The latest photo's are here!

Hardly seems as if one year has passed since Nathan made his grand entrance into the world.

I talked to Mike last night, and I have to tell you it always makes me so proud of how his life has turned out. One could not ask for a better Father and Husband. I look at him, Angela, who by the way is beautiful and wonderful herself, and Nathan - and think to myself....this is the all American dream, a hard working, happy family.

Nathan is not only walking, but running. Mike said that he is also talking non-stop. Momma, Daddy, Chaos (the dog), pup pup (Havoc, the new puppy), hello and the list goes on. Here's the only pitfall in all of this.... They are holding pictures hostage until Robert and I actually make it down to Florida to take our own! Yikes! Looks like we better start plannin', huh?

It's official....

Chris is on his way to get his education on Life in the Big City! This year has been, and will be a turning point in his life with graduating from college, aging out from the Cavaliers and now moving to Chicago. He and his car made it just fine (whew!), and now begins the interviews..... Many may think, will Chris be fortunate enough to find a job? But rather I think, who will be the fortunate one to have Chris work for their company? I say that 1) as a proud Mom, but in addition 2) one who has reviewed many resumes and interviewed many applicants for open positions. May I add that speaking on behalf of 2), he is a good catch for any company.

Good Luck Chris!

Basketball anyone?

Robert and I took Chris, who is in town on his way to Chicago, to Sidelines Grill for dinner this evening. After which we decided to play a friendly game of basketball. May I tell y'all that I proceeded to score higher than either of the guys? Now they will tell you that the game is not functioning correctly, but believe me when I tell you they just don't like being beat by a 'girl'!

49 points!

Will you....

read me a book?

I see you!

Nathan gets up close and personal with Tio Chris!! You want my picture? How about this? (Nathan 14 months old) Gosh I miss him so much!

The best $2.50 I ever.....

spent was on a can of green hair spray paint. Now, I know to the average person this may seem like a very strange comment, but hopefully you will agree after you read my explanation.

It all started four years ago in Madison, Wisconsin at Walmart. Sara, Mom, Marilyn and I were hunting for anything green that we could find. You see Chris was a first year rookie in the Cavaliers and we felt the need to show our support. Aha! Green hair spray paint - what a find! We purchase said hairspray and proceed to the womens restroom. It is there that we each sprayed our hair green. Young girls in the stadium approached and wanted to know where they could get their hair sprayed. So I whipped out the can of spray and must have done five girls hair.

Fast forward to Orlando in 2003 and Denver in 2004 - the scene replays itself again and again....... With the season coming again, I proceed to find green hair spray paint once more. $2.50? What a bargain! This year's story is even better than the previous three combined.....

After watching the Cavies practice one final time before the last day of competition, Robert and I stop at Wendy's to get a quick bite to eat and to change into our 'Cavies Baseball jerseys'. I also take the opportunity to use the mirror in the bathroom to spray my hair. Imagine the suprise when I walk out with green hair! Yes, that is always a priceless moment. For some reason, people automatically assume that once one passes a certain age they do not do anything out of the ordinary. I try to talk Robert into spraying his beard and moutache to no avail......

We missed the Pre-Finals Get Together, but do arrive in the parking lot just in time to catch Mom, Sara and Ken before they leave. As we are talking to them, a car stops and the gentleman driver asks where he can purchase some green hair spray paint. Imagine my delight to find another adult that would like to paint their hair green!!! Yes, Alan Boyer, proud father of a Cavalier had his daughter paint a stripe of green in his hair and beard. He then talked her into it as well. Yeah!!!

Robert and I eat, then proceed to the parking lot at Gillette stadium all the while I am trying to talk him into painting his beard and moustache. He is resistant, but finally must have gotten tired of my insistence. (Nice way of saying that I wouldn't shut up until he did - ya know, "It's the last time ever that you will have to show your support for Chris, blah, blah.....;-0) Yesss...... I get to paint his beard and moustache.

It is funny how Robert really was the one who attracted most of the attention with his beard. This may be because people assume that women do crazy things, but it is more unusual for a man? Not sure why, but everyone kept telling him how much they like his green paint.

