A Year Has Come and Gone

I cannot believe today is the last day of 2010. I am ready and waiting for everything life has to throw at me in 2011. Bring it world! The Missaroo and I are ready.

I also cannot believe we've been blogging all year. It has been quite the experience. It is definitely the best therapy I've ever had and the best part is, it's free! I've also learned a lot of lessons about blogging, the power of words, and that one voice in the wilderness is still better than no voice at all. I can't wait to celebrate the blog's one year anniversary with all of you. And I can't believe how many of you read it!

So many people have come up and told me they read it everyday! EVERYDAY!?! Sorry I've left you hanging then most of the month. I always get a little blue around Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back to writing nearly everyday soon.

But most importantly, a year of blogging has really helped me grow as a dog mom. It has kept me accountable to the Missaroo and it has also helped me track her development. I would often times forget when the last time she puked was and what happened around that time. Then I would go back and read the blog. It was much easier to put it together the puking had a lot more to do with schedule changes then it did anything else.

So thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who reads this. Even those who I don't know about. You all make my life a little better. Here's to more Miss-Adventures of the Missaroo in 2011. Cheers!

No Seriously, She Likes It

So I don't mean to brag buuuutttt....

While I sat at the computer, Missy went into her crate, ((you know where her new blanket is!?!)) and just chilled. She seriously loves the new comfy crate feel now that she has a fleece blanket made with love underneath her. OK I'm bragging A LOT. But I do have my own blog after all.

PS Do you like how Missy is the ONLY thing in the dinning room? Yep, that's how we roll.  

Blanket Wars

Missaroo and I don't fight about a lot of things, but there seems to be a struggle over the big green monster blanket on occasion. I always lose because she's the one with the adorable face.

Here's how it works: I'm laying on the couch with the blanket covering me. Missy comes to snuggle ((which I love)) and lays on top of the blanket with me, but when I get up she doesn't. This results in me up from the couch and her still on top of the blanket... case in point:

So guess what I made Missy for her Birthday? A fleece tie blanket! So she can have her very own. Last night I put it on her half of the bed ((insert judgement here)) And no that's not her pillow, I just enjoy a well made bed.



Pretty snazzy huh?

But really this is the best part:



Happy early birthday Missy Mae!

Spoiled

The Missaroo is spoiled. Not only does she have a super dog mom but she also has some super relatives. Uncle Jeffrey and his girlfriend Jenneal didn't forget their favorite dog-niece.... like she needs more stuff :)

Merry Christmas Missaroo!

A Post Christmas Update

Missaroo and I made the best of our Christmas. I worked through the holiday but turned my desk into my own personal snow globe that included my Bears Santa hat, Christmas cards from my family, and of course I rocked the Christmas tunes.

I didn't cry this year, which is also a HUGE plus. And I was able to talk to my mom and dad after all. Missy hung out with my all day Saturday which of course was good for my heart and head too.

Still didn't get to go to church but I've asked off for a few Sundays in January so hopefully that will boost my spirits as well.

Thanks to everyone who wished us a Merry Christmas. Miss you all to pieces! :)

So This is Christmas....

Missy and I are gearing up for the new year. I cannot wait to celebrate her birthday and our two years together. She truly has made these last couple of years the best of my life. She gives me a reason to get up in the morning, and a comforting peace to fall asleep to at night. Life would not be the same without my Missaroo.

So this Christmas, and I realized now, more than ever, it is time to stop doing everything else. I have spent the last four years trying to climb some ladder I'm pretty sure I imagined in my head. Work doesn't make me happy, in fact work makes me pretty darn miserable. I've told myself to "stick it out" and "follow your dreams." Well dreams change. I realized today mine sure have. Why am I chasing a dream that makes me so darn miserable? That doesn't let me go to church? Be with my dog? Be with my family? Or even provide me with people in my life who like me? That's no dream, that is a nightmare.

I was sitting in the car today on my way to volunteering and trying to be in the best spirits I could muster when "So This is Christmas" came on the radio. And in that moment it really hit me like a ton of bricks, I have done nothing differently, or at least for the better. I go to church way less ((the least I've ever gone in my whole life, including college)) I'm equally as unhappy at work, have the same amount of friends ((zero)) so why?

It is time for a change. My resolution for this coming year is to get out of this slump for good. I miss that human connection in my life. People to talk to who enjoy the same things that I do, who enjoy building others up, who are good in nature. That is my goal for 2011 to find those people and if that means finding another career then it is time to let go. Let go of a dream that turned out to be not so perfect. To let go and let God!

On a sidenote: Merry Christmas everyone! Because of the times I am working this year ((despite the fact I requested to work the late shift)) this will be the first time I didn't get to talk to my family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and the first time I haven't been to church on Christmas morning to boot. Please pray for my soul. Love, Brittany and the Missaroo.

Oh Joy!

I'm having trouble getting excited about anything these days and instead, I've just been frustrated. Really frustrated with work for more reasons than maybe I can even count at this point, and frustrated even as a volunteer. I miss going to class and can't wait for Christmas break to be over. I really enjoy talking with the people in my classes and they are often times the only real conversations I have with someone in person all week.

Someone recently wrote to me saying they hoped I would do something that brought me joy that afternoon. Hmm.... it really got me thinking and I took it up as a challenge. I asked my only friend here to go ice skating. That would certainly bring me joy. But his schedule didn't allow for it. I tried to set up a few other things, no go. So Miss and I visited poor little Willis at SpokAnimal instead.

And then last night I was organizing all of Missy's paperwork. I have every bill from every vet visit, every Petsmart training lesson, I even had a few of her first groom receipts. It was in order for the most part, but a few things needed to be shuffled around plus I wanted to see exactly when she is do for her yearly check up. In my organization I also came across Missy's original bio from Pet Over Population Prevention. Her little picture and sweet face are still the same, there's just less worry in her eyes nowadays. And she's still the same Missaroo she was two years ago. Her bio reads that she likes to be on the go, loves to cuddle, and chew toys. Yep that's my baby. The one thing that constantly brings me joy.

Skinny Mini

Earlier this year and last winter, I remember blogging about Missy putting on her winter weight. With a lot more snow on the ground and a whole heck of a lot more motivation ((remember why I started this blog at the end of February?), we don't seem to be having the same problems this time around....

Am I remembering to feed her?

Mean Girls

I've often said there isn't anything I wouldn't talk about on this blog, but that has been a lie. I've tried my darnest to steer clear of work, well not anymore. I am shunned at work by a group of girls that I affectionately call "the mean girls" like straight out of the freaking movie and I am Lindsay Lohan. They hate me because Tim did not. That is the worst reason in the world I can think of for a woman to hate another woman, because some dude likes ((now liked past tense)) her. It's the epitome of being a horrible woman and a you know what.

I was told shortly after I started at KREM that if I continued down the road I was heading ((hanging out with Tim)) head mean girl would be mad and hate me and then all the other little mean girls would follow suit. Well who needs enemies with friends like that huh? Tim was the greatest thing that ever happened to me ((or so I thought)). Before I knew what happened I was head over heels and shunned by a group of women I didn't even know very well. And to that I thought oh well!

You should have seen how unbelievably happy they were to see me cry when he broke my heart. You would have thought I had bought them all a new pair of Jimmy Choos or something! That's when they wanted to be my friend.... and once again I thought, who needs enemies then, right? So I declined.

Now this is the short, simple, and sweet version of this story. I will spare you all the horrible things they did and said. I never fought back, I didn't think I needed to because I was happy. And when I wasn't happy I just thought well what is the point of being mean back now? So I never have been.

