Rewind a Bit

I realized after publishing my last post that I sort of skipped a bit between the post where I said I had puppy fever, and the post where I said I was going to pick up a puppy. Much of this was discussed on Facebook, but sometimes I forget that the entire world is not on Facebook. Or looks at my particular Facebook. All twenty or so people that read this blog...

Anyway!

Trudy hails from the same rescue that I adopted Xander from four years ago. Jerri Carter has been running Southeast Border Collie Rescue League for over 25yrs, and I was lucky enough to find her when she rescued a pregnant momma dog four years ago, and hence came Xander.

I had gotten the puppy bug and was stalking a couple of litters, but also emailed Jerri to keep an eye out. Fatefully enough, she told me she happened to have a litter of 3wk old pups, which was exactly the age when I had found out about Xander's litter. The only difference was that Xander had been the result of a border collie/border collie breeding. I knew basically what I was getting.

This litter was different. Momma dog is a very sweet, black and white, split-faced border collie. She was dumped over Jerri's fence and gave birth a few weeks later. It is anyone's guess what the dad (or dads) identity was, as there are pups with very differing characteristics.

Some pups look very much border collie, others perhaps german shepherd, perhaps lab or aussie. Who knows?

Given that I love to do agility, and knowing what type of dog you are getting helps determine structural and behavioral compatability with the demands of the sport, it is a bit risky bringing home a dog of unknown parentage. At least, that's what I told myself when I went to see them for the first time at 5wks old.

There was immediately one pup that caught my eye. I knew I wanted a female (as the testosterone levels in my house were already high enough), so that narrowed it to five puppies immediately. The other six, although adorable, had penises, so they were ruled out. No offense boys.

Of the five girls, two were tricolor, and had sweet personalities, but one was somehow special.

She happened to be the smallest as well. Considerably smaller than some of her brothers. Confident, independent, curious, and balanced at five weeks, my interest was piqued. However, I cautioned myself not to make an impulsive decision, and decided to think about it for another week. As Jerri is located in Deland, around 1.5hrs drive south, I knew that deciding to make a return trip the next weekend would mean that I was seriously considering it, but still had the option to say no once I saw them again at six weeks.

Buster indulged me, although expressing valid concerns about having FOUR dogs. I thought long and hard about all the pros and cons throughout the next week as I looked at the pictures and videos I had taken during my first visit.

As I pulled into her driveway to see the now six week old pups, I finally decided to listen to my heart and let that make the decision. If I saw her again and felt that she was the one, that would be it...logical or not.

I saw her and immediately texted Buster and asked him not to divorce me.

So from then it was two weeks wait before I could bring her home. I didn't really talk about it much. I think I was afraid to jinx it.

Now that she is here, I am so thrilled. She is everything I could want in a puppy. She is condfident, affectionate, fearless, fun, bold, curious, sweet, and smart. She has adapted remarkably well in a very short time and is making my job relatively easy. Xander was the most difficult puppy ever and was afraid of everything and everyone. He is still a weenie....

Trudy is not daunted by anything and loves to make friends with new dogs and people, as well as experience new things. She does scream when initially confined, but settles eventually, and has gotten very good about her crate at night. She uses a potty patch in her ex-pen during the day, and wakes me up when she needs to potty at night, so no accidents in either place!

She LOVES to tug (which is of key importance to me) and on her very first clicker session switched seemlessly from tug to food and back and forth again. Love that! She also retrieved a ball the first few times, although now she prefers to play keep away ;) She walked happily on leash from the very first time and never looked back. She hasn't so much as whimpered for vaccines or to have her nails dremmeled. Truly nothing seems to phase her.

At 9wks and weighing in at 5.6lbs, I imagine she will be small, but I am not sure how small. My friend Alanna who is a vet is betting on roughly 25lbs. I did WANT a smaller female, but hopefully her dad wasn't a pomeranian. Either way, she is tremendous fun, and both Buster and I are completely smitten with her. Regardless of how she turns out, I am very happy with my decision, and glad I listened to my heart. I am both enjoying every second of her cuteness, as well as looking forward to what her future holds!

Very confident!

 

Tiny even compared to Kaylee!

 

I love to play!

And ocassionally sleep....

Sweet baby :)

 

Introducing Trudy!

