Hello everyone. Unless you live under a rock, or don’t do social media (in which case you probably don’t read blogs either), then you likely saw that yesterday was National Dog Day.
NATIONAL DOG DAY
National Dog Day was started in 2004 as a way to celebrate all dogs…mixed breeds and pure…with a mission to bring awareness to the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year.
I’ve happily celebrated National Dog Day for the last five years ago and when the time comes to welcome another dog into our family, I do plan to rescue.
My mom sent this picture yesterday of their golden Sam. He’s 12.5. My parents rescued Sam and his sister Missy from a golden rescue in Birmingham, Alabama when they were eight. Their owner passed away and his children surrendered the dogs to the rescue. My parents lost Missy about a year and a half ago to the same cancer that Sullie had but sweet Sam is still doing well.
My parents had another rescue golden named Sam who they lost back in 2015. It’s been funny that they ended up with another Sam and we call them Sam One and Sam Two.
It’s been inspiring for me to see my parents give senior goldens the loving homes and good lives that they so deserve. I hope I can do this too. <3
FINN’S 15-MONTH WELL-CHILD APPOINTMENT
From fur children to real children…Finn had his 15 month well-child appointment yesterday. Overall, it couldn’t have gone better! He’s weighing in at 24 pounds and his pediatrician was impressed with is social skills. Within 15 seconds of him walking in the room, Finn had brought him a book and was asking to be held and read to!
Unfortunately, he did have to have two shots at the end. He did great after the initial shock of getting shots and we had no problems with dinner, bath and bedtime. I thought we were in the clear until Finn woke up at 9:30p just wailing and inconsolable. I gave him some Tylenol and he slept with me last night.
Thankfully, he was back to his smiley self this morning. So hard to see them struggle after their shots but I remind myself that his pediatrician always says it’s a GOOD sign that they’re having an immune response and that the tradeoff of avoiding a preventable disease is worth the small window of discomfort.
RECENT READS AND LISTENS
It’s been a while since I’ve updated you guys on what I’ve been reading and listening to. Here’s a quick list! Note, there are affiliate links below to books listed.
BOOKS
- Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner. I really struggled through this one and it dragged in parts. I finished it but not my favorite of her books by a long shot.
- Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. My grandmother actually purchased this one first and recommended that I read it on our shared Kindle. It was a delightfully witty, easy read. The plot and ending were predictable but it was a fun book to read.
- The Yamas and the Niyamas by Deborah Adele. I required this book for my recent yoga teacher training. It was my first time reading it and it’s now my favorite real-life, easy to digest explanation about how to apply the Yamas and the Niyamas, which are yoga’s code of “right living,” to everyday life.
- Queen Bee by Doretha Benton Frank. This is another one that my grandmother added to our shared Kindle and I just started it. Another easy read, fun and I love books set in the Lowcountry.
MAGAZINES
I fell victim to some effective Instagram advertising recently and now have two-year subscriptions to two magazines. I enjoy having magazines around the house to page through, especially while eating breakfast and lunch when I don’t have Finn.
- Bon Appetit. Gourmet was my favorite cooking magazine for a long time and I was sad when it stopped publication. I have subscribed to Bon Appeitit on and off over the years and I’m excited to start getting it again. While I find the majority of the recipes I try on the Internet, there’s something about cooking magazines that I’ve always loved and found to be so inspiring.
- Yoga Journal. They offered a super competitive price for the subscription compared to what you pay at the newsstand so I figured why not!?
AUDIOBOOKS
- No Bad Kids by Janet Lansbury. I am fully immersed in learning about toddler behavior and child development. I can really get on board with Janet Lansbury’s approach to toddler discipline. I have been listening to her podcast Unruffled as well.
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb. This one is long, coming in at 14 hours, but it totally sucked me in. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at therapy from a practicing therapist who’s also been in therapy herself. This book was insightful, thought-provoking and real.
On a slightly less serious note, can we talk about Taylor Swift’s new album. I’m not usually a big TS fan but I had several people recommend this album to me. I’ve been streaming it on Spotify and I’m not ashamed to say I like it!
Tell me about your dogs!? What breed and how old? Any rescues?
What’s the latest book you read/listened to?
Do you subscribe to any magazines?