But I can tell you what, I'm sick to my stomach. I can't tell you how horrible it is to walk in every Friday and hear about the clique fun being planned, and to hear every Monday how much fun that plan really was. It is horrible to be shunned when you did nothing to deserve it, EVER. And it is much, much worse and gut wrenching when you have ONE person to talk to about it. To say, "it really sucks that they are horrible to me and I don't think I can take not having girlfriends to hang out with one more day" just to find out that ONE person was there. And never bothered to mention it, to prepare you for the blow, to just let you drown right there in the middle of the newsroom. This person who said horrible things about every one of them to me. Went down the list and even used words like "crazy" to describe them. Not how I would desribe my friends, how about you? And to think if that's what you have to say about them, then what do you have to say about me? Do you join in with them? Because you certainly don't stand up for me. Once again, who needs enemies these days? I have officially hit rock bottom in Spokane.

What's Left?

What do you get the dog that has everything? That was went through my head as Missy and I walked up and down every aisle of Petsmart yesterday. I really wanted to get her something nice for Christmas, or find something to save up for when her birthday rolls around next month. No go. There are exactly two things I could think of that she doesn't have, a dad and a yard. Neither one I can really do anything about. Other than that she pretty much has everything. Sure, we picked up a few new chewies, and new toy, that sorta thing. But really, she had a crate, a bed, nice dishes, a nice leash, a coat, a backpack, a life jacket... I could go on.

As far as Christmas goes, that little girl is set. I do have something in mind for her birthday though. A fleece blanket. I have a very old throw underneath her crate bed right now. It's one she's thrown up on a million times, and did I mention it's old? I think a nice comfy blanket would be a pretty nice gift. And then if she ever stays at doggie hotel again she can take it with her, her safety blanket!

So, this dog mommy has a new pet project! ((get it? a project for my pet?)) It's the only thing left that I can think of to get her, well that I have absolute control over anyway. Any ideas for the Missaroo? What do you think she is missing? We'd love to hear from you!

Going to the Dogs

I've been volunteering at SpokAnimal this entire quarter, so that's about 10 weeks or so. I was getting pretty frustrated with it and as selfish as it sounds, I felt like I could just be doing something more productive with my time. My main volunteer project included putting in all the new volunteer information into a data base. I would go through the paper applications and fill out the electronic ones. Once a month, I go through all of the sign up sheets for that month and add up all the volunteer hours. And trust me, all of this was as exciting as it sounds. I felt like I might as well be at work sitting in front of a computer screen doing the things my heart was no longer a part of. Then an opportunity arose.

I was just about ready to throw in the towel and volunteer at another animal shelter when I was told she didn't have any work for me this week and wanted to know if I would just come in next week instead. I told her I would love to come this week and do something other than paperwork and data base entry. When I arrived, I went over to the shelter building ((the volunteer paperwork is done in another building)) and she asked if I'd like to work with the dogs. My face lit up! And before I knew it I was walking dogs.

Wow! It was the best volunteer day so far. I walked four dogs, Rowdy, Laser, Willis, and Max. There were a lot of boy dogs. All of them ran on the small to medium size, and in fact I think all of them were smaller than the Missaroo. Of course, I fell in love with little Rowdy who clung to me like a a child. Walking those doggies and giving them lots of love just made me want to run home and walk the Miss and give her lots of love too.

The one BIG difference between walking those dogs and the Missaroo was the way in which they walked. Rowdy and Max walked like they've never been walked before! They were so incredibly happy to be outside. Laser, a puppy, didn't want to walk as much as he wanted to lay in the snow. And poor Willis was a tiny Chihuahua dog just off the plane from Dallas, Texas. Not only was he shaking because of his new home, but the sight of snow pretty much made him not want to be in Spokane. I gave him lots of praise and told him what a brave boy he was and soon he was also trotting along. I even found a tiny bit of grass, picked him, and trudged him through the snow so he would go potty. So how does the Missaroo walk? Like she's loved. Like she has a forever home. Like, yep look at me and my mommy and my snazzy jacket. She walks with confidence that she can do no wrong. It was something I definitely saw missing from those four other dogs.

Yesterday touched my heart. I hope I'm allowed to walk more dogs in the future. It even made me think, OK I'll do some paperwork now. I just needed that connection, that reason for volunteering at an animal shelter of all places. And it gave me new found energy as a dog mom too. I wanted to make sure that if I was walking other doggies, Missaroo was getting twice as much time in with me as they were.  Yesterday was a pretty great day for her too and we both slept like babies.

Conspiracy Theory

So I'm normally not much a of a conspiracy theorist, but this morning my mind wandered a little bit when I couldn't find Missy. Normally as I type away, she stares out the window or chills in her favorite chair in the living room waiting for her walk. Today I turned around and didn't see her. Hmm.... where is she? I can tell if she's in the bathroom eating because I can hear that from here too. So I walked into the bedroom to check on her.....

That little sneak! She wakes me up every morning. She IS the reason I get up in the morning. I wake up when she won't let me sleep any longer. So I get up, take care of her, and then start my day. Now I'm starting to think she's not so much waking me up as kicking me out of bed to make more room for the Missaroo!

And I Thought Yellow Snow Was Bad

WARNING: If you are grossed out by all this dog pee talk, prob not the blog post for you. If you are a dog parent, this is just another day in the life....

I've been complaining about taking Miss out to pee in the frozen tundra lately because there really isn't any place for her to pee. Well last night she had to go poop, not pee, and it was awful. Missy in general is super picky about where she goes. She'll even squat a few times, sniff, and move on before she finds that perfect spot. Well in the snow those perfect spots seem to be in shoe prints of anything else that makes a hole in the snow.

Now you might be thinking that's pretty darn smart of here. I mean as a person, if you were out in the wilderness and forced to go outside you might look for a spot to go somewhere similar right? Well I have news for you, Missy is not a person and the goal is not to bury it. The goal is to go somewhere that I can easily scoop up with a mitten on and a plastic grocery bag turned inside out. Trying to dig my hand into these little holes and actually pull her poop out just made me smush it all over. It was gross and unsuccessful. I should have just left it. I made a bigger mess trying to clean up after her. Did I mention it was also dark out? Yeah. Good times to be had by all.

The most disappointing thing is I was really in the mood to take Miss for an evening stroll. But three minutes in I'm holding a plastic bag of smeared doggie poop and decided I didn't want to carry that around for the next twenty minutes. At this point, the nearest poop drop off point was right outside our apartment. We headed back the way we came and called it a night. I love the snow, but it sure seems to bring out my inabilities as a dog mommy.  Poor Shmooie.

Time Flies When You're Getting Old

Missy's 3rd birthday is just under 7 weeks away. That might seem very random that I know that, BUT a week ago Monday she got groomed and I noticed her next appointment was on her birthday, 8 weeks away. So, that's how I know. And on Missy's 3rd birthday it will be exactly two years since she came into my life and made it a much better, brighter place.

So I've had that thought on my brain a lot lately, how have the last two years been so incredibly different than the rest of my life? And am I OK with the difference? On the first point, EVERYTHING and NOTHING feels different about my life journey. I think the biggest difference now is I feel like I'm actually living my life instead of waiting for it to start. When I was at home and in college, it was like I waiting for my career to start, waiting to move out on my own, waiting for life to happen to me. Now with Missy, every single day is an adventure. Good or bad we are living life to the fullest. We're hiking hills, driving hours away to explore new places, traveling Washington State, furthering our education, and realizing life is this thing we find ourselves in everyday. I've truly never felt so ALIVE. Another HUGE difference is just the sheer joy the Missaroo brings. I cannot tell you how much I love loving her, taking care of her, having someone else in my life even if right now that someone is just a dog.