Forgive me if this blog post rambles or loses its train of thought. I
blame that on puppy induced sleep deprivation. I passed my exit this
morning and made a costly 15min detour over a long and traffic
congested bridge this morning. Duh.
It is all worth it though!

Xander and I spent our last puppy-free weekend together at the
Palmetto AKC trial. We left Friday after work and drove to our friend
Terri’s house where she lives in Tampa. Terri very graciously lent us
her spare room and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her and
her dogs rather than staying in a skuzzy motel somewhere. (or sleeping
in a tiny tent on the ground. Although that was kind of fun the last
time we were in Palmetto almost a year ago).

We hadn’t been to an ACK, I mean AKC trial since February, and I have
to admit my mind wasn’t really in the game. For one thing, I knew I
would be driving home on Sunday and passing through Deland to pick up
our new little bundle of fun. For another thing, my mom came to visit
on Saturday and I spent the day catching up with her. And for another
thing, it is AKC, and AKC just tends to be boring. Long days, lame
courses filled with pinwheels and tiny tables and millions of dogs.
Hours spent waiting for a few runs. But it was agility, and we enjoyed
being there in spite of it all.

In addition to spending time with my mom, I got to hang out with a
number of cool people over the weekend, see lots of cute puppies (some
newer, some older), which made me long for Sunday afternoon again, and
play some Frisbee with Xander. We had a goofy FAST run on Saturday
morning, but were one of the few to get the send, so we Q’d. Although
I think I did the weaves in the wrong direction, and he knocked the
triple, so our points were not impressive. Oh well, I expected some
rust considering we hadn’t been to any trials at all since the
beginning of June. Standard was actually gorgeous except for one minor
problem. My formerly flawless table has been replaced with “gee mom,
do I really have to get on the table? And do I really have to stay on
the table?” Ugh. BUT our summer-long effort in practicing contacts has
paid off. His A-frames were GLORIOUS all weekend. Stuck. Held. Not
affected by my position or movement until verbal release. SO happy
about that. Hope I can manage not to break it again this season.

Jumpers on Saturday was just a train wreck. We pulled it together for
the second half of the run, but good god that was hilarious. It was
ENTRIRELY my fault though, since I was chatting with mom and one of my
former students and didn’t warm him up and barely made it to the line
as the were telling me “you are in the ring, NOW!” Ooops. Bad
distracted handler. Sorry Xan.

After leaving the trial, I took my mom home to their fishing village
in Bradenton, so that she didn’t have to ride the bus for another
hour. I was given a little tour of the area and made the return drive
to Tampa. My delightful GPS screwed me over on the way back and first
sent me into the Tampa airport, and then sent me back over the 7 miles
of bridge on 275. We drove over that damn bridge three times before
finally making it back to Terri’s house. Nothing a little girl’s night
our complete with an Artisian Cooler (super yummy drink) couldn’t fix.

Sunday morning I regrouped and gave Xander the focus he deserved. We
had an awesome Time 2 Beat run with a stellar A-frame again, and
earned 9pts toward that extraneous title. Standard was awesome again
with one minor flaw. A little too much momentum led to an off course,
BUT he had a beautiful table while I showered him with praise, and
another gorgeous A-frame. Love that boy.

Since jumpers wasn’t going to run for hours, and I had lots of driving
and a puppy to pick up before bed, I decided to leave early. My
friends Chris and Carol couldn’t believe I had waited that long. So we
departed at 1:30, finding out later from Terri that our class didn’t
run until 3:30 at which time it was pouring down rain. So glad I made
that decision!

By just short of 5pm, I had Trudy secured in her car
seat/backpack/rolling carrier in the front seat and was heading back
to Jacksonville. She screamed bloody murder for the first 30mins, took
a power nap, and screamed for a bit more until I pulled over for a pit
stop. She pottied quickly (good girl) and was not quite so dramatic
the rest of the way home.

Buster met us in the garage when we pulled up and was greeted
enthusiastically first by Xander. I took Trudy out to meet her new dad
and get reacquainted with Xander before subjecting her to any corgis.
Once outside of her little prison, she wagged her tail fiercely and
greeted us all enthusiastically. Xander was very patiently tolerant of
her. Finally we scooped her up and went out to the backyard with two
curious corgis in tow.

