New friends!

What a week I have had! I've made a few friends here-- Olive and Frankie and O'Malley, and some buds at daycare but I don't know their names-- and Mama is always encouraging me to make more. This week? I made two new ones and it was so fun!

On Thursday, I met Miss Trouble. She is very silly! Mama took me out for our lunchtime walk at about 2:15, and when we were on our way back, a doggy came running up to us. She was so cool! She sniffed me and I sniffed back, then she bowed to me (when we doggies bow at each other, it means we want to play and play!), but I was on my leash. She ran off after a squirrel, then she came back to me and Mama. I asked Mama where her mama was, but there was no mama or papa in sight. So Mama started to put her jacket sleeve around the doggy's collar (she had a nice pink and brown collar, with flowers on it). Then two nice men in their truck stopped and offered Mama a rope-- one of the nice men attached the rope to the doggy's collar and made a handle! A nice girl walked by too-- she was on her way home from school-- and she stopped and gave me and the other doggy rubs. We were having a great time. The nice men said goodbye, and Mama, the doggy and I went on our way. I had a new friend! It was so cool. I like walking with other doggies. Mama said it was tough, though, because the other doggy kept pulling. Then I had to poop really bad, so Mama had to make sure not to lose my new friend while she picked it up. But she did ok. Mama is very good at picking up poop. Then we all went home. I was so excited to show my new buddy my house! Mama tried to keep her outside, but she made her way in and started exploring. We had the best time! But then Mama took my leash off my collar and attached it to my friend's collar and she asked me to stay inside. She took the other doggy and got in the car. I was disappointed! I wanted to play, and I liked the new doggy.

Mama came back a bit later and told me the whole story. She took the doggy to the vet nearby and scanned her for a microchip, but the doggy didn't have one. This is not good! I have a microchip-- all Badass doggies do-- and that means that if I ever get lost, someone can take me to the vet and find my chip and call Mama or Papa to come get me. But this doggy wasn't chipped. This is very frustrating. So Mama put the doggy back in the car-- Mama said she was very good in the car-- and decided to drive very slowly around the neighborhood. She went down Rosemont Avenue and passed a car that was also going slowly, but the woman in it didn't notice Mama. But my mama is a quick thinker! She put down the windows and heard someone calling. She turned around right away and pulled up next to the lady. "Ma'am, is this your dog?" And it was! The lady was so happy! She was crying. Mama hugged her and said it was ok, here's your doggy, please get her chipped. That's when Mama found out the doggy's name is Trouble. That is so silly! Apparently she got out of the backyard and dropped her tags when she was running.

So Mama came home, but no Trouble! I was very sad. I liked her. I thought I would have a playmate for the day, just like Jackie back in Harlem, but nah, it was just me again. Oh, well. So this morning, after our walk, Mama got her stuff together and grabbed my collar, and she and Papa and I got in the car! Papa put on my car harness. Where were we going???

Turns out we went to meet Mr. Lee and Miss Jodi and their doggy! His name is Newton. He is very handsome. Here we are saying hi:

This is their backyard! It is so nice, with lots of trees.

Newton and I ran and ran and ran. He was so cool! But at one point he wanted to sit with the humans and I kept bugging him to play. But Papa said no, that I have to let Newton take breaks. OK. I let him take breaks for about two minutes! Then I nudged him and we played.

Eventually I got tired too. 

Then I hid under the deck. It was so nice and cool down there! It was a beautiful day. I liked Newton and his mama and papa. Mama says we are going to do this again, and next time, Newton will come to our house. I am so excited to show him my plants and my shed!

Besides my friends, I am enjoying fall. Here I am with my porch pumpkins:

The weather is getting chillier, so Papa takes out more blankies. Here we are the other night, snuggling on the sofa:

We have been very busy, so I sleep a lot because I am so tired. But that's ok, because I like to sleep and I have a comfy bed. I also have my antler to keep me company. It's a nice doggy life.

My Routine

We have been in North Carolina for two months now. As far as I'm concerned, that makes it home, because it's home when I know the way back, no matter where we are. I definitely know the way back to my house and my yards! Mama, Papa, and I are building up our daily life, which Mama says takes time because we have to get into our routine. We have one now! I figured I'd share.

