Fur Babies

Oh goodness were in the world do I even start?!?!?!? I have a serious love hate relationship with these two fur babies of ours. Some days, Many days I make the comment about how much easier my life would be with out them. But then I'd be awful lonely at home completely by myself. But then at least I wouldn't have to share the bed with them. But then I'd get cold because I wouldn't have Bailey to curl up with. But then my bed would be dog hair free. But then I wouldn't think to wash my sheets as often. I could go back to Cola or any were for that matter with out having to worry about what I was going to do with these darn puppies. I wouldn't have to rush home from work to make sure they could go out. But then I'd come home to a empty house. Of course its not as stressful when there are two of us here at home. But with it just being me right now I feel like I'm at my whits end sometimes. I wouldn't trade them for the world and I wouldn't wish not having them ever. I only wish they weren't as difficult as they can be sometimes. Goodness if puppies stress me out this much I don't know what I'd do with a wee little baby. 

So what's brought this post along, I'll tell ya.......

Wednesday night I came home and fed the dogs like I always do. Headed up stairs to change and next thing I hear is them scrappy it out in the kitchen. (That never happens, Bailey will bark snappy at Dingo every now and then when he annoys her but that's it.) I yelled down the stairs for them to knock it off and went on with my evening. I didn't notice till about 45min - 1hr later that Dingo had a bite mark on his nose. I kinda freaked out a little and didn't know what to do. Of course the hubbs had already gone to work for the day so I couldn't talk to him about it. Why does this stuff always happen when he's gone. Seriously!!!! Later that evening I posted on FB about being overwhelmed with the puppies and my Spouse texted checking in to see if I was ok. She's such a doll and totally helped ease my mind. Skip ahead to Saturday night when I noticed Dingo's nose swelling up some and his bite mark was still open and bleeding a bit because he wouldn't leave it alone. This morning while chatting with the hubbs we decided I should take him in to get checked out just to have piece of mind that everything is ok. There's a new vet office that recently opened up and lucky for me they are open on Sunday's. I haven't had a chance to take the pups in the get updated on there Heart Worm and Flea meds since we've been here because of work. So I might as well get everything knocked out while I'm there and take Bailey as well. 

OMG, they are a pain in the butt in the car, Dingo mainly because he wants to sit on the console in the center of the car and be right in my face. (oh did I mention I vacuumed and cleaned my car yesterday) Bailey does fine, she wines a bit but eventually lays down. We got all checked in and got their weight taken. We've got a fat girl on our hands, last time we had her weighted she was 85 lbs. Now she's a whopping 100 lbs, I couldn't believe it. Dingo weighed in at 54 lbs, a bit over weight from what the vet said. She wants him to loose about 14 lbs. over the next 6 months. This is going to require me to start measuring their food out and feeding them separately and monitoring their food intake. We've got to some work to do and its going to take a while to get myself and them in a routine but I know it can be done. Prior to today we've always just made sure they have food and they eat when they are hungry. It's worked for us and them, they've never been the type of dogs that scarf down their food if you leave the bowl full. I guess old habits gotta come to a end at some point. I'm determined to make this work because the list of complication's the vet mentioned could come up with Dingo being over weight scared the crap outta me and I don't want that to happen. He's family after all as much as he can annoy me sometimes. 

The vet wants to me to start putting meds back in Bailey's eyes for her dry eyes again. We attempted it in SC but she didn't take to well to it and started to get aggressive so we stopped. They've gotten worse in the last year and a half and I know they are painful. So I'm going to give it my best effort and hope for the best. We know she's starting to loose her eye sight because of it but it not completely to the point of her going blind. (she walked right into the back of my car yesterday, I felt bad but will admit I did laugh) The vet mentioned that eventually long term down the road we might have to consider having them removed. I can't even imagine having to put her through that, it bring tears to my eyes just thinking about it. It took all I had to hold them back when the vet was talking to me about it. 

After a good 1hr+ at the vets, me talking their ear off asking a million question, a $300 vet bill a bag full of meds for both we were on our way home. Thank goodness for Military Discount I would have hated to see the bill with out it. They really were the nicest Veterinarian clinic I'd ever been to and I'm so grateful to have found them through our friends C & R. Thankfully we don't have to go back for another year, aside from picking up Heart Worm and Flea meds. With the hopes that there are no more altercations between the two puppies. 

I do love these two mutt heads and would be lost with out them. 

