Two Months and some change

Two months ago, I was not a dog person.  At all.
Then Ashley came into our lives.

Here are some things I don't want to forget about these past two months:

She used to fit in the rock basket.  With room to spare.
She loves to hang out (and sleep) under the computer desk.
She is totally daddy's little girl.
Although she still gets super excited when mommy comes home from work.
But she will actually wait by the front door for him to come home...even if he just goes into the yard.
She loves that bright green frisbee.  Enough to lay in front of the slider longing for it.
She is SUPER smart - just ask the "Ashley gate" that she manages to get around all. the. time.
She used to be afraid of going onto the carpet.
But she skids across the hardwoods.
Even though she has finally learned how to sit on the floor without her hind end sliding out from under her.
My fave parts of Ashley - her puppy tummy, puppy tongue and puppy tail
In two months, she has grown about 3 inches in height and a whopping 18 pounds in weight.
She LOVES being sick and on meds...or maybe it is the hotdogs we feed her pills in that she loves.
Red is her color - especially her little red blanky
She crate trained in all of two nights. Day crate training is another story.
She usually has the run of the living level when we're out.
She hates being apart from us...or just being alone in general.
She is a water puppy - she swims all the time at Rattlesnake Lake.
She has a cute pink bone name tag. And I broke it trying to hook her leash to it instead of to her collar.
She is a garden puppy. She loves to eat grass and chew sticks.
She loves sticks more than balls.  The bigger the stick, the more she wants it.
She is super obedient.  Clicker training does a puppy good.  Positive reinforcement and all.
This Pacific Northwest puppy LOVES sunbathing on the deck.
She knows how to sit, lay, shake hands and be the cutest puppy ever.
She has the longest whiskers and eyelashes ever
When she wakes up (in the morning or from a nap) she s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s out...like a cat.
She is a THIRSTY puppy.  In the morning, we leave her downstairs to fill her camel hump up.
She gets a morning and an evening frisker where she is just all out crazy and uncontrollable.  It is the cutest.
Her tail is super waggy and awesome.

She is a super, wonder pup and I think her middle name will forever be Awesome.  Ashley Awesome Merikle.

Bad Daughter

Didn't call the most awesome woman ever today.  And it is her birthday.  So totally bummed and sad since I woke up and said to myself "self, charge your phone so that you can call mommy today".

That worked out great.

She's awesome and then some.  I wish we were not half passed broke and that I could go and see her (and my baby brother) later this month. And that I could make it out to my HS BFF's wedding in NY.  All that stuff is so contingent on so much that is out of our control - ie, Senate passing unemployment extension...job offer coming through...

Alas.  All to say the only piece of the master plan that makes me sad that has not happened was having completed the plot to move my mother up north by about now.  Or have her well on her way up here with some solid plans.  Would have loved to celebrate her birthday in person this year. 

Things will get better.  It will happen.  Not the memory thing because that is long shot.  but the whole getting back on track to world domination piece.

Love you mom.  Love you Dee. Wish I could do so much more to make both of your lives better.

Much longer delayed happy Bday to Q who I miss like my favorite shoe (because...well...that rhymes, I'm delirious from sniffing on the glue project I've been working on and I really really REALLY should just go to bed now.  Says the puppy.

Peace out.