Mommys' SoCal Sojourn

As you all know, Mommy #1 and #2 - along with Aunt B, Cousin C and Cousin E joined our good friends from Sacramento on a Thanksgiving trip to Southern California. They headed out very early in the morning. . . before the sun said HELLO to the Santa Clara Valley. And look at that sunrise! Isn't that simply beautiful? I think they were 30 minutes south in Morgan Hill by the time this happened. Mommy took this picture through the car window but had put the glass down to capture the colors. Don't worry! She was not driving. Unless you count BACKSEAT driving, LOL!

First stop was the familiar and fun city of ANAHEIM - the city Disneyland calls home. I think it is physically impossible for my Mommys to go within 50 miles of Disneyland and NOT stop by for a visit. They say it makes them happy to just walk into the park.

They checked into the hotel first and then wandered to the park and Pizza Port for a tasty late lunch. They timed it perfectly for the Christmas Fantasy Parade. That was really all Mommy #1 wanted to do - catch shows and parades. A little later, after it was dark, they found THE PERFECT SPOT on Main Street USA to watch the electrical parade - Paint The Night.

This was the view across Main Street from where they were sitting. What a magical sight. This is one of the things my Mommys love best about Disneyland - the care and craftsmanship of the decorations. So wonderful and festive. This really puts them in the HOLIDAY SPIRIT.

The next morning they got up a little later (Yay for sleeping in!!!) and headed south to San Diego and Coronado Island. They stayed in the Navy Lodge on the NAS base on the island. They had a kitchen and a patio and big beds. The only thing missing was ME. I missed them and they missed me - but only service dogs are allowed in the hotel so that excluded me.

You've see this picture but I like it so . . . there!

The next 5 days they spent at the Navy Lodge. Most of the time the weather was nice, like in this photo. A couple of days it rained but that was okay. It was more like short-lived showers sprinkled with sunlight.

A couple of times My Mommys took nice long walks on the beach looking for special sea shells. They found a lot and had good talks and lotsa laughs at the same time.

Thanksgiving was a grand celebration where both families gathered together for a composite meal. There were 12 of them in a small cottage. It was absolutely filled with laughter and happiness and good friends sharing a special meal. I wish I was there but I understand. I had a quiet Thanksgiving supper (Merrick Thanksgiving Dinner which I will review in a few days) with Aunt T and a couple of her friends.

I am so happy they had a good time but I am SURE HAPPY they came back to me.

Home FROM The Holiday

It took a long long time but at LAST Mommys #1 and #2 arrived home from SoCal. I cannot tell you how happy that made me. I even did the ULTIMATE No No and ran out the front door, down the front pathway and over to the driveway where Mommy #2 was unloading the car. I was just so so so excited they were home that I simply could not contain myself. I had to RUN AROUND the whole car, stopping to relieve myself of the ice plant at the curb, before I found her. The I jumped and Jumped and JUMPED until she bent down to pat me on the head and tell me hello.

Then I DUTIFULLY followed her into the house and waited IMPATIENTLY until she put the things she was carrying down. She then picked me up and gave me hugs and kisses and I did the same back. Then I went searching for Mommy #1 who had gone upstairs. I needed to give her an even bigger LOVE because she was heading back to college almost immediately.

After the car was unloaded and parcels placed on the floor or table, Mommy again picked me up for additional hugs. Then she took Mommy #2 back to university.

When she got back she got busy making dinner for everyone and we all ate. Afterward she sat on the couch and I sat on her lap FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. She told me all about the drive home and how it took FOREVER (or it seemed to) because of the weather and the holiday traffic. Here is some snow she spotted on the Grapevine - the mountain pass between the Central Valley and the edge of Los Angeles County.

I am so happy my family is home.

Happy Thanksgiving To One and All

Even if you aren't from the United States of America you can STILL partake in celebrating FURiends, FAMily and good will to ALL.

Mommys Having Fun Even Without Me - Harruumph!

It is not at all surprising that my Mommys are having fun even though they left me at home. Mommy #1 sent me some photos to show me just how much they are suffering.

This is the hotel they are staying at. Pretty nice looking, huh?

Here is the view looking down the beach toward the Hotel Coronado. It is a very very famous hotel where a lot of famous people stay. And many movies have been made here including Mommy #2's favorite - "Some Like It Hot."

Here is a panorama of the beach at Coronado

It Was a Nice Surprise . . . . . #chewyinfluencer

The other day Mr Fed Ex arrived at our house. He had already been to our house TWO times before delivering our Chewy.com order for CAT FOOD and medicated wipes for me. We love the fast service and competitive prices of Chewy.com. And they have so much to choose from. We take MINUTES (which is an eternity to a PUG) to look over the website for just the right things.

So we found what we wanted and two days later it arrived! That afternoon we got an email from our FURiend Ms Sydney from Chewy.com with the choices for November reviews. We pondered (for a WHOLE 5 minutes) and finally picked out some foodables for Me and Molly AND some meal TOPPER for Sunshine the cat. Two days later OUR ORDER ARRIVED!!!! It is amazing how fast we get our stuff from Chewy.com. Sometimes it is the next day, even.

