the mess of a monday morning.

Sorry about our unexpected hiatus from the blogging world - I've been sick for the past few weeks (so typical) and so Little One spent a bit more time at Bark-O-Lounge than usual. I'd like to think that I'm on the mend now, however, so we're getting back into our groove. And of course we had to come back with a bang...

I was running late for work this morning, so while I rushed around the kitchen throwing together breakfast and lunch, I let Claire into the backyard for a few minutes. I was keeping an eye on her out the kitchen window, and I saw her start digging by the shed. It's rained for the past million days, so I ran outside to tell her to stop playing in the mud and come inside so I could clean her up before I left for work. As I ran outside, however, I saw Claire wagging her tail like crazy and puppy-bow at something. I looked around the corner to see who/what she had befriended juuuust in time to see her get sprayed by a skunk. She yelped and then began rolling around in the mud - possibly to get the smell off? or to get it further embedded in her fur? I'm not sure what the purpose of that was, but she was a hot mess.

When I finally managed to wrangle her inside, I put her in the bathroom while I tried to find some tomato sauce. Does anyone even own plain boring tomato sauce? I mean, I had a variety of name-brand options. Four cheese, sweet basil marinara, vodka sauce, spicy red pepper, etc. I grabbed a jar of the sweet basil and dumped it all over her. For a girl who isn't a fan of the bath in general, why would she like getting scrubbed with tomato sauce? Before I knew it, she leapt into me, covering me with marinara, and then started running around the house. I ran after her and tried to grab her, but she thought we were playing a game of chase, so she took off just as I got close enough to catch her. Then she stopped in the dead center of the kitchen and shook sauce and mud all over the place. I managed to get ahold of her mid-shake and carried her back to the tub so I could finish giving her a bath.

At this point, I was ridiculously late for work but I was a disaster - as was my house. I managed to take a quick shower, change clothes, clean up the kitchen, throw all of the towels into the washing machine, and run out the door in less than 15 minutes. Claire was sulking on the couch when I left, likely for ruining her fun with a bath, but hey, at least she was clean and smelling like an Italian side dish.

   

if my car wasn't already enough of a mess...

It started with the drool. I should've known right then and there what was in store - especially since Claire is NOT a drooler. Even had I missed that clue, I should have picked up on the fact that right when she got into the car, she laid down immediately. And had I missed THAT sign, I should have noticed that she was more tired than usual after being at Bark-O-Lounge all day with her friends. But some days, hell freezes over, and the planets stop their orbit around the sun, and pigs fly - all at once - and I miss every single clue that I'd normally be attuned to. Today was one of those days.

By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late: she was already hurling ALL over the backseat of my car. Poor girl and that upset tummy of hers... When we got home, she didn't even scan the yard for squirrels or rabbits, she just went straight to the door. And as soon as I let her inside, she put herself right to bed - on the couch. She didn't even walk the extra ten steps to our bed. She just curled up in the closest comfy spot.

Hopefully this is just a bug that will run its course quickly, but she has her annual physical at the vet's on Saturday as it is. That's a nice coincidence, I suppose. Though my prayer is that after a good night's sleep, she'll wake up feeling better in the morning...

speaking in code.

I follow a lovely blog called "Something Wagging This Way Comes" (I'd link to it, but I am blogging from my phone and the app doesn't allow that - but google it because it is worth it!) and one of the most recent entries was about speaking to your dog so that they don't understand you. It's much like how parents talk to other adults when their kids are around. Words become spelled out or spoken in some kind of code. My friends and I have to do this a lot with our dogs - what can I say, they're all really smart!

Claire starts looking around frantically when someone mentions squirrels, so you have to call them SQ's when she's nearby. You definitely have to spell the word "bone" or she goes on alert and sits in front of the refrigerator, waiting expectantly for you to get one out of the freezer for her chewing pleasure. She sits by the front door and waits for you to get a move on when someone says "walk" or "school", so we all have to spell that out too. I can't mention her friends' names (particularly Tucker, Sooki, Asya, and Chase) or even some of my friends' names (especially Carrie, Brianna, and Amy) or she will go to the front window and wait for them to show up - you have to just refer to them as "pals." And if you are talking about treats or snacks, you have to refer to them as "delicious food" or she will instantly go through a plethora of tricks in the hopes that she'll do something that will allow her to have one.