There are downfalls from the last two years. I've been away from my family and I've missed out on a lot of family moments. Those I wish I had back. I wish I could be there to celebrate with my family every joyous occasion, but I can't. I don't get to see them on the holidays. I don't get to see them on their birthdays. I wish I wasn't so darn far away working crappy shifts so I can't take the time to go home. Also, I had my heart broken in a way that makes me doubt myself, in a way that took a huge chunk of my self-esteem and positive outlook about myself away. This not good enough for feeling creeps up inside me everytime I look in the mirror. It still hurts everyday, but I go on.

So you take the good with the bad and it all equals this: I wouldn't trade my life for the world. I wouldn't trade Missy for the world. I wouldn't trade a single adventure of ours for anything in the world. I'm truly blessed and I've truly grown. I'm not the same person I was when I moved out here three years ago. And I never want to go back to that other person again. This is my home, this is where my heart is, and this is where I want to be, right here with the Missaroo.

Walking on a Winter Wonderland

Snow is one of the coolest things ever created  because it is never the same two days in a row. And one of the reason why I actually kind of like winter is because to me, the weather seems to change a bit more than in the Spring time for example. In the Spring, it rains, in the summer it's hot, and some might say in the winter its cold. Which is true, but there's so much more to it than that.

Follow me here. We went from no snow, to a TON of snow in about a week. Then the snow stopped, it rained, and then got really, really cold. What's on the ground right now isn't so much snow anymore as it is large blocks of ice and frozen ground. I went from needing snow boots to walk through the snow, to rain boots to walk in the slush, to my gym shoes for traction on the ice.

And Missy has had to change her approach to the outside elements as well. She's not so much trying to pee in the snow anymore as she is trying to pee on it. She's not running through the white fluffy stuff, she's running on top of it. She is literally walking on a winter wonderland.

Now, I wish I had a picture or two to show you what I'm talking about, but remember that cold part I mentioned? I'm not really in the mood to slip my gloves/mitten ((yes I wear a combo of the two)) in order to snap a few pics. AND I' also trying to get Miss to do her business at all time records so we can be out and back in ASAP.

I hope all of you are also enjoying the weather wherever you live. And don't forget to make every day your very own adventure, especially when nothing goes right! :)

One Great Week

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving was only last week! It feels like a lifetime ago, and part of the reason for that is the jam packed great week Miss and I have had since then.

Thanksgiving was a blast! From football to free turkey, you really couldn't ask for a better day. Then Saturday was pretty much the best day ever with Christmas tree extravaganza. Then Sunday I went to church and watched the Bears win. That's really all you can ask for on Sundays.

But I think the real topper for this week, No throw up! Like AT ALL. None. Missy hasn't thrown up since last Wednesday! Now I'm sure it helps I've been home a lot more thanks to my mini vaca of two days off. But I'm also off the random morning shift then day shift switch aroo. I have a half-way normal schedule during the week now, even if I do still have to survive the dreaded weekend shifts. But, at least it is a step in the right direction for now, at least for the Missaroo.

I'm Bored Mom

In case you haven't already seen it, this is Missy's "I'm bored mom" face.....



This a direct result of me writing my law term paper for the last couple of hours. I think we both need a break. 

Don't Eat Yellow Snow

I thought taking Missy potty in the middle of a blizzard was challenging. I thought taking her potty in three degrees was challenging. But the biggest challenge of all has been trying to take her potty when the snow off the sidewalks has turned to slush and the snow piled high on the grass is taller than she is. Then where do you go? That's been the question we've been asking ourselves over the last few days.

There were a few times she braved it and jumped right into a pile of snow. I wish I had my camera as she tried to climb her way back out. She's also gotten a bit creative with finding snow drifts and shorter piles, but then that causes her to lift her leg to peepee as if she's a boy dog. I'm not too thrilled with the idea of an identity crisis in my precious girl doggie.

The beautiful snow turned nasty slush has also kept our walks short. Instead of about two 30 minute plus walks, we've been doing more like 3 15 minute walks. It's tough to walk up and over snow piles and slush. My feet feel like they are always wet! Missy's too of course, so I make sure to wipe her down when we come inside.

I really don't mind the winter being a Midwest girl myself. This is what I'm used to. I feel bad for poor shmooie though and the trek she has to make three times a day just to go to the bathroom. She takes it all in stride though. She's never one to complain about the elements or conditions of her life. As long as she's still loved at the end of the day, everything turns out A-OK in her book. Another lesson we can steal from the Missaroo.

Snovember

For those of you who are out there judging me for me last post showing Missaroo and her new red "cape" did you know this was the snowiest November in Spokane's history!?!? So I'm not talking a little snow and a little cold here. I literally took Miss out to pee when it was 3 degrees outside. 3 DEGREES! It might have only take a couple of minutes but it felt like a lifetime. It takes me five minutes to layer up before we head out the door for the slush and snow. And I would look at the little Missaroo with nothing on, getting wet and gross, and just thought we have to do something about this.

So I bought her that little red cape. Its actually from the Martha Stewart collection at Petsmart ((OK you can judge me for that one)) but the things I like about it are 1) It keeps the snow off of her as we walk so she's not as wet. 2) It's easy to put on her and 3) Of all the things I've put on that dog for practical purposes over the last two years, this one is at least a little on the stylish side. She even looks a little festive if I do say so myself.

Now don't get me wrong, being a Midwest girl I love the snow. I just never expected this much so soon. But now that we are into December I guess it will all work out. The only way I could be depressed about this snow is if it melts by Christmas. Snow for Thanksgiving and NOT for Christmas!?! ... So not cool.

I Had to Do It

I really didn't want to, but when I saw the Missaroo shaking like a leaf in the car on the way to the groomers.... well I knew what we would be coming home with....



It's really more than like a cape then a sweater though right? I mean, she kinda looks like a kick butt superhero to me.

Perfect Sunday

I wish this was how we could spend every Sunday....

I'd give my right arm for it.

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Yesterday was the best! My friend Tim and I left Spokane's South Hill around 10:30am to head north to the Christmas Tree farms at Green Bluff. He'd never cut down his own tree from a farm before, he'd always just gone to tree lots. ((one more reason not to raise your kids in Seattle I guess)) So I decided it was time he experienced Christmas Midwest style. It snowed the entire morning, the entire drive up, and the entire time we were wandering around looking for the perfect Christmas trees. But as you know, snow makes it warmer so at least we weren't freezing our faces off. Plus it really put us in the holiday spirit.

It wasn't long before Tim not only found the perfect tree, but he also cut it down like a pro. There really isn't anything in this world he can't do.... He felt pretty manly about the whole thing. 

Then we found my tree, and of course I made him cut that one down too. The whole way home Tim kept telling me he couldn't believe he'd never done this before and would never get his Christmas tree off a lot again. Success!
After a short break to  regroup, we headed out again to grab decorations and lights. Once again, we started with his tree and then worked our way back to my apartment to decorate mine.

It was pretty much the perfect Saturday!

THE Happy Dance!

I've spent a good portion of my Saturday morning doing nothing except drinking coffee, updating Facebook and Twitter, and oh yeah, dancing around like an idiot! Why? You might ask. Because I have the weekend OFF! Like Off, off. Like I didn't take vacation to attend a weekend class, or because my mom is here, or because of any other reason other than the fact I wanted to! Can you say Vaca!!!!! I am PUMPED. More than pumped. Just about anything could happen to me today ((minus death to me, a loved one, or the Missaroo)) and my reaction with just be, well I'm not at work so its OK.

