Guest post by Joelle....West to East pets

Hey! its Joelle. I'm writing the blog this time cause I'm the one going on the trip this month :) So here goes.

This is our very first pickup, Ramsey the cute cute golden retriever. (oh and I apologize in advance for the bad pictures, I'm not the greatest photographer :P)

isn't he SO CUTE? :) I love Golden's, they're the best. Didn't have any problems with him at all. Very pretty color too!

Here's what we wasted 5 1/2 hours on after picking up Ramsey.

Yup. We were driving down the freeway, and literally about 50 feet in front of us a CHP started putting cones out to block the road. We were literally a second too late. Our being late led to us sitting on the side of the freeway watching the fire and waiting.
And waiting.
Aaannnddd waitttiinnnggg.
Finally they opened the freeway again, and we drove till 3:00am trying to make up for the lost time. (yeah, after getting up at 5:30 that morning...you can imagine)

But, we successfully reached Vegas and picked up this big guy, Champ (a pitbull). And lemme tell ya, if this dog was entered into a weight lifting (or pulling...or something) competition, he would be, well, the Champ! (ok sorry, that was really corny. :) He is st-rong.

The next pet is the biggest....he is really, really big. This is Zack, the Great Dane.

Like I said, not a great picture, it doesn't show how tall he is very well. He was so big. He wasn't in a crate cause he's too tall, so he got his own corner in the back. He was such a good boy though! Didn't drool at all, which was weird for a Great Dane. (but great for us) He was great towards the other big male dogs in the car too (which we had plenty of) :) But man, those jaws! He could easily hold a  basketball in his teeth. Wouldn't want to make him mad :)

Next we have our biggest group, four cats and one dog. The dog is Finn, a pitbull. He's pretty small. But he was very friendly. (and cute!)

I wasn't able to take pictures of any of the cats, but one of them was so funny. It would stick its paw out the holes in the crate door and try to get me when I was kneeling near it :) and it would roll/lounge around in the front of the crate, which was pretty funny to see. That was also the first time I had ever seen a cat walk into a crate all by itself. Most cats are pretty scared of crates!

Another big one is Kodi. He's an Akita. SUCH a pretty dog. He looks pretty mean, but in reality he's just like a big teddy bear :) really though, he was pretty carefree.

He got really anxious at times and was whiny, which eventually led to a very very broken crate. He's very strong. But when he broke out (which was when we were not in the car) he was fine, just walking back and forth smellin stuff and havin a good ol' time. :)

And last but definitely not least, is what I would say was the cutest one of the bunch. Here's Knuckles the bulldog puppy.

that's his back and here's a picture of his face...kinda

Take my word for it, he was adorable. Did pretty good in his crate too. I loved petting him, his skin/fat is so funny and kind of droopy-like. He's got some thick little legs too :)

We had a group of 3 cats also, and here's a picture of one of them.

She's so pretty. They were great cats! 

And that's the last of the west to east pets. Pretty much all of the dogs were so BIG. It was fun taking care of them.

Got to visit Independence Hall too! (even though it was at 12am ;) It was a pretty successful trip :)

Until next time,
Joelle Marie

Going by-by...and weird dogs.

It all started one afternoon a few days ago my mommy came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go "by-by"... I got super excited, cuz u see, the last place we went when she asked me if I wanted to go "by-by" was super fun... it had lots of water (though the water was really yucky tasting), and the ground was all covered in stuff that was really fun to run in, and it wasn't hot there like it was at home, and there were TONS of birds I could chase... anyways, back to the subject, of course I wanted to go. Who wouldnt wanna go somewhere where you don't have to sit around all day and sleep??? So, I went "by-by". And so much for that last thought about going "by-by" and it being super fun, cuz from the moment we left, all I've been doing is sleeping! Also, my mommy and grandpa put me in a cage thing so I can't get out!!! I couldn't believe they could be so mean.

Back on the first day of the trip, while I was stuck here in this ridiculous cage, the car stopped (yay!!! I get to get out!!) and my mommy and grandpa went out and got these two weird dogs that I have never seen before in my life...

 

this one they call "Kona"

 

 

and this one they call "Sassy".

 

(I was dissapointed to find out that they're both girls.)