So, we're sitting in our seats in the Cavaliers Block, waiting for the show to begin. a large group of young adults from Japan are sitting next to us as well as in the row below us. They, like many others, are very interested in the green hair thing. They even wanted their pix with us..... OK, now the wheels are turning. We offered the remainder of our green hairspray paint as a gesture of friendship..... They proceeded to paint C-A-V-A-L-I-E-R-S, one letter on the top of each head. The pictures are pricesless. The only thing that would've made it better is if the Cavaliers were on the field when the pix was taken. (credit for photo goes to Alan, Photoshop to take out a couple of extraneous item goes to Robert and finally my camera Nikon D70 for being so awesome!)

One fellow fan even asked me if these were our kids..... Well no, but we would be happy to claim them any day - What fabulous people!

And all of these shennanigans are made possible by The Cavaliers! What a privilege to have been associated with them for the past four years. I know that Chris will continue for years to come. Who knows..... maybe one day he will paint his hair green.

Welcome to a very special baby.....

Silas Edward, born on August 19 to Corwyn and Lori. Silas doesn't know yet, but perhaps the whole town of Marietta is in love with him.

Corwyn is the son of Keith, owner of Crystal's on the Square, a hole in the wall bar with an atmosphere reminiscent of Cheers. Live music, good fun and friends. Corwyn and Lori were with child, when Lori was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Even with her life at risk, they put their child first. Lori would carry him until he was able to survive on his own then pursue her own fight for her life.

Silas arrived, a healthy 5 lbs 8 oz, with a clean bill of health. Grandpa Keith proudly wore his button on his sleeve last night and was showing everyone his miracle grandchild. Silas is nothing short of perfect. He is gorgeous, with an olive complexion and lots of black hair. He even rivals my very own children in this category.

Another major issue, in addition to all of her health issues, Lori lost her medical insurance as of yesterday. Another wonderful person also named Lori began to arrange an Benefit, held on August 20th, to celebrate Silas's life and raise money to help Lori fight for hers.

All of the bands who played last night donated all of their earnings and tips to Lori. Local shop owner of Alchemy, Laura, donated handmade jewelry and a couple of neoprene wine and beer carriers to auction off, with all proceeds going to Lori of course! I walked away with a gorgeous handmade necklace and a wine holder for Robert. (He says it may actually hold coke and crown if necessary!) Robert said that when I went in to bid, he knew that I wouldn't be beat out at the auction. Well he was right! A worthy cause and jewelry?

The necklace is special in it's very own rights. It is the first piece of jewelry that one of our good friends Michael ever made, and also contains pearls from one of her Grandmothers bracelets. I actually feel very priveleged to have won the the auction.

Keep our dear Lori in your thoughts and prayers as she continues her fight, but know that she, Corwyn and Keith have a beautiful gift from above to provide endless inspiration.

Been workin' and playin' real hard .......

and it's pretty obvious that we have been neglecting our blog here lately......

Since the last time we dropped by, we have been working hard, putting in alot of hours. That's pretty much Robert and my motto, "Work hard, play hard." Robert has worked so much throughout the year, that his boss actually had to force him to take three weeks of vacation this summer. Whew! That's also a little dangerous, because he may be tempted to become an "International Man of Leisure" if we're not careful! (ha-ha!)

So what have we really been doing? Well, a couple of performances with the Fried Flamingo Queens and the A1A Jimmy Buffet Tribute Band, some open jams (blues & jazz), entertaining all four of Robert's daughter's here in Hotlanta and taking a trip to Boston for the Drum Corp International Championship........ Oh yes, and working here and there between......

I will try my best to catch up on individual posts so that we can adequately cover all of the shenanigans properly.......... (and yes, we took some pix to document the moments!)

Tom, Dick and .....

Harry! Harry's is just about the coolest store Robert and I have ever shopped! If you ever come to visit us, you simply must make a trip to Harry's. Harry's, also known as Whole Food Market, is an upscale Farmer's market with variety that will make even a Chef's head spin.....

The first time Robert and I visited, he appeared to have 'died and gone to heaven'. I tried to keep up with him as I was pushing the cart to no avail. I just parked it and watched him go from item to item in the Produce department like a kid in a candy store.

As you enter Harry's the first thing you will encounter is the live plant area. Beautiful orchids and bonsai trees are just a couple of the wonderful choices. Enter into the Produce department. Fruits and vegetables in abundance at great prices. Guava, papaya, sugar cane, fresh chantrel mushrooms, tamarind and cactus leaves are on displays among hundreds of other choices.