In the morning, it's my job to wake Mama. When we first got here, I slept in my crate in the bedroom, but lately I've decided to stay in the living room so I can keep watch during the night. It's very comfortable, but last night it got super chilly, so I went back to my crate to be with Mama and Papa. That was nice. But I licked too much and Papa kicked me out at 6am. Oh, well. Anyway, I get up every morning at about 6:30 and I walk over to the bedroom door. I used to have to wake Mama by punching her foot with my nose, but now I just have to walk-- she says she can hear my nails clicking on the floor. Sometimes I give a little warning bark-- "Mama, get up, get up!"-- and I can hear her stirring. She washes her face and brushes her teeth and puts in her contact lenses, she puts on her yoga pants, and we're off!

Mama and I walk about 5000 steps every morning, unless it's raining. We take new routes all the time. Sometimes Mama lets me pick, sometimes I follow her. We go to Jaycee Park, which is a block away, or we walk all the way to Oberlin Village, or we just walk through the neighborhood. A lot of times we walk all the way to campus! That's where Papa works. Mama says it's about a mile away. I like it over there-- it has restaurants and coffee shops and people, just like when we lived in Harlem. When we go to campus and turn back, we walk by the new apartment complexes near Cameron Village, where there are nice new stores and we can watch people exercising! [Note from Mama: there's a gym in the building on the ground floor.] It's fun to watch people exercising, because they jump a lot, but Mama doesn't let me watch them too much. If we walk by there, we go through Cameron Village where there are lots and lots of stores and restaurants, and people are there getting ready for their days. Sometimes we see other doggies. I pee on alllll the trees (so many trees!) during our walk, and I find some good poop spots. Mama won't let me poop on nice lawns. She is a mean mama. But I learned and now I poop on corners and on the grass between the sidewalk and the street. I try very hard to poop before we get to a trash can; Mama says one thing she misses about New York is all the public trash cans-- here in Raleigh there are only a couple, but now we know where they are! But sometimes I make Mama walk for a long time, swinging a full poop bag. Sorry, Mama.

Here we are on our walk the other day. After I poop, I have to kick up the dirt to hide it from the other doggies, but this time I kicked the street instead. Oh, well. I filed my nails!

We usually get back from our walk a little before 8am. Papa is usually up by then, so I say hi to him while he drinks his coffee. I get my food and Mama makes her breakfast, and I sit with her while she checks Facebook and reads her email.

Papa says goodbye and walks off for the day with his backpack-- he goes to campus too! I am very happy that I walked first and made sure he wouldn't run into any mean cats. Then I take my nap while Mama showers and gets to work.

Mama works from home. Her office is right next to the living room. It's so nice to have my mama around all day! I go to her all the time for playing and rubs, but sometimes she doesn't like that because she's busy, so I make her let me outside. I love to be outside! I like to lie on the deck and nap in the sun, and sometimes I like to go under the shed and hide. I like to run around the outside of the fence and sniff and eat all the grass! Sometimes I even pee behind the big tree. It's so fun. Sometimes Mama comes out and throws a ball to me and I run and chase and get so tired. Then I nap some more. Sometimes I stay outside but make sure to keep watch on Mama inside, which is very important.

Mama also started giving me big chewy things to enjoy, like the cow's ear I wrote about already. I like to chew. So I chew and Mama works and we're busy together. Then we take our afternoon walk. Sometimes we run into Miss Dawn and Olive and Frankie at the park near our house, and we run and run and run! That's the best.

Sometimes during the day we have stuff to do, but not often. One day, Mama took me with her when she went to drop of the dry cleaning! That was fun. Then last week we had to go to the doggy doctor. I didn't like that very much. But the nice vet tech, Miss Courtney, gave me rubs and told me I was handsome, and the doggy doctor told me I was a very good boy. It was ok, but I don't like getting the stick up my butt. I like all the treats, though! Mama said I get lots of extra treats now because I lost another 4 pounds! Everyone thinks this is so great. I do too, because it means I get all the Wellness Bites I want.

Back to our normal day! Papa comes home in the afternoon, and hoo boy, I get tons of belly rubs! TONS. Papa is the best at belly rubs. Much better than Mama. Except this one time-- that was pretty good.

