Laverne & Shirley- 2 Year Anniversary & 12th Birthday!

It was 2 years ago on July 25th that we drove up north with Milo. We needed to introduce him to a couple of bonded Golden sisters. They were 10 years old and had been in a neglected, mistreated situation for far to long before the GR Rescue saved their day. If Milo and the girls didn't mix, then we weren't going to be able to adopt them.

But, who were we kidding? Milo was the Golden Ambassador. We used to call him the mayor of dog park, the way he'd make friends and shake paw with everyone. Plus, we knew as were driving up north to the foster home "just to check the girls out" that we were just fooling ourselves. We were going to return home as the crazy dog people with our Golden triplets in tow. :-)

It was my plan to have a party to celebrate Milo's 4 year and the girls' 2 year anniversary this upcoming weekend. What is it that they of the best laid plans of mice and men....?

With the loss of our bear, I honestly did not feel like doing anything 'fun'. I came to my senses though. I love my Laverne and I love my Shirley. Even if they will never know the difference anyhow, I would always know that I didn't celebrate their adoption anniversary. It is something that we do in Casa KBL, and I didn't want to deprive my little ladies of their chicken cake.

Before I get to the "pooch party" we hosted, there were some other celebratory events the girls participated in. But first, this was last year's scene, on Laverne & Shirley's 1st anniversary with us.

This year they partied like sorority girls. More on that later in this photo-filled post!
Their party week kicked off when papa returned from an overseas work trip. We took them to a strip mall near our house that has all kinds of take-out restaurants. This was 4 days before Milo died. He was a bit feeble and we didn't want to stress him with a road trip, but we made sure to bring home leftovers for him!

Shirley on the left, and 'Verney is on the left. Happy as can be that their papa had returned home.

I forgot to ask for the beef brisket withouth BBQ sauce for the girls. So, I had to give them a "bath" in the water bowl to rinse off the spicy sauce. A side of steamed veggies were also in order!
Ed and I ordered Greek food instead. I had grilled mahi, it was fantastic.
Brisket for Shirley Bug...
...and now for 'Verney Girl.
Broccoli?
Yes!
Carrots?
For sure!
Anticipation
Drool
More broccoli!?
Isn't there anymore brisket!??? :-) Well, yes, there was. A lot more. But, I think I'm the only one excited at looking at hundreds of photos of my dogs eating, sleeping, walking, breathing...ha ha.
The next day, we were off to dog beach! Milo, once again, remained at home. :-( We hated leaving him behind, but at the same time we couldn't forget about our little women.
Following their papa...
Laverne & Shirley are always in exact tandem with each other. Laverne is always on Shirley's left. They don't walk any other way. The universal order of balance would be destroyed if it was any other way. I'm not even kidding! They are hysterical that way!
Came across and Olden Golden, Laverne made friends. Of course. Shirley is glued to my side most of the time.
Shirley's frantic, "Oh no! Where is Laverne? Where is mama? Help me!"
What did I tell you? Left and right. Look at those booties. I just want to gobble them up!
Runnin' amuck at low tide at the end of dog beach.
Love.
Shirley swam a lot more than Laverne. Then she ran in circles and shook water on beach folk.
Uh-oh...universal order is in jeopardy.
Post dog beach bath. Shirley's eyes are like warm chocolate. Would I be arrested if I licked my girl's eyeballs??? :-) I know, I know. Eeeewwww!
Verney looked like a drowned rat. She makes these grunting, moaning types of noises in the back of her throat. They are so funny.
After spending the day at the beach with the ladies, we brought Milo outside for some fresh air. He hung out with his papa under the palm tree for while. He was as happy as can be. Nothing this boy loved more than warm sunshine on his bones.
He was rockin' his trademark squint that sunny afternoon. I called is Milo making his Asian eyes. He was such a big ball of fuzzy love!!!
I think Shirley has replaced him as the sun lover in our home. She basked in it while drying out.
Our dogs have brought some pretty amazing, rather wonderful friends into our lives. Human and dog varieties. Our friends B & L have two dogs, Sophie and Maggie. After Milo died, B & L had us over their home for dinner the next night. Little Sophie brought much comfort to Ed.
Then there are our friends G & M, who were also invited to B & L's house. They have two rescue dobies named Pepper and Mocha. Here is M giving my Laverne a kiss on the head. I love this picture.
The weekend after Milo died is when I had the grand idea to have a Pooch Party for the girls, complete with goodie bags and necklaces for all the doggy friends who were invited. I needed the distraction. It was so cathartic.