But then, quite unexpectedly, ANOTHER box arrived from Chewy.com and we totally had not ordered anything! Was it a mistake? Was it someone else's package misdirected?

No - it was a BOX OF LOVE from Chewy.com. AND FOR ONCE it was for Mommys #1 and #2 and not for us lovable dogs and cat.

 This is what was under WRAPS - a beanie, a scarf, a mug, and two jars. Mommy #2 was pretty excited about the cap as she needed something for Disneyland IN CASE it got cold while parade watching. Mommy #1 had her eye on the mug and something in one of the JARS.

LOOK! It is hot apple cider mix and some cinnamon sticks to make it extra good. And the other jar - hot chocolate with mini marshmallows. OMP! Doesn't that look like the perfect thing for a rainy day or a cold FALL evening?

My Mommys were so overwhelmed and pleased that Chewy.com thought of them. This is why we keep going back to them for our pet needs. Not only is their selection, pricing and customer service beyond reproach, but they really really really CARE. And THAT means more than anything else.

We love you Ms Sydney and Chewy.com.

Monday Without Mommy

It's a hard hard day without Mommy home. Aunt T is at work and it is just me and Molly . . . and Sunshine the Cat . . . and Jade the Parakeet (our sweet quirky Pearl went to Bird Heaven yesterday). I'm not alone but I am lonely. You see, I have a pillow near Mommy's feet in the office and I usually sit there all day. I am close enough to sense Mommy and that is comforting to me. But when she is not home and Aunt T is not home, I have to stay in the pen.

She is away ALL WEEK in Coronado (she says an aircraft carrier came in and she has never seen so many pilots in one place) and we will have to adjust. But after that life will be back to normal. Except it will be the holidays and things are NEVER truly normal after Thanksgiving.

The Bags and the Cooler Are Out - Does This Mean. . .

Every year at this time My Family takes a trip to Southern California for Thanksgiving. We don't have family down there or anything like that. But years ago, my Mommy and her sisters (Aunt B & Aunt T) decided to switch up the tradition of gathering with family and sharing a feast. Instead, they head to this PLACE

This year they are spending one day in Mickey Mouse's house and then heading to San Diego's Coronado Island for 5 days.

No, they are NOT staying at this famous hotel. They are staying nearby, though, at the naval base. It will be a lot of fun as they are meeting up with some dear friends and just relaxing on the beach and stuff. Unfortunately for me NO DOGS ALLOWED not even PUGS. Sad, really. I would love to run along the beach chasing birds and waves.

Following Thanksgiving, they will again head back to DISNEYLAND for more fun and frolic. Mommy says it is the best way to get into the Holiday spirit. I hope so. She has not quite gotten her bearings since returning from England AND moving Mommy #1 into the dorms.

Heartfelt Words Wednesday. . .

Too many FURiends have crossed the Rainbow Bridge this past MONTH or so. And I am really really sad about it. Most recently we lost

• China Woes
• Harry Pugalicious
• Bodhi
• Poppy

Run Free FURiends. You will always have a special place in my heart.

Love Noodles

That's Show Biz

Curtain up! Light the lights!

You got nothing to hit but the heights!

You'll be swell. You'll be great.

Honey, everything's coming up roses for me and for you!

Gypsy: Everything's Coming Up Roses Lyrics

The show is over and Mommy is back with me. That was THREE tough days. She said the show was really good and she had a lot of fun. She built sets (see above) on Friday and they had a lot of help. That makes the day go so much faster. She was home by lunch time.

Then Saturday they put the sets on stage (this is when you see what works, what doesn't work, and what needs changing/adding. In the end it is Mommy's job to make it happen. So she and a couple of other backstage moms (in reality Mommy #1 is not dancing and so Mommy #2 is not a backstage mom AND one other Mom has the same situation - but they love doing that stuff) did their best MacGyvering and made the magic happen. I wish she had a picture of the complete set but she doesn't.

They worked all day and into the evening - she got home about 10pm. The director (Auntie D who owns the studio) and lighting crew spent the morning doing what is known as TECH rehearsal. They set all of the lighting cues for each dance (there are a lot of dances, too). This is also when the photographer takes the official dance pose pictures. It is a long long process. Then after a quick dinner break is DRESS REHEARSAL. This is where (hopefully) all of the kinks are ironed out. The whole show is run start to finish with lights, music, set changes and fog. It is always stressful.

Finally it was show day. There are 3 shows in ONE DAY! That is a lot. There is an audience for each show and the kids all dance their hearts out. The energy is so high you can feel it in the air. It was great, according to Mommy. They had some glitches, like when the curtain broke, but those things happen. All in all it was a thumbs up kind of day.

Monday we slept on the couch ALL DAY! Really. That is my favorite part of show weekend.

