Getting Ready

Casey and I are in mode "go" to get the necessary stuff for the wine tasting. Today has just been wild; work and otherwise. We still have LOTS to do, before we can sit down and rest. I have a HUGE list of food items to get for the bash. It will probably take a good hour just to get it all in the basket at SAM'S!! I'm looking forward to it, but I'll also be glad when it's over. It will be nice to rest the brain for a few days. After that, it will be time to get my committee together and officially start our planning for October's Pet Day. I gotta run. Off to shop!!

Wine Tasting 2006

For the next three days, all of my brainpower will be centered on the Humane Association's annual wine tasting and silent auction. We usually hold this in the fall, but this year due to other obligations it's in the spring. I think that spring will add a nice new twist. We have a super silent auction and many of Bedford county's finest restaurants and caterers are represented. This is our biggest fundraiser. This is how we make our shelter building payment and pay our vet bills for the year. So, it's VERY important that we pull this event off right. Our chairperson, Vicy Rivait, has done a super job getting sponsors and donations for the auction.

My part in all of this? I need to get people to attend and help tie up all of the loose ends, where the food is concerned. I have to stop by the shelter tonight and get the checks to go by Sam's and pick up extra supplies. I'll spend my afternoon tomorrow making sure we have everything on our list. Then I'll drop all the stuff by the site and help set up. On Saturday, Casey will be one of the pourers, and we'll be hanging around to clean up after everything is said and done.

So if you all looking for something wonderful to do on Saturday night, please come out and join us. Here's what you need to know:

A TASTE OF SPRING Annual Wine Tasting and Spring Social Saturday, April 29, 2006 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Celebration Grounds: Shelbyville, TN Food provided by the finest restaurants and caterers in Shelbyville $20 per person tickets available at door. Must be 21 or older Benefits the All-Volunteer operated & Non-Profit Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association

If anyone is interested, just send a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I'll get you directions.

Buh Bye!!

I can finally let out some of the details of the secret that I've been keeping for the last few weeks. Casey and I have some VERY creative friends in the 501st Legion. A couple of them got together last year and created a very cool prop replica kind of.... They took the idea of Han Solo frozen in carbonite and did it with a twist. They made a replica of one of the most hated Star Wars characters in history, Jar Jar Binks, frozen in carbonite. It is really detailed and life size. They took it to Celebration III last year and George Lucas saw it. He liked it so much that he asked them to make one for him. Since they just couldn't turn George Lucas down, they completed one for him and one for Steve Sansweet, the head of fan relations.

Last week, the guys who made the Jar Jar and engineered the whole thing struck out on a cross country drive to deliver them. Before the left, they hosted a Jar Jar goodbye party. Everyone there could have their picture made and sign a message on the back to George Lucas. Way cool! Casey and I were there. We got to have our picture made and leave our message for Mr. Lucas. I really appreciate my friends inviting us and letting us be a part of their special journey. After a week long cross country drive, they finally arrived at their destination last weekend. It was there that they met Steve Sansweet and got to present Jar Jar to George Lucas himself. I think that is wonderful that their hard work and talent paid off. What a fantastic opportunity they had. I'm just lucky to know such a great group of folks.

Casey and me saying goodbye to Jar Jar.

Need A Friend?

Do you need a furry friend to keep you company while at work or online? Here's a cute little friend to keep you company.

Click HERE.

Casey and I just hung around the house this weekend. Our pay channels ended up showing movies we hadn't seen, so we didn't even have to rent any. We watched Robots and Fever Pitch, both of which I enjoyed.

On Sunday, I whirlwinded the whole house cleaning. Casey kept working on the back room. He unearthed some particularly good treasures. We found quite a few of his original Star Wars figures and trading cards. All of his playsets are out in the garage. We still have to clean those up and bring those inside.

That's about it from the lazy homefront this past weekend. Hopefully, I'll get more creative as the week goes by. I just think that I have a really, really bad case of spring fever.

Lazy

Not much is going on today. I think that I'm just going to be lazy all weekend. I think I'll go to the pool this afternoon and swim. I haven't been feeling all that great the later part of this week. So, I'm going to stick pretty close to home this weekend. Casey and I may get by the drive-in, but I'm not sure. The showing is pretty slim this week, so we may just wait until next week. When I get home, Bear will get to go for his walk. I'm also going to take Fergie out and play ball with her. The littles (Slate and Shiloh) can stay out while we're doing that. Bear can stay out on the dog run. That way, everyone can have some nice outside time this afternoon. It's cooled down a bit and isn't as hot, so this afternoon should be perfect. Well, that's about it for me. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

"Voice of the Voiceless"

I am the voice of the voiceless:

Through me, the dumb shall speak;

Till the deaf world's ear be made to hear

The cry of the wordless weak.

