New Dog Gate

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Our walks to take Noah to school in the morning go very quickly now.  Chewie pulls so much that we walk very fast.  It's certainly faster than Lizzy towards the end as she walked quite slowly.

Rachel went into work when we got home.  I left for the office a bit later.  We had someone coming in for a job interview and I had another meeting in the afternoon.

Rachel had a doctors appointment at the time we would get Noah, so I went by myself to get Noah.  Chewie was surrounded by four kids at one point.  He was so happy.  As we walked home, a car drove by us and a boy yelled "Hi Chewie!" out the car window (not one who had been petting Chewie.  Noah said he thinks all the kids at the school know Chewie.

Rachel stopped home for a few minutes before she left to go tutor.

We found a gate that we can put up between the kitchen and laundry room that has a cat door built in.  That way the cats don't have to jump over the gate, they can go through the cat door.  But we can keep Chewie out of the laundry room.  I put that up this afternoon.  So far, so good.

While Rachel was tutoring, the boys and I watched The Usual Suspects.  I think they liked it.

We had pasta for dinner.

The boys will be getting ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Big Chewie

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

For the first time this week, we walked Noah to school.  It was around 27 degrees, but we still did it.  Chewie seemed to get even more energy in the cold weather.  He definitely loved it.

When we got home, we saw Karen, Nico's owner.  So I brought Chewie over to play with Nico.  They played pretty hard for about 15-20 minutes.  It caused Chewie to sleep the rest of the morning.

Rachel went to work.  We met at Wholy Bagel for lunch.

When I got home, Chad from Touch To came over to work.  Just as he got there, a woman came to buy Noah's old mattress.

Chad and I walked Chewie to get Noah.

Rachel left to tutor while we were getting Noah.  We worked for a bit more and then Noah and I left to take Chewie to his 6-month checkup.

Chewie seemed excited when we got to the vet, but the moment we got in the exam room, he got very scared.  He does not like being examined.  They weighed Chewie shortly after we entered the exam room and he weighed 54.5 pounds!  For comparison, Lizzy weighed in the low-mid 60's for most of her adult life.  As she got older she got around 70 or so, but she lost a lot of weight this past summer.  Her last appointment she was 57.  So at six months old, Chewie weighs almost as much as Lizzy did while she was full grown.  The vet thinks Chewie will be around 85-90 pounds.  We'll see, but that is huge.  We also scheduled Chewie to be neutered while we were there.

When we got home, I played football outside with Evan for a bit.

For dinner, Noah helped me make hamburgers on the grill.

The boys are getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Vacation is Over

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

The vacation is over.  Rachel had to go back to work and the boys had to go back to school.  I worked most of last week though I was off on Thursday and Friday. 

Chewie got to meet Lizzy's friend, Tucker this morning.  Chewie and Tucker got along very well.  Unless the other dog is mean, Chewie gets along with all dogs.

Rachel and I went to Camp Gladiator together this morning.  It was the first time we were there together since before Rachel got hurt.

When I got home, Chad came over to work with me.  Chad is part of Touch To and he's working on the HomeAway stuff as well.  He lives in South Austin so we thought it would be good for us to work together. 

He had heard me talk about Wholy Bagel quite a bit so we went there for lunch.

We worked until I had to pick Noah up from school.

Rachel tutored in the afternoon.

I took Evan to the catcher's course around dinner time.  We stopped at Dick's and got Evan a new catcher's mitt.

We all ate dinner together when we got home.

The boys are in bed now.

Until next time...

After Messy Morning, No More Dogs

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were taking Adam in to be neutered.  His adoptive family (assuming they were approved) were going to pick him up after his surgery.  I had to drop Adam off between 8am and 8:30.

First, we walked Noah to school.  Then we put Adam in the crate in the back of the van and I left to bring him to Austin Pets Alive.  About 5 minutes into the ride, I smelled something.  I realized that Adam must have pooped in the crate.  I was stuck in traffic so there wasn't much I could do about it.  As I was stuck in traffic, I saw that Rachel kept plastic bags in the van and she had Clorox wipes.  I figured when I got there, I'd use the bag to pick up the poop and then after dropping him off I'd wipe down the carrier.

