I was going to tell you all about how the flu has hit this house hard. I've been down with it since Wednesday and I'm just now starting to feel like a normal human being again, one who has to blow their nose all the time. But that's boring. Plus everyone has had or has the flu right now. That's what the flu does. You make all these new year resolutions and BAM! the flu steps in to give you a nice big road block. Instead I'd like to tell you about the newest member of our household. 

I know it hasn't really been a secret if you have been paying attention on facebook. I've been leery to write about it though until we actually had her in our home. A few months back, our friend Amber posted pictures of a litter of new born pups and I impulsively said that I wanted one. Turned out they were registered mini schnauzer puppies and I couldn't justify spending that kind of money and then there was the guilt of not rescuing a pup from the pound. But then my sister-in-law pipped up and with my mom pitched in for my birthday. When I texted Michael about getting one, he never really said yes or no. Instead he asked "what are you going to name your bearded lady?" Then he came up with a list of famous bearded ladies. 

That's when I knew he was hooked. I've been looking and pining over dogs for some time now, but Michael seemed less than enthusiastic. He started to come around a little, but put some rules in place. The dog had to be small and not a shedder. I would have to be sure that the dog is well behaved and didn't get on the furniture. Blah blah blah. You and I know that I will make sure the dog is well behaved, but she's totally allowed on the couch. How else is she going to lay in my lap while I shower her with love? I knew he was buckling when he suggested the name. When I visited the puppies in December, I sent Michael a picture. His reply was "bring her home!" I figured I had him, but I still had my doubts. Then came the weekend we were finally supposed to bring her home. Michael had to travel to Oklahoma without me because of the whole flu thing. He acted like he was on a quest to bring me a puppy. Katrina sent me picture of Michael holding the puppy. I asked her if she thought he liked her. She replied that he hadn't put her down since he got there. He was hooked. 

So we've named her Madame Josephine Boisdechene Clofulla. Josephine for short. Phiney for even shorter. The original Josephine was a famous bearded lady of the 1800s. She gained a lot of fame for fashioning her beard in the style of Napoleon III. Annie Jones was another contender, but Dad had a loyal pup named Annie. I'll leave that name with her. I'm super excited and smitten with Josephine, but I'm also pretty nervous about having a puppy. The last puppy, I mean tiny never had a previous almost forever home puppy, was when I was nine. Odie was a Christmas present and our efforts to potty train him proved futile. He got relegated to outside dog after one too many accidents on Mom's hard wood floors. That and he chewed up the rungs of Mom's dinning room table. His adorable sad beagle eyes couldn't even save him then. 

I keep reminding myself that I did eventual do obedience training with Odie and we were grand champions three years in a row at the Tulsa State Fair dog show. I have the skills locked away in here somewhere to train a dog. I did teach Hooper to sit and lay down. He came to us pre-programmed, so I didn't do much more than that. Josephine is a clean slate and there's a need to get this right early on without turning into a crazy dog lady. One of the dog trainer's in our obedience class when I was a kid kept chopped up hotdogs in her cheeks to spit down to her dog as a reward. I will not be doing that and I will not be training our little Phiney to be a show dog. I will teach her to be a kind, loving and mindful little dog. We will teach her that she is now part of our family.

Welcome Josephine!