From street, from cage, and from kennel,

From jungle and stall, the wail

Of my tortured kin proclaims the sin

Of the mighty against the frail.

... To each furred and feathered thing.

And I am my brother's keeper,

And I will fight his fight,

And speak the word for beast and bird,

Till the world shall set things right. --Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Voice of the Voiceless

A friend of mine, who is also in rescue, sent me the link to a film that stresses just HOW IMPORTANT spaying and neutering is in this world. The presentation opens with the first stanza of the poem above. This film is called In Hope, An Animal Shelter Story. For me, it's a beautiful, touching tribute to what we rescuers go through on a daily basis. I am sharing the link here, because I believe that it is important that people see the reality that is animal overpopulation: BUT BE WARNED...it is graphic and NOT suitable for children. It is painful to watch, but because of that pain I am motivated to do everything within my power to right this situation. Because of that pain, I go on even though I'm exhausted. Because of that pain, I give up things of pleasure to go and scoop poop. And because of that pain, I've found many furry friends that have changed my life forever. They've molded and shaped me into a better person. If you love animals, please watch this film and share its message with everyone you know. Encourage everyone to spread the message of spay/neuter.

I'm going to send the link to my state representatives, here in Tennessee, to show why their support of Senate Bill 2626/House Bill 3511 the Tennessee Animal Spay/Neuter Assistance Bill, is so important. TENNESSEANS: This bill is still on the floor of the Tennessee legislature, so it is not too late to write your representatives encouraging their support.

View: In Hope, An Animal Shelter Story (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN)

Warm Weather Fun

I hope that everyone had a fantastic weekend. Finally, after months of waiting, Casey and I were able to get back to the drive-in on Saturday. I guess that I'm a simple person, because going to the drive-in is one of my favorite things to do. I was almost giddy to get back there. We left in plenty of time to have our dinner at their fantastic concession stand (which became our tradition last summer). Their food is soooooo good!! We acted just like kids and ate anything and everything. Here's our list: foot long corndogs, frenchfries, gigantic Cokes, hot buttered popcorn, and a HUGE funnel cake (these things are as big around as a dinner plate!!) Needless to say, we felt yucky by the time we headed home. We saw Benchwarmers. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but since admission is only $5.00 for a double feature, I wasn't going to complain. As it turned out, I thought it was a pretty funny little movie. Also, there were PLENTY of Star Wars references as well. I don't know if it was the powdered sugar from the funnel cakes or not, but I spent the whole time laughing like a loon. The second feature was Ultraviolet. Not good at all. There was great action, special effects, and music, but it was VERY short on plot. We finally drug in home around 12:30 a.m.

Sunday was a lounge day. We got up and kinda eased into the day. Casey got the vegetables on cooking for our Easter dinner at Mom's. We made the southern green beans and southern fried corn. We had a little breakfast and after discovering nothing on t.v. to watch, we decided to pop Revenge of the Sith in to entertain us. We headed over to Mom's about 1:30 p.m. and had a delicious dinner. We had spiral sliced ham, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, green beans, fried corn, cranberry sauce, and rolls. That's 2 days that Casey and I was stuffed. After recovering from the Easter dinner, I took Bear out on a nice long walk. It was so good to get outside and enjoy the pretty weather. We went back to Mom's for a late supper of leftovers.

Yesterday was a productive day. I spent all day shampooing the carpets and doing some spring cleaning. I stayed busy pulling all of the furniture out and cleaning behind. I really felt good about it all by the end of the day. After Casey got home from work, we fixed a quick supper. We got Bear all leashed up and headed for the video store for some movies. Bear really enjoyed his trip. We got Stay and Chicken Little. Stay was definitely different. I never did quite know what exactly was going on. We haven't watched Chicken Little yet. All in all, it was a very pleasant weekend. I just love summer weekends don't you? Hope everyone is having a great afternoon.

Happy Easter!!

Bear wishes everyone a very Happy Easter!!

I'm just sitting here chilling out on Easter Eve. It's pretty quiet around here today. Everyone's out enjoying the fantastic weather around here. We broke a record in our area for the high temp yesterday. We soared all the way to 88 degrees, but that's just the way of life here in the south. The old saying goes, "if you don't like the weather here, just stick around. It will change in 5 mintues." I can't say that I mind this warm, sunny weather at all. It made for a really pleasant walk with Bear last night. It was so nice to meet all of the neighbors out. As I was walking, I ran into one of my friends, Elaine, and her dog Sunshine. We ended up walking together and had a really nice visit. A little while later, I met my brother and his dog Beuford out. My mother even got out and walked her little dog, Moon. So, the neighborhood really did go to the dogs yesterday.

