This is going to be a long one...

I've had a very eventful weekend. It's going to be hard for me to squish it all into one post. So in an attempt to make what would be a very long post a little more bearable, I'm going to summarize, and break it up into sections.

So here we go.

                                        21st Birthday!
The 29th was my birthday. So I guess I'm officially legal now.

*Note: The bottle in my hand is strictly for photo purposes. I personally don't like this alcohol, but it's my 21st, so the photo had to be done. 

Saying Goodbye :(

On Saturday, I gave away the first of my little buddies. I wasn't sure I would be able to do it, but I know that he went to a very good home, so that makes me feel a little better. Now I only have to do it 3 more times..

Doesn't he look like a little lion?

                                              Moving Home with Momma

This is the first step to changing my life. It feels a little bit like a step backwards, but it's absolutely vital for achieving my goal. Here's the plan. I'm going to stay with my mom for a couple of months in order to save money (no rent) and catch up on my bills. Eventually I'm hoping to move into my house (the one where we found Panther) and get a job closer to my college. (Who knows, maybe I can go back to school!)

Not to mention I really hate living an apartment. Verrrrry noisy upstairs neighbors, a land lord who still has not finished putting in our kitchen floor (after our upstairs neighbors let their sink overflow, flooding our apt...6 months ago) and parking next to this.

I definitely prefer the seclusion and laid back atmosphere of living in the country. 

It's soooo much cleaner too.

                           And Last, but Definitely not Least

I need to make special mention of a really nice surprise that I received in the mail from one of my dear friends. A beautiful calender, filled with photos that he had taken throughout the year. We share a love of photography, so it makes me really happy to see all of his beautiful work. 

So that is a summary of my weekend. Now it's back to work, Monday and Tuesday, and then officially moving out and turning in my keys on Wednesday. First step to my new happy life. Now here's something to think about in the New Year.

   

I'm hoping to become something beautiful this year.

Getting to know Riley

This is Riley

My beautiful, Chocolate Lab, Greyhound mix. She's awkward.

You see, Riley has a little bit of brain damage. It's not her fault. She's sweet as could be. Let me start from the beginning.

This is Riley's mother.

Her real name was Lady, but we called her Panther, because she would slink around in the tall grass like a wild cat.


Panther was the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. She belonged to a neighbor of the vacant house that my family owns.

About once or twice a month each summer, my mother and I, (and occasionally visiting friends) go out to the house to mow the lawn, and make sure everything is in order, and that no one has disturbed the property. This is where we first met Panther. We were surprised by how friendly she was, and how comfortable she was coming right up to us. She would sneak up slowly and silently and suddenly she would just be standing right next to you as if she 'd been there the whole time. We were in love right away. such a beautiful and sweet visitor. She seemed to really be attached to us as well. Once she even tried to climb in to my friends car while we were getting ready to leave.

So you can imagine how horrified we were the first time her owner sped by in his big wheel pick up truck and screamed out the window for her to "GET HOME NOW!" followed by a string of exceptionally rude words.
How could anyone yell at such an adorable and loving creature?
We were very concerned. My brother and I were convinced that they beat her, and starved her. But we had no proof. Other than all the yelling and screaming, we never saw her owner interact with her at all. When her owner would drive by, she would shrink low to the ground, and flinch, but she wasn't afraid of other people. She was a little on the small side, but she wasn't starved looking. she looked like an appropriate weight for a dog of her breed and size.

One day in early September, we went to the house and Panther was there. She looked awful. We realized that she had given birth. We had never even realized she was pregnant. She had been starved so much that she hadn't shown at all. Now that she was no longer carrying her babies we could see all of her bones.
My mother marched right over the neighbor's and demanded that they let us take her home with us where she would be treated right. They shrugged, and told us that they thought she'd had some puppies somewhere outside, and we should probably find the babies and take them as well.
We found them shivering in the dirt, under a trailer in the yard. There were 8 of them.

We took them all home, and set Panther up with a very good shelter that would care for her and her puppies until they were old enough to leave her. we would have loved to keep her, but unfortunately she had been raised practically wild. she had hunted for all of her food, and my mom lives right next door to a small farm. Unless we tied Panther up, she would have killed all of their chickens, and rabbits. Panther was a free spirit. she wouldn't have been happy tied up.
So Panther, and all of the puppies were adopted out to very good and loving homes, and of course, I kept one of the puppies myself. Riley.

Riley's a little over 2 years now, and she is just as sweet and loving as her mother. Having been starved before birth and only fed what garbage her mother could rummage up however, left her brain a little under-developed, and her tummy with very specific dietary needs (Kibbles and Bits. No premier dog food for this pup.)

She's awkward. She tries so hard to be friends with everyone/everything she meets. Most of the time she tries too hard. Other animals find her annoying (most people do to) But once you get to know her, you realize that her heart is in the right place, and all she really wants to do is show you how much she loves you.

This is Riley as a puppy. Look how fast her little tail is going!