Winter Wonderland

Since snow is the rare exception, here in the desert we substitute snow for lights. Lots and lots of lights. Which is precisely why I love our yearly tradition of visiting the Living Desert Zoo for their Wild Lights display. Not only do they decorate the grounds in 750,000 Christmas lights but they add their own flare that is befitting of a desert-themed zoo. For example, while there Jadyn got to go on a camel ride:

The kids also got to go on a special carousel that has native desert animals in lieu of horses. However, we were warned multiple times that the giraffes and camels DO NOT go up and down. Apparently some 3-year-old threw a pretty big fit claiming to have been duped. At any rate, Jadyn rode a hummingbird and Jake rode, well I think it was a warthog:

And then of course they have the train. Who can forget the train? And to see it decked out and lit up for the holidays is a pretty cool treat:

Joe snapped this picture as we were leaving, after which Jadyn suddenly remembered I had promised her hot chocolate on the way home. The memory on our little 4-year-old is pretty amazing. She started jumping up down saying, "Now can we go to Starbucks?" The group across the parking lot started laughing. I have created a monster I tell you.

Every year the excitement and participation from the kids around the holidays just grows and grows and it gets to be much less work and much more fun to go on special outings like this. Definitely our own version of a winter wonderland.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

If anyone recalls, two years ago we got the kids a small Christmas tree to decorate any way they wanted and keep in their room. We have always kept it in Jake's room simply because he had more space and the kids tend to congregate there more often than Jadyn's room. But this year, that became unacceptable, as Jadyn felt left out not having a Christmas tree in her room too. So however ridiculous it may be, we have now become a THREE Christmas tree family.

Even more ridiculous is that I figured if she was going to have a tree for her room, we might as well do something befitting of her decor. So if you are ever wandering around all the decorations at Wal-Mart and you stumble across the super cheesy bubble gum pink tree and wonder who would ever have such a gaudy thing in their house, well you can just think of the Funny Noses because we do.

Jadyn of course loves it:

And here is Jake posing with his super traditional tree, which is almost more fun decorating then our family tree because we get to see all the handmade and gifted ornaments we have accumulated throughout the years and talk about what makes each one special:

And finally here is a shot of our new family tree. With the new house and more room we were able to upgrade by about 3 feet:

So 2010 will forever go down in history as the year we became a three Christmas tree family. I guess letting the kids have their own tree just became one of our unique family traditions.

Merry Magoomba

Never meant to take a hiatus from blogging. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

1) First and foremost, my Aunt Janet is getting stronger and stronger every day. I have to admit that first weekend was pretty touch and go by all reports I was getting from my cousin but this past week, she made tons of progress. Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts.

2) The concert was great (Sleigh Bells rocked), the retaining wall is coming along nicely, although the project was stalled due to the unusually rainy weather we have been having, Jake still has not lost that first tooth and the all female doctor duo won the Amazing Race, therefore making history. Hip, hip, hooray! Here are the kids "helping" daddy move the dirt around:

3) I have created a monster. I mentioned that Jadyn recently had her first cup of hot chocolate when we went to meet Santa at the tree lighting ceremony. Then last week when we were shopping at the outlet mall, she got her very first Starbucks kids hot chocolate. She is officially addicted. Here she is complete with her jeans tucked into her boots and Starbucks in hand, looking just like Mommy.

I enjoyed a peppermint white chocolate mocha. My first of the season believe it or not.

4) Speaking of addictions, Jake has been quite into his video games lately. He takes after Daddy on this one. Here he is playing his game while conversing with Scottie who was playing him online. We have set limits on his game playing time, especially now that he is on winter break.

5) So, as I mentioned the weather for the past 4 or 5 days has been pretty wet. Big change from a week ago when we were enjoying sunny skys and temps reaching 70 (warm for us even in this part of SoCal). Here is some pictures to document the contrast.

