I'm 30! And We Got a Dog!

Yesterday was my 30th birthday, but it felt kind of anticlimactic because last week, Joe threw a truly epic surprise party. I never saw it coming! Even though I demanded months ago that he throw me a surprise party. Apparently, he actually started planning it, and then I had a change of heart and told him, "No, wait, whatever you do, don't throw me a surprise party." That's confusing.

But because he's such a smart guy, he forged ahead and sent who knows how many emails and amazingly coordinated some of my best friends to be in the same place at the same time for super-fun 30th! I feel so blessed everyone could make it, from places as far flung as Richmond and New York!! It was so righteous of them!! 

I think the surprise was a success. Happy Birthday @goshgeegolly!

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Here I am looking surprised. "Wait, you're here and you're here, and you're here?" If I had known about it, I would've gotten my hair done!

Debie found the 30th-themed Hello Kitty decorations, God bless her.

Our newest house guest, Katie O'Chapin.

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So not only did Joe organize a party, he got me a dog too! He is the best boyfriend!! Her name is Katie O'Chapin and it's been a week since we got her and I love her so much already. We had wanted a dog for a long time, but it felt right now. My mom is a dog trainer, and I knew we needed to go though her. She said a whippet is a good apartment dog because they don't bark, they naturally sleep all day, and they're small but a good size to hike and run around. 

So last Friday, we drove to the breeder's house in Lexington to check out an older dog who was returned after her owner couldn't care for her anymore. She was beautiful, but pretty skeptical of us. She gave us the side eye, like she knew something was up. I felt so bad to take her away from a lovely farm in the mountains with 10 of her whippet buddies to bring her to our tiny D.C. apartment. But the breeder was so kind and said that Katie would be happy getting more attention than she could give her with nine other dogs.

So here we are! I think she is still getting her bearings. Whippets supposedly love to run, but we take her to dog park and nothing. Joe is so sad that she won't really play with us. She is a very easy dog so far though! We pat ourselves on the back for how well-behaved she is, but we didn't do a single thing to achieve that. And she gets along with my mom's dog, which is very important.

And I didn't realize that people are so much friendlier when you have a dog. Everyone chats with us about her, and everybody seems to love her. Except two guys actually got out of their car to point and laugh at her, for at least five minutes. One of the men slapped his thigh. She is skinny, yes, but I'm not getting how it's that funny. Don't give my dog body issues! 

Rain's a Champion

Halloween in Fairfax

I happened to be at my parents' house on Halloween night, and was given the task of passing out candy to the little trick or treaters.  My mom bought six bags of candy, and I thought that was way too much.  But sure enough, at 6:30 p.m. there was a knock at the door, and before I knew it, the candy was almost gone. The kids who stopped by were pretty darn cute, but they made me feel out of touch in terms of 2011 cartoon knowledge.  I asked a little girl with blue Pippy Longstockings braids who she was supposed to be, and she held up a tiny doll dressed like her.  "I'm a Loully," she said.  Duh.  Well, okay. I left the bowl of Halloween candy out next to the door, and the next day my mom called to tell me that Rain the dog had eaten all the candy when no one was looking, wrappers and all.  Luckily, I had handed out most of it.  I'd also eaten a good chunk of the candy, including all the dark chocolate, which is dangerous for dogs.  So poor Rain had no adverse effects from her little Halloween adventure. "Some might say that I'm a hero for eating the candy so the dog didn't end up eating it," I told Joe. "You know, if you had put the bowl away in the first place, the dog wouldn't have gotten into it at all," he said. Hmm, yes.  We aren't used to misbehaving dogs.  I suppose this is a good a time as any to note that our beloved dog Hunter has passed on to the rainbow bridge - Halloween would've been his 16th birthday.  That is really old for a dog, I know, but I had begun to believe he would never die.  He'd just always been there, for the majority of my life.  I've been meaning to write a little tribute to him, but let's just say he was practically perfect, much-loved and had the best life a dog could ever have.  He would never have eaten the candy.  Now that Hunter is gone, Rain has no role models in her life and is clearly acting out.

A Pet Picture to End the Week

My parents' dog Rain is getting fixed at the end of the month. Don't tell her that though... She remains blissfully unaware.

Except this collar my mom bought for the week after surgery might make Rain think something is up.

Apparently there have been substantial strides in dog post-surgery accessories. This life preserver/donut thing replaces the cone that dogs used to wear that made them look like lampshades. Those were hilarious.

Hunter and Rain

This is my family's dog, Rain.

This is the voicemail I got from my mom yesterday, verbatim:

"I had a good afternoon between work, especially when Rain jumped into the overflow of the retention pond and came up with a raccoon - and went about five rounds with it. No problems with her but I think the raccoon was suffering quite a bit. Talk to you later. Bye."

Now I love our Weimaraners, but that's why I want a small dog when I get my own pet someday. You don't have to worry about a purse-size dog trying to take down a raccoon. Eeek. That is too much for me to handle.

Most of you know about our family's other dog, Hunter. The one who is 15 years old and wears diapers.

Hunter just finished his 50th session of acupuncture. The 50th one is free. Not sure about that deal. Even Chopt gives you the 10th salad free. I wonder if Hunter is the first dog to ever make it to more than 49 acupuncture sessions?

I know what you might be thinking. Doggie acupuncture???

So my mom is a teeny bit over the top when it comes to her dogs. As evidenced by the whole dog water bed purchase. What can I say, she's a dog trainer by profession.

He's a Well-Cared For Dog

My dog Hunter is almost 15 years old. This is very old, especially for a large dog. I've had him since I was in 5th grade, and he's just always been there. My friend Emily recently said, "I can't believe Hunter's going to die," and she said it like she really couldn't believe it. I can't believe it either. I feel he may live forever. Although watch this blog post jinx him. I hope not. If you see my family wearing black for a month, you will know what happened.

My mom asked me to dog sit, but first she had to explain how to prepare Hunter's dinner. She laid out all the ingredients and suggested I take a picture to help me remember.

I've seen Top Chef recipes that had less ingredients. My mom tried to explain all the steps.

Mom: First you measure out 1 and a half tablespoons of this holistic powder. Then, add 4 drops of this and 10 drops of this, followed by 2 pills from this bottle and one from this bottle.

Me: Then, you repeat the incantation...