It's my 9th Birthday Bash and 1st Comment-a-thon!

 

Dearest Payton,
I just want to tell you how much I love you and how much I have loved every minute of our nine years together.  All of the ups, and even the down times, are so precious to me.  It is amazing that you are still in our lives, but I thank God for you every single day, and always ask Him to bless us with many more days together.  You are an inspiration, a miracle, and an angel on earth.  Happy 9th Birthday, baby girl.  Enjoy your day!
Love,
Mom

Sorry for the sappy note from my mom, but when she asked for the laptop, I didn't know what she was up to.  I probably owed her one, but now we're even.  Anyway, let's get this party started!!  First up, let me share with you an awesome early birthday gift from the Southern Fried Pugs.  You will not believe what they sent me...the sweetest, most thoughtful thing that has forever sealed them in my dad's heart...and made my mom leaky as she was helping me open the package...  My very own Chicago Bears cheerleading outfit!!

Yep, I'm totally ready for football season to start now.  Go Bears!  Da Bearsss!  Thanks so much Isabelle, Petunia, and Tallulah!!  Mom and dad are slackers when it comes to checking the mail, but they did last night.  There was a bunch of cards and such from even more friends.  I feel so loved...you guys are awesome!  Thanks!  Who knows how long they have been sitting in the mailbox.  Sheesh!  I'll have to tell you the specifics about them later because mom said I might as well wait until tonight to open them, so I will.  Although I don't really have a choice given my lack of usable thumbs, now do I?

Now for some more GREAT news!  My inhaler came in late Monday afternoon so Gammy and Gampy are coming over tonight!!  And mom promised me a very sweet treat!  This is going to be a great birthday party, so I better get some rest... 

Oh my pug, I'm up!  What a dream!  I was traveling the globe in my private jet with my frequent-flyer friends (Lola Pug, Sid, Suki, and Puglet) there to help show me the ropes!  Gampy better come through with his promise of a private jet for me tonight so I can visit ALL of my dear blogging friends, near and far!  My mom said not to hold my breath because Gampy promised her a pool a very, very long time ago and it never happened...although he says that my "training" pool from last summer counts.  Hmmm...yeah, good try, Gampy, but I'm not sure that cuts it.

Anyway, did mom just say it was almost time for my party?

I can taste the nomables already!

I should probably make sure everything is in order!

Mom, get your butt out of that chair and let's get to taste testing all the food before my special guests arrive!

Sheesh!  My work around here is never done.  I hope mom has it all together because I'm so excited!  I'll be sure to post pictures of my party and tell you all about it later this week.

Ok, enough about me.  Remember, this post is also my Comment-a-thon to help out Wilma's "Stuff My Doghouse" project that I told everyone about last Friday!

So please remember to leave a comment on this post today (March 21st) before the clock strikes midnight CST to help a good cause, specifically the Homeward Bound Pug Rescue and Adoption of Oklahoma!  And thanks to those of you who have already donated directly, especially those that said they would do so in my honor!

Love,
Payton

PS.  I just want to give a shout-out to Sid for the inspiration to visualize my dream using the Ken Burns effect!  If you haven't seen his studly potato video, it's a must!

Flashback Friday...my birthday last year

With my 9th birthday fast approaching next week (Wednesday the 21st), I was thinking about what I might get this year.  Last year Gammy got me a cool blue elephant.

The elephant was fun and everything, but this is a big birthday for me, so besides the cake I told you about earlier, I asked Gampy for a private jet.  I think he said yes.  That way we can travel the country and visit all of my awesome blogger friends!

I also want to do something really special and meaningful for my birthday, but I was having a hard time coming up with an idea.  And that's when my friend Wilma told me all about her "Stuff My Doghouse" project.

Check out the details and help if you can.  I plan to participate by doing a birthday comment-a-thon on March 21st!  I will contribute a dollar for every profile that leaves a comment on my birthday post to make a purchase off the rescue's wish list.  So be prepared to say Hi this coming Wednesday!

Have a wonderful weekend!  Oh, and don't forget to wear green tomorrow. 

Love,
Payton

PS.  I wanted to give everyone an update on my condition.  I still get out of breath more than I should, but Wednesday and Thursday were great days!  I was spunky.  I had fun barking (mom says I now sound like a smoker though),

mildly chomping on a few toys,

taking in the sun and smelling the breeze outside, and of course, demanding to eat an hour before each meal and pill time.  But there was also plenty of napping too so I can continue to get stronger.  I know all of your prayers are working and I feel the love!  Thanks so much.

