Family – Page 2 – ray+ashley+emery

September 24, 2017November 25, 2017

Our New Dog Penny

We adopted Penny on Saturday, September 23, 2018. Here’s the story of how it all happened. For almost two months before we adopted Penny, Ashley and Emery began to talk about how much they missed have a dog around. Ashley began weekly and then daily searches on local rescue shelters.

We went from trolling homes on zillow to trolling dogs at the Atlanta Human Society. We went a few times to different shelters and even went to adoption event. Nothing really caught our attention and one time a dog was adopted right before we were going to adopt. 99% of the dogs we met were mostly big pit bulls. Ashley wanted a cute dog and Emery wanted a small dog. I wanted a dog that was more like a lab and not the fluffy stuffed animal dog.

We happened to find Penny (named Antoinette) on a website at FurKids in Alpharetta a few days before Sep 23rd. We were really interested but did not act. There happened to be another dog that Ashley really liked at the Atlanta Humane Society and we there on Friday evening. It turned out that dog was not available and we saw another dog named Bruce there. Bruce was really high every but was a good listener and cute although he need a really good grooming. I was a bit impatient and said we should just get Bruce, but Ashley was convinced we should check out Antoinette at FurKids and if we didn’t like her or she was adopted we would get Bruce on Saturday.

After some thinking, Emery and I agreed. We were nervous because we both loved how Antoinette looked and were anxious that she would be adopted quickly if we didn’t get there soon enough.

That Saturday morning, we anxiously woke up, ate some food and drove like crazy to FurKids in Alpharetta. We got there about 10 minutes before it opens 9:50 am and thankfully the shelter people let us in. They were very nice. We asked about Antoinette and to our great dismay, the lady at the front said that she was heading to an adoption event already. We were really disappointed and I think she saw our look and she checked with the people in the back. Miraculously the Antoinette was not on the bus to the event yet. She was being walked and she would be back in a few minutes before she was to be boarded. The lady sent us to wait in the room and said she would stop her from being boarded and bring Antoinette in to see us. We almost jumped, giddy with joy and anticipation as we waited.

While we sat in the adoption room, we saw through the window outside Antoinette coming back from her walk. Ashley says that my face lit up like it has never been before. I must say that the minute I saw Antoinette, I knew she was the dog for us. The people at the shelter gave Antoinette some great compliments and said how great she was on the leash. When Antoinette came in the room, she was just a bundle of joy and sweetness. Emery, Ashley and I instantly bonded with her. Our minds were made up and Penny was found!

The name Penny was Ashley and Emery jointly. She was a sandy coppery color and it was such a cute name.

Here’s Penny at the Shelter when we met her for the first time. I️ just love Penny’s natural smile.

<<<<<< Penny at Petco and in our car on the way home! <<<<<< enny in November 2018, groomed and now part of our family

December 29, 2015

Christmas 2015 in ATL

My parents and brother came down to ATL to spend Christmas with us. It’s great having them here and Emery is having so much fun with uncle, grandma and grandpa.

We did so many activities during this trip it’s hard to list them all.

Mom and dad took Emery to Chattanooga. We ate about 15 different restaurants. We watched Star Wars , old and the new one that came out. We cooked lots of food, made bread using the bread machine. We open gifts, played lots of chess and saw a whole bunch of sites in Atlanta. Eugene even go Ashley and I to join in on two of his cross fit work outs. What a Christmas. I need a detox from all the holiday family craziness.

July 21, 2015

Disney World

We brought Emery to Disney World when she was about 8 months old but of course she didn’t remember it.

Needless to say Emery was so excited this time. She was eagerly awaiting our road trip. We drove down to Orlando bringing Pok’e and Cappy with us. We stayed three nights and spent two full days. Day 1 was Magic Kingdom and Day 2 was Hollywood Studios.

There is so much to recall from such a fantastic trip but here’s a few recaps of what Emery was like so we can remember.

Emery was not fussy. Even though it was about 90’s she walked willingly and did not ask to be carried around.
Emery loves to eat. She was constantly hungry for ice cream, candy or any kind of yummy treats she could cajole us into.
Emery loves rides and her favorite ride was the Dumbo ride. When asked why her reasons where 1) she could control how high we could fly 2) dumbo was cute
Emery is brave and loved the mini roller coaster. Every othe ride she got off and was happy but after this one she was ecstatic and wanted to go on again! This girl likes action
Emery likes frozen but is getting too old for the music. She likes singing let it go but now on this trip, she is almost too cool for the song
Emery is a great traveller. She is hearty, energetic and pretty easy to deal with. If not for the constant “I want to eat something” Emery would be a perfect travel companion.
Lastly, Emery is still sacred of the big dressed up characters. She wants to take a picture with them but is still come what terrified of them.
Emery is very independent. She likes to walk on her own and is willing to walk ahead and or behind. She doesn’t need hand holding too much.
Emery is great at entertaining herself in the car. She loves to draw and just play on her own in the back of the car. She never complained once in our 16 hour car ride!
Emery is such a sweetie. She is so loving and no matter what wants to be near us.

Here’s some pictures from our time at Disney world.

June 21, 2015June 21, 2015

Father’s Day

I am getting used to this Father thing now. At first it was overwhelming and even though it still can be hectic, I really cherish having a wonderful daughter to take care of. I am also really grateful for my own father who taught me important things like how to horse around and be goofy. Not to mention teaching less critical stuff like English and computers.

Happy Father’s Day to myself and my dad!

July 19, 2014

Ashley’s Birthday

Even though it was a bit early, with my weekly travel schedule out to Texas we decided to celebrate Ashley’s birthday one day early.

I decorated the backyard and we bought Ashley’s favorite things to eat, seafood. There were big scallops and jumbo prawns. So that I didn’t mess up good food, Ashley cooked them while Emery and I decorated the patio. We brought the stereo outside as well and dined into the evening. We ended a great meal outdoors with a small strawberry cake, another one of Ashley’s favorite things. Here som pics from the evening.