We Leave Tomorrow!

I heard Mom talking to Christine today. We are leaving for our visit tomorrow! I'm so excited. I can't wait to see baby John. I'm not excited about the drive to Corpus Christi in this heat, but it's worth it to see everyone.

I was hoping my new pictures would be ready so I could take one with me to give to John. But Jessica has been busy and hasn't finished them yet. She said she would get them done this week. I guess I'll have to wait until we get back to see them.

Our friend, PopArt Diva, made me a little bone widget to use on my blog. She thought my giving the Omni Corpus Christi 5 "treats" was cute and made me a "treat" to use. Which gave me an idea. While I'm in Corpus Christi, I'm going to take notes on the hotel and other places we visit. Then I'm going to report on them when I get back. I'll use PopArt Diva's bone to rate them. It looks like this:

Isn't it great? She sure is talented! You can check out her other work at www.PopArtDiva.com. And Mom is working on Squidoo pages for me so I can share my experience with lots of others. I think I'll use these there too! Thanks Ms. Terri, for making these for me. I can't wait to see what you do with my picture. Someday Mom and I are going to put up a whole website for me, but that is taking a lot of work and we want to share things faster. That's why we made this blog and why we are using Squidoo!

Oh wow! I just heard Mom ask Dad to get the laptop out of the office. That means she's taking it with her. Which means I'll be able to stay in touch even while we're traveling. Maybe Jessica can send my pictures so I won't have to wait to see them.

Well, Mom and I have a little bit more packing to do. I want to make sure she takes everything I need: treats, toys, blanket, leash, collar, food and water bowls, food, water, vet records, brush, odor remover (just in case! I'm potty trained, but accidents do happen...). And she'll need a little time to get her own packing done too. I'm going to help her finish and then I'm going to have dinner and go to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day!

Dr. Karen says I need a "diet"!

Well, we are a little behind schedule. Mom has been busy helping Carter and Morgan move into their new home. Carter and Morgan are like baby John only a little bit bigger. They live close enough that I get to play with them all the time. They are moving into a new house but not too far away so I will still get to see them on weekends.

Mom did take me to see Dr. Karen. She looked at me all over and gave me a couple of shots. She said I looked like I was pretty healthy, but could probably stand to lose a couple of pounds. She said I shouldn't weigh more than 10 pounds and Mom said I weighed 13. So Mom said I could go on a diet with her. I guess that's okay - I'm not sure what "diet" means. I only know I didn't get my hamburger after my visit. Mom bought something she called a "Greenie" at Dr. Karen's house and I got that instead. It was pretty good to chew on and it lasted longer than the hamburger. But I still wish I'd gotten my hamburger. Mom's taking this diet thing seriously though. She wouldn't even let me have a piece of her waffle this morning. And she made me go for a walk with her last night. Night time is my relaxing time! I hope this diet ends soon. I'm not sure I like it.

After talking to Dad, Mom has decided to drive to Corpus Christi - yippee! Like I said before, I'm not too crazy about flying. I watch birds fly and it's okay for them. But I like to be next to Mom or some other human. Not cooped up in a crate who knows where. That means Mom will have to get the car ready for the trip. She said she needs to get the oil changed and the tires rotated. I don't know what that means but it's one more thing she has to do before we can leave.

Tonight we get to sit down and look at hotels. Mom does hotel stuff to make money so she knows all about them. She will get on the computer in the office an look at some things. She might even let me in the office to look at pictures with her. I don't get to come in the office during the day when she is working. She says I bark and that doesn't sound good when she is on the phone. But at night it's different. So we'll look at hotels together and then Mom will pick the one she thinks is best and call them to tell them we are coming. I hope she picks a really good one. I have my favorites where we travel a lot. I should share them with you. Lots of hotels allow pets. But some are just nicer to me than others.

Well, Mom is saying she needs to stop typing for me. She says she has a meeting with someone at lunch time. Sometimes, when Mom has lunch meetings, she brings me a treat in a bag just for me. It's called a "doggie bag." I probably won't get one this time though. I'm on a diet!

