Birthday Bliss

I've been laying low for the past week since my big birthday bash or should I say recovering.  I had a pawsome birthday and I can't wait for next September 22.

Thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes.  It was so much fun to read all the comments on my bloggy from all my friends.  Your kind words made my birthday that much more special.  I feel truly blessed to have such great friends.

My BFF Tweedles sent me a birthday package that arrived on my birthday.  Perfect timing, Tweedles!  Daddy opened it for me but I had to sit nice and wait for Momma to take everything out.

Look at the cute card!  It's one of Melissa and Archie's special designs!  Inside the card was a very special message from Tweedles and her moms.  The card is sitting in the family room where I can look at it every day.

Momma kept pulling out present after present.  There were so many cool things in that little package.  In typical pug fashion, I was really interested in the bully stick.  It was the biggest one I'd ever seen and I couldn't wait to start nom, noming on it.

"What's that, Momma?  I have to wait until later to have the bully stick?  I don't think so!  It's my birthday, Momma, and I can do whatever I want!"

Needless to say, Momma got her way and the bully stick was saved for another day.

Look at all that cool stuff!  Stuffies, a little bag to put all my treasures in, and even a candle for my birthday cake.  Sweet!

But of course no birthday is complete without food.  Daddy stopped and got me a McCheeseyburger on his way home and it was all I could do to contain my excitement when he walked in the door.  It smelled so good and all I could think was "get in my belly!"

I was dancing and dancing while Daddy cut up the McCheeseyburger.  I tried to climb up on the island but failed and fell on my butt.  Can't blame me for trying!

I wasted no time letting my McCheeseyburger get cold.  I told Momma she would only be able to take action shots of me once I was let loose.

Nom, nom, nom!  Totally and utterly delicious!

I didn't have a real cake for my birthday but this cupcake cookie from Bellatrix was just as good.  

Momma has promised to get me a proper cake so that I can put my number 6 candle on it.  I will keep reminding her of my cake if I have to bother her every hour.   Please get with the program, Momma!

All that eating and celebrating wore me out.   Thanks again for being part of my 6th birthday.  I had a great time!

They Say It's My Birthday!

I'm off to party like a rock star!  My 6th birthday will be the best one yet!

Wordless Wednesday

Guncle Visiting!

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty nice day so I talked Momma into taking me to visit my guncles.  I know I just saw them last week but I miss them.  Plus, we had to take some homemade tamales to them.  

Can you believe I've only been to my guncle's house one other time?  What the heck?  Why don't I get invited more often?  

I was going to make the most of my time in their backyard so I scurried off the patio to check things out.

They have 4 cats that live in the house but that play in the backyard so there was mail to pick up everywhere.  Notice the lush greenness of their lawn.  Their yard is shaded by several tall trees so it doesn't get scorched like ours does.

I wasted no time because I knew my time was limited.  I traipsed through the flower beds despite Momma yelling at me. I knew it was wrong to do but good smells drew me in.  What can I say?  If you can't see you have to rely on your sniffer to lead the way.

We hadn't been there long when all of a sudden I heard some barking.  Who could it be?  Tony explained that it was the pomeranians next door so I ran to the fence to see if I could meet them.  Duh!  They were on the other side of this huge fence so all I could do was cry, cry, cry.

Of course I had to check out the water feature, too.  You just never know what might be lurking in there, right?  I came up empty pawed but it's good to know where it is for next time.

I was particularly interested in this area right by the patio.  I could hear the dogs next door plus the smells were overwhelming.  I tried to sneak over to this area when Momma wasn't looking but someone she always caught me and I slunk back to her.  She thought I was going to hurt myself (not!) or that there might just be a hole in the fence where I would escape (as if!).  Tony assured her that I was safe but she knows me too well.

And then I snuck off.  Momma was busy talking and didn't even see me disappear.  See ya, Momma!

Busted!  Um, how did she find me?  

Sorry, Momma! I will try to behave just a little better.  

I could have stayed at my guncle's house all day but I had to get home to eat.  The cat food in the kitchen did look appetizing but Momma wouldn't even let me get a taste.

Visiting people is very tiring.  It's a good thing I have lots of beds to sleep on.  Or should I say sleep half on?

Goodies From Bellatrix!

