Happy Gotcha Day, Abby!

We are celebrating our dog's 14th birthday!  She's been through so much and has been the best dog we could ever have had!  We got her 9 years ago when she was 5 years old.

She always got along with our cats. 

Shortly after we adopted her, we enrolled in in classes at PetSmart and she passed her Canine Good Citizen test easily.

 

We loved taking her to the park and she loved the car ride too. 

She loves people and made lots of friends wherever she went.

She used to visit two nursing homes twice a month before she had trouble walking on the slippery tile floors.

She survived being attacked by two Rottweilers while on her evening walk one winter.  She was bitten all over her body and the vet didn't think she'd live, but God healed her and she pulled through!

She used to walk for miles every day (now she can't since she dislocated her shoulder).  She is on pain medication and still likes walking, just not near as far.

WE LOVE YOU, ABBY!  YOU HAVE ENRICHED OUR LIVES!

Share this:

Happy Birthday to Our Sweet Dog, Abby

Our dog Abby is now 11 years old and we are so happy to have her in our lives.  She is a happy, well-behaved, friendly, likeable, adorable dog who makes friends wherever she goes.  In fact, she not only got a brand new harness free of wet dog smell today from us, but also a bag of treats from a neighbor, from a resident at the nursing home she visits, and from one of the workers at Bartels--her vet.  Unfortunately, poor Abby didn't get any of these today because she had already had enough and we didn't want to give her too much.  She'll get some tomorrow though!

C'mon, I want this cookie NOW!

Share this:

I Turned 61 Today--Am I Old Yet?

Cake I picked out at Giant Eagle for myself--very sweet but the penguins called to me!

I had a nice birthday today and was showered with gifts.  We splurged a bit and had lunch at Cracker Barrel to celebrate using a gift card we bought at Giant Eagle so we get fuel perks out of it too AND guarantees me getting to go back again since we spent less than the $25 gift card amount!

Before we left, the first present I opened was from our cats, Spunky Doodle and Manny Boy:

"You've Cat to be Kitten Me Right--Meow"

That's what the puppet team's thought was when I told them I was 61 today.  It always makes me happy with people think I'm at least ten years younger or more than I really am.  Peter Pan is my hero! 

Go Browns!

This Browns sweater is from Abby who cheers along with me when the Browns score.  I always wear orange and brown on Sundays and Fridays during football season to show my support and sometimes even on Mondays if they win on Sunday.  Now if have another orange sweater I can wear besides the same one all the time--thanks, Abby!

Furry Siberian Tiger leg warmers!

When I opened the package, all I saw was fur!  I couldn't tell what they were but then Gerard told me.  I love leg warmers on really cold days and expect these will for sure keep my legs warm!  They are very soft too but don't worry, it is from Fabulous Furs, the Faux Fur experts.   

Of course, the best part of my birthday was that it came on Saturday so I could spend it with my husband and our pets, watched the Army/Navy game.  Funny, I don't feel any older.  Thanks for making my birthday a happy day!

Share this:

Happy Birthday to Spunky Doodle

This is Spunky Doodle's 10th Gotcha day so time to celebrate!  She is still spunky, living up to her name.

Mom says since I have pretty much outgrown toys but love to eat and hunt for food, she has a  special treat for me today.  Maybe she'll finally let me have some of Abby's dog food!  Or, maybe she'll actually share her ice cream with me.  I don't know what it is but maybe you could help me guess.  What do you think my special treat will be?

You WILL share your special treat with me, won't you?

I got my special treat for lunch:  Salmon juice and bits of salmon--yummy!

I LOVE this juice!

Manny managed to get a little too!

Thanks, Spunky.

Abby got to lick the bag.

When we got back from playing tennis, we found the recycle can knocked over and the Salmon package separated from the rest of the stuff. 

Guess the cats wanted more!

See other cats in this Feline Friday meme.

Share this:

Abby Turned 10 Today!

In honor of Abby's birthday, we both wore our Abby shirts today. 

