It is now the morning after and Momma is moving a little slowly.  She is bleary-eyed, sitting at the kitchen counter and staring at a mountain of doggie toys, treats, cards and doggie decor items.  She, of course, has no idea who gave me what.  This is going to make writing the thank you notes difficult, if not impossible.  This is Momma’s own fault, by the way – she had strongly hinted that gifts were welcome (if not expected).

Despite the gift follow-up fiasco in the making, though, the party itself was a hoot!  The cake and treats from Nanny Becky were delicious and for once Momma wasn’t scrimping on my food.

Goodies & Gifts!

We had a big crowd – many of Momma’s friends were there and they were all super nice!  They were fun and even helped wait on others and clean up while Momma socialized.  Some of my furry friends joined us, too!

Jaelyn is ready to party!

Jaelyn, Charlie, Me, CoCoa & Willie with their well-trained owners!

We had a blast chasing toys and each other, swimming, snacking and generally keeping our parents on their paws, er … toes!  Actually, I didn’t swim except when Momma plopped me in the water next to Charlie.  Momma had noticed that I was crazy about him and thought that puppy love might “Trump” my aversion to water, but she was wrong.  I did spend most of the day chasing Charlie on land, however, even though he wanted nothing to do with me.  (Don’t tell Momma but I overheard a friend say “like mother, like daughter.”)  Ouch!

I’m not giving up on Charlie!

After the guests had enjoyed Gloria’s wonderful Mexican food, Momma announced that everyone should gather around the patio table for a gift opening ceremony.  At this point several people rolled their eyes and muttered “ceremony??”  I know, right??

Oblivious to the guests’ growing impatience, Momma began by leading the group in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday,” and proceeded with her endless opening of my gifts and cards, replete with a rambling explanation for each.

After the gift opening, and before she totally lost the group’s attention, Momma turned to the promotion of my Blog (this was the point of the party, after all).  While passing out my business cards (“Take a few and give them to your friends,” she insisted), Momma urged everyone to stay up-to-date on Lina’s Dog Blog.

Last, and as proof that I’m worth reading, Momma proudly announced that I had won the 2015 “Pawlitzer Prize” for my Blog and presented me with the award – a gift from Uncle Chuck (my legal counsel) and his dog, Willie!

Thinking about my next post . . .

Everyone clapped their hands pawlitely, but I’m not sure that we gained any readers. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect – as soon as Momma’s little production was over, people couldn’t wait to “high tail” it to their cars.

Back to the morning after…  Momma is now contemplating the “A Little Hair of the Dog Cures All” message on one of the wine gift bags.  It was going to be a long day.

Just remember, if you receive a thank you note and it has nothing at all to do with the gift you gave, Momma means well.  Keeping that in mind, I would like to personally woof out a big thank you to everyone – the gifts were super cool and the party was wonderful.  My tail (if I had one) would be wagging!

Lina, Little Big Girl Now

WOOFDA!