Mashed potatoes cooked in chicken broth, whipped with food coloring. Shirley's color is pink, and Laverne is teal. It just happened that way when we bought them their leash & collar sets on vacation back in '09. This will be the chicken cake "frosting".
There's a Vietnamese/Brazilian costume jewelry and clothing outlet by our house. The prices are CRAZY cheap!!! I bought the girls these flower headbands for 50 cents.
I couldn't believe they had them in pink and teal!
Chicken cake cooling.
"Frosted" chicken cake. I ran out of space, so I had to just squeeze in "2 + 12" on the side. I couldn't stop laughing!
Another decorative find at the emporium!
Party time, Mocha has arrived! Each doggie guest had her own "necklace"....and I say "her" because with Milo gone most of our ani-pals are females.
Verney with our friend, G, and his other Dobie, Pepper. She is a little shy and doesn't like the camera.
Mama was wearing Laverne & Shirley colors too! :-) Me & my little Shirley Bird.
Sophie and Maggie, surveying the madness.
Shirley in her own flower clip. Those eyes.....
Shirley and Maggie keeping an eye on the food table. Very, very, very focused.
My friend Linnea, with Pepper. Milo loved Linnea so much, got so excited when she'd visit.
Finally, it was time. We sang happy anniversary/happy birthday. Then, let them eat chicken cake!!! Shirley gobbles away...
Laverne
Sophie
Maggie (I forgot to take the tags off the bands!)
Pepper
Mocha
Sophie trots away from her empty plate licking her lips....
...and Maggie too!
Mama, time for cookies?
How adorable is Pepper? I can't believe I was able to capture this picture. She is soooo shy with the camera.
Margaret the Valiant and Queen Sophie surveying their minions....
Mocha & Sophie, happy and mingling.
My little women.
Me and my girls.
Ha ha ha! I love this shot of Sophie. She looks sooooooooooooo chill.
Mocha, again. :-) She just smiles for the camera. It makes me happy.
Shirley Pie.
Millie our yellow Lab friend showed up a bit tardy for the par-tay...
...and she brought along her new rescue sister, Kasey.
This picture makes me LAUGH OUT LOUD!!! Mocha and Shirley watching jealously as Millie & Kasey had their chicken cake. They were pissssssed off!
Millie & Kasey in their party attire.
Our friends S & C arrived at the pooch-a-palooza with their rescue furbabies...here is little Lucy. She is a new member of their family after they lost their beloved Howie. She needed a minute to acclimate to all the hullabaloo, but then she just snuggled right on in with the rest of the pack. It was heartwarming to witness the mini-transformation.
This is Lucy's big sister, Hailey. She & Lucy didn't take well to paparazzi hanging around while they ate chicken cake, so I retreated.
Some Golden love for Auntie Linnea!
Please tell me there is more chicken cake!

It was a great time. We gathered with good friends and their beloved dogs. We watched home videos of Milo and remembered his antics. Told tales and laughed. I might have cried a few times, but most of the time I laughed. Laverne & Shirley, for 12 years old, are still very lively and playful. They are mischievous and they have lightened my heart. The Pooch Party turned out to be so much fun that I'm thinking of making it an annual event. Tee hee. ;-)

When I tell you that the ladies partied like sorority girls on speed, I mean it. Laverne & Shirley crashed so hard that night that they were sleeping in the exact same spots when we woke up.

Happy 12th birthday to my little women, and happy 2nd anniversary of the day you arrived in our home, in Milo's sweet life, and in our hearts.

I love you so much.