What are some code words that you and your friends or family use around your dog?

an update about our downtime.

Claire has been so happy lately with our new routine! Maybe it's a coincidence, but I think not. I mean, more one-on-one time means more belly rubs, and who wouldn't want that?! We continue to go down to the field every few days and I've been bringing special treats so that, while we're there we can work on coming when called - a big confidence-builder. Her tail-wagging has increased the more her down-time has increased. It's like she has completely decompressed! Not only that, but she now bounds out of bed in the morning when I mention that it's time for school at Bark-O-Lounge! There are better boundaries with playtime verse rest time, and it's been really good for her. I am incredibly happy because she is too!

It has been much easier for her to relax over the past two weeks, also. She hasn't been pacing restlessly at night, and she's been even more of a lovey little girl. I mean, we spent our Valentine's Day evening cuddled up together while watching a movie - her head was on my shoulder and she just curled herself up next to me and fell fast asleep. I couldn't possibly think of any better way to spend the evening. Flowers and chocolates? Who needs 'em when you've got a sweet cuddly dog by your side?!

times, they are a-changing.

There was quite a scary incident that occurred at the park last weekend, and it left everyone a little shaken up. I've been thinking about it all week long, and my conclusion is that it's time to make some changes around here. The bottom line is this: somewhere within the past 1.5 years, the dog park has become less enjoyable for Claire. Whereas she used to love going all the time, it's now a 50-50 toss up. Her needs have changed. She tried to tell me, she really did. I'm just a little slow sometimes. But after The Incident, it clicked, and I finally get it!!

So here's what I have decided to do. She still adores her time with her friends at Bark-O-Lounge (as in: she waits patiently by the door while I'm getting ready in the morning), so this is going to become a Monday-Wednesday-Friday deal. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will continue our long walks in the morning and at night. And on the weekends, like this one, we will run errands together, hang out, go walk down to the field by my house and play fetch, do some training here and there, and go for a hike or two. Stress free and fun quality time for both of us!

This weekend was our trial weekend without time at the park. Yesterday morning, poor Claire was visibly stressed out and seemed a bit depressed. But as the weekend carried on, she became happier and more relaxed and decompressed than I've seen in a really long time. It may be too soon to tell, but so far, it seems like a change is what Claire needed. And seeing her happily wagging that tail is exactly what I needed.

little blessings.

Hi everyone, and Merry Christmas! I hope you all had an incredible day filled with blessings! I didn't get to spend the holidays with my family this year (which was so weird), but we talked on the phone throughout the day so it definitely felt like we were together! I did, however, get to spend most of the day with Claire, which was glorious. She even helped me open presents while I was on the phone with my mom and sister. And can I just say how brave my aunt was to send me another new pair of slippers? Claire has a fascination with slippers and can't resist tearing them up. Seriously, in the past three years, she has shredded more than six pairs. You would think I'd remember to put them away so she couldn't get to them, right? Well, I'm determined to keep this pair around for awhile. Of course, I barely got them unwrapped before Claire bounded over and tried to take them from me... I think she has some kind of radar or something, because she is ridiculously drawn to them. I've never seen anything like it. Anyway, not only was I blessed to be able to chat with my family throughout the day, but I also got to spend time with some friends who couldn't go home this year, either. We had dinner and dessert together last night, which was wonderful. Claire was invited too, but I decided that Otis (our houseguest) could use some company while I went out for a few hours of "adult time", so the kids stayed at home ;)

