2005 - Out with a Bang!

Well - I guess you can say that 2005 went out with a BANG! This is Jim & Julie's van - after our collision in Champaign. We were on our way to go out to dinner and then go to an Illini Basketball game. Julie and I had this great idea to go to this new restaurant for dinner (on Duncan and Windsor) and take their shuttle to the game so we wouldn't have to walk from the parking lot. It was a really good idea - especially since it was pooring down rain. (Yeah - not rain in the picture - I'm getting to that)

So, Julie and I were then talking about how we hated to have to walk in the rain - you get so wet - it's better if it were snow.....you guessed it - it turned to snow....by the time we got to Savoy - a whiteout. So there we were going 25 mph and someone else ran their stop sign and we just hit them really hard. Actually - we were lucky it was so slick - cause we ended up just pushing them along and out of the way - instead of having a horrible impact. No injuries - thankfully. But we had to wait a long time for everything to be taken care of....and we were cold....and hungry. So....the cell phones all started ringing - everyone having a different plan for coming to get us. But we finally just called Enterprise! And they really did come get us - in the snowstorm in the middle of the country. But the tow truck driver got their first - but we talked him into waiting - we didn't want to have to just stand on the roadside and wait. We actually got to ride for a short distance while they towed us off the road!

Well - we debated - for about a minute - then decided -what the heck - if we'd been through all of this - we're going to the game!

So - no nice dinner - but we got hot dogs and popcorn and ice cream at the game - and had an absolutely wonderful time. Well - we did after the guy behind us had a seizure and had to be removed by paramedics.....after that it was all fun.

Welcome to the world Ava Lyn

Can you even believe it?! A post that isn't about a dog? Well let me introduce you to my new great-niece....Ava Lyn. She came into this world on Tuesday December 27, 2005. (one day after Moody came into my life.....it was a busy week). She is the 2nd daughter of my niece Lindsay and her husband Mark. She of course is just absolutely beautiful and equally as sweet. I don't know much about her personality yet - just that she has big eyes...and seems to be able to sleep through the chaos of great grandma donna's house.

One cool thing is that her name was picked out by her older sister Alyssa - at 18 months. When people started asking her if she was going to have a new baby sister and what should we call her...she said "Ava". We have no idea where that came from - we know no one named Ava. Well Lindsay and Mark just joked around awhile and called her "Ava"...but after several months of trying to compromise on a name....they just stuck with Ava and added the middle name of Lyn.

Moody Blues

Well - I'm back again....finally with another dog tale. Moody Blues is ......you guessed it....another dog. He is living in my garage right now...hopefully a temporary situation. On the day after Christmas I found him and two other comrades at Casey's Convenient Store. Moody is approx 100 lb whitish/yellow Great Pyrrenes/Yellow Lab Mix....and he had planted himself in front of the door and all the customers were having to step over him to get in the store. They had shown up a couple hours earlier - either vagabonds or dumped....guess we'll never know. His two companions were shy and skittish and didn't want any thing to do with me....but I opened my car door...and that's all it took...Moody jumped in without a look back.....like "See ya, ya'll are on your own now" So what could I do? but take him home.

But our house is on the market with new carpet and all....so a big hairy dirty dog didn't fit in the "In House Dog" category (much to my dismay)....so I'm making him his own little bachelor pad in the garage.

His first visit to the vet...though he was a perfect gentleman....didn't go so well....the bad news is that he is heartworm positive...and needs eye surgery....his bottom lids are curling in and rubbing on his corneas. Ouch! And despite how uncomfortable he must be - he is an absolute sweetheart!

So - I'm now going to try to see if Genesis Rescue will take him on....he can stay with me and I will care for him....and hopefully we will find him a perfect home.

This and That

If you are here reading this....Thanks! for having faith that I would eventually write on this blog again. It was much easier the first week - when I was in a hotel room for a week with nothing better to do. But back in the real world - it's hard to find time to do laundry and pay bills...let alone something fun and trivial like this....

Here is another pic of new Jovie. We have determined that she is a year and a half and she is allergic to any Iam's dog food. And fleas. Yes - Hannah has fleas - in December. They say they come in to keep warm just like mouse. Guess it's hard to set traps for fleas....well - guess Hannah was the trap.

Jovie and Hannah just LOVE each other. They play and play and play. Then they both climb up in the recliner with me and take a nap. I couldn't have picked a better addition to our family. Just fits perfectly.