Southern Snow Day Take--2

The weather has been crazy in the South this winter, it will go from super nice out in the low 70's one day and then the next freezing cold. After our last snow day no one really saw another one coming. Not until the weather started predicting it that is. I was hoping praying and wishing it didn't happen. It was the hubbs last Graduation and I took Wednesday and Thursday off work so I could go to both of the Ceremonies on Family & Graduation Day. I was there for his first one when he got awarded and I wanted to be there for the last. Mother Nature had other plans though. Monday night our Battalion Commander made the call that Family day on Wed. was canceled. Bummer, but ok we still have Graduation. I emailed my director to cancel my off day, This way if school did get canceled I'd get paid for the snow day. We pretty much new going into work Tuesday morning that we weren't gonna be there all day. Parents even made comments that they knew they'd probably be getting a call to come pick up there kids soon. We were expecting sleet and freezing rain over the next 2+ days. Why even risk it and bring your kiddos in then, knowing your gonna be picking them up with in hours. Never the less everyone was at school that morning in my class. 9am rolled around, we heard that several of the school districts around us were having a early dismissal. We were just waiting it out to see if our district was gonna call it. What do you know right around 9:50am or so we got word that district one was calling early dismissal. Even being a day school we follow district one, when they close we close. Some parents don't like it but they know how the school works going into it. Everyone had to be picked up by 11:30. I thankfully only had 8 parents to call to come get there kiddos and everyone was gone just after 11:30 in my class. I stuck around making sure I wasn't needed any were else and that all the classes were covered before heading out myself. I wanted to beat the sleet getting home even though it had already started. Thankfully it wasn't to bad at all, not yet at least. Once I got home though it just kept coming down and didn't let up. All through the next day it was just freezing rain / sleet. By the end of the night the streets were frozen over solid. They had officially canceled the Graduation ceremony and were just allowing the PVT's another off post pass for Thursday with their families. Go figure this would happen on our last cycle. The parents were more heart broken than anything though, they came all this way to see a ceremony and it wasn't happening. There wasn't any way to post pone it due to travel and training that started the very next day. It happens, that's life in the army, they will get used to it. It might take them a while but they will figure it out. As hard as it is some times for me to wrap my head around the army does come first.
I spent all of Wednesday and Thursday at home deep cleaning the house and going through things getting ready for our upcoming move. I almost wish we could do our Final Out this week because the house is so clean. Then I wouldn't have to do it again, however we still have about a month or two before that happens.   SouthernSnowDay = Operation PCS Deep Clean!!! In Full Effect. Post was closed both days as well, but duty calls and the hubbs had to go in. Thursday night he had CQ, the roads were semi ok from what I'd heard and I contemplated taking him dinner. I always do, but tonight was different. I just didn't feel safe or comfortable driving and didn't want to take a chance of something happening just over dinner. Thankfully our sweet friends R & C had made dinner and C took some up to the hubbs. What a life saver, seriously they are the sweetest ever. I don't know what I'm gonna do when we have to leave them. Ok Ok let's not talk about that right now.
We all waited patently through Thursday to hear if we were going to be closed another day. District 2 closed, Post school's closed, then a couple hours later District 1 (that would be us) closed but we still hadn't heard if we were for sure following. The board of directors for the school still have to make the final call. Think about it, half our staff have kids in both of those districts, some staff aren't going to come in due to road conditions. Are we really going to have enough teachers to cover all the classrooms??? Chance's are very slim. And its a Friday, just call it one more day and let the roads and weather clear up over the weekend. Finally about 4pm-something I got a picture text from one of my assistants of the email that went out to the parents stating the school was once again closed and following District One. A 1.5 day work week talk about crazy, I still haven't worked a full work week since before Christmas break. Since we've had so much doing on. But I have a feeling that will all change the week after next. :-/ (Monday's a holiday- lol) We have had plans to take a mini road trip / vacay to our future new home state this weekend since the hubbs has a four day and I'm off Monday. Now we can get on the road earlier than we had planned. We want to do some looking around the area to see were we are wanting to live since we are going to be living off post this time around. But that's another story for another post. Late Thursday evening some of us girls got word that the 4 day for the Drill SGT's had been canceled because they were no longer shipping the PVT's out on Friday due to the road conditions. They needed everyone there to cover down. With Monday being a Federal Holiday that left Tuesday for ship day. I was on edge waiting all night he wouldn't know if his was getting taken back as well till Command came in the next morning. I was determined I was going one way or the other, with or with out him. Thankfully he had told his CO and 1st SGT where we were going a few days back just so he didn't get put on the CQ roster. This morning when he came home, he came up stairs to say good morning and let the pups out (because I was being to lazy to do it). The first thing I asked was do you still have your 4 day. Forget the Happy Valentines day, for the get I love you Baby, for get the Good Morning Love. I wanna know are we going or not. Thankfully he is good to go and they didn't take his 4 day. Now I only wish I could say that for everyone else but sadly enough I can not. It does suck because I'm sure many of those families had plans as well. I think the only thing that saved us is they know he's done and off the trail at the end of next month and he won't be here for the next full cycle due to training he is taking.
He's snoozing a bit before we hit the road and I'm of course doing some cleaning and going to run a few errands. I seriously contemplated going for a run this morning because I'm itching to get out there on the streets but I'll save it for when we get back. Fingers crossed the roads are fine and we won't have any issues this afternoon.