No Bidness Like SHOW Business

It's that time of year, Folks - time for the annual SHOWCASE at Auntie D's dance studio. You know Mommy #1 is off to college now so she is not going to be in the show any more. But Mommy #2 - well she Loves LoveS LOVES show biz and especially the Theater.

So light the lights and get ready to take the stage.

But, as a result I have been absent from my BLOG for a couple of days and will likely be absent until Tuesday. BUT then I will be back with more fun and Frolic - I promise.

Speechless Wednesday

Today is MONDAY and You Wanna Know What I Think??????

After Halloween Sale - Why Oh Why?

My Mommy #2 loves loves loves to shop sale tables. That is when she can afford to buy the stuff she wanted to buy BEFORE Halloween. Well, she could afford it before but couldn't justify spending the money. But when things are 50%, 60% and 75% OFF - well what's there to justify?

So she has some spare time and wandered over to Target, her home away from home, and scoured the sale spots. The Target associates were already tearing down Autumn and Halloween and putting up Christmas. So much for Thanksgiving which is still more than three weeks away.

There was a lot of chocolate, which is unusual; and she bought some to take to the showcase she is involved in. She works backstage and sometimes chocolate is the only way to keep going. There was also some decorations and she picked up one she had her eye on when it was full price.

The she started going through the costumes. She couldn't find any for pooches, thank goodness. But as she was going through the costumes for babies, what did she spy? Not one, not two, BUT A WHOLE BUNCH of pet costumes. Most of them were t-shirts which she was not too interested in. But one caught her eye and she could not let it go. . . and for $5 why should she?

And even though it is a LARGE and I am a MEDIUM husky SHE BOUGHT IT!

Are you SERIOUS, MOM?

But I'm humiliated

What did you say?

I definitely heard TREAT!!!

What do you think? Is it me?

Baseball is the BEST sport on EARTH . . .

At least today it is.

I loves, loves, loves baseball games. They are fun, exciting and the smells. . . .

This photo is me at the Oakland Athletics game for Bark in the Park. It is an especially fun game because dogs are allowed to attend.

We watched the World Series at Casa de Noodles - from start to exciting finish. AND I have to say, it was a NAIL-bitter. Such good baseball. . . so exciting of a game SEVEN. Who could ask for more?

Oh, and Chicago, YOU ARE WELCOME for Ben Zobrist - he came from the Oakland As.

Felicidades en Dia de Muertos!!!!

By Illustratedink

How to have a GREAT Dia de Muertos

1. Make lots of yummy food and invite FURiends over
2. SNACK on the yummy food while waiting for FURiends to come over
3. MAKE more yummy food just before your FURiends arrive
4. EAT AND CELEBRATE with your FURiends

Viva la celebracion!!!!

Molly's New Softer Food is a WINNER . . . #chewyinfluencer

Hello - I think you all know who I am. I'm ME, Molly. I am Noodles' younger sister. I have trouble with my teeth, which is common in the maltese mix that I am. As such, I am relying more and more on softer foods. But ALL soft food does not agree with my tummy. So Auntie K, Noodles' Mommy #2 thought perhaps a TOPPER would help the kibble go down better. 

Lucky for us, the October Newsletter from Chewy.com included a freeze-dried topper that I was HOT to try. It is Nature's Variety Raw Boost Mixers, Turkey Formula. It sounded so yummy from the description and I was very excited about trying it out.

I waited patiently for it to arrive and it DID - two days later. I love that Chewy.com.

Since yesterday was Halloween, Noodles INSISTED I use this photo of a chewy.com box

That night the Nature's Variety Raw Boost Mixers was added to a smaller portion of my kibble. It looked like this picture - which was taken at the actual moment the BOOST was added. I was pretty excited to chow down and that is so not NORMAL for me.

Please ignore the tile - we are in the process of
repairing and replacing the kitchen floor

I DUG right in and I totally DUG the flavors

I tell ya, it was the best and most satisfying meal I have had in a while. WHY? Well, because I didn't have to chew a lot of hard kibble bits in order to feel well fed. The turkey flavor is so rich and meaty that I truly felt like a princess once I finished my FINE meal.

Why is Nature's Variety Raw Boost Mixers such a good addition to my well balanced diet? Well, check out the ingredients

1. Turkey
2. Turkey Liver
3. Pumpkinseeds
4. Turkey Heart
5. Carrots
6. Apples 
7. Butternut Squash 
8. Ground Flaxseed 
9. Montmorillonite Clay 
10. Dried Kelp
11.  Broccoli
12.  and naturally occurring - Mixed Tocopherols, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Rosemary Extract, Blueberries, Dried Chicory Root.

I don't know about you BUT I see a whole lot of GOOD food and REAL food. Turkey, Turkey, ...Turkey... When Nature's Variety says TURKEY it means lots of it.

And all that stuff translates into a healthier and PRETTIER Molly. I feel good, I behave good, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I look good.

I give this food TEN TIMES

*I was given free of charge ONE BAG of Nature's Variety Raw Boost Mixers so I could try it and decide if I liked it. I was not and never am paid for my opinion. All opinions on this blog belong to the author ONLY.