The kids playing with their water table because it was actually warm enough to be splashing in the water:

The kids all bundled up to play with the mud puddles created around where the water table is standing full of rain water:

Lots of fun festive activities to report on from the past week - Jadyn's preschool holiday party, decorating the kids trees and one of my favorite traditions, our annual visit to the Wild Lights at the zoo. I can't believe Christmas is only 5 days away! Hope you get all your last minute shopping and preparing done. Enjoy the season!

Serious Magoomba

Serious both both because some of the subject matter is serious and also because I can not be more random then all of the following (sorry I got a little link happy, should keep everyone busy for awhile):

1) Two nights ago two of my Aunts (my mom's sisters) were in a car accident when they were t-boned in a shopping center parking lot. My Aunt Bunny is sore but otherwise fine. My Aunt Janet however, sustained some serious injuries including internal bleeding and a broken hip and pelvis. She had two surgeries yesterday, one to remove her spleen and the other to try and control the bleeding. She is currently sedated in ICU. Things are looking better but she is not out of the woods yet. Thought and prayers would be appreciated. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this happened in a parking lot. The holidays should be a time when people are extra courteous and kind to others but unfortunately I have seen a lot of people who are just so worried about what THEY have to do and WHERE they have to be that they are rushing around and driving while distracted and it just makes me so sad because that is not what the holiday spirit is all about.

2) Okay enough of my ranting. Yesterday Jake received two awards for the 1st trimester of school - the Star Reading award for reading at or above grade level and the Spelling 100. I am super proud of him for these awards because language arts is not even his strong subject and he has worked very hard to make the progress he has in this subject. Go Jake!

3) In other Jake news, he has his first loose tooth! It kind of took us by surprise because the dentist thought with his premature mouth (courteous of me) that he would be 7 before he started loosing teeth but sure enough one of his bottom front teeth is pretty wiggly. Jake is both excited and nervous. I am however, still trying to figure out when he got so old.

4)Jadyn's ballet class is gearing up for their first recital in late January/early February and therefore she is actually learning choreography right now. I think it has renewed her interest and I just cannot wait to see her and her little friends in costume on stage. I don't think she will get stage fright but we will see.

5) This weekend, Joe has another big project planned as we are getting a ton (or more, they are pretty heavy) of decorative brick delivered so he can build the retaining wall along the back fence line. I can't wait for it to be done because then we can move on from hardscape to landscape. I am going to need a lot of professional help however, as I do not particularly have a green thumb.

6)Tomorrow I am once again taking off the Mommy hat and going to a festival-type lineup concert. I am super excited to be seeing the Black Keys, Sleigh Bells, Temper Trap, Against Me and a band we saw at Coachella, Tokyo Police Club. It should be a fun night.

7) Planning has gotten into full swing for some fun fitness-related activities for 2011. Joe is running the Carlsbad half marathon in January and as part of the weekend's activities we also signed the kids up to run the children's marathon mile, in which the course runs through Legoland. Then on Valentine's weekend I am going to be running the Palm Springs5K ( my first ever, yikes!). Finally, it looks like a group of us are going to run the SoCal Warrior Dash. I think I might be crazy or going through some midlife crisis or some combination of both. For those who know me, doing this would be very unlike me but what the heck, it looks like a ton fun.

8) I still believe. Joanna recently wrote a thought provoking post about doing the Santa Claus thing with the kids. It reminded me of this post from 2 Christmases ago that I wrote trying to figure out why I could not read or watch the Polar Express without crying. From the discussion, someone posted a link to this article, which I thought summed up my philosophy on why I still believe.

9) Finally if you haven't been watching this season of The Amazing Race, then let me tell you why you should: because history will hopefully be made when the season finale airs this Sunday and we finally, finally see an all female team take the top prize. If the couple wins, I will be extremely disappointed, not just because it is a couple but because I do not feel this particular couple would be very deserving. Personally I am rooting for the doctors Nat and Kat but would be equally excited to see the annoying Brooke and her sidekick Claire cross the finish line first too. Girl power!

