Beagle Mafia

would come home with this written in his school planner:



I guess there are worse things he could have gotten in trouble for.

Do you think he was safe? :))

Busy busy busy hence the long pause before another post appeared. I am too tired to blog in paragraph form so I will touch on a few areas. The Good and The Bad....

The Good:

1. Miss Q passed her K9 Good Citizen and her STAR Puppy! Sent in her paperwork and waiting for the certificates to come back. She has 3 more volunteer sessions before she gets her therapy dog certification.

2. Thanksgiving was fantastic and very laid back. Capo and I can really per-fect a good bird. Williams and Sonoma Brine mix is the secret to a flavorful and moist turkey. True Story!

3. The boy starts flag football practice tonight. Thank God, he has been without an activity for over a month and boy is he ready. More sideline moments coming, I am sure ;)

5. Tomorrow night is our 7th anniversary Gala celebration for our church. We are going to get all fancy smancy, head downtown to a fancy smancy hotel, dine of some fancy smancy food, love on our Pastors, fellowship with our church family, listen to a few guest speakers and performers, and most importantly dance dance dance! I am so excited to apart of this ministry. The biggest blessing God ever graced our family with.

6. Saturday we are hosting a Christmas party for the rescue. We are preparing a tasty dinner, going to play some fun games, and have a beagle themed gift exchange. I am excited to spend time with the people who make this rescue the success that is. I cant believe its been 6 months, a long 6 months but we made it!

7. One of long standing rescues finally has been adopted. I am praying it works out but I am not 100 percent sure....

The Bad:

7. This freaking Christmas tree has been an issue. Its only been used 2x and we have had nothing but issues with the lights. If I didnt love this tree complete with red berries and pine cones, I would toss it right out to the curb. If not for this little device saving the day, it would have met its demise. This is the best money we ever spent, Capo would have paid 50 times what it cost. It alleviated a cranky, frustrated me. Buy one.....

8. We had our second returned rescue. Mr A has been a problem child for awhile now. Thankfully his foster parents love him and have really worked with him. We have also had a professional trainer working with him. We thought we found him a PERFECT home and felt confident. After two weeks, we got a call that he had to come back. Ironically it had nothing to do with his previous behavior issues which were aggression and food aggression. It turned out that his elderly owner could not handle his size. We are all really bummed because he just loved her/and she him. She ended up giving us a generous donation and felt really bad. His foster parents had no problem taking him back and we are all hopeful that the second time will be his happily ever after.

All in all more good then bad and per usual, God always has me. During service last night, one of the elders quoted this scripture and its been stirring in me all day.

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." Ecc 11:4

I am so proud of Miss Q! Today we went to her very first reading program at a local library. I joined a group of therapy dog handlers that her trainer leads. A few times a month they get together and go to the library to have children read to the dogs. It helps build a child's reading confidence when they get to read to an audience of a dog.

There were 7 dogs there and the kids got to pick which dog they wanted to read to. I will have you know Miss Q was by far Miss Popular. I got so many good compliments on her and she in turn got lots of loving. This dog has a way about her that literally stops people in their tracks upon meeting her. The group was very impressed by her appearance, manners and her sweet disposition. She is simply amazing and she continues to bless me daily. I *almost* feel like I dont deserve her. I cant explain why.

I will close with a few pictures! Next week is her last training session and she is officially official once we receive the paperwork back by mail. We are going to celebrate!

Here she is waiting to head to the library:


Here she is intently reading with a little girl:


And here she is getting sleeping with all the reading going on and begging for a belly rub:

Today I really felt like I was in a singles movie scene.

I went out with Miss Q today to try and find a shady park to train with her. So I found this one park and it had a mini "dog park" area. It was in a real secluded area so I figured no one would be there. Our membership dog park is too distracting to train at etc. Mind you its 2:00 in the afternoon when most people are working or at school etc.

So you have to walk down this short path and its a big fenced in area. One side for small dogs, one for big dogs. I saw there was guy there with his dog who was not acting very friendly through the fence so I went in the other area. The guy tries to make small chit chat about my iphone(my phone beeped and his cheesy line was "ohh was that your phone or mine? ).

5 minutes later, another guy comes in with his dog. He comes to our side and starts small chit chat.

another few minutes later, 2 guys come with their 2 dogs. So its me and Ms Q, 4 guys and 4 boy dogs. I look at her and I am like "lets go"....

I was telling my friend about it and she was like maybe its a secret meeting place for guys looking for other guys.

I know random and worthless but it was the highlight of my day.

So this morning I get call from this frantic elderly lady who tried to surrender her newly rescued beagle at our adoption event this weekend. Apparently, this poor beagle girl was yet another victim of a backyard breeder. She was dumped off at school after just weaning a litter of puppies. So this lady calls our local animal control and they pick up. After no owner coming to claim her this lady goes and bails her out of the shelter herself. She keeps the dog for 3 days and comes to our event in tears. She cant handle her, "she give me anxiety attacks, "she cries when I leave", "she is not housebroken". She never owned a dog before and had no idea even the simple basics of how to care for a dog. Never dawned on her that a fully housebroken dog will urinate after a spay because her bladder is weaker. I figured a few days this lady might figure it out and decide to keep this little beauty after all.