As for a Christmas miracle, I got mine a day late but it was not a moment too soon! I was on my way to drop off Claire at school this morning and had just turned off the highway when I realized that I had a flat tire - and no man to help me, no Triple A membership, and no idea if I even had a spare in my trunk. Thankfully, I was only a quarter of a mile away from Firestone, so I rolled on down the street and pulled in. They didn't have anyone waiting, so they got me right in. Because I hadn't had a chance to drop off Claire at school yet, I asked if she could come in while they fixed my car. The manager was so nice and said that he didn't have a problem with it, so she was really excited to go and make some new friends in the waiting area. And guys, let me brag for a second: she was an absolute ANGEL. She sat quietly right in front of me and I gave her a little puppy massage while we waited. I was so proud of her excellent behavior! Unfortunately, the guys couldn't patch my tire (and I actually ended up needing TWO new ones), so when I realized that it was going to take awhile, I took a chance and called Stacey, the owner of Claire's daycare. Oddly enough, Stacey wasn't completely swamped with work when I called, and she was incredibly sweet to come and pick up Claire to take her to school. I mean, if you're going to get a flat, there's no better circumstance! When I finally was able to make it to work, I was just so grateful for all of the help that I didn't even mind the unforeseen expense!

What did you all do for the holidays? Any Christmas miracles for you?

a song for claire.

It's Friday night and I am happily in bed. A few weeks ago, I deemed Friday nights to be my movie nights with Claire. She usually doesn't feel like watching the movie with me, but she sticks around for two hours of continuous belly rubs. She's a smart one, and she's not about to miss out on that.

The preview of our movie tonight was for some kids movie were they were singing "Baby Beluga". Raffi's music was the soundtrack to my life until I was like eight years old, thanks to my sister being born three years after I was, so naturally I started to sing along. And then I started making up my own lyrics about Claire and sang it to her. You know, because I'm really cool and all. She was wagging her tail the whole time, so I am going to assume that she liked it. At the risk of looking ridiculous, I figured I'd share:


"Baby Claire in Tennessee,
Run so wild and you run so free.
Heaven above and the earth below,
And a little black doggie on the go.

Baby Claire, baby Claire,
Is the bed so warm
With your mama home,
And you so happy?

Down at Bark-O-Lounge where the doggies play,
Where you chase and dig all day,
Barking at squirrels and chasing your friends,
You just wish these days would never end.

Baby Claire, baby Claire,
Is the bed so warm
With your mama home,
And you so happy?

When it's dark, you're home and fed.
Curled up snug in your mama's bed.
Moon is shining and the stars are out.
Good night, little doggie, good night.

Baby Claire, baby Claire,
With tomorrow's sun, another day's begun.
You'll soon be waking."


...She just brings out the best in me, doesn't she?!

hello again!

After a few weeks, I'm glad to report that: we're baaaack!

I got back to the States last week from my missions trip to Uganda, and it's been a tough transition - I'm still experiencing major reverse culture shock. Claire got back last week from overnight camp, and it took her a full week to recover from all of the fun she had with her friends at Bark-O-Lounge. To help us both out, we've been having a lot of quiet time together - long walks to start our days and end our days, and lots of snuggles and smooches. It's really helped us both to get back into a routine.

This transition isn't the only one we're dealing with, however. As I mentioned before, I quit my job right before I left the country. Then I spent a few weeks having life-changing experiences in Uganda. Then I came back and immediately started a new job. Then our roommate moved out, so we suddenly have our house to ourselves again. All of these situations are awesome in and of themselves, but when they all happen within a six-week period of time, it can get a little overwhelming!

Because of all these changes, you will be hearing from us a little bit less this month. My goal is to blog at least once per week in November and then kick it back up to twice a week in December. Stick with us, will you? It's important to me that we don't just disappear from the blogosphere [I just love ya so much, LWC friends!], but I do need to make sure that I'm taking time to process everything from the trip, adjust to my new job, spend a solid amount of time with Claire each day, and still manage to get some sleep. But, like I said, we'll be back to normal in December.

Also, we'll be having a giveaway next week - it's a good one, too! All animal lovers will want to enter - even if they don't have a dog themselves. Now that's saying something, isn't it?! So stay tuned, y'all.

  

here's the scoop on our upcoming (brief!) hiatus.