Everyone was very appropriate but intensely interested in this new
little creature. Buster was kind enough to bring out the camera as we
admired how adorable she was. Soon enough, we had pics loaded on
facebook to formally announce the newest member of the Pruett
household.

Although the first couple of nights sleeping in her new crate with her
new family have been a little rough, she is very quickly settling into
the routine and getting the hang of things. As she has gotten more
comfortable, her personality has continued to emerge. She is
confident, bold, fearless, thoughtful, brave, funny, playful, loving
and smart. She has good sense, except when it comes to heights, but is
respectful of the dogs. She has been using her potty patch in the
ex-pen during the day with great success, and we have only had one
accident so far which was my fault. She had no problem walking on
leash for the first time, made easy friends with the neighbor,
retrieved a ball several times, tugged fiercely in the face of
distractions and new locations, barked and screamed for meals before
devouring them ravenously, and overall been precociously adorable.
Buster and I are completely smitten. She has woken me every time she
needs to potty at night, and has gone from screaming like a Harry
Potter mandrake to crying softly. I have not had to clean up her crate
or her ex-pen, and she potties quickly once outside. Little Ally
McSqueal (as Buster dubbed her) does NOT like to be locked up out of
sight, but is getting better every day. She really prefers to be
directly underfoot or in your arms or lap, but she is beginning to
gain some independence and started exploring more last night.
After watching her climb like a monkey and find all the power cords
and tug on the doormat last night, we have a feeling she will be a
little terror very soon. She couldn’t be more perfect.

I am loving all of the puppy training and being sleep deprived and
looking forward to socializing her and doing clicker training and all
the wonderful things that come along with a new puppy. It will also be
exciting to see what she turns out to be. At eight weeks and only 5ish
lbs, I am thinking she will not be very big at all. Regardless, as she
gazes up at me with one soft brown eye and one intense blue eye, I am
hopelessly in love with my little pocket collie.

Welcome to the family Trudy!

Too Much Cake

Please don't mistake my lack of communication to mean that I have been entirely too busy to write. It's really just that my new job, although generous with copious amounts of free time, sadly has blocked this website. The computer I am using also doesn't have Word installed, and I have not felt motivated to write on the weekend. I felt guilty for not providing any updates however, so here I am.

I wish that I had glorious tales to tell about the exciting new work, but the truth is that it is cake. As in, I am not sure why I am there, nor the other recent hire, as there is not enough to occupy any of us. We hope for this to change soon, as the days are long and dreadfully boring, but I suppose I should not complain for being paid more to sit around and chat. I just hoped it would be more. Such is life.

I have terrible puppy fever and am longing for the worst part of the summer to pass so that my dogs and I can spend more times outdoors. Our playtime has been restricted to early morning or late evening in order to avoid heatstroke, and this has left us fat and lazy. I've begun the process of shaping Xander and I up as we finally approach the beginning of the trial season again. We have not been to an AKC trial since February, and are entered in Palmetto mid September. However, I am more looking forward to working toward our ADCH beginning in October when we will venture to Low Country SC for the first time. We will have another AKC at the end of October, as this is our home trial, but then we will focus solely on USDAA after that until February when our local trial offers ACK again. Agility is agility though, and after long missing it, I will be glad of either kind. I am sure Xander will agree!

Independence

What a strange week it has been, what with a day off due to the holiday smack in the middle of my last week in my current job; but it seems appropriate to be celebrating Independence Day as I finally gain freedom from this position and move on to bigger and better things. I can scarcely believe that this is really my last day sitting here in this desk, having parked in the same garage, and driven through the same terrible neighborhood I have been coming through now for almost three years. The longest I have ever worked for one company was PetSmart, and that was at about three different locations. I have been coming to this same depressing, gray place for so long, I can't imagine what it will do to my perspective on life when I no longer have to be here. Apart from the location is the very nature of the job, being subordinate to everyone and relegated to the most menial of tasks, in spite of my capability to do much more. I hope to finally feel that I am fulfilling some of my potential, and to have the respect of coworkers, and myself. I hope that doesn't sound conceited, arrogant, or anything of that nature, but I really feel that I have more to offer than making copies and running paperwork from point A to point B.