So we tell her we cant take her that day but we will let her know when a spot opens but if she cant take another minute, please call us before returning her to the shelter where she will inevitably be euthanized. Well this morning I get a call and she says and I quote "I cant take another minute, she is chewing at her stitches" I am like are you kidding me lady. At this point I trying not to be ugly for the dog's sake and tell her what an idiot she was for evening attempting to provide a home for this dog. Instead I told her I would work on it but understand she has to do what she has to do. Meanwhile, I call the shelter to note her account to call us immediately if she surrenders it back. I then put out an SOS to our foster homes and one of our fosters(a previous adopter) says they will absolutely take her in. We pick her up and bring her to her new foster home. One of my other foster's dropped her off and called me immediately upon leaving and said"yeah, I am pretty sure they are going to keep her" and boy was she right! I got a call 2 hours later and sure enough, another foster flunk. :) This is a very happy ending for this little lady. She could not have landed herself a better set of owners. They are over the moon about her. A very happy ending. OASN, of course this occurs after I spend a hour putting her on the different sites. I was telling my co rescue worker today that I feel like I am a beagle traffic controller. I basically spend my days directing and redirecting beagles.

Also our last foster dog, found her forever home today. We had Miss B since July and absolutely adore this beagle. If we didn't already have a herd she would hands down be another keeper. In fact I was innerly deciding that if I would start therapy work with her right after Miss Q finishes. She could totally be a therapy dog. Ironically enough, she had another potential adopter suppose to come to the adoption event this weekend but they never showed. I was pretty bummed because this was basically the first interest in Miss B. Low and behold, I got a call that same evening from a wonderful older couple who wanted to see her immediately. Yesterday they came and I knew immediately, that was it. Of course they fell in love, I cried and continued to cry all day about it. Capo actually had to sneak her out of the house and take her to her new home. I could not do it. I broke down HARD when he accidentally left her tag on the kitchen counter. She has been the only one yet that has made me cry after finding a home. So bitter sweet. My two young dogs are searching around the house for her which makes it even harder. Miss B you will be missed but never forgotten.

The reason this is our last foster dog, is because I am getting back to my original plan for this rescue, directing. I am not cut out to foster and thankfully I have found several people in the past few weeks to step up and decide to foster. Its a blessing especially given what happened a few weeks ago when I was handed back 3 dogs. God was there, he saw around the corner and I can see clearly now. I can say, we as a rescue are far better off now then we were a month ago. Adoptions, foster homes, donation etc are pouring in. I can honestly say now, I am officially back on the graceful path and what a feeling. No more stress or drama just a bunch of us like minded people fulfilling the mission of this rescue. People have stepped up in more ways that I ever thought. Who knew it could actually be easy.....

Today also marked the second training sessions for Ms. Q. It went well, so well that her trainer told me I need to bring her a more challenging dog next time. This one is way too easy. She officially passed her STAR puppy test but still has to wait for another 2 training sessions per AKC to actually receive it. She has all but one step left to work on for her CGC. I am so blessed by this animal and for the time of this trainer. They are both simply amazing. Her trainer is really pushing me to show her as well. AKC just passed that mix breeds can show in obedience. Miss Q is soaring her way through novice obedience training. We need to keep working on a sit and wait from 20 feet away and a figure 8 turn. Today she learned a backup, and a touch naturally. Did I tell you how utterly amazing this dog is? Seriously one in a million. Next weekend we go and read to the kid's at a local library and then once we do that 4 times, get the official CDC award, I can send in her therapy papers, get licensed and insured then start therapy work. Luckily her trainer is already heavily involved and can get us in the door immediately. Very exciting stuff!

So as you can see, I was up, down, up down all day long. I do know that I am going to hit that pillow hard tonight and rest well. I accomplished a lot today and I am extremely proud of all my hard work and dedication. Its paying off and yes, this is the official pat on my own back.....neener neener.

So Capo can sometimes get attached to our fosters. Which is so odd to me because I am the likely one of us to have attachment issues. For some reason since I started doing rescue, I have learned to keep a distant separation of our fostera. Not one did I wanted to keep forever.(although for whatever reason every single foster we take into our home seems to never leave)

We have had this one particular foster for several months. We saw her on a transport as she was on our way to a humane society and we just could not let her go. We agreed to take her in a "foster". She is not even a beagle yet a basset/coonhound mix. During her foster stay, she has had three particular families interested in her. Each and every time, Capo would not agree they were the right fit for her. This last potential adoptive family was perfect in every.single.way except them worked from 7-4 and went to bed at 9. Most of her time would have been spent in a crate and we did not feel that was the right kind of life for her.

She has literally been the only foster that we have had to turn down homes for. There is just something about her. She is just a sweet sweet soul, so gentle, cuddly, focused and I could gush all day. Even though all of that is true, I still was determined to find her forever family. Capo on the other hand literally begged me to keep her. He is literally head over heels about her. Sooo I made a deal with him that if she could be a "working" dog and not just another pet, we would keep her.

I have always wanted to do therapy/service dog work but I never thought we owned the right dog who could pass the certification. Well that is not true, I have one dog who I think can and will once I get trained. This particular dog totally fits the mold. She is highly trainable and seems to have a natural ability to do this.

I found a lady in my area who has been training dogs for over 20 years for their K9 Good Citizen and TDI certification. She even does it for free as part of her ministry. Yup, even better she is Christian and feels that God has blessed her in this area so she doesnt feel like she should be charging. While that is awesome and very generous of her, we offered to make a donation to her church instead. She happily agreed and off we went to train today.

