This is a video of my very bad/spoiled miniature schnauzer Sunny, who has never known anything but a life of luxury, comfort, and love. He is determined to leave this life to find another home- or live amongst the wild, not really sure which it is he prefers- but after 8 (failed) escape attempts, I’m tempted to just leave the door open one night and see how far he gets…
(It also shows my sweet homebody boxer Hilde’ and my embarrassing yard skills. I DO pay a yard man but he’s obviously quite the slacker…)
Nothing’s more precious than seeing my best friends little girls, all grown up…. They look exactly like miniature versions of their momma’s- and maybe I’m biased- but I can’t think of any babies as cute as PNS2.!!!
stella showing off her age..
serious
natural
Hadleybear...
Love
street smart..
PNS in training!
this is the real stella...!!
pretty mini-heather!
sister love!
this is what they do when you beg them to smile...
momma feeling bad for sweet sickly H!!
3 years young!!
modeling is hard work!
i hope that pretty little head of her doesnt goes off the deepend in 5 years...
i hope that pretty little head of her doesn't goes off the deep end in 5 years...
PNS in training!
Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man. ~Rabindranath Tagore
Anyone with an internet connection and social media account is probably well aware of the TRAUMA/DRAMA that was last Friday night. But in case you missed the action, here’s a quick recap…
I dropped Hilde and Sunny off at my Dad’s house in Conway around 1 pm on Friday afternoon, in the safety of his 2+ acre backyard where they’ve spent many a weekend romping and roaming without incident… My appointment in Vilonia lasted longer than I’d hoped and I showed back up at the house around 4, prepared to relax by the pool with a cold drink and some good ol’ family catch-up. But when my Dad greets me at the door with “Have you got the dogs?” the feeling of panic and dread begins to set in…
Me: “No, why would i have the dogs?”
Dad: “I don’t know, I haven’t seen them since I got home- around 2. Hannah thought you might have took them with you.”
ME: “AROUND 2?!?!? What do you mean YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THEM??? Why would I have them with me???” (as I rush out the back door) “Why would they not be back here? Hilde! Sunny!”.. “Oh My God, DAD, OH MY GODDDDD….!!!!”
I tried to tell myself to remain calm– or actually my dad and sister told me to “calm the hell down”– but nothing could stop the train from barreling full-force into the depths of my dramatic soul. We searched and searched. We split up (Gabe and Ashely arrived around 5 to the disaster zone that was my dad’s subdivision at this point) and began talking to neighbors, posting signs, screaming at the tops of my lungs “HILDE’!!!! SUNNY!!! COME TO MOOOOMMMMMMAAAAA!!!” I finally end up collapsing in the middle of the circular drive, wailing and crying as if I’d just lost my entire family, or left leg, or killed someone on accident.
“MY LIFE IS OVVVVEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!,” I scream in misery, black mascara streaming down my face, bunches of hair in my fists, forehead on the ground… When all the sudden I hear barking in the distance. I stop, squint out into the dusk, and see my SunnyBear- the love of my life, my CHILD, running towards me as fast as he can (or running away from the 2 other dogs he’d been fraternizing with the past few hours), soaking wet and covered in branches and thorns. I grab him and roll on the ground, sobbing and kissing and shaking and scolding him all in one long and overly sensational movement. “Where is your sister?” I stammer between gasps of breath… “Why did y’all run away? Do you know your momma almost DIED just thinking she’d lost you FOREVER!!!!”
Sadly, Sunny could not respond, but I could see in his eyes he knew he’d done wrong. He’s my shit-starting child, a total escape whore. Hilde, my sweet, loving, rescued Boxer would rather cut out her eyeball than leave her home on her own will. She knows what it’s like to be left all alone, no food or love or plethora of doggie beds and treats and toys… I knew she simply followed her bad brother Sunny out the back gate (Oh, did I fail to mention we realized the far back barn-gate had somehow been left open? Probably from my father hauling a trailer of dead garden veggies out to be burned- but either way- the how of course doesn’t really matter at this point) to make sure he was safe and out of trouble. But here’s the thing… Hilde is also 2 years older than Sunny (which makes her 7) and has really bad hip problems. I can’t even take that poor dog on a mile walk without her having to lay down or limp the last few legs. So I felt even more panicked, after I loved on Sunny and assessed the new situation at hand. One dog down, but where was the other???