And I got really upset cuz these dogs were getting in my car... at least they got locked up in a crate the same as me. How dare they!!! I tried to tell my mommy to get them out but she wouldn't listen, she just went and finished talking to the lady and then got back in the car (so much for getting out.) and we started driving again. Later on that day the car stopped again, and we got to get out (finally!!!! :D) But it wasnt for long because then we got back in the car (again.) and my mommy said it was time for nighty-night. Every day went a little like this, and more and more weird animals got in my car. Here's some pictures of them.

 

There's this one they call "Porscha":

I really don't like this one because my mommy keeps on calling it "puppers" and "cute little puppy", and telling it that its "a good girl", and so on, so I have concluded to be mad at both of them.

 

 

And there's this one they call "Scarlett"

 

She has a sister named "Abby" that looks just like her... they're actually pretty nice to me.

 

Then there's the cats... oh, how I get SO sick of their "meow" "meow"  "MEOW!!"!

 

Here's the two that were already in my car when I got in (which was kinda a surprise, how did they get in there?):

 

This one my mommy always talks to, she calls it "Zoe"

 

 

And there's Zoe's sister, "Leela" which I love cuz she doesn't meow at all...

 

 

 

And then there's the three:

 

"Sylvester" (the only boy in the car...oh, if only he were a dog!!!)

 

 

"Molly" she meows a lot.... :P

 

 

and this here is "Alegre", she makes a lot of noise too, but that's just cuz she misses her mommy.

 

All these is why my mommy doesn't pay any attention to me. And I'm sad. Very sad. So every time my mommy does come up to me and say how I'm her "best girl" and "i love you" etc etc, I just ignore her, unless she's gonna take me outside of course. If she's not gonna pay full attention to me then I won't pay full attention to her. And I have these strange animals to thank for all my madness. Thanks a lot guys. (Or should I say, girls?) Here are some photos of me being upset:

 

Here's me trying to not act excited about my mommy giving me a treat...

 

 

And here's me all locked up in the horrid crate.

 

 

I wish every moment that I had never wanted to go on this trip in the first place. This fun trip is turning out to be not so fun. But then again, it's better than a trip to that awful place I get shots at, so maybe in the long run, it's for the better...I'll just have to keep thinking that..."It's for the better....""It's for the better....""It's for the better..."

 

~Shasta~ (I hacked my mommy's blog for keeping me in this crate)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Westbound Tenants!!!

My dearest readers, I have finally found the time (and internet) to finish this post. I am so very sorry I didnt get it finished earlier. So here it is and just so you know, this is from the LAST trip, these our our pets we had going from the east to the west. Thank you SO much for being patient with me, and I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D

Tenant #1 This is Annie, a smooth fox terrier. She loved talking. A lot. :D

Tenant #2 This is Hailey, she is a wheaton terrier, and a very sweet dog, but boy, will she pull you anywhere and everywhere. :)

Tenant #3 This is Max, He and Hailey are brother and sister. He was a very well-mannered boy, and I was sad to give him and his sister back.

Tenant #4 This is Benji, he is a Samoyed. He's a good 'ole boy, and even though he had a little bit of trouble getting around, he was always pulling me to go sniff something over here or there. :)

 

 

 

Tenant #5 This here is Casey, Benji's brother, he is quiet, compared to Benji. Like his brother, he had trouble getting around too, so we used our ramp to get him and Benji in and out of the car.

 

Tenant #6 Elijah. He is one of the cutest cats I have ever seen. He's only a year old, he loved me petting him, and I hated to give him back. :P If I ever owned a cat, I would want it to be just like Elijah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenant #7This is Schooner, a black lab. She was a sweetie, and absolutely loves people. We fought a constant battle keeping her crate dry. I think she loves swimming.

 

 

Tenant #8 Roxy, the boxer. She is just a youngin'. She was always ready to be the first one out for a walk, and was never much for getting back in.

 

 

 

Tenant #9 Dixie!!!!! She is a very well-behaved Golden Retriever. She always did what you told her to do, and never made a mess of her crate. And I think out of all the animals we've ever had, she smelled the best. :D

 

 

And, Tenant #10, Lenny the tabby cat. She was very timid, and nervous about traveling. She did ok though, and was very happy to get back to her momma.

