The Big Green Monster

I'll pretty much do anything to entertain the Missaroo, even if it is only for a few seconds. She gets easily bored with her toys unless part of the playing involves running around the apartment. For me, that really does only last a few seconds. The other night I was sitting in my recliner covered in my brand new, Muppet green blanket. ((Yes the same one she was wrapped in the day before.)) Missy wanted to play and I didn't want to get up. So I used the blanket to play with her. I just started growling at her and moving my covered feet around, sometimes touching her head. It wasn't long before the Missaroo tried to find those feet. She started growling back, running from side to side, and biting the blanket. Improvised play at it's finest.

Playing Catch Up

Ok, so the dog blog has been on a bit of a hiatus recently so it's time to catch you up on what we've been doing lately.

First, I turned 25. Yes, the scary number I have been dreading for weeks finally happened. Luckily, my mom was here with me so it was actually pretty darn great. I went shopping, got a massage, got my nails done, had a great night with great friends from work, went to Lake Coeur d'Alene, visited the FAM in the TC, went to WSU and basically got caught up on life and enjoyed the Northwest. It's the least stressed I've been in YEARS!

But most of those adventures didn't really include the Missaroo so I'll spare you the details, but not the pictures.

Second, I got real about my life. I took a good, hard look at where I'm actually at and where I want to be. Despite some of the blogs, the result is glass half full. I'm on track with grad school and work. The Missaroo's Internet stardom was off to a quick start and has now tapered off, so that's a bummer, ((any suggestions on how to jump start it I'll take!)) Now I'm working on trying to find an internship at a non-profit, finish school, move up at work, and still explore every chance I get. In fact, I'm already thinking Vegas for birthday number 26. I've never been, so why not?

I've also been working harder on relaxing. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but for me it's not. I really have to take a step back and go, "Whoa! You are not having fun, you are STRESSED!" And so far it's starting with my walks with Missy. I'm working on not speed walking down the road. I'm trying to walk slower and with less of a purpose. She's enjoying it more too. So it's all about starting back at one, with baby steps. I'll get there, now I just have to figure out where it is I'm going.

Wannabe Cougs!

Missy and I had our latest adventure in Pullman, Washington home of Washington State University. Since I moved to Washington, I've always found myself rooting for the Cougs. Slowly, but surely, I fell in love. Someone once told me the Cougs are the best team ever invented, I'm not sure I'd go that far yet, but I do love them. So it was time to finally go to campus and check it out for myself.

Missaroo and I packed up and made the 90 minute trip on a cool, rainy afternoon. We walked EVERYWHERE! We saw the stadium, the communications buildings, the student union. Who knew I could be so excited to be back on a college campus, but I was! Missy was a hit too! One of the parents there on a tour actually asked the tour guide what was with the dog in the backpack! To which he replied I don't know, as they all watched us walk by.

One of the places everyone told us to go was the ice cream shop. They make their own cheese and ice cream. We bought some Cougar Gold Cheese and a few scoops of ice cream before heading back to Spokane. By the time we got back, Miss and I were both ready for a nap. We ended up passing out for about an hour. I blame all the steps.

My mom asked me, so was it everything you hope for? You bet! Then some and more. I even bought my own Coug sweatshirt. ((the shirt and sweatshirt I already have were gifts)) I love the Missroo and I love the Cougs. Even on a cloudy day, it was pretty much perfect.

Sometimes Missy Forgets She's a Dog

The Missaroo is pretty much treated like a person. She is my little buddy who goes everywhere with me. She's been through every drive thru I've ever been in, she lays on the couch with me, and sleeps in the bed. The only thing she doesn't get to enjoy is people food. That's my big rule. No people food. I don't want her to turn into one of those annoying dogs who begs. She has enough things about her that make her annoying.

Grams doesn't understand. She repeatedly tells Miss to get off the bed, off the couch, off of her. OFF, OFF, OFF is usually what I hear from the other room. Missy just looks at her with that adorable face as if to say "but Grams I love you, why don't you love me?"

Last night was no exception. I was lying on the couch with my new green blanket and the Missaroo just had to lay there too. When I got up to go to bed I threw the blanket off and just scooted up and around Miss. She was still in the same spot, but now she was covered in the blanket. She looked, well, like a kid....

Finally, Some Real Quality Time

We're doing it again, the whole blog slacking thing. My mom is still in town and we've been busy bees! I'll do a wrap up blog about all of our adventures at the end, but most of them don't really include the Missaroo.

BUT the best part about having all this time off is that I'm not stressed and neither is the Missaroo. It's amazing how much better she walks. Usually we are hauling buns down the road to try and knock out the walks so she can get her exercise and I can eat. It's especially bad on the weekends. But now I'm foot loose and fancy free just like the Missaroo. She is much calmer because I'm much calmer. I would love to say I'll have to remember this and keep it up even after I go back to work but that's just not going to happen. But I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

It's also nice to just spend some time with the Missaroo. We've been walking her and leaving her a lot. She can't go with us everywhere, but she's still in the crate a lot less. And when I do come home I'm in a really good mood. So she gets a positive greeting, a happy mom, and another walk! Another thing we've been doing more of is watching TV. I spend most of my free time either taking care of her or updating all of her pages. With Grams here, I've been spending a lot less time on the Internet and more time just being in the same room as Miss.

Our happy-go-lucky ways will be coming to an end on Saturday. Until then Grams, Missaroo, and I will enjoy some real quality time.

Mommy to the Rescue

A couple of nights ago, Missy accidentally knocked one of her "buried" bones behind the bed. It was underneath the pillow but she hit it somehow in the middle of the night and off the bed it went. It was just a few minutes before 1 am when I heard, what sounded like her trying to crawl underneath the bed. Yep. That's exactly what she was trying to do. Then the sound of pain started. It was worse than her normal wine. So I got up. I turned the light on. I moved the bed away from the wall. She still couldn't get it, so it was mommy to the rescue. I crawled in there and got it for her. She didn't even chew on it, turns out she was just unhappy with the placement of it. Great! I'm really glad she woke me up for that, but oh well. At least I saved the day....

The next day I picked up my mom at the airport. I miss my mom A LOT. As much as I'm pretty darn content to never move back to Illinois, I probably will one day because of my mom. She's my best  friend. We get into a fight every 2.5 seconds, we laugh constantly, and love always. I've been having a pretty hard time here as we all know, mostly due to the sheer loneliness that comes with the territory. I had had about all I could take of doing things by myself, or not at all because I couldn't take the dog. Just when I thought I couldn't take one more day, it was mommy to the rescue.

Now it's the start of day four of Grams and the Missaroo adventures. She loves that dog, even if she pretends not to.

Missaroo and the Muzzle

30 Seconds after the muzzle was up and around her nose... Missy proved to be smarter than Grams gave her credit for. Well, at least we tried.....