What's Wrong With This Picture?

Our little Lexi has become a good mother... and Bentley, plain and simple, is a rascal. If mama goes somewhere, Bentley goes; if mama drinks water, Bentley drinks water... the only thing different is if mama leaves her bed, Bentley takes it! And boy does he curl up ever so cozy thinking he owns the world.

Surprisingly, Lexi has not acted annoyed, rather she gives Bentley her treats and lets him take her bed as seen above. I am truly amazed knowing how much she loves both her bed and "treats".

Bentley is slowly getting used to the smaller bed and not getting his way all the time. I walked in the house yesterday looking for Bentley and heard a rustling noise. I moved around our ottoman and saw a little tail waggling out of the Sunchips bag. My little boy was lickin' his choppers and loving every bit of his sourcream and cheddar Sunchips! He sure did put up a fight when I pulled him out, running right over to my cup of water to finish his evening snack off. Again I say, "The little rascal!"

Puppy Role Call...

Counting, counting... all the pups are now gone, except for our new little, furry friend, Bentley! It has been a full weekend taking pups to meet their families, and finding a last minute home for sweet Bailey who came available the night before her pick up date.

BAILEY

So let's start with Bailey... she went home with a young couple that we wish lived close to us so that we could hang out! The couple drove about two hours to pick Bailey up just after 10pm tonight. They said they both had laid back jobs; the husband in free-lancing tv work w/ ESPN and the wife with the school system. Bailey will be living it up right by a lake, and with a sister who is a full-bred yellow lab.

BLACK FEMALES: CHULA & BELLA

The other two females went to two families who are good friends and within minutes of each other. The neighborhood was beautiful and the yards were huge! These little pals will get to grow up together.

CHIP

And Chip, from "chocolate chip", will be living right next door to Bella, one of the female black labs. The mother is a minister and the couple has two little kids that loved their new little puppy.

BLACK MALE: Also named, BAILEY

The male black lab is a somewhat ironic story... A mother brought her two teenage girls to see our pups. The females in the family wanted a chocolate pup, but the dad wanted a black lab. The father got his Father's Day wish and the other ladies called the next day to say everyone at Petsmart thought the pup was precious. Their lives are now absolutely wonderful!!!

CHOCOLATE MALE

The first one that went was the other chocolate male. A gentleman in the medical field ran out of town and bought the little fellow to surprise his wife and daughters. They had recently put their 8-mos. old chocolate lab "Sophia" down due to a fracture in her skull. The family was heartbroken so the father got a new litte pet to comfort them.

BOONE

Our little runtie found a good home. The couple who claimed Runtie had just gotten back from their honeymoon and found us sitting outside a pet store a few weekends back. A few folks walking by commented on the fact that the runt would be their choice of a dog and the couple would point out to everyone that he was theirs. Probably the proudest parents of them all!

RED

Red, the infamous Red. Thanks for your prayers... I did not cry when we gave him away. Surprisingly, I did well handing the pups over. Red went to the sharp Asian family who took him jogging twice in the first evening at his new home. He is in the best hands possible.

BENTLEY

And Bentley, he's currently cuddled up next to his mama. They are both missing the others and Lexi finally gave in letting Bentley lay by her.

Here We Go Again!

My eyes are falling shut as I write, due to an emotional week. Yes, I'm a girl... but it seems that I cry a lot more at the drop of a hat the last few years. We've all but sold two pups; this was the hardest week yet. We sold the beloved "Red". My goodness, B and I had talked about keeping a pup; I went back and forth between Red and the little brown one I have a special attachment to. We had planned to keep Red and sold brown, who I bawled over. Come to find out, the family decided they should not get a pup... so the dilemma continued. So we'd said, "Let just sell them both; it's the best thing."

I called a sharp Asian family the next morning and they jumped on the offer immediately, as Red is our prize pup. I don't honestly know what killed me most... losing Red or brown. I told B, "I can't take this!" I bawled all day at work over Red and came home to B saying... "Let's go look at the pups..."

The last thing I wanted to do, was look at the pups... I'm already too attached. But, I went down to find brown with a little blue collar on. B gave me a card saying something like, "You can't always choose who you love most..." I bawled some more and squeezed brown, then B 'til I was exhausted. I'm still exhausted, but meet our newest family member "Bentley". The little guy who scored tons of brownie points for Brenton with my lady friends at work.



This sounds silly, but this next Saturday is when we give Red up and I know it's going to be one of the hardest things ever. Please pray that it would be a lot easier than I believe it will be... I cry whenever I think about it. Poor B!

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We have also made the decision to live in a dorm again. Never thought I'd see the day, but we are excited about the opportunity. I (Kelly) just accepted a position at Montreat College as a Resident Director, where Brenton works. It is a part-time position overseeing an upper-classmen dorm of about 50 students. It will be a lot more low-key than the prior RD job, and that's partly the fun. I'll also continue my positions at The Cove, as well.

Yes, yes, I know the rental home is everyone's first thought, then two dogs in the dorm?! We have thought it all through and will truly miss the rental home, but are excited about the chance to save so that we can reach towards owning a home someday soon. And the pups, that was the stipulation that we set for us to consider the position. Amazingly enough, the college sought out permission from the Health Department who apparently consented. Unheard of, a college letting a dog in the dorms... and we've been allowed to do so twice. That's when you know it's the Lord!

Almost All Sold!

We're making way in puppy land. We have all sold but "Red", the one we're considering keeping, the black male and one chocolate male! Just about all of them sold this past Saturday. We woke up at 9:00am to a few families pounding on our door to see the pups. Between the three families, from the same neighborhood, who all claim puppies that morning, we did not make it to downtown Black Mountain to sit out with the pups 'til a little after 1:00pm. We had a time leaving Black Mountain too as folks kept pulling out of our little bin on the way to the Explorer. Guess it's a good problem to have, but that all the little one's were over-heated and out-done. They were "plum tuckered". =)

We have an add in the Iwana, the paper which solely focuses on items individuals are selling in the community. Our friends who've sold pups in the past said the calls just roll in... So needless to say, this add publishes Tuesday and will run two weeks too long as we have a few families tentatively waiting for pups.


Along with our full Saturday, we were blessed to see my grandparents and parents at the farm Sunday afternoon. They're sure a lively bunch and we miss the much during the year, as we do all our family! To finish off our night; we put together our little doggie baskets we're giving to each family when they pick the pups up in two weeks. Fun times!

Family Pictures...

Favorites anyone... help us choose a Christmas picture!

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