Hope everyone has some fun holiday activities planned for this weekend. Remember to slow down and enjoy the season and keep my Aunt Janet in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks.

Wordless Wednesday - The cats new favorite hangout

The reality of holiday cheer

First of all this past week was hard. When I went to pick Jadyn up from school on Monday she was sitting on her teacher's lap complaining about not feeling well. Sure enough she had a temperature, laid on the couch the rest of the day and woke up multiple times that night to make a deposit into the "blah" bowl. By Tuesday she was feeling better, but Joe wasn't feeling so hot. Repeat Wednesday with me and Thursday and Friday with Jake and you basically have the entire week being eaten up by illness. Fun times.

I had a whole day of fun holiday activities planned for us on Saturday. I could post pictures of the kids participating in said activities with little captions to help explain what we did and leave it at that. But that, my dear friends would not be the reality of the day.

Jake would have been content to stay at home and play video games and build Legos all day. He was not too excited about going to Home Depot for their Kids Workshop. He whined and complained about it all the way there. The bright spot is that once we were there he really got into and enjoyed it. Once we get a chance to paint them at home, their little creations are going to make great gifts for the grandparents (who if/when they read this are going to get a sneak peek but that's okay).

Jake concentrating on his hammering skills:

Jadyn putting every ounce of focus on using the screwdriver:

With their completed projects in front of the visiting fire truck. How cute are the little aprons?:

After the build, Joe needed to get a few things and the kids proceeded to squabble, whine, cling and generally make me want to tear my hair out. At one point, I think I jokingly exclaimed, "We will have some holiday fun today!" like it was a demand.

Later in the afternoon, I had promised the kids we would decorate this year's gingerbread house. I should have, however, never have even mentioned it or even let them know of its existence because while I was trying to get some work done and eat lunch Jadyn must have asked 50 million times when we were going to do the gingerbread house. At least she was excited about it, right?

Decorating the gingerbread house:

Finally, in the evening we were going to head out to the town's annual tree lighting ceremony where Santa would arrive via firetruck and visit the kids. Again, tons of questions from the kids, some reluctance on Jake's part to even go in the first place and lots of resistance to dress appropriately for the cold weather (Why do I need my heavy jacket? Do I have to wear my hat?). Once we arrived, we of course had to wait in line to see Santa during which time there was tons more whining, squabbling and clinging. Jadyn wanted hot chocolate but then it was too hot. I had to hold it while having both kids continually grasping at me resulting in a constant juggling act not to end up with hot liquid all over me. But the kids were happy to see Santa and quite in awe of all the lights on the huge tree. I am happy to report that we all left in good spirits.

Can you believe this is the first time our little sweet tooth has ever had hot chocolate? She was in love (once it cooled down of course):

The lighting of the tree definitely got Jake's approval:


Obligatory photo op with Mr. and Ms. Claus. At least this year their are no candy canes coming out the back of their heads:

As we were leaving, the kids really wanted me to take their picture with the tree. I obliged knowing the picture would not be able to do it justice:


I know that a lot of what happened today was a result of recuperating from being sick. I also know that even though their were a lot of snags, the effort was worth it and down the road I will be glad to have these memories, as well as having provided them to the kids. No one will remember all the clinging, whining, yelling and squabbling. What we will remember is having spent time together as a family celebrating this wonderful time of year.

Addendum - Wow! What a difference a day can make. I wrote this blog post Saturday night. Now it it Sunday night and as I am reviewing and uploading the accompanying pictures, I already feel totally different about Saturday's events. Maybe I was the one who needed an attitude adjustment. Even with the rough spots, overall it really was a fun day.Sometimes, the pictures can tell the story better. What do you know?

So much to be thankful for

I have so much to be thankful for this year - my wonderful and hardworking husband who was very fortunate to be able to transition from one job to another so seamlessly, two beautiful children I adore, tons of family and friends near and far, the opportunity to live in a house that I have enjoyed turning into our new home and good health.

