KonaDogBlog

Murphy Visits!

2009-11-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Kona after playing all day

Lucy puts her feet up!

Murph Jail :(

They actually were this close to each other :)

Puppy races!

I love this picture!

Where's Murph!?

Lucy sleeping on ME! Notice our "fort"!?

Lazy boys!

That toy (a fish) did NOT make it thru the weekend!

Lucy is not impressed....

Moose tug-of-war. Another casualty of the weekend.

Lucy sleeping after being ON DUTY all day long!

Murph barking at his own reflection!

The Boys playing outside.

Kona video and one from camping

2009-10-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile :)

Good Luck Rex!!!!!!!

2009-09-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

Video's of Rex for his potential new family!

2009-09-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

New picture of Rex Grosman - he needs a home!!!

2009-08-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

Kona's new foster brother :)

2009-07-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Meet Rex Grosman :) because Rex Grossman wouldn't fit on his name tag!!!

He is about 6 months old, shepherd and lab mix. He is very sweet and LOVES his people. He knows sit and we are working on stay, wait and down. He is very food motivated, obsessed you might say! But not protective or aggressive over his food. I hold his bowl for him because he eats so fast and the bowl scrapes across the floor! He is mostly housebroken, once he figured out to go on the grass. He is not super submissive as we first thought. He was bitten in the dog pound, so he has a sore on his little ear, but I cleaned it up and it is improving. He knows that Lucy is the boss, but still tries to push the limits with timid little Kone Man :) He loves belly rubs and likes to be right next to his people. He lays on my feet when I get ready in the morning! But he is also pretty agile and gets out of the way easily. He plays really well with Kona too.

Rex Grosman needs a new home! Would YOU like to meet him?

Please leave a comment if youwant me to call or email you!!!

Doggie Sitting Murph!

2009-06-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

I know...bad photography (shadow) but it was the best I could do with all three!!! They moved immediately after I shot that!

Kona and me at the Rock N Roll Marathon!

Debbie and Murphy at the Rock N Roll Marathon!

BFF's new puppy!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Introduuuucccccing Murphey!!!!!!!!!

The PNP :)

2009-03-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

First some of my African Violet that bloomed today!

Ok, everyone was asking for pictures of the PNP (Potential New Pup)

Leeza update

2009-03-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

From Leeza's mom:

Leeza is doing very well. She has made remarkable progress. She now is working on her homework. This had been a struggle. The best I can tell is that she just wasn't ready to address school work, until she felt safe & comfortable in her family. When she was ready though, it was all systems go. She is doing well in phonics, reading & multiplication. Subtraction still puzzles her, as do rhymes. I'm not quite certain why on the rhymes. I'll have to have her start reading Dr Seuss. She won student of the month last month, due to her efforts in class, as well as her good behavior.
Every now & then her wicked sense of humor shines through. The other day I scolded, because the girls had not told me they used up the bread. I told her next time it was almost gone, she must tell me. She right away sing songs to me, "Mo om, the bread is gone." for which she got a good tickling!

Whale watching in Mexico

2009-02-17T15:38:00.000-08:00

I think this was the only whale tail we actually saw.....

I know my horizon is not straight, the boat was really rocking! But I like how this picture shows how close the whales were......up until our whale actually came up and let us touch him! (Deb had THOSE pics, I didn't do a good job taking her photo....OOOPPPS!)

On our boat the Tonina (it is a kind of little whale)

The boat docks

A lighthouse in Guererro Negro

Debbie looking at some poor sick pups eating a dead bird. They really were not looking good. It makes me so sad.....

Debbie at the lighthouse

Old boat and building near the lighthouse

Near the lighthouse. This was actually a bird sanctuary area.

Cardon cactus near Catavinia

Starbucks in the middle of nowhere Mexico

Adorable little girls selling bracelets and "eye of God" hanging things. They said "pllleeeeaasssee" How could you say NO? Some people did......NOT ME!!!!!!!!! Wanted to bring this littlest one home!

Mama Espinosa's

Maria, our wonderful Tour Guide gave us these beautiful Valentine's marshmallow candies. Some one she knew made them FOR US! It was a wonderful trip and I was just amazed at the things the Mexicans wanted us to have....this candy, homemade tamales. And I don't think Maria BOUGHT these things, I think they just wanted us to have them :)

Little boys playing soccer

Our room in Ensenada (I think....Debbie has all of them, I tried to save my batteries for the WHALES!)

A sign in our bathroom at one of the hotels and my new motto!

Our whale name tags!

Our "liquids" the first night! I couldn't handle my Margarita and gave it to Deb!

Border crossing on the way down (sorry they are not in chronological order...I am sleepy!)

No, Kona did not get to go :) But here is a recent picture of him....so you can get your Kona fix!

Tough economic times....

2009-02-12T12:30:00.001-08:00

In these tough economic times, we have decided it is about time Kona got a job.

He is really good at Herding Cats. Do you have Cats that need to be Herded? If so, call us and we will send Kona right over (red rover, red rover, send Kona right over). He is quite efficient at herding cats and is very fast, skittering across the floor and slamming into cabinets and baby gates. This (loud) technique causes Cats to fly in all directions, disrupting the calm that used to be our household. The Cats usually end up where they "belong". He never actually catches said Cats, although he tries with all his heart. Cats are occasionally found with large patches of slobber on them, usually on the tail or top of the head. This results in an added benefit....CLEAN CATS....as Cats typically do not like Dog Slobber and can be found cleaning and preening even hours after being herded, looks of disgust on their tiny Cat faces.

