I know the Interwebs runs on cute cat videos, one giggly gigabyte at a time, but I'm definitely more of a dog person.   I have the very good fortune to be able to write a regular column for a local lifestyle publication, 425 Magazine. I work with the editor to come up with themes every issue for my Flavor column, which is normally food/drink, but I did a twist on dog-friendly spaces, since it's summer and it's a great time to include our fuzzy friends on our sunshine-filled adventures!

I have big news -- or maybe little white fluffy news? It was a heartbreaking loss to say goodbye to our sweet, sweet Indy last year, but we always knew we would make room in our hearts for another dog someday. And we always knew we'd adopt, that it would be a dog with a story to share, versus a puppy whose story is waiting to be told. And maybe in my heart I always knew it would be like with Indy, that the dog would find us, and not the other way around. In a way, that's just what happened -- meet BK (Bua Kao), and here is her story... 

We interrupt your day to bring you this message... DOG. In what I can only describe as Dog Therapy (I'm pretty sure I've hashtagged it a few times), my heart is not bereft of happy dog smiles, belly rubs, ear scratches and the longing stares as you're trying to eat pizza. Here's to Dogs, and the joy they bring.

The Birdy is BACK! Or more to the point, the Birdy didn't really fly the coop, she stayed on terra firma and had a quiet few days off to tend to the homefront. I did not, in fact, make it to Hell-on-Earth-Nevada for the aforementioned trip, but I kept with the vacation days off and spent the much-needed break savoring some quality time with the Mister and our dear pup, Indy, who was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia last October.

Thanksgiving musings from the Magpie comes to one simple thing: be grateful for the present. You've probably already seen Tweets or Facebook posts regarding our dear, beloved dog, Indy, who is thankfully still with us, but has leukemia. It's been an emotional time, but the most significant thing to come out of it is a renewed sense of desire to live presently, with joy, with enthusiasm, and to not hold back on love.