Miss SQ(the dogs initials) did WONDERFUL! She is such a natural. In one hour she did a sit, stay, come, wait, heel, come off leash, a close sit, roll over, and a down. I was absolutely amazed. I will admit she did much better for her trainer then when I took over. I am the one who really needs the training. Lol! She also did great for Capo. The trainer feels like she will be certified in just about 4 weeks and is SURE I can even show her. She is that confident in Miss SQ is going to be one amazing therapy dog. I am confident I am not having smoke blown up my nose because remember this is all for free.

I worked with her all afternoon one on one. We even worked in a pet store where distractions were plentiful and yet she still stayed focused. I also found this product that her trainer was using and I swear its like crack for dogs. Its my new arsenal. I even started to work with some of my other dogs and they all did a sit and down easily when offered the reward of that good stuff. I am even thinking of biting the cost bullet and switching completely to those products.

This is going to be a lot of work but in the end a very rewarding experience. I am going to order her therapy dog in training vest tomorrow. My new hobby yay!

Friday, Capo and I dropped the boy off at his best friend's house for a sleepover and then we headed to our romantic destination. Only about 15 miles from here. :))

We checked into our BEAUTIFUL hotel and when we entered our suite, I had several floral arrangements set out for me, some jazz playing in the background and an appetizer cart filled with the biggest oyster I have ever seen, some crab legs and shrimp. We immediately kicked backed, and dug right in.



After our quick bite to eat, we headed down to the lounge to wait for horse drawn carriage ride around the city. How romantic! We had the funniest driver ever. He was from Boston and yes, he said "carr". He parked us in front of a "kissing tree" where we were told to kiss and enjoy a champagne toast to our love. Rumor has it if you kiss under this particular tree your love will last forever and ever.


45 minutes later we were dropped back off at our hotel where we dined at a 5 diamond restaurant. I was handed a menu specially designed by Capo. Its was so nice to sit back and relax enjoying just the company of each other. I will admit that I got a tad bit distracted when an NFL player and his wife sat down literally straight across from us to dine. I did sneak a picture! Unfortunately cant show it because it would blow my cover here on the blog.

I don't think I need to say what happened after dinner but I will say we did have a very peaceful night's sleep until the next morning when we were awakened by breakfast in bed.


Thank you my dear husband for setting this time aside for us to rekindle our romance. You did a good job of showing me how very much you love me. Every girl should have a Capo.

4 years ago today, I married my best friend, my soul mate, the half of my whole and the greatest man I have ever known.

We got married over looking the beach in a very romantic and perfect ceremony followed by one heck of an after party that was our reception. We celebrated each other among our friends and family.

I cant gush enough about how lucky I am. While we didn't get a chance to celebrate today because we had do a parental duty of chaperoning a field trip, tomorrow night its just Capo and me. The poor guy always tries to surprise me but he never can. I can sniff out a secret in a hot second. I planned on volunteering at my son's fall festival for school but Capo told me I could not because we had "plans". Quickly I jump to "who is watching the dogs, where is the boy going?" He had it all worked out! I even tried to bride my pet sitter for more information but she would not budge. All I know is that we are staying overnight at a spectacular hotel close by and I needed to buy a new dress for the occasion.

I have several blogs in the works but I am sure I will have another one about our special night tomorrow. I married a true romantic man who loves me for who I am. The good, the bad and ugly and all that is in between. He is one in a million and I am blessed to be blessed by this man. My covenant partner brought to me by one heck of a broken road but none the less brought by the grace God. He was looking out for me. There is no one on this planet that could put up with me and the other way around as well. We were meant to be forever and ever Amen.

I leave you with our wedding song:

Undefeated in more ways then one this week.

WOW! What a week we had. A very rough start but in the end everything turned and worked out for best. I do have an unpublished blog post that one of these days I fill finish. I really want to keep it private but I might just have to tell it like it is instead.

Lots of work to be done rescue wise. I was forced into a pretty ugly choice and situation and somehow by the grace of God, I managed to work it out. All the signs were there and little by little light was being shined. I managed to find 3 spots for 3 beagles in a matter of 10 minutes. It was like a Chinese fire drill but I did it. I am truly blessed to have the right people there to pick up the pieces and ready to be called into action at any moment. No begging, no dancing around just people ready to take on whatever is needed. People who will readjust their entire schedule and life to help a beagle or beagles in need. Who would have thunk, there are actual people out there who get the concept of what RESCUE really means? What a relief! I have a huge weight off my shoulder and feel more refreshed then ever before. Out with the old and in with the new.....

I also quickly learned that its usually not the dog that is/has the issue but the environment the dog is in. One of our fosters was labeled as a "unadoptable" but after moving the dog into another environment, she is now a completely different dog. Aint that a funny thing? I think not.......I will elaborate more about this subject in the other post I am working on. Its a doozy but very entertaining yet sad.

We had 2 finalized adoptions this week and one more possibly next week. Pretty much the status qua. Nothing for a month and then BAM, one, two, three in a row. These two adoption placements are just a perfect fit all around. These beagles are going to live like kings and have truly found their forever homes. They definitely deserve that after what they both were forced to go through this week. Again for the other post.

