Whatever I Feel LikeGosh!

Because I know you are just as concerned about my Gracie as I am… :-) Rob called the vet and they said Grace did just fine and we can pick her up in the morning. They want to keep her there overnight to watch for swelling or other complications. Rob even asked if we could come see her, but they advised against it. That’s probably for the best because she might be confused if she sees us and we don’t take her home.

It’s going to be lonely in the house without her tonight. I’m already sad thinking about it! I bet it will also be a nice break, though. She is a lot of work still, with having to watch her to let her outside for potty breaks and making sure we keep the baby gate up so she doesn’t get into stuff in rooms we don’t want her in. I felt a sense of liberation this morning when I left the gate open the entire time I was getting ready for work. Funny!

[tags]Grace, Chocolate Lab, dog spaying[/tags]

Grace is getting spayed tomorrow. I’m actually pretty nervous about the whole thing simply because I know no one loves her as much as we do. Aric said to me tonight that he wished he could go watch just to make sure they take good care of her and don’t screw up. I feel the same way. So, think good thoughts for our sweet little Gracie Jane. We will take her to the vet between 8-8:30 AM and won’t see her again until Thursday morning. I’m going to miss her like crazy. I wonder if we’re able to get her early instead of having her stay overnight there.

An interesting tidbit - when our other dog, Tasha, got spayed, Rob assisted on the actual surgery. He was a K-9 handler in the military and was quite friendly with the vet. He had to know how to perform surgery on dogs in case of an emergency in the field, so he was able to do Tasha’s spaying. Pretty neat, huh?

[tags]Grace, dog spay, Chocolate Lab[/tags]

I haven’t been here too much this week - hopefully you missed me, even if just a little. The changing of online habits at home has seriously put a dent into my blogging time. That’s okay, though, because I feel much more peaceful and relaxed now that I’m spending my time more appropriately. It’s amazing the amount of time it takes to really keep up a house the way I want it to be kept up.

So Rob is in the Bahamas right now for work. I was hoping I’d get to go on this trip, too, but unfortunately I wasn’t among the invited. Bummer. Rob is one of the most well traveled people I have ever met. Between his travels in the military and now his travels with this job, he really has seen a good part of the world. I remember when we would sit and chat about our dreams for the future before we got married, we both said we wanted to travel and see the world. We’ve both traveled and met that goal, I would say, but he has definitely done far more traveling than me. I should do one of those maps like I did the other day to show you. Or maybe he’ll do it on his blog after he reads this. Heh. Hi, honey! Miss you.

For a few weeks now, we’ve been letting Grace sleep on the bed with us at night. As she’s gotten bigger, and more comfortable up there, I’ve been complaining to Rob that she really needs to go back in her kennel at night. She was crate trained and did really well with it, and then one fateful night, Rob said, “Honey, she likes being up here with us,” while batting the big puppy dog eyes (his and hers) at me. How could I turn that down? Well, last night, I put Grace on the bed, and laid down to read my book before falling asleep - and Grace decided she wanted to be right up in my face. She was pushing my book with her nose and kept doing that whole sniveling things that dogs do. She was on my last nerve and I decided right there that she was going back in the crate at nights. I put her in, and she whined a little bit, but otherwise did just fine all night. And I got to stretch out and relax on my bed. Best of all, now there won’t be any more dog hairs in the sheets. Our sheets were getting nasty so fast with her on there. No more!

In other Grace news, I scheduled her appointment for getting spayed yesterday. In less than 2 weeks, she will no longer be able to bear puppies. Rob and the boys are feeling sorry for her, and I’m a bit, well, gleeful, to tell the truth. I am anxiously looking forward to Grace settling down a bit. I’m also looking forward to when she listens a bit better when we tell her to come. She’s gotten out the front door and taken off running too many times for my liking.

Whew - I had a lot of words bottled up inside from not regularly blogging, didn’t I? I think there’s more to come, too. Stay tuned!