Well, for the first time since I started this blog two years ago [wow!], the time has come for me to take a little break. It's not because I'm getting bored, or losing my vision, or running out of stories [not possible with Miss Claire], but it's actually because I'll be spending a good part of this month in Uganda with Visiting Orphans. I'll be back at the end of October, but I'll be starting my new job as soon as I return, so I figure I should give myself a week or so to get settled, you know?

While I'm out of the country, Claire will be spending time at overnight camp at Bark-O-Lounge. To my friends who also bring their pups there, would you please check on her and give her kisses for me while I'm gone? The average of kisses that Claire gets per day is somewhere around 49,230 and I really don't want her to come up short. Thank you!! Clearly, I'm going to have a hard time being apart from her. Seriously, I'm already going through anticipatory withdrawals...

I'll be hanging out over at our FB page until I go to Uganda, so feel free to stop by and say hello. Otherwise, we'll see you guys in November! Here's a little something for you all, in case you miss us already [my new favorite photo of CBB]:

  

dog days of summer.

It's been a little quiet here on the home front over the past few weeks, mainly because Claire and I have been soaking up the last little bits of summer. We've been going on lots of walks and hikes, and of course we've been frequenting the dog park as much as possible before the days get shorter.

So, for your Instagram recap, here's what we've got:

• Claire and Tucker playing frisbee/tug
• Sitting on Katie's lap while getting some love from Patrick
• Doing her best impression of a person - it's good, isn't it?!
• Playdate with the ever-so-handsome Chase
• Smiling all pretty
• Hanging out with Sooki -aka- taking all of Sooki's bones/toys for herself
• Staying cool with Courtney in the office at Bark-O-Lounge [picture courtesy of Miss Courtney]
• Muddy dog park feet
• Relaxing in the shade under a bench at the park
• Sleeping soundly

We hope you all have been enjoying the end of summer too! I love the warm weather, but I'm actually quite ready for the fall season this year. There have just been too many 100* days for us here in Nashville!

   

true confessions of a dog owner.

It's time for some true confessions! Are you ready for this? I put together a list of twelve truths pertaining to being a dog owner. Know that I mean no offense, so I apologize in advance if anything written is taken the wrong way. But I figured it would be fun to let you all know some of my honest-to-goodness thoughts and maybe even share some of my own bad habits! Leave a comment below with some of your confessions - I love getting the scoop!

1. I am of the persuasion that raising a dog is just as hard as raising a child.

2. Every Sunday, when I go grocery shopping, I make sure to bring back a special little treat or toy for Claire.

3. It's very likely that I spend more money on Christmas presents for Claire than I do on all of my friends combined.

4. No matter how adorable I think your dog is, I'll always think that mine is cuter.

5. I think you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat their dog. I tend to write people off if I see them treating their dog poorly.

6. It's really hard for me to like you if you don't like my dog. And please know that "like" does not mean "tolerate."

7. I have more of a problem with separation anxiety than Claire does. She usually does just fine when she's at Bark-O-Lounge while I'm on vacation. I, however, call/text a few times per day to make sure that she's all right...

8. I have been late to work a time or two solely because I've stayed in bed cuddling with Claire for too long.

9. Sometimes when we're at the park, I yell "SQUIRREL!!" really loudly because I think it's hilarious how Claire's ears immediately perk up and she looks all around to find it.

10. There have been many times where I have slept on the very edge of the bed as to not disturb the angelic sleep of Princess Claire.

11. Claire's vice is digging, and I even encourage it sometimes because I feel like it helps file those nails ;)

12. If I believed in past lives, I would definitely think that I was a dog.
  

cape cod's black dog.

I know, I know... We completely disappeared for a week. But I couldn't blog about where I was going because it was a surprise!! Now that I'm back, however, I can tell you that I took a quick trip home to see my family and to celebrate my grandparents 55th wedding anniversary -- yes, you read that correctly, they have been married for FIFTY FIVE years! Amazing, right?! And while I was spending time at the beach, Miss Claire went off to "camp" at Bark-O-Lounge. Stacey and Courtney are so amazing: they sent me a couple pictures each day of Claire playing in the pool, lounging around on Stacey's bed, giving Courtney kisses, and hanging out with her pals. I was a teensy bit jealous, actually...

