i'd just like to thank...

You know what? I'm just going to admit it: I like blog awards. But I would, because I'm all about encouragement and praise [giving it and receiving it], and a blog award falls right into that category! So thank you, Lauren and Desmond for thinking of us and passing it on! I'm excited to extend the compliment to six of my favorite blogs, too! But before I do the honors, I'm supposed to list some fun facts. These fun facts are going to be related to today and this weekend in particular, along with some other random things that are on my mind!

1. I'm spending this weekend puppysitting for Claire's friends Ollie and Darby while Erin&Jake go on a cruise. Claire hasn't seen them in awhile, so they're having a ton of fun catching up and playing hard. Rambunctious is a good word to describe the three of them right now, as I'm watching them take turns tackling each other.
2. Claire usually smells like maple syrup - hence the "last name" of Butterworth - but when we're at La Casa de Ollie&Darby, I find that she tends to smell like molasses. No complaints here! Either way, she's sweet as sugar... [I had to say it].
3. Claire's favorite treats are frozen 2" raw marrow bones. They're excellent for her teeth/breath, but I believe the cause of her pancreatitis was from giving her 4" ones. They were a little too rich for her. Note to self: 2"=good, 4"=pancreatitis. We're taking a hiatus from them altogether for just a little while. Solely because I'm nervous that the pancreatitis will flair up again without Claire taking a substantial break from all things rich and delicious.
4. I find it amazing how people learn to communicate with their dogs. I swear, sometimes Claire just looks at me, and I know what she is thinking and/or asking. I don't think one can understand this unless they've experienced it, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably think I'm crazy. Go adopt a dog and then you'll see what I mean.
5. I took today off from work so that I could do some life-giving activities (including taking a long nap with Claire, which was very much needed). It made me realize that people need to live a little more of a dog's life; dogs spend the majority of their time sleeping, eating, playing. Sometimes they do work (agility, pet-therapy, rally, tracking), but they keep a good balance. Minimal stress. They've got it right. So do Europeans. [Just saying].
6. I'm considering making some homemade dog treats this weekend. You know, if I am feeling ambitious. Got any suggestions?

Okay, time to pass on the award! Make sure you check out these amazing blogs - they keep me laughing!

1. Barley&Ali - Ali left a comment on our last post, and I've been obsessed with her blog ever since! While you're visiting her blog, leave a comment for her and let her know that you're thinking of Barley as he recovers from surgery.
2. Magnolia the Therapy Dog - This was the first pet blog I ever read, and it's been so cool to follow along with Maggie's adventures. I love the way Jay writes, and his posts are peppered with adorable pictures of Maggie! He also inspired me to work with Claire as a therapy dog, and I can't possibly thank him enough for that!
3. Sage&Erin - Erin posts about once a month, but even knowing that, I find myself checking her blog every week to see if there's an update! I feel like Erin and I could be friends if we lived near each other because she's just that awesome! She started this blog to chronicle her memories with Sage, which is why I originally started my blog as well. Start reading at the beginning - you'll laugh, you'll cry, and everything in between!
4. Life with Arie - I met Katie in October at the BarkWorld conference, and I loooove her! We became fast friends. And how could we not, when we're both "Life With" girls? Her blog is a great mix of fun and helpful information. And she does product reviews, which has saved me both time and money when looking for things to buy Claire!
5. Dog Milk - This website is chock full of products (for dogs and dog lovers alike) that you can't find at chain pet stores. Each item that is featured links up to the designer's website so that you can find it easily. If I had hours of free time, I'd gladly spend it browsing this site!
6. Fido and Wino - Shauna's blog began when she was single and continued on through dating, marriage, adopting two dogs, and now... she's having a baby, y'all! This blog chronicles ALL of that. But now that a baby is on the way, she talks more about Fido and less about Wino. She's responsible like that.

Now I'm ready for some chill time with three sleepy dogs. So I'm going to go do that while you check out those blogs!