Present No. 1:  After our morning walk, we gave her the present for Ginny and Apple, two of her friends from the nursing home she visits regularly (sausages in a blanket treats).

Present No. 2 from us:  a cookie bone which she ran over Spunky Doodle to get!

Present No. 3 was a bone from our friend Beth at Bartel's (the vet):

Abby gave her a good double high five to say thank you!

Then off through State Rd. Park we went--It's a very good day when I get two walks with dad AND mom and they both spend the day with me!

This is the best birthday I've had so far!  Woof!  Woof!

Here is my birthday video--it took my mom a long time to do it, but she figured it out:

Share this:

Nine is Fine, Woof! Woof!

Today is my 9th birthday and life is good! I am so happy to have fully recovered from my near death experience and am celebrating today with me daddy because mom is busy at Sports Camp ALL DAY today--even in the evening because that is the big family picnic night. But, that's okay because I'll get lots of one-on-one time with my daddy.

My friend Gizmo gave me a birthday present--Chewnola bars!  I always like doing the roly-poly in Gizmo's yard and Gizmo's mom tells me how cute I am.

Thanks, Gizmo, This is So Good!  (sorry for moving but I couldn't help it)

I also got a brand new harness just like my old one but not worn out.  From all the tugging,  parts were a bit frayed and mom reinforced it with duct tape.  I am happy with my brand new harness! 

Since I got treats from my friend, Gizmo, today, tomorrow I'll get the special cookie treat that I got to pick out myself at PetSmart!  I would have shown you a video of me doing that, but mom didn't have her camera with her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY!  WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Share this:

I'm 59 Today and Showered With Gifts!

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Wonderful, Love Gerard

Today is my birthday but my wonderful husband started giving me gifts on Monday. Here is the very cute flower arrangement he sent to surprise me at work. It got a lot of comments but my bosses thought they missed my birthday. My husband has learned if he sends me flowers at work, to send them early in the week so I can enjoy them. They are hard to carry home on the bus so I just leave them there.

front view

back view

On Tuesday, my honey bunny gave me this unique full-length hooded sweater.  He likes finding me clothes that I wouldn't normally buy for myself.  I'm thinking, "when will I wear this" and "where am I going to put it?"  It's heavy like a light-weight coat so it's not exactly a sweater.  I think I'd roast in it wearing it inside all day so I think it will be used as a jacket on cool days.  Gerard says I could wear it when I walk Abby.  I never had one of these before, have you?  I could wear it in the around the house because we keep out thermostat at 68 degrees, but since it's soft yarn, if I sat down it would be covered with fur in no time!

Pound for Pound ORANGE AND BROWN

After Tuesday, Mr. Wonderful wanted to give me something he knew for sure I'd really like so the Cleveland Browns hoodie was my Wednesday gift.  Although I have two Browns hoodies already, they are heavier and the one is printed funny so I hardly wear it.  This new one is light weight and it even has printing on both sleeves.  The right sleeve says "CLEVELAND" and the left says "BROWNS."  It's very comfortable and I love it!

Birthday Card (college by picmonkey.com)

What a great card Gerard got for me!  I also got a few from friends and even one from AWANA.

drum roll, for my big birthday gift I opened this morning . . ..

bum, bum, bum, bum . . . you'll never guess!

It's a Victoria Tunewriter from Brookstone

YES!  This is something I had my eye on for about 10 years but it was like $300 so I never mentioned it to Gerard until just recently.  I really didn't think he would find one, but he did.  This is a big toy gadget that copies music from a record or cassette tape onto a CD.  Our record player is busted and we have a few records that we really like but never listen to and quite a few cassette tapes too.  Mostly I wanted this to make CDs of our records.  You can also use it as a radio, record player or tape player.  Gerard told Abby there are a lot of buttons, too complicated for her daddy but I will figure it out.  Good thing I am off work today!  I'm off to read the directions and try out my new toy.  The first record I am going to copy to a CD is FAME--one of my hubby's favorites.