A Southern SnowDay

The Southern Snow Storm watch started Monday afternoon and it quickly turned into a warming by 2:30pm when I got back to work. By word of mouth we'd heard that several school districts had already canceled school for Tuesday. We were still sitting in limbo though waiting to see what district 1 was gonna do. The anticipation was killing everyone. 5 O'Clock rolled around and as I headed home we still hadn't heard weather or not we were canceling school for Tuesday. Watch the weather and I'll send out a text was what we heard. About 8pm that evening the call was made and school had been canceled and that  mint I got to have my very FIRST Snow Day. A Southern Snow Day at that. 

The hubbs still had to work, of course life as a Drill SGT. By 9:30-10:00am the entire posted issued a post wide shutdown. Only key essential personal was to continue with their day. I waited the morning out at home. Caught up with a few friends and did a bit of house work but I wasn't braving the roads. Around 2pm or so the hubbs was on his way home. I didn't see that one coming at all but I sure as heck wasn't complaining either. We spent the afternoon do a little randomness around town and went to lunch at Sandy's Hotdogs. I strongly dislike hotdogs but I like Sandy's for some reason. After a little sleet and a trip to the gun store we decided to call it a day and come home. We waited it out and still nothing. Weather forecast said the snow was suppose to start at 11am and here we were 6pm and they kept pushing it back. I'd given up, it wasn't gonna happen. About 8:30-9pm it STARTED there was officially snow on the ground and they had canceled school for Wednesday as well. I really didn't think it would stick or amount to anything seeings on Monday the temps got up to 67 degrees. We went to bed later that night and this is what our backyard looked like…….

….and this is what we woke up to the next morning. Hubbs still had to go to work earlier that morning, although he didn't have to be in till 7am it was still early. Because we live on post he had to go in earlier than everyone that lives off. 

I was kind enough to wake up at 6am and cook him breakfast before he left. German Sugar Pancakes courtesy of the fabulous Black Little Button they were so yummy and def. something we'd make again. 

It took the pups a few minutes to figure out the snow. Bailey realized it was cold on her little paws and didn't' wanna go out in the yard. She's so special sometimes but gosh we love her. 

I spent the morning chatting with a friend and finally got the nerve to get up and brave the cold snowy streets. No since in staying inside all day I suppose, I mean its not that often we get a Southern Snow Days. Right!! I bundled up as best I could and made out way out the door. At that point the pups didn't care about the cold, they were just happy to be outside. 

The snow covered fields and tree tops, were simply beautiful. There was still slush on the ground and parts of the streets frozen over but we managed just well. I was a bit nervous because the pups pull so hard when they go for a walk. I just knew I was going to fall right on my butt. Thankfully we managed just fine and made it up to our friend Sarah's house. 

There was one family at the dog park, I though about stopping on the way but didn't feel like fighting Bailey and another dog. 

Ft. Jackson and all its beauty. Oh I will NOT miss this place when we leave. 

We hung out and visited with Sarah and her two pups for a couple hours before heading back home. Its only about half a mile from my house to hers but when its cold outside it seem forever far away. On the way home we stopped by the soccer fields across from our neighborhood and I let them off their leash to run around a bit. They absolutely loved running around in the snow. 

These two sure do brighten my day and put a smile on my face. Even when Dingo does run straight at my and knocks me on my back in the cold snow, all while I'm trying to take a picture of him. We've been spending so much time together with out the hubbs at home, it was nice to get out of the house and run around and play with them. 

I made a few snowballs a would throw them and Dingo would try to chase after them. It was to funny because it would all fall apart mid air and he didn't understand it. I only wish the hubbs could have come out and joined in on the fun but duty calls and the PVT's need training. 

Finally heading back home after another hour of playing in the snow. These two were so tuckered out for the rest of the evening. 

Our Hawaiian pups finally got to experience their first snow day and I finally had my first Southern Snow day / School's closed for two days. It's def. been nice but next week when I actually have to work a full straight week of work, yeah that's gonna suck. I haven't worked a straight full week since before Christmas break bc of traveling / the cruise and then other holidays and now this. Its ok only one full week then a 3 day work week the following week ;) I can do it!!!!