While I was home, I just had to stop at one of my favorite stores of all time: The Black Dog [Seriously, I'm obsessed! I'll always accept gift cards... hint hint.] If any of you have ever been to Cape Cod, it's likely that you know about this store. They have awesome apparel for the whole family - including great gifts for your dog. Whenever I go on vacation, I always bring Claire a gift [she gets really excited if you mention that you have a present for her], and when I take trips back home, it's always something awesome from The Black Dog. This time, she got some bacon flavored treats - I was happily surprised to see that their line of treats are wheat, soy, and corn free and don't contain any of the things that Claire is allergic to. That being said, you should definitely check out their website and get some for your dog - and maybe even a comfy sweatshirt for yourself, while you're at it.

Gifts for my black dog from The Black Dog.

   

a tired dog is a happy dog.

I can tell that Claire had a fun day at school because as soon as we got home, she put herself right to bed. She didn't come when I called her for dinner, which was odd, and when I went to get her, she had completely passed out. I brought her dinner to her in bed, which she was quite happy about [as evidenced in her wagging tail] and she ate while lying down. I'm not kidding. There's that quote: "a tired dog is a happy dog" - it's quite true! And I'm happy knowing that Claire is happy.

You might be wondering why Claire is so tired. Well, this is what she did today while I was at work - and please note: this is the first time that she willingly immersed herself in the kiddie pool! We're making memories, here, people! When I got this picture, I was so happy to see that she was having such a great time! Courtney said that Claire would stick her face in the water, splash around, and then go zoom around the yard. She does that at the river, too - it's like she just gets so excited that she can't contain herself!

Share pictures of your dog's summer fun on our Facebook page - we'd loved to see what you all are up to!

   

TGIF.

It has been a busy few weeks around here. I'm sure that most 27-year-olds are out on this Friday night having a grand old time with their pals and staying out until the wee hours of the morning, but not this girl. Nope. I can honestly say that there is nowhere else I'd rather be than in this bed, snuggled up with Claire. Let's give a quick recap of recent happenings, yes?

• Work. Work is always crazy busy, but especially when you're covering for a coworker. [Elizabeth, next time you go to Switzerland, don't forget to pack me in your suitcase. Just kidding... or am I?]
• Preparing for a conference. I have a little over a month to do some research, make a powerpoint presentation, and come up with an hour's worth of pediatric social work goodness to present at a national conference. [I'm really excited about this opportunity, and I've got some great material. The only hitch is that I have a slight phobia of public speaking...]
• Uganda. The missions trip with Visiting Orphans is three months away, and it's coming up quick! We've been doing a lot to prepare, both individually and collectively. A lot of the planning has been for our fundraising event that is tomorrow night [if you're in Nashville, you should come!]
• Dog-sitting. I love my friends. I love dogs. So, it just makes sense that I help 'em out by doing this, you know? Also, Claire loves it! She gets to hang out (a) with me, (b) explore new places, and (c) hang out with her puppy friends. What more could she possibly want? [Answer: an endless supply of Nylabones].
• Photography. My other job. You know, aside from being a social worker and blogger. I absolutely adore photography, and I cherish the times that I get to use this creative outlet - especially when getting to take pictures of people's beloved pets! [That being said, I'm booking shoots into the fall, so let me know if you're interested!]
• Working out isn't my favorite way to spend my time, but it's important. You know, for my health and all that. I try to go 2-3 times a week, which gets a little tricky now and then, but I try to make it happen. [Unfortunately, in this case, it's not the thought that counts].

Even with all of this great stuff going on, the most important thing is that I get to spend some solid time with Claire each day. She goes to school with her friends on my busiest days, so when we get home, we usually just get into bed and cuddle [and there's no complaining from me about this!] while I blog or read or watch a movie. During the other days of the week - the less busy ones - I rush home, pick her up, and we go for walks and hang out at the park for a couple hours. Lately, I've been trying to squeeze in some time to teach her some new tricks, too - she loves to learn, that's for sure!