The 'rents ordered me an emergency inhaler (thanks Southern Fried Pugs for all of the info!).  The vets warned us that the medicine may cause me to seizure and may not work, but mom and dad will feel better knowing that they have something to use in any dire situation.  I have to wait to see Gammy and Gampy until it comes in, just in case.  I miss them.

My party was supposed to be this weekend, but we are postponing it.  I probably wont get any toys since I may get too excited, but I sure do hope I get to see Gammy and Gampy for my birthday.

Suki's mom suggested that I get a stroller to use on adventures and such, so I can still enjoy the outdoors on walks.  I'm hoping that we can test drive one at a local store soon!  My friend Winston has one and so does my man, Mack.  I hope I like it.

Thanks again to everyone for their well wishes and kind words.  Please continue to keep me in your prayers.

Holiday Rewind...Chicago bound part 1

Like I was saying yesterday, it’s a good thing that I was resting after an eventful Christmas morning at home and then at Gammy and Gampy’s house because only 2 days later, mom and dad got up early and all of the noise woke me up!  So, of course, I got out of the big bed to see what all the commotion was about.  And just when I was going to give them a talking to for making so much noise, they whisked me up, put on my seat belt harness, and out the garage we went.  I knew what that meant…CHICAGO!!  At first I was thrilled and anxious (yipping and trying to get up front with dad),

but then I remembered how tired I was and crashed.  Mom and dad were glad because they knew it was going to be a long day of surprises.  Seems like before I knew it, we were driving slow and approaching a small town, smaller than ours.  How strange, I thought.  Where in the world could we be?  This is NOT Chicago.  We stopped at a gas station to fill up the car and my stomach.  It was time to check out the surroundings and “take care of business”, but to my ‘rents displeasure, I only accomplished the first task.  Then back in the car, but we only drove down the street before stopping again.  Now I was really anxious to find out what we were doing!  We all got out of the car and dad rang the doorbell of a beautiful limestone house,

and you won’t believe who was there waiting to greet me!  None other than my great friend, SUKI!! 

She was the very first pug I ever met (we had such a fun 4thof July together) and I was so happy to see her again!  Suki (and her mom) flew from Texas to visit her Grandpa and Grandma, who live in the middle of Illinois, so our moms planned a get together since it would be on the way to Chicago!  Everyone was so nice to me and made us feel like part of the family!  Suki’s mom made some homemade chicken and dumplings for lunch that my mom hasn’t stopped talking about!  Since we weren’t allowed to help finish off any leftovers, Suki and I immediately began to catch up as old friends do.

Then we exchanged gifts.  I wish mom had taken a picture of the perfectly wrapped box that Suki gave me!  It was so pretty, almost too pretty to open.  I said ALMOST!

I was starting to work up quite a glow with my t-shirt on, so dad took it off so I wouldn't over heat.  Hehee!  There were so many things to open, just look at all my gifts!

Now how cool is that bowl and bacon ornament?!?  Seriously, I love them all (THANKS Suki!).  You can't really see it very well in these pictures, but I got a skinneez osterich!  You will see more pictures of me palying with it in Chicago, don't worry.  Yep, that brings my Christmas total of Skinneez up to 4!  I am a lucky pug!  Next it was Suki's turn.

I am so glad that I wasn't the only one to dive right in!  Suki went to town opening her Lambie Doodle.  That got her in a feisty mood so she played tug of war with my dad.

Next it was time for us to head outside for a bit and take care of some business.  But not the kind you are thinking about!

Don't we look tough in our sleeve-less coats?!?

We had some official Sunflower Sister business.  Suki masterminded the entire heist!  No need to re-post pictures here, just head over to Wilma's blog to read more about it!  And trust me, it's worth the click!  Well, after being outside in the cold, we needed to warm our tushies!

And then sadly, before we knew it, our visit was over.  We needed to hit the road so we wouldn't be traveling into the late hours.  I miss my friend already!  We had a blast!

Can you believe all of the excitement I’ve had already?  And I’m just at the end of week one!  Stay tuned for another full week of posts in my Holiday Rewind series starting Monday.  Up next, one more important stop on the way to downtown Chicago!

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Payton

Payton's Guest Post for Wilma's Blog:

Wilma's Friends Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Hi everybody! It's almost Wednesday, and you know what that means? It's time for my friends' words of wisdom!