And that's our day. In the evenings, after I eat my dinner, I usually end up curling up on the sofa. Mama sits there to watch TV or read, and sometimes Papa joins her if he doesn't have too much homework and studying. Depending on when we took our afternoon walk, Papa will take me out to pee before bed, but only if I need it. I don't need it a lot here. I don't really like night-time walk in Raleigh; in Harlem it was so nice to go out one last time and see all the people and all my friends, and there was a lot going on, but in Raleigh it's very dark and quiet. Sometimes I think I see cats and I get all growly and agitated, which isn't very fun. But if I gotta go, I gotta go, and Papa will walk me down the block and across the street to a parking lot where there are lights and trees and I can see where I'm peeing. Then we go home and I curl up again and I sleep. Mama says I snore. Mama is silly.

We do other things, like go to dinner or watch a movie, but that is our regular day, and it is very nice. Lots of naps and treats and belly rubs-- that is all we need!

Happy New Year! L'Shana Tova!

It's a holiday! Our first in Raleigh. Mama said it's Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. It is a very special holiday.

On Wednesday night, Mama and Papa went to the synagogue. They found the synagogue-- Mama calls it shul-- by looking online for Conservative synagogues in Raleigh. "Conservative" means that they pray in Hebrew and men and women sit together and women are allowed to read from the Torah, and they do the whole service and have Rosh Hashanah for two days instead of one. But doggies are not allowed, which is unfair. I am Jewish, too! My mama is Jewish, so I am too. That's what Mama says. But I have to stay at home. Anyway, Mama and Papa had a very nice time on Wednesday and they met the rabbis and said people were very nice to them and all said hello and wished them a happy New Year. That's what you say on Rosh Hashanah, just like you do on December 31st. So we get two New Years! I like that.

Then they came home and had dinner. Mama cooked lots and lots-- it took her three days! Some people think my mama is silly for making all that food when it's just her and Papa, but Mama says the holidays are special and there should be special food, so she likes to make lots of fun things anyway. She made matzo ball soup and something called kugel, with lots of noodles and onions, and a big pot of something called tzimmes, which is root vegetables and dried fruit all stewed up. It smelled so yummy! But because Papa is a vegetarian, there was no meat in anything, so I didn't want to eat any of it. I stuck to my kibble. Mama also made an apple cake.

Apples are very important in Rosh Hashanah. Mama says they symbolize sweetness and harvest and fall. She tried to give me apples, but I thought they were weird. Where was the cheese? Where was the meat? No fun. I passed.

On Thursday and Friday, Mama went back to shul. She said it was very good and she liked it very much. Then she came home and spent the day with me! It was so nice. We took long walks and sat outside. I went under the deck and the shed lots and lots and got all kinds of spider webs on my face and it was so fun! Then Papa came home and sat with me, and he gave me a special Rosh Hashanah rub. I love my papa's belly rubs. My papa gives the BEST belly rubs.

The rest of the weekend was very nice too. On Saturday, Mama and I walked so much! First we walked in the morning, then Mama went to hot yoga, then we walked again in the afternoon. We had a lot of fun, but I was very tired, so I snuggled Mama until dinnertime.

On Sunday, Mama went to a cooking class and brought back a treat! It's a cow's ear, and it tastes like smoky meat! It was so delicious! My mama is the best.

After I chewed and chewed, Mama took me out and we ran into my friends at the little park! We saw Ollie and Frankie (I thought Frankie was O'Malley's sister, but I was wrong-- she belongs to Miss Dawn, just like Ollie) and O'Malley came out later, and we ran and ran and ran. I sat in the shade for a few minutes and watched the world go by while Mama chatted. So it was a very nice holiday and a nice weekend.

Mama asked me to include this picture, which she thinks is neat. This is a signpost near the Rose Garden, and it tells you the name of the neighborhood. Mama says she used to live in a place called Forest Hills, too! But it was very different and it was in Queens. Mama thought this was funny, so here it is. You're welcome, Mama.

A Weekend at Home

When Mama and Papa got back from New York, they kept saying how it will be nice to have a weekend at home-- finally! I didn't understand, because I like adventures and people visiting, but Mama said that all the traveling and doing stuff tires her out, and Papa has so much work to do, and besides, we need to get to know our new home better. I guess I see what she's saying. She said this was the first time with no big errands and no visitors and no trips and she was very happy about it.

Friday night, she and Papa went on a date! They haven't gone out in a while. They went to a very nice Lebanese restaurant called Sitti; Mama learned back in May that there is a large Lebanese community in Raleigh, and they make yummy, yummy food. The restaurant is downtown-- Mama and Papa took the bus to get there, which they said was very quick and very cheap. Anyway, they ate on the sidewalk and enjoyed delicious things and watched the people walk by. Raleigh is a lot smaller than New York, but the downtown area is growing and getting more people, and on Friday night they all go out, just like my Mama and Papa.

