1st Post

So there are so many options in the world of blogging that I never thought I would get to this point.  Once I got my blog set up, there were even more choices to enhance your blog, that I started getting “blogged” down.  I finally reminded myself this blog was meant to record my family’s history through the art of writing-something I truly love.  And so I will write.  And I will embellish….my writing, that is.  And maybe one day, my blog!!!

So, let’s start at the beginning!  I was born in Atlanta, Ga.  36 years ago……no only kidding.  Let’s start with today.  Actually, I want to start with yesterday when Todd and I finally took the plunge (no not pregnant or trying-but almost as time consuming and rewarding!)……we got another puppy!  We have been talking about it for about a year.  Our original plan was to get one over the summer, so that the kids and I would be home to get him trained.  But hubby ended up with his leg in a cast for 5 weeks out of the summer, so I refused to travel into puppyland alone!!!  So by the time we got Todd out of a cast, football season was bearing down upon us.  That means practice for Austin 5 days a week until games start-then we go to 3 days of practice, 1day of game, 1 day off.  For Zach it’s 3 nights a week of practice-then a game on the weekend.  In other words, our whole world revolves around FOOTBALL!  So we promised the kids that the weekend before Thanksgiving break we would get our new addition.  That way we have a week off of school to get him trained.  So as the last week has quickly arrived, we had become a little concerned we would not find a puppy, since most breeders are planning their “deliveries” to be ready for Christmas, not Thanksgiving.  After picking up a paper yesterday morning on his way home from hunting, Todd combed the classifieds to try to find a puppy.  We ended up heading down to Peachtree City, a VERY LONG way from Canton for anyone who didn’t know. (I grew up on the south side of Atlanta, not far from Peachtree city, so I knew what kind of ride we were in for!  But it was worth the trip~  We arrived and the first thing I said when we saw the puppies(chocolate labradors) was, “Honey, look how big that one is!”  There was one puppy that definitely outweighed(in lbs.) all the rest.  The lady selling them said, “I’m sorry, but if he is the biggest one he is already taken.”  I quickly assured her that I wasn’t really saying, “Oh that’s the one”  I was just making a comment.  How was I to know my husband would quickly fall in love with that one.  We were kinda looking for a male, and he was only one of two.  A friend of the ladies had asked her to hold the biggest one for him and he would be there by 4:00.  We arrived around 3:30.  Seeing that hubby had already fallen for “Mudd”, she said we could have him.  She was a super nice lady, a christian and spent about 1/2 an hour talking with us, most likely making sure we were good “animal” people.   Next came the best part of all-lying to our kids!  Now, here me out.  You will really love this!  Since we knew already having one big puppy at home (Mikko is our 6-year old yellow labrador-if you have ever seen him crawl up in his Daddy’s lap, you know he is still a puppy at heart), we couldn’t possibly sneak a dog in on Christmas Eve without Mikko going crazy.  But since “Mudd” (Todd has had this named picked out for a chocolate lab for years) was a Christmas gift, I wanted to surprise the kids. So we called Austin and told him we really didn’t like the way the puppies were built, but we were going to look at another litter the next weekend.  We went by Petsmart on the way home and got a red and white fuzzy collar with jingle bells on it to put around his neck.  When we got about two miles away from my Mom and Dad’s house, I had Dad get the kids into the kitchen and we somehow managed to sneak in without them hearing us (nothing short of a miracle since Mom & Dad have two dogs of their own).  The look on their faces when we walked in that kitchen was priceless.  They suspected we were pulling their legs when we said we didn’t find a dog, but they had no idea we were in the house when we walked into that kitchen, which means we surprised them after all!!

So I could go on and on about how cute he is(he is SOOOO cute), and all the cute things he is doing, and how much we are enjoying him, but I won’t.  Like I said….it was worth the drive.  He is very CALM, bright, and cute.  Calm was obviously very important to us, especially already having a middle-aged dog, and being middle-aged ourselves!!!

Well, the clock has just struck midnight, so I began my first blog on November 25, 2008 and ended it on November 26, 2008.  I guess that proves just how very long-winded I am~

Wishing you blessings, mercy & grace~