If you think I'm going a bit overboard 1) You obviously don't know me. This is kinda what I do. 2) You prob don't realize the last time I had an entire weekend to myself was the middle of August 2009 when I was unemployed. 3) I might be the most easily amused person on the planet.

So what's my big plans for the day? OH, its CHRISTMAS TREE Saturday! I'm going to a tree farm, cutting down my tree, buying decorations, decorating, watching a Christmas movie and doing THE Happy Dance until my legs give out! Happy Actual Saturday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Missaroo and I had a pretty good Thanksgiving. Early in the morning we hung out at the apartment rocking the Christmas tunes and partying because I had the day off. I dropped off a few things at Tim's before getting the Missaroo ready to play some football. Turns out the Missaroo did great! Like WAY better than I expected. She ran in the snow, chased after the person with the football, and overall had a great time being a dog. By the time we got home she was pooped for the rest of the night.

While she slept off all her excitement, I headed to dinner. We watched a lot of football, ate cookies, and drank beer while we got everything together. Around 5pm we sat down for a GREAT Thanksgiving dinner. Tim never ceases to amaze me, there is nothing he can't do including make a perfect dinner on his first try.

After that, I headed home to check on the Missaroo and avoid the mean girls from work who were stopping by. Missy was still pretty tired and very content to once again just hang out on the couch with me. I was suppose to head back out with Tim to his friend's house for cocktails afterwards, but the mean girls put a halt to that too. So I just went to bed early and enjoyed the Missaroo instead.

Hope everyone had a great dinner surrounded by friends and family. :)

Thankful

Today is THE day to give thanks! So I thought I'd share what I'm thankful for right here because one of the biggest things I'm thankful for is all of YOU. Miss and I have gotten more support than we even deserve. It is awesome how many of you have taken the time out of your very busy lives to read our stories. AND Even more of you have contacted me to make sure we are both OK. I can't even tell you how cool it was to talk to my Aunt Kathy on the phone the other day and have her say "So you're going to Tim's for Thanksgiving? I read it on your blog." So that's number one.

Number two: I'm thankful for all of our misadventures, or rather our Miss-adventures. Something about putting it in writing makes it so much easier to look back and laugh at either in the moment or right after. Normally freezing to death wouldn't be funny, but now when it happens, it's like OH YEAH, we are sooooo blogging about this moment as soon as I warm up! Plus I wouldn't trade a single day with the Miss. The lessons learned are BEYOND priceless. Total life lesson every single day.

Number three: Everything I have. I am employed, I have a rockin apartment, dog, and health. ((although my vision is totally going, but I'll blog about that another day)) My car might not get through snow very well, but the heat works and it is all mine. I also have money in the bank, not too much after my bills, but its there and my bill are paid every month. That's all I ever wanted as a kid and at 25 I'm already there!

Now before you think I forgot my fam and friends, I was kinda getting at that in the first one. I know my friends and family read the blog. For those that can't, they still support me long distance. So nope, I didn't leave them out.

Number four: I'm thankful for somewhere to go today. I'm going to be pretty darn sad around Christmas and New Years when I have no where to go. Then, I'll be thankful I have to work. But today I'm thankful Tim stayed in Spokane instead of heading across the pass to Seattle.

Hope you all have a rockin' Turkey Day. Love you all :)

Too Cold

Yep, that's right the high today in Spokane is ten degrees. Yikes! So trying to take Missy to the bathroom has become even more of a challenge. I thought maybe she'd go in the snow on the balcony....

After that wasn't happening it was time to venture outside for the longest three minutes of our lives. But I was really worried about freezing to death. Its early in the morning, so it was only about 3 degrees and Missy had to poop. Like, right now! So I decided for the first time ever she was going to wear clothing. I tried to rig up an old Western sweatshirt ((GO NECKS!)) for her....

Like everything else we try, it quickly turned into a Miss-adventure. Good in theory, horrible in reality. She was out of one sleeve before we even reached the path outside our apartment. Before she could poop, the whole thing was just swaying around her so I took it off. She went soon after, thank goodness. But of course what she did instead to try and keep warm? She ran for it, pulling me along. We're lucky I didn't die. Missy gets groomed on Monday and I might just have to break down and buy her dog clothes after all or we might not make it through the winter.

Air Bud

Sorry about the blog slacking.... I've even had a few good ideas lately and well, fell asleep before I had a chance to write them... Oh well, onto the next adventure.

So tomorrow is Turkey Day ((Gobble! Gobble!)) and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm starting off my morning by playing football with a lot of strangers and my friend Tim. And I'm taking the Missaroo with me. When I told Tim I was taking Miss with too his first reaction was, she'll be tied up right? Uh, no she's playing. I'm convinced we will find out she has Air Bud like skills on the football field.

Now as crazy as I am, I'm still a dog mom at the end of the day. I'll bring along her 10 foot rope and her leash which means  worse comes to worse, she'll have 14 feet to run around and bark at us. I won't let her freeze either. Heck, maybe I'll even throw a shirt on her to keep her warm in the snow. Either way, I know she'll make a better football player than I will. I mostly just plan on running up and down the field yelling at people like I did all through my grade school days. Can't wait to spend another Thanksgiving with the Missaroo and NOT have to go to work. It's my first holiday off in Spokane. That's what I'm thankful for! Whootwhoo!

Snug as a Bug!

I came home to find this adorable face looking at me as comfy as could be.... snug as a bug my little shmishshmishmoo.....

Seperated at Birth

About two days a week I volunteer at the local shelter, SpokAnimal. Usually, I do a lot of paper work for the volunteer coordinator: Enter emails, file volunteer applications, organize stuff, things of that nature. Yesterday, I finished my project of opening up packages of dog bones and dumping them in baskets while the coordinator made a run over to the kennels so I decided to go over there to meet up with her. I like looking at all the doggies, wishing I could take each and every one of them home. The nice thing about SpokAnimal is there always seems to be dogs going out for walks, kennels being cleaned, or snacks being passed out. Its not nearly as sad and depressing as I imagined it would be.

I had said hello to just about everybody in the kennels when I turned the corner and saw Missy's brother. I am not kidding this dog looks EXACTLY like the Missaroo, down to the white stripe down the front and white on the paws. He's even listed just like she was, Shepard Mix Brindle. He even sits funny like she does. The only thing they seemed to know for sure about him is he isn't a puppy because he has his adult teeth. Starting to sound familiar????

OK so you still don't believe me. Think about this. How many dogs have you ever seen in your life that look EXACTLY like the Missaroo? She looks like no dog and every dog all at the same time, but exactly the same??? Take a look for yourself:

So now of course I have a problem. I mean its obvious this dog is related to my Missaroo. Remember a while back when we started this blog and I talked about Missy needing a dad because she was that kinda dog? Well maybe what she needs is a brother!!!! BUT I can't take Max ((yes I've already named him)) If I had a yard and a SUV he would have come home with me that day, but I don't. So what I need is someone to adopt Max so Miss can go visit her brother instead. Any takers?? PA-LEASE!!!! 

SNOW!

The Missaroo would play in the snow until she got frost bite if I let her. She loves the stuff.... although I think her favorite part might be turning it yellow. Yesterday morning she got to run along in it for the first time this season. We were so HAPPY to be waking up to that white stuff. It means Christmas is just around the corner. :)

Happy Merry Holidays!