Mama said it is very interesting seeing how people dress in Raleigh. She was wearing jeans and a sweater and a big scarf, just like she would in New York, and a lot of people were dressed just like her. But then she saw lots of ladies in very high-heeled sandals and tiny dresses, and then she saw some older ladies in pants and colorful jackets like my Bubbe's friends wear, with their hair all "done". Some of the men wear shorts, some wear jackets. Mama said it's nice that people wear a variety of things, but she also says it tells her that when some people go out in Raleigh, it is a special occasion for them and they get all dressed up. Mama says this is not a complaint, just an observation. OK, Mama.

After dinner, Mama and Papa went to Fox Liquor Bar. Oh boy! They love it there! They went for the first time back in June, then again when they first moved here, and they always have a good time. Mama said the drinks were delicious, and it was so fun, even though Papa talked too much because that is what he does after two drinks. Mama says it's cute until he starts talking about football. But the nicest part is that the people who work there always remember them! Mama said that makes this place very special. Even when they've only met someone once, he or she remembers them and comes over to say hi, and that is the mark of a good bar. Their bartender was a nice lady named Lauren, and she made Mama this drink with this big lime!

Mama and Papa love nice cocktails, and they like sitting at the bar so they can talk to people. They had a very good time. When they left, Mama was surprised to see a long line of people waiting to get in-- she said the bar was busy but it wasn't that bad, and Mama would know because she doesn't like very crowded places-- and she thought that was so nice of the bar, because it meant everyone got special attention and there weren't too many people.

Mama and Papa took an Uber home. They say it's more fun to go downtown and have a few drinks when you don't have to worry about your car and driving. That is very smart of them. That is what the Budweiser commercial with the puppy talks about too-- they have to come home to me! My mama and papa are smart.

On Saturday, we had a very relaxing day. Mama went to to the synagogue, which is where Jewish people go to pray and learn. Papa didn't go because he has been working very hard and is very tired, so he wanted to sleep in. Mama and Papa didn't belong to a synagogue in New York, and they only went to services sometimes, but Mama thinks it's important to connect with the Jewish community in a place where there aren't a lot of Jewish people, like Raleigh. She said the synagogue is very nice! It is a lovely building and the main sanctuary-- the room where they have services-- is on the small side, but it was full of people, and all the people were nice and welcoming. She liked the rabbi. This is very important to Mama. It is especially important because Rosh Hashanah starts on Wednesday. That is the Jewish New Year, and Mama said I will get apples to eat! And she will make a special dinner and take days off from work so she can pray. I am looking forward to Rosh Hashanah.

After services, Mama and Papa went to Bugfest. This was downtown, at the Museum of Natural Sciences. It was so cool! They looked at all kinds of different bugs, and Mama even ate dishes with bugs in them! (Papa didn't because he is a vegetarian and bugs are meat.) This is the line for the buggy food:

 

They bought honey from local bees and bought little carnivorous plants. It was a beautiful day and they had a great time. Then they went to the farmer's market and bought lots of veggies and herbs, then Papa was hungry so they got some lunch, then they went to the supermarket and bought all kinds of food for Rosh Hashanah.

When they finally got home, I was so happy to see them! Mama told me they were in for the night, but it was still beautiful outside, so Papa went to our home office to work and Mama and I sat outside while I played and she read and drank wine. We had the best time!

We topped off the evening with a belly rub. Bliss!

Then on Sunday, Papa did a lot of school stuff. But he also did some house stuff, like straightening things in the shed. While he was doing that, I went to join him, and I decided to hide!

I like it under the shed. It's cool and dirty and makes my belly feel good. I came out when Mama called me in to dinner, though! It was a very good weekend.

Mama and Papa Take Manhattan... Back?

On Friday morning, my mama took her blue suitcase out of the closet. I don't like the blue suitcase, because it usually means my mama is going somewhere and I don't like her to leave me. But she packed it and worked all day, then she went to pick up my papa, then he packed his suitcase, and I was very upset! We all got in the car together, and something told me I wasn't going on this trip. I was right. I am a smart doggy. Mama and Papa dropped me off at Dog Diggity Daycare, which is my new daycare place. It is very fun, by the way-- they have lots of room to run around and lots of nice doggies, and the people are SO fun. They are very nice and they like me and they give me lots of extra rubs. So I was torn-- I like it there, but that always means Mama is leaving me.

