Letter from Chip

So we made it to Arkansas (with very smooth traveling for once) and are now enjoying time with family. We left Chip & Cooper with Maggie, our wonderful dog sitter, on Thursday afternoon. The following was the email I received this morning from Chip. (Thanks, Maggie!)

Dear Mom,
Well, I was sad when you left, but Maggie picked me up and hugged me and then played with all of us. Then we went for a walk; Cooper still thinks he's some sort of sled dog with all that pulling, me I just meander here and there and Howie (Maggie's dog) just walks by her side. (I don't think he "gets" what walks are all about yet.) Then it was time for a nap. I had to teach Maggie the wedge thing and that she should never stop rubbing/petting/stroking me, or I have to nudge her hand with my nose. Don't worry; she gets it now. Cooper takes his "front and center spot" and hogs up most of the room. We did leave room for Howie, though. We slept just fine down in her room but not on the bed. The next day we had another walk, more playtime, and helped Maggie work out in the yard, followed by a nap and more play. It's exhausting. I do miss both you and dad but since we dogs only live mostly in the moment, I'm doing just fine. Maggie is quite amazed with how fast Cooper eats and then falls in love with his empty food bowl. She wants to know if you've ever tried a puzzle cube? It would slow him down and provide some mental stimulation. Hope you're having a good time, we sure are!
Love, Chip

PS Cooper will write next!

Where does it go?

Time...has anyone else noticed how elusive it is? My goodness. In some ways, blogging has made me see more than ever how quickly the time goes. I look up to do a post, and it's already a new month. How does that happen? Sheesh! Well, anyway, I guess a lot has happened since my last update, so I'll just go over a few of the highlights.

November...really is a great month. Not only do I get to celebrate my birthday for a whole week, but I also get to celebrate the birthdays of two of my favorite people in the world...Susan and Laura. Susan is my amazing sister-in-law who just happens to be pretty high on the friend list (even before she was my sister-in-law). Susan is one of the sweetest, hardest working women you will ever meet. During November Susan booked a plane ticket to come see me in January for almost a week while Ricky is in Orlando at umpire school. I can't wait for that girl time. :-) Laura also celebrated her birthday in November, and she is one of those people who was put on the planet partly so I could live a more full life. She and I are like the same person in many ways (majored in psych, graduate degrees in school psych, fourth degree black belts, conducted research projects involving peanut butter...the list goes on but you get the point), but we are different, too. And that makes things perfect. She is more artistic and creative than me while I have the organized and planning pieces down a little better. Oh, and she married Kyle who is one of my other favorite people in the world, too...and pairing Kyle and Ricky with me and Laura...it's pretty close to perfect. Now Laura and Kyle have added Abby to the mix, and it just couldn't get any better.:-)

Speaking of Kyle, he and Ricky are contemplating applying for the amazing race...two men whose wives are best friends all of whom are black belts in taekwondo (oh, and kyle's legally blind)...think it could be a good sell, what about you?

Back to my birthday. I had a great birthday week. I got a new water bottle, a little travel purse, an itunes gift card, Kris Allen's CD, two pretty lanyards for my work ID, a new sport watch, a trip to Cheesecake factory, AND tickets to the Trans Siberian Orchestra. (I've wanted to go for several years). It was great. We had a very fun time at the concert. I have such a thoughtful hubby. The picture above is a quick self-pick at the concert.

Well, there we are... a quick update. In less than two weeks, we'll be traveling to Arkansas for a good visit with family. I'm looking very forward to it, despite the bittersweet fact that I will be returning without my husband for a few weeks. Sigh. Life will fly by, though, I'm sure.

I HAVE to get my dissertation written up in January. :-)