Hello Again...

Hi there! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm back from a very long and exhausting Xmas holiday. The craziness began about a week ago when my car decided to commit suicide on me...i.e. smoke coming out from under the hood while I was driving to Sbux. (It still has not been revived and Antoine and I are now down to one car...but we're making it work). Then, I got sick...read: head cold, gushing snot, all around discomfort. And while it was nice to have a couple of days off from my real job I, unfortunately, spent those days attempting to clean/prepare for my parents arrival! Xmas Eve Eve was a fun-filled (note: sarcasm) day of non-stop cleaning. Xmas Eve morning was the mad dash to get the house in tip-top shape for the parental visit, attempting to finish all the bits and bobs that we hadn't cleaned/tidied the day before. Then, my parents had to go and stress us out further and show up nearly 3 hours early. THEN, my parents brought their two dogs into our 2 bedroom house and we experienced the shear madness of having two puppies and a yappy Miniature Pinscher in a not-nearly-big-enough space.

In order to make the weekend bearable we made several trips to the dog park! Oh, how I love that flippin' dog park! It's good times! It's my personal savior...turning a rumbustious puppy into a docile, exhausted pile of snoring fur! My parents had never been and their new puppy Lacey hasn't been around many people and Cheese had been the first dog she'd met (outside of their MinPin)...so, it was interesting to see both what my parents thought of it and how the dogs interacted! I think it was an all around success. A little cold, but a triumph nonetheless! Here's some shots from the dog park...

Lacey, my parents' 3 month old great dane...and, of course, the Cheese-man!

Cheese chewing on a stick and playing with an adorable Bull Terrier!

Byron, my parents' Miniature Pinscher, froze like a little popsicle at the dog park, but he loved running around and chasing the big dogs!

I found it very difficult to get many good pictures of Lacey because she was constantly moving around, mainly because she was afraid of most of the other dogs!

Lacey watching as Byron and a stylish little Pug become acquainted!

In the end, it was a good holiday. Not the most relaxing, but it was nice to be with family. Also, I think Cheese really enjoyed his first Xmas...he got far too many toys and rawhides! And he's still recovering from all the puppy wrestling...he's been sleeping nonstop since Sunday. The house has been pretty quiet...delightful so!