There must be 20 kinds of olive oil, 200 kinds of dressings, and the list goes on.
Each of the aisles is dedicated to an ethnic food type. Exotic brands from overseas are oh so interesting. The really cool part is that Robert actually knows how to prepare most of what one can find there. The sample trays are all over the store. Everything from fruit, vegetables, chips with humus or salsa, cheeses and breads. If you're not careful, you may not even be hungry by the time you leave!

A whole wall of generically packaged spices, candies, trail mixes and nuts are available at a very reasonable price. No more paying $4 for a small jar of spice, when you can pay $2 for a 6oz container. Rice is available in 10, 25 and 50 pound bags, whew!

The meat department offers at least 15 different flavors of sausage, next to every other imaginable choice of meats. The Fish Market also offers a wide variety of fresh seafood, with a tank for the live lobster. This past week when we visited, a large crate of blue crab were for sale. I kept watching people walk up, take the tongs in hand and put them in the bag. Robert and I walked over, only for me to ask a stupid question like this, "Do they try to get away?" Not being able to pass this one up, he replies "No, they hold on" as he demonstrates. The crab is holding for dear life, but is trying to get away at the same time. Hmmmm.....

Continuing the journey through the store, you will find a large selection of wine and brews to your left with the all important chocolate on the right. Around the corner, the bakery! Smells great and there they are again, the samples! Coffee beans of every flavor are available to grind and smell just heavenly. The olive bar, selection of cheeses and deli meats are impressive as well.

le Crueset pans and kitchen utensils are available as well as many unique food preparation items. Now hold on, because if you got all the way through and decided you are too tired to cook, there is a buffet, soup and salad bar. They even have sushi.

And finally my favorite part, fresh flowers. Robert has a habit of bringing me flowers from Harry's and I admit I love it.

They even offer cooking classes with a Chef on the weekends, but I have never gone, because I have my very own right here at home!

And that my friend, is Harry's!

Dennis the Menace comes to .....

Hotlanta! Who would've thought that Atlanta would be so severely impacted by Hurricane Dennis?

The Corporate Command Center at my place of employment is staffed to help our associates in their time of need, as well as provide supplies to our customers. We stay pretty much in tune with the hurricane warnings so that we can anticipate the impact and react quickly. Even through all of this, I don't think anyone expected Dennis to hit so hard.

Major thorough fares here in Atlanta were shut down due to flooding from rain and overflowing tributaries. Two of my friends and one of my co-workers had their basement flood. Robert and I are fortunate to live in a complex situated on the 'high' road and more importantly on the second floor. This is one time when we don't really mind the steps.

The weather bureau has forecast an active hurricane season, so batten down the hatch and try to stay dry!

The award for "Most Whimsical Float" ....

goes to the Fried Flamingo's of Marietta!

Many hours of prep time during the weeks prior and waking early to get properly feathered for the Fourth of July parade paid off! Six Fried Flamingo Queens and their Drambuie Boys, along with The Body Handler strutted their stuff on an 18 foot long pink feathered float pulled by Tacoma down the streets of Marietta cheered by on-lookers.

Robert and I were discussing afterwards how long it had been the last time we were in a parade. For him, with his girls in Hawaii and for me, high school! The funny part is, this is the second one this year, with at least two more to go........

We all settled down in the park only to be approached constantly by others wanting their pictures with us. Our group also passed out sequined tiaras to the young princesses and pin wheels to the young princes.

• One little girl asks, "Is that your hair?" to which I answer, "Of course, I bought it!"
  
• Another princess wants to know if I get to keep all of that jewelry and if I want to see her perform her baton twirling routine. Yes, and yes I reply as I applaud her showmanship.
• The children are mesmerized by the bubble machines on the float, trying to catch them before they float away.

Two of my favorite moments of the day are the when we all had our pix taken with two, more experienced queens. Their silver hair and sparkly eyes really tell a story..... Deep down, we are all Queens and just want to have fun!

As the afternoon progressed, the FFQs and their respective Drambuie Boys departed two by two. Robert and I took Tacoma back home for an afternoon nap, only to return for fireworks later that evening.

Happy Independence Day! We are proud to be Americans!

Hot fun in the ....

summer time in Hotlanta! Whew, it sure it hot, but we are lovin' it, especially since Robert is on vacation this coming week!

We began the weekend dining with our favorite server Sergio at La Parilla on the South 120 Loop. A couple of weeks later he still remembers us, and even what we had to eat. Wow! What a memory. He was comical, the way that he kept coming by the table and saying, "Me again, everything OK?" We really like this guy! Also, a guitarist named Gil Caro was playing. He has a very clear and pleasing voice. We bought one of his CDs & really enjoy it. Nice start.