I parked got out of the car with the wipes and the plastic bag and I opened the back hatch of the van and then I opened the crate to let Adam out and was absolutely horrified at what I saw.  There was poop covering everything.  The entire floor of the carrier.  It was up the walls.  Meanwhile he raced out and jumped out of the van.  I quickly caught the leash only to have the startling realization that the leash was covered in poop as well.  He pulled hard and the leash rubbed against my pants leaving more poop.  I managed to hold him while getting wipes out and I tried to wipe down the leash and my hands but there wasn't a whole lot I could do.  The leash I was using was basically a rope that Austin Pets Alive had given to us and the poop was in the cracks and crevices.  I just closed the van and decided to try to drop him off as quickly as possible and see if they could get me something to clean up.  I walked to the medical center but things were not getting any better for me.  There was a line of people dropping off dogs and cats to be neutered and spayed about 15 people deep.  Adam got so excited and for all 35 minutes (yes, 35 minutes) he pulled and pulled and pulled to try to get to the other dogs in line including one directly behind us.  Meanwhile, the leash, my hands and Adam still had poop on them.  When we finally got in, they wanted to weigh Adam who would not stay still.  Then they took Adam away and wanted to me to write the name and phone number of the adoptive family on the paper.  I didn't want to get my phone out with my hands as they were.  I was able to find hand sanitizer and paper towels and I cleaned as thoroughly as I could and got the information.  By that time, they had taken Adam away.  Unfortunately, I was not able to say goodbye.

If the story is not good enough.  I had a meeting right after I was to drop Adam off.  I had to email the guy and tell him I was covered in poop and could not come despite the fact it was 8:55 and I was supposed to be there at 9am (which is why I told the truth).  I'm sure that's a story he will tell for years.

I got in the car and drove back home.  The carrier was still covered so I had to smell this the whole way home.  When I got home, I had to take the carrier out back to clean it out.  Unfortunately, Adam had bitten the end off of our hose so I was not able to attach a nozzle to the end.

I think I'm going to have nightmares about this morning.

I showered and did some work.  Later in the morning, I met Rachel at Wholy Bagel.

We walked later in the afternoon to get Noah.

Rachel left for tutoring just after Evan got home.  I was on a phone meeting at the time.

For dinner, I grilled a pork tenderloin.

We took a walk after dinner without any dog.  Aside from a handful of nights where we were either leaving for a trip or coming home from a trip and we could not get Lizzy from where she was staying, as well as a few nights where Lizzy went with Rachel to Dallas, we've had a dog in the house every night in the last 14 years.  It's a very odd feeling to be without a dog right now.  It's making it a bit harder without Lizzy.  At least Adam got our mind off of things somewhat.

The boys are getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Still Hurting

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

I think all of us are still hurting from losing Lizzy.  I know that Rachel and I are struggling.  Evan did not go to school today as he was so upset that he got physically sick before school.  Noah was very difficult this morning.  I think there were a lot of causes, but he grieves differently than Rachel, Evan and me, so I'm not sure if that was one of the reasons he was difficult this morning.

Rachel and I did go to Camp Gladiator this morning.  We pushed ourselves to do it.

Later in the morning, I took Grandmom to the airport.

In the early afternoon, a family came by to see Adam.  I think they'd like to adopt Adam, but we're waiting for them to go through the process with Austin Pets Alive.

We walked to get Noah.  He was in a good mood this afternoon.  He went straight to Grandma and Papa's house.

I took Evan and his teammate Braeden to practice.  I don't believe that Evan is contagious.  I think it's emotional.  I wanted him to get back out and do what he loves.  He did well.  I think it's still really tough for him.  He only smiled a bit.  I think he just feels really empty right now.  It's just going to take time for him, as it will for all of us.

Rachel went to tutoring and now she's at Evan's Back-to-School night.

