Sunday, June 20, 2010

A Wirehaired Pointing What?

Tomorrow our family dog, Stoli, celebrates his 2nd birthday.  Here's a recent picture of Stoli, our Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (WPG), and one from when he was a puppy on the day we brought him home.

 

Stloi as a Puppy

 

Stoli 2 Years Old

 

My husband and I have known one another for 20 years, and for the better part of our married life of 18 years, Jim has wanted a dog. I on the other hand was not interested in adding a canine member to the family. That pretty much changed after seeing the litter of puppies in July, 2008 and choosing our new family friend.

Stoli is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. He is a sporting dog and I know there are probably lots of things the breeders and other owners could share with you about this dog's breed, but these are my personal & most memorable thoughts about Stoli over the past two years.

Top Things about Stoli our Wirehaired Pointing Griffon:

This breed loves to be "With You". That might sound like your dog. And it very well may be true. But Stoli wants to be in close proximity, in your lap would be fine. I should mention he's 60 some pounds. Not exactly a lap dog. But if you are cooking, he is at your feet. Literally, resting on your leg with his paw(s) on the top of your foot. I realize this is an inherent trait bred in this dog and is one of the things that make the breed good hunting dogs. I just wasn't prepared and now wouldn't change this family oriented trait in our WPG, Stoli.

Remember "Tigger" from Winnie-The-Pooh? Remember how he bounced from place to place? Well, Stoli doesn't really bounce, but he sure is close to bouncing up and down when he is excited to meet and greet any new people. Which naturally brings some interesting looks and consequent dialogue from our newest visitors. Our family have become somewhat familiar with Stoli's bouncing abilities, but it still illicits some giggle, well at least from me! Again, this is a quality that I believe is desirable in this breed.  Stoli's natural agility skills are amazing. He can zig zag out of any spot with the greatest of ease. He's fast too, he runs with speed like nobody's business!

Well, I guess this next one we kind of have only ourselves to thank.  Our Stoli loves his dinner with carrots and yogurt. I know. You can shake your head, I know I do at each meal.

And lastly (at least for this post), Stoli has many nicknames: Stoli Rollie Polli Ollie, Stoli the Dog, Buddy to name a few.  He also has the nickname Tina Turner for when he shakes and his hair on his head  is remarkably reminiscint of Tiny Turner's hair during the "What's Love Got To Do With It" days.

So on the eve of Stoli's second birthday we reminisce on his homecoming, and celebrate his being two and bringing us lots of laughs and love, and at times shedding. (We can go into the shedding/non-shedding another time :))

Happy Birthday Stoli!

 

 

Posted via web from laura45's posterous

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

What About a Bath Safety Rail?

Ever been in the shower and feel yourself start to slip and start flailing to stop the fall.  Afterwards your back might be strained, or worse. 

Not too long ago my adult sister fell in her marble shower, and thankfully, there were only black and blue bruises.  Not nice to look at, but certainly better than some/most of the other possible outcomes.

After that incident I began wondering about installing a bath safety rail

Come to find out, these little sturdy devices are used by young and old alike.  The youngsters enjoy using a bath safety rail for the independence achieved by entering and exiting the bath on their own. They can have a daily "I Did It" moment!

And as I mentioned, some sort of bath grab rail would have been ideal for my sister and so, for the future, will have one installed in her shower.

The elderly are another group that benefit from either a bath safety rail or a bath grab bar.  The easy to install sturdy device provides support, comfort, safety while preserving independence.

A bath safety rail provides comfort, sturdy support, and peace of mind for loved ones.

 

 

Posted via web from laura45's posterous

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary Mom and Dad!

The date June 11, 2010 is exactly 50 years from the date my parents exchanged wedding vows as young adults. Fast forward, and I do mean fast forward, 50 years to the 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration held at the Homewood Suites in York, PA.

Friends and Family reunited for a celebration in honor of my parent's commitment and testament of their love.

Joining our family in the celebration were family & friends from near and far, including Dolores, my Mother's friend from her first real job as a young women in NYC at Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company,; Bob and Andrea, one of my Mother's nephews, Bob, and his wife, Andrea, who travelled from CT for the celebration; Ginnie, Nancy and Bill, and Jane and Don, all long-time friends with lots of memories and history from York; and Bonnie and Dick, valued and special friends from New Port Richey, FL. Mom and Dad had satellite toasts both on and previous to the June 11 celebration in March in AZ with Aunt Marijane, Uncle John, Geralyn, Michael, and Katie; and in New Port Richey the night of the anniversary from George and Diane who raised their glasses to celebrate this momentous occasion; and from Tennesse from Jack and Jeannette; Uncle Joe and Aunt Babe toasted and celebrated to Mom and Dad's continued happiness and health from Jupiter, FL; while Mom's childhood and special friend Pat with her husband Phil commemorated this milestone with wedding memorobilia and heart-felt thoughts and messages.

While the cummulative months and years culminated in a wonderous night of camraderie and celebration, it is the daily strength of character, the focus on commitment, the strong foundation for family and friends that catapulted us to raising our glasses and celebrating the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Mom and Dad.

To that effect, Lisa wrote a heart-felt and to-be-remembered toast that honored Mom and Dad. Lisa asked Lauren and Rachel for their help in delivering the toast and what a memorable moment was witnessed by all who received Lisa's thoughts and feeling on our parents lives and our future from their two grandchildren. Lauren and Rachel delivered the toast with poise and finesse and made their grandparents and parents proud.

It is bittersweet when such an anticipated event comes to its conclusion and this was one event that was not destined to end early, or even on time. We gathered around the table, pulling chairs together for proximity to share with one another stories, antidotes, anything really so as to extend the party, extend the time together in the name of Love. A 50 year testament to Love and Commitment as evidenced by our Mother and Father, GrandMom and GrandDad, Friend , Aunt, Uncle, Great Aunt and Great Uncle.

Friday, June 4, 2010

5 Things I Love About P90X

First: Tony Horton: Inspirational, Legit, Dedicated, and Fun

Second: The variety of the program. The program offers the P90X Classic, P90X Double, and P90X Lean programs. Awesome Programs!

Third: I am learning about me and my strengths as a person while improving my body physically.

Fourth: Pam the Blam, Dreya Weber, and the Other P90X Instructors

Fifth: The Motivation and Possibility to be in the best shape of my life is attainable through this program.

Keep Pushing Play!

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