Fun and Focus

Last week Mommy and Daddy went to a concert.  It was a beautiful night for an outdoor concert at the zoo.  They saw a singer named Pat Benatar.  She is one of Mommy's favorites.  They had a really good time.  I like seeing them with big smiles on their faces when they come home.  I think it is good that they have play dates like I do.  They are going to another concert next week.  They will see one of Daddy's favorite bands named "The Moody Blues."

Ringo and I are going to have a couple of play dates coming up.  Ringo has never been on a play date, so this will be a new experience he will enjoy.  I will help him and introduce him to all of my friends.  He will like Max and Jennifer.  I think they will like Ringo, too.  He is a good little brother, even though he has a lot of energy!

Ringo is going to school every Sunday.  They teach him easy stuff like recognizing his name (it's only puppy kindergarten :)), sit, wait, walking on a lead and focusing on his person.  I must say, Ringo is doing well.  It is hard for an energy filled puppy to focus very long.  Focusing means you just keep eye contact with someone.  Even people have a hard time with focusing now.  (Most of the time it seems like they are staring at their phones.)

Without really knowing it, our books have helped another group of people.  I'd call it a happy accident.  Recently, we received an order from a children's hospital.  It included Rudy Gets a Transplant, Rudy's Incredible Kidney Machine and What's it Like in Heaven, Rudy.  It surprised us at first.  We are used to receiving orders for the kidney books, but this was the first one for What's it Like in Heaven, Rudy.  We have been hearing from others that it's helped them, too.

Rudy continues to touch the lives of so many.  Without trying, our focus has expanded to yet another difficult topic.  I believe when a mission is pure and honest, that kind of thing just happens.

Love,
Boomer! the Mellow Yellow Lab

Boomer's Birthday

Last Saturday was my fifth birthday!  I can't believe I am that old.  Time really does seem to fly by quickly.  Even though Mommy and Daddy said my little brother, Ringo was an early birthday present, they still got me a toy!  It was a brand new Frisbee type thing.  It's Orange and blue, hollow in the middle, and padded on the edges.  It is so much fun!  Ringo plays with it, too (when I'm done.)  I'm a good big brother so I share my toys.

Mommy and Daddy brought out "Birthday Bear."  It is a tradition in our house.  For those of you unfamiliar with "Birthday Bear," he is a stuffed toy bear that sings the "Happy Birthday" song.  This was Ringo's first experience with birthdays.  He was a bit tentative around the bear, but got used to him after 2 or 3 times.  I believe the bear's mouth moving freaked him out.  Mommy and Daddy sing throughout the day... and I chase my tail... Ringo barks.  :)

Mommy said I need to put a "cute alert" here.

I love playing outside with Ringo.  He plays with a whiffle golf ball (his size) and I play with a Frisbee (my size).  One day we were relaxing with our toys.  We heard a noise out front so we ran to investigate.  I always carry my Frisbee with me to keep track of it.  After taking a few steps, I noticed Ringo left his ball.  I dropped my Frisbee, grabbed his ball, brought it to him, and came back to retrieve my Frisbee.  The little guy hasn't learned to take things with him; so I thought I'd help him out.  That's what big brothers are supposed to do, right?

Another fun trick - I was chasing Ringo around the yard.  We take turns chasing each other.  All of a sudden, he stopped and jumped on my back!  It looked like he was riding me like a horse!  (Only sideways - his front legs were on my right and his back legs on my left.)  I kept running and running until Ringo fell off.  Daddy was laughing very hard!  Ringo and I had a blast.  What fun!  I like having a little brother.

Ringo has been a good helper to Mommy.  He keeps her company when she elevates her sprained foot.  I have included pictures of Ringo and me with my new toy and a picture of Ringo helping Mommy.

Have a great weekend!

Love,
Boomer! the Mellow Yellow Lab                                                             

Meet Ringo!

There is a lot of great news to share with everyone, so I won't talk much about my favorite subject, the weather.  It was cold and then hot.  It rained and then it was humid. Sometimes it was cloudy, other times sunny.  The last few days have been beautiful, perfect to play in our back yard with my new little brother, Ringo!

My family adopted Ringo last week.  He is about 6 months old.  They thought he was a Yorkie/Chihuahua mix. but he is kind of big for that to be true.  We think he looks more like a miniature Pinscher mix.  Ringo is very smart and quickly learned the routine around our house.

I was difficult picking a name for him.  He didn't respond to anything.  We tried almost a dozen names before we landed on Ringo.  Daddy said he looked British.  He also smiles all the time.  I included a picture of him so you can see what I mean.

Mommy said I am being an excellent big brother.  I am very patient and tolerate a lot.  Ringo likes to chew on me and jump on my back.  He chases me around the house and yard.  Once in a while, I chase him.  It is fun.

Our book sales have been steady.  We received a nice email from a woman saying she really liked our books and appreciated our efforts to make difficult subjects less scary.

Last Saturday, we participated in a fund raiser for a charity called "Pets Loyal 2 Vets."  They match furry friends with veterans.  We had a good time and met some new friends.  People liked looking at our books and talking with Mommy.  Daddy took many pictures.

We also donated a set of Rudy books to the silent auction and several people bid on them!

We are donating another set of our books to a charity called "Home for Life."  They will have it in an auction in a few months.  They help animals who have special needs and need a forever home.  We really like helping charities.  It makes us feel good.

I feel good about my little bro, Ringo.  I think he will be a nice addition to the family.

Love,
Boomer the Mellow Yellow Lab and Little Bro, Ringo!

