All about River!!

So our new puppy River has been with us for 3 whole weeks!! She is happily adjusted to her new home and life. She and Loki get along great; they do play fight- like siblings. They may nip at each other but never anything serious. River got her stitches (from her spaying) out last Monday (Sept.12), we were finally able to give the little girl a bath. Which she needed. She visited the vet and got a clean bill of health, well minus the parasite but that is totally treatable and is almost gone. She goes back to the vet next Monday for another well puppy visit. River likes to follow Loki all over the place. We don't worry when she goes outside as she tends to stay close to Loki. She is still getting used to the leash. However, she can already sit on command and understands "go outside" and "bedtime". She likes her crate. Occasionally she will cry, really howl, but that's only if a) she can see people or b) she is really wound up. Most of the time we can put her in her crate and she is good.

The Vacuum Cleaner = Evil! Yes, puppy is scared to death of the vacuum cleaner. She runs out of the room and trembles. Something must have happened to her before she came to us, but she is young enough we can get her over this fear. Loki isn't afraid of it, she just doesn't like it and therefore barks at it.

River loves to play with toys, especially Loki's. Suprisingly Loki is okay with this. Often she brings a toy to River. This way River is distracted and Loki can get TLC. Loki is still spoiled rotten, we are making sure that we spend time alone with her too. Loki and I still have Loki/Jenny time- where she sits by me and I put my arm around her and rub her chest. Eventually she lays down and rolls over so I can rub her belly.

River is a lap dog...or so she thinks. She loves to run towards us and dive into our laps. Sound famliar? That's b/c Loki used to do that. Loki still thinks she is a lap dog.

Having two dogs is quite the adventure. I have to keep constant eyes on River. Two weekends ago I had to take her and Loki (b/c Loki likes to follow me too) to the bathroom with me as I was the only one home. I am constantly saying "No River!" I so did not miss those rose thorn puppy teeth. Generally where ever Loki is, River is nearby, and vice versa. Whatever River does/gets, so does Loki. We treat them equally. Although Loki doesn't get as many treats as we don't want her getting fat. River, on the other hand, we want to gain weight. Little girl is still pretty skinny. She is gaining though. She is getting bigger too. Pretty soon she will need a pinch collar (or as we call it 'power steering') and we will be able to really start training her. Loki will go through training as well. So far the Monkey See, Monkey Do theory is working quite nicely. Let's hope it continues!

Loki vs. River

Since we now have two dogs I thought I would blog about both of them and do a little Since we Photnowcomparison on the two.

Loki

Breed: Labrador Retriever (pure)

Age when adopted: 7 weeks Age now: 5 years

Weight then: 8.2 lbs Weight now: 62 lbs (solid muscle)

Color: Yellow

D.O.B.- February 8, 2006

Literal Meaning of Name: Loki is the Norse God of Mischief

Story behind the name: We were searching for the perfect name for her when I suggested Loki, my parents asked "What does that mean" I explained and we all decided it was perfect for our mischievous puppy

Nickname (s): Lokilu, Little Rodent (dad's nickname),

Fave toy (s): Frankenmoo and Squeaky the squirrel

Song: I like to Move it (this is her theme song), Brown Eyed Girl (this is what I sing to her), and the Nudzzle song (silly song mom sings to her in the morning

Photo on top left is Loki when we first got her Photo top right is Loki today

River

Breed: Labrador Retriever mix (dad was pure Golden Retriever, mom was Lab mix)

Color: Black w/ white splash on chest

Age at adoption: 9 weeks Age now: 11 weeks

Weight then: 8 lbs (skinny little girl) Weight now: 16 lbs (starting to gain weight)

D.O.B- June 23, 2011

Literal Meaning of Name: a natural stream of water of fairly large size flowing in a definate course or channel or series of divering and converging channels (ty dictionary.com)

Story behind name: Again, coming up with a name was hard. I was really pushing for Sahara (as she was getting really big drinks of water), Dad came up with River b/c she was constantly peeing. River suits her perfectly as she is constantly taking in large amounts of water and then getting rid of it.