Rates for Herding Services:
We offer discounts for multiple cat households. You provide treats while Kona is herding your Cats. Free slobber bath for Cats included.

(No Cats were harmed in the making of this blog post)

For more info, please call 1-800-KONADOG!

Random 2009

2009-02-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

Second Whale Watchin' trip...brrrr!

In Boston, you not only have to shovel your sidewalk, but also your car.

Cruelty to bikes.....no bike should have to live like this!

1st Whale Watching Trip of the year

Boston: Lobstah and chowdah

Dunkies for Minute Man :)

The shoes I wish I were wearing and the shoes (err...boots) I had to wear in Boston

Brother and Sister. Awwww!

Old video that makes me laugh...

2009-01-24T19:31:00.000-08:00

Today Kona is 9 months old! He doesn't look any different to me than he has for the last three months. He is so tiny and skinny! BBD says he is much taller, but I can't tell. He weighed in at 48 pounds today. So no new pictures, but here is the most adorable video EVER! He learned to climb down the stairs. That seems like eons ago!

Wait til BBD gets home.....

2008-12-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

I hope you can see the dirt. Kona thought it would be fun to do some yard construction this morning. OOPS!!!!!!!

Wanna see something funny!?!?!

2008-12-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 8 months KONA!!!!!

2008-12-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

Delinquent kitTONS

2008-12-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

So....we were starting to worry about Got Milk (the black and white kitty who will be 6 in Jan). We recently found her OUTSIDE. Wandering our backyard, wide eyed and investigative. She bolted to the neighbors yard and we managed to retrieve her about 15 minutes later (after BBD removed a portion of the fence so I could get to her!). Then, BBD noticed something missing from the countertop. God forbid our kitTONS get on the countertops.....so I am guilty of not being as much of a disciplinarian :) I then heard my husband say...no...grumble..."There is a knife missing, I suppose Got Milk took that too". For a moment I panicked....was my sweet girl turning into a kitty delinquent? I knew where the knife really was, so not to worry.

That is....until tonight. Tonight, this is what I found in our sweet, dear kitTONS room:

CATNIP BOOTLEG.....

During these formative, "teenage" years I suppose it is normal to rebel. And who wouldn't rebel against BBD!?! Can I blame her? Sneaking out, stealing, CATNIP BOOTLEG!???

What's next...Kitty Krips, marijuana in the kitty grass box, explicit lyrics?

And Jeets? Oh Jeets has been asleep for days.....

Bye Bye Bunny

2008-11-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

Bunny's owners came to claim him....

But not before he had a few names:
Jordan
Buzz (as in Bugs Bunny pronounced Buzzbunny from Space Jam acceptance speech by R Kelly)
Yamika (the little hat....hee hee...he had a round, brown spot on his head!)
Bunny-boy

His real name was Jacob. And his family is happy to have him home. They also found the other bunny. I sure hope the other bunny is not a girl...

Um....Hunny.....

2008-11-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

I found a bunny in the backyard.....

I asked some of our neighbors if it was theirs. Unfortunately they said no. Even worse...they said there was also a white and brown bunny in their backyard with this black bunny today. So...I am off with the flashlight to try to find the other bunny before it's too late.

Happy 7 MONTHS to Kone Man!

2008-11-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Kona is 7 months old! I swear he has not grown in months. I weighed him yesterday and he is 43.8 lbs. Same as he was two weeks ago.

His favorite things to do are:
Chase the cats (still!)

Sit on my lap WHENEVER and WHEREVER (see pic...that is Kona and me typing this blog post!)

Chew on his bone

Beg for food (mostly French Fries) from BBD

Eat his eye boogers

Eat Lucy's eye boogers

Nibble our ears when we get home

Beg Lucy to play with him

"Zoom"...especially at bedtime

Visit Lynne and Austin and Rusty and Lucky and Stella and......at Cool Dogs

Restart the video so that you don't miss my "direction" to him at the beginning :)

A Puppy for the President

2008-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.apuppyforthepresident.com/

Please cast your vote or add a pup in need! I just love this site. I voted for Crackers. Lucy would like to vote for Kona :)

EDITED: I added ****CRICKET**** from North American Dutch Shepherd Rescue! Please vote for her!

last ones....

2008-11-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

Some of the popcorn I picked!

Nise and Me, gazing at the stars. It is VERY dark out there. Like camping in the mountains. Beautiful. And I was so lucky that the weather was nice.

Just me being silly in the tractor. I laughed when I saw this picture. What was I thinking!!!

THIS is how dark it was out there!

I bought a Humane Society t-shirt that says "I kiss my dog on the lips" so here I am, proving it! I think she thinks I have bad breath! Her nose is all curled up.

Don't forget to scroll down for the new posts.

Vacation

2008-11-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am really driving the tractor, Joe stood on the outside ladder to take this picture!
Happy happy!

So this is the dashboard. Joe told me to make sure I told you what all the things are. I only remember that the scale, the one that sasy 24K-something is the weight of the corn in the "wagon" and I think the red lever is the gas, and the black knobbed lever is for the auger. I think!

Corn dust from transferring the corn from the wagon to the semi truck.

Cover up!

I guess I can only do 5 pictures per post, sorry for the multiple posts. Be sure to scroll down.

Pics from vacation

2008-11-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Dad's girls :)

My sister with baby Marbles and Mom with Sherman the Tank :)

Sweet baby Marbles!

Lacy. I am shocked I captured this picture. She is very scaredycattish and hard to photograph. I am pretty proud of this one!