In addition to being thankful for all these things year round, on Thanksgiving Day I was also thankful for the chance to host my first holiday, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing. I was thankful that since the holiday is so food-centric and my cooking skills are somewhat lacking that I have a tried and true friend in Rose who essentially prepared 90% of the dishes while I watched, learned and attempted to help. I was thankful to have our friend Tara in our home with her parents and husband Cruz while she was on R&R from her tour in Afghanistan. I was thankful that Joe's parents, grandparents and sister and family were all willing to drive out to our part of the desert so we could celebrate the holiday in our new home. And I was especially thankful that (for the most part) nobody was sick.

A peek at one of the two adult tables:

Close-up of the place cards (it wasn't that fancy or formal of a dinner, I just wanted to make it look festive:

Turkeys for all the little turkeys:

And the little turkeys enjoying their meal:

An attempt to get all the Funny Noses together for a picture:

Our little family of Funny Noses:

The Funny Nose kids:

In the midst of getting everything done, there were a few things I forgot, like having everyone say what they were thankful for and the craisins for the salad but overall I would have to say that Thanksgiving was a huge success.

Magoomba Monday

I will have a Thanksgiving post with pictures ready for tomorrow but for today, it's time for some randomness I like to call magoomba!

1) Last week was just a little crazy. I was getting ready to host my first Thanksgiving dinner, the kids were off from school, the weather outside was frightfully cold and we got our backyard patio and sidewalk concrete put in. The kids are so thankful to have somewhere to play other than the dirt, that even though the high yesterday was 45 degrees, they bundled up and went outside armed with sidewalk chalk and their scooters. I can't wait until we can do the rest of the hardscape.

2) Biopsy results for Nago's tumor was both good and bad news. The bad news is that it was cancerous - a nerve sheath tumor. The good news is that he was able to excise the tumor with clean margins and there is no signs of metastasis. If we were exclusively trying to prolong her life then we would pursue radiation, chemotherapy and/or amputation of her limb since recurrence is common. However, since both because of her age and our philosophy about pets, Nago's quality of life is our priority so we are just going to take a wait and see approach and watch for symptoms that it may be coming back. Otherwise, she is recovering from her surgery very well and is eager to get back to her neighborhood walks.

3) As many of you know Joe, I and the kids are all HUGE Harry Potter fans and we have seen all the movies (multiple times). Even though the series has progressively gotten a little darker, the kids were both very eager to see the new movie SO, we decided to take them with us Saturday to see Deathly Hallows Part 1. Yes we got a few odd looks and the ticket taker automatically assumed we were there to see Tangled (which Jadyn and I would like to eventually see). That said however, both Jake and Jadyn sat through the entire 2 1/2 hour movie, loved it and couldn't believe their was still going to be another one. As long as they enjoy it and it doesn't frighten them, I really don't see a problem with seeing a movie like this as a family but I have to admit, I was a little surprised they both did so well watching such a long movie in the theater.

4) Did I mention how cold it has been?

5) Twilight Eclipse comes out on DVD Saturday and I could actually care less. I mean I still want to get it and watch it again if your looking for a gift idea for me but really the obsession has waned. I love, love, love the books but I am disappointed in the movie franchise. I still can't believe they are making Breaking Dawn into two books. Not deserving at all! And if anyone is looking for the next great YA series in the same vein of Twilight or Hunger Games, I just read a great review about a book called Matched by Ally Condie. This one is also on my Christmas wish list.

6) The day after Thanksgiving I took down all my fall decorations and got all the indoor Christmas decorations and tree up. I love transforming the house like that in one day.

7) Seriously? If it's going to be this cold, I would prefer it just get it over with and snow.

The Ninja Turtles Bid Adieu

This past weekend was all about soccer as both the kids had their last games of the season and team parties to celebrate. It was also my worst nightmare come true as it was the first time all season that Jake and Jadyn's games were scheduled at the same time at opposite ends of the complex.

