She followed me home. Can we keep her??!!

Last week a friend of ours was taking her son to school and found these really young puppies playing near one of the bus stops. She then discovered that the dogs were strays and took them home because she didn't know what else to do. When Allan found out that she had done this he asked me to find out what kind of puppies they were, and if they needed homes. So, we did and we went to take a look, and it was love at first sight! We think she is a hound mix of some kind, still trying to figure that out. Her paws are a good size so we think she will grow up to be pretty good sized girl, but we are used to big dogs, so either way it's fine with us.
She came home with us on Tuesday, and she has already learned how to jump on the couch and bed (not good)!! Her first few days in her new home have gone extremely well, and even Max has been patient with her (always a good thing).
Now we just have to finalize a name for her. There are about a million good dog names for male dogs, but for some reason, it's harder with her. We'll post her name as soon as she has one!

Book project update!

I just finished book #25, marking the halfway point of my goal of reading 50 books in 2009. Water for Elephants is a great tale of life as part of the circus in the 1930's. I was fascinated by all the characters (and their mysterious development) and the premise for this story. I am off to the library again in search of the next favorite!

Bon Appetit!

I was bored and hungry the other night, and at a complete loss for ideas for dinner. So, I started thumbing through our cookbooks in search of inspiration. I found a very simple roasted chicken recipe and we decided to try it. Not only was it easy, but it was probably some of the best chicken I have ever tasted. And...for dessert - fresh cherries! I LOVE summer fruit! I will be sad when we are limited to apples and pears in the fall!

Happy Birthday Allan!

Shelly and her sister were great hostesses and were gracious enough to host Allan's birthday party this year, complete with great food on the grill, swimming and sangria!
We had a great turnout, and although we got a little rain, everyone had a blast! I love any excuse to get together with friends, and since the long days of summer are getting fewer, it was wonderful to take a dip in the pool while we still have the opportunity! Happy Birthday!!

Toro Family Reunion 2009

In July, we attended the "2nd annual" Toro family reunion. There are always lots of family members present, and it is always great to catch up with our many cousins, who range from age from 10-35 years old. We always manage to get together at least once a year, with different family members present at each event. We broke out the horseshoe game, which papaw helped us with! He filled us in on all the "rules" of the game. We had wonderful weather, and a great view of the lake. I think my aunts are already in the process of planning next year's event!

Clara Owen 1934-2009

I just wanted to take a quick moment to remember my grandmother, Clara Owen. She passed away on June 30, 2009. My grandparents have always been a huge part of our lives and were a big part of raising us along with our cousins. My grandmother was by far one of the most patient, loving, and sweet people that I have had the pleasure of knowing. Although we will miss her greatly, I am happy to have such fond memories to look back on. From home cooked meals, to making toys out of household items to keep the grandkids from being bored, it seemed that she was always doing her best to ensure everyone's happiness. I think we all appreciate the generosity that she showed to all of us. We plan on making many visits to Tyler over the next couple of months to check on "papaw" so that he has some company. We will continue to keep our family in our thoughts and prayers as we each try to recover from this great loss.

Happy Birthday Lucy!

We were fortunate enough to join in celebrating the first birthday of our beautiful niece. The year flew by and it really does feel like yesterday that she was born. Happy Birthday sweet girl!