Wedding Prep!

Yesterday...

Shopping for something to wear to the wedding. BINGO! All done in 1 hr, thanks to my own personal shopper, Sharayah. Love you, sweet pea! Then, she prepares her killer baked chicken and veggies for dinner. Could this day get any better? A special day with my daughter.

Today...

Sharayah did my hair in loose curls to see if I would like it for the wedding and she tested out all the makeup we bought yesterday. It looked really natural (which is what I like). She did a great job. 1st time ever getting gel nails. Quite a process. Three whole hours? Holy Crap! I can barely clear enough time to get to the chiropractor and a one hour massage feels like an entire vacation. Three hours? I like them alright. Fell heavy and thick. Will take some time to get used to them.

I certainly have little to no intention of keeping them post-wedding. I will let them grow out or whatever it is you do with gel nails if you don't want them anymore. At $45 every 3-4 wks for a fill...WAY too expensive. Seriously, only reason I got them this time was cuz they were either long or broke off and looked super snaggy and I really needed a quick fix AND (this is the most important part) they were on SALE? Best word ever! Sharayah is at the salon getting her nails as I write. I wonder how Theo is holding up, lol. Sitting there for three hours.

Logan and Sarah popped over for a quick visit. I modeled my new clothes for Bryan and them. They all really liked the outfits - a lot! Told you Sharayah did a fantabulous job! I'm going to wear the print blouse with the charcoal skirt + black suede heels.

Heeeeeeer's Molly!

Molly spent a lot of time just sitting in one place during the first 24 hrs post op. Understandably so. She had a real time of it, getting her back legs to sync up.

Day two-post op. Venturing out with careful steps.

Her little t-shirt helped keep her warm and stop the shivers.

Day 4-post op. She loves burrowing inside this fluffy comforter.

Not the best pic - taken with phone - but captures that cute expression.

I'm Bound To Seek Justice...

for the animals we saw at a different viewing today. NOT to be mistaken for the property in the previous blog entry, this place was the dwelling wherein two hoarders lived. Over three thousand sq ft of house so packed with crap, there were only pathways available by which to navigate from room to room.

They have four dogs: a shepherd, a mini poodle and two jack russell terriers. The red mini poodle's hair was 3-4 inches long, filthy and severely matted.

The solid white jack russell appeared to have a bite on his back. They told our realtor on the phone that we had to wait till they were home cuz one of the jack russell terriers is vicious. When we arrived at the property, there was quite a commotion on the inside of the house and I suspect the little guy was bitten in the process. I have seen this occur many times. It is a common problem with unbalanced packs. (Below = a happy well-cared for "Jack" puppy.)

So, now, what else can I possibly do but report them to the SPCA? I made a call to them but they are closed. I left a msg (I really don't care if someone knows I called). I will call again on Monday. Those poor dogs! I also noticed that there was a fairly funky smell in the back part of the house where several bedrooms were locked with no access permitted. Can you imagine if they are running a puppy mill? I realize that my mind may "go there" more readily these days due to the recent revelation of our connection between our dogs and the West Edmonton puppy mill bust. Regardless, I will pursue this until I speak to a SPCA rep. I don't expect to sleep well, knowing that those dogs are living in that inhumane filth. I am not without compassion for hoarders as I recognize it is a mental illness but, wow! In my books, it's one thing to live in those conditions but to impose those conditions on an innocent animal...horrifying and unjust!

To see them go from conditions similar to this dwelling...

to a place that's safe and sound... That's all I care about.

Me Thinks I'm Smitten! sigh*

This is the nearly 1,700 sq ft house on the property. It could use quite a good cleaning and some cosmetics, but it is in really good condition and wouldn't be too much work to bring up to date. Lovely flower gardens on all sides of the house. Evident that it was a much-loved home for the majority of its existence.

This is the pond on the 40 acre property located very near the home. It is absolutely huge. A close estimate would be 10-12,000 sq ft surface. It is used for ice skating in the winter months and several weddings have been performed in the meadow at the far end where you can see a small "warming" cabin. It is very picturesque.

I've never thought of quonsets as 'nice' but I was rather impressed with this one. Far more sturdy than I originally thought it would be. It is nearly 1,800 sq ft and not more than a few years old. I think it would make a fabulous music studio for Bryan! It's comfortably close to the house (closer than barn/arena = less hair and other dog related products - lol). I understand you can finish the insides of quonsets to look like any other building except the roof lets in enormous amounts of light AND it can be heated in a more cost effective manner now-a-days.

