The Duke...

If any of you all have seen the movie, Moulin Rouge, just imagine the part where Satine thinks Christian is the Duke, and the narrator (Christian) introduces 'The Duke".

Music and all.

This post has nothing to do with that movie. 

Just the narration and the song....

May I please introduce Steven, Bella, and my new family member:

Duke.

For the past while [long time], I have wanted another doggie.

A doggie to be my running partner and scare off mountain lions.

Steven wanted one too.

A doggie to be his. [Bella is mine]

Well, since our Buck went to heaven, just a little over a week ago, we decided we wanted a lab.

Craigslist, AZcenteral, humance society have been our favorite bookmarks and have been constantly been searching for him.

Yesterday, while on the way to get birthdee presents for Dr. Kleinman and Reagan B, we decided to stop at the Yavapai Humane Society just to check it out.

We looked at all the adoptable doggies and were not ready to committ.

BUT, before leaving, we were told that the intake building had adoptable doggies.

We went.

About halfway through, I found him. 

I stopped, starred, and nearly cried.

Steven was unsure.

He wanted a black lab just like Buck.

But we took him out in the part and played anyways.

Turns out, he is perfectly obiedience trained, house trained, and amazing all around.

We were sold.

We had to go convince my mom next.

We expressed to her our  need.

She said ok.

We got all of Buck's things too; kennel, food; bowels, ect.

Then it was time for Bella to meet him.

He just ignores her.

We took him to Petco and got him a collar, leash, and tag.

Ready to go home....

Bath time; yeah.

He would not sit in the sink so we just poured water all over him and soaked the garage.

Awesome.

But he smells good.

He slept all night on his bed right next to ours.

Today at church, I jokingly expressed my concern of him knocking down the doggie door while we were at church.

[the doggie door is Bella's.  Too small for his 80 pounds]

Turns out, he really did knock it down and pulled it off the porch.

Anyhew, his name is Duke Shepherd.

He will be 5 next month.

He even has a pedigree chart!
Even his name is perfect.

We love him and look forward to spending the rest of his life with us.

story(s)

What a flippin day.

First off, I had no students this morning.  

It was my scheduled prep day.

After I prepped, our technology lady came in to my office and noticed my dinosaur of a computer.

She gave me the okay to go get a flat screen moniter and new keyboard and trusted me to hook it up myself.  

No prob.

Right as I went to plug everything in, the power went out.

Long story short, I made the electricity in the entire school go out for almost 30 minutes.

Oops.  

Turns out I had a bad outlet in my office and plugging in that computer must have been the break.

Second, today was a super emotional day.

Well, just the afternoon. 

I had the opportunity and privelage to hold my first, childhood doggy as he was put to sleep. 

It was sad in the sense that he had to go.

And that it brought up my past experiences....

But it was actually quite peaceful.

He was a good old dog of 12 years and it was his time.

It was good to not feel him tremble and shake anymore.

And he left this word in his true fashion: he tooted and it stunk up the whole room.

I will miss you Brimhall's Big Bad Buck (that was his official name. we called him Buck)

Like I have said before, all doggies go to Heaven, or Heaven is not Heaven.

Thirdly, I still have a smile on my face.

As you can tell, I have not blogged in quite some time.

I now work full time at Washington Traditional School.

Half PE, half Title 1 Math.

I love it. 

I love my students, co-workers, and principal.  

I couldn't as for more. 

But it has been a big change.

I will do better at this blogging thing.