Fave Toy (s): Draco the Dragon, whatever Loki has

Nickname: Little girl, River Rat (dad's), River Pup (mine...interestingly enough that was the name of my univerisitys former mascot),

Song: None as of yet.

March to the Arch

Yesterday was September 11, 2011. It was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Back in July my friend Cindy told me about this event taking place on Sept 11th called March to the Arch. It sounded cool, but I wasn't quite sure that my schedule would allow me to do it. The week before the event, Cindy reminded me and I said "I'm in". As it was the 10th anniversary I really wanted to do something besides avoiding any and all footage of 9/11.

March to the Arch is a 21 mile long walk starting in Chesterfield, MO and ending at the Gateway Arch. I know my limits, so I decided that walking a portion of the 21 miles would be good enough. There was no way I would be able to walk all of it. So the plan was to meet up with Cindy at Art Hill in Forest Park. However upon arriving in Forest Park, parking was insane. So Cindy suggested I park and meet them at Mike Duffy's off of Clayton and Big Bend. I ended up walking from there to the Arch. It was a bit further than I originally planned, but whatever. I'm really glad that it worked out that I started out at Mike Duffy's. I was part of 400-500 people to walk up Art Hill amid all of the flags there. St. Louis did a memorial for the 9/11 victims by placing a flag for each person lost on Art Hill. What made it unique, is the fact that on each flag pole was the name, photo, their age, where they were working and the home town of each person. Words can not describe the emotions and feelings that were running through me when I walked towards Art Hill and seeing the flags in person. Walking up the hill was an amazing feeling and about half way up people started applauding us. I really didn't feel worthy of the applause then, I hadn't walked that far. The people who had started in Chesterfield, were definately deserving of the applause. At the top of the hill a small ceremony was held to place two flags; one to represent firefighters and the other to represent the workers lost. The first few miles weren't that bad. I had a few twinges but I was in continuous motion so it was easy to push it aside and focus on the walk. We were lucky in that we had beautiful weather, a bit hot but nice and sunny. The closer we got to the arch, the harder it was keep walking. I soo wanted to quit at Union Station. I won't lie; I was really tempted to hop on the Metro Link at Union Station and take it to the Arch. However, Cindy and I made a deal; neither one of us would let the other quit early. However, what kept me moving was the the thought of the firefighters and first responders charging into the burning towers, running up stairs amid toxins and smoke. The pain they willingly endured in order to save the lives of others motivated me to keep moving and ensured me that the pain I felt was for them and was worth it. I stayed hydrated (2 bottles of water and 2 12 oz of gatorade), and enjoyed 2 bananas to keep up my energy. I also had some twizzlers for sugar intake. All of that helped, believe me. Keeping hydrated really helped my joints. Once we got to the Arch grounds we followed the Marine Corp. Color Gaurd down to the Arch and were rewared to more applause. This time I felt worthy of it. Once we reached the Arch we were allowed to relax. The guy who started this march gave a short speech and another man sang The Star Spangled Banner and another moving, inspirational song (beautiful voice). Then we all sang America the Beautiful...then we were allowed to touch the Arch. Touching the Arch after that walk was an incredible feeling; I did it! Bad knees and all! I still can't believe I did it. A school bus took marchers back to their cars. It felt sooo good to sit and enjoy the ride. I came home starved, sweaty and exhausted. Most of all proud. Today I woke up with my left knee swollen and my right ankle tight. So I wrapped the knee and put the ankle in a brace. I am achy and sore, but it was worth it. So no matter how much I complain of the pain, I do not regret what I did for a second. I was able to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. So for now I'm "Zombie Walkin" for the moment. I'll be fine in a few days; rest and hydration will help. For more information on March to the Arch, click here http://www.marchtothearch.com/.

River

This blog was written two weeks ago and I forgot to publish it. More details about the new puppy. Enjoy!