Are you a Taylor Swift fan?
I am a big fan of Janet Lansbury, too.
During my adulthood, I have had four dogs of my own: a golden retriever mix, two purebred/rescued golden retrievers, and (currently) a rescued Maltipoo. (My husband is allergic to dogs and begged for a break from the goldens after our last one passed away last summer, hence our current low-shedding, hypoallergenic dog.)
My last read was an audiobook version of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Heavy read but glad I “read” it.
I do like Taylor Swift, and so do my 7-year-old sons.
You might enjoy Save Me The Plums – Ruth Reichl’s memoir of her time as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. Easy read, but a fun behind the scenes look and includes some recipes (as all of her books do).
I just finished listening to You Should Talk to Someone today and it was so good. I definitely recommend it. Though heads up the patient story that’s about an hour from the end made me cry, if you’ve read it you know what I’m talking about.
I grew up in the country and had so many let’s but our dog Tawney was the best. She was a rescue and a mix of probably everything! No fence, no leash, and everyone in the neighborhood knew and loved her. She hated thunder and would run if she heard it but anyone who saw her would grab her and bring her in to their house for us! She ended up getting cancer in her leg and had her back leg amputated. She spent the next 3 years as the world’s fastest 3 legged dog. It was devastating to us all when it came back and we had to make the hardest choice. She set the bar awfully high for future dogs haha.
I love love love HGTV magazine! It’s my only subscription, but I do go to the hotel library to check out a whole bunch more.
Ummm not hotel library..just the library lol
I am LOVING the new Taylor Swift album and completely agree with you about Mrs. Everything. I thought it could have used a bit more judicious of an editor in trimming down the book.
Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of 69 has a similar premise – siblings, set in 1969 – but I couldn’t put it down compared to Mrs. Everything. Highly recommend for an end of summer beach read!
I liked the premise of Mrs. Everything, but it was too long and dragged in parts. Like someone else above, I really liked Summer of ’69 (and all of Elin Hilderbrand books really). I just finished Dominiciana, my book of the month club pick for August, and it was a bit of a downer, but really really good. I have Evvie Drake Starts over on my Kindle as well, so I may read that next.
I felt the same way about Mrs. Everything. There was just too much.
But I love the yamas/niyamas book. I read it for my teacher training, and have revisited it as needed. I really appreciate her approachable writing style, and the ease of understanding each of the larger concepts.
Right now, I’m reading “The Clockmaker’s Daughter.” There seems to be a lot going on, but I’m also only about a third into it. So we’ll see how it turns out.
Growing up we had a rescue poodle/terrier mix and a pure bred Shih tzu, but it was because a friend of my mom was breeding them and she was the runt and so my mom took it off her hands. When I was in grad school, I rescued a puppy, (named Sammy!) but he was hit by a car when he turned one. Once I moved and started working, I adopted another rescue, a yellow lab/greyhound mix and I’ve had her for 8 years and counting! Can’t imagine my life without a dog and I love that my daughter who’s 15 months too likes to lay on her and sit in her bed.
I’m currently reading, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and All We Ever Wanted and listening to The Immortalist! So far, so good!
My current pup is Munchkin. He’s a 4.5 year old Dachshund / Terrier mix, with short legs and a long body! He is a rescue that I adopted in April 2018 and is quite the goofy little character. I was also fortunate to be a mom to Henry, a Jack Russell Terrier that I adopted from a JRT rescue in April 2011. He passed away in August 2017 at 14-15 years old after a battle with meningitis and thyroid cancer. My parents have had two rescues. Ginger passed away at 17 and Misty is still doing relatively well at 19!
Late comment, but I LOVE the quote on the wall of the exam room! What an awesome idea!
We just had to say goodbye to our rescue, Simon, this summer. He was a beagle-something-or-other and was the best doggie ever. (Don’t we all think that? :>) I can’t even think about another dog right now – the loss is too close.
I also wanted to just say that I truly appreciate your realistic perspective on vaccines, and your willingness to put it out there. Thank you for doing that.
Yes, they have one on the wall in every exam room. It’s a fun idea, for sure.
I am so sorry that you lost your Simon this summer. I understand not being able to think about another right now. <3
And you're welcome on the vaccines. It's my truth so I share it, unapologetically!