I was having a pretty crap week. Bad times at work, messed up my pumpkin bread on the domestic front. Wondered if I was good at anything, hid under the covers for about an hour crying, whole nine yards. (yes I realize that's not a sentence) Then it all started with a text from my dear friend Tim Lewis simply telling me to check my work email Then I read said wonderful email from Tim that stated the following: 

 "Over the last couple of years, my roommate and I cooked up a Thanksgiving meal for anyone who had no place to go for the holiday. I’ve moved into my own place now, but I’d still like to celebrate with a feast. ...... If you can’t make it for food, is anyone interested in playing Turkey Bowl football on Thanksgiving morning?...  I’d really like to keep the holiday tradition alive in Spokane"

I screamed and danced around like an idiot while Missy barked at me and tried to bite at my ankle to get me to stop. Oh I was thrilled. I LOVE Thanksgiving. I LOVE football. and I LOVE the kick off to Christmas. It was the BEST. Email. Ever.

And then I woke up to another great surprise.....

Happy Merry Holidays everyone! :)

A Series of Firsts

I've been a bad dog mom lately with my dog blog slacking... sorry about that. ((Oh, and this one is pretty gross))

The Missaroo never ceases to amaze me. In one day she had two firsts, but before we get there here's a little background.....

My schedule keeps me on my toes and the Missaroo guessing when I'm going to be home. She's been upset, bouncing off the walls, and overall unhappy. I'm pretty use to the throw up three days a week. I've come to expect it and when it doesn't happen its like, well, the BEST. Day. Ever. Yep.

This latest round of puky mcpukerson was actually surprising for two reasons.

One: She managed to somehow projectile vomit ((didn't know dogs could do that)) and it landed outside her crate. Awesome.

Two: She then managed to STEP in her own vomit on the way out of the crate and of course her immediate reaction was to JUMP on me. EW! GA-ROSS! I actually screamed and ran away from her for half a second. What a great mom I'll make huh? I wiped her down, myself down (yes in that order) took her potty, and then cleaned up the crate and the nearby carpet.

Oh the Missaroo. NEVER, and I do mean EVER a dull moment. Who needs TV when I've got projectile dog vomit? But you know what, I really wouldn't have it any other way.

Love you shmooie, even when you reek of vomit.

Oh No You Didn't!

Missy's freak outs, puking episodes, and overall behavior have gotten progressively worse over the course of my changed schedule, class load, and overall all dog mom busyness. Last night I had just about had it. I decided to leave her out of the crate because I felt bad. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG move mom. She went into my purse, pulled out my Ipod headphones and ATE THEM!!!! AH!

I yelled. I hardly ever really raise my voice at the Missaroo. But when I walked in the door completely exhausted and just home from my three hour class the last thing in the world I needed was something chewed beyond repair. This came on the heels of two days worth of mass amounts of dog throw up everywhere.

And I can't even begin to tell you how so unlike the Missaroo that was. I'm always telling people how great she is about not chewing on things that don't belong to her. But this isn't normal Miss, this is pissed Miss. She's a teenager acting out.

I of course had one of those melt down dog mom moments. I didn't know if I should stay mad at her all night or cuddle with her, because she really did it because she has too much energy right now and not enough attention from mom. I almost texted my only friend left in Spokane to tell him,  "I would make the world's worst mom." I didn't but I thought it. I can't even handle being a dog mom sometimes. I'm really at my wits end when it comes to her this quarter. I'm in the home stretch and there is also a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to getting my work schedule back in order too. BUT then the holidays will be here and that will go up in the air again.

I'm really not sure what the moral of the story is this time. Missy won't be left to roam free for a very long time. And it will always be something. I'm 25 and I live like it. And by that I don't mean party on Wayne, I mean I don't own a home with a yard and work 9-5 at the job I'm going to be at for the rest of my life. Hopefully Miss and I can get through this rough patch. Any suggestions on how to get her behavior and my sanity back on track would be greatly appreciated.

Wake Up Call

My mom tells be to "be careful" so much that I stopped taking her seriously. She always says things like "I worry about your safety dolly." She can't see me when she says this over the phone but I roll my eyes and ignore her plea. I usually have some smart butt comment for her like "darn I was planning on running in and out of traffic tonight." I consider the South Hill the safest place to live in all of Spokane. Sure I walk Missy at night, but I do it down a busy street where there are always people around. I've never not felt safe. Well that has all changed.

Monday night around 6pm a woman was sexually assaulted here on the Hill. It happened blocks away from where I live, work, and walk my dog. It happened along that same busy street I felt oh, so safe walking down. It was a wake up call.

I've never been one to live my life in fear. I have many irrational fears, but they've never actually stopped me from doing anything. But this time it will make me much more cautious than any words my mom could have told me over the phone.  As I walked along that street yesterday, it was noon by the way, I thought of what I would do if approached by a stranger with a knife. I've started carrying Missy's poop bag like a weapon, that's for sure. I'm not really sure it would hurt, but if that bag broke I'm sure that man would have some sort of reaction to being covered in dog poop and I thought it might give us enough time to run, scream, or a combination of the two. I also think I'm going to train Missy to eat hot dogs. You can't be too careful right? Right!

Finally Fun

I took Missaroo somewhere fun yesterday for what felt like the first time in forever. We still didn't manage to even make it off the hill, but Manito Park is so beautiful and massive you really don't need to. I'm pretty sure every time we go there we take a different and new path. Missy loves the fact she can run in the grass, over leaves, through brush, and click across the pavement. It is always an adventure. It was great to see her exploring a new world outside of our little neighborhood. We didn't spend all day there this time like we have in the past, mostly because it was so dang cold out, but we were there just long enough for the adventure to put a smile on our faces. I'm glad I made the executive decision to push everything else to the side yesterday morning in order to hop on over to the park. Finally, some fun for the Missaroo!

Puky Rears Her Ugly Little Head Again

There really is no greeting quite like coming home from a 12 hour shift on election night to discover dog throw up all over Missy's crate. Now don't worry, Missy was not in said crate for 12 hours. I asked if I could leave work for 15 minutes in order to take her out to go to the bathroom. ((The perks of living across the street from work)) It was a little after seven when I took her outside and that was the first time I discovered the throw up. I didn't have the heart to put her BACK IN a crate full of doggie puke, so she spent the next four hours roaming free in the apartment. I knew what was awaiting me when I arrived home a few minutes before midnight, in fact it probably made me a little bit more grumpy.

Not that I blame the Missaroo AT ALL. Nor do I ever think it's her fault. I always blame my work schedule and ultimately, myself. This is the fourth time she's thrown up in two weeks. I've gone from working my normal ten hour weekend shifts and nightside during the week, to weekends and morning show. Which means instead of leaving my apartment at 2:20 every afternoon, I scurry out the door at 3:55am instead. But then, when she finally seemed to be getting use to that, I left yesterday before noon. She freaked and threw up.

This has been a constant thing with Missy. For those of you who might be new to the blog, Miss was found abandoned. She didn't show signs of physical abuse, but the emotional scars seem to be lasting a lifetime. In fact, within a few days of adopting her the vet told me she was too attached to me and I needed to get her socialized. Missy knew that I wanted her, and she hoped that wouldn't ever change. Lucky for her, it won't.

I can't imagine Miss being in a home without order, to do lists, calenders, and schedules. For all of those things that might drive men away, it's what keeps the Miss sane. She thrives on schedules, order, and routine. So do I. I don't mine working at all hours of the day ((OK that's not entirely true)) but it's much harder on Miss. In fact, I LOVE election night. It's like my second favorite news holiday to work next to Selection Sunday. Now it's over and I'll have to spend some quality time with my Shmoo to try and get her back on track. I've had enough of the puker for awhile.