Last week we adopted a 9 week old black labrador retriever mix. Her name at the time was Tina Turner. We named her River. River likes to drink mass amounts of water and she also pees a lot. This is how she got her name. She is 10 weeks old and gets her stitches out on Monday, which means then she can get a bath! Yay! Puppy is smelling a bit funky. Loki was groomed on Friday so she is all sweet smelling and fluffy. River and Loki are getting along better. They are playing and chasing each other a lot. It is a bit of a mad house here. River thinks everyone is a living chew toy, so we have to have something nearby to offer her as an alternative. I haven't had an opportunity to upload photos of her yet as whenever I get home from work, River takes up all of my time. Today I honestly felt like a stay at home mom to two kids. I can trust Loki, but I can't let River out of my site. I have only gone to the bathroom alone when River is a) being watched by Mark or is b) in her crate. Wherever Loki goes, River goes and vice versa. Last night, toys littered the living room and I had two crazy dogs nipping, chasing, "talking" at each other. River is doing a lot better in her crate. She only cries in it when she can see us, or when she knows you are in another room and could therefore potentially let her out. Right now I am hiding out in my room. River is sleeping in her crate, and Loki is out cold in front of my tv. I wanted to watch the baseball game and play on facebook in peace. Not possible with a 10 week old puppy who is into everything and peeing every 15 minutes (so it seems). I will post more pics of her soon. Now it is time to wake the baby up to go outside and play a bit. Then bed time for both of us. I love having 2 dogs, but at times they drive me crazy. I love my Lokilu and River tho.

10 years later

T/m is the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. 10 years ago, it was Sunday night and I was recovering from knee surgery I had had on Friday. Mom was helping me get comfortable for the night at the hotel we were staying in; I was a new student at SMS, but I wanted mom around to help me for a few days while I got back on my feet. My biggest worry for the next day; how I was going to a) make it all over campus on crutches and b) make it to all of my classes. I had no idea of the horror that awaited. I woke up September 11, 2001 around 8:30 AM, my first class wasn't until 10 AM, but showering was going to be an ordeal. I remember coming out of the shower and seeing smoke coming out of a building on tv. I asked mom what was on TV, at the time she thought it was some action flick. It wasn't until we were sitting down to breakfast we relized it was live tv. We saw the second plane approach, I remember saying "There's another plane" and watching it crash into the tower. I still went to class, one let out early, I got out in time to see the towers fall. I remember that all of my classes except for math were either cancelled or let out early. My math professor was horrid, we asked him "Do you know what is going onout there?" and he replied "That's not important right now, this class is important" and kept us the entire time. I was in shock. Then I heard that a plane had crashed into the pentagon. I wanted mom to call my dad and brother and have them leave St. Louis. I didn't know what was going on, but I wanted my family out of a major city. Mom said they were fine where they were, St. Louis wasn't big enough to warrent an attack. I heard later that a friend of mine's father was supposed to have been in the pentagon that day, but for some reason (I forget) he wasn't. I remember worrying that my friend in basics was going to be called out and sent to war. I see now it was an unreasonable fear, but at the time I wanted all of my friends and family in one location: I don't know for sure, just somewhere safe. I can still close my eyes and see that second plane crash into the tower, and then see the towers fall. There is a movie out based upon the heroic actions of some of the firefighters on that day; I haven't watched it. I can't bring myself to. I close my eyes and change the channel whenever images from that day come on. T/m I am joining my friend Cindy Almon at Art Hill for March to The Arch in rememberance of those lost that day. The plan is to walk from Forrest Park to the Arch...we shall see how far I can make it. I have seen pictures of the flags that are on display at Art Hill, it is a sight to be seen. T/m is not going to be an easy day. My thoughts and prayers will be with those who lost loved ones that horrible day. Our flag is already on display out front. I will never forget the horrors of that day. I will never forget the emotions of hopelessness and sadness I felt that day. I will never forget 9/11. I hope and pray that one day justice will be served for all those who lost their life then. Until then I will continue to support our troops and remember. Always remember 9/11.