My hometown is holding an "Eggstravaganza" today. This morning they are having a special Easter Parade for all the pets and their owners. My humane association has been invited to bring out several of our shelter dogs. I'm so excited about this, even though I can't be there. My friend Elaine will be there along with my brother. They've promised to send plenty of pictures my way today. Maybe this will give some of our sweet shelter dogs some much needed exposure. It would be great if they could find good homes of their own.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday and weekend!!

I Need Some Rest

Boy, am I ever dragging today. The non stop Atlanta weekend is catching up with me. It also didn't help that we were at our friend's in Clarksville until after 9:30 last night. I was going to post the details of that little party today, but have been asked to keep the details a secret for another week, which I will do. I DO have some fantastic pictures though, and I will share as soon as I get the go ahead. I CAN tell you all that it is Star Wars related, and it has a rather important connection.

It's pretty quiet around here today. It's good Friday and most everyone is off but us. That's o.k. Casey and I can't wait to get home, just so we can nap. I think we are planning to stop and eat dinner at Pope's Cafe on the way home, so we can just crash afterwards. I would like to remain somewhat upright to take Bear on a walk, since it's so so nice!! I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather.

Here are a few more shots from the weekend trip:

These pictures are of a Sea Lion named Duke. Duke was very friendly and was nearly 30 years old!! We really enjoyed watching him.

Tennessee Animals In Need of Help

As ususual, as in many times of disaster, animals and pets are the forgotten victims. Right now many animals in Tennessee, close to my home, have been affected by last week's tornadoes. Many displaced animals and pets whose owners are displaced are being brought into the shelters, who are overwhelmed. A local t.v. news personality, Joe Dubin A.K.A. "Big Joe" made a wonderful plea on their behalf at his blog. If any of my readers are close enough to the area and want to help, or if you aren't and want to help anyway, PLEASE feel free to do so. Here is some information about how and who needs help.

"Since last Friday's storm, we have heard all kinds of stories of volunteers and neighbors and friends coming together to help those who were devestated by what happened. But there is still a long, long way to go. Those affected by the storms will still need our help for a long time.

One of the things they will need help with is their pets. Because some of the families have to check into hotels, or move in with friends, or temporary shelters, many have no place for their animals. On top of that, people are finding animals, a lot of them, and taking them to the Sumner County Animal shelter. The shelter has set up a temporary lost and found for about 2 weeks so those whose homes were destroyed and have not located their animals, can come there and see if the shelter has their pet.

Because of that, the shelter is in desperate need of several items. Dog food, cat food, blankets, sheets, towels, paper towels, bleach and toys. I know a lot of you came by on Tuesday and gave money for the Red Cross and I am going to need you just once more.

If you would like to help the shelter, here is the number, 822-0061. They are located at 16 Volunteer Drive in Hendersonville, just off of New Shackle Island road (do a mapquest, google map search for directions..."

More to Share

I'm back today as promised with more pictures from the Atlanta weekend. It's pretty quiet today, for which I'm very thankful. I'm feeling really tired today. Too much going and not enough rest. Tonight is a late night too. We are going up to Clarksville to see a few friends. --I'll have more details and pictures from that tomorrow. It does make for an interesting story.-- For now, here's more from the weekend.

I have no idea what these are, but I thought it was a cool shot. These are located in the southeastern region exhibit.

An overhead tank at the Arrowana fish exhibit.

Fred, a VERY sweet doberman mix that was at the PetSmart adoption event.

Cheech and Chong, adoptable Chihuahuas.

Ladd, an adoptable Schipperke mix that I just fell in love with...no suprise right?

That's all I have time for today. Hope you all enjoy them and have a good afternoon!!

Weekend In Atlanta

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday. It was really hectic trying to get everything caught back up.

First: I just want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with those that were affected by the tornadoes in Tennessee this past Friday. We had 12 fatalities (which makes 35 total in less than a week) and many more whose lives are completely devasted.

Our weekend in Atlanta just flew. We were at home on Friday getting everything ready to go. I finally managed to get all of the laundry done, in between bad storms, and Casey got everything ready on his end. We left out early on Saturday for Atlanta. We took our time getting there; stopping where we wanted. When we got into Atlanta that afternoon, we did a little shopping. I happened to see a PetSmart adoption event, so we stopped there (I'll post the pictures from that tomorrow). We had a fantastic steak dinner, and finally headed to our room to check in and get some rest.