This week, our dear friend Payton of Pugnacious P has presented a wonderful guest post, full of wisdom. Thanks to Payton, for being so generous, and forthright in sharing her story here with us. There is quite a bit to learn from Payton, so don't stop here. If you haven't already, go on over and check out Payton's blog. Tell her Wilma sent you.

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“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

When talking to my friend, Gracie the Agility Pug, she reminded me of the classic expression, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” That got me thinking; I’ve been dealing with lemons since birth! It may just need to become my motto.

I don’t really remember much before my mom and dad, but they have no doubt I was from a puppy mill…talk about lemons! I’ve only told a handful of people this, but my parents saved me from a pet store. Mom and dad totally knew better. Despite only wanting to get a rope toy for my best friend Isabella the giant schnauzer, they shouldn’t have even gone in a store that sells dogs and cats instead of holding adoption fairs. But when they saw me, it was all over. They were already thinking about getting a pug, and they just couldn’t stand the thought of what may happen to me if they didn’t take me home. Mom and dad are somewhat ashamed as they know how it encouraged things they appall; however, on the other hand, especially knowing what we do now about my health, they are confident the right decision was made and it was totally meant to be. It is highly likely that I would not be here today if mom and dad didn’t rescue me. I was blessed with the perfect family, who could take care of me and my, um, issues. And I like to think that I add a certain amount of indescribable specialness to their lives too! My life had a very ill-fated beginning and certainly there are regrettable aspects of how I got a forever home, but the story has a very happy ending. And we drink that lemonade all the time.

The second major bag of lemons was dealt just over 5 years ago. Pug Dog Encephalitis. I’m not going to lie that there aren’t difficult times because of my disease. But Gracie reminded me that we certainly make the most out of every situation. Instead of dwelling on my illness, we use the quarterly check-ups with my neurologist as an opportunity to have fun vacations in a great city (Chicago)! Lucky for me, mom and dad have never put limitations on me (within reason) just because I’m sick, so we go on lots of adventures, even at home. And someone I love is always with me…24 hours a day! I’m not sure it get’s much better than that. Lastly, my mom and I probably wouldn’t have started my blog if I didn’t have this disease. And that means that I would not have had the privilege of meeting all of you, this wonderful blogging community of pugs, dogs, and peeps!

So take it from me, enjoy life to the fullest and make every day count even if you are dealt with some nasty lemons because you can always make some tasty lemonade!

Love,
Payton

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Hi, it's Wilma again. I just wanted to add, that for the record, I am very proud that Payton shared with us, how she found her way to her family. Some folks might get upset that Payton came from a puppy mill originally. In my opinion, this was just how it had to be. Many times, we find our humans, they don't find us. Payton needed her parents. Who knows what would have happened to her if they did not feel that strong connection with her. If they did not go against what they believed in to save Payton. Because save her they did, and made it better that most people are capable of. I for one, am very grateful for that, and clearly, so is she!

Love you girlfriend!

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Posted by Wilma    at 6:40 PM on Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I'm a guest blogger today

Since mom has been so busy cleaning the house from the garage construction over the weekend, I have had to increase my time spent awake supervising things.  (Yes, she has been paranoid, seeing dry wall powder and fiberglass everywhere.  Yes, she needs help.)  And she has also been working on a project that I'll tell you all about on Friday.

So anyway, we are tired.  As such, this is a very lazy post.  I'm just writing to tell you that I am a guest blogger over at Wilma's today for her regular column Wednesday Words of Wisdom.

me and Wilma as wise pug yogis

So if you haven't already stopped by her blog, please do and let me know what you think about my "Words of Wisdom".

Love,
Payton

Impugsonations

It's not too hard to impersonate your fellow pug.  It's all in the eyes.

The evil eye is a skill some of us are born with.  Like Minnie Moo and me!  Here's a split screen of the two of us.  

Minnie Moo and Payton

(Ok, mom and I promise that this will be one of the last poor quality, scanned photos of me for a while...we think I was between 1 and 2 years old in the picture - closer to Minnie's age now.)

Now be careful if you attempt this at home, the evil eye has tremendous power -- use with caution.  Right, Minnie?  

Another good expression is the squinty eye.  I've seen Wilma sport this often to show her feelings, usually delight, but it can work to make sure everyone knows you mean business too!  Here's Wilma and I, both in cars getting a little trippy - me with the air conditioning in my face, and Wilma with some drugs (after a vet visit) dreaming of milkshakes!

Wilma and Payton

So, what do you guys think...are we from the same family tree? 

Have a fun and relaxing weekend!!  And don't forget to practice your "impugsonations"! 

Love,

Payton