Riley and Avery

Lola running with the big dogs:

This dog really liked Lola (in the good way, not the you-look-tasty way):

The most exercise Avery has gotten her whole life. Normally when we go out hiking, she is in the carrier or the stroller. So it's not just a dog run, it's a kid-run too!:

This is from when Lola was in the small dog run. She put that St. Bernard in his place once we put her in the main dog run. She had that dog running!:


Lola tearing up the turf:


The girls running with Lola. They must have really tired themselves out. All three of them!:

Rocket dog! Lola can kick up some dust with those short legs of hers!:


Gratuitous pictures of the cutest girls in the world!:




We got up early this morning and Rudi was already up (I know! What?). He wanted to take Lola to the dog park first thing. We headed out between 8am and 8:30, which I can't manage to do on school days, but whatever. We had taken Lola to the Garden of the Gods for a walk, but their dog park wasn't fenced, and we decided absolutely no on that. So we headed to Palmer Park and had a great time.

When we first got there, two dogs were leaving the big dog run, and there was a small dog run for dogs under 20lbs, so we started there since Lola doesn't like dogs in our neighborhood and we wanted her to meet other dogs through a fence. An elkhound puppy came shortly after the other dogs left. Then a massive influx of dogs came! I mean, there was easily 15-20 dogs in the main run, and Lola by her lonesome in the small dog enclosure. She was wagging her tail and sniffing at them through the fence, and they all seemed playful, and the big dog owners were like "bring her over, these dogs won't hurt her, and those Dachshunds are not shy about drawing the line!" Rudi was like "sure" yippee, and I was nervous as all get-out!

But Lola went in and there was no fighting. Occasionally a big dog got too rough, and Lola turned and snapped and growled and had them running! It was hilarious! Making the St. Bernard turn-tail was awesome. Eventually, Lola was running around having fun and all the other dogs would follow her. It's like she was a curiosity.

I tended to step in too much, and all the other owners were like "it's okay, they'll work it out, Lola will show those big dogs what's what" so I was like "okaaaaaay." I've seen too many episodes of People's Court where dog owners are suing for vet bills over a dog fight, so I was a little jittery, I admit.

We stayed at the dog park for about 2 hours, which is about 1.5 hours more than we thought Lola would last as much as she was running. Riley wasn't scared of any of the big dogs, and Avery was only nervous around the St. Bernard, but was okay with all the other rambunctious big dogs.

All-in-all we had a great time, communing with the other owners there, inaugurated in the "dog-people club" for sure!

All the way to the dog park, Rudi kept gushing about Lola, saying what an awesome dog she is and how we "really lucked out." And we told stories about Lola and laughed, the cute things she does, how smart she is, etc. Last week Lola pooped in the hallway and covered it up with a stray sock. We thought that was so funny. Just goes to show how over-the-moon we are for this dog, that her pooping in the hall and concealing it was funny. This dog is just SO good for our family and we all really dote on her. She's a spoiled little wiener!

So, we are in desperate need of money. And lots of it! Trying to save for our move is not going too well. In fact, it's not going at all. Without unemployment compensation, we just can't seem to get by. We have Avery's birthday next month, and have to buy cake and decorations. We also have to pay for Riley's birthday party next month so we'll have a spot in January. Ooooh, major panic attack! And the bills!! For some reason or another, I owe the college $400+ dollars, and have to pay before I can register. If I don't register for Spring semester soon, my VA benefits will be cut off and we'll be short $925/month. Even if I manage to register, I still need to buy books. Ouch. Not to mention Christmas. Ugh. I don't understand why the school can't just allow me to register, since they know that I get a refund every semester. Why can't they just take it out of that when it comes in? Well, to be honest, I haven't asked, but I suppose I will. There is NO WAY we can come up with $400+ within a week or two. I mean, the semester is over next week, and if the VA doesn't have my Spring registration by then, my check at the end of December will be next to nothing.

With the semester ending, I am thinking about trying to pick up a part-time/seasonal/temporary job. If that's possible. But doesn't everyone want one of the precious few jobs that are available? Supposedly we're going to get 20 weeks extra unemployment, but who knows when that'll kick in? Soon, I hope! I mean, REALLY soon!

