TROUBLE

I came home to this today:

Jack had figured out which Christmas presents were his and went ahead and opened them. He ate that whole bag of treats!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed a really yummy meal. All 4 dogs are somewhere in the picture. Can you spot all 4?

Halloween

For Halloween this year, I dressed up like a farmer and Jack dressed up like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Raney was a cow, Keith was a farmer, and Darcy was a pig.

We had fun passing out candy at Keith and Raney's new house.

Jack the Hero

On Halloween night, Keith and Raney had gone with some friends to a Halloween party. After the party, their friends dropped them off back at their house and then Keith and Raney realized that neither of them had taken their house keys. Both dogs, Jack and Darcy, were at their house. Keith tried all the doors and windows, hoping he would find one that was unlocked, but they were all locked. Darcy was going crazy inside, jumping in front of the door and scratching the carpet. Keith then had the idea that maybe Jack could jump up and unlock the deadbolt on the back door and let them in. Keith got Jack's attention by tapping on the glass window in the door, and Jack made eye contact with Keith and seemed to understand what Keith wanted him to do. Jack started jumping at the door and after about the 4th attempt, unlocked the deadbolt and let them inside.

West Virginia

This past weekend we all piled in a rental van and went to West Virginia. We were celebrating my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary and my granfather's 85th birthday. Pretty impressive, huh? We had a great time and enjoyed good company.

Visiting the Good Zoo in Oglebay

We had fun riding the train at Oglebay. My mom got to hold the ostrich egg so it would stay warm while the conductor drove the train.

Natalie and I got a free ride around the lake at Oglebay. Keith and Raney were nice enough to pedal the boat

Dead-beat Blogger

So it has been a little while since I updated my blog, so here is a brief summary of what has happened since my last post:


I went to Hilton Head with a bunch of friends in July...


One of my best friends, Tiffany Stovall was married August 23 at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Everything was beautiful and it was a really fun weekend. Here are some pictures taken by her amazing photographer, Caroline. You can check out the photographer's website as well as more photos from the wedding at blog.lifephotographics.com


The bride and her bridesmaids
Pictured R to L: Kelsey Byers, me, Jodie, Kim Collins,Tiffany Stovall Erwin,Laura Troup, Benae , Lindsey Crites, and Tara Erwin.

The entire wedding party with Paul and Tiffany Erwin!

Raney's Shower and Girl's Weekend in Destin FL

Labor Day Weekend 2008
Friday night we packed our bags and went to Birmingham, AL where we had a shower with Raney's friends from Samford. The shower was held at Becky's house, who is one of the maids of honor. She made tons of delicious food and we had a great time. Saturday morning, we woke up early and went on the Destin, FL to celebrate with Raney's friends from University of Mississippi School of Law. We had beautiful weather and a wonderful time. We ate some good sushi and got a good tan.

This weekend is Keith and Raney's wedding. It is hard to believe it is almost here! They are handling the stress of wedding planning, house remodeling,and work so well. On top of all that, Darcy even had to make an emergency trip to the vet this week. I came home from work Monday to find her looking like this:

For those of you who do not know Darcy, her face is normally about 4 times smaller than this. Dr. Strange thinks she ate something poisonous, like a bug or a plant. Four benadryls and a steroid shot later, she is almost back to normal.

This weekend is sure to be full of fun with friends and family coming from all around for the wedding!

Maiden Voyage

Well, here it is! After much anticipation, we finally got our very own canoe. We took it down the Harpeth River on Sunday, which is Raney's birthday.

The girls going to dinner for Raney's birthday.

Last weekend Raney had a bridal shower at Martha's on the Plantation, a restaurant at Belle Meade Plantation. About 15 of Raney's closest friends and family came to Nashville for the shower and also to help Raney celebrate her birthday.

After our trip down the river, we celebrated Raney's birthday. Doesn't Darcy look festive in her party hat?

Raney's Graduation

YAY for Raney!

Raney graduated from Ole Miss School of Law on May 10, 2008. The graduation was held outside in The Grove and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed our trip to Oxford. We are so proud of her accomplishments!

Darcy

Keith and Raney really wanted a dog. They had been checking http://www.petfinder.com/, a website that lists homeless dogs in our area that desperately need new homes. Keith and Raney would provide the perfect home for one of these dogs, they just had to find the right one. One night we were looking on the website at a rescue group called Proverbs 12:10 and stumbled across this listing:

Angel

"Very loveable little Angel, very gentle and submissive, was abandoned at a car wash (leashed). We have had her to the vet's for routine vacs. and spaying. She is a sweetheart who so deserves a family who cares."

So we all (Keith, Raney, Aimee, Jack) went to meet Angel the next morning at the adoption day held at Petco.

When we first saw Angel she was in a crate along with a small black dog. Her rescuers told us that she and small black dog were abandoned together at a car wash on Charlotte Pk. We took Angel out of her crate and around the back of the store to play. After Keith and Raney had fallen in love and Jack had approved, they decided to adopt her and give her the forever home she was so badly needing. (FYI: small black dog was also adopted that day)

We speculate that she is about one year old and is a long haired dachshund mix (with what we don't know, but possibilities include lab, pointer, meerkat, spaniel, hound, and otter.) So, she was adopted, renamed "Darcy", and is currently living a life of which she never dared to dream .

Keith giving Darcy Frisbee lessons.

Raney and Darcy on adoption day!

Best Friends

Jack and Darcy

Jack with his assistant guard dog

It didn't take too long for Jack to warm up to Darcy. Now they are best friends. Jack is nice about sharing all his toys and sometimes even his food.

The Canoe Trip

This past Saturday, Keith, Raney, Darcy, Jack, and I rented a canoe and took a leisurely cruise down the Harpeth River. (Leisurely for Raney and me, not so leisurely for Keith, who did most of the paddling.)

Darcy swam for the first time. She was a pro!

I think she is 1/2 long-haired dachshund and 1/2 otter.

Jack was a little scared of the paddles at first.
We had so much fun that we have decided to buy our own canoe so we can go anytime we want. More on that to come....