Testing 1,2,3...

This is Petey. He followed Phillip and the boys home one Sunday afternoon. They were on a bike ride and were over a mile from our house when he began following them. At the time, he weighed less than 6 pounds. The boys kept asking Phillip if they could keep him, and he kept telling them no even though Phillip really wanted him, too. Phillip decided that if Petey made it down the hill right before our house and turned left into the driveway he would be ours. Petey turned left into the driveway.

I really didn't need another dog. We already have Chloe. But he was so cute and so sweet, so I caved and said we could keep him.

Petey loved being at our house. He and Chloe were immediate friends, and he quickly claimed the end of Grant' s bed as his. He loved to snuggle and be a lap dog. His only problem was that he just couldn't grasp the idea of using the bathroom outside. I worked with him every spare moment I could, but the little guy was struggling. There were several times I considered giving him to someone else, but since I first saw him, I had a feeling Petey was a test. If I could pass the test with Petey, I could handle another baby. So I never gave up on him, and I am happy to say he's now housebroken.

Yay for Petey (all 9.4 pounds of him), and yay for me for passing this test.

-Ashley

The Grand Total is.....

$1,047.54

Wow! That's a lot of money for a one-day yard sale in Winchester, TN. We were so blessed to have good weather, two cute little helpers, and lots of great folks come out to the sale. So many people donated items for the sale including family members, friends, and many of my North Middle School family. Many of the shoppers bought too few cookies for too much money, or told us to "keep the change," or came back 2 or even 3 times to shop! Some friends who couldn't come passed on the email to family and friends who did come over. To all of you we say, "Thank You!" We also want to say thanks to:

• the friend and colleague of Phillip's who came with a $50 check and bought 2 Rescue Hero toys and 2 chocolate chip cookies.
  
• the lady who cleans parking lots for a living who bought a box full of stuff, and, when Phillip told her to "pay whatever you think it's worth," gave him a $50 bill because, "you've got to pass it on when something good happens to you."
• my hairdresser, because she donated my haircut that afternoon so we could put the money in the adoption fund.
• the man who came in his military uniform after his shift ended at the Air Force base and handed Phillip an envelope, said, "I hope this helps. I found it in a fish's mouth," and walked off. We don't even know your name, but we sure do appreciate the $400 that was in that envelope.
  

We were hoping to make about $300 from the yard sale and obviously surpassed that. But more than the money, Phillip and I were truly touched by the kindness of the people who helped us, gave us words of encouragement, or are now praying for us in this journey.

Love,
Ashley