I thought I had it all worked out and then at the last minute Joe got called into work, not to mention that the weather turned wintery almost over night. It was cold and windy. Joe said I looked like I was dressed for snow but you know what? At least I was comfortable out there on the field.

So why was this my worst nightmare? I mean I missed both the kids games the weekend I went to Vegas. But this was their last game and so far neither child had scored a goal all season. I was really worried that I was going to miss Jake finally score a goal (although I had prepared him not to be upset if he didn't because he had a great season defending his teams goal and I am sure because of him, numerous goals by the other team were prevented.) So does anybody want to guess if either child scored a goal and whether I was there to witness it??????

If you guessed that Jadyn scored a goal and that yes, I did indeed miss seeing it for myself then you guessed right. She was on fire for the last game. It's like she finally got what soccer was all about. That I did get to see during my time watching her game. I just didn't actually get to see her score. Despite that, I am super proud of her. She really surprised me and has already told me she wants to play again next year. And at her pizza party after the soccer game, she was on cloud 9 because after seeing Jake get awarded several trophies, she finally had a trophy all her own:

On Sunday, Jake's team had a wonderful end of season party at the bowling alley and it was a lot of fun for everyone. I have really enjoyed having Jake on this particular team. Sometimes you really bond with the kids and their parents and this was certainly the case this year. I also really, really liked his coaches. Therefore we are really going to miss seeing everyone from week to week. Here is Jake enjoying the bowling with a few of his teammates:

And the best I could get of him being awarded his trophy:

With the cold weather moving in, the season could not have ended at a more perfect time. As I have mentioned before, I am glad to have our weeknights and Saturdays back to ourselves for now (at least until baseball season starts in March) but the kids had so much playing soccer, this ending is definitely bittersweet.

Our Thankful Tree

I am not a super crafty person but I like trying to do seasonal or holiday crafts with the kids when I can find ones that are fairly simple so I was really excited when my friend Lindsay posted a link on Facebook to this Saving Simple blog. There are a ton of great ideas and most of them really are simple.

And as I have mentioned I love Thanksgiving but hate how it gets overshadowed by Christmas so when I saw the entry for the "I'm Thankful Tree" I jumped at the chance to get into the spirit of giving thanks. This is a truly great way to count your blessings and we really do have so many!

Here is our tree after the first night:

I have allowed the kids to give thanks for some things that are more on the materialistic side. I think it is totally fair that they want to be thankful for things like Nascar, Santa and the elves that make cool toys. But the sweetest moments have come when Jadyn said she was thankful for not only our pets, but all the animals across the world and Jake said he was thankful to have healthy food to eat. The other items on our tree of thanks so far include good health, Daddy's job, our new house, family, grandparents, kids and holidays. I just can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Where I go for great holiday cards

I have been a loyal customer of Shutterfly for all my photo card and photo book needs for quite some time. They have an amazing selection of products, good deals and quick turn-around time. I also find their website to be easy to navigate, which can be a huge plus for those who are not quite as computer savvy.

In recent years, the designs they have offered for the holidays have become quite contemporary and chic. The color combinations they use in many of their designs are fresh and unique. I also like that many of the cards display the year on the design, a choice we have used for the last 2 years as well. And I love the flat stationary cards printed on cardstock. They have also added folded cards and even options to add a family newsletter to your holiday greeting. How cool is that?

Although I am not going to show you the card we chose for this year, I will share this one, which was a close runner-up to give you an idea of what they have to offer:

As if I wasn't already sold on using Shutterfly already, they have sweetened the deal even more this year so look for my tie-in on Facebook if you also have a blog. Happy creating!

