Last year I thought I was really on the ball. I very thoughtfully and faithfully posted to Instagram because I had read you can have your posts printed into a book. As someone who loves the idea of a scrapbook but hates scrapbooking yet enjoys social media, this seemed like a major win. January 1 rolled around and I decided to make it happen.
I still haven't figured out how to have them print in chronologically order OR how to print the Instagram caption. If anyone has tips, please leave them in the comments. For now, though, I decided to start a new blog because I KNOW I can print that into a book.
We kicked off the new year with a family game day and had an absolute ball. I've considered Ticket to Ride for awhile now but it was pricey as board games go and some games haven't been a hit. It seemed like an expensive gamble. Traipsing through Target shortly before Christmas I spotted an end cap where the game was on sale. Clearly a sign that I was meant to buy it.
Without question, this is the most fun we've had with any board game yet. It helps that the kiddos are older, too, of course.
The kids wanted a game day AND a jammies day which I was more than happy to oblige. I had spent the entire week doing one thing after the other and was ready for a truly relaxed vacation day.
Over dinner that evening we discussed fostering. The rescue from which we adopted our two dogs had asked if we would foster a little Norwich Terrier. The whole family needed to be in so we talked extensively about it ultimately deciding to give it a try. When I responded the Norwich had a foster home but there was a Cairn/Schnauzer mix they asked if we would consider.
On Saturday we drove the two hours to Tulsa, met the Cairn/Schnauzer mix and I quickly realized he was too energetic for our family. Our family seems energetic to me until I'm around other people and then I realize that we're not as loud and boisterous as I sometimes feel we are. An angel of a volunteer suggested that we meet the other (twelve) dogs that needed fosters.
During this meet and greet, Max was bitten multiple times in the leg, one of our dogs was cornered and bit Brett when he picked him up out of the melee and all of us were pretty much on edge with the exception of want-to-be veterinarian, Madeleine, who seemed blissfully at peace about the whole thing.
I took Max out to the front lobby where we hung out with Barkley and Barkley's former foster parents. They are AWESOME people. Aside from getting an amazing Scottie, I feel like we got the added gift of meeting two downright cool new friends to boot. Anyway, Madeleine came in carrying a tiny (compared to our 28 lb Scottie and 16 lb Cairn), fluffy, white dog.
Now this is going to paint me in a bad light but...I'm not into white dogs. Apparently there is a bias against black dogs but I LOVE black dogs. I actively look for little black dogs because they're totally my bag. Not the super cute, almost stuffed animal looking, white, fluffy dogs.
So here's this little dog, curled up happily in Madeleine's arms with Madeleine sporting an angelic "isn't he so wonderful" smile. I unashamedly deferred to Brett who unsurprisingly said yes to Madeleine's plea that we foster Bingo, the three year old Maltese.
We're on the fifth day of the new year. The year of Rest - word I chose after much prayer and contemplation. I'm not sure how a foster dog fits into a year of rest but, gracious, he is precious. I was up for a solid hour or two trying to go to sleep last night waffling between - I can't give him up, I love him and I hope he finds his forever family soon. We said we wouldn't have three dogs again after Sammy passed and I really do think that is best for our family. Fostering little cuties like this guy do not help, however!
That said, it has been an incredible gift to see our kids and Brett opening their hearts to help others. I really do believe that people who love animals tend to be people who love well and are kind. Watching our kids care for and love on our dogs and our foster and seeing their hearts for abandoned animals is humbling and beautiful.
