If you are handed it, you can handle it.

Cali turns 15

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:21:40 -0400

My dog, Calliope, turns 15 today. FIFTEEN! That is pretty old for a lab/shepard mix. I made her come outside this morning for some photos and tonight I will take her to dairy joy for a small vanilla cone.. I wonder if she knows its her birthday?
I do know she hates having her picture taken and she wouldn't sit still for anything.

The vet says she is in really good shape for a dog of her age and she is just starting now to have hip problems. I do not do so well when she is not feeling good or when she might be sick. I guess when I got her I never gave a thought to what it would be like all those years later when she was getting older, or to the fact that she might not be with me forever.

My mother asks me if I am going to get another dog after Calliope and I am not sure I am. I love her but its heartbreaking to see her get older and I am not sure how I will be when she is gone. I got Cali when I was 20 years old - I am 35 now! I can hardly think of who I was back then, what I was thinking. I am pretty sure I either thought I knew everything or I wasn't thinking at all about how long she would be with us, how many times we would move, she would move, how many jobs I would have or places I would live. I think she likes where we live now, we have 2 acres of land and for the most part she can wander all over it as much as she likes. She has had Lyme disease for over 8 years now so I don't worry too much about the ticks so I can let her go where she wants. She doesn't have any other animals to compete with and except for my nieces, who I think are her arch enemies - she is the queen bee. We never broke her of the habit of eating people food, so she wants that alot - sometimes I wonder if she is being fed enought considering how much human food she consumes.

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She now sleeps in later than I do and some days I have to wake her up to go out before I leave for work, but that is what retirement is - sleeping in alot:) She has either gone deaf or she now has selective hearing. I like to think it selective hearing and she is thinking to herself "you people are crazy - I am just going to ignore you when you call me inside or tell me to move over - I am old and get to do what I want"

_MG_0032

So thats my dog, and I love her, and I think Matt likes her a bit. My family loves her, the girls aren't really sure, the other day Riley had forgotten I even had a dog....

Happy Birthday Calliope!

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Hailey's 6th Birthday!

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:03:14 -0500

Yesterday was Hailey's 6th birthday party and I can remember the day she was born and how tiny she felt in my arms, and I get sappy just thinking about it and how fast they are growing up. Now she is like a kid :

Hailey6-1

It was a Hello Kitty party so there was lots of pink!

Hellokitty-1

Hailey got an easy bake oven which was easily her favorite:

Easybake-1

And this Mariposa doll which is easily the scariest thing I have ever seen

Doll-1

Matt took these great shots of me and the girls and me with Hailey - its nice to have someone around who takes my picture

Megirls-1

Meandhailey-1

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You are perfect for me!

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:18:13 -0500

There are alot of people in my life right now who are perfect for me and Erin is one of them! My birthday was in January but she didn't feel like a gift had spoken to her yet, she hadn't found the perfect one, so she didn't rush it and I can appreciate that!
Today at lunch we took a field trip to Abacus in Portland, ME. We had walked by there yesterday but didn't have time to appreciate it fully so today we had the whole hour! In the back of the store is StoryPeople... i can't describe it here just check the site. Erin went NUTS! She loves StoryPeople.. they are her finger puppets - the small gift that Jermaine gave to her when they started dating that meant so much to her. We spent some time looking through them and I found this one - and this one was perfect for me - so she said "THIS IS IT, THIS IS YOUR BIRTHDAY GIFT" and it was a perfect moment! Its perfect on so many levels, its prefect because we found it together, perfect because it was something that was dear to her that she is now sharing with me, and perfect because this saying sums up exactly where my life is in my 35th year.

Thank you Erin - You are perfect for me!

StoryPeopleGift

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Happy Birthday Kim!

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:06:26 -0500

Today is my sister Kim's 31st birthday!

Kim323

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Happy Birthday Kim!

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:06:24 -0500

Today is my sister Kim's 31st birthday!

Kim323

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my birthday gift: iPhone

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 07:50:29 -0500

I have been very remiss on this blog and my business blog. Forgive me as I am trying to work something new and important into my life and I have had to give it all of my attention for the last month. The need for constant attention is less now and I can refocus my efforts to other things I love as well - I am just glad it happened in the winter when its slower all around!

For my birthday my family and best friend pitched in and bought me an iPhone - and I have been in love with it eversince. We named her sugarbottom and while it sounds like a Japanese anime porn star its not - its just the sugar I find at the bottom of my handbag :)

IPhone-1

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"I'm not a crook"

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:59:33 -0500

I took this picture of Hailey on Saturday at my birthday party and all I could think was she looked like Nixon!

Haileynixon

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Birthday Flowers

nobody@vox.com(audralynn) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:01:18 -0500

Tomorrow (the 20th) is my birthday and on Friday my great friends Sam and Sarah sent me gorgeous flowers to work. Sarah has an amazing since of style and a committmenet ot excellence so she did not just call 1-800 flowers and let them work it out - oh no! She called Sawyer and Company here in Maine and chatted with them about what she wanted to send and they did a perfect job!! They were a wonderful surprise in the middle of the day and once again Sarah was a genius!

Samsarahflowers-3

Samsarahflowers-2

Samsarahflowers-4

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