#81

We have a terrific neighbor. If you've read much of my blogs, you know how dear he is to us. He's a life-long bachelor with his only constant companion being a toy poodle, named Jack. Jack is...well, he's about 17 years old and has no front teeth. He is spoon fed each meal while sitting on his beloved owner's lap. And that is just the beginning of his (long) list of ailments. This sweet creature is unable to walk himself over the threshold of his front door, so wonderful owner picks Jack up and carries him EACH time. They are quite the pair.

Whenever our neighbor and I are out and about, he always tries to pick up a little something for Jack. Usually, it's food, but sometimes he'll get a new sweater (he shivers in temperatures below 75F) or some soft treats.

For Christmas this year, Jack had a wrapped gift for his owner under their tree. It was a silly plastic knife (keeps lettuce from turning brown as it does with metal knives) and it was wonderfully received.

It was fun to be a part of helping an Old Guy have a sparkle in his eye. And just for the record - I know this dog is old and is probably past-due to being put out of his misery, but I also understand there is a 72 year old man who has this sweet creature as his daily companion and they are lost without each other. I believe deep in my heart, that when Jack is suffering or in pain, our neighbor will broken-heartedly send jack off, but for today, he caters to his Best Friend with every ounce of his being.

#41

Well, we finally broke down and had family photos taken! This is the first time in 3 years we've done it. We are slackers, I know. We had an appointment with Olan Mills for our church directory. We agreed we weren't spending a dime - at least until we saw the proofs. Wow! They turned out great! We couldn't pass them up! So, we splurged. We went over budget and we purchased a LOT of photos! BUT, we thought about it and did the cheesy thing: we gave them framed as Christmas gifts to our family. (We are SO bad!) We rationalized by reminding ourselves about our budget and our goal to be debt free this year.

Side Note: I will be happy to post the photos once we get our new computer up and running. We should have it delivered and set up some time this week. =)