I also am pleased to say that my son's football team ended their season today UNDEFEATED. I am so proud of him and all of his teammates. These boys worked hard and tirelessly and thankfully their efforts paid off. If ever there was a perfect tiny mite team, it was this one. We celebrated with a fun party at a local amusement center where games, go karts, golf, pizza and cupcakes were had. I am a very proud wife and mother today. My husband did a fantastic job coaching these kids on defense. He may be the bestest Daddy out there.

I am also relieved to have a little break before we go right into flag football in a few weeks. Tomorrow, we are celebrating by our yearly trip to Disney World for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party followed by a trip to Sea World on Monday for Spooktacular. We will spend time having a fun as a family. We are also very excited to spend Halloween with our church for some trunk or treating. Good times!

We are going to have us one heck of a time next week all around. I am anxious to see where my husband is whisking me away to for our anniversary. Do I NOT have the most wonderful man on the planet? I do, I do.....

Psalm 45:4 (New International Version)

⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;
let your right hand display awesome deeds.

Pretty much who I am and what I do.

The origin of my volunteering comes from me being a bad teenager. You see, my mother was a single parent working full time for a very large hospital. One particular summer, I was grounded literally for the entire summer(honestly cant remember what for) and I was to go to work with my mother full time. 8hrs a day I was a candy stripper wait, striper. HAA! (Hey sound like a nice sexy Halloween costume.) Anyway, since I volunteered so much, I did a large variety of jobs. One job was to feed Alzheimer patients. I learned so much compassion and love from the people and the families that horrible disease affects. In fact, I have and still want to go to nursing school because of this experience. The issue with that is I am a horrible needle phobic. Like pass out on the ground even looking at one....so yeah, no nursing in my future :(

So now, just this week alone I was a volunteering fool. Obviously running a rescue is a volunteer full time job. I live and breathe rescue. Beyond that, I am thee only classroom volunteer in my son's class. Somehow I got rooked into teaching a math session once a week in the classroom. Oh and math is like my worst subject so I have to have Capo teach me how to teach the kids simple math problems. I also go into the classroom and help the teacher for two hours a week. I do this because I like to be heavily involved in my son's academic life as a student. I want to know what is going on in the classroom. Not to mention, having an in with the teacher will help your kid from time to time. :wink Volunteering in the classroom also allows me time to silently cover the teacher, the children and the room in prayer. I never underestimate the power of prayer.

I am also a PTA parent. You see we have a brand spanking new school here in my subdivision and I wanted to get involved immediately before the PTA clique forms. Last year, I was involved with the PTA in the old school but it was short of being back in high school again. Too much chattiness for me.

I got an email to come for a vision screening meeting Friday. Apparently the school's PTA is in charge of vision screening all 600 kids. So I go to the meeting and there I learn we would we are actually administering the vision tests and referring students to opthamologists if necessary. Of course, only 5 out of 1,2000 parents so show up to the meeting. I am not sure why this is the PTA's responsibility but for some reason it is. I remember going down to the school nurse every year for this screening. Interestingly enough, we do not have a full time nurse in our school which I find pretty darn scary honestly.

I am also a 2 year old children's ministry lead teacher at my church. While this is an act of volunteering, this is also the single most rewarding ministry to be involved with. I love these little walking balls of temper, rage, fit throwing, hugging, kissing, slobbering toddlers like they are my own. Don't get me wrong, 2 1/2 hours of non stop chasing, coddling, and correcting 10-20 2 year old is a load of work and quite a work out. I do this 3 times a month. I aspire to make a mark on these kid's lives that can not be erased.

So if you are wondering why I neglect this blog so much, you can see I am a busy volunteering woman in many different arenas of my life.

done to my child and my life.....

The boy is playing football as you all know. As much he loves playing it and I love to watch him play the sport, I am pretty sure it brings the worst out in him. He has been called all sorts of names from other opponents since he is now playing the line. Such as, poopy face, baby, jerk, a**hole, and my personal favorite jerk o**. Lovely isn't it?

After the one of the plays on Saturday, an opponent on the other team was mouthing off to my son and then proceeded to face mask him. For some reason pulling of the face mask sets my child OFF. And I mean OFF. Next thing I see is my son ramming his helmet head into the back of said opponent. Of course I am horrified while all the other parents are pretty much cheering my irate son on. I can only imagine the reason they are cheering him on is because there is one particular bully on our team that likes to pick on all the younger, smaller children. This kid is about a foot and 1/2 taller them my son and just plain mean. Last practice he swatted at M and M returned the swat with a punch to the face. Normally I would have been horrified but its been a long time coming. All the other parents pretty much thought it was much deserved and wished their children would stand up to him as well. Anyway back to the game......

When he comes off the field, I summon him off and I ask him why he would do that? I get the "well he pulled my face mask" proceeded by "the kid is jerk off MOM". So there I am horrified again that my son would use that terminology. I am SURE the other parents behind me heard him say this. I quickly tell him that his actions and his comments were completely unacceptable and we would talk about it later.

I just think that football is just not my kind of sport. I think its brings out serious aggression in my kid and while I get that is the point, I am not sure I like it. I have like 2 different children when he is playing. I like my nice child better the I like my aggressive child.

And now, I sit here prisoner as both my child and husband watch game after game on Sunday. Is it baseball season yet?

In June, my Pastor had taught a series about Diligence. We started with the definition itself of diligence. Diligence is the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken. Its beyond passion and intention. Diligence is what keeps a passion and an intention going. Its also one of the seven Holy virtues.