Me and Daddy!

Remainder of Pics from Nebraska

2008-11-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

Craft fair food :) "Pulled pork" and pie

Cow crossing!

Brandy....air pup :)

Air pup 2, Marbles

How could someone kill this sweet girl just for an overbite!? So sad. Breeders suck!!!!!!!

Kona is a "Cool Dog" :)

2008-11-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

From Lynne at Cool Dogs:

It's Officianl....
Kona is a Cool Dog!!! He has been playing non-stop with Stella since he walked through the door. Big Boy Kona! Makes my heart sing. Thank you for the shirt and just so you know, not only do I kiss my dogs on the lips but I’ve been know to do the same with many dogs and I remain germ free… (I think).
Have a super-fine day, Jennifer.
Lynne
Cool Dog Training, Inc.
"A Place to Learn and Play"
www.cooldogtraining.com

More pics...

2008-10-31T19:37:00.001-07:00

Nebraska Road Sign or graffitti?

Going once....going twice.....PLEASE someone adopt him. He is a special one.

Make sure to scroll down to the new posts, I did a lot today!

More vacation pictures...

2008-10-31T19:20:00.001-07:00

Socks..the sweet little cat. Cool picture I think.

Josephine and Georgia. Juuuust kidding. They are probably #455 and #387. These cows are supposed to only be used for breeding. Supposedly BBD won't be eating them next month at McD's! That is what they tell the tofu-eating Californians. (yes, I do eat meat)

G-pa and Joe :)

Hey! I got him to smile!

This is Roger, Joe's Boss. He took me on the Combine and told me all about the popcorn!

Vacation Bloggin'

2008-10-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

It is so good to be on vacation. Sleep til 10, blog in the middle of the afternoon :) It is so quiet here I think I could sleep all day.

Does anyone want me to adopt this precious boy and bring him home for you? He is a super sweet terrier mix and is going to be kinda small. He is about 5 months old, his name is Hugo, but I am calling him O'Neill in honor of the town. He is super sweet and very adaptable. He was at the Craft Fair at the Armory and just loved ALL the people. BBD already said no, so I guess I can't keep him. Besides, Kona is enough work!

Here is what I have been eating in this foreign country....err I mean in Nebraska:

Sloppy Joe's

Corn Chips

Cinnamon rolls

Walking Tacos. So what is a Walking Taco you ask!? It's a small bag of corn chips dolloped with a spicy (well by NE standards anyway!) taco meat blend, shredded iceburg and cheese! Shove a fork in the mess and you are good to go! We have Fish Tacos, they have Walking Tacos.

The highlight (seriously!) of this trip so far has been riding in the tractor with my nephew and inside the combine with his boss, Roger. It was really cool! I had ridden on a tractor in Illinois when we visited Ethel, but not like this! It has air conditioning and a radio. By the way, I so wanted nice crisp Fall weather, with brightly colored leaves skittering across the pavement. What did I get? Sunny and 70F. I think it was colder at home! My nephew works on a farm that harvests Popcorn! I learned all about the hybrids of popcorn and that there is no genetically modified popcorn. Did you know ONE EAR of popcorn makes ONE microwavable bag!? We must have harvested thousands of bags on my one little ride. We collected 45K pounds while I rode. The combine scoops down the rows of corn and sort of mows down the corn and an auger separates it from the stalk. Then somehow (you can't see it) it gets taken off the cob and ends up in the back part. Then it gets transferred to the "wagon" that the tractor is pulling. That goes back to the silo, but they call them bins. Here are some pictures:

Tonight: Good ole fashioned Trick or Treating with the neighbor kids :)

Blaze of Glory...

2008-10-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

I am in Nebraska on vacation visiting the P's. Dad and I went shopping yesterday (after getting a yummy cherry mocha at 5th Ave Espresso!) at Alco. I got BBD lots of warm weather clothes that you just don't find in CA. Then we had lunch at DQ :)

Today Mom had Dr's appts that I drove her into "town" (O'Neill) for. After darting over to 5th Ave Espresso, I parked right up front and the doctor's receptionist greeted me with a warm welcome and took me back. Both doctors seemed to have all day to chat with us. Just like the "Old Men" at the espresso shop, sitting around reading the paper...they talked to me like a grand kid the minute I walked in.

After dr appts, we went to the Armory for a Craft Fair. There I met Kona's future brother. HA! If only I weren't married! Quote from BBD's text when I "asked"...ok, I was pleading: "How many animals would you have if I never said no?" Hmmm..... I am still considering. The Humane Society ladies loved me as a candidate to adopt adorable Hugo (soon to be renamed O'Neill ;) Mom told them Kona is at Doggie Day Care today, so they just loved me! He is going to be a tiny boy though. He has a big dog heart, I can tell. He was not phased by all the people and commotion. I took him out for his potty break and he greeted all the people with his tail wagging. He is only 4 months old and about the size of Got Milk! Find him here:
http://www.holthumane.org/adoption7.html he is "Hugo"

To rid myself of husband frustation ;) I went for a run on the Cowboy Trail. You remember it, the one that cows aren't allowed on! I had my MP3 player blaring Bon Jovi and I felt light and fast. The air was cool and clean (except for the occasional cow smell!). Out of the corner of my eye, I found two little boys on a 4 wheeler "racing" me, their American Flag fluttering in there wake. I looked over to two huge all American smiles as Blaze of Glory blared. Then...they dusted me :)

More pics....

2008-10-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

Be sure to scroll down to the text update too.