And she did! Then I found out where they went and I was so mad because I wanted to go too! Mama and Papa went back to New York for the weekend. I miss New York. I miss my friends and I miss peeing in the park and I miss going to the Great Hill with Jackie and Uncle Roland, and Mama and Papa got to do all those things! [Note from Mama: We did NOT pee in the park.] I was jealous.

But they went back for a very sad reason. Papa used to work for a man who is very smart, and he had a wife who was also very smart, but she got sick and passed away in May. They held a memorial service for her over the weekend, which is where people stand up and say nice things and people remember someone who died. Mama said it was a very nice service and that the lady who passed away was very cool and Mama and Papa admired her very much. They were glad they went.

They were also glad they got to see some friends, but they couldn't see all of them. Mama and Papa have a lot of friends, and they haven't been away that long! Mama says she will go back to New York again and see more people.

But this time... hoo boy! Mama and Papa stayed with Miss Kimberly, who used to live across the hall from us but now lives in a nice building 10 blocks away. Miss Kimberly is very cool and was always so nice, and Mama and Papa think she is the bestest for letting them stay with her. Miss Kimberly has a doggy named Brooklyn (I've talked about her before) who doesn't like other doggies but she likes people a lot and she loves my papa. Mama and Papa brought Miss Brooklyn a toy, and she destroyed it!

That is the stuffing from her elephant. Silly Miss Brooklyn! But later on she calmed down and snuggled with my papa. She is a lucky doggy.

Before the memorial service, Mama decided to go see Uncle Roland and Jackie! She went to our old building! She got there early because she wanted to see Mr. Arnold and get a treat from him [Note from Mama: I did not expect a treat from Arnold], but when she got there, he was gone! Mr. Yasin, who still works at our old building, said Mr. Arnold now works at another place nearby. That made Mama kinda sad. But she got over it, because she got to see Uncle Roland and Jackie!!! Mama went with them to the Great Hill and saw the other doggies, then she went for coffee, just like old times. Mama said it was so nice to see Jackie, and that Jackie was so excited to see her and kept sniffing around looking for me! I miss Jackie lots and lots.

After the service, Mama and Papa hung out with Miss Kimberly, then the three of them and Uncle Roland went out to dinner. They talked about me and Brooklyn and Jackie a lot, because we are their kids.

On Sunday, Mama went back to the Hill, and this time she took Papa. It was very chilly. Papa borrowed a hoodie from Uncle Roland but he gave it back, which makes me sad because Papa would have smelled like Uncle Roland if he had kept the hoodie.

Then they went to Brooklyn (the borough, not the doggy) because Mama and Papa happened to be in town during the Badass Fall Festival! It was so exciting! They got to see lots of people they like, like Miss Hilary who takes great pictures, and Miss Danielle and Miss Janine. Mama also met Miss Danielle's and Miss Janine's doggies for the first time-- they are my Internet friends and I like them a whole lot and I was jealous. Here's Miss Betty trying some Evermore Pet Food, which is made by Miss Sharkita's mama. Miss Betty thought it was delicious!

Miss Betty has a brother named Mr. Bugsy. Mama got to hold him. He is very cute and has big bug eyes.

And here is my mama with Miss Betty, later at the bar:

 

Mama and Papa also met Miss Greta! She is very big and hound-y and everyone likes her a lot. Mama said she was very nice and she snuggled my mama.

Then Papa had to leave for the airport. Mama was very sad. So her friends cheered her up and they went to a bar and hung out with other Badass parents. Mama and Miss Janine got to meet Mr. Alvin, who is special even though he is a Chihuahua and I don't like Chihuahuas.

Mr. Alvin had a broken jaw when he was a stray doggy, and it never fully healed. His mama, Miss Jenny, adopted him and got him as fixed up as she could, but he will always have problems with his jaw. His tongue sticks out the side of his mouth and it is very funny, but I would not like that very much. Still, he is a fun doggy and he and Mama got along very well.

Mama stayed in Brooklyn for a while, then she met some people for dinner, including Aunt Mariann who is very pretty and I like her. Aunt Mariann wants to visit and see me! She should.