Oops, a little stretch here, Robert did work on Saturday and I joined my fellow Fried Flamingo's in beginning to prepare the float for the Fourth of July parade. Hot, hot, hot and alot of humidity would adequately describe the weather. The nine foot long and nine foot wide cape that I made for Darlene, the eight foot tall flamingo fit perfectly and even looks good. We glued pink feathers like there was no tomorrow. After about four hours, all ten of us were very hot and sweaty, ready to call it a night. After Robert comes home, we make our way to try out a new restaurant, Nick's Back Porch. Hmmm..., decent food, terrible service - probably will not go back unless one of our friends is singing there. Now, off to Crystal's on the Square - the Salsa Brothers , oops, I mean Santos Brothers are playing. They're OK, so we have a drink and sit out on the walk in the nice cool summer breeze.

Today, we sleep in, then I serve Robert breakfast in bed. (He really deserves it!) I spend the morning making six red, white and blue head dresses for the Fried Flamingos. They turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. Robert spent the morning preparing his Fantasy Football League (he's the commissioner you know!)

Then, we take Tacoma (our baby) to see Darlene (the flamingo float. ) We put the finishing touches on Darlene and set Tacoma up with the speakers and stereo. I think we're all ready to go tomorrow morning at 6:30am. If you are at the Marietta Square tomorrow morning about 9:30 - 10:00am, you just might see the Fabulous Fried Flamingos of Marietta and the Drambuie Boys in the parade. Don't worry if you miss it, because I will be sure to put the pix on line.

Now, we are off to Kennesaw Billiards to the Open Jam night hosted by the Larry Griffith Band. Robert will play his bass, and I just may take some pictures.

Till tomorrow.,.....

If you ever wondered where you can find......

just about anything? Next time you are on a road trip, check out a truck stop instead of a local gas station. Robert and I have decided that these are a point of interest on any trip. Below is a list of just some of what you will find at any respectable truck stop:

• womens restrooms with coin op machines for perfume and sanitary nakins
• mens restrooms with coin op machines for cologne, aspirin & antacid and items "for HER pleasure and both of your protection"
  
• coffee that tastes like mud
• coin operated showers
• packages of Fruit of the Loom underwear - mens only
• handcuffs ?!
• tacky plastic signs to hang on the wall - with sayings like, "The more I drink, the better you look" and the proverbial "You might be a red neck if..."
  
• sign with suction cup (obviously for a truck) that says, "No Lot Lizards" and has a picture of a lizard in a fitting dress and pumps.
• arcade games
• 24 oz Rock Star energy drink
• hotdogs and taquitos that have been 'rolling' on the machine all day long
  
• statues of gators, castles and bulldogs that look like they are made of sand
• CDs of old musicians and time warp compilatons (e.g., Classic Hits of the 70's)
• attendants missing their teeth
• little packages of 'vitamins' and 'natural herbs' that will give you ENERGY
• sharpies (yes, we bought one!)
• pink trucker hats that say Corona
• do-rags with the rebel flag (isn't that an oxy-moron?)
• Nascar model collections (not cheap either)
• fireworks
• postcards
  
• over-priced candies and chips
• big truck car (oops I mean truck) wash

So, here's the deal. Stop in buy some clean underwear, take a shower, get some cologne and a trucker hat. Take your lot lizard out for arcade games, a taquito and a Rock Star energy drink. And to top the night off, buy her a sand castle to commemorate the night.

And that my friends is a truck stop. Hilarious stuff!

Nathan takes home the Gold!

The Cavaliers performed in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday, June 25^th, which is coincidentally the same day as Nathan'’s first birthday party. Mike, Angela and Nathan joined us to watch the Cavaliers perform along with other Division 1 DCI Corps. This would be the first and last time that Nathan will ever have a chance to watch Chris perform. To ensure that he will remember the moments, many pieces of photo documentation were captured.

Robert and I ran into Chris at the Cavaliers Fan Booth where we were, along with dozens of other fans, purchasing this year'’s Cavaliers shirts. We told him where Mike, Angela and Nathan were sitting and Chris indicated that he would try to make it by before the show. And true to his word, he stopped by. It is amazing that Nathan remembers him so well. The photos for the evening began there, and didn'’t end for a few more hours.