Happy 5 months Birthday to KONA!

2008-10-05T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kona turned 5 months on the 24th. We turned the corner on potty training (YAY!). He and Lucy are getting along AMAZINGLY well these days. He is less and less afraid of strangers, strange places and new dogs. I took him to Tom and Steph's this weekend and he met their three birds and one hamster :) We walked on the new beachwalk in San Clemente and he did really well. A Metrolink and an Amtrak went by and he did not react! I think he was just worn out!

So if you have gotten this far ;) here are some latest photos:

Come...sit...stay...look at me! Perfect!

Notice the ruler for scale....he he

What is different with these last two pictures...look closely and post your answer :)

Note from Puppy Day Care

2008-10-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

Lynne at Cool Dogs had this to say about our boy this morning:

So cute, your Kona is. He is playing very well today with Kota, a Brittany Spaniel. Playbows, running, barking, having fun!

Proud Mama

New pictures

2008-09-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Posing for pics
Uh...that is a pig..."eez a peeg"...

Ahhhh.... (After I showed this to Mike he said "Now we get satellite radio"!!!!!) For one second...Jeets and Kona were laying CALMLY next to each other! Gotta love Doggie Day Care!
Chewing on his ball.....Check out his double decker tooth! We are hoping that is a residual baby tooth. It's like that on both sides.....weird.

Random playing. Can you believe it!?!?!

Coming Soon!

2008-09-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

New pics of the pup!

Sorry, I know it's been awhile. I was out of town for work all week. Excuses, excuses!

Kona is in doggie day care today, so he should be nice and calm for a photo op tonight :)

Check out his day care at:

www.cooldogtraining.com

FOR BUD - Best Boy Dog EVER

2008-09-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

Lend Me a Pup
I will lend to you for awhile
a puppy, God said,
For you to love him while he lives
and to mourn for him when he is gone.
Maybe for twelve or fourteen years,
or maybe for two or three.
But will you, till I call him back
take care of him for me ?
He'll bring his charms to gladden you
and (should his stay be brief)
you'll always have his memories
as solace for your grief .
I cannot promise that he will stay,
since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught below
I want this pup to learn.
I've looked the whole world over
in search of teachers true
And from the folk that crowd life's land
I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love
Nor think the labour vain
Nor hate me when I come to take my pup back again.
I fancied that I heard them say
"Dear Lord Thy WIll Be Done,"
For all the joys this pup will bring,
the risk of grief you'll run.
Will you shelter him with tenderness
Will you love him while you may
And for the happiness you'll know forever grateful stay.
But should I call him back
much sooner than you've planned
Please brave the bitter grief that comes
and try to understand.
If, by your love, you've managed
my wishes to achieve,
In memory of him that you've loved,
cherish every moment with your faithful bundle,
and know he loved you too.
- Author Unknown

Puppy Good Manners Graduation!

2008-09-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Graduation Certificate!

Graduation Photo (sorry about the quality, this is a photo of a not so great photo!)

Remember when.....this was his first week or two of Puppy School:

Here is a current (sort of, it last few weeks) size comparison, and it's totally cute that he is "hugging" Lucy's legs. Kona is 32.6 lbs today!

After Rusty left on Saturday, this is what Kona looked like!

And he STILL looked like that on Sunday!

And a random silly sleeping shot. He was sucking on his tongue!!!! Silly boy!

Poor Hannah Mntna!

2008-09-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

Poor Hannah! My BFF's girlie dog broke her pinky toe chasing a weiner dog....tragedy. But check out her cute artwork on her cast. NICE!

Who are you!?

2008-09-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

In my live traffic feed I see so many different places. Who are you!?
Fairport, NY
1000 Oaks
Knoxville (is this my cousin!?!?)
Rochester, MN
West Fargo, ND

Please leave a comment!

Photobloggin'

2008-09-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Kona had a pool party....

Giving Steph kisses!

Kona's best friend, Rusty

Kona is ready for my favorite holiday!

A tired dog.....

2008-09-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Is a good dog!

Yesterday I took KoneMan to the dog park for the first time. He was pretty tired last night. Today I had to be at work at 5am. I tried to get ready quietly and leave everyone sleeping where they lie ;)

BBD had to do the morning routine all alone.

Here is how his morning went:

The pooches were funny this morning. Very well behaved, and a bit sleepy! :) Konedog requested to be on the bed as i brushed teeth and showered. He slept on my pillow. Lulu guarded me in the shower for a little while, but she left 1/2 way thru. When I got out I looked at the bed and they were BOTH on there, near my pillows, asleep next to each other! They ate, p and p'd, and then as I fixed up KD's house, he just strolled in. I said "good boy, mom will be home early" That was it. I turned the air on and left the light over the sink on. I'm sure they are sleeping still...they were tired. I'm sure they missed you this morning.

Anyone can ride home from work.....

2008-09-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today I rode my bike home from work. I did not ride my bike TO work and then back home, I only rode home. A nice, easy 12.63 miles according to MapMyRun.com.

I will admit....I have been remiss in my activities. I can't remember the last time I did a "real" mountain bike ride. One that required climbing or legs. But this was mostly pavement. How hard could it be? Besides, I did run 3 miles a few times in the last month. It hasn't been that long. I am not that out of shape. Am I?

When you ride your bike home from work, people notice. Especially when you are such a bike snob that you park your bike in the IT office and not outside, on the bike rack, with the "other" bikes. No, not MY bike. Co-workers would say, "wow, you rode your bike to work". "No" I would say, "just home from work". "Oh" they would say "how far IS that". "Just 16 miles" I would say......"anyone can do it." Most of them looked at me doubtfully.

