Victory!

A couple of weeks ago Daniel and I joined the masses in Boston to celebrate the Bruins' Stanley Cup victory. We aren't die hard fans, but thought it would be fun to participate in this once in a lifetime experience. The Boston Globe estimated that there was close to a million people who came into town for the festivities. We rode the very overcrowded train into North Station, which shares space with the Garden, home of the Boston Bruins. We found a spot near the Garden, where the parade was starting from. The team rode in a line of 20 duck boats, with the Stanley Cup held high at the front, and ticker tape confetti flying all around us. It was a lot of fun to be a part of the parade and celebrate the Bruins' victory with the rest of Boston.

A Stinky Situation

Makwa learned a very important lesson last Tuesday night. Daniel had taken him outside before bed and in Makwa's curiousity, he got a little too close to the neighborhood skunk. Unfortunately, Makwa had cornered the skunk and before Daniel could call him back, Makwa got sprayed in the face, neck, and chest. As soon as Daniel brought Makwa inside, we washed him in the tub. We were completely unprepared for this kind of situation and all we could do was give him a bath. Neither Daniel nor I slept much that night as the smell of skunk permeated the house. Daniel did some research and found that boiling water with vinegar would get the skunk smell out of the air. It worked, but then the house smelled of vinegar. Still better than skunk, though! Makwa received two more baths on Wednesday, using hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. The second bath included a presoak with listerine. It seemed to work well. Unfortunately, we still had to deal with the mild skunk smell throughout the house. After many loads of laundry, scrubbing the kitchen and bathroom floors, cleaning the carpets with a rug doctor, several days with the windows open (in 30 degree weather), and perfumey candles burning, we've finally gotten rid of it, for the most part. Every so often we get a whif of skunk. I guess it will just take time for the smell to fully disappear. I sure hope Makwa has learned his lesson and we won't have to go through this again. However, if he does get sprayed by a skunk again, we WILL be prepared!

Christmas Thoughts

It's hard to believe that Christmas is upon us once again. It is always a busy time of year with Christmas parties, concerts and shopping. I've been involved in our church's choir for the past year and sang in the "Child of Hope" cantata last Sunday, which was a beautiful representation of the Christmas story and the hope that He alone can bring to the world.

Daniel and I got home a little while ago from the Christmas Eve service and will open gifts this evening. Tomorrow we'll celebrate Christmas with our wonderful friends, the Bakers. We are so very grateful for the relationships we've made and the people that we can share holidays with. It definitely makes it easier to be away from family. Daniel, Makwa and I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Makwa Moments

The other night, Makwa was laying on the floor shivering. It was one of our first colder nights and we hadn't turned the heat on yet. Daniel and I covered him with a blanket and he quickly warmed up.


Daniel saw a dog couch in a magazine and insisted we get one for Makwa. His reasoning was that Makwa needed a warm, soft place to rest on instead of laying on the floor in the living room. So we ordered the couch. Makwa really likes his couch and we've now put it in the bedroom for him to sleep on at night. He's been sleeping much better since he started sleeping on his couch.

Berry Picking

Daniel and I went apple picking a few weekends ago for my birthday. A year and a half ago we found a great farm in Londonderry, NH and have gone there for our berries and apples ever since. It's only about 45 minutes from our house and it's a pretty drive north. The leaves have started changing and we enjoyed some of the fall colors along the way. We picked four pints of big, delicious raspberries and a 1/2 peck of apples. I think we ate as many raspberries as we picked! I made a batch of raspberry freezer jam to enjoy in the winter time and an apple crisp, which only lasted a couple of days. I thought I'd share some pictures of our trip to Sunnycrest Farm.

Makwa Moments

We've enjoyed taking Makwa for walks to the beach. It's a nice walk from our house to the park and Makwa likes to wade in the ocean water. He was a little confused on his first visit as he attempted to drink the water. He didn't like it so much and spit it back out! Here are a few photos of a couple of trips to Obear Park.

Makwa Moments