Thanks for making my birthday week special my Super Duper Honey Bear!  Isn't he wonderful?


Share this:

Look What I Got For My Birthday

I turned 58 today and got an early birthday present from our pets:

It's a doggie that has human treats inside--the head comes off.  Since Karen gives us treats, we wanted to give her some!

I opened my packages from my husband from smallest to largest.  The first was a Kindle but was disappointing because we do not have wifi and to use it, you need to connect to a wifi connection and enter some password.  I tried calling our Internet carrier (ATT) for the password and the customer rep never heard of a Kindle!  Anyway, eventually she told me I needed to get a router so they could set up a wireless connection.  When we asked about them at OfficeMax, the salesman told me it would only work for the Kindle in our house.  Gerard didn't realize it would be such a hassle.  At this point, I'm looking into returning it.


Gerard videotaped me doing my napkin folding demonstration so getting the videos ready took the rest of the morning.  Then we had a good lunch at Hometown Buffet, took a nice walk in the park and then opened my other two presents plus another one (he didn't count the Kindle since it was a bust) that was a book I had asked for:  Keep Your Brain Alive:  83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. and Manning Rubin.

My second present that I opened before going to lunch was an alarm clock/radio that also has a light that comes on gradually 15 minutes before the alarm goes off to act like sunrise which will be nice.  That will definitely help me wake up better.  I set it to wake with music during the week and to a sound of a river on the weekends. It has a sleep feature too that has the light go off automatically.  Spunky Doodle has already discovered the FM antennae wire so I hope we'll be able to use the radio feature.

The big package was a portable electric heater that I can use in my den. It even rotates but it has to be at least three feet from furniture and curtains so I can't use it in our computer room because it's too small with the chairs in there that the cats use. It'll be nice when I have my quiet time in the mornings up there because it's always cooler than the rest of the house in the winter..

It was nice being off work and I enjoyed the day.  Thanks, Gerard, for all the nice things and don't worry about the Kindle--I'll figure something out or else find a way to return it or sell it.  

Share this:

Eye Doctor Trip Is Birthday Downer

Necktie from Abby (our dog)--Yup, that's me on his tie! Woof!  Woof!

I never minded going to the eye doctor because it was painless and I would get new glasses so I could see better if I needed them.  Saturday was Gerard's 59th birthday and he said I should go ahead and make our eye appointments for that day.  The year is almost over so to get the benefit of our eye care insurance, we had to get before the end of the year.

We both got our eyes dilated and had to wear sunglasses because it was a nice sunny day.  The bad news was that on the one test, Gerard flunked!  The doctor said his peripheral vision on the right side didn't exist and referred him to another doctor.  This news did not set well and Gerard's initial reaction was "I just won't go."

After talking to the doctor myself, she said his eyes were healthy but . . . the peripheral vision problem could be something neurologically wrong so "make sure he goes."  The book we read, Left Neglected by Lisa Genova immediately came to mind.

This is difficult to accept, but I told him it was just like if I had said I wouldn't go see the surgeon that our doctor referred me to when the mammogram indicated I had breast cancer.  I mentioned how great it was to have those three months off from work with full pay after my surgery!

Fortunately, I guess that convinced him to go because he said I should make the appointment for the last week of this month when we are off work.  I just hope the doctor isn't taking off that week too between Christmas and New Year's.  From now on, we are not making any more doctor appointments on our birthdays!

People should go to the eye doctor every year because even if you can see, sometimes they can discover other problems from a thorough eye exam, including diabetes for one.  Have you gone this year? 

Share this:

Happy Birthday, Abby!

Today is Abby Dabby Doo's birthday! She is seven but we have only had her two years and what a wonderful dog she is! We both love her so much. She is very friendly and loves to meet people, chase squirrels but if we tell her to not to, she'll listen to us and just keep going along. She is so good about staying downstairs and leaving the upstairs area just for the cats. She does chase after them and they feel comfortable around her. She gets along well with most other dogs and rarely barks--only at certain ones. I think she wants to meet them close up actually. She does great at following a schedule and looks forward to her walks. She is a very good fitness trainer--some days she just takes off and would probably walk for hours if we had the time. We only give her bones for special occasions such as this!

