Our Poor Puppy Dog

This afternoon we had to take Murphy to the emergency animal hospital. It was quite the event today. Here's the run down:

He was acting really strange this afternoon. He was hyper salivating (aka drooling a lot), lethargic, and was having really labored breathing. He also just stood in the middle of the floor almost motionless a few times for long durations. When he did finally move from one place to another, he tucked his ears back and had his tail between his legs. We knew something was wrong, but couldn't figure out what. Usually with lethargy, vets suspect a blockage in the digestive tract (like he swallowed something bad), but his eating/bathroom habits remained the same as always. We called the emergency vet and they told us to bring him in.

We were there for 2 hours for the exam and figuring out what to do next. All his vitals were normal and lungs were clear. No blockage was felt either. However, his pupils were reacting strangely to light, and the vet felt he was acting odd for a border collie his age. She seemed to think the only solution would be that he either got ahold of some sort of medication or toxic product (though we can't imagine what it could have been since we watch him like a hawk and keep him out of the rooms that contain those items) or that he was possibly having an allergic reaction to an insect sting. Another slight possibility is that when he was standing for long periods of time, that he was having a quiet seizure - though she did mention that his other symptoms didn't line up with characteristics of seizures.

To play it safe, we decided to have him admitted over night for observation. He was given fluids and a charcoal mixture as well, to try to get his system to pass anything foreign he might have ingested. We've called twice so far since dropping him off, and they seem to think he's doing well. We pick him up tomorrow morning and go from there.

It's pretty quiet around the house without him. As much as he gets underfoot and as much of a handful as he is, he keeps things interesting. He really had us worried this afternoon, but we're confident he's in good hands. I'll let you know any updates if there are any. Hopefully it just needed to pass through his system.

2K11 Recap

If you've followed my blog since the very beginning, then you know that this post is the third annual year recap post. It's a time for me to reflect on the previous year and embrace the new one. Wow, was 2011 eventful!!

January 2011
A beautiful baby girl was born.
I found out I achieved "Certified Health Education Specialist" status based on the exam I took the previous fall.
I interviewed for a phenomenal Health Educator position at HMR and a promising Administrative Specialist position for a living community at UNT.
Wedding planning was in full swing; we picked out first dance song, selected my wedding ring, joined bank accounts, and started our invitations.
A sudden and unexpected death of an acquaintance shook the heart of a dear friend of mine.

February 2011
More wedding planning: attire for the men, booked hotel for wedding night, met with the ballpark, started counseling, selected a cake topper and signed the cake contract.
I had the flu, which put me out of commission for quite some time.
One of the biggest snow/ice events ever rocked the area.
I lost out on both of my promising job prospects. At this point I realized I needed to start looking for something to pay the bills until I could find my "dream" job.

March 2011
I was blessed with a generous and beautiful bridal shower.
Our church cancelled on us with 3 months to spare. Panic mode ensued.
We found a new and improved church that we ended up loving more than the first.
We had to redo major parts of our invitations.
I got my passport.
I started working at Pluckers as a hostess.
We signed the lease on our apartment.

April 2011
Wedding planning really started to get crazy: ordered send-off items, sent out invitations, had my bridal portraits taken, and started boot camp to get rid of my excess weight.
I broke down at Pluckers and mom got me a new job at the bank - a position that would more-than pay the bills, let me have time off for the wedding, and transition me into the full-time working world.

May 2011
We moved into our first home!
Wedding planning exploded. Pretty much, we finished everything else on our list that month - and that's almost all we did that whole month.
I interviewed for (and did not get) an exciting position as a high school college advisor.

June 2011
We got married and went on an unforgettable honeymoon!

July 2011
Murphy Long, the adorable Border Collie, came into our lives.
Our lives really started slowing down in the wake of the previous six months - which was welcome with open arms.
Phillip turned 23!

August 2011
Phillip got his internship with FC Dallas!
I really started getting jaded from working at the bank and job hunting.

September 2011
I caught up to Phillip's age with my 22nd birthday.
I started applying to graduate school at Texas Wesleyan.

October 2011
Tiffany and Adrian got engaged! We started planning our great Cabo trip that will take place in July!
I finished applying to graduate school and started waiting for the results.

November 2011
I had not one but TWO job interviews - one in Kingman, AZ, and the other a position I could work from up here.
We traveled to Kingman, Arizona. The job was a good one, but the area not-so-much. It was a growth opportunity for us to consider.

December 2011
We celebrated our first Christmas together.
I bought a new car.
I turned down the Arizona position.
I accepted the position with Cypress ECG! Big girl dream job I have been wanting for quite some time!
Phillip graduated from UTA.


What a crazy 2011 with so many ups and not too many downs. Overall, everything worked out so well. I am so blessed. I'm a little fearful of what 2012 will bring, simply because 2011 was so good to me! It'll be a year for the record books, and hopefully the coming year will be a great one too.

Happy New Year!!!

I Got a New Car!!!

This was my present to myself from Phillip and me. Brand new 2011 Mazda Cx7. We got a great deal and did it all on our own. Now I have a fancy car to load tons of miles on when I drive all over the state of Texas for work. Hooray!

Reflection on a Merry LONG Christmas

We had a wonderful first Christmas - and we're still going!

Heather and her new boyfriend Kevin came in town Friday. We spent the day hanging out and being lazy. Saturday was with the Longs and Black for their Christmas celebration. Saturday night we had to ourselves. Sunday morning I made a yummy breakfast for just the two of us and we opened gifts. Then all day Sunday was spent with my family. Samantha and her little family came too!

Today was gingerbread house contest with my side of the family and spending time with friends.

I have loved our first Christmas. It was perfect for us and we had the perfect blend of family/friend time and us time. Opening gifts together and making new traditions was the highlight.

Loving life and loving those I have surrounded myself with.

Here I Sit

Typing out a new blog entry on my new MacBook Pro. Work bought it for me. Snazzy, no?

I have no clue what I'm doing on this thing, but I'm certain I will figure a lot of it out (with Phillip's help of course) by the time my training starts. I only have like 2 weeks to master this. Totally doable, right? We'll see. This thing is complicated.

Thank goodness for compatible wireless mouse attachments. This keypad is so complicated and every time I try to use it, something disappears or magnifies to take over the entire screen or somehow turns into a photo/video of yours truly. To say I am lost is an understatement at the moment.

But fear not bloggers, I will figure it all out - even if I have to get the Mac for Dummies book somewhere.