West side is the best side.

This is my friend Frank, in one of our Doctoral classes.

Well, my sweep across the nation commences March 2nd.  And by sweep I mean a violent Swiffer across the nation.  Back and forth, then back and forth, and you guessed it...back and forth one last time.  Travel is all set for my two trips to Seattle to educate the fine people of Academia on our services here at The Learning House.  I really am lucky to have such an amazing product to be peddling.  It's also going to be pretty amazing to get to go to all of these college campuses nation wide.  I might have to go back to school and get a doctorate just so I can fit in with these people.  I'll go the lazy route and get it in Underwater Basket Weaving, or something similar.  No one will ever ask what I'm a doctor of. 

Rigby is officially bigger than Pete now.  Taller, but not quite as thick.  I should commend our slim and trim little guy on his loss of 5 pounds!  He went from 26 to 21.5 pounds between vet visits.  He was getting pretty pudgy and I can only hope his Colts jersey will not be quite so snug next season.  A combination of being constantly chased, chewed on, jumped on, jumped over, trampled on, and generally abused by his little sister might've contributed to this increase in fitness too.  Poor guy.  You can just see the disgust on his face in this picture too...don't worry buddy, she won't be allowed up there too much longer. 

And now for your viewing enjoyment...Rigby fetching!

Rigby, this Spring's hottest accessory!

Aunt Jennifer came to town this weekend to meet the Rigster and pay us a visit. Jen being the huge dog lover she is, naturally adored Rigby (who wouldn't?!). For now she fits nicely in oversized handbags...but soon I doubt she'll be going in that purse so easily. They say Aussie's are supposed to get 40-50 pounds, so we must cherish these puppy times. Pete can still lap her when we're playing fetch in the yard but those days are also numbered. He kind of got the short end of the stick in the leg department.

After temperatures in the 20s, we were lucky enough to enjoy a coatless weekend in the 50s here in the Bluegrass State. It still feels weird to say that, after 29 years in Indiana. Luckily I'm only about 10 minutes from the state line. We went out for sushi last night and had a lovely breakfast at Cafe Lou Lou this morning, then Jen headed back to the Circle City. It won't be long until our next visit...we're going up next weekend to see my good friend Patrick perform some stand-up comedy. He's getting REALLY good! Check him out sometime HERE. When I was working at eTapestry...he'd try out material on me all the time. I'm so glad he finally went for it and auditioned. He's a regular now at Morty's Comedy Joint in Indy. This will be my first chance to see him live, as he usually performs during the week.

In other news, Vegas is only 6 short weeks away! I can't wait. I've been there numerous times and it just doesn't get old. I don't know if it's the lights, the energy, the shows or the elaborate hotels. I just love it. At least Pete and Rigby won't have to be boarded during these upcoming travels, they'll get to crash at Grandma RuthAnn's new farm! Mom and Mike will be here permanently the second week of March. We're both pretty excited to have 27 acres to take the dogs to. While I'm not exactly the farm, outdoorsy type...I think I'll enjoy fishing and getting some sun on the dock! That's Michael with the realtor when we visited the farm back in August. What better way to welcome Mom and Mike back to the Hoosier state than to pawn our dogs off on them for 4 days!

Puppy Prodigy

Rigby's training at 11 weeks is going so well, she's bored with the simple "sit", "lay", and "up". We're going to need to spice it up soon. I'm encouraging Michael to start working on "bang!"...because nothing is cuter when dogs get fake shot. He suggested we work on "come" next...so whatever. Baby steps I suppose. Go big or go home, I always say.

The rolly polly puppy we brought home a little less than 2 weeks ago, is starting to look more and more like an adult. The big difference I notice are her legs. I think they've doubled in length! Her muzzle is also noticeably longer. Coordination is another key change. She has the stairs out the back door mastered...however the hardwoods up to the second floor are still a little too slippery for those little feet.




Pete has been a fantastic big brother so far. He's very patient with her, and lets her gnaw on him constantly. He does give us a look of despair from time to time...asking, "What have you done? I had a good thing going here.". The cats are not impressed. Not even a little bit. Fergie does drive-by hisses at every opportunity. And well, is Spencer still alive? Of course he is. I still get the relentless cries for food when I come downstairs in the morning!

Doggie Training: 101...and Pete.

Life with Rigby truly has me spoiled when it comes to puppies. She's way too smart for her own good, and is learning new things every day. She is officially a master of "sit". I have evidence of this in the video below.

Then there is Pete. Gotta love the Pete Bug. He doesn't master things so quickly, but his sweet and needy demeanor make up for his lack of street smarts. Well, smarts of any kind, really. Michael's sister, Ashley took the photo to the left of Pete during Thanksgiving. He's quite the muse. Pete has always been good at the little things that we take for granted. He never chases the cats, he never jumps up on the bed or couch, and he always goes to his crate when asked. He's a pretty good cuddler too. I simply can't imagine walking into a house without dogs after a stressful day!

Welcome Home, Rigby.

The real motivation behind starting this blog is the adoption of a bouncing, baby Australian Shepherd, who we've decided to call Rigby. Eleanor Rigby, actually. You see my boyfriend Michael and I are enormous animal lovers, and this is our first pet together. I entered the relationship with three of my own...a Corgi mix named Pete, and two kitties Spencer and Fergie. We had been talking about getting an additional dog for months but wanted to research and find the right puppy for us. We had it narrowed down to a Border Collie or an Australian Shepherd. Along came Rigby!


I was off work and shopping several Mondays ago when I needed to get Pete a present for his 3rd birthday. I thought he could really use a new bed, so I headed into Feeders Supply. The first thing I always do is make a beeline for the adoptable puppies and kittens in the back. Normally I just say hi, and move on. But this fateful Monday a new litter of Aussie's had just arrived! They had gotten there that morning, and already 3 of the 4 puppies were on hold. I took a picture of the litter and sent it to Michael. We decided we'd just go "look" that evening and that the one I had fallen in love with would probably be long gone by that time. A long story short...we went back and Rigby was the only one left! The one that I had wanted. We filled out an application and planned on picking her up the next evening.

Rigby has been home for a week today. I'm convinced she's a little puppy prodigy. She has only messed in the house one, maybe two times...and already knows "sit" and "lay"! We are implementing the "clicker" to train her. I hope you enjoy reading about Rigby and our adventures to come with her! (Oh, and look forward to adventures with our other pets too!)