It is strange to think that in a post not terribly long ago, I had basically snapped and decided to bail out on the prospect of a normal job altogether. Then I realized I was just terribly frustrated, and was making the same mistake of being impatient and immature that had gotten me into trouble in the past. So I endured. Having someone to tell me that it was my choice, and that he supported me no matter what happened made it possible. I couldn't quit when our future depended on both of us; it would have been terribly selfish and unfair. So I stuck it out, and made it through. Of course it was the same man who told me I could be free that facilitated me finding this position. I shudder to think where I would be, or what life would be like without him.

At any rate, I begin my new working life on Monday. I am very excited to see what this job will be like, and feel that I am finally stepping through the first door in a series of opportunities that will take me where I am meant to go. I never thought I would learn patience, but through the help of several people very close to me, patience has paid off and life is good. I think I might actually qualify as a grown up now.....

On a dog related note, we spent the early morning of the 4^th swimming and chasing Frisbees at the park so that everyone would be too tired to care so much when the fireworks began. Surprisingly we had the park completely to ourselves, as I prefer it, and enjoyed a lovely morning before the heat set in. That evening, Kirby survived the barrage of pyrotechnics by wearing his thunder shirt and hiding behind the toilet. When it began to rain around 7pm, I thought we would gain a reprieve. Unfortunately, the storm passed quickly, and our neighbors blew things up practically in our backyard until late in the night. Fortunately, Kaylee was only spooked by one particularly loud boom. Xander, on the other hand, lounged about with all four feet in the air, blissfully oblivious of the commotion. What a life my dogs have, riding around in their fancy new crates, in the van we bought so they would be safer on the road (and because it has room for ALL my dog training equipment and I can still see in my rearview mirror). Buster loves the Element and his new kayak trailer that makes the prospect of going fishing so much easier, so everyone is happy.

Did I mention life is good?

Decisions, Decisions

It has been an exciting couple of weeks in the Pruett house!

First, I officially changed my name with the Social Security office, who gave me a form and assured me it would take care of the DMV. It didn't. They were also supposed to give me ANOTHER form, so after a couple of trips, and a couple of hours waiting, I received my new license as well. The picture is not even that bad. All the credit card companies, banks, human resources, etc., were notified, and now I have a whole slew of pretty, new cards with my nice, new name on them.

After the events of my last post, I found myself rethinking the way I travel with the dogs. As much as I love the Element, it really is fairly small and forces me to crate the dogs in potentially unsafe wire crates toward the rear crash zone of the vehicle. Buster, a.k.a BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD suggested we trade in his Mazda3 and get the Honda Odyssey I'd always wanted. Then he would drive the Element, which is an automatic and not a manual (like the Mazda) and would make his life easier. Once we looked around at used, weighing the pros and cons of mileage and fuel economy on older models, we decided to look for a 2011 or 2012 base model. His car was appraised at Carmax for less than what we owed, mostly due to the high interest loan it was financed with. We ended up buying the Odyssey from the same person we bought the Mazda from 2yrs ago, got what we owed in trade in value, 0.9% interest financing, 5yrs of maintenance, a 200,000 mile warranty, and a few other extras. I now have an AWESOME new van that will allow me to safely crate the dogs toward the front of the van in their new RuffTough crash tested kennels. Very happy! the smell of a new car is almost as good as puppy breath.

Aside from new wheels, I have been awaiting a decision from my current employer on a position I had interviewed for a couple of weeks ago. In the meantime, Buster volunteered at a Pepsi function, and met with his boss's wife. Following some discussion of me and what I do, it turns out the she works for Baptist doing the very thing I was trying to get into originally here, and never got an official answer on. She also happened to be looking for another member for her team, and had almost given up hope to find the "right" person. She swore it was divine intervention, and after meeting with me informally last week, I had an official interview Monday afternoon. It was my best interview ever and I left feeling as if it was mine to take or leave. Turns out it was.

Less than 48hrs later, I got the offer. It would be over 9k more than I currently make a year. I was pretty thrilled, but had already told them at the interview I was waiting to hear back on the position with my current company.On top of that, in an effort to keep me in her department, my supervisor was trying to upgrade my position. Feast or famine, I swear.