I was sound asleep this morning when Momma reminded me that the box that Bellatrix sent me still hadn't been opened.   The box of goodies arrived last week but Momma has been too busy to open it for me so today was the day I finally got to see what was inside the big box.

Oh, boy!  Where do I start?

Momma said I had to open the card first so I did.  Look - it's Bellatrix on the card!  How cute is she?  She even hand wrote a message just to me.  And on the back of the card was Bellatrix's baby picture.  She was totally adorable as a little baby pug.

Once the card had been opened and read, I stuck my big head into the box and found a bag with my name on it.

That's me!  That means all the goodies in the bag are for me!  Yippee!

"What's that, Momma?  I might have to share?  With whom?"  

Momma said that there might be some goodies in there that I might have to share with friends when they come over.  Um, Momma has totally lost her mind!

Just look at all these goodies!  OMD!  I didn't know which to sniff first.

I was particularly interested in this bone.  It was big but I knew I could handle it.  Momma suggested we take everything upstairs to her office so I could decide what to nom on while she worked.

When we got upstairs I was really interested in this bone thingy called a Z Ridge.  The picture is blurry because the aroma of the bone was driving me crazy.

This is the bone I was interested in downstairs but on second thought it seemed a wee bit too big for me - for now.  Momma said she will have Daddy cut it up into Tiffy sized pieces.

Here I am trying to imitate a pig while drooling over this pig snoozzle.  What could be better than this thing?   I think I will save this for later.

I finally decided to nom on the Z Ridge because the package said it was easy to handle.  It was so delicious that Momma took it away from me before I had a chance to finish it.  She told me that she would save it for a rainy day when all my other treats have been eaten.

Thanks again, Bellatrix, for sharing your birthday treats with me.  Maybe next time I can fly out to California to attend your birthday party. 

Wordless Wednesday

Day of Service, Remembrance, and Friendship

This past Sunday marked the 10 year anniversary of the events that shook the United States and the world.  Momma cannot even watch any footage of that day without being completely overcome with grief so when she suggested we have a party on this special day I was shocked.  A party?  We aren't going to celebrate that day, are we?  Momma finally explained to me that the party was more of a coming together with family and friends.  A celebration to remember those that lost their lives and to never forget that the price of freedom cannot be taken lightly.  And of course the kickoff to the NFL season is always a good reason to throw a party!

As Momma made out her guest list I wondered who I would invite.  Hmmmm.  Who will come to the party to play with me?  And then it hit me.  One of our friends regularly comes to Chicago to visit a very special doctor and this was the weekend of her visit.  I invited her and her peeps and they said yes.

It's Payton in the fur!  Even though we've only been friends for a few months it seems like we have known each other forever.  I was so excited to spend the whole day with Payton.

I showed Payton all the good pee spots in my backyard.  Here we are just chilling.  We did a lot of that on Sunday.

Payton is definitely a daddy's girl.  Wait.  Maybe she's a mommy's girl.  I think she just might be both!

Payton has an insatiable appetite just like me.  Who knew!  We kept everyone on their toes with our, um, not begging behavior.  Daddy gave us some carrots but we managed to get some real food from some of the other guests.

We even ate some strawberries out of my garden.  Payton loves strawberries as much as I do.  There aren't any pictures of us eating the strawberries because we are too quick for the camera.

Of course my favorite guncle Tony was at the party.  He scooped me up and held me like a baby, giving me lots and lots of kisses.  I think maybe one day he is going to take me home with him.

Payton and I split our time between the house and the backyard.  It was surprisingly warm so we didn't want to overheat.  Daddy put a tv on the patio so everyone could watch the Bears outside.  

Payton and I had on our football jerseys but someone didn't take any pictures of us wearing them.  Thanks, Momma!  My jersey is a tad bit too tight so I tried to take it off as soon as I could.  Payton's jersey is looser but that didn't stop her from wanting hers off.  We wore our jerseys until halftime and then we were naked the rest of the day.

After the Bears beat the Falcons we had a Baggo tournament.  Payton and I didn't get to play but that didn't stop us from trying.

I really thought Payton was going to pick up the bean bag and put it in the hole but she was more interested in snatching sausages out of people's hands.  Oops!

On this day of service Momma said we needed to do something for someone.  In past years Momma has taken food to the local food pantry but this year she wanted to do something different.  