This is the arena. I wish I had taken pictures of the inside. They spared no expense on this building's interior. Professional kick-boards line the perimeter of the building (no cheapo particle board used here) and only lacks the riding soil. The attached bit behind the arena is the stables: big enough to house 14 stalls. We learned that Goodon Enterprises put both buildings up in 14 days. A crew of 20 guys + 14 days resulted in a 10,440 sq ft facility! That is impressive! The homeowner prepared a Turkey dinner for the crew during the building days and generally fed them very well. If we used these buildings for the kennel/fitness centre, we would have to pour the concrete which would be a cost of nearly $100,000,00 :s Scary!

Fencing In Kingston...

is what Daylin will be doing this wknd. He gave us a quick call tonight to say "Hey" and do a bit of catching up. Always good to hear from your living-abroad children. He's busy studying and studying and studying. I'm glad to hear he is fitting some exercise into his schedule. He's still got the love of the sport and it's something he and Nicole can enjoy together. Good luck, Daylin and Nicole... Happy Stabbing? lol

Property # 742

...or so it seems. This is all getting very exhausting. I actually had an "is it worth it?" moment today. Faced with so many obstacles when striving to achieve your heart's goal, I suppose it is expected to question the validity of your hopes and whether or not you have a snowball's chance in hell of obtaining it. Gladly, the moment was short lived. Booted in the butt by shear perseverance.

Tomorrow, we go to look at yet another property. I consulted my friendly county worker (he's been honest and helpful throughout this process) and he said it shows the most promise regarding permits. We'll just have to wait and see. I will keep you posted.

Until then,... keep dreaming!

My Little Guys

Hi, I'm Tucker. Actually, my papers say my name is "Little Tommy Tucker" but everybody calls me Tucker. Besides, when I see papers I get an uncontrollable urge to pee on them. Mommy sometimes calls me Tuck-Tuck-Tuckeroo, Tommy Two Shoes or just "Tuck". I'm something called a chocolate toy poodle. I don't know why they would call me 'chocolate'. Don't they know that stuff is lethal to dogs? Humans! I was the very first boy to come live with my forever family. They originally wanted my sister, but Dad couldn't bear to leave me behind all by my lonesome and when he asked Mom what she thought about taking me home too, she could hardly believe her ears! I guess it took some convincing to get Dad to agree to go look at my sister. Well, to make a long story short, my mom jumped at the chance to bring me home. Daylin and Logan named me after the Red Vs Blue character, "Tucker". I like playing fetch, chewing bones and digging down to the bottom of anything fluffy - Oh, Joy!

Hello! William's the name and cuddling's my game. I don't have papers but if I did, I wouldn't pee on them. I only like peeing on wee-wee pads and grass. That's why I get to go lots of places with mommy. She can trust me not to go any ole place that makes itself available. I'm a toy poodle like Tucker and the rest of the poodie gang here at the house but I was born by accident and the breeder wasn't sure who my daddy was. I don't really care cuz I got my own mommy and daddy who take great care of me and love me more than any dog ever could. Sharayah gave me my name. It's very long and is for the Heath Ledger character in A Knight's Tale: Sir William Thatcher of Geldaland. Mostly, I answer to any of the following: William, Willy (not my favorite), Will, Wills, Wilby and the like. If you're calling me to come cuddle, I don't care what you call me. I'm your man! I like playing with soft squeakies and I'm pretty much the only one who is allowed cuz I don't tear them apart. What can I say? I'm a little gentleman.

Hi, there! My name is... are you ready?... Joey, El Pequito Kanguro. To you gringos, that means, Joey, The Little Kangaroo. It suits me cuz I really like to jump. And not the kind of jumping that would take a dog sailing over fences or pole jumps on an agility course but the kind of jumping that takes a dog straight up in the air. Height is what I'm all about. I only stand 8 inches off the ground but I can jump almost 3ft high! I should compete in the Doggy Olympics! I absolutely love pestering my sisters, Graci and Pixie Wiggles. They're tough girls (they ARE latino, in case you didn't know) and can run fast so they provide me with hours of fun. I get them to chase me too, just to be fair. I call upon my gentler side when I play with my 1/2 sister, Molly, cuz she is just toooooo tiny for rough play. She's smart, though, cuz she knows when to get out of my way when I'm on the run. This picture is of me in my younger days when I first came to live with my forever family. I think I must have gotten enormous cuz mommy says she can't believe how big I grew. I'm an entire 5lbs! She was very happy to see me grow to a good size and weight and always tells people I am 'heavy boned'. This is a good thing, she says, cuz I can jump off the sofa without risking a broken bone. I don't have the heart to break it to her but, even if I didn't have heavy bones, I would still rip around here like nobody's business cuz I got a name to live up to, don't cha know. Adios, amigos!