Wrapping Up 2008

I'm one of those people who loves Christmas and wish it could be every day, but alas I have another year to wait! Sigh.... Despite busting our budget for Christmas gifts, I still love giving gifts. It's such a fun time of the year.

Since this was our first Christmas with Beau and Belle, we were anxious to see how they would react on Christmas morning. Beau's reaction was pretty much as expected; he's sort of like an old hippie. He'd rather lounge around and let the action come to him. That being said, he did enjoy his stocking which had a Teddy Bear, dog biscuit and 10" rawhide bone. After that he tucked up in his cage and looked on from a distance.

Belle was a different story. She knew that something was amidst. She loved her stocking, and even showed interest in opening her present [another teddy bear]. But her most favorite part of Christmas was shredding wrapping paper! How great is that? For one day she can shred anything she wants and not get in trouble for it! Needless to say, I picked up about 200 pieces of tiny wrapping paper bits. She also had a humorous encounter with a remote controlled car.

It was a bit of sensory overload for them when the family came over in the evening. It was the most people we've ever had in our house since we moved in back in March. Beau was a little unsure about all the people, and Belle was noticeably stressed. She found a nice warm spot on my brother-in-law's lap and wouldn't leave his side. She was panting nervously for about 30 minutes, until she eventually calmed down. All in all, they did great and by the end of the night they were both roaming around vying for attention from everyone.

One particularly funny moment was when my sister, nephew and brother-in-law decided to jam out to some Guitar Hero in the living room. My brother-in-law was cracking us up with his screaming vocals to Sweet Home Alabama.

This year has been a big one for us. We bought our first house, and we adopted our two wonderful Greyhounds. We managed to make it through the year without losing any friends or family members, and we also retained our jobs during this questionable economy. I hope that all of you were as fortunate as we were, and I sincerely hope that your 2009 is no different.

From Iva, Scott, Beau and Belle, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year.