My 45mph Couch Potato

I've gotten a lot of questions about Bob lately. So I figured I'd address those questions, that every one seems to have, for those who are not as inclined to corner me at Petsmart/ the dog park/ by email but are still curious. Here are the top five questions I get asked:

1. "Is he fast?" 

Yes, he is very fast. In general, Greyhounds can reach speeds up to and over 45mph in under three strides. That is generally under a second. They are the second fastest animal, behind only the cheetah. Faster than a car. Faster than you. So, no, you can't take him for a run.

2. "Did he race?"

Yes, Bob is a 4 year old retired racing dog. Meaning he did, in fact, race. In Alabama. He was kind of bad at it though so he only ran a minimal amount of races. I stick to the theory that he just didn't care. If he wants to run, he can. I have never seen him chase anything though other than other dogs so my guess is the only reason he would run the races is because the other dogs were running too.

He is at his happiest when he is running though. You can see it in his face when he is running at full speed. 

3. He looks hungry. Is he sick? 

No, he is not skinny. In fact, at his current weight, he may even be a little over weight. You are supposed to be able to see his ribs in there. Greyhounds are made to be lean and muscular. Their bellies, or "tuck", is supposed to be defined and that skinny look actually means they are healthy. 

4. "Wow, he is huge! Are all greyhounds that big?"

He is very tall, yes. Probably taller than you expected. Greyhounds are not the same as a whippet or an Italian greyhound. They are much larger and built for hunting/ running where the other two are more of a pet or toy breed. However, they are all considered sight hounds. Granted, Bob is big even for a greyhound. He is taller, a little broader, and has a bigger head than the other greyhounds we have met.  Yet another clue to why he may have been slow.

5. "Is he all energetic and crazy?" 

Greyhounds, as a breed, are particularly easy dogs. They are very gentle, patient, and loyal dogs. They do not require a lot of exercise to be happy and they are definitely not overly energetic dogs. They would much rather lay around with you on the couch than do pretty much anything else. Lazy doesn't really even begin to describe it. People are always astounded by how laid back Bob is. It almost borders on indifference. He will sniff new people, accept an ear scratch, and then go back to bed like he has done a full days work. Every once in awhile he gets all crazy and will run in the yard for about a whole minute or so but then he takes a three or four hour nap, so I'm not sure if that counts. The most excited you will ever see Bob is at feeding time. 

So, that's my Bob in a nutshell. If you are looking for a new pet, I hope you will consider adopting a retired Grey. They really do make the most amazing pets and because of their calm temperament, Greyhounds can make better "apartment dogs" than smaller, more active breeds like those yippie Chihuahuas that seem to be all the rage. 

Thankful 4.0

Every year I post on Thanksgiving about the things I am thankful for. I am generally a very gracious kind of person. My needs are few and I am beyond grateful for anything anyone throws my way. This year, though, has been quite a doozey on me and my emotional state. Its been full of ups and downs and twists and turns. I'm not gonna lie, being thankful has been harder for me this year than it has been in the past.

However, I am still thankful. Maybe even more so than I ever have been. I am thankful for my little boys this year more than ever before. They have been my driving purpose. My comfort and my warmth. Even the reason I got out of the bed for awhile. They have always known how to make me smile when I was down and make me forget my troubles. This year they have been my purpose. Everything I have done and worked towards has been done with a renewed purpose to better their lives (please don't let my babies suffer other's mistakes anymore). Without those two little smiling faces I would have been a lost person in every sense of the word. I thank everything that is for them.

Then there has been the support crew. My mother and father, who have been divorced for 13 years and hadn't spoken in 10, came together to help my boys and I out. They have done everything from supporting us financially while I found a job to giving us shelter when we had no where else to go to supporting me emotionally and lifting me up when I could hardly bear to breathe. They have held my hand while I faced the kind of meanness I never thought I would have to endure and stayed by my bed while I was recoverign from various ailments.

Its something that I suppose you expect from parents but until you witness it, until you witness that kind of love, you never know just how much you need your parents. I am thankful that they have been able to put aside their differences and take care of us in a way, even thought they shouldn't have had to, that only a parent could.

