Meet Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

After our dog, Luca, passed away last October I didn't think I would want another dog for a long time.  It was difficult losing him and I didn't think I would be ready to welcome another dog into our family for awhile.  As time went on I continued to miss Luca and his companionship.  Rich started feeling the same way and Ava was definitely ready, so I started looking.

We were pretty sure we wanted a Cocker Spaniel again.  We (mostly me) decided we wanted a more calm and mellow dog.  We also wanted to get another older rescue dog.  We (mostly me again) didn't want to go through potty training or teething with a puppy.  Ava's request was for a girl dog.  She even decided on the name, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, before we even found the right dog.  With all these things in mind I started searching the internet.

Starting at the end of December I checked out dogs online.  I followed NorCal Cocker Rescue (the rescue group that we got Luca from) and checked 1-800-save-a-pet.com several times a week.  I saw a lot of cute dogs, but was waiting for the right one to come along.  A few times we went to the rescue group's mobile adoption events to meet some of the dogs we saw online.  We met some great dogs, but not the right match for us.

In the middle of February everything changed.  One day on Facebook I saw an update from the rescue group.  They rescued a stray from the shelter and I was drawn to her.  The first pictures of her were with long, matted, greasy hair from being on the street.  Even though she was a mess she had the cutest face.  A few days later the group posted pictures of her groomed and gave her the name Lucille.  When I saw those pictures and the name Lucille (close to Lucy) I thought this might be the dog for us.  I then read her bio and thought she sounded like the perfect dog for us.  She was said to be mellow, calm, and not clingy.  Rich and I talked about it and decided to fill out the adoption paperwork, so we could meet her.  I was nervous somebody else would snatch her up, so I contacted the rescue group to express our interest and stake our claim.  Due to scheduling and our crazy Tahoe/Disneyland vacation weekend we had to wait to meet Lucille.

Rich was actually the first to meet Lucille.  The Saturday Ava and I were in Tahoe Rich was at home.  I was so worried somebody else we meet Lucille, fall in love with her, and take her away that I made Rich go meet her without us.  I wanted to see if she really was a good match and to make sure we showed we were serious.  Rich spent a little time with her and walked her around the store.  He said she was a nice dog and thought we would like her.  I got really excited and started thinking to myself she was going to be our dog.  After we got back from our trips we had to wait a week and a half to meet Lucille because that was the next adoption event.

On March 15th, the day of the adoption event, we were all excited to meet Lucille.  I went to the store expecting to bring her home.  Ava thought the same thing, so I was a little nervous it might not work out.  Luckily, for us it went great.  We all loved her and were excited to have her as a part of our family.  Of course we changed her name and now we call her Lucy.  Ava on occasion still calls her Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and sometimes even sings that song to her.

Having Lucy join our family has been a wonderful adventure.  She is calm, mellow, quiet, and likes to snuggle.  These are all things we enjoy, but she does have a crazy side too.  I nicknamed her the mountain goat because the first day we had her she managed to get on top of our pub height kitchen table to eat some nuts in a bowl.  Just recently she jumped on top of the kitchen counter and ate the raw hamburger patties I had ready to grill.  We have learned we can't trust her with food yet (probably survival skill from being a stray).  We are training her and hopeful Lucy will learn to stay off the counter and table.  We have also been taking her to dog training classes to learn some basic skills and manners.  So far she is doing well and we have seen some improvement.  Even with her mountain goat ways we love her and are grateful she is our dog.  To quote one of Ava's favorite books, Ten Dogs in the Window, "You are the perfect dog for us."

Lucy is probably most attached to me.  I'm sure that is because I am home with her the most.  She follows me around and waits on my bed when I take a shower or go to the bathroom.  Lucy also likes to lay on top of me to take a nap.

Lucy LOVES belly rubs.  It took a couple weeks for Lucy to warm up to Ava.  This made Ava kind of sad, so when Lucy let Ava rub her belly it was a great moment.  Ava is still a little sad that Lucy likes me better, but still loves her.

Lucy is mellow and likes to sleep a lot.  If I sit down she jumps right up to snuggle.

Lucy the crazy mountain goat.  She actually hasn't jump up on the chairs or table in several weeks.  She has much better manners now.

