And the dog came back the very next, next, next, next day.

Well, Romulus is home (for good), finally.

He beat Parvo. Against the odds, it would seem, for a guy of his size and stature. He's SO happy to be home. Even though he has spent the majority of his time as our dog in the vet hospital, I think he has grown even more attached to us. He's so happy to see us and just wants to crawl up on our laps whenever he's got the chance.

This morning when we went to pick him up from the vet, there was another couple waiting for their dog. When the brought her out, it was a full grown minature schnauzer. It was so fun to see what Rom will grow up to look like. He's going to be such a great addition to our little family.

I guess we are done adding dogs, though, if we're gonna spend that kind of money on medical care, might as well be a baby. :::wink:::

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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: Rom is doing better. The Urgent Care vet (UCV) said he was able to get him to eat last night and the dog didn't throw it up or diarrhea it back out. Yay! Haha. He's still spending the day at the regular vet, but the hope is that he'll be able to come home tonight - if he remains able to eat and to keep food down (or, rather, in) for the rest of the day.

Here he is (pictured below) with his IV and enormous bag of fluids. I like the bandages they use to wrap his catheter, though. This morning he had one with purple polka dots and smiley faces.

The Bad: In the playoffs, with double-elimination the name of the game, "more summer fun" (the BYUB co-ed softball team) was eliminated from the competition last night. They put out a great effort, but just couldn't pull it through at the very end. I enjoyed watching Geoff and everyone play. I was on the DL (or, Disabled List for the baseball illiterate) and unable to play, but I think that's actually a plus for the team. haha. I DON'T got game.

The Ugly: The Canine Parvovirus is apparently quite a little monster. It first appeared in 1978 and spread worldwide in ONE YEAR. Yowza. I was dismayed and pretty grossed out to learn that it can live for months (up to 7) without a host.

The only effective killer: Bleach.

Needless to say, I spent the better part of yesterday night washing everything Rom ever touched in bleach. This included our bedding, throw pillows, leashes, toys, clothes, his kennel, floor rugs.

I'm sure I didn't get rid of it completely, but hopefully enough to protect Rubio and Rom from future attacks of this gross, strong-willed parasite (is a parasite the same as a virus? Probably not...if not, then I mean it in a "oh, what a parasite" kind of way and not a literal way...got that?).

Anyway, life is going pretty smoothly. The pledge drive starts tonight and I'm behind in my goals for the year, so here's hoping to much generosity from the hearts of PBS viewers everywhere!

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Big Sigh

Well, the barking has ceased, at least for the moment.

For those of you who know Rubio, you know he doesn't make any noise. Well, Romulus has spent the last 17 hours in the hospital, so his little grumblings and barkings have not been heard.

Much to our shock and dismay, Romulus was diagnosed with an extremely vicious and contagious virus yesterday: The Parvo Virus. This virus is relatively common in puppies, but is brutal and has meant Rom has been on IV fluids and medications since his diagnosis.

He's a trooper, but he's not having any fun.

Unfortunately, because it's a virus, there's no real treatment. They just try to keep the dog hydrated and infection free while he waits out the virus. This means he could be coming home as soon as tonight, but also means he could need up to 5 days of hospitalization. BIG SIGH.

Rubio, I've been told, should be okay because he's older. Nonetheless, he'll be getting a booster shot for the Parvo vaccine this afternoon and I'll be bleaching anything Rom has touched in an effort to rid the house of the virus (which, if you google Parvo, you'll find is pretty much impossible).

Keep your fingers crossed for little Rom that he will get better, and little Rube that he won't get sick.

I know I am.

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Here a Bark, There a Bark...

Quite unexpectedly this weekend Geoff and I gained a new member of the Parker brood.

Sneaking his way into our lives is Romulus Parker (named after the legendary founder of Rome, mind you, not the Star Trek characters - a fact Geoff so cleverly witheld from telling me about during the name selection). He's a salt and pepper colored Miniature Schnauzer. He loves to chase, chew, run, play, tumble, tossle, and snuggle. He's a sweetheart to be sure, and quite a little spitfire.

Rubio and Rom have been getting along great. The first day they couldn't keep their paws off each other, but things have calmed down and beside the occasional play fighting, they mostly mind their own business.

Rom and I had his first training sessions yesterday and I introduced him to "sit", "spin", and "up" (which really means stand in your hind legs). He's doing very well and we'll do the same again today. I'm the one who really needs training, though. I'm so used to a blind dog that I have to remember how to work with a sighted dog. It's an adjustment, but luckily and easy one.

His crate training is going exceptionally well, too. Mostly this is because he's a puppy. When we got Rubio, he was 6 months old and not crate trained, so getting him used to sleeping in his kennel was VERY hard, so it's nice to have Rom just go in and go to bed. We take him out at least once during the night, but he'll probably be able to start sleeping through the night in another week or so. Rubio still sleeps on the bed with us.

