Pumpkin Patch 2007

We enjoyed a nice family outing to the local pumpkin patch last weekend. It was a beautiful, yet windy day out- but not nearly as hot as in some years past. As an added bonus this year, there was a pony ride. The kids got their first ride on a pony/horse and loved it!! As our tradition goes every year, we took the kids' pictures in their costumes. Jadon has decided to be Captain Jadon the Pirate and Nekoda is Fairy Princess Nekoda. I hope Halloween night is a fairly warm one so the kids don't have to wear coats over their costumes!! Have a great Halloween everyone and be safe!!

Fall beauty

This weekend, the family and I headed over to Lake Tahoe for the day. It was a gorgeous day complete with a layer of fresh snow. It wasn't much snow- just a dusting- but the crisp and cold air brought a nice change from the heat of summer. The changing trees were awesome- we saw yellows, oranges, reds and variations therein. Our main goal was to see the trees- but we had an extra surprise waiting for us there- they were having the 18th annual Kokanee Salmon Festival. It actually turned out to be a really neat thing to see. We learned about the cycles of the fish from birth to death and saw a ton of them in the creek there. They only have a few weeks before they spawn and die off. They are solely freh-water salmon that go between the creek and Lake Tahoe. The kids had fun throwing rocks in the water and seeing all the fish. They also got some freebees and got to make some salmon necklaces.

After, we took the kids to McDonald's where we let the kids play for a long time in the inside playground. We then took a drive on up to just beyond the Nevada state line. The lake was beautiful.

Had a lazy drive home and then ordered in food from GoodFella's Italian restaurant for dinner.

It was a good day.

A sad day

I found out about a young dog last night as I was surfing the web that had 7 days to live. A new website posts available animals from various shelters- you just type in your zip code and a radius to search for a pet of your choice. The thing that makes this website new and different is that it also posts how long these animals have until they are euthanized. My first mistake was to visit the site in the first place. I should have known better. I am a hopeless animal lover. All the pets I have ever owned in my adult life have come from interesting backgrounds- always strays. So....it was inevitable that I would find a dog to fall in love with. This dog was just what I'd been hoping for- she could have been the twin sister of our dog we have now- Kaya. Same mix of breeds- Black Lab and Australian Shepherd- sweet disposition, good with kids and other animals.....perfect. To make things even more incredible as it seemed.....this dog had my name on it.....her name was Tara.


I entered into much discussion of the matter with my husband- someone who I had to basically beg for our first dog (my first dog ever as I could not have one growing up)- he realized how much I wanted this dog and how it seemed to be all falling into place. I really felt like this dog was the answer to my prayers, a Gift from God. Kaya would have a companion- something I've been wanting for her for a long time, the kids would have another dog to love and I would be content with that second dog I've always wanted. So....upon getting the okay from the hubby- I called the shelter to say I wanted Tara. It was at this time that I was informed that Tara was no longer available as she'd already been euthanized!! No!! I protested- how could this be? It says on the website that she has 7 days left!! Well, the lady informed me, Tara got sick.....and we don't spend the money to help out those that are sick due to over-crowding in our facility and other expenses- so, she was gone.


My new dog Tara- guess it was never meant to be. R.I.P. sweet Tara- I'm so sorry and sad that I didn't get to you in time.