Show me the Mommy with a holiday photo sneak peek

As I mentioned we went to the preserve this past weekend to take family photos for our holiday cards. These two pictures will not be on the card but I thought it would be fun to share a sneak peek of our photo shoot, especially since it's been a really, really long time since I truly liked a picture of myself:

It is a gorgeous time of year for the preserve. The leaves have not quite turned all the fall colors yet and the infusion of greens and yellows are magnificent. And of course my little Funny Noses can be pretty cute too:

Magoomba (not Monday)

So this post didn't happen on Monday and let me tell you why. Because germs invaded the Funny Nose household last week. Jake woke up in the middle of the night way back last Sunday with the tell-tale cough of a barking seal. During the day he was fine. No symptoms and no fever so I sent him to school. This continued until Wednesday morning when on top of a horrible night up coughing, he woke up with a fever. I took him the doctor expecting a diagnosis of croup and a prescription of steroids and instead was surprised with a diagnosis of bronchitis and prescription of antibiotics.

So one can look at it two ways - cup half full would be we had a 4 day weekend with no obligations (no school, no soccer) so we were able to relax and recoup. Cup half empty would be that we essentially had to waste 4 days of glorious weather in which I had grand plans of going for a hike up in the national park, visiting the zoo and taking advantage of Knott's Berry Farms Salute to Veterans where we can visit the park for dirt cheap. And of course no surprise Jadyn woke up on Friday morning sick and didn't really start feeling better until Tuesday (hence my lack of blogging).

I was able to get some stuff done however. I went shopping on Saturday and got a lot of wardrobe updating out of the way. I made a lot of progress in the way of planning for our big Thanksgiving Day feast next week AND despite still not operating at 100%, we were able to visit the preserve and have our family photos taken for our holiday cards. So my "to do" list got significantly smaller.

Joe also had a productive weekend as he got a new table saw (used, but new to him) and built cabinets for the garage. See how much the kids loved being set in them when he was finished? (he still wants to add doors):

But all that hard work and taking care of sick kids can take a toll. That is why its a good thing to have someone to snuggle up with when you take a snooze on the couch:

When Jake returned to school on Monday, he had a big week ahead of him as it was his week to be the VIP student. Here he is with the poster he completed over the weekend that is all about him. No real surprises but in case you can't read the poster -
Favorite food: General Tsao's chicken, favorite color: orange, what he wants to be when he grows up: pit crew chief. The only surprise to me was his favorite book: SkippyJon Jones Lost in Spice. I guess I just got a good idea for a stocking stuffer!

And since I am writing my magoomba post on Wednesday night I can let everyone know that Nago's surgery went very well. The mass was very close to a muscle and major blood vessel but he was able to get it all and although she has to wear the cone of shame, she is recouping fairly well. I can't say the same for Friday who is very freaked out by Nago's E-collar and keeps puffing out and hissing every time he sees her.Now we just have to wait for the results of the biopsy.

This weekend marks the end of soccer season and then we have the whole week of Thanksgiving off of school. Maybe I can squeeze in some of the activities we missed over the long Veterans Day weekend. I would just be thankful if I don't get sick next. I already spent last Thanksgiving praying to the porcelain god and seeing as how we are hosting the holiday this year, that would not work out very well.

Show me the Mommy - Workout Edition

I just could not have brought everything together more perfect than this if I had planned it (me plan? wink wink).

Here is me prior to my walk/run this morning taken with Joe's camera phone (phone photo Friday anyone?) I have been taking Nago (the subject of my last post) with me for a short warm-up around the block and then dropping her off before the bulk of my walk/run.

I am so beyond ecstatic that the weather has finally cooled down enough for me to go on walk/runs outside in our neighborhood. I love it. I look forward to it. It is invigorating. I took my phone with me this morning so I could take some pictures during my workout.

We have A LOT OF quail around here. And I mean A LOT. One of the retired neighbors puts out seed for them but they cross the street from the field across the way to get there. So someone made a sign to help people be more aware. I thought it was so cute!

One thing I really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE about our new neighborhood is that we have a quite a few mature trees. I can actually see the change of the seasons. You have no idea how rare this is when you live in the desert.