Claire is one of my main priorities, and because of that, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I'm always up for a quiet night at home with my best friend - especially with the busyness that has been going on throughout the past few weeks. It's no sacrifice at all. :)

    

my birthday girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my sweet Claire Baby!

Claire turned THREE-YEARS-OLD today!! And clearly, my girl got to celebrate in style! Thanks to Stacey at Bark-O-Lounge for working your magic and taking this picture! [Just ignore the fact that she looks terrified - this happens every time someone attempts to put any kind of clothing on her].

The little miss got to sleep in, spent the day at daycare - or "school" as we like to call it - and then got to go pick up some special homemade treats at See Spot Eat. In addition, she got a ton of birthday cards and presents in the mail from family and friends. She is one very loved dog, and every day I pray that she knows it!

    

who's who in this crazy game of life?

I went to pick up Claire from daycare at Bark-O-Lounge today, and Miss Stacey told me that she picked up a little something for my girl...

Coincidentally, these are some of Claire's favorite treats [thank you Stacey!!]. Stacey said that she thought of Claire when she saw them because the dog on the front looks exactly like her - down to the collar and everything. And while I do agree that there are a lot of similarities, I think that Claire bears a more striking resemblance to this famous girl:

When I suggested this to my friend Michal, she originally thought that I was crazy [which you might also be thinking right now]. But then when I showed her Claire's picture next to Kim's, she honestly agreed with me [that's right, Michal, I'm calling you out!]

You know, I think it's something about the eyes...

  

  

the shortest distance between A and B is always a straight line.

I have been home sick since Wednesday. One thing that you need to know about me: I hate being sick. I'd much rather use my sick time for "mental health" days, because then it can be quite enjoyable. But using sick time when you're actually sick is NO FUN AT ALL. I've slept the past 48 hours away, and my head hurt so bad from this sinus infection that I couldn't watch TV or use my laptop. Thankfully my headache has eased up today, which is why you get to read this new blog post - lucky you!

I dragged myself out of bed on Wednesday morning so that I could take Claire to daycare. She's very sweet and snuggly when I'm sick, but that only lasts a couple hours. Then she wants to play. And I needed to sleep. When I dropped her off, she was a little reluctant to leave my side, but once Stacey and I assured her that I was just going to go rest while she had fun with her friends, she was all right. I drove home, climbed back into bed, and slept for the next nine hours.

Claire was very happy to see me when I went to pick her up - she squealed, she jumped, she kissed me... the whole nine yards. [I love it! It never gets old!!] I don't put a leash on her to get her from the front door of the daycare to the car because it's such a short distance and she usually just hops right in the front seat. But on Wednesday night, she smelled something interesting and followed it  through the hedges into the next yard.

I walked down the hill to go around the hedges, and I spotted Claire on the other side of the neighbor's driveway. Now [picture this with me], their yard is on a hill, so on both sides of their driveway, they have walls that are level with the top of their parked cars. I was standing next to one wall, and Claire was across from me near the other. I called for Claire and told her that it was time to go home and eat dinner. She stopped in her tracks and looked at me, then looked down the hill, and then looked at the car that was parked between us in the driveway. [It can never be good when you see a dog stop and think]. And then:

...she started running as fast as she could...

...and she leapt over the wall...

...and landed on top of the car...

...and then took another huge leap to get across to me.

I'm not kidding. I mean, forget agility classes - I think she was telling me that she wants to learn how to parkour.

  

  

on the mend.

Sick puppy...

I had quite the scare last Thursday while I was getting ready to go to work. I got out of the shower and Claire was laying on the couch looking forlorn, and she had gotten sick all over the living room. The poor girl has had so many tummy issues with GERD that I know enough about it to know that it wasn't GERD this time. As I continued to get ready for work, Claire continued to get sick... And I began to worry. I went to work and sent my roommate a text for when she woke up, asking her to call me if Claire kept getting sick. I worried my way through the morning and finally had a chance to call Lyndsey to ask for an update on Claire. She said that Claire had curled into a ball on the couch and hadn't moved all morning. She also was dry-heaving and whining. Heartbreaking, right? I get sad just thinking about it. But that did it for me. I called the vet and made an appointment to take Claire in later that afternoon.

