on the way home!
(Sorry, no pics of Jackson. He was having so much fun and all over the place, and I couldn't get him to stay in one place long enough to get any shots! He did the lure course twice, and was a complete hit! He may have a future in agility!)

Brita went back home on Saturday night. She was very happy to see her parents and they reported back to us that she slept most of the day on Sunday.

For us, Sunday was the March for the Animals in Baltimore! I want to thank everyone who donated to our walk. It was for a great cause and obviously something I'm passionate about. Unfortunately, we had to leave the dogs at home. Jackson still doesn't mesh well in a crowd and we felt bad leaving Jackson at home alone for so long, so we didn't take Ava either. But we had a great time talking to all the other dog owners and it was a nice day for a walk. Here are some of the walkers:

So, as you can see, it was a busy, busy weekend, all for the dogs! Hope all of you out there had a great weekend too!

Joe's Trip to Portland

Joe took a trip back home to Portland over Easter weekend, and he had a great time! He was able to see all of his family, get caught up on everything, and eat lots of stuff he doesn't get around here - like steak!

One of the people he was most excited to see was Marleigh. She is the daughter of Joe's great friends, Bryan and Kari. And boy, was Marliegh excited to see her Uncle Joe!


It was also exciting because Bryan and Kari are expecting their second! Kari is due next month, as you can see by this picture. :-)

Marleigh is convinced that there is a little sister in there, but Joe and I think it's going to be a boy.

More pictures of the family:

Joe's mom, Connie.

Marleigh with Joe's neice, Samantha; her boyfriend Dalton (in yellow), and Joe's nephew, Zach. (Zach is playing rugby now and Joe got to go to one of his games. He got so enthralled in the sport that I'm a bit afraid he's going to want to start playing. And that game is brutal!!)

Joe's Dad, Joe Sr., with the baby in the family, Roxy.

Easter Weekend with my Darling Doggies

Joe was able to take a trip back home to Portland this last weekend, so I spent four days by myself. You know, it's amazing how used to someone you get after so many months. Joe and I have such a great routine, and we always have lots to talk about and lots to do together. There were times I was sitting on the couch, thinking, "okay, what should I do now?" And then I would look at the dogs, and they would be staring back at me, like, "what do we do now?"

But I eventually got back to my independent self and ended up getting a lot of stuff done. And the dogs, for the most part, had a good time with their mom.


Easter Sunday was a little weird, that's for sure. My family isn't religious by any means, but Easter was always another excuse to be together as a family. Lots of talking, eating, gaming, and just hanging out. And to not have that, and then not have Joe to try to re-create that with our little family, it was a little sad.

So, I ended up taking the dogs to the dog park so we could at least have a little family time, just the three of us. Jackson loved it, Ava, not so much. (per usual)

I then headed down to D.C. to have lunch with Stuart, who luckily was still in town. We had a fabulous vegan lunch and then had mimosas at a nice little bar in Dupont Circle. It was a nice day, so we walked around town for a while too.

Then I hopped the Metro back home so I could video-conference with my family. Got to see everyone and even though I wasn't there, it was nice to at least be a part of the festivities.

Joe comes home tonight, and I think all three of us are going to be happy to have him home. Two trips apart have made us realize how excited we are about our next trip - together!

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend!

I Went Purple for Maddie

Purple is a significant color for Maddie's family, so in honor of her, I have changed my background color to purple.

To find out more about Maddie and her family, please visit these pages:
www.marchformaddie.com
http://undomesticdiva.typepad.com

And PLEASE - help me reach my goal for March of Dimes by clicking on the banner on the left!

Thank you!

Madeline Alice Spohr

Madeline Alice Spohr

November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009

I didn't know her. I haven't even really been following her story for very long. But today I found out she passed away and it totally broke my heart.

It's one of those things where you follow someone online and feel like you start to get to know them. Currently, for whatever reason, whether it's my job or my age, I've loved to read about other people's mothering experiences. When I came across the Spohr's page, it was such a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming, story, and it sucked me in. Heartbreaking because of Maddie's struggle, and heartwarming because she made it.

What I learned was that Maddie was born prematurely, and spent several months in the ICU. Once she was released, she still had lots of medical difficulties due to her early arrival, and was in and out of the hospitals dealing with it all. "Raising a baby... and insurance premiums" was the blog's catchphrase, capturing the good humor the family had about their struggles. Through it all, Maddie fought, and was a sweet, charming, and absolutely beautiful little girl.

I woke up this morning, logged into Twitter, and learned that Maddie passed away overnight. I was shocked, and as I said, even though I didn't know her, it really shook me up.

Their website - www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com - is down because the site can't handle all the traffic. But Maddie's mother, Heather, chronicled her pregnancy, and Maddie's life, and now death, on that blog. But you can read about them on another blogger's site here and also read all the posts others have written about this sweet little girl.

I am walking in the March of Dimes' March for Babies on April 25. Until today, I didn't have much passion around it. I supported the cause, and was happy to join my fellow colleagues to walk, but I had never been exposed to a story that really spoke to the cause before.

Now I have, and I am renewing my efforts. I plan to walk in honor of Maddie, and I'm upping my goal from $100 to $200. I want to do this for her, and you need to help me. Please, if you can give just a few dollars, I would be appreciative. You can donate directly on my page by clicking on the link to the left, or clicking here. I have 17 days, and I know I can do it!

