No Missy

Well, we finally received the news. Leia delivered on Friday, February 19th, but had only one puppy due to a difficult delivery. The vet decided that that should be her last. The breeders are keeping the puppy in order to continue Leia's bloodlines, so we are not getting a puppy this go-around.

I admit that I am rather disappointed, but I understand that for some reason, the Lord did not want me to have Missy at this time. I think that the reason it all seemed to be working out perfectly was so that He could show me that he was overseeing the whole thing. I know that I will someday get my little girl, but now is not yet the right time. I have been blessed with this experience, and I am so glad that the Lord loves me enough to test me and try my patience.

I have my adorable Poli, who couldn't love me any more than he does now. He is seriously my little ball of sunshine! He always knows when I need his companionship, and I couldn't make it through college without him. He has been growing so much, and I'm so proud to call him mine. I cannot wait for the day when I can share him with a husband and children. When that day finally comes, it will be well worth the wait.

Thanks for reading! God bless!

Missy?

Well, we haven't heard yet if Leia and Solo had puppies. It's becoming very difficult for me to just wait. In fact, I cracked today and e-mailed the breeders again. I feel so bad for them. I swear, I must be the most annoying person on the planet! Hopefully, we'll find out by the end of today if Leia had the puppies, and if we get one by the end of next week.

Poli has grown so much since I first began work at Ruff House! I guess I've grown too. I've become much more assertive and ready to handle what comes. It's great how a job can have such a profound influence on you. ;)

One thing I'm very excited about is this:I feel that if Poli can climb up to a big boy like Shep(who looks very much like what I want Missy to look like) and lie down, then not care when Shep's baby sister, Zola, Lies on top of him, He's ready to get a sister! Bye for now, but I'll update as soon as I know!

Missy...

wow. Well, the breeders are about 90% positive that leia is pregnant, and if she is, the puppies will be born around the week of February 14th. I'm going crazy here! I also found out where i am on the list...16th):

they said that 8 of the people in front of me are waiting to get a puppy, and only three of the remaining have also expressed an interest in leia and solo's litter. We are all hoping and praying for a large litter!

I try to remind myself that this whole journey has been because i feel that the Lord wants me to want and get this dog. I have been led and guided through this whole process and I know that if the Lord does want me to have Missy now, I will get her, and if not, then I wont. Because of this, I pray to accept whatever the outcome and for Leia to have whatever puppies she is supposed to. "it's really hard for me".

In an interesting twist of events: Poli found our hair sample. This is the hair that Dan and Barb(the breeders) sent us so my mom could test her allergies. Poli likes to get into it, tear the plastic and reveal some hair, and just smell it. I think he may put it in his mouth too, but so far I've only experienced him smelling it. He is calm and happy when he does this, so we are all taking it to mean he wont do too bad with Missy.

Poli also gets to go into the vet on Monday for his annual vaccinations. I'm actually really excited for this because he does so well, thanks to all the training I've done with him. Last time, the vet was amazed at how well-mannered he was. He doesn't even jerk OR wimper when he gets his shots.

Sadly, as I tried to readjust my ever-duller blade for my grooming clipper, it basically broke. I now have to order a new blade (only about $10), but shipping is so dang expensive! I'm going to try and convince my boss to have me purchase stuff for ruffhouse along with it so I don't need to pay shipping etc.

Ruff house if doing puppy socialization now which I am so excited for. This will be great for me as a trainer/enthusiast, and for Missy when she eventually comes. Well, lets hope it all works out!!!!!

Ruff House

So, I'm still working at that awesome Doggy-Daycare, Ruff House. I love it! I am privileged to work Monday, Friday, and Saturday. Poli is just not a fan of having dogs swarm him, but he puts up with it, and will readily get into the car to go with me. He will play as long as there is no chance of another dog "sneaking up on him". I love his guts!

Poli hadn't had a bath in about 3 weeks, so he was pretty dirty, but I gave him a bath and he looks great! He's such a fluffer duffer!
He has played with this little girl:
She's the white one. The brown one is her brother, and he hates playing just as much a Poli. Leyah is still a puppy, but she looked just like Poli as a puppy. She is a Coton de Tulear.

I'm so freaking excited for our new puppy! I'm still not sure when we'll get her, but we'll know if the mom I want is pregnant in just a few weeks. The litter would then be born in the middle of February and we'd do a major road-trip to Michigan RIGHT after finals(April) to pick her up. The, hopefully, mom and dad are Leia and Solo from Terra Pines: http://terrapines.com/images/Leia/Leia%206%20months.jpg AND http://terrapines.com/images/Solo/Solo%202%20and%20half%20years.jpgthese two have gorgeous pups! Anyway, more updates to come!

...