"Hakuna matata," Mommy!

I think my mommy is great.  I love her so much.  Recently, she has been dealt a couple more blows.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time.  I asked her, "Mommy, why does this happen to you?"  She kissed me on my head and said, "That's just my life, Boomer."  Well, I think it stinks.

Since I joined this family in the fall of 2009, I have witnessed a lot.  In July, 2009, Mommy had her second kidney transplant.  My wonderful Daddy was her donor!  Six days after surgery, older brother, Kirby went to heaven.  In December, 2010, Daddy was in a bad accident.  It almost killed him and it totaled the truck.  Three months later, they were involved in another car accident.  The guy in front of them was committing insurance fraud.  In April, 2011, our sweet little Rudy was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

In October, 2012, Mommy received a cancer diagnosis.  Two surgeries in December and January followed to remove it.  Our dear Rudy went to heaven on January 30, 2013.  He was her little cheerleader.  He witnessed even more than me.  He seemed to know exactly when she needed kisses or a happy dance.  We really miss him, especially Mommy.

The last couple of months Mommy has sprained her foot badly.  To top it off, she found out her pancreas transplant is no longer working.  Rudy joined the family in July 2004 during the long recovery after the pancreas transplant.  Wow!  That is too much!

Through all of this, Mommy still gets up every morning with a smile on her face.  She doesn't want to waste any time because it is precious.  She takes great care of Daddy and me.  Does her best to keep up the house, write blogs and a new book for Rudy's Little World.  That's our tribute to Rudy.  I have heard her sing a song that goes like this, "Happiness runs in a circular motion.  Falters like a little boat upon the sea.  All of our souls are deeper than you can see.  You can be happy if you let yourself be."  She learned it as a young girl.  Singing is a way to cope.  If you are singing, you can turn off your inner thoughts.  Walking and dancing also do the same thing for her while relieving some anxiety.  Win, win!

Last week I heard Mommy and Daddy talking about her first kidney transplant in 1995.  One month out she had a rejection episode and a bad virus called CMV.  That's not good.  She was sick for three months, but recovered.  During this time, Mommy adopted the theme, "Hakuna matata," a phrase from the Lion King.  It means, "no worries."  The tune lends itself to a nice little dance!  This theme has been helpful over the years.  We need it now as she deals with the latest issue.  So, "Hakuna matata, Mommy!"  I'm your cheerleader!

Love,
Boomer! the Mellow Yellow Lab

The Arrival of Summer

I know the calendar says June 30, but if you have seen the news you know the crazy weather we've had.  It seems like most of Minnesota is under water.  All of the lakes and rivers are over flood stage.  My big back yard had a lake in it for a while.  It was hard to play Frisbee.

I have to commend Mommy and Daddy.  Despite the weather, they have managed to take a walk every night for over a month.  I am still practicing in the backyard and hope to go with them soon.  I am very protective of Daddy and tend to get nervous when we are away from our house and people get too close to him.

Mommy had a minor set back, but she is not letting it slow her down.  She hurt her foot a couple of weeks ago.  Of course she didn't go to the doctor right away because she feels she wastes enough of her life there already.  Well, after a week, it was really swollen, discolored and had a big hump on top.  I kept giving it magic kisses to help it heal, but it didn't help.  Long story short, it's a bad sprain.  She is wearing a boot, elevating it and icing it three times a day.  If it doesn't get better in another week, she has to do an MRI for possible fracture.  With the boot, she has a limp.

We started Daddy's celebration for his 60th birthday!  He has plans with many friends, so it will be great fun.  Mommy will take him out for "Happy Birthday Fun Day" on July 5th - his official birth date.  Daddy and Mommy have great friends!  I have a surprise for him, too!

Love,
Boomer the Mellow Yellow Lab

Happy Daddy's Day

Short and sweet.  Happy Daddy's Day!  We thought we'd snap two quick photos to celebrate the day.  This is Augie (octopus), Doggie (me!) and Doggie Daddy.

Love,
Boomer! the Mellow Yellow Lab

Success

We will never claim to know the secret to success, but when it happens... it is sweet!

Our book release party was a real celebration.  Nearly 100 people attended and enjoyed a delicious cake, great chicken wings, fruit and vegetables.  Mommy and Daddy were so busy, they didn't have a chance to eat, but they were told the food was really good.  They did bring some cake home and are enjoying the white cake with raspberry filling delight.  Yum yum!

Mommy was so overwhelmed by the response of the people, she could hardly talk.  She doesn't get that way very often. :)  She pulled it together and introduced the Rudy's Little World team to the audience.  Daddy took over when it was time to debut our new book, "What's it Like in Heaven, Rudy?"  We think everyone liked the book.  Mommy really put her heart and soul into it.  Chris, our illustrator, did a fabulous job with the pictures.

Book sales were amazing.  We even sold a few mugs and T-shirts.  Chris handled the signing like a real pro, so they kept the line moving very well.  It's not good to make people wait too long!

Daddy and Mommy were so tired when they got home, they just ate Taco Bell and collapsed.  They still had big smiles on their faces.  We can't thank our fabulous fans enough for all their support.  They made it the best launch ever!

While writing this blog, it dawned on me.  Maybe the secret to success depends on how one measures it.  Is it the number of books sold?  The number of lives touched?

Many writers won't tackle the subjects we do because they are too hard.  We have never been afraid of that.  We have met many people and made a number of friends during our journey.  Is that success?

Love,
Rudy the Mellow Yellow Lab