Thanks

I just wanted to write a little post to say thank you to everyone who helps me take care of Lola. She spends a lot of weekends with mom and dad, with her puppysitters Jake and Sarah or Mitchell and Alex, she plays with Pip and Will, snuggles with Maddie, hides from Rosie, hasn't totally figured out what to do with Minnie yet, jumps on all grandparents and dances with Craig. I definitely couldn't have a puppy without all of the help from everyone and I just really really appreciate it! I'm so lucky that I have so many people around me who are so kind and caring and helpful and I just wanted to say thank you! And post some cute pictures of Lola... obviously...

#7

The number 7 reason to adopt a dog is because adopted dogs can do this:

REASON #7 TO ADOPT!

And that is the single best news story I've seen all week!

I want to send Lola for her 2nd Birthday! Do you think that's allowed?

DOGIGATOR

Are you ready for potentially the SCARIEST thing you'll see all month? 

Lola's Halloween costume came in the mail today and we just had to try it on. Now I dare you to tell me she's not the cutest dog/alligator you've ever seen!

 SO.EXCITED.FOR.TRICK.OR.TREATERS.

...let the countdown begin...

Lola's new chair

Some of you may remember my first foray into Ikea chairs. I purchased two white chairs from Ikea for the living room (the Tullsta model). In retrospect white was a poor choice and Lola promptly ate one of them. The other one, however, survived quite well and Lola adopted it as her snuggle spot. In case you forgot what that looks like here's some photographic evidence. It was time for a facelift when Craig was here last weekend so we headed to our favorite spot and decided to replace the Tullsta among a few other things. Also I feel it's important to mention that for clarity all of our Ikea furniture is now being called by it's Ikea name. We have an Ektorp or two, a series of Hemnes (which Craig unromantically dubbed 'Herpes') and even an Asele and the skoghall (although I forget the spelling). Along with this mass migration of stuff from Ikea into the house, Tullsta moved upstairs and was replaced with the new dark brown/grey Ekenas! I wasn't sure how Lola would take the change but apprently she has no qualms giving up the white chair. She also hasn't shown any desire to chew on this one so there may be another Ekenas in the future...

#8

Ok I'm sorry that the whole 'ten reasons to adopt a dog' thing kindof fell off but I promise that it's important and I will continue until I get down to #1! Which brings me to #8:

 It's Cheap

 Now this may sound unromantic but for under $300 I got a puppy who was fixed, microchipped, and had her first two rounds of shots. I also got a free vet check and a return policy AND rented a kennel so she would have somewhere to sleep while she was still small before I got her a big dog kennel. Not only did I save money, but that allowed me to spend fairly indiscriminately on things like emergency vet visits (2 at $90/visit) lots of food ($40/bag) toys and treats (it's embarrassing how much I spend) and all sorts of other things like benadryll and hypoallergenic shampoo. Not to mention replacing all the things she destroyed (it's fine I didn't like that furniture anyway). And you know what? I would've spent the money either way... but I feel good knowing that everything I paid for Lola went directly to her care, and helping other puppies like her. Or at least went into the pockets of someone who gave her a chance when someone else wouldn't.

Give a puppy a chance! adopt! 

Honey Bunches of Oats

Things have been going very well in the Lola-Haley household. This weekend I went to Rhode Island to spend time with Craig and his family and also to meet Harley. Harley is Craig's-brother's-but-now-mostly-Craig's 8 year old english bulldog. I think he looks kindof like a furry yoda and he sounds kindof like a garbage disposal. He's a sweetie though and I'm glad I got to meet him because he might be moving out here when Craig does! While I was gone Lola was at the scooby shack and then picked up by mom and dad who were so kind to take care of her. Lola always loves going to their house and I always get the greatest pictures in return. Case in point? Lola's breakfast of champions:

SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING

I think that in retribution for not staying on top of the blog Lola decided to DESTROY. I'm including a picture of what used to be a guest bed along with the promise that I will resume posting on a more regular basis for fear of more canine destruction :(

Lola's Blog I-SPY!

Happy Mother's Day Eve! I just had a really awesome day with mom and dad and (of course) Lola! On Tuesday when I was working in Portland I saw a flyer for the 'Doggie Dash' which OBVIOUSLY caught my eye! It turned out to be a downtown Portland run/walk to support the Oregon Humane Society. So as you may guess I texted mom and we signed up then and there. Then we told Dad. So this morning I brought my camera and my favorite furry friend to meet mom and dad and then we all went to the Waterfront to participate!  They said there were over 3,000 dogs there! THAT'S A LOT OF DOGS! It was a ton of fun and an excellent Saturday activity and I took a lot of fun pictures. I thought I could post a bunch of them and we could play I spy! So! if you look closely you may see:

Lola meeting puppies

Dogs on a Surfboard

Mom walking Lola

A dog wearing a kerchief on it's head while sitting in a lady's lap

Doggy massage (I kid you not... dad didn't want to participate)

An extremely large dog meeting a very medium sized dog

A french Bulldog drinking out of a water bottle

Me holding Lolabug

A dog with a mowhawk

The big 'Portland' sign

A variety of English Bulldogs

Mom and Lola waiting for dad and I to catch up

And a variety of fun family photos

I think Lola had fun.... This is a picture of her afterward... what do you think?