ANYWAY, I said I would make this a quick recap but clearly I’m a bit on the wordy side… The short version is that I continued to look all night. When it started getting dark around 8 I began to feel the deep wave that is depression settle over my weary heart. She wasn’t hearing us call- no one had seen her- it was dark and chilly and she must be SO SCARED. Dad slipped me a zanax and convinced me someone must have picked her up. She had a collar on (just no tags) and is one of the friendliest muts you’ve ever seen in your life. Surely someone saw her walking down the road and thought-”that dog belongs to someone! I’ll give her shelter for a night and start looking for signs in the morning!”- or something equally positive as such… So I switched from one type of action mode into the other… I became the online dog-hunter.
I started with Facebook and begged all of my Conway friends to repost. I then went to the local newspaper and place an online and print classified ad- even going so far as to emailing a contact I had that worked there to see if there was any way we could get my ad “noticed more”. Then came the ads on craigslist.org, petfinder.com, helpmefindmypet.com, and findmypetnow.com. I called/emailed every veterinarian clinic in the town of Conway, the Faulkner County Humane Society (left message, email, and posted to their facebook wall) and became best friends with the folks at Arkansas Lost and Found Pet Network. By 1 a.m., I was a total zombie. I just knew she was a goner.
Ah, but here we are on a Monday (3 days later) and I’m up and typing, so obviously this story ends well. Yes, around 4;30 in the morning my dad wakes me and Sunny up with the most welcome surprise I’ve ever received (at 4:30 in the morning). My sweet sister HildeBear comes barreling into the room, shaking her booty faster than she’s ever shaken it, absolutely overcome with joy! She’d found her way home! Sweet Jesus- Homeward Bound was a TRUE story!!! We all (my sister, dad, Sunny, and I) get up for a quick but jubilant celebration. We hug and dance around the room and update facebook… Then everyone, Hilde the most, pass back out, absolutely EXHAUSTED from the past 12 miserable hours. WHO KNOWS where she was all that time… WHO KNOWS how long she’ll be pained by the sore hip and obviously terrifying prospect of being all on her own again… WHO KNOWS if I’d really have to be committed to a mental institution had we never found her (or had she never come home)… All I know is that they are home with me, and I didn’t let them leave my site all weekend. And that animal lovers have this amazingly strong bond with each other and truly feel the pain of a friend when an animal is lost, sick, or God-forbid, dying…
So I end this overly long and intentionally dramatic post with a heartfelt thanks to everyone who reposted on facebook, texted me words of encouragement, helped me find websites and resources to look for her, called me with Boxer sitings, took my number, emailed me, and to Linda Hicks; who actually posted a blog about Hilde being missing that showed up on the homepage of the Log Cabin!!! It’s wonderful to feel such compassion from others in your time of desperate (desperate feeling, at least) need. THANK YOU!!!
And also with Sunny and Hilde’s photo shoot taken on Sunday after the incident…. Bad, bad spoiled and much loved dogs of mine…!!!
There’s nothing like old friends and yearly traditions. While we’re all in or nearing our 30′s, many of us married with kids, we all believe in the importance of “girl time”. From Baton Rouge to Destin to good ol’ Hot Springs, I love trips away from Little Rock and, more importantly, our commitment to this friendship. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends!!
August 2011- Ginger, Jill, Andrea, Megan, Rayne, Misty
August 2007- Rayne, Misty, Megan, Ginger, Little Megan, Shrissy, Jill, Chelsea, Sarah
August 2011- Chrissy, Misty, Rayne, Megan (top) Sarah, Little, Ginger, Andrea
August 2007- Jill, Misty, Chrissy, Sarah, Chelsea, (top) Megan, Ginger
Really cool websites, blogs, and photography make me happy and serve as a nice pause from the daily grind of updating the often really boring (yet well designed and informative!) websites I manage for various clients. Let’s face it, how much fun can you have posting articles for a termite company (Termite Droppings Will Lead You To the Source) or coming up with the Top 10 Reasons to Retire in a Gated Community?