Hello again to those, my sister, who read this. It's been a crazy year etc. but I'm lovin' every minute of it.
Poli is still a crazy character, but maybe a little better behaved. I've been working at Ruff House Mondays, Fridays, and most Saturdays since April. I still take Poli nearly every time. I've been going to school too. Last semester I took Biological diversity: plants, Ecology, Geography 211, intro. to Archaeology and The first half of the New Testament. It was great! I even earned a 3.78. I'm very proud of that GPA!
This semester I've had some changes and last minute class adds/drops. I'm 90% certain I will stay with what I have now, but we'll see. I have 3 classes for my major(which I have officially declared to be Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation) and 2 Science of Family Life classes...maybe for a minor?
I've also gone through a very special summer. I made a deal with my father that if i lost 35 lbs, I could get another dog...a Native American Indian Dog. I accomplished this feat, and hopefully we will get our girl in April right after finals. We are waiting to hear if the mother, Leia, is pregnant, and then in mid-February the pups will be born. We are all so excited!
The breeder is in Michigan and they are wonderful people. It's called Terra Pines. When we know for sure if our perfect girl will be available for us, we will finalize plans, but for now we plan to take a roadtrip. We, meaning me, Linz, Spencer, Mom, and Dad, will go see some church history sites and then visit our cousins in Chicago. we will then pick up Artemis(Missy) and drive home. (If you think Artemis is a boy's name, you are uneducated!!! Look it up in the dictionary or any Classical Mythology text)
I may add pictures soon, but we'll see if I have the time...

Las Vegas

Last Tuesday we decided to go to Las Vegas. I has work until 7 on Friday though, so we were gonna leave after that. My brother refused to watch our dog while we would be gone, so, luckily there was room, I boarded him at work. When I left ruff house without him, he would not be quiet. He was so upset, and I nearly cried. I drove home and we left for Vegas. Our hotel messed up our reservation, so they gave us two suites for the price we had paid through travelocity(cheap rooms etc.) Nice! Linz and I shared our suite and each had a room to ourselves. Both of us were missing Poli though. Anyway, we were ready by 9 am Saturday for the hotel's breakfast, in the casino. Wouldn't you know it, this hotel doesn't enforce the no smoking rule, so I could hardly breathe as we waited in line for food. We left and went to the Paris's buffet instead. It was amazing!!!!!!! Afterwards we walked theh strip for a while and, being exhausted, I slept on a small couch while my dad had a meeting and Lindsey looked for a nail salon and my mom just sat. And Yata, yata, yata, we drove back home.
We got home at 12:30ish and went to bed. Sunday I could hardly hold still through church. I wanted to go get my dog! Ruff doesn't open on Sundays until 12 and closes at 3, so I left Relief Society, finally, a little early to go get him. When I got there I went into the back to get him, since I work there, and the big dogs who remembered me from Friday surrounded me. Poli was too scared of them to get close so he whined his hardest. When I finally got him to the car he jumped in. I closed the door and he freaked! He may have thought I'd leave again, but I entered on the driver's side and he couldnt' be happier. We drove back to the church to pick up lindsey and waited. When she finally came out I said, "where's Lindsey?" He jolted alert. When he finally found her he started whining, and when she started jogging over he went, again, berzerk. It was adorable.

hike...

So... I love the mountains and wilderness. I've been wanting to go hiking (walking slowly, with many breaks, up a mountain) for a few weeks with Napoleon. So today I drove up to dry canyon, only there is a sign saying something like, "no motor traffic beyond this point." You can't even see the parking lot. Whatever... so i parked there and walked all the way up the PAVED ROAD to the parking lot with, wouldn't you know, CARS! By the time I get there I'm already exhausted, but I haven't even found the trail head yet... then I find the different trails and take one with steps into the canyon. It was beautiful, but I went very slowly. (Of course this is the point where at least three athletic people finish different hikes and see me slowly going up a trail since I'm already tired...) Anyway, Poli did pretty well; He would sniff around when I would pause, and jump up the "big" steps. Don't worry, it was at least a 30 degree incline at least 80 percent of the time. Anyway, we got to the one shady area, and it had lovely squarish rocks on top of each other. Perfect place to rest and listen to Mo. Tab. while looking at God's creations. (the two sides of the canyon making a frame for the valley) Poli rested too. we kept going a little ways, but soon turned around and came back.
On the way down, we passed two old men coming up and a kid later. Poli tried to guard the trail as they passed. He would not leave the center of the trail... he's totally crazy. We eventually made it to the paved road again and went down, down, down. (after going down, down, down dirt and rocks, watching every step so I wouldn't fall to my death) We saw this:
And yes, I do believe it is a half eated moose leg. It gets better. It was about 50 feet from my car, and the subdivision where I parked. Yum.
Anyway, I gave Poli water when we got to the car and I had some too. When we got home though I walked in, and about 10 seconds later, heard poli plop down on the tile floor. He wouldn't move either... he was exhausted;) Then, of course, I had to bathe his feet. the end.