The boys are upstairs and are going to get ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Goodbye Lizzy

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, Rachel and Evan were supposed to go for a bike ride with Papa.  Rachel fed the cats and Adam and put Adam outside.  But Lizzy didn't come into the kitchen, which is unusual.  Rachel went into the bathroom where Lizzy has been sleeping and Lizzy was unresponsive.  Evan checked on her as well and then they came up to get me.  They were pretty sure she had passed, although Lizzy was still warm.  I came down and checked on Lizzy and had the same reaction.  I picked Lizzy up to get her into the car when Papa came to the house.  He helped us with Lizzy and then stayed back to tell Grandmom and Noah.  He also took care of Adam while we were gone.

We raced over to the vet.  Deborah, who had been coming to go bike riding with them, met us at the vet.  I rushed Lizzy into the back where they confirmed that she had passed.  They gave us a room where we could say goodbye to her.  It was very very difficult.

We got Lizzy about 3.5 months after our wedding, so she's been with us for almost all of our  married life.  Of our 16 years of dating and marriage, she's been with us for 14 of them.  The boys have never known life without her and she moved into this house with us 13 years ago.  Our whole family doesn't know what life is like without her.  She was the best dog you could ever have.  She never chewed on things or destroyed things.  She was hyper as a young dog, but she still was a good dog.  All day we alternated crying and laughing - telling funny stories about Lizzy.  We were able to give her a very good home, but she was able to give us so much more.

Tomorrow will be a tough day.  It will be tough walking to school without her.  It will be tough waking up in the morning and not feeding her.  But we will never forget her.

As a tribute, I'm including some fun pictures of her and a cute video.

Working

This morning we walked with Lizzy to drop off Noah at school.  Evan stayed at home and walked to his bus stop when it was time.  We saw him waiting for the bus as we got close to home.  He came over to us to tell us goodbye even though we said goodbye at home.

Shortly after we got home I went to ATA (my school) for meetings and planning).  I was there until 11:30.

Morry and I walked to get Noah from school.

A little bit after getting home, I took Noah to Grandma and Papa's and then went to tutor.

Morry took Evan to Applebee's to meet his carpool ride for baseball shortly after he got home from school.

When I got home Morry and I ate dinner.

Then, we walked to pick up Noah.

When we got home from that, Morry left to meet Evan at Applebee's to bring him home.

They should be on their way home now.

Two Hour Delay

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

School was delayed for two hours this morning.  I guess the district wanted to give as much time as possible for and water over low water crossings to recede and any clean up to be completed.

When we got up it was not raining.  We walked Noah to school and then came home.  Evan didn't walk with us.  When we got home, we sent him out to the bus stop.

Rachel had to go to more meetings at the school where she'll be teaching.

Later in the morning, a fence guy came and measured to give us an estimate.

I had several meetings back-to-back before going to pick Noah up from school.  Rachel was home by then.

Rachel left to tutor just before Evan got home from school.

When Rachel got home, we put Lizzy in the car and went to Austin Pets Alive.  There have been abandoned dogs in all the places affected by the hurricane.  They need foster families to hold the dogs until either their families can claim them or they get adopted out.  We thought we have the ability and the resources to foster.  But they suggested bringing Lizzy to meet any potential dogs so we can determine whether it would get along with Lizzy.  Unfortunately, they said we were too late (we got there at 6:30) and said they don't do any "meet-and-greets" after 6:30.  We found a very shy, very scared older dog.  But we're not sure we'll take it without knowing that it will get along with Lizzy.

For dinner, Rachel and I had leftovers and the boys had salmon.

The boys are upstairs playing.

Until next time...