Happy Halloweenie!

I know we are a day late, but Halloween weekend was quite the whirlwind for me. I worked my usu weekend shift plus fit in time to check out a really cool decked out house and attend a going away/costume party for one of my co-workers. But that's OK because Missy isn 't too big on Halloween to begin with. She doesn't really know what to make of all the people in costume wandering around her street. ((and yes they are her streets, don't you know?)) She was a little shell shocked. It's like she didn't know if she should bark or be excited or both. Needless to say she didn't dress up and we cut our walk short. We stayed inside where it was nice and warm and went to bed instead. BUT Saturday I sure had a good time.......

Happy Halloweenie!

We're Awesome!

The Missaroo and I are currently without cable. Well we're without TV of any kind actually. I got sick and tired of Comcast raising the bill on me every few months so I switched to Dish. Long story short they haven't stopped by to install it yet. ((Not so happy with them either right now))

So in the meantime, we've been watching TV shows on my computer instead. There are a lot of upsides to this.... like I can watch my shows anytime, I don't have to sit through as many commericals, and overall it's just more convenient. BUT there are a few downsides as well, the biggest being comfort. I don't have wireless Internet because I use my laptop like a desk top mostly. It stays plugged in at my desk in the kitchen. So I sit in my desk chair and watch TV. Missy hates this because there is simply no room for her on my lap this way. Not cool. Then I got an idea.....

I thought wouldn't it be cool if I could just drag my recliner over to the edge of the carpet and watch my computer from there!?! I looked over at Miss and said out loud to my dog, "mom doesn't live here, I can do whatever I want!" Sometimes I forget that I don't live with my mom. I think that's the sign of really good parenting. Her words of wisdom stick in my head even after 8 years of living apart. With that said, I put my genius motion in plan. I pulled up the recliner, grabbed a blanket, and hit the play button. It wasn't long before Miss was sleeping on my lap while I watched my shows. Life was good and we were awesome!

All You Really Need to Get Through the Day....

What a sweet shmoo she is!

Love is Just Around the Corner

I actually thought of this title before I wrote "Hate is Just Around the Corner." I wanted to do them back to back like usual, but that would require a bit more sleep than I've been getting lately so I messed up and did them a little farther apart, oh well.

Time to delve right into. I think love is just around the corner. Now, before you get your hopes up, there is NO ONE in mind right now. I'm not even dating anyone or thinking about dating anyone, I'm just... hopeful. I've been having a rough go lately with a string of bad timings and bad luck, and yet everyday I've at least woken up happy. I find myself smiling for no reason while I walk the Missaroo, and overall just filled with more joy than usual. I can't really explain it. Usually when things start to fall apart around me I fall too. But this time I've finally listened to the Rockford Peach in my head, "Just keep smilin.'"

All of this smiling has me feeling pretty optimistic these days. I keep looking at Miss like, you might have to move over a bit girl, I'm making room in my life again. It's weird too because I've never really felt like that before. Its sort of happened, and I made room to let it occur, but never ahead of time. But hey, those last two times I fell in love it didn't really turn out the way I wanted to either now did it? So maybe this is a really, really great thing. Love might truly be just around the corner, you just never know!

Poop Bag Stash

A few days ago I wrote about how I always have a poop bag on hand when Miss and I are on our walks. You know, because I'm such a fabulous dog mom.

Well today we were walking in the rain and as I went to throw her poopy away I remembered why I hadn't been using bags from my stash. I hate wet bags! The bags at the doggie clean up stations get wet in the rain. They flop around in the wind and I don't want to stick that wet bag in my pocket and carry it around waiting for the Missaroo to go potty again. So on rainy days like these, I head to my bag stash in the kitchen; a collection of every grocery bag I have since the last time the crummy weather hit. Oh the life of a dog mom!

Hate is Just Around the Corner

The folks of Westboro Baptist Church descended on the city of Spokane yesterday. For those of you who don't know, they are the crazies who protest at military funerals because God is punishing us by killing our soldiers because of this country's tolerance of gay people. Uh, yeah, sure. The crazies and the counter protesters came out in full force, or so I'm told. One of the many sites they took over was the high school right down the street from me. Around 2:30 I heard a roar of a crowd and decided to walk to the end of the block to see if there was anything going on.

So Missy and I headed out the door like we normally would for her potty break anyway. At the corner, all I could see was the traffic backup that Westboro was causing. I decided I didn't want to go any closer, although I would have laughed hysterically if Missy would have barked at them. I just didn't need to see the hate right around the corner. And Missy doesn't need to experience hate in her life either. We turned around and went home.

Life is too short to hate. Now, I'm not going to debate about the right and wrong of being gay. And I'm not going to debate the right and wrong of protesting military funerals. The last point I'll let the Supreme Court decided, but as for the first point, well that's up to God. And no matter what I think might constitute a sin, at the end of the day I believe a simple truth found straight out of the Bible, "God is love." It's not my place to judge, even though I guess I am judging the Westboro peeps by calling them crazies. But it is my job to tolerate and love because God says so. He doesn't say love people like you, love people you think aren't sinners. In fact, it's quite the opposite, love sinner and saint alike, He commands. There's no room for hate in my Bible, God, or life. How about yours?

Common Sense Isn't Always So Common

WARNING ANOTHER GROSS BLOG HEADED YOUR WAY:

I like to think of myself as an expert when it comes to picking up dog poop. Three times a day, every day Missy has to go number two. As a responsible pet owner and overall fantastic dog mom, I always make sure to clean up after her. I'm never caught without a poop bag. In fact, the few times I do venture out without the Missaroo I usually get embarrassed by the fact there is a poop bag hanging out of my pocket or flapping around in my purse. But hey, at least I'm always prepare. The worst thing you can be is a dog mom with a pooper on your hands without a poop bag.

So that being said, I pretty much have the bag inside out, pull through routine down. I can do it with my eyes closed. So when my mom told me this story the other day I thought to myself, if you can't figure out how to pick up dog poop how on earth can you function? I mean it's not nearly as complicated as a diaper for instance. The story goes like this:

This lady and her daughter are walking along outside my mom's house with their new dog. My mom is sitting outside with her husband watching the whole thing go down. The responsible pet owner pulls out her plastic bag and the her GLOVE. She picked up the poop with a glove and then put it in the bag! My mom just about died. She almost stopped breathing re-telling me the story over the phone. She said she immediately thought of me. I asked is she had the heart to tell the woman to just turn the bag inside out, pick up the poop, and then pull the bag right-side out again. My mom said, no because she was laughing too hard.

I'm probably going to hell not only for laughing at this poor pet parent, but also for turning around and blogging about it her, but I just can't help it. I guess common sense isn't so common after all.

How Did We Mess This Up?

So a while back I wrote about how amazing Missy's seat belt was. Key word being here is "was". Somehow I can't get it unclipped from the actual seat belt in the car. Which means I can't put it around the Missaroo. I have no idea how we managed to break the darn thing but it looks like we have. BUT I have still been clipping her to the seat belt in a weird, this is totally not right kinda way. I use her leash to clip onto her collar and the leash part of her seat belt. When I got back in the car yesterday, this is the sadness that I saw:



How in the world did we mess this up? Poor Shmoo! 