Of course there were the friends old and new that I am oh so thankful for as well. One of them, Lisa, I have known since I moved to Georgia a billion (okay 15) years ago. We have been friends since then, with periods where we didn't talk as much and periods where we talked more. We got married with in a few months of each other and our boys are all with in months of each other in age (she also has a little miss that's the baby). She was one of the first people I told when T walked out and she was immediately supportive. Ever since she has been there to help out when I needed someone to watch my boys or to read my ranty text messages about love and hate. She has been my sounding board. Heck, her husband even stayed up til 3am to help us move. Needless to say, I am beyond grateful for her and her family.

I am also thankful for all of the other friends both in real life and online that have helped to life me up out of a hole and keep me moving forward. If necessary with hot pokers. There are too many to mention but you know who you are. You are the ones actually reading this. You are the ones that didn't back down and disappear when I needed you most like so many others did. When I needed an ear or someone fresh to cry at when I had cried everyone else out. You helped us with money, you helped us with words, and most of all love. I am so blessed to have each and every one of you.

Of course I have to be thankful for Bob too. Sweet Bob. I honestly don't know who rescued who at this point. Bob came to us at a time when I needed someone 24/7 and the boys needed a playmate. Someone to talk to, someone to cry on, someone to give me a purpose in the middle of the night. Bob has always been a "mama's dog". He follows me around the house watching me clean or cook or whatever. If I am sad, he will come and put his face on me or just lean up against my leg and look up at me. He knows when I need love and he rubs around and around my legs like a cat until sit down and then he will just lay his head either on my shoulder or on my lap for some love or stand there while I lay my head on his shoulder. He also loves the boys like he loves me but he is much more gentle. He loves K in particular and is always very patient with him when he is doing things like poking q-tips in Bob's ears and proclaiming him an alien. He isn't a good guard dog but damn is he a good dog.

There always the little things in life to be thankful for too. I am thankful for a roof when we were so scared we wouldn't have one there for awhile. Even if it was a piece together job there for awhile. I am thankful for my landlord for taking us in and helping us out. I am thankful for food even if it means a little hand up. I am thankful for kind looks from strangers when the boys are losing it in a store and all I can do is cry. I am thankful for my job. I am thankful for you. For my readers. For being patient with me.

I went from being broken and feeling like I had nothing to be thankful for this past winter to having more to be thankful for than my heart could hold. I hope that this Thanksgiving is the same for you. I hope that you can look back over the last year and be even more thankful than you were the last. If not, I hope that the next year brings you closer to it.

Happy Thanksgiving. Now go eat some turkey and take a nap. Tomorrow starts a whole new ball game of crazy. Here comes Christmas. Ready or not.

A Mama's Best Friend #WW

You've met him before.

Bob. Just Bob.

His name suits him.

He is the most laid back dog you've ever met.

Spends most of his time stretched out in the floor.

Usually drooling on the rug.

Extremely patient.

Even more gentle.

Absence Repealed

I admit it. I've been rather absent the last few months. Lots of events and not much meat. Please, just trust me when I say that has been for the best. For all of us. My life right now is... complicated to say the least and while I would normally fill you all in with all its screwy detail, its just not the right time. Just suffice it to say that I am well on my way to being a single mama. The boys and I are okay. We have each other. All of your prayers and love has been heard though. Through email, Facebook and Twitter. You miss me (You like me! You really like me!), I get it. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Anyway, you are all due an update.

The boys are amazing. Seriously you guys, every time I think I can't love these two little men more than I already do, my heart grows by leaps and bounds again. They still just adore each other and of course they adore Bob. Bob has fit into our crazy kind of love like a missing piece. He is seriously the most gentle, laid back animal I have ever seen. Almost too laid back sometimes I'm afraid. K loves to snuggle up with Bob in the floor and watch TV. Seriously, cutest thing you've ever seen. Of course Bob loves to run but that is kind of what he is made to do after all. We make sure and take him to the park to run with us as much as possible and the boys just love chasing him around. Of course when they chase him, he stops running and refuses to start again until they are in another area and the cycle starts over. He has become quite the celebrity in our neighborhood too with everyone knowing his name and always speaking to him and giving him some love pats.
D is looking more and more like a big kid all the time. I told my mother last night that he is looking more and more like a 5 year old all the time. Which is breaking my poor mama heart. Of course he still has those squishy cheeks that are just right for kissing and pinching. I hope he never loses them. I can't believe he will be five in a few months. FIVE. That's halfway to puberty you guys! What the heck! That is so not allowed!

