Woman's Best Friend.

Today I took Boston to the veterinary clinic at 8AM. I made the decision not to breed her, so this particular appointment was to get her spayed (that's a puppy hysterectomy). She will be put under, have surgery, and stay overnight. The reason she must remain at the vet overnight is because she will be very groggy and tender, so exciting her with people attempting to care for her would not be good, vet policy. Don't worry, I left her blankie. In addition to this procedure, I asked the vet to clip her nails short (it's hard to do that when they're awake). Her adult teeth were not coming in properly so the vet will also have to pull some baby teeth. After I dropped her off and watched her get a big bad shot (that caused a horrifying shriek), I went back home and got back in bed and worried. A while later, I received a call from the vet saying that everything went well and that she's fine. Then came the "BUT". 

The incision on her tummy was supposed to be 1/4". However, she had bleeding problems, so he had to open her up a full inch (keep in mind that 1" on her is like a 6" gash on you). He then took skin from her leg to test it for mange (he had suspected it from some strange dry skin patches and small bump on her head)...which came back positive. He also had to pull some of her baby teeth that were restricting the growth of her new teeth. 

Long story short, my sweet little 5-lb baby Bostie is laying in a kennel with sore gums, a skinless leg, barely-there toenails, MANGE, 1 inch of stitches across her little pink belly, and no uterus. It makes me want to cry. 

Brady and I are going to pick her up in the morning at 8AM. If you're wondering what we're doing tomorrow, it's laying on the couch with Boston...all day. I feel so bad. 

Holiday Post

Merry Christmas, people! I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday, I know I am :)

Brady and I were supposed to be apart from the time I left Austin (on the 17th) until the 27th (when we have tickets to the Mavs/Cavs game - our Christmas present to each other). However, Brady ended up surprising me last Friday and we've been together ever since. We spent Christmas with my family Fri-Mon, and came to Hamilton yesterday and will be here until we go back to Arlington on Thursday for the game. Then I'm going to ride back to Austin with him on the 30th and come back to the DF-Dub with Bethany on the 2nd-ish. Superfun. 

Speaking of Super...Brady and I watched 'Superbad' last night, and it was just that...super bad. Do not watch this movie. There were about 3 funny parts...none of which I remember because they were not really even noteworthy.

I'm very excited about going back to Austin, although it won't be the same without A). my stuff and B). a few key people. BUT! I'll still get to see lots of people that I love and adore, so I will still be ECSTATIC to be back, if only for a few days. 

PS. The bachelorette pad is complete now. Boston and I got a 47" flat screen HDTV. And a puppy couch. 

Day 5 of missing you terribly.

I say "you" because chances are, if you're reading this, it's because you care about me...and I probably care about you too.

Things haven't been all sad, though. Bethany and I got to spend pretty much all day yesterday together. We did some Christmas shopping and ate at Black Eyed Pea, it was SO good. Today was yet another illustration of how corn does not digest...you all know I have strange pooing habits. 

Anyhoo, in other news, I got my hair did today. My good friend Heather (from Arlington - we've been great friends since 1st grade, PRECIOUS!) recommended her hairstylist to me, so I went in 

for my appointment today. I decided to deviate from the black and go back to my natural brown color and clean up my layers a bit - after that stupid toni & guy punk butchered my head. I'm really happy with it. I'll probably grow it out soon too. 

I'm sure this is all just fascinating news to you, but that's all I got. Not an hour goes by that I don't miss Austin: the-way-it-was-Austin, that is. 

love.

...

I'm sitting in a dark, empty room on a blow-up mattress, my parents snoring 3 feet away. I'm not worried about waking them with the clicking of my laptop keys because of their incessant snoring and because they are so tired. So tired, in fact, that my dad still has his shoes on. We packed up my life here in Austin, and it's all sitting in a U-Haul outside our little house with the red door on Avenue B. 

Finishing high school is nothing like finishing college. Sure, there are similar changes: you're growing up, saying goodbye to loved ones and hello to a new, scary world, packing up your life...but nothing can prepare you for finishing college. It's harder. There's no promise of living in a community setting, or opportunities to easily make new friends, or ways to be an adult and a kid at the same time. You have to be an adult, period. I have often heard people say, "college was the best years of my life"... and then it hits. The "best years" that you've been living, that you looked forward to when you were young, are over. You realize that you agree with that statement and can only pray that it isn't true. I like to think that these "best years" will act as a catalyst to make us maintain the "best years of our life", keep them going on so that instead, you can say, "when I got to college, my life began."

Monday will be hard. I'm driving back to Arlington with the remains of my Austin-life packed in the seats of my jeep.

But it's alright, it's going to be alright. I know it will be. 

love.

t-minus 5 days left...

5 days left in Austin.

I really need to stop being sappy. ENOUGH WITH THE SADNESS! This has been the best 4 years of my life. I am so thankful that my head is filled with countless memories that make me smile. It's a GOOD thing that I'm sad about college coming to an end. That means that it was AMAZING. Life-changing, more like it. I am a different person than I was when I first stepped on these beloved forty acres and that makes me so proud. 

So, please, don't be too sad about the end of this chapter  in our lives. Be happy that it is filling you with emotion, because that shows that it meant something to you.

The Blog Begins

I, Laura Kathleen Dudney, have decided to become a blogger. I am doing this for the following reasons:

1. I will be living in Arlington starting in about a week and will be apart from many people I care about...hopefully this will be a good way to keep in touch with loved ones who are scattered about the globe. 

2. I will be living at home and will enjoy having an extra internet connection to the world. 

3. I think this is better than myspace because myspace is creepy.

Boston and I will be living with my parents in Arlington while I intern in Dallas for my last semester. We're excited to be spending some time with Fred & Charlotte and setting up our sweet bachelorette pad upstairs. Visitors welcome.