Diligence is a persevering application of an intention or a passion. Diligence is the steady application in any business of any kind. Diligence is constant effort. Its the exertion of the body or mind without unnecessary delay or slothfulness. Diligence is the personal attention and taking care and head over a thing.

I use to be one of those people who use to start a thing but never finish it. I always had the right intentions but never very good at follow through. One way or another I would end up as the tail instead of the head. Most of this was due to my own idleness, laziness and I had many excuses.

All of this changed when I turned a passion into a reality. This rescue is the pin point and prime example of my applied diligence. This may be the one and only thing I have ever done with such intentionality and diligence. The passion and dedication I have for this undertaking is something that words elude me to describe. I had said and will continue to say that I truly feel this is my divine calling.

When my Pastor got up on the pulpit this morning to revisit this series, I realized as I was jotting down notes that we already had covered what he was preaching. What I didn't realize until the end of the sermon was his question of " After 90 days of first hearing this Word, "have you been diligent?" What areas have you been diligent in? What areas do you need to be more diligent in? Lord knows, I have MANY areas that I need to work more diligently in. It can almost sadden me that there are actually other areas in my life that need more of my intention and diligence then even the rescue. This is where I am at right now. From this day forward my diligence will now have another dimension.

I can now see the reward of applied diligence. I now know what it takes to be diligent. I know that I need to intensify my intentions, set a pace and keep my priorities in line. I need to apply my diligence first and for most in my marriage and secondly in my parenting. I will be diligent in my giftings and assignments that God himself has placed in my heart. I will continue to enjoy life itself and remember to make mental snap shots day in and out. I will diligently maintain whatever progress I have made up to this point and continue to track my progress in other areas.

Most importantly, I will be more diligent in my walk with the Lord. Its my burden to be diligent. I cant pray for diligence but it must rise up within me. I must bring it forth and bring it forth, I will.

"He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich." Proverbs 10:4

"The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich." Proverbs 13:4

"The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor." Proverbs 12:24

Thats right! One day out of the week that I purpose to blog about things I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful that I live in Florida from right about now until May. The weather was perfect today. Hot but with a nice cool breeze.
   
2. I am thankful for my Pastors. I am continually amazed at how anointed they are. Every single time I enter a service I come expecting to hear from God and I am NEVER let down.
   
3. I am thankful for my true friends. This year in particular, I have finally been able to nail down who my true friends are. Friends that are there for the good, the bad, and the ugly.
   
4. I am thankful for my rescue. I am so blessed to have the resources, the people and the wisdom to keep it up and running smoothly and successfully.
   
5. I am thankful for my mother. While decorating for Halloween yesterday, I had to pause and say "I would not be doing this, if not for her". She created very memorable moments in my childhood around this time of year. Even when she was sick, she made sure I got to go to the famous Halloween parade in the town I grew up in. Some of my favorite memories are from that parade. I dream of taking my own child to it one day.
   
6. I am thankful for the evening time with my husband. The most exciting part of our day is snuggling in bed to watch Dexter. I am addicted! We start season 2 tonight.
7. I am thankful for whoever makes Wet Noses Organic Raw Hides for dogs. I can not tell you the hours of peace these bones bring me. Worth every penny.
8. I am thankful for the little things in life. Things like homemade chicken noodle soup I made yesterday and the pumpkin rice pudding I will make tomorrow.
   
9. Lastly, I am thankful for massages. My back is mostly thankful for its biweekly treat.
   

On the rescue front, things are going well. Our puppy has found what appears to be a very good home. Adoption will not be finalized until after his neuter can be done. We also had one of our older beagles also get adopted this weekend. She went to the perfect home with an older couple and their elderly mother. It was a perfect match. Adopting the older beagles is a much slower process but is still warms my heart to see them go to their new forever home. Our adoption events are in full swing creating lots of work for all. This is seriously more then a full time job but I love every minute of it.

As for the family front, we are just one busy family. The boy is playing football now so two days of practice, one game on the weekend and lots of school work in between. The man of the house is always busy making sure we have lights, food and money in the bank. He also coaches. I married such a good man. Such a good man is really an understatement.

As for me, I think I am sick. I think because I really am not sure but something is lingering in my body. Last week, I was definitely sick, like in bed. This week I have this itch in my throat and it causes a deep cough I can feel in my chest which usually subsides in the evening. I cant seem to get enough sleep because it seems each of the dogs takes a turn waking us up for a night time do do session. I have not had a good nights rest in over a week which isn't helping. I just feel very run down and exhausted. I am hoping that I am not coming down with something big but on the other hand, I just want to either be sick or not. This in between feeling good and not good is really draining.

Which brings me to my inner debate of whether to get the damn flu shot for the first time EVER in my life. I am not a big fan of vaccines in fact I selectively and delayed vaccinated my child. It has never made sense to me to inject a virus into my body instead of letting my own immune system work it out. Not to mention, my mother in law gets the flu shot every year and every year she gets the flu. I know, I know you can get the flu from the flu shot, its a dead virus blah blah. I guess its just a real coincidence. Anyway, I watched Dr Oz (because I have nothing else better to do) and when he said that more then 1/2 the people that hear his voice would end up with the flu this year, I got scared. He also said that Vitamin D is your best protection which reminds me that I need to get my arse to the store for some. Be damned pig flu! Be damned!




Soo do are you getting the flu shot this year? Why or why not?

