Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that it's 2011 already!  I'm sure we must all say that every January 1st, but somehow the shock is the same regardless.  Well, here we are in the new year and I'm happy to report that we are making big steps toward reaching our goal for Callie's surgery.  Thanks to some extremely generous donations through the holidays, we are nearly halfway to being able to pay for fixing the little bear's wobbly knee!  I am amazed and humbled by the generosity of family, friends, and other such do-gooders!  Thank you all.

The holidays were a great time for everyone, and Callie especially got spoiled and loved even more than usual.  One of her favorite new toys is a squeaky Razorback-themed ball with long strings dangling out behind.  Callie spent the bulk of her holidays running up and down hallways with it, squeaking it with every bounce.  Here she is allowing the toy (and the rest of us) to take a little break...

Over the last couple of weeks, Callie managed to make a few new (animal) friends.  One was Bella, a terrier who is a little over twice Callie's size with probably four times the energy!  Callie was always a bit shy around Bella, although by the last day of our visit she managed to play by hiding cat-like beneath my chair, darting out to swipe her paws at Bella's face.  It was cute, even if it was a bit restrained!  Bella was a good sport about it.

Surprisingly, Callie also made a feline friend this year.  I always get a bit nervous of Callie with cats, because her instinct to chase is about as strong as their instinct to run like the dickens.  However, the striped kitty named Pema gave Callie a run for her money!  These two took only minutes to decide that not only could they get along, but were overjoyed to play games together.  Imagine my surprise when Callie chased Pema around a corner, only to emerge seconds later streaking away from the cat who was now chasing her!  These two had a great time, and they were extremely entertaining to watch!

Now that we're back at home after the holidays, it's time to get organized.  As always, there will be updates when events are upcoming - which hopefully won't be too far away!  Thank you all again for your interests, suggestions, and donations, and once again - Happy New Year!