Buster let it be known from the get-go what he thought of my current employer. They have done nothing but jerk me around and leave me hanging. However, the job at stake would pay enough for us to be out of debt in a fraction of the time. It would also involve working in a severly understaffed department, in a high stress environment, with unpaid overtime, nights, and weekends, for a company that may soon be going bankrupt anyway, and doing more technical work rather than the training and development that truly interests me. On the other hand, the offer I actually received was with an excellent company, doing the type of work I want to do career-wise, with people I seem to enjoy. I choose the bird in the hand, rather than the two in the bush. Buster is thrilled, as is the person who offered me the job, and I feel in my gut it was the correct decision.

My last day here will be July 6th before moving on to bigger and better things. Baptist EHR (electronic Health Record) Implementation Specialist. Has a nice ring to it. My boss was not happy, but still supportive and congratulatory, and made it known that I was welcome back any time I decided I'd made the wrong decision. I don't think that's the case, but appreciate the sentiment anyway.

This year has been pretty awesome so far, and it is only half way through. Even-numbered years seem to be the best for me. Wonder what the next six months will bring, not to mention 2014......

Take Nothing for Granted *UPDATED!!*

**SEE UPDATE BELOW**

I was going to write a post about my scuba diving debacle, my new job prospects, and my weekend at the SE Regional USDAA show in Perry. However, I woke up to find my Facebook feed completely dominated by an outpouring of sympathy and support for a woman in the agility community named Elicia Calhoun.

While I do not know her personally, I do know of her due to her success as an agility trainer and competitor. From what I have heard, she is also one of the nicest, most generous, and positive people in the sport. She and her six dogs were traveling home from a competition when she was involved in a terrible car accident. Her thirteen week old puppy died on impact, three of her dogs were injured and taken to the hospital, and two had fled the scene when help arrived. It was confirmed recently that Nika, her one-eyed aussie that had achieved great success in spite of the handicap, was hit by a car and did not survive. If that weren't tragic enough, Elicia has checked herself out of the hospital with a punctured lung to search for her red and white border collie Tobie, who is still missing.

This is quite literally the worst nightmare for those of us who travel with our dogs. It could easily happen to any of us, anytime.

The agility community, while at times subject to the same personality clashes, differences of opinion, and other conflicts that sporting events can inspire, has nonetheless come together with a show of support for this person that many of us do not know. Given that Elicia is self-employed, and will have staggering hospital and vet bills, a fund raiser has begun for her. Over $17,000 has been raised in a matter of less than 24hrs, with more donations pouring in.

It is enough to take your breath away.

Each of us that share a special bond with our dogs can feel some of the pain and fear that she must be feeling ten-fold. And we are giving to her the compassion and generosity that we would hope to receive if we found ourselves in the same situation. Every so often, something like this happens to both renew my faith in humanity, and serve as a reminder to what is truly important. Not ribbons, titles, dollars, or bragging rights, but the priceless, irreplaceable lives of those special to us.

As we all hold our collective breath for news of Tobie being found, we can help in some small way. Here is the link to the fundraiser:

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/bK4Ab?psid=7d8bdd94ef564486a41b6d65af6e6332

If everyone just gave $5, it could mean a world of difference in the lives of Elicia and her surviving dogs.

Don't take anyone in your life, two or four-legged, not a single day nor a single breath for granted. We have no guarantee to be here tomorrow, or for those we love to still be with us.

I am so glad that I truly enjoyed running Xander this weekend and that he, my other two dogs, my amazing husband, and all my wonderful friends and family are alive and well.

That's really all that matters.

**TOBIE HAS BEEN FOUND!!**

Compassion, empathy, sympathy....these are surely among the greatest of human traits. Miraculously, through the involvment of many, many caring people, Elicia's missing dog has been found alive, and seemingly unharmed! Tragic as it was to lose two of her dogs, it is a huge comfort to everyone that Tobie is alive and returned to her mom. This picture says it all.



Hopefully, Elicia and her surviving dogs will heal as they grieve for the two that were lost. Bless the agility/dog community!

On Becoming a Pruett

Hey, so I am married now. It’s going to take a little getting used to the new last name given that I’ve answered to the same name for 32 years, but I love the sound of it. Of course, the only “official” change I have made is on Facebook, there is still the matter of navigating the arduous task of actually changing it in the eyes of the law, but one thing at a time.