The Cavalier'’s performance was awesome, as usual and with my new D60, I was able to get some fantastic shots. I am torn about which lense to keep on the camera during performances. The normal 18-70 lense is great for shots of formations, but doesn'’t do well with close ups on the field, and the telephoto 70-300 visa versa. The only tickets left when we arrived were for general admission on the first level, so we sat in the first row (no heads in the shots.) With that taken into account, it was fruitless to try to get shots of the formations, so I chose the telephoto. I still kept my trusty Fujifilm 5000 handy, just in case.

Cavaliers earned first place again, with their show, “My Kind of Town.” Check out the photo of Chris (Ass'’t Drum Major) and Aaron (Drum Major) accepting the gold medal on behalf of the Cavaliers.

Robert left quickly to get some of Chris'’s things from the truck. Meanwhile, Mike, Angela, Nathan and I made our way toward the Cavalier buses, only to find Chris being interviewed by a representative from DCI (Drum Corp International.) We then snapped a few pix with Chris and Nathan, when who should come back out but Aaron.

In his hand, he held the gold medal that had just been placed around his neck earlier that evening. Both Aaron and Chris autographed the medal and '‘awarded'’ it to Nathan, the littlest Cavalier. And that my friends, is how “Nathan takes home the Gold!”

C3PO, R2D2 and .......

D70! Now it's your turn to guess which are robots and which is a new, wonderful SLR camera. Give up? It's D70 from a long line of Nikons.

For those of you who know me well, I am a picture taking fool (more properly known as a fanatic.) I just broke into the world of digital cameras a couple years ago. The first was a Fuji 3100, nice camera with 6x digital zoom. Then I spied a Fuji 5100 with 10x digital zoom. I tell you I thought I was in heaven being able to take pix from the top of a stadium and still get some detail. The quality was OK too with a 3.1 megapixel.

But wait, I finally found my dream camera (or at least this will hold me off a couple of years.) The D70 is a digital SLR. It has removable lenses and and almost instantaneous response time. It is 6.0 megapixels and the quality is phenomenal! This is all just in time for our trip to Florida. I will take wonderful pix of Chris and the Cavaliers, as well as my adorable grandson Nathan! Don't worry, I will share.

Strike a pose and get ready for that photo op, Sheri has a new camera!

So when did it happen?

We wake up one day and all of a sudden we are grown, responsible adults.

It rained hard last night and woke me up at 2:30.

Then Robert (in his sleep, no less) says, "What are you going to do with that?"
Now, since I am already awake, I respond in my very best NY accent, "You talkin to me?!"
Oops, I woke him up (he was dreamin'....) He said he was in "Hells Kitchen" (for those of you who don't know, that's a reality TV show about the restaurant business.)
So we joked around a little (mind you it's 2:30) and fell back to sleep.

Fast forward to 5:15am, the alarm is ringing and I am playing tag with it. I don't want to get up, I really don't want to go to work.

It's now 6:00am, and I drag myself out of bed, make coffee and get a shower. Robert is still sleeping because he is on vacation.

We have talked about this before. When did we go from being irresponsible, do what ever you want, to being so darned responsible? Could it be that we adopted or subscribed somewhere along the way to 'work ethic?'

So the work day begins, deadlines and meetings consume my thoughts and I forget the fact that I wanted to stay home and nap today.

Look at who's grown up, it's Robert and Sheri!

Happy Father’s Day……….

… to all of you Dad’s with a special wish going to three very important men in my life. My Dad, Robert and my son Mike. Let me tell you a little about these three Fathers.

Robert and I basically have a Brady Bunch between the two of us. His girls, all four of them are a true testament to the wonderful man and Father he is. He has a wonderful gift of making everyone around him feel special and loves the girls more than you can ever imagine. I am truly fortunate to have met him and privileged to share his joy of being a parent to such wonderful women.

My son Mike, is someone that I am immensely proud of. This is his first Father’s Day and he has indeed proven to be a great Daddy to Nathan. I was there to see Nathan’s birth and witness the love between Angela, Mike and Nathan. Truly incredible. Nathan is such a lucky child.

And last, but certainly not least is my very own Father. Back to my earliest recollections, I have admired him. Here is a man that has truly ‘made it.’ Born in a small southern town to poor parents, he was determined to make it out. Because of him, my childhood was very normal. I was never hungry or lacking in the proper apparel. I was given lessons in virtually anything I showed an interest in, voice, French horn, guitar and supported whole heartedly through out. As an adult, my Dad and I have great conversations about old times, current events, family and the list could go on. I am proud of my Father and know he feels the same way about me.