Corpus Christi Here We Come!

The votes are in and Corpus Christi won. So it looks like I'll be getting to spend some time with baby John this summer! I hope he doesn't try to pull my tail again. Mom wasn't entirely convinced at first. I think she really wanted to go to Orlando. But we have been there once already this year and I want to go somewhere new. So, I just had to do the "puppy dog eyes" routine whenever she talked about John and Christine. It worked. She called them last night and told them we were coming. I told you I had Mom well trained!

Now we have to get ready to go. Mom said she's going to call Dr. Karen tomorrow and make an appointment for me to get my shots (ouch!) and a pedicure and maybe even a flea dip. Can't be too careful with those pesky fleas. I don't like shots but if I'm good Mom will buy me a hamburger on the way home! I love hamburgers with cheese on them and I only get them after a trip to Dr. Karen's. Mom says they're not good for me to eat very often but a once in a while treat is okay.

Another part of planning the trip is deciding whether to fly or drive. Mom said she is going to get on her Travelocity site tonight and check airfares. I'm not a huge fan of flying. I'd rather drive so I can be close to Mom on the trip. I'm always afraid one of these days I'll get lost and Mom won't find me. I've heard stories about that happening. Mom has a chip in my ear she says will help keep that from happening. But you never know... Mom almost always drives if I go with her so I think we probably will this time also. If not, it may be time for more "puppy dog eyes."

After that, we have to choose a hotel. We are welcome to stay with Christine and baby John, but truthfully, although I love him, spending all day with a baby can be tough on a dog. So I'm glad that Mom is going to get a room where I can have some time to myself just to spend with her. I like our little vacations since it lets me have Mom to all to myself for a little part of each day. At home, I have to share her with Dad, and the grandkids (when the come to visit), and dad's dog Ginger who is lots bigger than me, and the cats and even some fish! I admit I'm a little spoiled. I was here first before all these others (except Dad) and I don't always like to share. In fact, sometimes I get a little cranky about it - especially if it's a treat or a new bone!

Hey! I almost forgot to share the news! I made a new friend! Her name is Aspen and she is a Yorkie which is a small dog like me. Except she is fancier than me because she is all Yorkie and has papers and everything. I am lots of different things (Dad says I'm a Heinz 57. I never heard of that kind of dog before) and I don't have papers - unless you count the newspapers Mom used to put down for me until I learned to go outside. Mom showed me Aspen's picture and she is cute. I wish she lived close enough to come visit since she's almost the same size as me. It would be fun to have a friend my own size to play with that wasn't a cat! Aspen has her own website though, just like I do. She talks about taking care of small dogs and living with her humans. You should check it out. http://www.aspentheyorkie.com/. Stop by and say hello and tell her Travelin' Bob sent you.

I guess that's all for now. It's almost dinner time and I need to be in the kitchen in case Mom drops anything on the floor. I get a lot of treats that way!

We're Hitting the Road!

I'm excited! It's summer and Mom has decided to take a trip - and I get to go along! She hasn't decided where to go yet. I heard her on that little thing she uses to talk to other humans last night. She was talking about ideas for a vacation. I think she is trying to decide between visiting Aunt Mai Lei in Dallas (okay, but they have an awful lot of cats that don't like to play with me), Christine in Corpus Christi (that might be fun. I can see baby John! I LIKE babies!) or Desiree in Florida (that gets my vote. I love the beach!)

Once she decides, we will have to get ready. That means a trip to see Dr. Karen. That's always fun. I know sometimes I have to get shots and that hurts a little bit. But the ladies at Dr. Karen's are always nice to me. They pet me and cut my toenails for me so I can walk better. And if I have to get a shot, Mom always takes me for a hamburger afterward!

I hear Mom talking to someone on that black box again. She is still not sure where she wants to go. I know! Why don't YOU help her decide. Vote for which trip you think we should take. I'll do my best to convince Mom that's where we need to go. How you ask? Don't worry. I have Mom well-trained! And I'll keep you up to date on all the fun things there are to do for dogs (and cats too I guess) whereever you decide we should go.