Thankful November

For November the Rutherfords are celebrating with Thankfulness:

* for a happy parting of ways from our home in Brooklyn with many friends to visit in the future
* for being able to locate an apartment, then sign a lease and move in less than a week
* for an area that we now love and feel safe in and an apartment that now feels like home
* for friends that share their time and their hearts to make us feel like we have a community
* for family that share years together, stories and support each other from far reaching places
* for the ability to travel easily from one place to another
* for jobs that teach us lessons, encourage growth, & support a lifestyle that breeds happiness
* for mutual respect and support in a relationship
* for change, as hard as it may sometimes seem
* for health
* for learning new things and putting old things learned in to practice
* for public transportation
* for recycling
* for a city that never sleeps and is filled with possibilities
* for so many more nameless little things that we get to experience every day

It's not a long list, but it's a start to tell you a bit about what we have experienced since returning from Australia in a subtle, but very thankful way. Next time you'll find some pictures of our empty apartment...mainly the kitchen because we are in love with it.


Love you all!
Mary and Kurtis

A day in the life of (part 2)

More than a year ago, I suggested to Tim that we write a day in the life of.  Somehow we miscommunicated and Tim thought we were writing from the pet’s view point so Mandalay and I wrote.  This time Ellie Mae will write and Tim will write.

I joined the Givan household in April.  It took me a bit to get acclimated but now I’m in a routine.  I usually arise about 4:30 a.m.  This means that I (some mornings) pretend that I’m cold and whine in my crate.  Sure enough, my wonderful owner who you know as Laurie, sleepily gets out of bed, feet hit the cold floor and she nicely unzips my crate, and lifts me into bed and under the covers.  Wow there is nothing so nice and snuggly.  I try and be still but sometimes it just feels so warm and cuddly I tingle all over.  About 6 a.m. my owner and I get up.  Sometimes I can convince her to to rub my tummy a time or two before we get up.  I head out to do my duties while she feeds the cats in the front and Tom on the cupboard.  She thinks she is so sneaky but I know what she is doing.  She is trying to take care of the cats so I won’t bark at them.  It is just so much fun.  Okay, after I come in I get breakfast.  Yummy-  I do have my standards though-it must be watered down.  Next up, I sometimes go and wait in the bathroom while my owner takes her shower.  If it is my lucky day my owner will let me have my ball.  My favorite is the orange one with blue a stripe.  There is just something special about that one.  Sometimes my owner throws it for me but not always.  I can always count on a piece of ice or two as she fixes her tea.  About 6:50 a.m. she puts me back to bed with the Father of the house.  Now this is when things get interesting.  I can almost always wiggle my tail and look cute and he will hand over the ball and even throw it for me.  About 8 a.m. I’m tucked back into my crate.  I nap until lunchtime when I get a quick outside break, grab some treats and then its afternoon nap time.    About 4 p.m. , my owner comes home.  Now the fun begins.  Some days we go for walks, for rides or I talk my owner into just chillin in the chair so I can snuggle.  I’m great for stress relief.  About 5 p.m., I get my supper.  Same meal as breakfast but I’m okay with that.  It’s my favorite.   After supper we hang out here at home.  I do some barking, try and irritate Shona and sit beside my master.  Than at 9 p.m. the highlight of my day happens.  The neighbor dog barks for us to come out and run the fence.  That Sausage is such a tease and what a handsome guy.  Sometimes I go out early and bark for him and he comes out.  What a hunk!  Bedtime is between 9:30-10.  Well not bedtime, but time to sit in the bed on my “throne”.  I get to perch on the “throne” or snuggle down in the blankets until lights out.  Lights out and in my crate I go until 4:30 a.m. and the day begins all over again.  Come visit sometime and check it out.

Ellie Mae in bed.

Well, it seems we have done it again-miscommunicated.

A Day in the Life of Mandalay

Hi there!  My name is Mandalay.  I was named after a resort in Las Vegas?  Or was it after a Frank Sinatra song?  No, Poppy tells me it was a Rudyard Kipling poem.  Which was named after a city in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma).  This explains why I am confused some times. 

Right now Poppy is making me wear a new piece of head gear.  It is this big cone.  Anyway, Poppy says I have to keep wearing my cone since I always want to lick an owie I have on my leg.  I can’t help my licking, I helps me when I worry and am anxious.  Well, I now have to wear this cone until my owie is better.  It makes me sad, but I am trying to be good.  I don’t understand why this helps.  I have a hard time figuring out how to get through doors and onto beds so I just push on through, not even caring what I run into or who I hit.  Once Ellie Mae was in front of me as we were going out the back door, I kept pushing and pushing her until she was pushed on down the stairs.  She looked kind of scared. 

I like weekends. Poppy stays here most of the day. We go for walks and I like to stay close to him.  He gives me lots of treats.  Yum!  Weekdays are not as fun.  I spend a lot of time sleeping.  My favorite spot is my bed besides Poppy and Mama’s bed but sometimes I get on their bed so I can stretch out.  And then Poppy comes home. I still get scared as he comes in the door, but I am now I no longer hide behind the door and am greeting him at the door.  I am soo happy.

Think that is all in my life.  Oh, Poppy has told me I am going to Denver.  That means a long car ride.  Yuck!  I hope he gives me drugs so I don’t worry so much.  Hmm, wonder if I can lick my front toes?  That might be a good place to start licking. Maybe I can make another owie?

