Updates & Dogs

I didn't realize how long it has been since my last post. Alright, I'll get right to it.

Updates:
John and Kim are still hosting open mike night. However, they are joined by bass player Paul Liford and drummer Jeff Keeler. I actually managed to go to a show, Thanksgiving night. Unfortunately, the drummer forgot he was supposed to be there, but it was still a good show.

After viewing my mother's blog and my brother's blog, I realize that I haven't kept everyone up-to-date with my kids. Here it goes:

Back in October, I think, Laurel's school had crazy hair day. Here's my little creation.

And from the front...


Here's Cory doing what he does worst...dishes!

Here's another one of Cory with his favorite book series (one of mine too!), Pendragon...
I always told him, "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book." Now he has!

This past spring, I told the kids we would make some vegan sugar cookies. We finally did last month or so. I was not happy with the recipe. I'll have to keep experimenting. Here are some of the results. Everyone helped decorate.
Oops. The decorating gel on the E (for Ezell!) ran a little. Here's a few more.

Cory is still playing the piano. His new teacher has been trying to undo the bad habits taught by his old teacher. Also, John has been helping Cory practice. We've noticed improvement in his playing, as well as more enthusiasm for the instrument.

Here's another one from the other side, lol. (Laurel is always trying to steal the spotlight.)

Speaking of Laurel, she recently has shown me that she can now do a backbend by herself! It hurts me just to watch her!
(She actually held this pose above for a few seconds for me! Ouch!)


She also went tattoo crazy while John and I were out.
Uncle Jason would be proud!

Now on to my furry children. This next one is Charlie. He is the only "normal" cat I have.
He is a very inquisitive cat.

Next is my Ava Muffin (pronounced with a long A), also known as Ava Button.
She is missing her left eye. It was hard to get a picture of her. Apparently, she was starved for Mommy's attention and couldn't stay away. Ava has gotten into the bad habit of chewing on my new shoes. I'll have to break her of that. On a lighter note, she is my bathroom kitty. Everytime I go to the bathroom, she runs in, ready for some alone time with me.
(I promise I was not actually using the toilet in that picture.)

Last, but not least, my Bazooka Butt. I call her that because she always has at least a little poop stuck to her butt. She wouldn't let me take a recent picture, so here's an old one.
She still looks the same, maybe a couple of pounds lighter. She has a chronic weepy eye, so she constantly has gunk in her eye.

Well, that's all my "babies" that I live with. However, I work at the Humane Society, so I have a lot of furry babies that I take care of. On that note...

Dogs:
We have taken a few dogs out to the park since Alfie. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera for a couple. Kurt was a really boring dog. He was a very chill Chow mix. He had the most fun when we took him for a walk downtown. He really came to life then. lol

Sierra was another big dog that we took out. I forget what mix she was, perhaps yellow lab. Poor Laurel got squished in the car! I really wish I had a picture of that! Sierra loved the park, so much so that she dragged me around quite a bit of it.

Haute Dawg (pronounced Hot Dog) was a fun dog. She came in as an HBC (hit by car). We thought she had a broken leg. It turned out she tore a tendon or ligament. I'm not sure which one. She was fostered by a former teacher of mine, Dr. Carla Antonio. Shortly after the park, she was adopted.
It was so cold that day, I put a vest on her. It says "Adopt Me".

The latest dog we took out was a male named Popcorn. I adopted out his sister, Buttercup, on Saturday. They both are incredibly cute and sweet. All they want is to be loved on. The only problem is that neither walk on a leash very well.
Too bad I don't have a picture of me carrying him across Amboy Road. We all got really cold at the park, so we decided to take him home and watch an episode of MASH.
I believe in this last picture Radar is handing over a little extra cash that Hawkeye "requested". (Any MASH fans out there?)

What a sweetheart! I'll have to see if he got adopted when I go back to work tomorrow.

On a funny note, Charlie did not like Popcorn being in the house at all. He puffed himself up so big that he looked like a different cat! Also, there was one point when Popcorn got off the couch to take a look around. Charlie was in the hall and didn't notice until Popcorn was right up on him. We all heard a hiss and looked over in time to see Charlie jump and slide across the kitchen floor with his back arched up! I felt bad for laughing at him, but it was so funny I couldn't help it.

When we take the dogs back, we make a little stop in the cat adoption room. I'll have to start taking pictures in there as well. I held the sweetest little gray kitty named Persephone. Her motor was running the whole time I had her.

Sorry this one was so long. I'll try to keep on top of it from now on. Remember everyone, spay and neuter your animals.

John & Alfie

John recently made his acoustic debut in Asheville at the Sports Zone on Hendersonville Road. The pictures came out a little on the dark side.


Kimberly is the singer. They both did a great job! We talked her into singing "Somebody to Love" by Queen.