Here is the hill I walk up to get my blood pumping. I can't even imagine running up this hill.

View from the top. Our house is quite a ways up this hill so don't think I walked all that way.

More typical desert views while on the run portion of my workout.

I wish I could have captured the essence of landscape I encounter better than I did, but I guess this is better than nothing!

Funny Nose Furbabies

Just in case anyone was wondering how Jazz and Friday were getting along:

Last year around this time, I wrote a post about our first baby, our beloved dog Utah who we recently had to put down. And although she may not get mentioned as much and although she may not be "Ms Personality", our other dog Nago has been an integral part of this family since we adopted her at Christmastime 1999 while stationed in Okinawa Japan. This December Nago will turn 12 years old.

Nago has been through a lot in her life. She was obviously abused and/or abandoned when we first saw her at the animal shelter. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs and cats get left on the island when a military family cannot afford to take their pet home to the states with them (although it has been 11 years since we were there and hopefully that has changed). Joe and I were toying around with the idea of getting a second dog as a playmate for Utah but we ultimately left the shelter that day deciding that we would wait until we got back home. I then found out through a friend that the shelter was so overcrowded, they were going to have to euthanize a bunch of the dogs and cats on Christmas Eve. I called just to make sure that the cute one year old black lab we saw had been adopted for surely she had, but to my despair she was still there and scheduled to be put down the following day. I called Joe at work sobbing to him, "We have to save her! It's the only thing I want for Christmas". Being a) a newlywed and b) a complete sucker when I cry, Joe gave in and we adopted her.

But it wasn't that simple. For weeks Utah and Nago actually fought with each other, trying to determine who would be the alpha dog between the two. We almost had to take her back to the shelter but while waiting for a foster home, the two dogs finally worked things out and became friendly with each other.

She had such issues, there were several times when she would sneak out the front door of our apartment and take off down the stairs and out on the street. Joe had to chase her down through the town of Kin with Okinawa nationals staring at him in curiosity. I am sure to them watching a young American Marine trying to catch a dog that didn't want to be caught was pretty funny and on one particular occasion, Joe was extremely close to giving up and just letting her go.

To top things off, when we took her to the vet we found out she had heartworm. The treatment was not only expensive but not an easy thing for her or us to go through. We had been warned that once they gave her the medicine to kill the worms, we would have to keep her calm and quiet for weeks because if all the worms died and dislodged from her heart at the same time, she could have a massive heart attack and die. Nice. Have you ever tried to keep a 1 year old labrador retriever calm and quiet? She even started to figure out that we were sneaking sedatives in her treats and started spitting them out. Ultimately however, we made it through.

To this day, after giving her nothing but love for the last 11 years, Nago is still scared of certain noises. She freaks out whenever we take out a suitcase to leave for the weekend and when we take her to the vet, she barks so incessantly I have started requesting a muzzle for her while we are there. I shudder to think what she went through before we adopted her. Yes she may have been overshadowed by all of Utah's adorable quirks, but Nago is a survivor. She has been a loving and deserving companion.

How cute is Jake (at 17 months) climbing all over the dog? Nago has always been great with the kids:

So again, why I am telling you all this? Well Nago has a mass on her hind leg that I first noticed back around the 4th of July. We had it checked out and a fine needle aspirate came back negative and although they could not guarantee that this meant no cancer, because of her advanced age we decided to wait. However, over the last few months the mass has continued to grow and so next Wednesday she will go in for surgery to have it removed and biopsied. Hopefully it can be removed with clean margins, the biopsy comes back negative and she recovers nicely. If we don't get good news, we have already decided we would not pursue more aggressive treatment like chemo, radiation or amputation. We have to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

And so I thought with her 12th birthday approaching, (which is pretty darn amazing for a large breed dog that has been through as much as she has), that it seemed fitting to celebrate her life and the good fortune we have had to have her in our life as our companion for the last 11 years. She may come across as scary when she continuously barks so loud, but to us she will always be our sweet Nago.