I guess I'll go out and look for a job today or tomorrow. Not what I was hoping to do, but the girls are older now and in school quite a bit. Nothing full-time obviously, but at least something! Not that anyone wants to hire a person who has been a stay-at-home mom for nearly 6 years. Trust me, I know. I applied everywhere under the sun when Rudi was first unemployed and no one would touch me, even with my impeccable employment history. Even places I'd worked before wouldn't hire me (like Borders, or Gap, etc.).

Not to mention my teeth and the 5+ cavities that Riley has had for 2+ years!!

Riley cleansing her spirit with sweetgrass:



Apparently, Avery's spirit is already sparkly-clean, she was not too keen on the process:


The three amigos; Riley, Avery, and Caoimhe. Of course, Caoimhe and Riley have their eyes closed. I'll have to ask Caoimhe's mom if she got a better one. That's Caoimhe's cute little sister at the end of the table:


Our Thanksgiving started on Tuesday, I suppose, with Riley and Avery's soup feast at their school. Every year, every child brings some vegetables in to school on the Monday before Thanksgiving and they make soup. Then they take soup and cornbread to the park and we all eat it. They perform Indian dances and songs, and then we all dig in. It was fairly warm, so we spent a few hours there.

Thanksgiving dinner was nice. I made two pumpkin pies and an apple pie. Ham, roasted potatoes and carrots, candied yams, and stuffing. Not too much, but enough. I hope we can make this food last, since I spent an arm and a leg on it. At least Sunflower Market had natural ham for the same price as conventional ham at the local grocery store. Their yams were also much cheaper. I already had a stockpile of potatoes and carrots, so that was no problem. My only issue was that the "spiral cut" ham was only cut about 2 inches deep on one side and only scored on the other. What's up with that? Isn't spiral cut supposed to be cut at least close to the bone? Geez.

I am suffering from cabin fever today. We didn't get out yesterday, obviously, and have no plans to go out on the crazy day known as Black Friday. Plus, we're broker than broke. It's very warm today, so hopefully I can toss the kids outside and Rudi and I can take turns going out for coffee.

Finally got batteries in my camera, and now have a ton of random pictures!

Riley missed school on Thursday and Friday. High temperature. Fun times. This morning, her fever is gone. Probably not for good, but at least it's not a constant fever anymore. She's not as lethargic this morning (which probably means she'll end up over-doing it and have a relapse). She also has a chesty cough.

BUT, one of Riley's top teeth is loose! She is beyond excited!

So, Rudi is also sick (because that's how it goes). He called the VA clinic on Thursday, asking to be seen. They told him to go to the ER, basically because he had flu-like symptoms and they didn't want to touch him with a 10-foot pole. So, we go to the ER, which is billed to the VA, so no worries. Well, he got a diagnosis of sinusitis and bronchitis and a prescription for antibiotics. So, we took the script in to Walmart so have it filled. Turns out, there's no way to have it filled and the VA billed (and it's a $162 script! Yikes!). The VA is already closed by this time, so we wait a day.

I get up early to go to the VA to have the script filled. I take a number at the pharmacy and wait. Then I am told that the VA doesn't fill outside scripts, that I have to have his PCP re-write the script. Now, the VA clinic here recently expanded and the offices are divided between two locations. Rudi's PCP is not in the same area as the pharmacy. I get in the car and drive to his PCP. I am told there that they need the progress notes from the appointment. I leave and go home and retrieve the discharge notes from the trash and drive back to the PCP. I am told that progress notes and discharge notes are different and they need to fax the hospital to get the records. I ask how long this will take, and I am told that they have up to 72 hours to re-write it. In addition, they tell me that the script is too expensive and they'll substitute it for something else. I come home and of course, Rudi is enraged. I don't blame him. It was Friday, and he was facing the weekend without his meds, and possibly Monday too. He called and left a few choice messages with the VA nurses. Loud messages that would make a sailor blush.