#9

An excellent reason to get a puppy is to improve your existing photography skills or.... acquire some! I'd imagine that babies have somewhat the same effect on photography, but as taking pictures of other people's children is somewhat frowned upon I think for many people the adoption of a pet could be an excellent (and socially acceptable) solution. While my interest in photography existed pre-Lola I always felt uncomfortable taking pictures of people. In fact I generally still do... unless you're one of a select few (aka Craig, Maddie, Jake, Mom, Dad, the Stanford Soccer Team and anyone else in my Canon's line of fire). But some of these people *ahem* protest when you take too many pictures of them. Enter Lola!  Lola is an excellent model for many reasons including that she doesn't ever protest when I take pictures, she poses for biscuits, and (the best) EVERYONE loves to look at pictures of Lola! She's so cute!*

                   

*disclaimer: not every dog is as cute as Lola and as such some people may not want to look at pictures of your ugly dog

#10

To Meet Girls. Yes, I feel like it's a big enough phenomenon to mention on the top ten list - because a puppy is a chick magnet. Now based on some informal polling and personal experience I'm gonna give you the breakdown on who is willing to stop me to pet a cute puppy:

70% women between ages 15 and 30

19% children... especially little boys. Little boys LOVE lola. 

1% people who want to take pictures of her. generally middle aged/older men. They also tend to want to make conversation about their new photography hobby... or their trip to Portland... or something.... 

10% other. This includes teenage boys, normal-my-age-boys, middle aged people, older people, and everyone else. 

Now I am willing to admit that I may have some influence in terms of approachability... but I don't think I look very much like a Lesbian... and please do NOT correct me if i'm wrong in this assumption. Based on all of the data available to me I'm willing to state with absolute certainty that adopting a cute puppy is a surefire way to meet an attractive lady. Also I think it's important to mention that although the quantity of males that are attracted to Lola is very low in comparison - the quality is extremely high. I'm guessing it's a conservative estimate that Lola's 40% of the reason Craig wants to marry me! Also it helps if your new adopted puppy has a 'come pet me' look that she can pull out at will... Lola's teaching lessons on thursdays for anyone who's interested

One Year Old

Unfortunately I don't actually know when Lola's birthday is. But it is sometime around ...... now! so

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLA! 

I had a great time celebrating Jake's 21st birthday with his friends in Portland last night so I think I need a bit of a break from birthday celebrations. However I will definitely be having an adoption day party so fear not party people! 

On the subject of Birthday/Adoption Day/Lola getting older I wanted to let you know that for the next two (ish) months I'm going to post the top 10 reasons you should adopt a doggy. I recognize that adoption isn't possible for everyone, but I can't imagine a puppy like Lola sitting in the Humane Society waiting for someone to love her. Or a puppy like Lola being adopted by someone who wouldn't have the time and energy to care for her. As a lot of you know we grew up with a dog, Salty, who ended up coming to our family because her previous owners weren't fully equipped to handle her. Although she didn't fit into her previous owner's lifestyle she was perfect for our family. Salty was there when I left in the morning to go to elementary school and when I came home from Princeton after a miserable day of traveling. She protected us from potential threats (like hugging grandparents) and was probably smarter than the average second grader. It may sound odd to say about a dog but having Salty taught me about respect, responsibility, and what it really means to be relied upon in ways that I'm not sure I would have learned otherwise. I guess I always knew that as soon as I had a place with enough space I wanted a dog. And although I toyed with the idea of getting a particular breed (because of allergies) I literally could not have found a better buddy if I spent a million dollars and searched the world over. I think sometimes things are just meant to be - even if it's not quite the way you planned it. So happy first birthday to my constant companion and furry best friend. 

Rip Van Lola

Dear all, some, few, or ... Mom,
  I am so sorry that it's been over a month since our last post! March has been a busy busy month for a lot of random reasons and i'm so sorry that I let the posting slide. Since my last post I've been to Boston, Black Butte, the Beach, Corvallis and next weekend I'm headed to California! I also turned 23, learned how to make pad thai, and finished most of the blocks for my current quilting project. Needless to say we've been a bit busy here at Fort Vancouver. As such we've really learned to appreciate our downtime by doing what we do best... snuggling. Here is some of my favorite (and most adorable) evidence:

Don't be alarmed at this one - if you didn't catch it at first glance that's my foot she's fallen asleep holding like a teddy bear....

P.S. Unfortunately an abruptly awakened Lola has a tendency to assume a gremlin-esque position and threaten to slide off the couch...

  

Found on the Internet.

As many of you know I spend a considerable amount of time each day using google to learn new things and to randomly explore the internet. Every once in a while I come across something that truly makes me laugh and this is one of them. I dropped Lola off at the Scooby Shack today because I'm going to Boston this weekend and I can just absolutely see this logic going through her head.... which is why I will never never EVER leave her unsupervised indoors.

 

So just in case anyone was worried that I would never ever ever ever come home... do not panic.... I'll be home Sunday night!

Snuggling continued...

Last weekend I went to California with Katie Chambers and it was great to spend time with her but it was a bit of a tiring experience. I'm going to Boston next weekend as well so I decided to try and relax this week and Lola was more than happy to join in! She's so cute :)