The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Can't you just hear Dale Evans and Roy Rogers? "Hi! Good to see you. It's the most wonderful time of the year..." Bells are chiming, children are laughing in the background. It's a festive holiday scene with everyone jolly and gay. No, it's not Christmas. Even better. Travapalooza is here! Christmas has twelve days, heck, we go a full thirty-one for The Guy. Not even a month with thirty days will do, no, we need as much Travfest as we can get with the climax coming right smack-dab in the middle. March 15th. Circle it in red, boys and girls. The world stops revolving around the sun, just for a day, and all heavenly bodies change course and begin to revolve around The Guy. Defy the laws of physics? Why not? Anything is possible for The Guy.

Was that just a bit too over the top?

In a completely unrelated matter, The Infant tells me that she travelled to Cincinnati on Saturday to see Grandma H. Curly, Curly's Twin, and Grandma E. (the new one, not The Original Grandma E. - maybe we'll call her G2.0 or something) also tagged along. G2.0 was very concerned about some possible freezing rain so the trip was cut a little short. Everything went well, the trip was good, Grandma H was happy to see everyone (well everyone that matters anyway, namely, The Infant), and The Infant was still at home and in bed by 9:30. The Guy looked at several houses (outsides only) and went to a basketball game. Me, I laid at home in my bed and only got up twice to sniff the air vent - now that's what I call a productive day!

Even though the bulk of this post is an homage to The Guy, I couldn't bring myself to post his pictures. The Infant is sooo much cuter. Scratch that. It's possible I could be sent to the pound and put down for uttering such phrases in March. It's sort of like threatening the president. Just don't do it. Let's try this again...

Even though the bulk of this post is an homage to The Guy, I didn't post his pictures. Mere photographs don't do his manly beauty justice. You'll have to settle for pictures of this average looking baby instead.

Some Random Happenings

Curly and The Guy had a very tasty dinner this evening (or, at least it smelled that way). It was CrockPot Mexican Rice and Curly took the liberty of adding a can of black beans (drained) to it. It turned out very well and they topped it off with a little grated cheddar cheese. Curly highly recommends it. The Guy's eating habits are completely changing. The Guy also made a very tasty snack (again, I ASSUME it was tasty) today. He made a roasted eggplant spread with red peppers and onions. Now those are some words I never thought I would type in reference to The Guy!

It doesn't take much to entertain The Infant. Notice in the picture at the top of this entry that the toy has been discarded and replaced with a gallon jug. The Infant thoroughly enjoyed spending Friday night sitting on the kitchen counter (supported by Curly's Twin's stubbs) hugging and mouthing the jug of water.

Sunday was a wonderful, lazy day here. We all stayed in bed until nearly noon and didn't do much the rest of the day either. The Infant was bathed and in bed by 9:00pm and Curly, The Guy, and I are in bed watching Burn After Reading as I type this. Curly did embarrass dress The Infant in this cute little outfit today. I'm pretty sure she's going to be just as much of a nerd as Curly. I guess you're never too young to know the periodic table. Also note the tights - Thanks again Aunt Beth and Sophia!

Feb. 15th: Take 2.

One more Valentine's weekend photo to appease the masses...

Happy February 15th (or the day after Valentine's Day)

I hate change. Curly and The Guy need to pick a routine and stick to it. It all started on Monday when The Guy slept in the living room and The Infant and Curly slept in my room. I can't have Humans scattered around the house like this. I have to keep moving between both rooms checking on everyone and I don't get much sleep. I couldn't decide where to go, so I settled on sleeping in the "closet" room. This happened on both Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday Curly turned off all of the lights then took The Infant and left. They didn't return until Friday evening. The Guy stopped in a few times to give me treats and food, but he wouldn't turn the lights on, either. Then, on Friday instead of everyone being back in their own rooms, all of the Humans slept in my room. Curly slept in my bed, The Infant slept in her swing, and The Guy slept beside The Infant on the floor. I'm not sure where I ended up. Then last night all of us slept in my bed. Curly and The Guy resumed their usual positions, The Infant slept in her bouncy seat between them, and I slept in my typical spot at the foot of the bed guarding the door. That was much better than the rest of the week - heck it was much better than the usual arrangement because I didn't have to go check on The Infant in a separate room.

The Infant tells me she had plans to dress as Cupid, with wings and a tiny bow and arrow, but alas, it was not to be. Sigh. The Infant didn't feel well and she spent the day with Skinny and The Voice. You'll have to settle for these Valentine's Day pictures instead. They still feature her dressed in festive attire. Stay tuned for President's Day.

Note: The blue jeans featured on The Infant in both photos are The Guy's first pair of jeans!

Go Herd.

From what I can gather, The Infant made her first trip to H-town on Saturday. The MU athletic department was having a sale of some used and some new clothing/uniforms. With the nice weather it was the perfect time for her to visit Marshall and the stadium. The Guy and Curly left around 9:30 (but didn't make it out of Charleston until after 10:00 because of truck trouble) and got to the parking lot around 11:00. The Infant had to eat so it was about 11:20 by the time they made it inside to the sale. There was not much left. That may be an understatement. People were lined up at 6:45 to get inside. Curly and The Guy did walk away with a few items (most notably a new pair of FootJoys for Curly) but nothing spectacular.

The Infant seemed to enjoy the trip. It was also her first time out in public in her Baby Bjorn and she really enjoyed being able to see everything. Come to think of it, it was really the first time that she was outside for an extended period.

Maybe Marshall will be her home in about 17 years (but I don't think Curly would mind if it were Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or Stanford. The Guy might have a problem with that, though).

The End of an Era

When Curly, Curly's Twin, and the two Tall Skinny Girls came to steal me away from my first home (long story for another day), the first place I went was the "Rug Room." The above picture isn't the first time I was there, but it was a long time ago. I've spent alot of time outside of Hopkins Rug Service and I'm very sorry to see it close; it was always full of such wonderful smells! It was legendary for all of the dogs in DuPont City. Just walking by was intoxicating. My predecessor, Snowball, was a staple around there as well. Most customers enjoyed having her greet them at their cars, but a few were a little afraid of her. That I don't understand - I hear she was a great big lovable ball of fur. Apparently, I'm much better behaved than she was (yet another story for another day).

In honor of the closing of this landmark institution on Dec. 31, 2008, I have created this little video. I hope you enjoy.

I'm really going to miss that place.

So, Where Did the Infant Go?

Grandma came to the house on Tuesday to play with me (and watch The Infant). When she left on Tuesday evening, she took The Infant with her and neither of them has returned since. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It is a lot quieter around here without The Infant, but I'm not sure that I like the quiet. Granted, I can sleep in the room with Curly and The Guy without having to go into The Infant's room, but really I need something to keep me busy. Since she's not here, I thought it would be okay to bark at the Paper Lady at 3:00am, but apparently that's frowned upon.

And, come to think of it, Curly and The Guy haven't been coming home until late and they smell like The Infant. I wonder if this is a permanent arrangement or if it's only temporary. I'll bet it has something to do with the cold temperatures. I'll let you know when she returns.