Just the Way We Like It

Today is my Friday and it couldn't come soon enough. I'm very close to a nervous breakdown at this point with one week to go. BUT today was a semi-normal 8 hour shift, IF you count being at work at 4am normal. The biggest perk though? Being home by noon on a sunny day. Miss and I are happy, if not extremely tired, campers. So we spent the day in style, on our balcony, with our shades on. Just the way we like it.

So where's the Missaroo? Oh there she is:

The Little Things

Every 12 weeks or so I blog about how crazy busy my life is and how my messed up work schedule this month couldn't hit at a worse time. I blog about how tired I am and how much Miss is unhappy. All of this is true. And while there are many benefits to going to school and working hard at my job, there are also smaller more memorable moments that keep me going through all of this.

One of the times when I woke up from wrestling about in my bed last night, I discovered the Missaroo with her head on my back. She was curled up so tightly and so close to me, she actually felt like a person. It was then that I remembered what she's really mad about during these crazy weeks. It isn't so much how little she gets to play, it's how much she misses her mom. I miss her too. The funny thing is I stopped with the rolling around after that.

Another great moment came in class on Wednesday night. I mentioned to my grad school buddy Barry some of the things I have going on at work. He was amazed at what I throw on my plate but also said to me with 100% confidence in his voice and without hesitation. "You'll nail it. Go get 'em." Wow! It was really one of the nicest things someone has said to me in a really long time. I don't usually have someone supporting me like that, other than my mom of course but she's my mom.

These moments are few and far between but they mean the world to me and keep me going. There are people in my life I wish I heard or had these kinds of moments with more, but I can't force them and I can't expect people to think and feel something they just don't. I'm thankful for my life and my Missaroo.

No Sleep for You!

If my life were a Seinfield episode, the Missaroo would be the soup Nazi. But it's not soup she won't let me have, it's sleep. Last night was a typical, "mommy is back in grad school" night for her. Homework all day, work all night; 2 walks, food, and then it's goodnight moon. Miss doesn't take to this very well because she wants to play, and it somehow messes up her schedule.

For instants, instead of having to go the bathroom ten minutes before the alarm goes off, now all of a sudden she has to go twice in the middle of the night. The first time she woke me up I had only been asleep for less than two hours. It took me a long time to even figure out what that noise was, where I was, and why she couldn't just go pee without me. The second time she woke up was 5am. Two and a half hours before the alarm went off and four hours after the first time she had to go. It's as if she's saying "No sleep for you." Or at least that's the irrational thought that went through my head each time I woke up in the middle of the night. She might as well have been torturing me while she was at it.

This will continue for the next several weeks as I spin closer and closer toward a nervous breakdown. I'll get to the edge and then magically find myself on winter break wondering when classes start up again. Apparently I suffer from short term memory loss. I guess not sleeping will do that to you.

Life Right Now

The Missaroo is not a happy camper and won't be until December, if then. Because this is my life after work every night right now:

I guess I'm not the happest camper right now either. More like the most tired camper.

Spread the Love

For those of you who haven't checked out The Missaroo Facebook page, it's all about spreading the love. I'm not really sure where I came across this phrase "spread the love" but it was one I couldn't get out of my head. I'm pretty sure I stole it from somewhere, I just can't remember from what or whom. Anyway, The Missaroo spread the love campaign is really all about staying positive when life gets you down. Something you know I've struggled with. But it's been the Missaroo that has gotten me through, one lick of the face at a time. So I decided to pay it forward via Facebook.

Missaroo and I are ready to spread the love in other ways now too. We are ready to love. Since the start of this blog, the last thing I've wanted to do is date someone new. I didn't even want to think about dating or putting the Missaroo and myself out there again. Truthfully, 99% of the men I've dated haven't come close to even meeting the Missaroo. I will definitely try to keep it that way. We all remember how she wouldn't come to bed and sat by the balcony door for two weeks straight whining. We aren't going down that road again.

But I feel like I'm maybe ready to open up my life again. I think school has really helped me with this. It forces me to talk to all sorts of people and tell them a little bit about myself. That has been my jumping off point.

Now, I'm unlikely to run out on a date tomorrow. But just the fact that I'm open to the idea means I've come a long way since February. And the face that I'm open means an opportunity is more likely to come my way. It's time to give people the benefit of the doubt again, thanks to the Missaroo and her spread the love campaign.

Do It Yourselfers

I don't get to play the girl card too often. It's mostly because of this life I've chosen. I live thousands of miles from family. No roommate, no boyfriend, and not too many friends here in general. So when a HUGE bug crosses my path, I don't really have the luxury of freaking out. Case in point: I was cleaning yesterday when I came across a gigantic bug. I have no idea what it was but it was gross and had those antenna things sticking out of it's head. I couldn't scream or run into the other room. Instead I kept one eye on it while I reached around for a paper towel and smushed it to death. Done. When a light goes out, I fix it. When my TV doesn't work I mess with the cords, and when Christmas comes I'll be out cutting down my own Charlie Brown Tree.

But there is one area in which I still play the girl card. Yesterday morning I went to start my car and the battery was dead. Crap. It was totally my fault and actually the third time I've done this since I moved here. My old car doors are heavy and you have to slam them shut, which is a little hard when you only way a buck something and you're parked in a garage. Needless to say the light inside had been on for almost two whole days.

I immediately called my friend Kristen knowing full well she'd talk her boyfriend into saving the day. Doug has also been my go-to guy for much of the year. I tell ya he must really love that woman to be putting up with my crap too. Doug and Kristen saved the day while Miss and I just looked on, pretty helpless. Although she did have command of the balcony, barking at us the whole time. When it comes to cars, I still play the girl card.

The Many Faces of the Missaroo

Missy makes me laugh A LOT! Usually all it takes is just one look. Today we were riding in the car on our way back from the bank and I turned around and she was standing in the weirdest possible position. I blast laughed and asked her why she was standing like that. I tried to snap a quick pick at the stop light but it just turned out to be a blurry mess. But this is just one of a thousand stories I could share with you, so instead of stories I'm going through the phone files to share with you pics of some of my favorite funny Missaroo faces. Enjoy! :)

Like Dog Mom, Like Missaroo

Missy heads to the Petsmart Groomers every eight weeks like clock work. They make her next appointment before we leave the previous one and the same gal groomers her every time. Her name is Cynthia and she seems to genuinely love the Missaroo. ((Well how can you not, right?)) When we walk in, Cynthia is there to greet Missy at the door. I'm pretty sure she has no idea what my name is, but that's OK. She's not cutting my hair. But during Monday's trip she did tell me a little story about just how smart she thinks the Missaroo is.

In the back of the groomers there are kennels. Apparently the Missaroo is pretty fussy and will only go into two of them. So when she goes back there she actually picks the one she wants and sit in fronts of it and waits until they let her in. Wow! What a good Missaroo! Then she was telling me how Missy licks her faces the whole time and what a sweet girl she is who gives her no trouble at all. Yep, that's my Miss I thought as she told me how great my dog was.

So then Miss and I headed out. We were buckled in the car and on our way home. Missy barked for 20 minutes straight, uncontrollably. I thought my ears were going to bleed. I thought, I bet if I were to tell her groomer this is how she acted, well she just wouldn't believe me. Not that angel of a dog Missy! And then it occurred to me that's the same way my brother and I were as kids.

My brother and I were BRATS with a capital B. I still am and Jeffrey is just Jeffrey. But there is one thing that was instilled in us at a very early age, you act proper in public and you respect adults. And you bet that we did. My mom was never afraid to put us in our places in public so we knew better than to give her the chance. Nothing more embarrassing than getting a smack to the back of the head in front of your friends or the lady that cuts your hair, or insert anything where you have to see those people again. I guess that's kind of like the Missaroo too. She's an angel in public and then lets our her brattiness in the car. Althought she'd bark like that even if her groomer was in the car with us. Oh that Missaroo!

