Puppy Emergencies & Lack of Sleep

Well, just look at this face...is he not adorable??? He is such a sweety and has the cutest personality. He also had a belly button hernia that had to be repaired with surgery on Friday...his 3 month birthday!!! He's fine but has 3 inch cut in his belly and needs to stay quiet for the next two weeks. I don't need to tell you how difficult it is to keep a 12 week old puppy quiet...especially since he and his sister like to wrestle all the time!!! He's not sleeping well through the night (still!!!)...so I am still sleep deprived and my allergies are bothering me so I feel like a walking zombie these days!

Kimi is a great big sister and just a big puppy herself. It's so funny to me that this is one of her favorite spots in the house. When she's really feeling playful, she'll drop her treat filled Kong toy from up here because when it hits the floor all of her treats come out. Smart girl!!!

Other than doggie stuff, it's been normal around here. As usual, we are constantly in a state of travel planning. We have a couple of trips coming up that we're excited about.

Labor Day weekend I am heading here with my best friend, Suzanne, who lives in Virginia:

We did a girls' trip to NYC a couple of years ago so this time we're targeting Chicago! I'm sure there will be plenty of good food and shopping while we're there. Suze is putting together a list of things that she wants to do/accomplish while we're there. All I want is to spend quality time with her and get some sleep. The thought of three nights in a nice, quiet hotel room is more than I can stand!!

In October, Dick and I are heading here, with Scott & Nancy, friends from Florida. Dick & Scott share a birthday week so we are celebrating together this year.

And we're going to see:

This will be my 3rd time seeing this show and it's awesome!!!! Sally and I saw it when we were there for market last year then I brought Dick to see it because I knew he'd love it. We tried to get Scott & Nancy to join us then but they had a grandchild on the way so it was impossible, but we talked them into joining us in October. I can't wait. If you haven't seen it, it's a fun, fun show...and we normally hang out at the Revolution Bar in The Mirage before the show. Last time we were there, there was an awesome DJ spinning some fun tunes.

Last but not least, for 2008, we are heading to my hometown in Louisiana for Thanksgiving.

We are packing up the truck and the two pups and driving home. It's not a bad drive - about 19 hours - and with the price of airfare, rental car there and putting two dogs in the kennel, it's easier for us to drive.

Hopefully, we won't see any of these:

but I bet we have some of this. This is Boudin, a cajun sausage type food, but rather than just meat inside, it's stuffed with a rice and spicy meat mixture. It is my all time favorite cajun food.

And this is Dick's favorite cajun food...cracklins. Basically it's pig fat fried in pig fat...okay, it's a little more appealing that that....it's like bacon with the fat on it, fried and highly seasoned...okay, that probably didn't make it sound any more appealing but trust me, they are a tasty treat----and when cooked perfectly they are nice and crunchy (perhaps bad for your weight and cholesterol and your arteries)!!! Throughout the years, I've found that you either love them or you hate them and in general...most men love them!!! They go especially well with a nice, cold beer.