Now, about those 16 miles. 16 miles was when I worked at GBI. 16 miles was LOOKING for dirt. 16 miles was when McMansions didn't dominate Murietta (where my fun trails USED to be). 16 miles was when I WAS IN SHAPE and WANTED to take the adventurous route home. 16 miles was not today.

Today my legs were screaming by the time I hit Winchester (what's that, 2 miles? maybe less? OMG!! 10 more to go). Today I was happy for full tires and flat pavement. PAVEMENT!?!?! How can I call myself mtn_bkr_jen? Was I really this far gone?

Today, I was happy to know I had friends along the way home. I realized I could stop and ask them to take me home. Or maybe to the hospital, which is by the way, also on the way home. Today I fought the wind. I felt every mile was uphill. Chills licked at the back of my neck, the top of my thighs. I started to wonder if I was having heat stroke. It was over 90 degrees F. I did make a pit stop.

I stopped at Big Joe's** house. About half way. I called him. "Dude, are you home?" I didn't see his car, I kinda knew the answer already. "Noooo.....why?" "Ummm...because I am outside your house and I need SUGAR". Big Joe and I used to work out a lot. He knows my need for sugar! He gave me the garage code and there on his pool table was the most beautiful bottle of pink Strawberry Kiwi Propel Fitness Water (did they really come up with that in a marketing meeting!?). I closed his garage, drank down the yummy Kiwi Strawberry and headed towards home. Surely sugar was all I needed.

About a mile later, I pulled over in the shade of a moving van. I was just resting, reading the label of this Fitness Water, I realized it's only 10 calories per serving. TEN CALORIES! I am convinced I might die on the way home.

All this time, however, I notice that my lungs and heart feel fine. I am not totally out of breathe or struggling. It's just my legs.

I resolve to eat more brocolli and less Thai food.

I take off for the last push for home. Uphill of course. I pass an old, discarded sofa plastered with confessions of love. No doubt from "those" kids. The ones dresses in all black, flying down George on their skateboards dodging traffic. Good thing it was an old, dirty sofa.

I granny gear it up the last long "hill". Really, its not THAT much of a hill. When was the last time I granny geared on pavement? Ugg.

Cars and trucks pass me. I must look like a bright red balloon about to pop. I swear one or two old ladies looped back to make sure the vultures didn't get me.

Finally.....I pulled into our driveway. I can't wait to drink a Coke (if you know me...I don't really even like Coke!). A sugar shot straight to the blood stream. Ahhhhh.

After collapsing into a dogpile and once I regained some mental capacity....I started thinking. Hmm...remember that time Mr. America (BBD) went riding with us to some baby easy ride. He was struggling and huffing and puffing. I was worried and irritated all at the same time. WHY couldn't he keep up!?!? Well, you know why!? His back brake was stuck. It was dragging, pulling on the wheel so hard that it took super human strength to climb the tiniest of hills....AHA!!!!!

I ran to the living room, where I dumped my bike. I picked it up and spun the wheels. The back wheel flowed freely. BUT...the front barely made a revolution!!!!!!!

THANK God! I am not out of shape afterall.....or am I?

**Names changed to protect the innocent.

It's all fun and games.....

2008-08-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

UNTIL.....

Kona's doing fine....NOW!

2008-08-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Kona is sleeping peacefully....NOW! He was up ALL night. I only slept about an hour. Poor guy. He actually played a little this morning, but I was surprised at how much he was in pain. Rusty's Mom said Rusty (his best friend!) was up all night the first night too. He doesn't seem interested in his sutures, so no cone (or is that Kone)!

He is sort of hunched up and super skinny in this picture. It was the night of the surgery and he had not eaten in over 24 hours.....HEY.....he might be on to something: Puppy Diet...don't eat for 24 hours and you look emaciated. Great.

But...he's still smiling!

SNIP! SNIP!

2008-08-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

POOR KoneMan! Today is the day he becomes KoneNonGender. I dropped him off at 9am with big fat tears in my eyes. I can't call 'til 3pm and can't go get him 'til 4pm. I think I might faint.....

Lucy and the KitTONS however, are thoroughly enjoying the day. I haven't seen Jeets' eyes so small in weeks. Got Milk is a sweet as honey and Lucy is snoring away (after swallowing the last of the forbidden "chewies"). Ahh....it's a great day......

BTW, Rusty, Kona's best friend in doggie class got neutered yesterday by the same Dr. The girls in the front happened to mention that someone just yesterday bawled her eyes out as she dropped off her precious cargo...hmmm....I wonder if it was Rusty's mom!?!?

Fishy business in Manhattan

2008-08-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/science/22fish.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin

I just love this story.

I think I need a Science blog...this has nothing to do with KoneMan!

Where do I end, and my bike begins???

2008-08-27T12:57:00.001-07:00

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/826/1?rss=1

Welcome to the OMG Club.....

2008-08-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I registered for the Carlsbad Half Marathon. BFF thought it would be fun and recruited me and Mr. America (new name for Hubby....more later on WHY***).

http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?EVENT_ID=1547677&CHECKSSO=0

During registration, it asks you to estimate how LONG it will take you to run it. I, being the slowest runner on the planet (IF you can even call it "running") opted for the longest possible selection, 3 hrs +. BFF and Mr. A think they can do it around 2 hrs 15 mins or so. Aren't they speedy!? Guess I will have a cheering section when I drag my...eh...myself across the finish line.