I also have March of Dimes bracelets for sale - $2 each. All sales go directly to my account, and you will have something that will remind you of your donation, and of Maddie's story.

If you would rather donate directly to Maddie's March of Dimes page, you can do so here . A PayPal account has also been set up to assist Maddie's parents, Heather and Mike, with any upcoming expenses. You can donate by sending money, via PayPal, to formaddie@hotmomreviews.com.

For those of you who have already donated to me, another HUGE thank you to you. It means even more to me now.

For those of you who can't donate money, then please donate good energy, and send it the Spohr's way. Thank you.

Update on Dr. Joe

Joe with his new computer!

So, Joe has had some exciting things going on and I wanted to make sure everyone knew about it! First, he scheduled a time with a gym next to his office for him to come in and offer free chair massage for their clients. This was a couple of weeks ago and he saw a few people during his time there. He sent them follow-up letters, and one of those people called and made an appointment to see him! As most of you know, he's been treating a friend of ours a couple times in the office, which has been so great to get him back in the game, but this is his first patient he actually brought in from his own marketing!

He also came up with an idea to send all the schools in the Alexandria area a letter, offering to come in and do chair massage for the teachers. Well, it just so happens that teacher appreciation week is coming up, so THREE schools called back and accepted his offer!

And to top it all off, he bought a booth at the Red Cross Festival in June - which everyone has said is the best place to generate business. It will be all him, for two days, offering chair massage.

Such great stuff on his calendar, and it was all from his marketing ideas! He feels so great actually doing these things for him, as opposed to bringing patients in for someone else.

Everything is falling into place. :-) Hope everyone else is doing well too.

I'm Back!

So, there are a very select few of you who actually read this on a daily basis who have been extremely unhappy because of the lack of new posts. I have been soooo sick the last week and a half (basically ever since I came back from Wenatchee) and have barely made it to work, home, and in bed - let alone anything else. But, you'll be happy to know I'm back and feeling sooo much better, so get ready for some new stuff.

This last weekend was the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. Because I was finally feeling up to going out, Joe and I met Stuart downtown and we walked through the cherry blossoms to the Jefferson Memorial and watched some of the stage shows that were going on.



It ended up being really warm that day, and both Joe and I got sunburns on our heads (because we happen to be the palest two people in the history of the world) but it was so nice to be outside in nice weather.


I thought these were such great photos - this is Stuart showing off his artist ability:



Along with our fabulous day out in D.C., we also found out some very exciting news this weekend! Joe's cousin, Malinda, got engaged to her boyfriend, Quentin! Congratulations Malinda!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know this is late, but I just wanted to say Happy St. Patrick's Day! I had my traditional green beer, and Joe made me green mashed potatoes to accompany our burgers and green beans. We had green-frosted cupcakes for dessert. So fun!

Weekend Trip to Wenatchee - Part II

More Pictures!!

Here I am holding beautiful Miss Ava Marie, my cousin's new baby girl, who is 4 days older than Mason, who my mom is holding. Ava is so beautiful and so much littler than Mason - it was so much fun meeting her!

Here are the moms with their beautiful babies. My niece, Kaylie, with Mason on the left; my cousin's wife Christina, with Ava, on the right.

My whole crazy family who met me for dinner at my favorite restaurant the night I flew into town:

(The Wok A Bout Grill in Wenatchee, is literally my favorite restaurant in the world. If you ever find yourself in Wenatchee, go there - you will love it!)

Here are the dads, with their babies. Nathan, my niece's boyfriend, with Mason, on the left; and my cousin Dustin, with Ava, on the right.

Cousins holding cousins!


Seriously, do they not just melt your heart?? I wonder what they will grow up to be - do we have a future engineer, pilot, teacher, rock star, artist, actor, or veterinarian on our hands? It's going to be SO much fun watching them grow and seeing who they become.

Weekend Trip to Wenatchee

I had a fun, crazy, whirl-wind weekend! I caught a plane at 6:30 a.m. Friday morning to Seattle. I had to be up at 4:00 a.m., so it was not a pleasant experience. But, it was worth it, because I was taking a trip to visit family. I grew up in Wenatchee, Wash., and most of my family sti

ll lives there. My mom picked me up from Seatac Airport and after a quick stop to visit a good friend of mine, we headed to Wenatchee.

Most of the reason I decided to take this super-quick trip home, was to see my niece and her brand-new baby boy Mason. I couldn't bear the fact that I wouldn't meet this newest member of our family until Christmas - so I made the trip.

Here is the family:

My beautiful niece, Kaylie, and her boyfriend, Nathan, are raising this precious, perfect bundle of joy. Mason is such a good baby, so handsome and sweet, so they are definitely doing something right!

Seriously, how cute is this child??

He is so loved by so many people. My mother, his great-grandmother, is no exception.

Neither is his great-grandfather, my dad!

But Mason is totally in love with my brother, his grandpa. He smiles at him and it is just heart-melting. It totally turns my 6'4" bear of a brother to jelly.

Mason has an aunt and uncle as well, and I couldn't forget them. Sadie - a sweet Boxer that keeps an eye on Mason and has incredible motherly instincts:

And Ozzy - a crazy, super-happy Pug mix who loves each person he sees the best! best! best! until he sees the next person and then he is so so so happy to see that person too! It's too funny.

More pictures to come as I get them from family. Of course the only ones I had on my camera are of the baby and the dogs. So me, I know. But it was an incredible trip and now I just need about 16 hours to catch up on sleep....