1. Read the site information. Its clearly spelled out in crayon that we RARELY take in owner surrender beagles because that means we take up a spot for a beagle who may be in a shelter facing euthanasia. So don't send me an email talking about how you don't have the time for your beagle and you must have the beagle gone before you leave for vacation. Let me inconvenience my life for your situation and lack of responsibility. Let me jump right on that.
2. I am very sorry that you take our "no fence, no beagle" policy so personally. I assure you that there are plenty of other beagles out there that you do not have to have a fence to adopt. Start with the local shelter right now. There are several in there.
   
3. I promise your child will not be scarred for life if she does not get "this" beagle. The child has only seen this beagle on a website. If she had to have a pink pony, what would you do?
   
4. Please don't guilt trip us and use "my child is adopted and wants nothing more then to adopt this beagle" What kind of sob story is that?
5. Dont assume that just because we require a fence before we will look at an application means that we are NOT looking at the dog's best interest and YOUR family is the only family that can give the dog a good life regardless of a fence. What about the other 9 applicants who are better qualified?
   
6. Did it occur to you that there is a reason we have these beagles because they probably escaped a yard and followed their nose to the next zip code? Do your research and you will see that every qualified source will tell you beagles need a yard. Period!
7. Oh and before you speak, know who you are speaking to. I once had 3 beagles in a town home without a yard and it was a NIGHTMARE. I have leash burns on my ankles, so don't tell me. Know what happens when you assume? Yeah.....
8. If I spend all day going out of MY way to help you find boarding for your beagles because you are about to lose your home, the least you can do is call me back and tell me what option you choosing. Especially when I offer to help with the boarding expense. Shall I look at the shelter list to see if you just dumped them off there?
9. Lastly makes sure that everyone in the family is on board for adopting one of our beagles, especially the primary care giver. Dont waste our time hoping that we will help you convince your spouse to adopt a beagle. We can see past that and you will end up with an unapproved application. Sorry....
   

So far this month has been a total cluster. There are so many storms swirling around and I have to somehow figure out how to weather them all.

Per my last post, we talked about how Sirius(who is one awesome and smart puppy btw) was the light in the darkness of September 11Th. Well just when I thought that was the case, I found out that one of my dear internet friends died of colon cancer leaving behind two young children and a husband. To make it worse, her son was to turn 1(yes that young without his mommy) the day after she died. The family was planning a birthday party in the hospice center. I can not even tell you how devastated I am about this news. Its almost unrealistic to most people to have such a connection with someone you never even met yet she seemed like family. While we all knew it was going happen, we were still holding out for a miracle. A miracle that never came. The only comfort and solace I/we have is that we will soon see her again in heaven. She was a woman of strong faith and trusted in God. This strong woman actually became at peace with her destiny. Never did she complain regardless of her pain. I cant imagine looking at my babies and my husband knowing that I would leave them in this world alone. I can not even imagine the mental torment that she had to gone through. She continued to stay strong and trust in God. I have not mastered that level of faith yet. I pray that she left this world truly in peace and floated on up to heaven's gates and she met Him with arms wide open. He speaks according to His word: 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:21

Times like this is when I wish I were not blogging anonymously so that I could share with everyone who I am talking about. We all made a beautiful video that she did get to see before her last day here. I believe in my heart she knew how much she was loved and how we would all make sure her family would be well taken care of.

I hate that date. That date is just cursed. I want nothing more then for it to disappear from the calendar. I want to go from the 10Th-12Th. Yet another tragedy that I have to reflect on.

Pronounced Sy-rus. The new puppy will be named Sirius in memory of the fallen K-9 dog killed on 9/11. Please visit his site. Sirius, his memory and his name will live on. I have already sent an email to the family as I hear they appreciate things like this.

http://www.our.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/sirius.html

I start this post off with just a sigh. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. I remember the chaos, I remember the phone calls, I remember watching the news and never turning it off, I remember hugging Capo harder then I ever hugged him before, I remember the complete helpless feeling, I remember the ash on our cars, I remember the smoke, the empty skyline, I remember and I will NEVER forget.

I remember waking up on every anniversary and watching all the memorial services. I remember all those feelings and wounds being opened up again. The feeling that I have on this day is that of deep depression. Its almost paralyzing, I dont want to go anywhere or do anything but basically replay that day in my head over and over again. Probably not healthy but the truth. There was a mark made my heart and soul that day and it can not be erased or forgotten. It stays for ever with me.

As I sat here in my gloom and doom all day, I got a phone call from a lady who found a beagle puppy at her granddaughter's bus stop. Normally we do not take in strays because it costs too much to vet them but I knew this little boy was the light in the darkness of the day. This is our very first puppy we have gotten to rescue, you see we are usually only called by local shelters to rescue beagles(older, sick, heart worm positive) who we are there last chance before facing euthanasia. This is a very big day for our rescue.

In honor of this day, we think we are going to call this little guy Sirius. Look at how stinking cute he is....

This debate is like the song that never ends. It goes on and on my friends. I think for the most part the one thing that most of us agree on is that reform needs to happen. We certainly cant keep going in the direction we are now because it will bankrupt this country and more lives will be lost. People without insurance should be able to get it affordable health insurance and people who cant afford it should be able to go to the government to get it. No one should be without coverage or be afraid to enter an ER or doctor's office without worry if they will lose their homes due to the cost.