I suppose I should begin this blog just before the big event.

The week leading up to the wedding was busy and exciting. There was shopping, final preparations, a bridal shower thrown for me by my surprisingly generous co-workers, dinner with out of town family, and company in our house. I was blessed to have Friday off which enabled me to take the dogs for one last trip to the park for swimming and a bath before dropping them off with their respective baby-sitters. Aunt Lara had Xander while Aunt Ashley and Uncle Mike had the corgis, which was wonderful considering it allowed me a week of leisure without any worry of their welfare. Thanks again guys!

 It was also wonderful to be able to deliver them on Friday afternoon, because I was not home following that time. We all headed out to a place in Mayport that I’d never been to before called Singleton’s Seafood Shack. A shack it was indeed, but perfectly suited for our needs and possessing the delightful sort of character we require in our special events. We held our brief rehearsal in the area neighboring the parking lot, overlooking the water. Inside, the service and food were fantastic, and our table of nearly twenty was set in a room of its own filled with nautical artifacts and conversation starters. Not that we needed any. Our crowd was playfully loud and the room filled with laughter and friendship, even among those who had never met before.

Following dinner, the girls and boys parted ways to commence with the final celebrations of bachelor and bachelorette-hood. The boys apparently did an efficient job of drinking, while I was adorned with the requisite embarrassing accessories befitting a person in my present condition. This involved a tiara, two sashes (one of which was a pose able male stripper we nicknamed Scooter), and an X rated plastic straw from which to drink my cocktails through. My bridesmaids made sure the band was aware of my pending nuptials, and I received a great many congratulations as well as a drunken counter-proposal. Fortunately, we all made it home in one piece, boys and girls alike, although some a little worse for wear than others.

Saturday morning required last minute food shopping as well as picking up our trays of food and cupcakes from Publix. Not to mention generous doses of water and ibuprofen from those of us having indulged the night before. My girls were super heroes in terms of decorating the club house where the reception would be held, and we were showered and prepped in time for Kara to do my hair and head out to the beach.

We were married at Kathryn Abby Hannah Park, the site of our official dating anniversary outing back in 2009. The picturesque boardwalk, wilderness, sand dunes, and waves all contributed to a beautiful back drop for our ceremony. The girls and I remained sequestered in the air conditioning of my Cousin Jane’s car while “Going to the Chapel” played on auto-repeat for nearly an hour as guests arrived and were led into their place on the beach. Once Buster gave the ok to proceed, I was escorted over the boardwalk by my Uncle Gary who gave me away. The moment was perfect as he wore his Hawaiian shirt and straw hat. I looked down at the small but intimate group of assembled friends and family and Gary turned to me and asked offhandedly if I’d heard any good jokes lately. I laughed and told him the only thing I could think, originating from one of Buster’s friends in the days before. Velcro, it’s such a rip-off.

After passing me to Buster and exchanging hugs and handshakes, I faced my husband to be, who had tears in his eyes. This meant I had won the betting pool with my girls, although he had already assured them that it was just the sun in his eyes. The fact that he is a sentimental romantic is just one of the many reasons I was standing before him to begin with.

Our good friend and life-of-the-party, Rob Poole, acted as officiate, with the powers vested to him by the church of spiritual humanism. He delivered the material flawlessly and with great style, as the oceans waves broke behind us. My dress fluttered beautifully in the breeze, and when Rob pronounced us husband and wife, Buster delivered a crowd pleasing dip and kiss that knocked the decorative flower from my hair. The photos are breathtaking and the event could not have been more perfect with a bright blue sky and my handsome man and I standing barefoot in the sand.

His friends Mark and Amanda, professional photographers, were on hand from New York and joined my aunt and cousins in taking photos. I still have not seen them all, but there are certainly some amazing ones. Still, even without pictures, I will never forget the details of May 5, 2012. Cinco De Mayo will never be the same again.

Our reception following was fun and laid back. We had the traditional first dance to “Time of My Life” as Buster is my own Patrick Swayze. I didn’t embarrass myself too much or trip over my dress, so it was fun, although I never realized how long that song was until I had to dance to it in front of a room full of people!

