Introducing...

Say hello to Doolin. He is an 8-week old Staffy that we brought home on Sunday. Our 3-year old dog is not yet sure what to think about him.

We are working on housebreaking (so much fun!) and sleeping through the night. He doesn't like being left on his own - starts crying. But, he is very funny when he cries. Throws his head back and howls with this little worble (can't think of any other way to describe it).

This week I am working from home to get in a little bonding. It's a bit difficult to manage conference calls and potty breaks but worth it. Right now he is curled up by my feet sleeping.  

Moving on

My friend Auzzie is leaving Milwaukee for the bright lights of New York City. Her significant other got a job in NYC and she is going with him. She'll still be working for our company doing the same job, just doing it remotely from NYC. I'm excited for her but at the same time I'm bummed. Auzzie has become a great friend and she only lives a few blocks away from me. I sometimes stop by while out walking the dog. She is also a very passionate person who loves life. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious and fun to be around.

I know that moving to NYC doesn't mean I won't hear from her again or stop being friends but it's never the same. It's definitely the test of how strong a friendship is. Distance and time don't matter with the people I consider my greatest friends. I can go months without talking with those friends and years without seeing them but as soon as I hear their voice or see their smiling face, time melts away. Instantly we are girls again, chatting about everything under the sun.

I hope my friendship with Auzzie turns into that. I am looking forward to a trip to NYC for a visit. Seeing NYC through her eyes will be a blast!

Bike Week

Last week was the annual Super Week (http://www.internationalcycling.com) bike races here in Milwaukee. Jason, a friend of B's from college races and usually guys from his team come up from Texas and stay at our house. They are all a fun bunch of guys so I look forward to it each year. Even though the house can sometimes feel like it's bursting at the seams.

This year we started out with 2 visitors, Jason and his wife. That weekend we also had Firecracker and FC2 come up for the Cubs vs. Brewers game and a concert down at Summerfest. Jason's wife was here to cheer for her husband but also to see the Counting Crows down at Summerfest. It was a busy weekend. Saturday we tailgated then watched the Cubs beat the Brewers (surprise, surprise!). We even went out after the game for some drinks. Sunday morning Firecracker and I started planning out our trip to Ireland in September and we slowly got ready for the concert.

The rest of the gang arrived back from racing along with some new visiters. They ran into a former teammate of Jason's and invited him and his travelling companion, Rita the Doberman Pinscher, to stay at our house. The more the merrier! We all headed down to Summerfest. On the way down it started to rain. Well.. rain is putting it mildly. It was a torential downpour. We parked the cars and ran to the nearest pub. It had been extremely hot that day (94ish) and we thought this would be a quick summer shower so decided to hang out for a drink to wait out the rain before heading over to the concert. WE WERE WRONG. The rain kept coming and the temperature dropped to about 68 degrees. We wouldn't have been such wimps if our concerts seats had been under cover. They weren't. And none of us were dressed for 68 degrees and rain. Jason and his wife had covered seats and she had come all the way from Texas for this concert so she was determined not to miss it. They borrowed some garbage bags from the bar and dashed off towards the Summerfest grounds. The rest of us wimps hung out at the bar until the rain let up and then headed home. Yes...we are old. But we stayed dry and had fun hanging out.

The rest of the week was pretty laid back. Jason, Arvana and Rita were our only visitors. We thought we were going to have some new arrivals on Thursday but those guys decided to stay at another friend's house. So this past weekend turned out to be pretty low-key. Ok by me. Next weekend will be busy. We are heading down to southern Indiana to visit the in-laws and picking up our new puppy on the way home. Next week should be interesting!

Visiting Toronto

I'm glad we went to Toronto. Both Allison and Mark look great considering what they have gone through. Our visit was a surprise since Allison's sister hadn't mentioned that we were coming to anyone. The first visit was a bit awkward for me. Since Allison has a limited vocabulary due to the stroke, it's best to ask yes/no questions. So I spent a lot of time trying to think of stuff to say. The second visit went much smoother. I crawled up onto her bed with her and we just chatted like old times. The latest update on their condition is really good. Allison is getting some sensation back in her right side. She's even able to move her leg a bit on her own which is awesome!

The rest of our visit was spent with my friend Mel and her family. It's always fun with them and we had plenty of entertainment from her 2 year old son. He took a real liking to B to the point of crawling into his lap one afternoon and falling asleep (wish I'd had a camera!). B usually doesn't interact much with kids so this was quite a unique experience. I also wish I had a video tape of her son's performance at dinner on Monday night. He was flirting with a little girl at the table next to us. This involved trying to share his stickers ("HEY LADY! STICKERS!"), performing a duck dance (flapping wings, bouncing head, loud singing), showing off his strength (slapping the table with his hand and then throwing back his head laughing because he found this extremely funny - this was repeated many times), and much more. Many of us had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard.

This weekend looks like it's going to be another busy one. Some friends are in town for the bicycle races and others will be here for the Cubs/Brewers baseball game. We are also heading down to Summerfest for a concert. Should be fun!