Then suddenly I realized....OMG.....I will turn 40 exactly 3 days before. So....how fast will I be when I am 40?

Mr. A says "Welcome to the OMG Club"

Uggg!

***WHY? Because he is an All American, baseball-loving, hot dog-eating guy!

Doggie play time

2008-08-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Why are all the videos INSIDE you ask??? I can't figure it out either. They only play in the house.....

Dangerous Dog Toy - Please read

2008-08-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.thechaistory.blogspot.com/

I was sent this story by Cindy Dahlberg, Buddy's former Agility teacher. This is very sad, I could barely look at the photos and could NOT watch the videos. So be warned.

I have a toy like this and will toss it as soon as I get home.

Hopefully, Four Paws will recall this toy and redesign it with an additional hole to prevent a vacuum from forming and harming our dogs.

Doncha think Kona needs a little sister....

2008-08-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.coastalgsr.org/sona1_shanti.htm

We've got floppage.....

2008-08-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

One ear back down....one to go!

Being bored is a bad thing....

2008-08-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

IF you are my dogs..... Lucy says "someone PLEASE save me!"

I think Kona likes it :) He is following in Buddy's pawsteps!

Puppy Drive Bys

2008-08-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Now we know what Kona's breed is.....

2008-08-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

He is a very rare breed....the Norwegian Criesenpeeser. Say it out loud....cries-an-peeser....

Look Mom....no braces!!!!

2008-08-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

New KONA pics....

2008-08-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

When I blog, I BLOG!

This is the third post today.

Here are some new pics of the Big Boy!

Here he is DAY ONE:

Now....day 70! We bought him a Hawaii hat (at Target here, but he doesn't need to know that...ssshhhhhh!)
And a T-shirt (in honor of Bud, the all time dress-up King) that says "Let me Outback"!
Both doggies sleeping.....that is Lucy's rear leg he is hugging!
And so worn out that he didn't stop panting before he went to sleep (tongue sticking out)!

What does your latte say about you?

2008-08-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

So I was inspired by BFF's sister to give this a try....

I took the Latte quiz and here is what it says about me. What does YOUR latte say about YOU?

You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life.

You can be quite silly at times, but you know when to buckle down and be serious.

Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls.

You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it.

You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree.

You are sophisticated and daring, but you are never snobby.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

And I threw in a Chocolate Quiz for good measure....

You are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds.

You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life.

Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

THEY PLAYED!!!!!!!!

2008-08-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

KONA AND LUCY PLAYED TOGETHER THIS MORNING!!!!!!

Yes...I am excited. I will try to sneak a video of them. This is a huge step forward for Lucy and she even initiated it :)

How funny is he??

2008-08-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

Kona was crawling all over me last night when we were playing on the floor.

I said: I am a jungle gym.
Mike said: You are a jungle Jen.
Some laughter.
Then, "I am like BASF, I don't make jokes, I make your jokes funnier"

:)

Kauai part 85

2008-08-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

More...without commentary (from Mike's camera)

2008-08-03T20:00:00.001-07:00

More on Hawaii

2008-08-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

More pictures from our trip:

We got to ride in a helicopter (price reduced in exchange for 1.5 hours of our precious vacation time at a Time Share presentation!)

I got to SNUBA, which is like SCUBA but without all the hassels

We drank beer and LavaFlows at Duke's and Kukui's looking out at the beautiful, blue Pacific.

I tide-pooled every time I saw a lava beach.

Mike took TONS of pictures.

We did NOT touch a computer once. Ok, I lied.....but at least we waited until the last day!

Picture bloggin'

2008-08-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Old Catholic Church on Kauai

Kona being a bad puppy.....again!
View from our hotel room at the Marriott in Kauai Little girl on the beach

Heart shaped fry at Duke's!
How my husband looked most of the trip!

Is it just me?

2008-07-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

Notice my new "slideshow" at the bottom. These are a feature of Blogspot. They are random pictures from people's web albums.

If you watch closely, every once in awhile you will see one that looks like Kona. If you click on it, you find out its a CHIHUAHUA!!!!!?????

I think they bait-and-switched us. Kona is really a $22 chihuahua.

Or is it just me........

Dad's new glasses :)

2008-07-22T07:47:00.001-07:00

Weigh in again....

2008-07-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Kona is 17.2 lbs!! He is getting so big. I still love picking him up though, espeically in the morning when he is all sleepy-eyed and grunt-y. He still has yummy puppy breathe ;)

He willingly jumped into the pool yesterday and hi-stepped his way around the Shamu shelf. He still bolts out of there when I try to make him swim.

He had a party this weekend with lots of people and screamin' kids :) He loved it. But was worn out. He had a busy day, starting with Puppygarten, then the vet to have a shot, the bordetella vax in the nose (yuck!) and his staple removed. He was a trooper. Then the party. He slept on my lap in the lawn chair most of the afternoon. Heaven!!!

Hopefully we have some pics to post later!

Green, goopy stuff...

2008-07-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

When Kona first got his stitch (or staple) under his eye from where Lucy bit him, it was all swollen and sore. F After a few days, it started to ooz. Green, goopy, gross stuff. I squeezed and squeezed. He squealed and squirmed. Finally, it was all out and his eye started to heal. It looks good now. It may scar. It may not.

I have my own green, goopy stuff. Locked away in my soul. My friend just squeezed. A teeny, tiny bit came out. Tears formed on the very rim of my eyes.