So in order to stay productive and still engaged in what I do (know everything I can about the Internet) I often browse StumbleUpon to find the www’s that spark my interest. I can update my account with the types of sites I like (photography, quotes, yoga, cooking, decorating, fashion, technology, etc) and stumble through the most “liked” sites out there within my chosen categories.
Here’s what I found and liked today…
A super cool site showcasing compilations of inspirational decorating and design. Some of the top posts of the day that I liked include:
It also introduces a bunch of other sites selling really cool gifts… Which lead me to explore (another favorite site) Etsy as an alternative to Bed Bath & Beyond for Wedding Gift ideas. Check out this person’s super cool state cut-out cutting boards! What a great idea- especially if you’re really big on your state…
Etsy.com- AHeirloom
I then stumbled upon yet another tee-shirt shop with great quotes… I never actually order these b/c the quality of the material is really half the battle when finding a great tee-shirt- but maybe one day I’ll break down and give em a try. You have to admit they’re awfully funny…
MentalFloss.com
And then on to a pretty nice cooking blog (TheHazelBloom.com) with a great recipe that I would definitely be making for book club tonight if I weren’t on a “first part of the week diet” (which means on Sunday-Wednesday I eat right and workout so that Thursday-Saturday I can binge drink and eat out every meal…)
I would definitely recommend checking out her actual post b/’c it includes pictures and makes you want this way more than just reading the caloric ingredients and instructions…
Adapted from the Bev’s Macaroni and Cheese recipe on Recipezaar
Serves 5 – 6
Ingredients
8 oz. to 10 oz. macaroni or other pasta (like conchiglie!)
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika plus more for sprinkling on top
2 1/2 cups milk
3 cups cheddar cheese
Instructions
Boil the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking, and return to the pan you boiled it in. Set aside. (Mix in a little butter to keep the noodles from sticking if it’s going to be awhile before you make the sauce)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Over medium heat, melt the butter.
Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika. Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes.
Stir in the milk.
Keeping on medium heat, whisk constantly for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat, and stir in 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and toss gently until all noodles are covered.
Add half the noodles to a two quart casserole dish.
Sprinkle on half the cheese.
Add the rest of the noodles.
Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese, and dust lightly with the smoked paprika.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until it starts getting a slightly dry and a tiny bit brown on top (here’s the photo again!)
Serving suggestion: Top with bacon pieces!
DEARPHOTOGRAPH.COM is my next favorite of the day and another really cool idea for a website/blog; People taking pictures of old photographs in the same location of where they were taken long ago- and then adding really interesting quotes to them…
I wish I had the kind of time or motivation to be this creative…
Dear Photograph, I fell in love with a woman. I’m not ready to let go…but she is. McKenzie Dillingham
Dear Photograph, Oh to put on daddy’s hat and go for the big fish all over again! Deb Wheaton
And finally… my strangely ironic stumble of the day was upon this particular synonymy of the word “break”…
Main Entry: break
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: change from friendly to unfriendly relationship
Synonyms: alienation, altercation, breach, clash, difference of opinion, disaffection, dispute, divergence, estrangement, fight, misunderstanding, rift, rupture, schism, separation, split, trouble
It gave me chills to read it, and of course made my heart a little sad. Breaks are never fun- and I don’t know why they always have to end in unfriendliness… Either way, this was the perfect ending to my hour long diversion (or “break”) from work’s routine. Except I did have one final stumble which was just a simple image…
Brayne (Brandon and Rayne) Hurley are known for being fun, outgoing, and the life of every party. So it was no surprise that their wedding reception was one of the best I’ve ever attended! It was at the top of one of the tallest buildings in downtown Baton Rouge- the Camelot Club- and everything, from the delicious food to the super fun photo booth, was done perfectly! No need to talk through the night when the pictures speak for themselves!