I didn't take many pictures. I was having too much fun watching the show. They are hosting open mike night every Thursday night starting at 8:30pm. Come by and check out the show sometime. Unfortunately, I can't be there with him every week. I usually work the next day.


In other news, we took another dog to the park today (10-5-08). I'd like to show you pictures of Swirls, the last dog, but we forgot the camera. This time, we decided to take Alfie out for the day.


This is Alfie. He is one of the shyest dogs I've ever met. He is so timid, that I am pretty much the only person at work who can get him to walk on a leash. I have been working with him, trying to socialize him, everyday I can.

When we picked Alfie up, he was shaking so badly, but at the same time, he was wagging his tail. He was so anxious to get into the car, he couldn't wait until Cory got settled in first. On our way to the park, he was all over the car. Cory couldn't get him to be still. At one point, he jumped up into the front with me and managed to turn the wipers on and spray the windshield soap at the same time. He liked Cory right away, perhaps because we took him away from the shelter. Unfortunately, he pooped in the car. I'm used to the smell, but Cory couldn't stand it. lol Luckily, we were not far from home.

After cleaning up the mess, we continued on our way to the park. John and Laurel met us there. Alfie ran over to John right away! This was amazing to me because, at the shelter, the only person he cared about was me! We started walking with him and immediately noticed a change. It was like he was a brand new dog! Not only was he walking on the leash, but he was trotting, wagging his tail, and holding his head up!


John had an accident on his bike shortly before I took that picture, but I thought it would be rude to get a picture of him in pain. Alfie is staring at a couple of other dogs in this picture. (He doesn't get along well with other dogs.)


Laurel is getting some sniffs from Alfie in this one. I'm actually amazed at how straight this picture is! Cory did a good job this time!


Even John couldn't resist the cuteness in this dog! Alfie decided he would rather be carried. lol I spoil him.


Laurel took this picture. Alfie is a big snuggler. He enjoyed walking around the park, but he really enjoys sitting in your lap and getting attention. All of us agreed that he is perfect for our family, if he would get along with our cats. Unfortunately, we can't afford to take care of him.

After the park, we decided to take him to West End Bakery on Haywood Road. We sat outside in the shade while we ate our muffin and cookies. Alfie was not comfortable with so many people and dogs close by.

When it was finally time to take him back to the shelter, we were starting to get really sad. We put him back in his cage, loved on him a lot, and said hello to some of the other dogs. Before we finally left, we went back to Alfie and loved on him again. As we were saying our last goodbyes, a small family came over and asked me about him. They seemed so excited to see him. As we were leaving, we saw that they had him out on a leash and was very interested in adopting him. I should be happy for Alfie, but I am sad. Cory took it the hardest. We both cried about not being able to keep him.

As of now, I'm not sure whether Alfie got adopted. For his sake, I hope so. For my sake, I just want to see him everyday. John tries to cheer me up by saying that when we can afford a dog, we just might find one that is more perfect for the family. I hope so. But until then, I'll miss Alfie.

Big Picnic

In September, we attended the first Regional Atheist Picnic at Lake Julian. Our group (WNC Atheists), the Rationalists of East Tennessee, and the Greenville Nontheists (of SC) all attended. We were very happy with how many people showed up.

It was a beautiful day! We got to meet so many new and interesting people. Also, I had decided to bring along one of the shelter animals. (Every Sunday that I have off, I pick up a dog and take him/her to the park. This past Sunday, I took Swirls, a very energetic puppy with hardly any manners. Sorry, I have no pictures of that. Laurel will help me remember to take the camera next time.)


This is Max. He is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met. I tried to get someone to adopt him at the picnic, but to no avail. Luckily, he was adopted shortly after this. (BTW, Cory took this picture. He always takes crooked pictures. lol)

He was one of my favorites. I'll miss him. Our friend Kim loved him! She couldn't get enough of him!

She is the one on the left. Her husband, Russell, has his back to us. Cory is trying to make bunny ears on Max.


This is Darrell, our fearless leader, though he does not like being called that.


This is Josh. John has been trying to convince him to move closer to the city. He has finally saved up enough money and is currently looking for a place. You'll be happier, Josh. Trust me.


This is my absolute favorite picture from that day! John was being a big goof. He would not want me posting this picture, so to make it fair....

If you hadn't guessed it, Cory took this picture. I am eating one of my vegan pumpkin muffins. They were a big hit. I had hoped to have leftovers to take to work the next day, but they all disappeared. I got a lot of compliments, even from the meat-eaters!

Speaking of meat, there were a lot of hamburgers and hotdogs. (Gross!) Luckily, Billy (aka William) and his wife brought veggie dogs! They might have brought veggie burgers too. I can't remember. They saved the day! Billy and Josh have a tv show called Minds Wide Open. We all are proud of them!