Missy and the Fly

I'm not sure if things like this make me feel good or bad about the Missaroo. She doesn't kill living things, but she tortures them and then leaves them like that. I'm talking about bugs of course. Not sure what I mean? Just watch:

My Turn, Karma is a You Know What

So I've been running my big mouth about how Missaroo is clumsy. She runs into poles and parked cars, ha ha! Well I finally got what I deserved and I only wish I could blame it on the Missaroo.

We went back to Tubbs Hill in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday. I had a random shorter day at work thanks to CBS airing sports during the 5pm and 6pm hours. Thank you CBS! So I was off at 3 and by 4 we were enjoying the last 80 degree, sunny day of the year from on top of a beautiful hill overlooking Lake CdA. I was a bit too adventurous, however. I decided we'd go up pretty darn high. There was this little path to no where I decided we would take. Bad idea. First of all I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. ((Have I mentioned I'm not athletic?? Like at all)) Second, when we were trying to come down the steep hilly part guess who fell on her butt and then proceeded to slide her way down? Oh not the Missaroo, nope it was this girl. I had to drop her leash and everything. Luckily she's smart enough to realize I never drop her leash so the moment that happened she immediately stopped and turned around as if to say, what's going on mom? Oh my Missaroo, she's such a smarty.

Miss really came out the winner that day. She got a good doggie laugh at my expense finally and a pretty cool hike. She came home and passed out on the balcony in the sun, soaking up what was left of the day. I took a shower and cleaned myself up. I wasn't really hurt except for my pride and thank goodness for that. It occurred to me as smart as the Missaroo is, she's no Lassie. What if I had fallen and broken my arm or something ((don't worry no wells on Tubbs Hill)) But seriously, what would the Missaroo have done then. Probably just sat there with me trying to lick my face. Also lucky for both of us, Tubbs is a pretty happening place. So it would have only been a matter of seconds until someone walked by.

But just in case, maybe I should start watching old Lassie reruns with Miss. I could train her to do that, right?

A Love Story

I wish I could explain to you in words how much I love my dog. I try each and every day with this blog, but there aren't enough posts in the world. I love the Missaroo and that's really where all my craziness about her comes from. I won't dress her in clothes and I certainly won't stuff her when she's dead ((which I announced to the newsroom yesterday. Don't ask how that convo got started)) But I will have her either cremated or buried when she dies. And yes, that will be the worst day of my life.

There are lines drawn between being an actual person and a dog, but we sometimes blur them. In the end though, it really comes down to love. When you love someone or something, you do anything for them. I haven't been in love many times in my life ((thought I was in love once, actually in love once)) and I'd actually like to keep it that way. And I'm not in love with the Missaroo either, but I do love her like I would love my kid and she loves me as her protector, bud, and dog mom. It's a love story really.

Don't Talk to Miss that Way

The other day I was reading for class when Miss went out on the balcony to bark. She was not happy with our neighbors, I'm not really sure why but she was letting them have it. I probably should have gone out there and gotten her, but I really didn't notice it that much. I didn't notice until I heard my neighbor tell the Missaroo to shut up. Or at least that's what I thought I heard. I mean I KNOW I heard "shut up" but I don't know that it was directed at the Missaroo. Either way it got my attention.

Here's the thing about this: Whether you agree with my insanity or not, the Missaroo is my kid. I would NEVER go up to someone else's screaming kid and tell them to shut up. I might think it in my head, or maybe say something to the parent, but not the kid. ((Um and can I remind you all about the 4 year old who single handedly managed to cancel the flight of 250 people? I was glad I had a dog that day.)) And here's another thing, the Missaroo might be my kid but she's still a dog. And a guard dog to top it off. She barks, that's kinda what they do. And if you knowingly move into doggie hell, well then you have to put up with the barking. She's not the only barker on the block, or even the loudest. She sometimes carries on the longest and throws the biggest fits, sure, but she's a dog.

So here's my point: as crazy as I might be, I think people should respect my craziness and not talk to my dog in a way they don't want me to talk to their child. AND Missy is allowed to bark, it kinda comes with the territory. AND if you have a problem with her barking, hey feel free to knock on my door. But don't, I mean DO NOT tell the Missaroo to shut up.

I've been keeping a closer ear on the balcony situation and if the neighbor tells her to shut up one more time, you bet she's going to get a piece of my mind. Tell me what you think. Agree with me? The neighbor? Both? Neither? We'd love to hear from you!

Please Don't Honk at Me: A Plea From the Missaroo

If you see the Missaroo and me walking down the street, please, PLEASE don't honk at us! It scares the crap out of her. OK, I'll admit, my feet sometimes leave the pavement too but I'm not attached to a leash. Case in point: Last night we were walking when the obnoxious HONK came from behind us. Missy not only jumped, she got caught in her leash. Her foot went through the handle. It was dark and she was freaking a bit and it wasn't fun to try and get her untangled and settled down.

The night before, another HONK. This time Miss almost ended up in the road. Again, not good. Especially at night. Especially when she's spazing. Unfortunately for us, the people that honk are mostly strangers and will never read our funny, little dog blog. BUT this is a fair warning to the rest of you out there.

Sure, I don't see all of those friendly waves. And for that I really am sorry. I enjoy waving at people I know, but I don't always recognize cars. And hey, if it's the morning a little honk from the opposite direction or when you aren't DIRECTLY behind us is OK. It's the full on HONK we don't see coming that is just downright scary sometimes. So this is our plea, Please don't honk at me!

A New Low

Missaroo hit an all time clumsy low last night. We were almost home from our late night walk when she just had to walk along the curb as we walked through the apartment complex parking lot. I was against this idea and tried to steer her in the opposite direction to no avail. It wasn't long before she fell off the curb and into A PARKED CAR!

Thank goodness it wasn't one of those with an alarm system. It was dark, after midnight, and I'm super sure no one saw. But if that car alarm would have gone off I'm not sure what I would have done. Maybe ran for it? We were pretty close to home after all. OR maybe just sat in the middle of the road waiting for the owner to come out. Who knows?

But that is a new low, even for the Missaroo. I mean, turning your head into a pole is one thing, but falling off a curb and running your head smack into a parked car? I'll steal a line from my mom on this one, "Good thing you're pretty Shmoo."

Missy's Chair

When I first adopted Miss in the Tri-Cities, I had exactly one piece of furniture in my living room, my reclining chair. I of course had to have one just like my dad's so he would feel comfortable when he came to visit. I can remember being at the store with my mom picking it out as she asked me "do you really want a blue one? Every chair you've sat in has been blue." Uh, habit I guess. Guess what color my dad's recliner is? I ended up going with a brown one.

After moving to Spokane, I accumulated more furniture. Most of which was given to me for free by my Tri-Cities family. I received a small little sofa and another recliner. It wasn't long before the Missaroo claimed the non-rocking recliner for herself. See, she doesn't like my chair that much because when she tries to get in it, it moves. She barks at it and then walks away. Now she's to the point where she doesn't even try, she just goes for the other one.

Lucky for the Miss, we've only ever had one other person in the apartment at a time. We're not much for entertaining so the "other chair" has really become Missy's chair. Sure she sleeps in her doggie bed, with me in my chair, curled up with or without me on the sofa, but if you're watching TV and looking to see where Miss went, just look across the living room. Oh yeah, you'll find her bone buried in the arm of it too.