We received a toast from our Best Man and Maid of Honor, Buster’s uncle Matt and my cousin Jane respectively. They were brilliant and perfect and we are so lucky to have them, not to mention ALL of the friends and family who were a part of our day. We cut our little cheesecake and did not smear it in each other’s faces (under the threat of physical violence due to bright blue food coloring). The same food coloring on our guests’ cupcakes resulted in a room full of blue tongues and teeth. I declared that it was a show of solidarity.

We had a picture frame for people to sign, complete with a stock image of man and wife who looked nothing like us, particularly after our guests had drawn mustaches, tattoos, eye patches and other enhancements on the unfortunate pair. We came home to the delightful surprise of an actual wedding photo taken by Mark and Amanda blown up and inserted into the frame. What an incredibly thoughtful gift from our friends whom I had only just met that day.

After the reception, our friend and another of Buster’s groomsmen Tyler, with whom Buster does his scuba diving, drove us to the hotel at the airport. Since our flight was due to depart Sunday morning at 7:30am, we’d decided to stay within a shuttle ride’s distance, so as not to burden anyone for a ride at 5am Sunday morning. Tyler seemed delighted to act as chauffer and was thrilled to be the last to see us before we left. So it all worked out quite well, even though I went to bed hungry from spending too much time visiting guests, and not enough time eating. I was so excited from the events of the day and the prospect of Cozumel, that I read my kindle and played on facebook until the morning rolled around.

Our first day as husband and wife was spent traveling. In spite of Florida’s close proximity to Cozumel, we had to fly to Atlanta first in order to catch a connecting flight to the Yucatan Peninsula. In spite of the long hours and stress of going through security, and now customs due to the international nature of our travels, everything went smoothly and we arrive at the Cozumel Palace Resort by 1:30 their time. (2:30 our time)

Before we even made it to our room, we’d scheduled our week’s activities with the hotel’s planners, as well as receiving a moist towel, a welcome drink, and our honeymooner t-shirts. Upon arrival to our room, we were welcomed with a honeymooner cake, a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine along with a basket of snacks, a stocked mini fridge and alcohol supply. Our upgraded room was on the fifth floor, with a hammock on the balcony, a hot tub, and a spectacular view of the resort as well as the glorious blue and green ocean.

The resort was all inclusive, meaning that we could have whatever we wanted to eat or drink, whenever and wherever we wanted it. The staff was fantastic, and everything was beautiful and safe. We even made friends with an older couple while swimming in the infinity pool on the first afternoon, and accompanied them to the town for exploration and a little local flavor. Never did we feel unsafe, and due to the island’s dependence on tourism, we didn’t even need the pesos we had procured at the airport. We soon learned that the locals prefer USD!

The week involved snorkeling, swimming with dolphins(me), scuba diving (Buster), massages (us), romantic dinners poolside, water volleyball, scooter riding, lots of eating, and even more drinking. There were nightly activities, a fire show, a Mexican fair, and music to dance to. We learned some Spanish, read a couple of books each, didn’t turn on the tv, took naps and lounged by the water. It was a week of luxury, and although it was hard to come back, I was feeling a bit homesick toward the end.

Saturday was another long day of travel, some culture shock in Atlanta, and a delightful, but one sided conversation with a 79 yr old gentleman who was returning from the 100^th birthday celebration of his 4^th grade Catholic School teacher, bringing us home after 9:30 for one last quiet night. I picked up the dogs Sunday morning, who to my surprise were as tired as we were from their own vacations! Xander had spent the week playing virtually non-stop with Lara’s dogs and the corgis had spent the week peacefully with Mike and Ashley’s cats, but were relieved to be home as well. Other than laundry and grocery shopping, we all spent the day lying on the couch trying to recover before returning to our normal routine today.

We have a plethora of honeymoon photos thanks largely to Buster, which can be found here: http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/shareereg/p=968131336939258372/l=4260606026/g=10102282026/cobrandOid=1000/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBFB/pns/snapfish/share/p=968131336939258372/l=4260606026/g=10102282026/cobrandOid=1000/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBFB;jsessionid=B1E2FEEA03B82388CA5229B85317402E

We have a few wedding photos, but are hoping to have more eventually. Those we have are on our Facebook pages. Look for Bonnie Pruett, or my HUSBAND Buster. I never grow tired of noticing the ring on his finger. Sorry ladies, he is one of a kind, and is now officially mine.