She said to me that she saw what we did for "Veda" as "the best thing we could have done for her" and "a selfless act". I squeal and squirm when I hear this. I have heard it before and it still does not sink in. I feel that it was totally selfish. That it was in MY best interest. I feel ugly (who wouldn't with green, goopy stuff oozing out?) about it. I still have days that I doubt what we are doing is right. I still have nights that I wake up terrified. Terrified that her adoption to her new family will not complete. Terrified that she will once again rule our home. Our lives. I am too selfish to feel that hopeless and miserable again. I am too selfish to see my marriage to the best man on Earth disentigrate. I am too selfish to try to figure out what to do. To wade thru all of the advice and expert opinons and protocols. I am too selfish to quit my job and be a SAHM to give her all she needs. I do not feel selfless. I do not feel I did "enough".

I know that I am just festering. I know that occasionally, the green, goopy stuff is bound to surface. I know, the sooner we squeeze it out, the better. But it hurts a lot to squeeze. I am just squealing and squirming my way thru it. It might scar, it might not.

Weigh in....

2008-07-15T08:49:00.002-07:00

Kona's official weight: 15 pounds!

Woohoo!

Officially bigger than Jeets (14 lbs, give or take)

Next target: Lucy, 75 pounds (after consuming the clicker treats left on the counter...twice...when will I learn!?!)

Weigh in....

2008-07-15T08:49:00.001-07:00

Bite getting better.......

2008-07-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

Water game

2008-07-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

There are vidoes of WaterGame on Youtube also. Here is one.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pu7O-P0rd0

DogMom of the Year....

2008-07-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

I have officially been nominated......
Kona says "Why is Lucy so mean???"

The staple up close.

Today I turned my back for a second...Kona tried to steal Lucy's "chewy", even though he had his own (such a silly puupy...) and Lucy bit him. I rushed him to the vet, because I over react like that. But he did need one staple on the cut. Initially they said two, but one was enough.

So tomorrow Kona will be the toughest looking dog in Puppygarten.

And I will be the worst DogMom......

STATS: 13.2 lbs, very close to "Jeets size"

Buddy, my Dad and Hawaii

2008-07-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Puppy Class Teacher, Lynne, is a trainer I took Bud to when he was having issues with being nice to small dogs in Agility. On the way out to her place, I started thinking of Bud and how much I miss him. And what a good boy he was. And I started crying. Sobbing really. Poor Kona. He seemed to want to give me kisses and started wiggling around in my lap. It made me smile. I thought, maybe he will be as sweet as Bud. Maybe there really IS some of Bud inside Kona. Maybe we will have a connection as deep as the one I had with Bud (Hunny, I don't love you like I love Bud = one of my infamous sayings to BBD) Suddenly I felt some warm wettness on my lap. Dang it! There was no where to pull over, soooo.... I guess he was not being concerned over my emotional state...he just had to pee.
On a happy note, I have taught him "Sit" and "Down" already. He is a pretty good boy!
Another happy note: My dad is an Angel! He is coming to baby sit Kona and Lucy for our 10th Wedding Anniversary weekend. We are going to Kauai....for nearly FREE! We used my United Miles for the flights and my Marriott Rewards for the hotel. We are very excited.

Puppygarten

2008-07-10T11:09:00.001-07:00

Kona had Puppy Kindergarten last night. Puppygarten. He was a little overwhelmed. We had to just let the puppies go play. We were not supposed to touch them or let them climb into our laps (Kona's favorite place to be!) He was such a wallflower. I wish I had taken the camera. Next time.

He did meet a new friend, Rusty, who was also a bit shy. They liked to play under the chairs around the outside of the room while the other crazy pups flew all over the middle of the room. Towards the end of class, he started to play with one of the more rambunctious pups and wag his tail more. Everyone coo'd over him. He was the youngest pup with the next older pup being 12 weeks. He was also tied for smallest. I was worried he would be the holy terror in the class, beat up all the pure bred mini dogs and we would get kicked out!!! There were two small boys there, maybe 9 or 10 ish and at the end of class they were chasing Kona around for me to leash him up. One little boy looked up at me, the way Joey used to, his face so expressive and very very serious. He said "your puppy is my favorite of the whole class". Instant melted heart. He is pretty dang cute.

Random pictures

2008-07-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....Lucy actually likes him when he is sleeping....
Kona wears Lucy out.....
Kona's first bath!

2008-07-09T09:51:00.001-07:00

Conversation with BBD today as we were getting ready for work......

BBD: I think we are entering the difficult stage with him.....
Me: ya think?
BBD: He'll *BE* a good dog.
Me: yah....
BBD: when he stops biting, chewing, pee'in, poo'in and barking....
Me: yah.....someday

A day in the life of a pup.....

2008-07-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

Stealing BBD's shoe.....
Helping BBD with his "work"
Sleeping with Mom and Lucy (ok, I can explain this....we were up every 2-3 hours making sure Kona didn't have any accidents, so around 5am I relented and let them both sleep with me!! Hee hee hee!!!)

A few more for the contest.....

2008-07-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

I think I took this one.....
This isn't Kona. Or Lucy. Just a cool pic he took :)

SDHS Annual Calendar

2008-07-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

Each year the San Diego Humane Society has a photo contest. One year, our cat Jeets won the contest and was Mr. January. This year, Mike got a nice, new camera for his birthday and I think HE should enter the contest. Here are a few of his photos......

Baby dog.
Kona is ready for his close-up.
A little blury? But I LOVE this one....
A rare smile from Lucy.
Heyyyyy....wassup.......