Lizzy's Big Adventure

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

During the summer, my routine has been to get up, come downstairs and then feed the cats.  Then I make sure that Lizzy comes downstairs and doesn't have any problems walking down the stairs and I let her out.  She'll stay outside for 20 minutes or so. While she's outside, I get on my computer and do work.  This morning was like any other morning.  After about 20 minutes, I looked out the window and I didn't see Lizzy walking around.  So I went outside and I still didn't see Lizzy.  I walked around the side of the house where our air conditioner is and I still didn't see Lizzy.  Calling for her is fairly useless since she's mostly deaf now.  I raced inside through the house and ran out the front door and looked in the front yard and I didn't see Lizzy.  So I ran upstairs, got some shoes on and then really looked through all the bushes and things in the backyard.  My concern was that maybe she passed out or something in the landscape and I couldn't see her.  But she wasn't there.  I raced back in the house and yelled for Rachel.  I ran back out to the back and did one final look and then back in front.  I looked down the street where the fence is - thinking somehow maybe she broke through the fence and was walking down the street.  I still didn't see her.  I was thinking where does a 14-year-old dog who doesn't move that quickly and who had a stroke 2 months ago, hide?  So then I ran around to the driveway of our house and as I was coming around, I could see under our neighbor's cars and through to their grass and I saw 4 brown legs walking around.  I ran over to their front yard and Lizzy looked up smiling as if to say "Hey, there you are!" and she trotted over to see me.  She was just smelling all the plants and all the smells and enjoying herself.  She had no clue why I was making a big fuss.  She just enjoyed her big adventure.

I'm really not sure how she got out.  When we went back to the backyard, the latch was open on the back gate.  But I think that I ran out the gate to the front yard that last time.  So it's possible that I left it open in my haste.  I don't remember whether I had noticed it wasn't latched when I ran out the gate.  I went through and didn't see any loose boards.  Even if there was a loose board, Lizzy doesn't have the flexibility to squeeze through anything anymore.  We'll just have to keep our eye on her.

After that I went into Aaron's for a meeting.  Rachel had a phone meeting and then she and the boys ran some errands.  They stopped at Wheatsville Co-op for lunch.

In the afternoon, I drove Evan up to Main Event for a birthday party for twins that he plays baseball with.  I stayed up there and worked from a coffee shop.

We had dinner when we got home.

The boys are asleep now.   Until next time...

Cooking Camp and Paintball

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today was Noah's last day of cooking camp.  They have a competition at camp where the kids are broken into three teams.  Like Top Chef, each gets ingredients and they have to prepare a meal and get judged at the end.

Rachel took Noah to camp and later returned to see the meals that were prepared.  Grandma came with Rachel to see it.

I was not able to go to the camp because TRPD was having a paintball game.  It was quite far away.  We left before Rachel took Noah to camp.  We stopped on the way and got Evan's friend and teammate Everett.  I dropped Evan off at paintball and then went to a coffee shop to work.

Rachel got roped into big a judge of the competition (for the second straight year).  Unfortunately, Noah's team came in third (for the second straight year).  Noah helped make a pie or cobbler.  Noah wouldn't tell me about it.  Rachel said it was good.  She said all three teams did a good job.

When I picked up Evan, he was covered in paint.  He had a ton of fun (as Evan always does) and he and Everett talked non-stop about it on the way home.  But actually, one of the high school kids that was there asked me for a ride.  He didn't know me but thought I could drop him off at the TRPD facility which was closer for him and his mom could get him there.  I asked where he lived.  He said that he lived in Circle C.  I told him that was amazing because that's where we were headed so I drove him all the way home.  He also joined in with the younger kids, talking a mile a minute about how much fun it was.  At TRPD it seems that all of the kids are just baseball players.  It doesn't matter that there is an age gap.  They're all on the team essentially.

Evan has a nice welt on his neck where he got hit with a paintball.  He is both complaining about it and showing it off as a badge of honor at the same time.  It's amazing he got hit in the neck.  His skin was completely covered except for part of his neck.  They were facemasks with goggles.  They all had long sleeve shirts and pants.  Evan even wore a hat to make sure his head was covered.  But a paintball managed to find that one spot.

For dinner we just had leftovers.  Afterward, Rachel and I took Lizzy for a walk.  She had a nice walk eating cicadas.

The boys are getting ready for bed.

Until next time...

Vet Adventure

Yesterday Noah had his cooking class and seemed to have fun.

In the afternoon we took all three animals to the vet for their yearly checkup.  They were all due and we thought it would be better just to take them all at the same time.  So, all four of us plus the 3 animals went to the vet.

They were amazed at how much Lizzy improved since the last time she was there.  She has a tumor in her rectum that is slow growing, but there's really nothing we can do for it.  Besides that, she's doing pretty well.

