Happy Lula Day!

While most people spent their weekend celebrating our veterans poolside, lakeside, or bbq-side, we've spent our weekend focused on the most important of days. The anniversary of when Lula chose me as her mom.

[Lula checking the quality of the new sod]

Six years ago today, I met the big-eyed beagle mutt in North Atlanta. I'd driven to the adoption event to meet a beagle I'd seen photos of, but this one made my heart skip a beat. She was so shy, yet so full of love. She'd had a rough life. Her owner had gotten sick and was forced to board Lula and her sister at the vet. After 4-5 months, the owner couldn't take on the cost of boarding the dogs, so a nice lady at the vet brought in the aid of a local beagle rescue group. At the time, Lula was known as Candy. She and her sister, Sandy, must've had a rough homelife before they moved to the boarding facility. For months after I brought her home, she was terrified of men. To this day, she's scared of feet. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what must've happened. Repeatedly. And it breaks my heart.

[Lula taking a break from yard work on the chaise]

So I brought her home, mostly unprepared for what I'd signed up for, on Memorial Day 2006. I was a 20-something singleton who needed a friend. And she was a 1-year old pup who needed to re-learn how to love. The afternoon she came home with me, some friends came over to meet her. As they left, she bolted out the door. I thought I'd made a huge mistake--not only was I clueless, but she knew it and wanted nothing to do with me. After about 45 minutes of frantically searching the neighborhood for her (calling her by both the newly given name and her old one--that couldn't have been confusing), I walked back home, so disappointed in myself and afraid for where the new pup may be.

To my surprise, the beagle was sitting on the front doormat, panting with a big smile, covered in mud to her armpits. We've been together ever since.

[Lula testing the outdoor pillows]

So today, we celebrated Lula by taking her on a hike at Stone Mountain Park, where she actually waded into the lake on her own accord. 

[testing the lake at Stone Mountain Park]

[sweet pup prints from the water]

[Lula and her dad. He was determined to win her over despite her fear of men, and eventually her mom too.]

Throughout the weekend, she managed to live life easily. Always finding the absolute softest surface in any room. Whether it be the newly laid sod, the chaise lounger, the pile of outdoor pillows, or a massive pile of blankets. 

Of course, Frosty Paws followed...and she was forced to choose between Original flavor and Peanut Butter. She chose the latter.

[Lula's toughest decision of the day]

[Peanut Butter is the winner]

We're pretty darn happy to have her. And I think she's happy to be here.

[Kisses at the lake]

 Tonight, we're smoking some pulled pork. I'm pretty sure she'll find her way into a bite or two.

fall in north georgia

saturday was glorious, so we packed up the dog and headed north for the day. Lula's been acting out a little, so we figured an adventure would do her spirit some good.

we started the day driving around lake rabun, specifically tame turkey road. we hit a spot and were taken aback by how breathtaking it was. you could see the neighboring mountains & there wasn't a cloud in the sky. sorry, too stunned for photos.

when our bellies started growling, we headed north to dillard, ga to find a bite to eat. just north of dillard on hwy 441 is an amazing farm stand: osage farms. they always have fresh veggies, amazing prices, and, of course, a crowd on the weekends. right next to the farm stand is tomlin bbq. we tried their brisket sandwiches--yum--and baked beans--okay. it was messy & delicious. we sat on the back of tailgate, letting bbq sauce drip down our fingers and hit the dirt parking lot, with Lula curled up in the back of the truck. oh, and we matched. both in black pullovers with red shirts underneath. it would have been a perfect Christmas card...if our hands hadn't been too sloppy to operate a camera.

it was a popular day at the farm stand for several reasons: it's the end of the season, so only a few weeks remain. locals were stocking up on ears of corn by the bushel, crates of potatoes, and pumpkins! they had some awesome varieties of pumpkins. cinderella pumpkins, fairytale pumpkins, swan gourds, and more i'd never heard of.  i wish i'd bought some, but still not sure why i didn't. actually, cricket convinced me they'd rock around in the back of the truck too much. really? i'm a sucker.

after nourishment, we scoped out a few hikes for our adventure. we opted to either check out the chattooga river or try something new. we'd talked about trying the panther creek falls trail, but it's like 15 miles. no thank you. cricket found a waterfall hike near clayton, ga, so we headed to the trailhead on warwoman road. the trail was a total of 10 minutes, including our 4 minute "break" to take in the falls. and by falls, i mean gentle trickle down a cliff into a slightly-wetter-than-dry creek. Lula had fun with the new smells, though.

all in all, it was a great day in the mountains. the leaves were starting to change, the weather was a high of 71, and it's just good to get out of town every once in a while. and Lula, i'd say she had a pretty good day. poor little dog.

dog for sale

i walked in the house to quite a surprise today: so much a shock-and-awe that i left the keys in the front door + didn't realize it until i was looking for them an hour earlier. i walked in to see this in the living room floor:




oh, can't tell what that crumpled up thing is among the shoes? well, it's this beautiful leather tote cricket bought me last week for my trip.