Mama stayed an extra day in New York so she could work. She had meetings all day and then a flight. Papa picked me up this morning-- I had a bath before he came so I am clean now!-- and I looked all over the house for Mama, but she wasn't there. It was very distressing! Then we got in the car and I didn't know where we were going. We went to a big place with lots of lights and people, then all of a sudden there was my mama! I was so excited! I missed her so much! We went to dinner and I sat outside and guarded the table and let the nice lady rub my butt, then we came home and I went right to sleep. I like having my whole family around me.

Mama said it was kind of weird being in New York, because they hadn't been away that long. It was like she had only taken a trip. But she missed our house in Raleigh very much. I asked Mama what she missed most about New York and she said she missed her people the most, that it's very nice to see friends she loves, and that she misses having Uncle Roland down the hall and Miss Kimberly nearby. But she said it was hard, because she still feels like New York is home, yet she doesn't have a home there. She said she doesn't miss the subway and the loud people and the expensive drinks, though. 

I hope Mama's and Papa's friends come visit us in Raleigh so we can show them around and tell them how nice it is, so maybe they'll move here and Mama can have her friends in a place she likes and I can have my house and my backyard. I will start with Uncle Roland!

Family Visit

I had a very busy weekend, let me tell you! On Thursday and Friday, I could tell Mama was very tense. She kept cleaning and straightening things! Papa too. On Friday, Mama barely got dressed, and she vacuumed and mopped the whole house before she started work in the morning. It was very confusing. But then on Friday afternoon I found out why-- we had visitors! My Bubbe and Zayde came to visit! That's Mama's mama and Mama's stepfather. They live in Florida. Mama has been there a lot, but I haven't because I am too big to fly. Mama told me all about them and where they live and the beach and how hot it is, and about her sister, my Aunt Krissie. Bubbe and Zayde brought Aunt Krissie too! 

This is Aunt Krissie. She came right inside like she owned the place and snuggled up next to my mama. She likes Mama very much. I was only a little jealous, because Mama explained that I get to see her every day and Aunt Krissie only sees her a few times a year. OK. Aunt Krissie and I got along, I guess. When she came in, I went to say hi, and she asked me who I was. I said, "I'm Avon and I live here and that's my mama and papa. Do you want to play?" Aunt Krissie said, "No thank you. I am very old and lazy and I have been in a car all day with MY Mama and Papa, and they make me tired." "OK, Aunt Krissie," I replied. "We'll just hang out." And so we did.

Zayde and Papa went to campus for a lecture where they learned about some Austrian man who knew about money, so Bubbe and Mama and Aunt Krissie and I just hung around for a while. Mama and I showed Bubbe our house. She said it was very cute. Then Papa and Zayde came back, and they got ready for dinner. Bubbe brought a bed inside the house, and I got so excited! A new bed for me!!! I like beds and soft things. It was very small, but I curled up in it anyway.

Everybody laughed, but I didn't know what was funny. I was just comfortable. Then everyone left for dinner. Aunt Krissie and I just hung out and slept, and that was cool. She's OK, but she's not very fun. She pees a lot, but I made sure she didn't pee in the house.

Mama and Papa went with Zayde and Bubbe to a place called Mandolin, which is very close to our house. They said it was delicious! Mandolin gets all of its food from local farms, and it is very unusual and fresh and creative. Papa liked the drinks, too. They have an outside seating area, so if they allow doggies, I might get to go too and have brunch.

When all of our humans came home, Aunt Krissie had to leave. We said goodnight. Bubbe left the little bed and I curled up some more and I loved it!

The next day, Aunt Krissie came back. We hung out again while our humans went shopping and out for coffee. They went to Lafayette Village, which is the place that looks like France that Mama likes a lot. She says the France part is hokey, but the coffee is excellent and the shops are nice. Then they all went to the Farmer's Market. Bubbe bought flowers for Mama and Papa. It was very nice and they smelled good.

Later that afternoon, we all had a nap. I was exhausted! Having guests makes me so tired.

For dinner that evening, Mama and Papa and Bubbe and Zayde went to Poole's, which is very famous and the first restaurant Mama and Papa went to in Raleigh back in May. Poole's isn't fancy but it's very good. Mama told me she had a delicious soft shell crab. Papa sometimes has trouble at nice restaurants because he is a vegetarian and doesn't eat meat, but at Poole's he asked about that and they had a special dinner for him! My papa is very important. He said it was all so yummy and he was happy they gave him lots of extra vegetarian food. He and Mama then showed Bubbe and Zayde all around downtown Raleigh, which is very busy on Saturday nights. Everyone came home and was so tired.

