First a follow-up: All my whining and “sniveling” last week seemed to chase away the wintery white stuff we were told would bury us under. Not one mere flake fell in our area, HOWEVER, Jack Frost isn’t finished with us yet, this week we are expecting frigid, low temperatures for many days – Yikes! But it will be dry. Freezing – but dry – I’m happy!

Now let me tell you about the weekend…

The boys have a DAL (Doodle Aunt Laverne) who traveled to Washington on a chartered bus from S.C. to experience the Inaugural festivities. She adores the boys…

She arrived Sunday morning, and her group toured the national monuments on an absolutely beautiful sunny, “unusually” warm January day. I mean the weather was perfect! My husband decided to take the boys into the city, meet up with her, and sight see together (along with a few thousand other people).

Due to my commitment with our church choir, I couldn’t go with them, but the last thing I shouted to him as the car disappeared down the street was: “don’t forget to take some pictures…” They were gone several hours and when they returned, I listened to him tell me all about their day together:

• Leo maneuvered well through the crowds with his ball

• Harley and Leo did well with all the attention

• The boys took the cutest picture with a little girl who sat down with them clutching her white stuffed doggie

• People stopped and made a fuss over them all day long

I was so excited, it was hard for me sit still as I listened! Blog notes were spinning around in my head as he talked. I lived for every single word that spilled out of his mouth.

Although my body was physically in the family room with him, my mind had already raced upstairs to my office anxious to start typing. I extended my hand for his camera phone and asked: “let me see the pictures” only to have him stand there and tell me: “Cathy, I had two dogs, I really couldn’t take any pictures!”

I wanted to cry. For a minute the room started to get dark, I just knew I was having some medical emergency. He relives all these wonderful moments with me, and THEN he tells me there are no pictures!

Once I stopped “glaring” at him, he told me he did manage to take “a few” but I was skeptical because he was anything but proud when he said it. It was almost apologetic like.

I got it together and asked to see the pictures and although I love this man dearly, I vowed right then and there never to let him go alone again!

Here’s why…

I asked him who this “fraction of person” was holding the lease? He said it was his sister Laverne, we’ll have to take his word for it…

I am happy to report that “Wilson” (Leo’s ball – named after Tom Hanks “ball” from the movie Cast Away) did make it home also…

I asked him who was the gentleman holding the lease? He said he didn’t know, someone who wanted to pose with the boys. We managed to capture “his” entire body…

Not sure where all the dirt came from on Harley, but I didn’t ask…

They must have enjoyed their outing in the crisp, but super sunny winter air, because they were utterly exhausted once they got brushed and cleaned up a bit.

Later that same evening my dear DH (Doodle Husband) announced he was going “back downtown” in the morning to watch “up close and personal” as the President took the oath of office…

He said he wanted to experience it on the lawn, by the Capital, amongst all the people…

I encouraged him to follow his dream, and at “half past – dark thirty” in the morning he was gone!

Where were the boys? When I told them what “I” was doing, they opted to stay at home and watch it with me…

GOD BLESS AMERICA & DOODLE DADS…

Thanks for reading…