He is, as always, my little man. He is serious and opinionated and loves with his whole self. D is seeing a counselor to help him deal with some of his stress regarding our situation and what not and it has really helped his personality evolve. Not that he needed improvement, he is just.. more HIM than ever.

D is smart and strong and opinionated (did I mention opinionated?) and awesome and perfect. D has a huge imagination. He loves to play and dress up. His sense of humor has really started to show itself again. He is hilarious. The things he says and does sometimes just make every one around laugh. Its a side of him I haven't seen in... years? Too long for sure. 

K is silly as always too. He is my little lover boy who lives for kisses and snuggles but loves to run and cause mayhem whenever possible too. Of course, that is kind of what the is made for, kind of like Bob.

He talks all. the. time. Seriously. Its almost comical. K's inner monologue isn't so much internal as it is an external stream of thoughts kind of monologue. He is so smart though. You can just sit and listen to him play and he reasons things out so much better than his brother did at this age.

Of course if you displease him, he still turns into hulk baby. Hulk baby smash and rage! All I can say about that is we are working on it. His patience is evolving in every area except food. He has no patience when it comes to food. He is the kind of kid that doesn't always eat because he is hungry, he is an emotional eater.

Trip and bonk his head? Needs a cheese stick.

Fall and hurt his bum? Needs some crazies (craisins).

Had a fun run at the park? Needs a four course meal.

I swear, its all I can do to keep the kid fed. He is getting taller though so that is helping out with the silly fat kid stumble he has done for so long. In fact, K can kick a soccer ball while running better than any kid his age I've ever seen. Watch out Beckham.

I? I am surviving. I have been under extreme amounts of stress and it has taken its toll physically. It makes my OA much worse, even in the heat which is usually my "good" time of year.

Then there is the issue of my heart. Guys, it damn near gave out on me on my birthday. For reals. Not good. Some day I will try to type the drama revolving around my 31st birthday for you. It was by far the scariest day of my life.

Otherwise I am doing well. I have lost a little more weight since March. Not as dramatically but its more turning fat into muscle at this point. I am getting stronger, emotionally and physically, every day. I am learning to let things go and ask for help in order to preserve and persevere. Both of which have always been hard for me.

At any rate, thats where we are right now. As for RMM? There are changes a-comin'. I am going to be working on some physical changes to the blog as well as some content changes as well. Like I said before, I know its been mostly event related in the last few months, which is great and all, but I am growing restless and I know you probably are too. Reviews and events are great but I have much more to say. Some of the shenanigans that go on around here... Pure hilarity. That and I will have to start the obnoxious but necessary practice of watermarking my photos because unfortunately certain people think they are public domain. All I ask is your patience while I get back on my feet. Both literally and figuratively.

Thanks for your patience, your kindness, and your support. It means the world. Seriously.

Big Bob Discovers Dog Toys

My recently adopted greyhound is discovering toys for the first time. Racing hounds aren't given toys in the kennels. So this really is his first time having toys of his very own and its taken him a few weeks but he is finally starting to realize they are kind of fun!  Its like having a 95lb puppy...

Meet Bob. Just Bob.

This is Bob:

Bob is a retired Greyhound formerly known as Bob's Stay. We decided to stick with Bob. Just Bob. It suits him.

Bob is a big boy. Big even as a Greyhound.

He is the most gentle dog I have ever seen. A true gentle giant.

Bob is also lazy. 

Very Lazy.

He has quickly become a big part of our family though. You can't look at his sweet face and not fall in love.

Bob came to us from the races in Birmingham, Alabama by a rescue organization called Southeastern Greyhound Club (aka SEGA). I found them through one of my close friends (Thanks, Lisa!). You can read more about Greyhounds and why they make such amazing pets on her blog and "meet" Bob's buddy Ari. 

If you are thinking of getting a dog, please adopt. I highly suggest a Greyhound but if they are not suited to your situation, try your local animal shelter. There are so many loving animals out there that just need that second chance.