So, Rudi and I are yelling at each other, not arguing, but mutually angry at the VA. We were both so angry. Rudi storms out to get the script filled anyway, with $162 that we certainly don't have (I mean, we HAVE it, but it's for groceries and such). Meanwhile, I'm panicking over the money, and decide to call the main VA number. I speak to a customer care dude, and he was kind of nervous. He didn't understand what the issue was, or more accurately, why the VA clinic was making a huge issue about this. He transferred me to someone else who was equally as baffled. She transferred me to an accounts person or something who said that if the VA clinic told him to go to the ER (and he didn't just go in his own), the clinic is supposed to accept the care that he received at the ER and the script that was written there. They TOLD him to go to the ER, they DIDN'T WANT to see him at the clinic, and then refused to accept the care that he got at the ER!!! She told me to fax the receipt and prescription info directly to her and she will ensure that we are reimbursed. She said is usually takes 2 weeks, but she will look for it and expedite it since it's not like it's a $20 prescription. It's a lot of money. Phew. All taken care of.

I have to say, that I love the larger VA. They have a lot to do and a lot of people to take care of. They can't afford to screw around. They get their stuff DONE. The VA clinic, however, is a disaster. Ninety-five percent of the time, our calls aren't returned AT ALL. EVER. They flaunt how long they have to actually call you back ("Well, we HAVE up to 72 hours" like they're doing us a favor by getting their job done before the absolute last minute) and then say that they have no record of the previous dozen calls you made to them. Grrr. In the three years that we've lived here, Rudi has not seen an actual MD. His PCP is a NP, which is no biggie, but the woman has made GLARING medical errors in his care, like sending him into surgery without the proper pre-surgery tests, etc.

And this stupid town is going to hell in a hand-basket. Prop. 2C failed, which is going to make life here unbearable. Colorado Springs has a major budget shortfall. MAJOR. Prop. 2C proposed a gradual, over 5 years, increase in property taxes, which would raise taxes OVER 5 YEARS by $15/month. Meaning that at the END of 5 years, the average home owner will pay an extra $15/month. It failed. Now 6 of the 8 city pools are closing, the public fountains (including Uncle Wilber and the Julie Penrose fountain) will not be turned on, the majority of playgrounds will not be maintained (so the play equipment will be removed for liability reasons), public restrooms will remain locked, the Pioneer Museum and Rock Ledge Ranch will close, the Metro system will be drastically scaled back (they've already laid off 70+ employees), as will police and fire response, city-run summer camps with be GONE. Already, drunk driving response has been cut back, as well as crimes of theft and burglary (since they're not life threatening. What?) I hope I don't hear any belly-aching from the penny-pinchers about their property values going down when Colorado Springs is no longer a desirable place to live. I think, honestly, that the homeowners tax credit (otherwise known as welfare for those who own homes) needs to be abolished in Colorado Springs. If they won't fund the city, the city shouldn't fund THEM. I know the danger of having an opinion on this matter, since we don't own, but do you think that the owner of these 85 townhouses would just eat a property-tax increase? Of course not. Our rent would go up too, and we would have been fine with that.

I am soooooo glad that we are getting out this crap-hole next summer! Portland, Maine, here we come!

A mama on MDC explained Avery's art to me, in a way that a person like me can understand. She made the distinction between technical illustrating/drafting and creative aesthetic. Avery is moderately advanced in drafting, apparently, but what she really has is an understanding of the aesthetic, how to fill up a paper and use the space, how to mix colors to get the one she wants, how to make a picture look good. Aesthetic really can't be taught. Drafting/illustrating can be taught. I am a technical illustrator, so I didn't quite see the aesthetic aspect of her art.

The girls went trick-or-treating last night. It was the perfect night for it. Not too hot and not too cold. We went a little early because a lot of the younger kids were already coming to our door, and once that happens it's impossible to keep the girls in. I think because we were early a lot of people weren't home. Only about a quarter of the houses here gave out candy, but the girls got just enough. Enough to make them happy, and not to much as to make me unhappy. The girls also collected for UNICEF. The funny part is that they would knock on the door, and as soon as the door was opened, Riley would shout "DO YOU HAVE ANY MONEY???" A lot of people got a good laugh out of that. I had to coach her to say "trick or treat" first that then specifically say "Do you have any change for UNICEF?" It was funny. Some people put dollars in the boxes. Quite cute. Avery lucked out this year as only two pieces of candy had peanuts. Last year 90% of her candy was Reeses or peanut M&Ms.

I have added one more project to my Christmas to-do list. This fabric dollhouse (clicky). I'm a big fan of top-stitching, so I think if I do that the lines will look neater than the ones displayed. Wednesdays, when both girls are in school all day, will be my huge Christmas crafting day. That way I won't have to stay up late every single night between now and Christmas.