I had a pretty eventful Holiday weekend, which is why you didn’t hear much from me the past few days.

Thursday night, Aric and I went over to Jersey to stay with my parents. We got there a little late, so we didn’t do much but watch TV. On Friday, my mom and I spent the entire day shopping while my dad and Aric did yard work. We were gone from 11 until about 5 or so - and were completely wiped out by the time we got home. I got some spring clothes for the boys, stuff for their Easter baskets, presents for my nieces’ birthday, and other miscellaneous household items. We also stopped at Wegmans where I got the most divine coffee ever. It’s decaf Vermont Maple Nut Crunch and tastes so good! That night we soaked in the hot tub and chatted for a bit. My dad regaled us with stories from his youth - good times.

Saturday was my spa day. I was up bright and early to get everything for my day ready to go. My first appointment was at 10. I got a Swedish massage followed by a facial and a pedicure. Pure bliss. At the beginning on my massage, the therapist was massaging my head when she felt my hearing aides. I’m never sure if I should remove them or keep them in. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hear, especially with my eyes closed, so I err on that side of caution and keep them in usually. When she felt them, she asked if I had aides in and when I said yes, she came around to the front of the bed and started signing while she talked. She asked if I knew how to sign, and I told her I didn’t. She had me highly intrigued by the time I left, though, and I want to look into it. I have always joked about having to learn how to sign, but I’m feeling more serious about it now.

My mom met me at the salon at pedicure time, and we had our pedicures together. After we were done, we reluctantly left and went out to lunch. It was so cold on Saturday and we were out gallivanting around in our flip flops! I’m sure we looked so cute. Once lunch was finished, we started hitting Vera Bradley boutiques in the area. I didn’t end up buying anything but we saw a lot of really cute stuff. My mom fell in love with an Espresso Brown Microfiber bag. Mom and I had a great time, riding all over the place. We started out in Newtown, PA, then headed to Yardley, followed by Princeton, NJ and then finally to Robbinsville, NJ, for my nieces’ birthday party.

The party was great - the girls got so many toys and loved them all! I spent the day playing with the girls and chatting with a childhood friend - it was enjoyable. We headed back to my parents’ house afterwards, where Rob and Grace were waiting for us. I hadn’t seen either of them since Thursday night, so it was so nice to see them. Grace missed her mommy something fierce! Rob and I spent some time in the hot tub, but didn’t get to really relax because we had Grace outside with us and she whined the whole time for us to get out. Rob actually ended up going back home with Grace a little while later, too, because she was being such a pain in the ass.

Yesterday was Easter - it was a nice day, but so cold. My brother and his family and my sister and her husband came to my parents’ and we had a nice family day together. I was ready to go home by the time we left, though, having been away for so long. It was nice to get away and have a great long weekend, but I was happy to be home last night, watching our shows on our couch. And today, it’s back to the grind!

[tags]family, Wegmans, Vera Bradley, Toppers Spa, Grace[/tags]

It’s been an exhausting week. One of my employees tendered her resignation last week, and her last day was yesterday. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to manage without her, but I know everything will work out eventually, it always does. In the meantime, I’ve got an extra workload and it’s just draining me. Now you know why I haven’t blogged in two days - I’ve been swamped at work and brain dead at night. I’m still brain dead tonight, though, so I guess that’s not really a great excuse.

In other exhausting news, I made some core realizations about some of my personality, shall we say - quirks. These things date back to early childhood and were quite painful to face. So that has been occupying my mind.

Grace lost three teeth tonight. She now has only one canine tooth in her mouth. We’re calling her gummy granny for the duration.

Tomorrow I go to see 6 Weimaraner puppies! Eeeee!! One of my friends bred her champion bitch, and you know I’m a big ole sucker for the puppies! I have no desire to bring one home, though. Grace watched a video of these puppies with me the other day and tried her hardest to get inside my computer. I think she thought her littermates were waiting for her there.
Pictures to come!

[tags]Grace, puppies, Weimaraner[/tags]