[banana republic leather market tote in cognac]

isn't wasn't it beautiful? now it looks like this...



and this...



i almost teared up. it still makes me a little emotional, so it's best i let the little turd explain how it got the facelift...

hi. i'm lula. i see that we met yesterday, but not yet officially. in that case, my name is Ms. Tallulah Belle Velmer. i'm a 5 year old beagle rescue. do you remember uno who won the westminster kennel club's "best in show" back in '08?

[handsome fella, eh?]

i get confused for him all the time. paparazzi is a nightmare, i tell ya. (okay, it's only happened a few times if you want 100% honesty). his nose is a little more square than mine, and my skin is more fair. anyway, looks aren't everything, ya know.

[i used the post-surgery pic for the sympathy vote...hope it works!]

anyway, i'm pretty darn cute right? yeah, i've had my separation anxiety issues in the past, but i'm usually really loving + really mild-tempered. but this past week has been rough. first, mom pulled out her suitcase and packed up for work trip. i HATE that suitcase. it just makes me cringe. and it makes me very sad. but since dad's suitcase wasn't out, i was relieved that he'd be hanging at home with me. the next day, dad pulled out HIS suitcase. it was a new one that i'd never seen before, but i HATE it too. what? they're both gone? what about me? dad packed up my stuff and i thought i might get to go with him and see mommy. but no, they took me to see my buddy oscar.

i have a BIG crush on oscar. his dad + my dad used to work together so we got to play at the office, and he's my best friend in the whole world. he's one of the only dogs i play with. and that's because he's cute. i made him a valentine this year too. i think he blushed. anyway, while we were playing, dad walked out the door. WAIT! you're gonna LEAVE me here? i like oscar and all, but dad packed a lot of clothes in that suitcase, and mom packed at least 5 pair of shoes. this seems too long.

oscar and i had a good time playing. i was happy until i found out mom wasn't at some boring meeting--she was in florida. at the beach. for spring training. what? i guess she forgot i'm on dogbook + can see her status updates. DUH! so i see her at the beach--my favorite place in the world. and i'm stuck here?

[sunset at clearwater beach...i could be playing in that sand]

luckily, oscar + i played a lot before she picked me up, so i kinda forgot about the deception. and it was dinnertime. we went home and played and hugged and she gave me a treat or two. i was so glad to have mom home, but wait. where's dad? i kept looking out the window for him.

mom stayed home the next day except during my naptime. i got some yummy treats. good day.

tuesday morning, she let me out early. even though it was pouring down rain, i had to get out! my belly hurt so i wanted to eat all the grass i could (and there's plenty 'cuz dad needs to mow). mom had to come out in her rain boots to get me...she wasn't thrilled. i didn't even want my breakfast. eventually mom got dressed and she left me. all day long. i just waited and waited and waited for one of them to come home. and she didn't get home early enough. so i got sick. that grass didn't sit well with me, so i vomited on my the rug. i know, not ideal. but dad's usually home an hour earlier, and i just couldn't hold it. but i really tried.

today was a good day. my belly felt good this morning and i slept in. mom left again + i took a nap. i guess i got a little stir crazy. i started roaming around the house. whoa! low + behold, the office is OPEN. i mean, the door is shut, but if i bump it hard enough i bet i can push it open. success! oooooh, look at all the goodies in here. where do i start? dad's sweaty leather soccer cleats. yep, i'll take those to my spot in the living room. oh, dad's work shoe? it smells like delicious mud, and leather. hmmm...what's in the trash? nah, nothing there. wait. what is THAT? ohhhh, it's pretty. and smells yummy. it's so soft. and leather. yep, it's going in my pile.

the handles on that bag were like a luxurious chew toy. i bet that's what mr. trump's dogs get as treats. the stuff in the bag was pretty boring, and mom's ipod headphones wouldn't fit my ears. but the leather sure was yummy.


uh-oh. what's that noise? ohhh...not again. yeah, i got sick again. the leather didn't want to stay in my belly, so i threw it up on the rug. i thought i'd try to get close enough to yesterday's spot so it'd be easy to for mom to clean.



there you have it, my side of the story. was i bad? would you forgive me?

***cricket's already offered to replace the bag. what a doll. though i really think it should come out of lula's allowance, but unfortunately she doesn't get paid to nap.