Sunday morning we were up very early. Our reservation time for the Georgia Aquarium was 9:00 a.m. Since our printable 4D theatre tickets never arrived, we had to be there 30-45 minutes early to pick those up. When we got there at 8:15, there was already a HUGE crowd waiting to go inside. The line moved pretty fast and was well organized. If you plan on going, be prepared to go through STRICT security. They have a gate, just like the airport, complete with guards and hand scanners. There is also a frisking procedure they use. We got in, got our coats checked, picked up our 4D tickets, and were on our way.

I'll just say this now and get it out of the way. My take on the Georgia Aquarium is this: It's a really nice place. Since it's the largest in the world, I really thought there would be a few more breathtaking sights. Since I've been to several aquariums, I really expected more. I also think they let WAY too many guests in at a time. To see anything turned into a fight. By the end of the day, I was so frustrated and angry that my whole experience was ruined. When we left at 2:45 p.m., I was exhausted. I will say that the 4D theatre experience was fantastic!! I won't give out all the details here, but you do feel quite a bit, as well as see everything in 3D. It was too bad that it only lasted 30 minutes. All in all, the aquarium was nice. It didn't exactly blow my mind. I know that they are still working things out, because they have only been open since November. Would I go back? Maybe in 5 years, when the crowds thin out. Here's some of our pictures. Our camera battery, for some reason, won't hold its charge very long, so we didn't get as many pictures as we wanted. I'll post more pictures through the week.

In the tunnel.

A Clown Fish in the tropical reef tanks.

Discus Fish

Sting Rays

After we left the aquarium, we headed up to Atlanta's IKEA. That alone was worth the trip to Atlanta. We stayed in there for nearly 4 hours!! Casey picked up some kitchen racks, and I got some really cool dog pictures. There's lots of stuff we wished we could get. We've decided we want to get one of their beds, so now we just have to figure out which one. Did I mention that I love IKEA?

We finally dragged back to our hotel room a little before 7 p.m. We decided to take a quick nap, before heading out late for our anniversary dinner at Carrabba's. Dinner was fantastic as usual and afterwards we went back to the hotel and collapsed into a coma.

We took our time getting back home on Monday. We stopped at all of the outlet malls on the way back, which was a lot of fun. We didn't find a whole lot to buy, but a lot that we want to go back and get eventually. All in all, it was a really nice annivesary weekend. Now, if I can just get caught up on my rest!! I'll have more pictures tommorrow. Everyone have a great day.

Long Weekend

As of the afternoon, I'm officially on my long weekend to Atlanta. I can't wait to get to the aquarium. I'll be back on Tuesday with lots to tell you all and lots of pictures!! Everyone have a great weekend!!

Whew!!

The race is on to get work finished, before the big anniversary weekend. Casey has convinced me not only to take Saturday off from work, but Friday too. He figures that will give us time to get our things together, pack, and get on the road early on Saturday. We'll see. It never quite works out that way, but we'll see. Anyway, that leaves me cramming 5 days worth of work into 3. I'm moving at a pretty good pace. I should be able to finish up tomorrow. Saturday is to be our knock around day in Atlanta. All this week, we've been trying to decide what to do. It suddenly hit me this morning that we can go and hang out at Atlanta's new IKEA. I've never been in one, and I can't wait to see what all the hype's about. I think we are going to have a nice dinner out on Saturday night too. I'm thinking probably Italian and probably Carrabba's, although we may have to hit the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. Then on Sunday, it's off to the Georgia Aquarium for our day of anniversary fun.

Casey made some cute pictures of Bear and Fergie yesterday in their Easter egg bandannas. I was hoping to get them posted today, but I forgot the camera. ACK! I'll hopefully get them posted tomorrow. Well, I gotta run. I still have loads to do. I hope everyone is having a fantastic day!

Busy As A Bee

Well, I certainly made the most of my extra weekend day off. Abner's owners finally claimed him on Saturday morning. Mom was a little blue but was glad that he was able to go back to his home and family. Casey and I ended up spending Saturday with a group of friends. It took the better part of our day, but we had loads of fun.

On Sunday, we got around to cleaning out the garage. We still have some stuff to get rid of, but the bulk of it got done. We also managed to get our manual garage door working. So, what mess we have left can be shut off from the world. We got up early and started working, before the temp started to rise. We finished up, just around lunch time. We were so happy with our accomplishment that we treated ourselves to an afternoon matinee. We went to see Ice Age II. It was really funny, and I really enjoyed it.

Yesterday, I was just a powerhouse. I got the longest errand list EVER done, had lunch with my mother, the dog's to the groomer's, and the house cleaned. I felt quite accomplished by the end of the day. Casey rewarded me with a fantastic dinner complete with homemade cheddar cheese biscuits and homemade peach cobbler. I did end up passed out asleep on the couch by 8 p.m. I guess you can't do everything.