Merry Christmas!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Going well!

Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! But I will say that the saying holds true, "No news is Good News!" Noah and Jelly Bean are both doing great! We are slowly getting adjusted to life with Jelly Bean and he has definitely adjusted to life with Noah! Jelly Bean loves his boy and he always has at least one eye on Noah at all times! I do believe our adjustment is taking longer as it's never easy going out with a dog! You always have to expect the unexpected!

Jelly Bean is AWESOME in public so we really shouldn't worry but you can never let your guard down for a moment! If nothing else, we have to be cautious of all the other people more so than Jelly Bean! JB does great at church every week! He loves going too! He knows when church is over he gets to get all kinds of attention from everyone and he eats it up!! He does really good when we go to stores although that is a chore in itself and I try to get my errands done like that on weekends or in the evenings when Edwin and I can tag team it! It can be done, but it's much easier with an extra set of hands because it's hard enough to keep up with Noah, hold a leash, push a cart, and shop while everyone you pass is either wanting to stop you to talk about your dog or to try and pet him or to cuss you out "because how dare you bring a dog in here!" That hasn't happened too often but it DOES happen. Believe me, people can be down right RUDE!! But the nice, accepting, more understanding people far out way the bad!

We are all gearing up for Christmas and will be getting our tree up soon! Noah is excited to get to buy Jelly Bean a stocking this year! I'm also going to have him help me 'santa shop' for Jelly Bean. Noah knows all about santa, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy. We still practice the traditions of them but he knows where the gifts come from. Many people think and have told me it was mean and that I have robbed Noah of the magic of childhood with these beliefs but when you have a child that is terrified of a big man in a red suit coming in his house during the night or a fairy flying in his window while he sleeps, it makes him feel better knowing that his gifts come from mommy and daddy because we love him and want to do those things for him! It eases his anxiety and also teaches him that he can't just ask for anything for Christmas because it isn't some magic man in a red suit that makes his toys and delivers them but that his parents work hard to be able to get him things that he wants because we love him and love to see him happy. I think having him 'santa shop' for Jelly Bean will be another great tradition we will be able to enjoy every year!

On the funny side: Have you ever seen a Lab that didn't like water?? Well, if you've met Jelly Bean, then your answer to that question is YES! Jelly Bean does not like water! He doesn't like to go out when it rains at all! He is trained to not get into a vehicle until he is told but if it's raining, you better watch out as soon as you open the door! He won't even "go" in the rain unless he absolutely has too! He will hold it all day if he can! He doesn't like a bath and will 'hide' as far back in the dog tub as he can! I do believe we will be shopping for him a rain coat for Christmas!!

I pray you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! I will try to post some pictures sometime around Christmas! Be blessed and as always, thanks for stopping by and thanks for your prayers!!

In the paper again!

Just a quick note to say that we've made it into another newspaper. Not exactly how I'd have liked this time though! I submitted a comment to The Stroller of the Spartanburg Herald Journal this week about an experience we had at a local restaurant. The paper opted not to mention the restaurants name so I won't either as I agree with the gentlemen who writes the Stroller that this situation could apply at any restaurant anywhere. What happened was this...We went into the place and told them we had 5 people and a service dog and would need a table with a little extra space to accommodate the dog underneath. They graciously pulled two tables together and we were seated. Our waitress stops off at the table next to us, who apparently had also just been seated before us, to introduce herself and get them started. She immediately comes to us and quietly says, "Hi, I'm sorry but do you all have a dog with you?" We answer yes and she says I'm going to have to ask you to take it outside as the people next to you are really upset about it. I proceed to tell her it's a service dog and he's protected by federal law and she says, " Oh, I'm sorry, never mind, I'll handle it." I watch her go over to the couple and quietly and very politely tell them that we have a service dog with us and that we are protected by law and it would be illegal for them to ask us to leave or remove the dog. I hear her say to the lady, " I understand how you feel, but they have the right to have it with them." She says, I'll talk with my manager and see what I can do. She comes to us to get our drinks and we ask, is everything OK? She says oh yes, don't worry about it. I'm going to ask my manager if I can just move them. We even offered to be the ones to move even though we DON'T have to and the waitress said absolutely not, I'll handle it and if they are bothered by it, they can move. So a few minutes later a couple different waitresses come over and offer to move the couple, they refuse and then the regular waitress comes and offers again and they still refuse. So we all proceed to enjoy our meal and nothing more is said. Once the couple finally gets up to leave, the waitress comes back to us and says, I'm so glad they finally left, they were getting on my nerves! We all laugh and then begin asking the waitress more about what exactly was said. She said the lady told her she was "completely appalled" at the fact that anyone would bring a dog into a restaurant, regardless of what kind of dog it is. The waitress told us that she's worked in many restaurants and she knows the law and she knows that we have every right to have the dog there as long as it is a service dog. She even tells us that she knows that even if it's a service dog in training that they can't deny it. (Which is state law, but most of your general public doesn't realize that.) I was very impressed with how the wait staff handled everything and thanked them all for it. I wanted our experience to be heard so that hopefully more people would realize that we are not just taking a dog into a restaurant but taking a piece of medical equipment needed to mitigate my child's disability. They wouldn't have objected to him being in a wheelchair, they shouldn't object to him having his service dog!!

So to read my comment, simply pick up a Herald Journal while you are out today and turn to the Stroller section. Or go to this link http://www.goupstate.com/article/20091113/COLUMNISTS/911139980/1130?Title=-Appalled

They paraphrased what I said and they also left out the restaurant name but I think they helped get my point across.

Just a side note, I said I wouldn't tell what the restaurant was but I will say it was an Italian/Greek restaurant in Boiling Springs located in the Rocky Branch plaza!!