For every guest that attended our party, Momma and Daddy are donating $10 to Soldier's Best Friend, a non-profit that places service dogs or therapeutic companion dogs with US military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).  They take dogs from local shelters so this organization is helping with the dog overpopulation problem while caring for those who have served our country.

On the solemn 10th anniversary of the worst day in US history, we spent time reflecting on the events of that day.  We will never forget what happened on 9/11 but we will spend each September 11 doing something for someone in need.  This day of service reminds us how much we have to give to those who need it the most. God Bless America!

Not My Idea of a Vacation

We've been back home since Monday night but Momma has been too busy doing this and that to help me with my bloggy.  Work, cleaning, school, blah, blah, blah!  Too many excuses for me to handle.  But today I put my paw down and told her that if she didn't help me I was going to run away.

The vacation wasn't much of a vacation for me.  After spending almost 11 hours in the car we arrived here.  This is the view from the front porch of our rental.  Notice the mountains in the background.  Can you guess where we were?  I guess I need to give you another clue so the next picture may help.

The real purpose of our vacation was to visit this place.  Or maybe I should say for Momma, Daddy, and some other peeps to visit this place.  It's not dog friendly so I had to stay at the rental.  In a crate.  WAAAAAHHHHH!

This is the Biltmore Estate.  It's located in Asheville, North Carolina and it was the summer home of George Vanderbilt.  It's the largest private home in the country and did I mention that it's not dog friendly?  Momma and Daddy visited Biltmore back in 2009 when they took a trip with Stubby to Barkwells.  They loved it so much that they invited their friends Michael and Michele to join us for a Labor Day getaway.  

While I was taking a nice nap in my crate listening to bad music on Momma's iPad, everyone was having fun at Biltmore.  They even took the architectural tour where they got to go on the roof.  Michael is an architect and he absolutely loved Biltmore.

There wasn't much for me to do at the rental but I did find ways to keep occupied.  I supervised every morning while Michael made breakfast.  He didn't mind my help at all because he loves me.  He even gave me some treats when Momma wasn't looking.

The rental didn't have a fenced in yard so I had to be on my leash while outside.  Also, the property had a sloped front yard that led right down to a somewhat busy street with no sidewalk to stroll down.   I simply walked up and down the yard and driveway searching for places to do my business.  Boring!

I did get to go out one night but of course there are no pictures of my night out because I was a spaz. It was hot out and we ate at a Spanish restaurant on the patio.  There was way too much food everywhere so I was all over the place.  Daddy finally ordered me a bowl of carrots which Momma fed to me as she ate her dinner.  Delicious!

Momma saw this nun on a bike everywhere and finally managed to get a picture of him.  She thought he was so hilarious as he biked all over town squirting people with his water gun.  Asheville has no shortage of free thinkers so it's a good place to be whomever you want to be.

This is another place I didn't get to go - Three Dog Bakery.  Hello!  It's the most dog friendly place in Asheville, but nooooooo, I got to stay at the rental and listen to folk music.  Sheesh!

At least Momma had the good sense to buy me some treats while she was at the Bakery.  This blueberry pupcake smelled so good.

And it tasted even better.  Too bad Momma only bought one of these because I definitely deserved more.

This ultra dog friendly restaurant didn't get to experience Tiffy time.  Momma and Michele eat weird food and the Laughing Seed Cafe was right up their alley.   In fact, there were lots of Michele eateries all over Asheville.

The weekend flew by way too fast and soon it was time to hit the road.  We woke up at the ass crack of dawn on Monday and drove through tropical storm Lee.  It seemed like the rain would never end so I decided to nap while Daddy drove us through the mountains.

Momma made sure I was tucked in and warm.  The rain drops were hitting the car very hard but that sure didn't keep me from sleeping the morning away.

"Enough pictures, Momma!  I need to pee.  Please tell Daddy to pull over at the next rest area and drive me up to a covered pee spot.  I absolutely do not want to get my tippy toes wet!"

I even resorted to doing dogya when I got bored in the car.  Once we had driven through the rain, we flew home.  Too bad we didn't have enough time to stop in Indy to visit my friends but we had to get home. 

Next time I want to go on a real vacation even though I don't know exactly where I want to go.  Any suggestions?