I think the major debate is how we go about reform. I am NOT on board with universal health care/single payer system Yes, it may work in other countries but I do not think that is the answer for us. The main reason I am not ok with this is that the govt does not run Medicare/Medicaid very effectively or efficiently. Waste has been going on forever in those systems. I would like to see those areas corrected so maybe the American people can have a bit more faith before they take on a much bigger venture such as UH.

I was very excited to see President Obama's speech on this topic last night, and actually watched it several times before I made heads or tails of what he said. I thought he effectively explained what the plan is, he discussed the current debates, debunked the non sense coming from the right BUT he in no way shape or form, told us how he plans on paying for this plan.

The only thing he said was that he would not sign a plan that would add one more dime to the deficit and correcting the waste in Medicare and Medicaid would help fund this plan. Really? So he plans on correcting Medicare/Medicaid FIRST? That needs to be done anyway but I am having a hard time believing that cleaning up those programs first is going to foot the bill for the massive plan. To me it seems that we are going all be paying more taxes which is one thing, but just say that. Why dance around it? Anyone with a brain knows that is exactly what is going to happen. Say what you need to say.....

Secondly, if the plan is to penalize businesses for not covering their employees by charging a 8 percent fee, would it make sense for some businesses to take the 8 percent penalty then to cover their employees? I mean would that not make business sense to do that? That would mean people like my family would have NO choice but to either pay for their own private insurance or go to a govt run program. That scares me.

I am all about choice. If I choose to pay and arm and leg for my premiums(and we do) to have private insurance through my husband's employer then I should have that right to do so. Just like if you choose not to be covered by insurance and want to go to the govt run coverage. Don't take my right to choice. You could say, you would still have a choice to go out on our own. Yes, but what if the private insurers raise their premiums even more since now they are going to be forced to take patients with pre existing conditions. What if they private insurers all go under because most people start jumping ship to the free insurance? Then I wont really have a choice and we would then all go into a single payer system and be left with no other option. That is SCARY!

This other business about mandating that everyone have some sort of coverage. Really? How are we going to police that?

The only plan that I can get totally on board with right now is this market plan. Where WE not the govt, can shop around and make insurance companies compete with one another for our business. They would have no choice but to start lowering their rates since people will have other options. Right now, we personally are stuck with one carrier and we get a choice of four different plans to choose from. I hear we are lucky we can even do that. I am all for shopping around and making the private insurers work for their business instead. Market plan GOOOO!

The bottom line is this. Something needs to be done sooner and not later but that does not mean that we all need to jump on the "lets give this a shot" band wagon. We need to first clearly think about the cost of doing this and where the funds are really going to come from. We need to evaluate if the govt can really handle this huge undertaking.

People with preexisting conditions need coverage too. Its not fair that they are turned away and this is where I think the govt needs to step in and either cover those people with pre existing conditions or offer a subsidiary.

I am just really afraid that we are headed to a single payer system with a govt that cant handle what is already on their plate. I cant imagine any other outcome if this bill gets passed.

I have literally spent all day working on my iphone. We have a love hate relationship but I can honestly tell you that I could not LIVE without this phone. It is quite possibly the best invention on the planet Earth.

However its like a never ending project. Trying to learn all the different features and apps is a chore in a half. Of course, whenever you meet a fellow iphone junkie you have to switch phones to check out each other apps which then leads into ohhhing and ayyinng. "You got to get this app. "do you know this app does this and that", "did you see the latest and greatest such and such". You almost start to feel that your phone is smarter then you.

So today I spent all day figuring out how to add ring tones, then configuring which 30 seconds of the song you want to use, and last but not least buying and syncing said songs. I think I got it down pat now but man it took me ALL day. Capo was not so impressed as I yelled over at him to help every 2 minutes. I believe he said "some of us have a job and cant take a whole day off to iphone". LOL!

I will leave you with the greatest song and ring tone EVER. Very fitting for me and my life. I need to make my own video but for now this will have to do....

This is actually a Beagle Bed and Breakfast out in Idaho. Someday I plan on taking trip out there to stay. Its on my must do before I die.

1. Is it possible to miss your husband in the first 30 minutes he is gone? Loves me, Loves me NOT...
   
2. I really love couponing but sometimes its too much work just to save a buck here or there. I can hear Capo "yeah, you save .75 was it worth your time?"Money vs Time...
   
3. I highly recommend this recipe for those of you who like a little spice in your dishes, feed the kids chicken nuggets or mac and cheese however: Brooklyn Girl's Penne Arrabiata
   
4. I rarely watch movies especially before bed but Next Friday was on last night, it should be illegal to put a comedy like that on so late at night. I could not turn it off. Sleep or Watch?
   
5. My poor child is traumatized about this "tardy slip" ordeal. Somehow its his fault that there are 456465463513213 people in the car line each morning. This is why I prefer to walk to school. Walk or ride....
   
6. By 6 o'clock I have to pick which area I want to head in the PTA. None of the options sound the least bit appealing. Box Top Mom or Campbell Soup Label Mom?
   
7. I am irrationally excited to watch LA Ink tonight. I also end up irrationally mad at how awful they treat Aubry. Mean or Not Mean?
   
8. Speaking of tattooing, I think I am ready. The main reason I started to watch the show was to see if I could handle getting one with my needle phobia. I think I am good to go. Should I or Should I not?
   
