be nice & better things

friends, sorry i haven't been checking in much!! it's just been such a crappy time...for lack of a better word. the entire month of april has been a mess. i'm so ready to start a new month and for new, better things to come along. so, with trying not to be a debbie downer, i'm bidding you adieu until may...mom always said "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

here is my hopeful, inspirational song for better things to come: "baby don't be unhappy, baby don't be sad...better things are coming, i swear there's truth in that!"

(photo)

recovery & coming home

well friends here is a little update on roxy. thursday when we went to see the neurologist, they ran tests and decided that surgery would be the best option and we had to act swiftly, as she was losing much function of her hind legs.  thursday afternoon roxy went into surgery to have the calcified disc removed and cut away from the spine. while it was nerve-wracking and scary, i believe she was in the most capable and compassionate hands. 

the doctors, technicians, and staff called us with updates around the clock.  on friday afternoon i got to see her for the first time post-surgery.  she was groggy from pain meds and it was quite shocking to see the incision with all of the staples in her back. saturday morning we went back to visit and she was much more alert and mobile.  the doctor says that she is recovering exceptionally well and is very pleased with her progress thus far.  this morning they called and said i can come take her home this afternoon!! i cannot wait to have her home for full recovery and many, many (extra gentle) snuggles.

since keeping roxy quiet and calm is key in her recovery, we will be letting bowie go stay with a friend for a little bit.  while it's hard to not have him at home with us, he will have much fun romping around in a back yard with some new doggy friends.

thank you all for the kind words, prayers and love.  i will continue to keep you updated on her progress!!

xoxo

love for roxy

well friends i hoped that our story would change and i could come to you with a wonderful survival story like we did with bowie, but that is just not the case today.

a few weeks ago, we took roxy to the vet when she was in a lot of pain. after multiple visits we found out that she has a calcified disk in her back.  she was ordered to 2 weeks confinement and mandatory bed rest. today her condition seemed to be worsening so we took her back in and are now looking to see a neurological specialist, as the disk seems to be putting pressure on her spinal cord and she is starting to lose function of one of her hind legs. this can be an early sign of paralysis and she has moved from a "medical case" to a possible "surgical case." even though disk problems are somewhat common in some dachshunds and small wire-haired terriers, since she is only 5 years old, this is a cause for more worry.

if she stays the same, we see the specialist on thursday to find out what our next steps are. in the mean time, any love, prayers, kind thoughts or words are much appreciated. she is our baby and it just kills us to see her in such pain.

roxy got a surprise last week from her friend johanne, our close friends' cat whom she loves and has play dates with, it was a first class letter with get well wishes and lots of love. that's her reading it above :) oh the things we do for our little furry children...

thanks for listening! i will keep you all posted on her progress :)

much love xoxo

record store day

tomorrow is one of my favorite "holidays" - record store day! this is the day to go out and support music at your local record store. many independent record stores all around the world will be celebrating with parties, live music and special RSD releases from multiple amazing artists. to find out what's happening near you, visit the record store day website.

if you're in the dallas area, i am volunteering at good records' 11th anniversary + record store day celebration (come say hi!). the store will be open starting at 8 am and there is a full lineup of bands and dj's from 11 am to midnight along with giveaways and an awesome jukebox raffle.

"i think it’s high time the mentors, big brothers, big sisters, parents, guardians, and neighborhood ne’er do wells, start taking younger people that look up to them to a real record store and show them what an important part of life music really is."
- jack white

hey, if jack white says so, who are we to argue?! so get out to your local record store and support music!! trust me, it will be awesome.

hey! government! leave our teachers alone!!

yesterday, along with many katy isd teachers, my sister was laid off because of "budget cuts." she is a 9th grade biology teacher at morton ranch high school and was pulled out of class yesterday and told that at the end of the year she would no longer have a job. my sister is not only a wonderful, dedicated teacher, but she is also a single mother of two amazing little girls (as you know and have seen here :)), so i am pretty much taking this as a personal attack.

katy isd is a huge district in texas, where the superintendent alton frailey makes a stunning salary of $288,400!! at the beginning of this year he was given a $10k raise - teachers can't afford to feed their own children but somehow that made the budget cuts...wow.  parents, students, teachers and even concerned community members are stunned and shocked at the cuts and disgusted by the ability of the "higher ups" to do nothing - treating themselves to spa days and country club visits, driving in their luxury vehicles, completely ignoring the fact that the school district is falling apart, and doing absolutely nothing to combat it. who cares as long as they get paid, right? WRONG.

today, at 9 am, students at morton ranch organized a protest outside of the school.  many have signs and even some of my sister's students wore "keep osteen" t-shirts (that is amazing). what is more sobering, many of these students do not have stable parental figures in their lives and these teachers are all they've got. now they are taken away and the students will all but slide into oblivion that is increased class sizes, overworked and underpaid teachers, and the greed that keeps the machine going at the top.

i could not be more proud of these students taking a stand for something that really matters to them! using their voice will hopefully reach someone in charge and make a change.  if these kids are telling us that this isn't right, we need to listen - OPEN YOUR EYES AND EARS GOVERNMENT!!! this is the least of your problems...cause as you know, when the baby bear cub cries, the mama bear isn't far behind. we are coming for you. this isn't right and we won't back down.

ok dear readers, thanks for staying tuned during my soapbox moment today!!! hope you liked my little pink floyd nod as my title ;)

photos 

scenes from the weekend

• when's the last time you saw a real hotel key? (at the basin park hotel)
• bachelorette shenanigans commence
• what's a bachelorette without her pimp cup and fingerstache?
• stairwell on the haunted hotel tour at the crescent hotel
• creepy hallway & mirror on the tour
• neat owl/gargoyle on the fireplace in the crescent lobby

the bachelorette weekend was a great success! tons of fun in eureka springs, such a beautiful area with more to do than you would ever expect from such a remote small town ... either that or we were really giving the locals something to talk about... probably a little of both ;)

hope your weekends were lovely!

xoxo

overgrown

• crawling vines add a little whimsy to the no parking sign
• wisteria are overtaking everything in our neighborhood...it's so pretty :)

i am heading to eureka springs, arkansas today for a little bachelorette shenanigans...full report upon my return!

hope you all have a lovely weekend xoxo

winning!

no, this post isn't about charlie sheen...

recently i entered a contest with mama's a rolling stone and won a $100 gift certificate to one of my favorite online stores, nasty gal. i was beyond stoked, but took my time in spending so i could get just the right things :) and finally, here are my choices:

super cute high waisted blue shorts

way awesome knuckle ring (i don't have anything like this so i was definitely reaching out of my little style box for this one!)

and this way fun yellow bag...if that doesn't scream i'm ready for sunshine, i don't know what does!!

so, many, many thanks to the ladies at mama's a rolling stone and nasty gal...i love love loooooove my winnings :)

tacos! tacos! tacos!

stephen and i recently had a nice little date night and our favorite taco joint in dallas, the rusty taco.

if you are in the area and ever get a chance, try this place out, you will not be disappointed! might i suggest the baja shrimp taco - best thing on the menu.

afterwards, we wanted dessert but weren't sure where to go...we drove by and saw a sign for pokey o's cookies & ice cream and well, how could we resist that?!

yum, yum, yum. ice cream cookie sandwich?! yes, please!

a walk in the flowers

had a lovely walk with the doggies this weekend.  beautiful weather and the flowers are just amazing right now!

azaleas always remind me of my childhood, so they hold a special place to me.

hibiscus are everywhere in our neighborhood...fast becoming a favorite of mine :)

and i just am in love with the dark purple tulips, so beautiful and mysterious!