Been busy with life and stuff...

My children both had birthdays in June. I officially have two teenagers in my house. It is wonderful and daunting simultaneously. They are terrific and I am super lucky. I'm learning to enjoy the brief moments when they willingly give me hugs or want to hang out with me. I'm starting to realize these embraces are their way of preparing me for the time when I have to watch them drive off for their first apartment. Life has a way of being fabulous and horrifying at the same time.

Jake made his own cupcake cake from scratch. At thirteen, he knows exactly what he likes. (And knows that to get it you sometimes need to take control and do it yourself...he is my child.)

Expert candle eliminator. 

Sarah had a billion friends over who enjoyed mockaritas and as much Hawaiian as we could pack into our little backyard. Sarah also planned her entire party. All I did was make Hawaiian rice. I made the heck out of the rice.

Once the birthday festivities were done and the house cleaned up (which means trash was thrown out) I faced a week of vacation. I jogged in the mornings and walked the dogs at night (sometimes vice versa). Family visited. We contemplated going to Disneyland then changed our minds after nearly melting while getting the mail. We did a little shopping. My son and husband picked out plants for our front and backyard. I was melancholy and wasn't sleeping well, even with the exercise.

The golf course near my house at sunset. I like walks at dusk the best. Except for the gnats. Hate them.

Here, young padawan, become one with the water. Spray or spray not.

Our oldest dog, Fiona, passed away and left a bit of a empty place in our house. Our last remaining dog, Snoopy, was depressed and unhappy and spent much of the next few days moping and hiding. We knew we needed to find her a buddy so that she wouldn't be alone when we left, but we were not sure where to begin.

And then we found the website - Adopt a Pet. We entered our zip code and what kind of dog we wanted (Beagle) and this wonderful girl popped up.

We knew we loved her and worried that she might not be available so we emailed right away to ask.

A lady from the Pet Adoption Fund contacted us the next day and asked us a ton of questions. She invited us down to the shelter to visit Nikki and said we could bring our dog.

Snoopy did not drive us there, but she tried.

The shelter was in an industrial area of Canoga Park. It seemed dingy from the outside, but once we stepped inside we could tell the place was well run, packed with volunteers, and that they cared deeply about taking care of animals.

I followed a volunteer to the small dog section to meet Nikki. The pens were full of tiny dogs, all barking. In the last pen I saw our dog. She had a happy look, came right up to greet me and licked my fingers. I couldn't wait to get her home. We introduced her to Snoopy, filled out more paperwork, answered more questions, gave them our donation, and hopped in the car. To say we were happy would be an understatement. We loved her so immediately that our hearts were bursting.

She is wonderful. We renamed her Lucy. 

The wind in my fur...

First walk together.

We don't know Lucy's story. She was rescued from a public shelter. They think she is five, but she's so playful we think she is probably younger. She has some abandonment anxiety and cries whenever one of us leaves the house. For right now we're taking turns staying home with her.

We love hearing her howl and bark. Watching her bound around the backyard and flop on every dog bed she finds in the house makes us all feel good. Our friends are referring to her as Lucky Lucy, but to be honest, we are the lucky ones.

Happy 4th! Happy Rebellion Success Day! Thank you to all the soldiers who defend us and the leaders behind the scenes. Thank you to all the workers here at home in every industry. Thank you to every brave person who ever stood up and faced oppression with honor and dignity. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.