That's All Folks

I sure felt busy yesterday, the last day of school for me (at least for a few years!). Here is the list of what I did, and what order I did them. Lately, it seems like most of my days have been this way, and this is the last one.

Woke up around 4 am after tossing and turning. Couldn't go back to sleep, got up and studied. Took shower at 6, got ready for the day, ate breakfast, and went to my first final, at 7:30 am. (I think that if I really wanted class that early, I would have taken a class that early.) After that final, I had to turn in my Thesis (yeah) and then met another classmate to study for my final at 9:30 am. Took that one, went up to my studio to work on my next final, which was actually my Thesis presentation at 11:30. Since it was not time for the presentation, I verified that my last project was complete, and printed it off for my last final at 1:30 pm. My presentation went well, and afterwards, I ate lunch with a potential Department Head candidate and graduate students (I am not a graduate student) at about 12:30. Printed off some information for my Honor's Contract that I need to turn in, and helped other students who were finishing their final projects. My last final started at 1:30, and I was done around 3. After this, I had to retrieve three copies of my signature page for my thesis, drop off keys to the building and studios, and then go get the three thesis bound. I finished my day at about 4:30, and then was on the road.

It was a long day, worth it, and I am glad that it's over!

Hope your days are not as crazy as this one. It may not seem like there is a lot going on, but the first two finals were actual tests that I had to study for, and the other ones were ones that I had to do a lot of prep work ahead of time, and on the day of, prior to them. The story of my school career. That's all folks.

Buried...Dead or Alive

This is Bo, burying one of his bones. Sorry it is kind of long. When Bailey was still around, she was the one that would bury bones, hiding them from him. He would sometimes find them, (when she actually left them before changing her mind and digging them up again) and then she would go and take them from him anyway. We only have seen him bury anything once when she was still around. Now he does this all the time. I keep asking him if he would rather chew on them as they were intended, but he insists on burying them.

What was funny this day was that we have been doing tons of work in the front of the house, preparing for my family to come and visit for my graduation and my younger brother's surgery, and we don't have any furniture up front right now. This day, we had just gotten done painting the walls and ceiling, when he decided that he needed to bury his bone. He saw the only soft thing, a painting drop cloth, on top of a bucket of paint, and tried to bury it there, but quit. I saw him, laughed at his attempt, and put the drop cloth on the floor for him, where he started the routine. I did not get it all from the start, but he did enough for you to get an idea of what he does. Every now and then, he has to uncover it. I don't know if he is checking to see if it is still there or what, but I just laugh and roll my eyes.

Ode to Little Miss Bailey Sue

Those of you who know us well, know that we are animal lovers. I have always loved animals, and even though I have more than I currently want, I am so attached to each of them and their cute personalities that it is hard to think of getting rid of them. That said, as of this morning, we no longer own Bailey. She and Bo are siblings from the same litter, born July 8, 2006. Corey's brother Trent purchased her for Corey as a birthday gift, and got Bo for himself. We got them when they were 5 weeks old. In November, Trent asked us to watch Bo while he moved, and then asked us if we wanted to keep him, so we inherited him. He has been a great pet since!

So, we are not going to have a great few days. We have discussed getting rid of her for quite some time, and after the day we had yesterday, realized that we were punishing her and ourselves for prolonging it. Basically, her temperament is one that has to be handled by someone who knows more than we do. She has to be alpha, even over Corey and I, and that has caused problems from the beginning. As first time dog owners, we did not realize it, but there is nothing you can do to fix her temperament. Lately, she has been attacking Bo, sometimes for no reason, but usually over food. He will come to me for protection (after defending himself the best he can), and then not want to be near her for a while. Yesterday morning, she attacked him again (the attacks increased while she was in heat and had been decreasing until the last few days). Then last night, Corey was standing and eating a snack while I was laying in our bean bag cushion, when she attacked Bo again. We had a difficult time separating the two to calm her down and she seemed worse than normal. Then a few minutes later, Corey came and laid down with me. Bo was already laying down beside me, and Bailey came to lay on Corey's stomach. She must not have liked the look Bo gave to her, as she attacked him again, really bad, except that I was in between them. I got bit and we jumped in quicker than normal to separate them. It was scary. After that, we decided that sooner than later would be best to discuss getting rid of her, made a call to animal control and they came and picked her up this morning. I really am struggling with it. I know that deep down it is for the best, and we honestly do not know if they are putting her down, or going to find a better place for her than we can provide. She is so sweet most of the time, and that is what I will remember. She is extremely close to Corey, and at night would sit on his lap and he would pet her. If he quit earlier than she wanted, she would nudge him or nibble on his fingers to get him to continue. She would lick his face in appreciation and love.

Poor Bo is lost now. He saw me go to the back and get her leash and harness, know that he did not get his put on, and that she left and did not come back. He went to the door, looked at it, looked back at me, and looked at the door again, totally confused. I took him outside and he just stood there sniffing the air for her. I took him on a walk to clear his mind. Hopefully he will be okay after a few hours.

Corey and I on the other hand are just a mess. It will take more than a few hours for us to heal. This morning, we went outside with them after we woke them up, and he picked her up to give her his last hug, and she just licked his face as the tears streamed down. It was bittersweet. She has this cute yawn that she has done since she was a wee little puppy, but as she's grown older, has not done it nearly as often. She did that this morning for us, one last time. I could go on forever about her little fun things that she does, but maybe that will be better for a later date.



Bailey at 5 weeks. Mischief maker from the start!



Her favorite way to eat snacks. Later on, she would roll over to get her belly rubbed.



The twins, as I like to call them, at about 8 weeks old. We were rock climbing, and they tagged along. Great playmates.



One of the last pictures of our lovely Bailey, April 14, 2008. She knew something was up, but did not know what. Bailey, we are so sorry we couldn't give you the best home where you could truly be yourself.

Just tell me that we are not evil.

Just like old times....and starting new ones

Abbie, my faithful and overweight cat is different than most cats. She is so friendly to people who come visit, she actually greets them, and then insists they pet her their entire stay. She has even jumped up on a missionary's lap during a prayer before we ate dinner. She plays fetch, and her favorite ball is a cloth ball that at one time had colored fur on the outside. Since she has played with it so much, that fur is now mostly gone, as a result, christened 'Baldy". We got a few new cloth balls for her called 'Hairy,' but she does not like them. Baldy has been missing, and the dogs like him as well, so we have not played fetch in a long time. This morning, she snuck into our room, found Baldy, and brought him to my feet. While I continued getting dressed, brushing my teeth, etc. we played fetch again. It was so nice.

The new times are regarding Bailey, our puppy daughter. She is such a daddy's girl, but will cuddle with either of us at her convenience. At night we lay down on the bean bag chair, encouraging the dogs to join us and calm down before we put them to bed at night in their kennel. We turn on the TV, and find something. We realize this might not be the healthiest of habits, but try having two rambunctious dogs yourself and come up with a different idea that works! Besides, we get to spend time with each other as well, a rarity while I work on my thesis. I digress, so back to my point. Bailey takes longer to get settled, will wander and finally will lay down if one of us rubs her belly. When she finally gets settled, we know she won't move if she puts her head into the crook of our arms, right up by our armpits. She is like an ostrich hiding, but it gives her comfort, so we let her. We don't have pictures of it yet, so maybe we will try tonight! Wish us luck.

My thesis is more than half done, which is good because I only have a few days left before I really need to get it done, to allow time for proofreading and fixing by my advisor's. All will be well and done soon!