Not feeling well and not happy to be at the veterinarian's office.

Our very favorite nurse, Josie, was working that day and she commented that Claire was the sickest she'd ever seen in our 2.5 years of knowing her. I don't know who felt worse - Claire with her stomach ache or Josie for having to take her blood! When all was said and done, Claire was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis (for more info on pancreatitis, check out this post on my friend Jana's blog). We were sent home with an antibiotic, anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, and a 4-day supply of prescription food.

She's always happy to see Josie, though!

Claire was down and out into Saturday, but by Saturday afternoon, she started wagging her tail again - such a good sign! We went to the park for just a half an hour yesterday and then I made her get back into bed. This morning, however, she was up early and excited to go back to daycare! No, really! She bounded out of bed when I mentioned it and then waited by the door until I was ready to go! And when I picked her up this afternoon, they said that she played all day and was back to her old self. Now that is news that I like to hear!

Feeling much better!

Just relaxing after a full day of fun at daycare!

  

Thank you to everyone who called, texted, emailed, commented, tweeted (etc etc etc) over the weekend to ask how she was/is doing! It means so much to us both!

  

  

gearing up for barkworld.

I realize that I have been somewhat MIA over the past few days (in person, by phone, text, the blog, Twitter, FB... you name it!) but I've been extremely busy at work trying to tie up loose ends. Especially because I'll be spending the next few days in Atlanta at the Barkworld conference! Claire will be hanging out with her friends at Bark-O-Lounge; I really wish I could bring her to Atlanta with me, but the doggie daycare at the conference filled up pretty quickly, and I think she would destroy the hotel room if I let her hang out there while I was attending the sessions. But she'll have fun as usual, and she will be working as Lead Squirrel Chaser, so she'll be busy! While she's having fun doing that, I'll get to spend some time with blogging buddies, network like crazy, hear Victoria Stillwell speak, and participate in some really great workshops! My goal is to keep you all updated about the conference, and I can promise you that I will do my best - the next couple days will be pretty packed, so I may not get a chance to blog until I get back home, but I will certainly try! You can guarantee that I'll be tweeting throughout the whole thing though, so feel free to follow! I'll talk to you all soon!

couch potatoes.

Gorgeous, isn't it? Please note that the small portion of my leg that is showing in this picture is, in fact, TAN!! Thank you, vacation, for allowing me to see the sun! So yes, as you can clearly see, The Boot is my new fashion statement. Coincidentally, it also keeps my ankle stabilized, which is extremely helpful since it is severely sprained.


I wish I had some outrageous story to explain how it happened. You know, something like, "I was walking down the street and witnessed a guy run by and steal a sweet old lady's purse, so I immediately ran after him, pulled some ninja-like moves, and sprained my ankle in the process. But I still got the purse back, and I used my immense strength to pin the thief to the ground until the police arrived." Yeah. Wishful thinking. What actually happened is that I was doing a photo shoot for an adorable family who has two sweet dogs, and while I was shooting a series of pictures that involved their Boston terrier, their incredibly large golden retriever ran into my leg at 34720.6 miles per hour. Okay okay, fine, he wasn't running quite that fast, but he was running at me as fast as he could. I thought my ankle was just badly bruised, but when I went on vacation, it continued to hurt and began to swell. Thankfully, upon my return to Nashville, my doctor gave me The Boot. And I get to wear it for two weeks.


The most disappointing part of having an injury such as this is that I cannot go on long walks with Claire until it has healed. Claire will be going to school every day this week so that she can still have fun and play with her friends - because, Lord knows, it would be extremely frustrating for her to have to join me in the boring activity of sitting around. She has been pretty exhausted over the past few days, however, and I'm assuming that it is because she's catching up on rest from last week when she was at sleepover camp while I was on vacation. So if you're looking for us for the next two weeks, you can most likely find us on the couch resting. You know us, we're always trying to keep it interesting!