Bubbe came to get Aunt Krissie, then she tried to take my new bed! She was talking to me and leaning over it and saying stuff, and I put my paw right on that bed and told her, "No, Bubbe, this is MINE now!" She laughed and told me I could keep it for the night, but it's way too small for me. I didn't care.

The next morning, everyone came by again, but only for a short visit. Aunt Krissie decided she wanted to sleep in my bed, because I had taken hers! What???? No I didn't! But Mama said, "Yes, buddy, that little bed belongs to your Aunt Krissie." Oh no! I felt so bad. So I let Aunt Krissie sit in my big bed for a while.

Papa helped Zayde put some boxes in the car. You see, Bubbe had some things in Papa's storage unit, and since Bubbe and Zayde came to us, they could take those boxes home and Mama could have a clean house again. Mama was very happy about that. When they went out to load the car, though, I saw a cat and got really really mad! Mama put my leash on just in case, but I decided to ignore the cat and focus on my family. Aunt Krissie and I helped with the loading up. Here we are telling Papa what to do:

Then it was time for our family to go. They had a long drive ahead of them! But it was nice to see them and get snuggles from Bubbe and Zayde and to meet Aunt Krissie. I like meeting new doggies. In fact, here's a bonus photo of me and my new buddy Poke at the little park near our house:

Mama and Papa said I was a very good boy all weekend, so I got extra belly rubs:

And here I am, watching the car leave. Until next time, family!

A Trip to DC

Yesterday was a holiday, and we had a long weekend! Long weekends are nice. We started it by going to Papa's department picnic-- that's when I got to meet some of his friends and his professors. They were very nice. But we thought we would be outside, which is why I got to go, then it turned out we were inside. It wasn't so bad-- I had a big sunny spot-- but I had to stay tied to a table. Mama and Papa and lots of nice people came up to say hi to me.

After the picnic was over, Papa took me outside for romp on the grass, which was very fun!

But the real excitement started the next morning. We took a trip! You see, Papa grew up in Washington, DC, and he had a storage unit there. That's what people get when they live in small places and have nowhere to put their stuff. He also had his mama's stuff in there. But now that we live in North Carolina and we have a house, we have room to put things. So Papa, Mama, and I got in the car to go to DC for the weekend. Here's me in the backseat:

It was a long drive, but we got to our hotel and it was very nice. They allow doggies! I had a very cool room. Mama and Papa went to the lobby to get some wine (Kimpton Hotels have free wine!), then they came upstairs to hang out with me. There was another doggy in my room too, and I growled at him! Mama and Papa laughed. They said it was something called a mirror. I don't know what that means. But the other doggy seemed ok-- and he was very handsome!-- so I relaxed and just let him hang out.

Mama and Papa went out to dinner, then they came home and we all went to sleep. I slept very well. Then in the morning, Mama and I went for a walk. It was very humid! Mama got sweaty and I got so tired. We got back to the room and I slept right away.

Then we went to the U-Haul place. A U-Haul is a big truck where you can put all your stuff. Papa went inside to get his truck, and I missed him very much!

After that, we went to the storage place. Mama and Papa took a lot of trips but managed to get everything out and into the truck. I waited in the car like a good boy, but I didn't like that very much. Finally, Mama came and got me and took me out to pee, and then she had a surprise for me! I got to sit in the front seat! WOW. It was very exciting.

I kept Mama company the whole way. Sometimes I fell asleep, and Mama would scratch my neck. We listened to something called an audiobook and I learned all about George Washington. I missed my papa, though.

After many hours in the car, we were home! Papa unloaded everything. He worked very hard and got very sweaty, but Mama and I were very proud of him. They started putting some things away, like something called Chubby Monkey, which is a giant stuffed toy. I wanted to lie down on him, but he said no.

Then Mama took me out in the backyard, and I ran and ran and chased my toy. It was very fun! Mama was surprised I was still awake after such a long day, but she is silly-- I slept in the car! 

So that was our trip. It was a quick one and not as much fun as some of our other vacations, like when we went to the country and stayed in Papa's boss's house. And we have a lot of boxes around, but Mama has been taking things out to the shed. My crate is still in the car, and I miss it, but I've been sleeping on my bed at night instead. Soon, Mama says, our house will be finished, and in the meantime, I get a box or two to chew on. Yay!