I remember what a big decision it was for us when we decided to get a dog.  I had so many concerns but knew Gerard really wanted a dog and I liked dogs too so we took the plunge.  We found Abby on Petfinder and have no regrets at all.  We are so happy to have her in our little family!  Dogs adjust to schedules quite well.  If you are considering a dog, we suggest you visit your local shelter or take a look on Petfinder.


Abby says:  Karen read to me yesterday and Gerard taped it for their book blog. I hope you will go see it. I was very attentive but lost interest toward the end. It was called Please Take Me For A Walk by Susan Gal.

How do you celebrate birthdays of your pets?

Related Posts you might enjoy:
Disappointment Turned To Joy (the story of when we decided to get Abby)
Abby Demonstrates How To Use A Kong (I didn't know what a Kong was until we got a dog!)
Abby Loves The Park--Especially With Snow
Why Abby Is So Excited
Aha, Abby Gave In--I Win After All
I Was A Hit At The School

Happy 57th Birthday, Karen!

Gerard always likes to surprise me with gifts and this year was no different. He did it again! The first one I opened was a heated car seat. A very practical gift that he got me because my car heater takes so long to heat up. He was disappointed that it doesn't fit my seat because of the hand rests, but really, I think it would have been a fuss thing so am just as glad it didn't fit. We can return it. I love that he always is looking out for me and trying to make me comfortable though.

Since I needed the receipt to return it and would see what else was on it, he also gave me the other gift he bought at Brookstone--a Boogie Board! Do you know what that is? It's a 5x7 LCD writing tablet that you write on with a stylus or any tool that won't scratch it. To erase, you press a button. It's good for temporary notes or scorekeeping.

Here is a picture of me in my new Browns jersey. This one is special though because it has my name on the back!

Read more »

Today Is My 56th Birthday!

We celebrated my birthday all weekend. I started opening my presents on Saturday. Gerard had wrapped up four presents for me and they were sitting in our living room for several days before my birthday. When I got up Saturday morning, I was thrilled and surprised to see one more added to the group--a Bosu Training Ball which I really wanted. It also came with four DVD's demonstrating all the different exercises one can do with it. I'm looking forward to working this into my weekly routine--it's fun and makes the exercises a bit more challenging. I figured instead of going to the gym, I'd just workout with FIT TV and some exercise equipment at home because it seems I never really want to go to the gym. I like it once I'm there, but I think I'll save the $12 a month. I pumped it up right away and then went out to breakfast at Hometown Buffet.

In the afternoon I opened a Cribbs Browns jersey which was a surprise. Gerard was very smart, getting my the extra large youth size which was less money than the adult and fits perfectly! He knew Cribbs is my favorite Browns player now too. In the evening I got some warm soft slippers that I wanted because my old ones had holes in the bottom.

Today I opened my last two presents: a wireless 5-day Forecaaster alarm clock and Malley's carmallow, my favorite! Looks like I can wear my Browns Jersey to exercise on my Balsu ball to work of the calories I'll be packing on from the Carmallow. Then put on my comfy new slippers to relax in the evening and checkout the forecast; The temperature is updated every 15 minutes and even gives the temperature it feels like taking the wind and humidity into consideration!

My Sunday School class sang "Happy Birthday" to me and one of the boys even brought me a little gift--Christmas scented dish washing soap that I gave to Gerard since he's the one who does the dishes.

I am enjoying my birthday and finishing up my chocolate cake with white frosting today. Our church choir is giving a Christmas concert at the Parmatown Mall today at 4:00 so I look forward to going to support them. They'll also be singing at Southpark Mall at 5:30. This is the first year they are doing this. Normally they give a concert at the church.

I'm so glad I'm finally over my cold.

Tweet This