One of Rich's favorite things about Lucy is she chases squirrels.  She enjoys watching over the backyard like it is her kingdom and makes sure to keep the dirty squirrels out.

Lucy enjoys being outside.  When we are outside she will play a bit and then find a nice place to curl up and take a nap.

The first time Lucy met Mo our tortoise she tried to eat him.  For the first week Lucy would scratch at Mo's cage and try to get at him.  We had to work with her and train her to leave him alone.  Lucy will still sniff at Mo, but she doesn't bark and scratch at him.

One of Ava's favorite things to do is feed Lucy.  Ava likes to give her treats and usually is the one to feed Lucy her food.

Ava LOVES to hug Lucy.

Lucy enjoys snuggling while we watch movies.

Ava was so happy when Lucy laid on her while we watched Frozen.

Lucy with our niece.  I was happy that Lucy did well when all the cousins came for a visit.

Disneyland Take Two

This year we decided to splurge and get Disneyland annual passes.  It was a last minutes decision when we were there in January.  We realized we would be back in So Cal for my brother's wedding this summer and thought why not throw in a couple more quick trips during the year.  So, to make sure we get good use out of our passes we took a quick trip at the beginning of March.  It actually happened the same day we got home from the snow. 

We came home from Tahoe, went to church, and then headed to Disneyland.  We drove straight through the night and arrived around midnight.  Luckily, Ava slept even though she was excited about this surprise trip.  We went straight to bed and got ready to have some Disney fun for the next 2 days (really only a day and a half) before we had to drive home.  Even though this trip was quick it was much more relaxed.  We already made sure to hit all the important things when we were there in January.  This time we went on our favorites and a couple things we normally would skip.

I was proud of Ava for going on Star Tours.  Last time she didn't go on the ride.  While Rich and I went on Star Tours she would hang out with Papa & Nonna.  This trip they weren't with us, so it wasn't an option.  I told her I would wait with her while Rich went on the ride, but she decided to be brave.  She was so nervous and cried a little in line.  I kept asking if she wanted to wait outside, but she insisted she wanted to go on the ride and be brave.  During the ride she was fine.  She had fun and we even went on it again the next day.

The most exciting thing was Ava meeting Elsa & Anna from the movie "Frozen".  Last time I refused to wait in the 3-4 hour line to meet them.  Since our last trip Ava has talked about being sad that she missed them.  Since I love Ava so much and know how much she loves Frozen I decided to wait in line.  I did not wait in a 3-4 hour line....I'm still not that crazy.  Instead Rich and I came up with a plan.  We used the magic morning (1 hour early entry) to get in line.  I walked with Ava while Rich ran to the line.  Luckily he was the 5th person in line.  Next he took Ava on rides while I waited a hour for it to open.  Then we had to wait another 25 minutes just to get in to meet Elsa & Anna.  It was a long wait, but worth it for Ava.  She was so star struck she barely talked.  She got a picture with them and then we took a family photo too.  Ava loves looking at the photo on our refrigerator.

On our last day it was hard to leave.  We had to leave after lunch to get home at a decent hour.  Rich had to go to work and Ava had school the next day.  We made sure to buy some delicious bread from Boudin's for our drive home and then we were off.  It was a crazy, fast, and fun few days.  I was exhausted from the long 5 days of going from the snow to Disneyland and not sleeping in my own bed.  It was fun though and a time we will remember.

Driving off into the sunset on our way to Disneyland.  At this point Ava was just guessing her surprise.  She had no idea I already packed her clothes and got everything ready for the trip.  She was really excited!

Waiting in line to meet Elsa and Anna.

Both Elsa & Anna liked Ava's pigtails.  They kept playing with them.

Ava was so excited!

I decided I wanted a family picture since I waited in line for so long.

Ava and Rich at the Disney Junior show.  It was our first time seeing the show.  Ava loved it.

Ava trying to pop bubbles during the Disney Jr. show.

Ava and I on the spinning ladybug ride.  The only way I was able to go on this ride and not get sick was with a seasick patch.  I wore it the entire trip and never felt sick.  I'm never going to Disneyland without one again.

One of our family favorites.

We all squeezed in once.  Rich and Ava shot while I controlled the spaceship.