With all my Love,

Mandalay

Mandalay on the Bed.  Ellie May on her throne.

Andrew and Katie Shook Wedding

Andrew and Katie Shook Wedding

Pam, Charles and I had the pleasure of attending Andrew and Katie’s wedding in Chicago this week. We have included a few of our pictures below.

Charles decided to ride Amtrak from Hutchinson to the event. Pam and I had purchased flights based on Vicki’s recommendations. We knew something was up when we checked in for our flights 24 hours in advance and wound up being very far down in the boarding process. The mystery was solved when we arrived at the Wichita airport. The surprise for this trip was the running of the Chicago Marathon was on Sunday, and the plane was full of marathon runners. After we landed in Chicago and picked up a GMC Yukon rental car, we headed to the Hampton Inn in Skokie to check in. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory before heading to the Congregational Church to meet the organist for an orientation to the pipe organ and practice. I was familiar with the neighborhood and because of that swung by the Baha’i Temple and the Indian Hills Country Club which was to be the site of the reception. We later learned that Katie’s family had three generations of weddings in the Church followed by receptions at the Country Club, that Katie’s wedding dress was worn by three prior family members including her mother and grandmother and that “The Club” was the inspiration for the movie Caddy Shack since the Brian and Bill Murray family had caddied there when growing up.

Music rehearsal for Tim, Erik and Samuel ran from 1-1:45  on Friday and Pam practiced for the next hour after that. The organ was a Tracker that had been rebuilt in 2007 with three manuals. It took a while to figure out the appropriate stops for the music that Andy and Katie selected. There was some unusual voicing that was not used for the wedding, but would be useful for regular church services. I wanted to listen to all of the stops. I dropped Pam at the Hampton so she could attend the rehearsal at 4:30. I went to pick up the Beavers at Midway airport and Charles from Amtrak Union station. The traffic from rush hour and the marathon road closures was so heavy that it took almost three hours to get the airport and train station. At that point, it was clear that we couldn’t make it back for the rehearsal dinner so we stopped and had Giordano pizza and decided to go straight to O'Hare airport to pick up Mary at 9PM.

Pam tells me the rehearsal itself went smoothly practicing coming in and out several times. Dorothy, Lynn and James served as observers during the whole process. After rehearsal, the dinner in the reception hall of the church included specialties from Chicago including pizza, hot dogs, shredded beef and ice cream from Homer’s which was marvelous and extremely rich. After rehearsal, the Shooks took Pam back to our hotel. When Mary and Charles arrived we chatted for a bit, and Hannah, Mary and Charles went to the hot tub before Charles drove Mary to stay with her Rutherford relatives, Karl and Marilee.

After breakfast in the morning, Charles, Pam and I returned to the church for one last organ rehearsal. The Shooks arrived about 9:45 to rehearse. Charles helped with acoustics, physical arrangement and other musical suggestions. The Shooks were due at The Club by 11AM to dress and get ready for pictures. Afterwards, our family visited a local coffee shop, toy store and book store. By the time this was finished, we joined our friends the Beavers for lunch at Noodles and Co. After picking Mary up, we dressed and drove to the Church for the ceremony.

The church had been decorated with orange flowers on the pews and at the front. Pam played the prelude music and once guests were seated, the ceremony began. A few things of note: the female minister did a nice job with her message and obviously knew the couple well from their counseling sessions. Laughter seemed to be a theme throughout the event. The minister asked everyone to take pictures right at the start of the ceremony and then to put the cameras away. Parents and the bridal parties all had misty eyes, but not enough to interfere with the ceremony. After the ceremony, we took Dorothy and Lynn with us to The Club while the bridal party came in limousines. 

We started the reception outside at the golf course at 6:30, and moved inside for a 7PM dinner and 8:30 dancing. The band was a 10 piece group with a repertoire of over 1,000 songs and some Northwestern University music professors. Charles took Dorothy and Lynn back to the hotel and returned to pick us up. We headed home around 9:30 after Pam injured her leg dancing. I took Mary to the Rutherford’s around midnight. We met with the Shooks and Beavers for breakfast at the hotel. They were headed to a brunch at The Club while we traveled home. Mary and Charles were meeting friends for brunch before heading home themselves. We stopped at immediate care in Wichita to have Pam's injury looked at, but they were not accepting adult patients.

All around, it was a beautiful, well planned wedding with nice musical support from the Shook and Johnston family. Vicki thought the ceremony itself was her favorite part, Tim had not figured out what he liked best. James liked giving Mary the Kleenex she claimed she would not need. Hannah said she liked the ministers message about family and friends being there to support and surround the couple, but not between them. Erik said he liked Dorothy, Lynn and James being the peanut gallery during rehearsal. The wedding was indeed a celebration of and for Andrew and Katie.

Fair time for Benny and Shona

Hi everyone,

I thought I would share some fair photos. Benny, Shona and and attended. Benny is back to working and just in time for the fair so he got to go along. We had a great time.

Shona honored the hero dogs at the war memorial 

Benny met cardboard Millie the weather dog thanks to Dan

Of course, Benny is a Democrat

Shona and I take a short break (she also wore her shoes)

Train ride!

Benny made sure to take note that it was the 100 year anniversary 

Benny poses with a gigantic shoe. Notice his shoes. He did well with them. 

Shona helped out at the Cause for Paws both and got to meet and greet some people off vest.