Flash checked out fine.  Everything looked good.

Calvin has lost quite a bit of weight.  He's down to the same weight as Flash now (8.3 pounds).  We got some bloodwork done.  Today, they said they think he has a UTI so we will start him on antibiotics for 10 days to see if that helps.  If he continues to lose weight we will need to bring him in for an ultrasound.

Last night we grilled steak for dinner.

Today, Noah went to cooking camp again and enjoyed it.

Evan hung out with Morry at Aaron's for meetings.  Evan really enjoyed doing that and getting lunch with all of them at the Little Deli.

This afternoon, Evan hung out with Wade.  They went swimming at Lifetime Fitness.

I was supposed to tutor this afternoon but it got rescheduled for Thursday.

For dinner, we had corned beef.

We took a walk after dinner.

Now we are going to have dessert - s'mores on the grill.

Nothing Today

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

We didn't have any commitments today.  Neither boy had camp.  Neither boy had any friend commitment or sports commitment.   Because of that we didn't have to get up early.

I worked all morning.  I did have two phone meetings.  For some of the time, Evan sat at my desk with me and he worked on his computer.

We had lunch at home.  Then Rachel took the boys out to get books for camp next week.  They went to Half Price Books.

Later in the afternoon, the boys walked by themselves to Clayton to play and make a new movie.

After they got back, we took the boys to get haircuts.  Then we came home and had dinner.

We walked to Grandma and Papa's after dinner to bring a parking pass for Papa.  Lizzy walked with us.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

Until next time...

Lizzy's Birthday

This morning we slept in.

Later in the morning, Evan's friends Josh and Wade came over.

We had been planning on taking Lizzy to the dog park over the weekend and decided to go today.  On the way there we remembered today is Lizzy's 14th birthday.  What a great way to celebrate!

We went to the Red Bud Isle dog park that is on the lake.  Lizzy had a good time. She was more timid than usual, but she still was able to swim some.

On the way home, we stopped and got Slurpee's.

Wade and Josh were picked up around 4pm.

Noah was invited to Jude's house and was there from about 5-7.

At 5:30 Evan was picked up by Reid's family.  They were going to to a pool party and then Evan would spend the night with them.

We picked up Noah and then ate dinner at Lupe Tortilla.

Now Noah is in bed.

Here are some pictures from today.

Busy Day + Lizzy Check Up

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning, I drove Noah to drama camp.  He seemed excited to go.

Evan got picked up a little while later to go to Transition Camp at the middle school he'll be going to in the fall - Gorzycki Middle School (pronounced GO-risky).  He and three of his buddies all rode together.

Rachel and I then took Lizzy to get a check up with the vet.  The vet could not believe the improvement that Lizzy has made.  I got the impression that, perhaps she was skeptical of Lizzy having a stroke last week.  She said strokes are less common in dogs.  She felt it was probably a tumor.  But given how Lizzy has recovered, she now thinks the stroke is a distinct possibility.  She said she'd love to get an MRI just to take a look, but it's $2000 and it's hard to justify the expense.

Evan got dropped off around noon.  We had lunch and then Rachel brought Evan over to Wade's house.

Rachel tutored in the afternoon.

I picked Noah up from camp.  He had another good day.  We got home in time to be there for when Evan got dropped off by Wade's mom.

When Rachel got home, we walked Evan over to Grandma and Papa's.  He was having dinner with them.

Evan, Noah, Rachel and I had tacos.

After dinner, we walked to get Evan.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

Until next time...

Update on LIzzy and Noah's Poetry Reading

This morning we walked to school.

Morry and I dropped Lizzy back off at the vet.

I met Noah for lunch at 11:25.  After his lunch, his class went to recess and I helped set up the classroom for the poetry reading.

The poetry reading was at 12:30.  Morry, Marilyn, and Papa came.  The class was transformed into a cafe and the kids wore berets and mustaches while they read their poems. Noah did a great job.  Here's the video.  You'll need to turn up the volume.


I helped clean up and then came home.

Morry and I walked to pick up the boys.

Right after we got home I left to tutor and Morry and Evan picked up Lizzy from the vet.