So, let’s start with yesterday. I talked to my Dad to let him know that I forgot to send his Father’s Day card and would get it in the mail first thing on Monday. Well, I started thinking about it and figured that since Nashville is only four hours away and Robert is starting vacation on Sunday – why don’t we just drive up there? I contacted Linda to conspire with her. When I aked if they had any plans for Father’s Day, she said no… What about a cookout I asked? OK!!!! Game on! Robert and I traveled a short four hours to Nashville, stopped at the grocery store and called Dad when we were pulling up to his house.

Sheri – “How are you Dad?”

Dad – “Fine, a little sweaty from working on this deck, but the weather’s great for working outside.”

Sheri – “Happy Father’s Day Dad”

Dad – “Thanks”

Sheri – “Can you come out to help me bring in groceries?”

Dad – “Sure”

Sheri – “No really Dad, we’re in your driveway!”

Dad – “Sure surprised me!”

We had a good visit with Dad, Linda, Kathy, Lou, Jenny and Jake. Ate good food, had good conversation and took LOTS of pix with the new camera (and several others too!)

I think the highlight for Robert was when my Dad gave him his first fly fishing reel, which used to belong to my Uncle Frank.

Great Day, great Fathers!

Guess who got hitched?!

Our beloved Tacoma went back into the shop to get his hitch this past week. It was hard for Robert to leave him, but it was a brief stay and he knew he was in good hands.

Now Tacoma is ready for some real manly fun, towing a trailer, boat or combination of the two. The hitch is nice and shiny (my description!), wired for lights and a light capacity load.

Here’s the best part….. Tacoma’s first towing experience will be in the Fourth of July parade in Marietta with a pink feathered float behind him! Maybe next year will see a boat, never know……

Now admit it, when you read this title you jumped to conclusions.....

We found a new place…….

…to eat! Funny as it may sound, even with Robert being a fantastic Chef, we eat out a lot. Some of our friends recommended a Mexican restaurant, La Parrilla to us and we decided to give it a shot.

Located on the 120 Loop near the Marietta Square in an average building lies La Parrilla. The first indicator that it was a good find was the full to capacity parking lot. Luckily for us, there was one vacant spot. (Good thing, because we were really hungry!) We were seated almost immediately and greeted by Sergio, our server for the evening, shortly thereafter. From here on, it’s hard to decide what was better, Sergio’s service or the food.

Sergio made sure that he answered our every question. “Do you need some more minutes to look at the menu?” Sergio asked us. When Robert asked about a drink displayed on the menu, he went to ask the Bartender to make sure his answer was correct. Robert decided to try the drink, Michilada, which was beer, vodka and lime mixed together with a splash of tobasco. Sergio stayed to watch Robert take a drink. “Do you like it?”, he asked. When Robert responded yes, he breathed a sigh of relief. A couple of times during our brief conversations, he made a reference, ‘in my country.’ When I asked where he is from, he said Columbia. I then asked, what brings you here to which he responded, ‘a plane.’ “Are you going to school here?” I said to him and he said, “Yes, English – I need English for life.” What a truly courteous young man. I do think he will do well here in the U.S.

So, if you’re ever in Marietta and have a hankerin’ for Mexican food, stop by La Parrilla and ask for Sergio.

Please join Robert and me in welcoming.....

the newest member in our household. Our long awaited Tacoma arrived on June 9, 2005. We have been expecting him since November and were pleased that the delivery was short and sweet. In preparation for our new addition, we considered many names, Tahoe, Explorer, Ram, Dakota to name a few - but decided that Tacoma was just the right choice.

As with all new arrivals, we were mainly concerned with his health and consider ourselves very fortunate that he has no defects. Four tires, four doors and two eyes.... and naturally we think he is better looking than most. I promise we would say that even if he weren't ours! His first bath was a memorable event and left him very shiny, maybe with even a little sparkle. Like most little ones, he likes a leisurely drive at night and listening to soft jazz, before retiring to his own long bed. We really love Tacoma and know that he does too as his eyes light up when he sees us.

Tacoma will be taking his first road trip with us to Florida in a couple of weeks and is very excited to be introduced to the rest of the family.