A North Carolina Furricane and an Extreme Makeover: Doggy Edition

It was a sad state of affairs for this 1 year old pooch. Her wild fur (5 or 6 inches long in some areas) had kept her warm during the cold winter months, but as spring arrived, a "furricane" was brewing. The truth is, goldendoodles grow their adult coat at 10-12 months old. For our unfortunate friend, this period just happened to coincide with that well known seasonal warming. The result was a massive shedding. It came out in clumps all over the carpet, on our clothes and in our hands as we pet her. The furricane continued as we brushed her every day with the de-sheding comb. Mountains of hair piled up.

It was soon evident that this was not a category 1 furricane or even a category 3. This was a full blown category 5. Soon the poor victim had mats all over in her fur. Mats so tight there was no solution but to take her to a professional.

The family said farewell to the soft cottony fur they had grown to love. If only it could have been saved.... The groomer said the fur came off as if she were sheering a sheep (coming off in one large sheet).

The makeover was extreme, and everyone will have get used to this new look for a while. Everyone is hoping Olive does not turn into a diva, and she will grow her hair back soon. The bows have to go away now.

Built-in Entertainment

What's that....a grape on a toothpick?

23 weeks ripe.

Be Nice!!

Yesterday while visiting my sister-in-law's house:

(Baby moves)

Bel: "Jack,"

Jack (4-years-old): "What?"

Bel: "My baby just kicked me."

Jack (with furrowed eyebrows): "Tell her to be nice!"

I Think They Call This a "Babymoon"

The day after our fun ultrasound we took off to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to celebrate! The skies were clear all weekend, but it was still very chilly. We look forward to a warm beach soon, so we can break out the swimsuits instead of the coats.

Myrtle Beach reminds us of Las Vegas, although I suppose it is a little more family oriented. There are all kinds of shows and attractions where you can spend your time and money, and let your sunburn heal in the summer. We hit the aquarium where they have a very long underwater tunnel.

Sawfish swimming overhead:

Say cheese!

I thought my dad had a big nose.

We also saw a couple of shows. Thursday night was the Le Grande Cirque where we saw some amazing high flying tricks. And we feel privileged to have witnessed the spectacular 12 people on one bicycle stunt!!

Friday night we made our way to Medieval Times and cheered on the Red Knight!

We also dined on a meal consisting of all things dragon (dragon scale soup, dragon toes, dragon fingers, dragon leg, etc.). My dragon leg tasted like chicken.

The Red Knight was a fierce competitor, excellent horseman, and very easy on the eyes. He won several of the contests, and threw me this carnation after winning. I was flattered.

Seeing I had a small crush on our knight, Paul had to pose for a photo with the princess to even things out.

On the way home, we stopped in Wilmington, North Carolina to see the USS North Carolina battleship. It sailed in the south seas during WWII. It is also said to be haunted (ooooooo). I jump at the chance to tour someplace the Ghost Hunters have investigated.

This airplane crash landed on a mountain in Alaska?? and the crew all hiked back to safety. Many years later people in Alaska found it and the state asked North Carolina if they wanted it back. Now it is restored and sits back on the ship where it belongs.

Testing out the bunks. They were stacked 5 high. Not so bad actually. You could probably sleep pretty comfortably unless your were on the top. It was about 8 inches from the ceiling/pipes.

Sighting in the big guns.

It's a Girl!

18 week ultrasound. Everything is looking good! And to top it off, we are having a girl! We are very excited to start planning for this little one to enter our lives.

Just in case you were confused by the last shot, here is an outline:

Olive's First Snow!

It doesn't snow very often in Greenville, North Carolina. Today was our first (and I am guessing last) of the season. We weren't very excited for it to come, as the temperatures were rising into the upper 60's just days before the storm. We were enjoying the sun and wearing short sleeves. But, when the snow finally appeared, we couldn't help but have fun!! Olive has never experienced snow, and I had to drag her out the back door this morning. She pawed cautiously around for a few seconds, looked at me with wonder, and took off through the yard! She loves the snow after all. It was fun to watch her as she pounced, sprinted, dug, and bit the snow.