Before Kone-Dog

2008-07-06T19:27:00.000-07:00

This is Lucy and me before Kona.....
And this is how Jeets looked and where he "hung out" until Kona came home :)

4th of July

2008-07-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

4th of July, 12.8 lbs

What the others think....

2008-07-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here is Jeets' new home....
Lucy: "Tell me he is a foster dog...please..."

Home Two Weeks

2008-07-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

Puppy prints
Compared to Lucy
Favorite way to sleep...

Home One Week

2008-07-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Day One

2008-07-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is Kona on Day One of his new life, May 31, 2008.

Today, July 6th, he weighs in at 12.8 lbs!!!

On the 4th of July, Kona had visitors over for a pool party. Jason, Aunt Debbie and Jerrod. He did very well with meeting the new people because new people bring good things (treats). Aunt Debbie "showed" him how to swim...sort of. He is still a bit afraid of the water, but getting more brave everyday.

Kona's favorite things:

Sleeping.....

Chewing on wood chips.....

Sleeping.....

Chasing cats......

Sleeping.....

Biting Mom......

Sleeping.....

Barking at Lucy.......

Sleeping.....

Stealing FlipFlops......

Eating......

Right now he sleeps a lot. He is just learning that food is valuable. I was "free feeding" him, but I am reading a great book that Debbie gave me from the Whole Dog Journal that says to make food highly valuable by only leaving it down for 20 mins. The first day I did it, he was like "WHAT!!!???", where did my food go! I felt bad!

Kone-Man will start puppy Kindergarten on Wednesday. It is mainly for socialization. He was probably removed from his Mama and the pack too soon. Being with other puppies will help him learn to not bite as hard (biting hard causes other puppies to stop playing with you!) and how to play well with others. I would like him to grow up to be nice around other dogs...unlike his big sister!!

We are still working on not chasing the cats....but it is so funny (bad!!!). Jeets is probably doing the best with him. He at least lets Kona sniff him before he takes off. Got Milk just hisses and swats him. She swats him about 8 times in quick succession and he just looks at her like it is a game.....oh boy....."he is gonna be alotta work"....right Hunny!???

My First KonaDogBlog post

2008-07-03T12:55:00.001-07:00

I decided to blog about Kona. This is my first blog. Ever.

We "picked up" Kona one day at the grocery store when we went to get coffee.

He was in a cardboard box with a pile of puppies (who were much larger and solid black) and was being fed whole cow's milk by some well meaning teens. They were "getting rid" of the pups for their neighbor.

They wanted $30 for each pup. This was good, that way the pups only went to "serious" homes. Sadly, we only had $22 cash between the two of us!! AND they had removed the ATM from the grocery store. The kids were nice enough to take our $22 and hand over the babe.

So, we came home with our Discount Dog and the rest is history!

His Stats:
Birthday (guesstimate): April 24
First day home: May 31
Weight May 31: 2.5 lbs
Size Comparison: Smaller than both cats.

Weight June 10: 5.2 lbs, still smaller than the cats
Weight June 15: 6.7 lbs, still smaller than cats
Weight, June 22: a whopping EIGHT lbs even, getting close to Got Milk size
Weight July 1: 11.3 lbs, very very close to GM size :)

Pictures to come......

So follow along as the little guy grows......

KonaDogBlog

Murphy Visits!

More video and pics

Kona video and one from camping

Good Luck Rex!!!!!!!

Video's of Rex for his potential new family!

New picture of Rex Grosman - he needs a home!!!

Kona's new foster brother :)

Doggie Sitting Murph!

BFF's new puppy!!!!!!!!!

The PNP :)

Leeza update

Whale watching in Mexico

Tough economic times....

Random 2009

Old video that makes me laugh...

Wait til BBD gets home.....

Wanna see something funny!?!?!

Happy 8 months KONA!!!!!

Delinquent kitTONS

Bye Bye Bunny

Um....Hunny.....

Happy 7 MONTHS to Kone Man!

A Puppy for the President

last ones....

Vacation

Pics from vacation

Remainder of Pics from Nebraska

Kona is a "Cool Dog" :)

More pics...

More vacation pictures...

Vacation Bloggin'

Blaze of Glory...

More pics....

Happy 5 months Birthday to KONA!

Note from Puppy Day Care

New pictures

Coming Soon!

FOR BUD - Best Boy Dog EVER

Puppy Good Manners Graduation!

Poor Hannah M*nt*na!

Who are you!?

Photobloggin'

A tired dog.....

Anyone can ride home from work.....

It's all fun and games.....

Kona's doing fine....NOW!

SNIP! SNIP!

Fishy business in Manhattan

Where do I end, and my bike begins???

Welcome to the OMG Club.....

Doggie play time

More Lucy and Kona videos....

Dangerous Dog Toy - Please read

Doncha think Kona needs a little sister....

We've got floppage.....

Being bored is a bad thing....

Puppy Drive Bys

Now we know what Kona's breed is.....

Look Mom....no braces!!!!

New KONA pics....

What does your latte say about you?

THEY PLAYED!!!!!!!!

How funny is he??

Kauai part 85

More...without commentary (from Mike's camera)

More on Hawaii

Picture bloggin'

Is it just me?

Dad's new glasses :)

Weigh in again....

Green, goopy stuff...

Weigh in....

Weigh in....

Bite getting better.......

Water game

DogMom of the Year....

Buddy, my Dad and Hawaii

Puppygarten

Random pictures

Poor Hannah Mntna!