 

 

 

And that completes the first trip (well, the first one I actually wrote about.) As you can see, we were very blessed to have such easy-going, well-behaved animals. The few troubles we had were not anything major, and I have Jesus to thank for that.

 

Thanks again for reading my blog , and I will be posting this trips eastbound tenants tomorrow, so stay tuned. :D

 

 

 

From Idaho to Alabama

Ya, it's a long way. Not just from idaho directly to Alabama. But from Idaho, to the middle of Montana, to South Dakota, to Minnesota, to Iowa, to Indiana, to Illinois, to Kentucky, to West Virginia, to Virginia, to North Carolina, to Maryland, to Delaware, to New Jersey, to New York (no NYC this time), to Connecticut, back down to New York, back through New Jersey, then Delaware again, along with Maryland, and Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and then back to Alabama! A LOT of driving, and yes, I do a little bit of it. :D It certainly is NOT an easy job, but who likes easy right?

My picture diary of the road from Idaho to Alabama...

Idaho... look at this picture closely.... now eliminate the "Welcome to Idaho" sign and the radar with the sign below it and the two poles.... do you see that? THAT'S what Idaho really looks like and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

RANDOM FACT TIME!!!! Random fact about Idaho...

In California, when you are driving on the roads (mostly in the rural part), you will see little round, orange things on the sides of the road... what are they? Oranges... Now, when you go up to Idaho, what do you think you find in place of the oranges? You got it! Potatoes!!! Do NOT underestimate how many potatoes are grown in Idaho. There is a TON. And that is my random fact of the day. :D

This I'm pretty sure is Montana... You see a LOT of construction when you drive across the country... A LOT!

This is the beautiful West Yellowstone...

Can't go through Bozeman, MT without stopping by MacKenzie River Pizza Co. for some really good pizza and lodgepoles!! :D

Sometimes, you will see the weirdest things on these road trips... Such as this  "Sticker bus", it sells any and every sticker you can think of... Already made and ready for you to take home! Now isn't that a deal?! (and just in case you were wondering... no. I did not get a sticker.)

And sometimes, my dad lets me drive... while he trys (the key-word) to sleep. No matter, I love driving so I enjoy it whether he gets rest or not. :D

It's funny how you drive through a town and it almost looks familar to you... and then you think... hey! that looks like that one town in that one movie!!! :D This picture right here, looks like one of those towns from a movie...

For those of you that don't know already, these "Pilot Travel Centers" and "Flying J travel plazas" are my second home. Yes, they are truck stops,...you know, the 18 wheelers, those loud things. And Im not even gonna start on the truckers themselves.. lemme just tell you this. I keep pepper spray with me at ALL times.

Also for those of you who have not seen our van we do this in, here is a picture of that as well.

One of the best parts about the trip... the good food. :D although sometimes it might be McDonald's fof breakfast and pb&j for dinner, sometimes we get to have some GOOD food. And by GOOD I mean A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. California Pizza Kitchen would be one of those places. :D

Another one of the best things about the trip... the beautiful sights I get to see. Some of the places we go are so, absolutely, you-cant-get-any-worse, boring. And some of the places we go are totally awesome and exciting. Some of the places are COMPLETELY disgusting. Some of the places we go are really weird. And then there are the places that are just....how should i say it, PERFECT in every way possible. Literally. Long Beach Island in NJ is one of them.

More of the awesome food, and/or dessert... FROYO!!! I don't know one person on earth that does not like Frozen Yogurt. And I don't think I will ever meet one.

Panama City Beach, Florida. Another one of the weirdest things I'll ever see... a house upside down?? okkkkkk. if you say so, i guess.

Ok. I really am lovin this bridge. Isn't it SO cool? It was pretty fun to go over.

Still Panama City Beach, FL...

my first time touching the ocean the Carribean-Gulf of Mexico... :D

Ok, I know this photo below looks like a professional took it, but let me assure you, In fact, I take all of the pictures I post on this blog, except the ones my dad took for me with me in them. :D

I think that was enough pictures for today, don't you? :D My next post will be up soon, it will be featuring the new tenants we have on board now that we finished all our pickups over here on the east coast.

Thank you all for visiting my blog, and also, I would love to know what you guys think about my blog... so please, leave a comment if you will. :D