Watch Where You Throw the Duck

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself also." - Samuel Butler

Happy Levi!

I have to say LuLu (the Maltese) must've been a Labrador in a past life.  That dog can retrieve.  Seriously.  I know Davis and I throw her stuffed toys at least 30 minutes out of every day.  So, needless to say when our Labrador Retriever (you remember Levi, right?) was not inclined to fetching, we found it a teeny bit ironic.  (If our life were a movie, that Alanis Morissette song from the 90's would be playing.)


Well, low and behold, when we picked Levi up from charm school, we learned that's his new favorite thing to do!!  

Meet Ducky!  He was a gift from Grandma D-D :)

So, obviously we are proud of Levi for living up to his "name."  Anyway, so, this afternoon, I decided to throw Ducky in the backyard for Levi.  Everything was going splendidly.  He was excited and loving life.  Fast forward about 8 throws.  So, I hurl Ducky to the very back of the yard.  Happily, Levi gallops like a horse to the back to retrieve and bounds back to me, Ducky in mouth.  For a few seconds, we play a little game of tug-of-war.  About the time I hold Ducky in my possession, I smell something foul.  I threw Ducky once more for Levi; then, I looked down at my hand.  Guess where Ducky landed?  Yep, in decently fresh Levi droppings.  Ewwwwwwwwwwwww.  I seriously almost threw up.

Levi's Doppelganger

The adventures with Levi never, ever seem to end.  Have I mentioned he has dug a tunnel from underneath the A/C unit to a few feet under our house?  That's our boy.

Sibling Rivalry

"Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole."  - Roger Caras

Chillin' with my UK Snuggie

Meet LuLu.  She is hands-down one of my most favorite blessings in this world.  The only thing is I'm afraid she knows it.  Perhaps it's the attention showered upon her daily or the songs Davis sings to her that has cued her in, but she is the princess of this house.  Seriously, she's spoiled.  She shares Davis' pillow with him.  He is not thrilled about this, but she gives him no choice.

The worst day of her life, I believe, was December 23, 2010; this was the day Levi entered our lives.  She was used to being an "only child," and I suppose she felt threatened by his obvious puppy cuteness.  Once he started growing (which was immediately), I believe her disdain arose from his tormenting her.  One of the greatest days (no doubt) was when he went to Doggy Charm School.  If you've been reading, you know he's back, and she is not happy.  At all.

LuLu has never fully grasped the concept of "pottying outside," which I find to be her only real flaw.  Usually, I credit her with only having accidents when she can no longer hold it.  However, lately, this has not been the case.  She has really taken being spoiled to the next level - the dreaded spoiled rotten level.  She now has "accidents" on purpose when she is angry.  Oh joy.

Davis and I discovered this phenomenon this past week.  Davis and I have committed ourselves to walking Levi once per day to practice his charm school commands and give him much needed exercise.  It is too hot here in sweltering Mississippi for him to stay outside in the backyard all day, so these walks are more important for him than ever.  Anyway, back to the story.  So, every time Davis or I walk Levi, LuLu wants to go, too.  Unfortunately, we can never take her because Levi is difficult enough to handle by himself.  The last thing he needs is Lu to distract him.  Last Wednesday, when Levi and I returned from our evening stroll, we found her anger had manifested itself into "accidents" in the floor.  In an effort to not paint a graphic picture or get too far into detail, just trust me that this was purposeful and no accident.  One knows the difference.  She got in trouble for the first time in a while (remember, she's nearly perfect).

Fast forward to the very next morning.  I got out of the house early for work and left Davis to deal with Levi and LuLu.  When Davis was giving Levi attention, what did our little princess do?  Got mad, of course, and she went on the bath mat!!  Needless to say, Davis was not happy.

"Sorry Mom."

Not to compare my dogs to children (because I hate when people do that), but I have kind of equated this to sibling rivalry.  I get the feeling it's not going away anytime soon, but it can't last forever...  can it?  

"Go away." - LuLu

First Day Jitters

"The future is always beginning now."  - Mark Strand, Reasons for Moving

Officially, the end of summer is marked on the calendar as September 22, but if you ask any student or teacher, the real last day of summer is the day before the new school year begins.  I vividly remember the days preceding my first day of school and the nervousness I felt right there in the pit of my belly.  What will my teachers be like?  Will my classes be hard?  Will I like my schedule?  Never in a million years did I believe I would one day become a teacher, nor would I have believed that teachers experience a nervousness of their own.  Now, I find myself asking, will my classroom be ready?  What will my students be like?  Will I make a difference?  Again, will I like my schedule?  

But beyond that feeling of nervousness lies an innate excitement that I also recall from my student years.  For me, “the new” is more exciting than it is nerve-racking.  I get a whole new crop of school babies and a whole new year to make my own.  What happened or didn’t happen last year is of no concern.  I can learn from the mistakes and triumphs of the last year to ensure this year is the best yet - for myself and for my students.  New beginnings are exciting when you’ve made your career in education (or any other field, really) because you get a fresh start and anything is possible.  Bring the new year on!  

One Down, Four to Go

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." 
- Mignon McLaughlin

Recently, someone told me one of the keys to a good marriage is to attend as many weddings as possible. Apparently, hearing others say their vows will remind you of the ones you took and weddings in general will remind you of your own and the happiness you felt that day.  Well, Davis and I ought to be just fine, since we have a wedding per month through November, beginning last weekend in July.  I do have to ask, does it count if your husband is checking fantasy baseball scores on his iPhone throughout the ceremony on the sly?  I'm fairly certain he missed out on the vows to see if Jose Reyes made a HR.  His ribs might also be slightly bruised.  :)  


The "July Wedding" belonged to Davis' good friend Lee's sister and took place in Oxford.  A great time was had by all.  It was fantastic to see Lee and his girlfriend, Beth, as well as Lee's parents Big R and Mrs. Angela.  Next up:  my cousin Kelly's wedding in Tennessee!