Welcome Romulus (also affectionately referred to as Romster -as in Monster - and Rombo - as in Rambo).

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Bowling is Good for the Soul

When Geoff and I first started dating, we went bowling a lot. This is primarily because he lived at home and I lived in BYU housing, so we needed a good place to go out without spending too much. A cheap-o bowling alley in Lindon (which is now a SCHOOL btw) did a 50 cent per game promotion every Tuesday and Thursday. My average score grew from a 68 or so to a 125 or so during that time.

Since Geoff's return from the mish, we haven't done quite as much bowling (mostly due to the aforementioned fact that the bowling alley is now an institution of learning for his younger brother). However, there is a bowling alley in Orem that does a $5 cover charge and 50 cent games on Tuesday and Thursday. Last Thursday, Stephanie and I wanted to go out to eat together and do something fun afterward. I remembered the cheap bowling and called Geoff to see if him and Scott wanted to join us (they did, of course). We had such a blast laughing and cheering and dancing and just being together. I haven't really had that much fun in awhile so I was really glad we did it.

Oh, and I did get the high score of the night with a 142.

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I was already aware...

I am my father's daughter. As such, I have been blessed (or cursed, as it may be) with very...let's say...sturdy ankles. Okay, really, they are cankles. I am not overweight, this is simply the result of my musculo-skeletal structure. I wish I had slim, lady-like ankles, but the cankley ankles I do have serve well to hold up my body and maneuver my feet.

Imagine my shock, surprise, and definite dismay when I found out that July (according the Gold's Gym) is Cankle Awareness Month.

What exactly does this mean, you ask. Well, in addition to making my genetic make-up a disorder worthy of awareness, Gold's explains it this way: "In reality, they are no laughing matter and are something that we help people fight every day. We have created Cankle Awareness month to...give people real, tangible advice they can use to combat them."

Not only do they give exercise and diet tips geared at cankle reduction, they fill me in on the best ways to dress my hideous legs so as to spare others the spectacle of gazing upon my massive lower legs. These tips include: "Look for pants in soft fabrics like cotton or poly blends that drape loosely around the ankle. Skinny jeans, which bunch at the ankle, are a no-no. " and "At the gym, wear bright sneakers to draw attention away from the ankle. Sports socks that reach only to the rim of the sneaker will create longer leg lines. "

I've been thinking about it and I realized I have one more option...I could just cut my legs off altogether. It sure seems a lot easier.

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Vegas #3

And, now, for all you eager beavers (okay, I'm pretty sure no one reading this is at all eager to read it...and I'm fairly confident there are no beavers) here is my next Vegas post.

We all slept in a little bit on Saturday and got out of bed around 9. After some breakfast eating and getting ready, mom and I head out for a little girl time. We drove over to the nearest movie theatre (at least according to Geoff's iPhone) to see My Sister's Keeper.

We arrived about a half hour before the movie was slated to begin. Now, please keep in mind that it was the fourth of July in Las Vegas, NV inside the Palms Casino. We nabbed the best seats in the theatre and began waiting. We waited alone. We determined since we were alone we could sit anywhere we wanted...heck, we could even lay down! No one else ever joined us. We got a private viewing!

Even more important, I think I should mention, is that this is the second movie I've ever seen in Vegas - and both times, we were the only people in the theatre.

After the movie we needed to find a grocery store to pick up some food to take back to the guys for lunch...but were disappointed to find out that there aren't any grocery stores in Vegas. (Not really, of course).

After lunch, we head over to the mall for some fun. Geoff and I had a great time hunting him down a pair of sunglasses. We also bought him a couple polos from a store called Mango (only worth mentioning, really, because it's the best name, EVER).

After the mall, we loaded into the car and went off to find a Walmart (for some necessities). We were successful - and starving, so we started driving around looking for a place to eat. We ended up at Denny's where we got surprisingly poor service considering we were their only customers.

Then we drove over to Fremont Street where they have a huge screen built over the entire street and do light shows (as tributes to bands) and virtual fireworks. There were street bands and shops and street vendors. It was a ton of fun. While on Fremont Street, I got a grain of rice with mine and Geoff's names written on it. The guy who made mine (from Khazakistan, he said - but really, China) was HILARIOUS and joked and played tricks on me the whole time. It was amazing to watch him write on the rice, too, because he didn't use any kind of magnification. I love the bracelet, not only because it's super cute, but because of the memories associated with getting it!

We stopped at the Circle K on the way back to the Venetian to pop some desperately needed popcorn and then watched a little TV while we munched. We got to bed really late that night...but knew all we really had to look forward to the next day was going home, so we didn't mind. And that was Vegas!

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