9. Capo is extremely picky about who should do our tattoos so I suggested we fly out to LA Ink. Corey or Kat?
   
10. If you have an upcoming teen daughter and are thinking of the Gardisil vaccine, BEWARE..read HERE Yay or Nay?
11. Did you know Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Frapps are back? Cold or Hot?
12. Is it time to break out the fall decorations? Early or Not?
13. Last but not least, Go Girl To Stand or To Sit?

Ugh! I use to love the rain. Rain washes the outside, it makes everything clean again, makes the grass green and most importantly washes away the beagle do do. :) Rain also makes my stubborn hounds REFUSE to go outside and therefore hold their business for as long as they can before going on my floor somewhere. For my hounds that will go outside in it, makes them STINK like well wet dog which permeates my house for the day. YUCK! With rain also brings thunder and lightening also know as "boom booms" around here. Our geriatric beagle starts to shake and tremble. Off I run to break out the Rescue Remedy to calm his nerves. Not sure if it really works but it makes me feel better that I did something to calm his old self down. Rain and I have a love hate relationship.

Rain always seems to come whenever we have an adoption event scheduled so that we and the hounds get to romp around in the mud. Very appealing to potential adopters after they are jumped all over with dirty dirty paws by wet and excited dirty hounds. Least we forget how everyone needs a bath there afterward. Fun stuff! Rain rain go away leave the beagles alone to play.

Rain also forces me to wait in the dreaded car lane to pick up Capretto from school. For a 3 minute round trip, I wait in a 25 minute long line with every other compassionate parent. Of course on the way back I see the poor kids whose parents are not so compassionate walking all the way home. The mom in me wants to stop and pick them up but then the stranger danger thoughts cross my mind causing me to drive on....

I will say on a positive note, we have not turned on our irrigation system since May. One would think that our water bill would be lower but not so much.

Tonight we are off to church where we will be fed a nice Fiesta(Mexican) dinner and a nice hot Word from our Pastor. I will be serving my terrific two year old's who I have not seen in a few weeks. I am eager to get back in the classroom and minister to my babies. Our Pastors laid hands on all the teachers on Sunday. Expecting a new mantle of ministry to come upon me.

He covers the sky with clouds, he supplies the earth with rain,
and maketh the grass grow on the hills.
- Psalms 147:8

Part of the interesting life as a "soccer mom"( although now I am "football mom" ) is the commentary that goes on by the sideline parents. It never ceases to amaze me. As I sat in the pouring rain watching my son practice these are some of the conversations that were going on around me. Mind you, we were all squeezed in under a 10X10 quick tent...

" What if my kid doesn't make weight on Sat, is there lee way?"
hmmmm, well then Johnny will have to sit out because I sure do not want all 80 pounds of Johnny tackling my 50 pound kid. You signed the form in the beginning of the year that Johnny would have to be at 75 pounds to play. Pretty cut and dry to me.

"Wow, this is pretty hard core to practice in the rain"
hmmm, really?

"Are the same kids always going to run the ball?"
hmmmm, well its called positions and every kid has a position with very little rotation involved. You chose a competitive league vs the instructional league down the road. Again, read before you sign.

"I am sure glad you brought this tent because I sit in the rain on the daily basis working, do you know how uncomfortable it is to sit in wet underwear for 10 hours a day"
hmmmm, TMI anddd I don't care

Last but not least we have the divorced parents and depending on who Capo plops my chair down next to, I get to hear why so and so is such a crappy parent as they shoot eye daggers at one another.
"well Johnny is not going to make weight because his FATHER over there takes him to Hooters, Krispy Kreme and McDonald's while I only feed him healthy foods. I have not had that kid in a drive thru in years"
hmmm, bitter much? Its interesting that last week he said the opposite. Bottom line is stop dragging other people into your drama, for the kid's sake get over yourselves.

Ohh yes, the life of a side line mom. I need to remember ear plugs......

Hellloooo fellow bloggers! Its been years since I stepped out into the open blog world. I have been blogging in what I call Ft Knox but recently decided that I would reach out and touch someone. So here I am!


First let me get some housekeeping done around here and just express one rule that I hope is respected. If you know me in real life, please do not comment me nor my family using our real names. I also ask that you respect my privacy and understand that I will be using fictitious names and locations to protect myself. I want my open blogging experience to be enjoyable and to do that, I need privacy.

Now that the housekeeping is done, we can move on to more important business. Cast of characters include:

Capa: You will see why I am Capa once you meet Capo below me. I am the matriarch of this family and basically run the show. I am a mom of one 2 legger and too many to count 4 leggers. I am also a founder and director of my very own beagle rescue. While its not a very high paying job(HAA) it is rewarding in so many other ways. I believe its truly my calling.

Capo: Capo is the CFO and head patriarch of the family. He keeps the ship sailing. Also known as my gravy train. More then that, Capo is my best friend and husband all in one.

Capretto: Our 6 year old going on 36 young boy. Capretto is pretty much a carbon copy of Capa and Capo. He keeps us both going specifically from ball field to ball field. You name it, he plays it.

Beagle/Hound Brigade: Changes frequently and frankly there are too many to list. The brigade is the heart beat of our family. They fill us with unconditional love, laughs and stress. The brigade will be the main source of entertainment here at Beagle Mafia.

In closing, I hope you enjoy your time here and hope not to bore you too much. We are simple people really, we love our beagles and hope to connect with other beagle lovers as well.