ILUVTN

Jim and I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to update this blog. The best way to update everyone is to put our Holiday newsletter on this. I was so busy this year that I didn't get my Christmas cards sent on time. Getting them out on time to me is out by Dec 1. There were 2 weeks late this year.
Below is our holiday letter.

It has been a real busy year for us. Here are some of the highlights for 2005: January brought our 15th wedding anniversary. We had a great celebration to commemorate a wonderful 15 years! One of our biggest decisions was becoming foster guardians for Boston Terriers. We enjoyed our two dogs (Bumper and Tipsy) so much that we wanted to help others.
In February we rescued a Boston/Beagle mix, that we named Boggle. He was only a week away from being euthanized. Boggle was a really good experience for us that led us to make a decision to fence in the backyard.
The end of March we took a trip down to Southern Illinois to see Jim's grandfather. Jim's brother John from Nashville and his sister Cindy from Atlanta along with Bill and Sue were there also.
April brought more news for us unfortunately it was not good news. We received a phone call from Jim*s mom. His grandfather had passed away. I think Jim took the news well considering this was the only grandfather he had ever known.
In May we received good news. Midwest had found a wonderful home for Boggle. We had been with us for only two months and had to say goodbye to our new little friend. I was very upset, but Jim consoled me with the fact that he was going to a loving family that would give him special attention. There were others to save that would steal my heart again. It was only a week until we had our second rescue (Hawkeye). He had an unusual trait of watching TV. May ended with a visit from my mom and dad. Since we were fostering Boston Terriers, we decided to fence-in the backyard, over 650 linear feet. So Jim my dad and I worked on the fence Memorial Day weekend.
By the 2nd week in June, the fence was complete. The end of June brought another foster dog for us (Daisy). I had applied for a new position in April and I began the new job at Guardian West on June 13. My new job is QS Coordinator, which where I control all data changes for the plant.
In July the annual 4th of July neighborhood picnic was held at the end of our driveway. The second weekend in July, Jim*s mom and dad along with Christopher (our nephew) came up for a visit. We all went canoeing down a small creek in Indiana. We had a great time and wished they could have stayed longer.
Mid-July brought another phone call from the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. I picked up Winston from a shelter in Charleston Illinois. Winston also had an unusual habit of licking your shoes, while spinning in circles. Anyone who came in the house always had a clean pair of shoes after Winston was done with them.
We headed home to Tennessee for my grandmother*s birthday; she had turned 90 on July 16. My aunts had requested no gifts, just birthday cards. The goal was to receive 90 cards and we ended up with over 120.
In August we took Hawkeye to Indianapolis to meet his new adoptive parents. After dropping off Hawkeye, we headed to another shelter not too far away, to pick up Chunky.
While in Bloomington Indiana, we contacted a friend that we had not seen in 10 years.
He was also a Boston Terrier owner. We also celebrated the 1st anniversary of being in our new home.
September was fairly quiet until the end of the month. There was another Boston surrendered in Charleston IL. We picked up Dignan, an extremely adorable 7-month-old puppy. On Sunday September 25, Jim and I along with Winston and Chunky, headed to the West Suburbs of Chicago for the Bark A Palooza (a dog owners celebration and adoption). We were fortunate to meet some of the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue volunteers. We also scheduled two other adoptions for Winston and Chunky in the nearby area. We were also given an adoption request for another home in the area. The two adoptions and home visit went well.
Dignan was adopted the second week of October to the home we visited above. During the 3rd week we went back to Charleston IL to pick up another owner surrender. Toby was a great-looking year and a half old male. That same weekend Jim and his friend Doug went to Alabama to pick up the motorcycle that Jim found on the internet. (Doug and Ray started riding motorcycles again in August and Jim caught the motorcycle bug from them). The following weekend brought Jim's brother and his family up for a visit. I successfully hosted my first *Stamp Camp* this month.
The second weekend in November, we headed down to Mt Vernon IL for another pup (Fritz). We headed to Jackson, TN for Thanksgiving weekend with 3 dogs. Toby and Fritz stayed at the house with our friends Doug and Ray. Jim was able to fulfill a dream and ordered his pool table. We should see it around the end of December first of January. Our plan for the new year is to get our game room set up with the pool table, pinball machines and the video game that Jim has been building. S o far December has been just as busy as the rest of these past months. We had an extremely successful adoption for Toby to a Michigan family. We met them half way in the Chicago area on December 10. This brings us back to a reasonable 4-dog level. We may be host to two Christmas puppies during their transport process to new homes. This will bring us back up to 6 Boston Terriers. Yes we are nuts, thanks!
We are headed to Tennessee for the Christmas holidays and looking forward to spending time with family. Be sure to check out my blog which is a web log for pictures of the fosters. My blog address is http://iluvtn1.blogspot.com/
Happy Holidays!

Beth Jim Bumper Tipsy Daisy and Fritz