Lizzy is doing a lot better, but still a little weak.   She's on steroids now which will hopefully help.

When I got home we all went to dinner at Me Con Bistro.

Soon the kids will get ready for bed.  The last day of school is tomorrow.

A few more days

Noah and I went to Chicago over the weekend for Aunt Gerry's birthday.  We had a very nice time.

We got back yesterday afternoon and a few hours later Marilyn came in.

Last night we went out to dinner with Grandma and Papa too at Slab.

This morning Lizzy was not doing well.  She had gotten sick and was disoriented.   Morry and Evan took Lizzy to the vet.  I dropped off Noah at school and then met them at the vet.

The vet is not sure what is going on, but they believe it is a neurological issue.

We left Lizzy at the vet and took Evan to school.

We got updates throughout the day.

Morry and I walked to pick up the kids.

Then, I tutored.

Morry, the kids, and Marilyn picked up Lizzy at the vet, but we will have to bring her back tomorrow morning.

For dinner, we had hamburgers and corn on the cob.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

There are only 2 more days of school left.

Houston Trip

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

We left the house early this morning as we walked the boys and Lizzy to Grandma and Papa's.  We needed to leave to go to Houston for check ups for Rachel at MD Anderson.  Once we dropped Evan, Noah and Lizzy at Grandma and Papa's, we walked home and left for Houston.

The trip down was fairly uneventful.

All the appointments went well.  Rachel got most of the results back and everything looks good.  She's just waiting for one more test result.

After the hospital, we went to Katz's Jewish Deli.  There isn't a Jewish deli in Austin.  It was pretty good and wasn't overly expensive.

Evan went to Wade's after school.  Papa took Noah to football practice.

Rachel and I went straight to Noah's practice to get him then we went to Grandma and Papa's for dinner.  Papa had already picked Evan up.

We are home now and the boys are in bed.

Until next time...

Running Late

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning started off very late as Noah gave us a hard time going to school.  While the kids were not late for school, it threw off our timing.  By the time we got home, we had to rush to make Camp Gladiator.  Just as we were about to leave, Aaron messaged me and needed my help with something so I didn't end up going.  Rachel went on her own, though she got there late.

After Camp Gladiator, Rachel tutored and then stopped at Costco on the way home to return/exchange our Roomba.  Unfortunately, she forgot one thing in the box so they wouldn't take it back.  They told her to just find that piece and come back in.

When we left to get the boys from school, Lizzy needed to go out and it took awhile to get her back in so we ended up being a little late to get to school.

I took Evan in to his hitting right after we got back.  Rachel left for tutoring and Noah stayed home by himself for a bit.

Rachel stopped at home on the way from tutoring she stopped back at Costco and was able to exchange the Roomba.

For dinner we had leftovers.  Papa came over and joined us.

The boys are getting ready for bed now.

Until next time...

Getting Closer

This morning we walked with Lizzy to school.  She did alright.  She wanted to stop and smell everything.

I tutored this morning.

Morry went to Aaron's to work and then had a long Home Away meeting in the afternoon.

I walked to pick up the kids.

Right after we got home I took Evan to his baseball lesson.

We got home a little before Morry.

We had various things for dinner.  I had a veggie burger.  Noah had a leftover hamburger.  Morry and Evan had pasta.

Right now the kids are super hyper.  I think they are excited for Spring Break.

Hopefully, they will go to bed soon.

Away From the Office

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning we didn't go to Camp Gladiator.  I was busy and needed to get to Aaron's.  Rachel had to tutor and then she go to a luncheon so we stayed home.

Around 9, I left to go to Aaron's.  Rachel was not far behind me.

Rachel's luncheon was downtown.  It took a while for her to get parking as the first part of South by Southwest began.  It was a luncheon called the "Celebration of Life" put on by Neiman Marcus and Kendra Scott to raise money for breast cancer research.

I came home in time to pick the boys up from school.  They stayed home for about an hour before they went over to Grandma and Papa's.  They had dinner there.

Rachel tutored in the afternoon.

We walked with Lizzy to pick them up this evening.

The boys are asleep now.

Until next time...