You might recognize this one. Another Cory masterpiece! lol


Laurel was very responsible with Max. One thing I forgot to mention, and should have taken a picture of, was that he got carsick. Right as we parked the car, he threw up all over Laurel's lap! Poor thing had to walk around with wet pants. We would have gone home to let her change, but it was a 20-30 minute drive and there was a gas shortage.

We eventually had to get Max back to the shelter before it closed. On the way, we stopped by the house to let Laurel change, and to give Max's stomach a rest. We then spent about half an hour trying to find a gas station that had gas.

When we got back to the picnic, most of the people were gone. We spent the rest of the picnic talking to Darrell, Heather, and a couple from Fairview. Later on in the week, we heard a story about that couple's son. He was riding home from a camping trip with some friends when the subject of religion came up. The boy was asked his opinion and he gave it. The father of one of his friends got in a debate with the boy. Eventually the father got irate, pulled the car over, and proceeded to yell at the boy for about an hour. After the boy got home, he told his parents. They immediately tried to contact the man, yet remained calm until they could figure out what really happened. Not only did the man refuse to return any phone calls, he also went around town telling everyone how evil the family is. Just another example of "Christian Love". Poor kid. I can't imagine going through that.

Anyway, on to a happier topic, John has started his gigs at the Sports Zone. He will be there every Thursday night starting somewhere between 8pm and 9pm. (The owner can't make up her mind.) I can't be there every time, but I will try to get there occasionally. I've got pictures from his debut. I'll post those next time.

Also, I still have 3 articles on Associated Content waiting for the world to read. Check them out here, and feel free to send friends there also. The more views I get, the more I get paid. I'm not sure when I'll have the next one ready. Since I've been working, I haven't had much time for anything.

LAAFF-2008

We recently went to the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival (LAAFF) downtown on September 7th. We had a blast! It was very hot and I did get a sunburn, but that wasn't the fun part. Laurel and I had fun looking at the vendors' jewelry. I even bought a necklace. (You can see it in one of the pictures below.) We got to hear some great music. Mainly from the band pictured here. I had a great view of them and was going to take a better picture, but people started walking right in front. Then the band stopped and I thought they were finished, so I lost my good spot. John got this shot for me. Anyway, it was some type of Middle Eastern music. There were people off to the right dancing.

There were also a couple of statue women there. They are always interesting to look at. If you haven't seen them before, you should come down and check them out someday. They stand as still as statues in full costume (and full heat!). When you give them a tip, they move.


We saw a nice, shaded area and decided to take a break. Cory and Laurel took advantage of a hammock.
Once we found the face-painting booth, we really got into the festival!

Our friend, Chip, was in town. He is a professional juggler. He had gotten there earlier and had been teaching most of the day. We found him in the coolest part of the festival! Laurel attempted to learn the baton.
Then we saw the hula hoops! Cory really had fun with this. He even had 2 going at once!
Laurel and I noticed a group of kids painting with their feet! So, of course, we joined in. Unfortunately, this was the only picture of that we got.

Oh! I almost forgot about the tightrope! They said Laurel was a natural. (She should be. She's been in gymnastics since she was 2.) You can see John and Chip in these pictures. Chip is in the background with the hat on. John is on his right.

There was also a jousting contest. However, instead of horses, they were on bicycles. I didn't have a good angle for pictures, but the image is forever ingrained in my mind. lol

As we were leaving, a little girl gave Laurel a balloon giraffe.
We also went to a picnic recently. I'll post those pictures next time. I am terrible at keeping in touch with people and thought this would be something that I could do to let everyone know what we've been up to. I got the idea from Gail, although I don't take nearly as many pictures as she does. lol (Love you Gail!)

There have also been new developments at work. For those of you who don't know, I currently work at the Asheville Humane Society as an animal caretaker. There are going to be new positions opening up and they want to hire internally. The position I am hoping for is medical assistant. It is a Monday through Friday job with better pay. (They won't tell us how much more yet.) If I get it, I hope to be putting more of my vet tech skills to use. Both the vet and my supervisor said they hope I apply.

On John's side of things, he has a gig on Thursday, September 25th at The Sports Zone from 8-10pm. He will be hosting "open mike night" with Kim White (the singer). It will be his Asheville debut. (Unfortunately, he will be playing the acoustic guitar. I'll let you guys know when they finally get a full band going.) He has been working around the clock to perfect the songs they will be performing. I might be a little biased, but I still have to say that he kicks ass. You won't be disappointed if you come.

I also have a new article posted on Associated Content. Actually, it is more like a short story. I had to write a descriptive essay when I was in South College and my teacher loved it. I edited it a little, but it is mostly intact. Check it out here. Don't forget to rate it by clicking on how many stars you want to give me. Also feel free to post a comment. If it gets good ratings and comments, more people are likely to read it.