Champ's First Blog - "Puppies are the Best"

My name is Champion Thorpe Clemmer.  Everyone calls me Champ. 

Today, September 3, 2010, is my two year anniversary with my wonderful human family.  I was five months old when I came to live with them.  Mommy asked me to write this blog since it was about me, and I am the expert, you know.

And just to warn you, Mommy loves to take pictures of me.  She has thousands.  Really.  She says I'm the guinea pig (is that like a puppy?) because I'm so cute and always happy.  It's all  Cory and Christopher's fault.  They won't let her anywhere near them with a camera.  So you'll get to see many pictures of me in my blog.  But don't let Cory fool you.  He likes to take pictures also as you can see here.

Cory and Mommy rescued me from a crazy place with lots of dogs, most of them scary and mean, a bunch of horses and lots of dirt out in the middle of nowhere.  When Mommy and Cory came to pick me up, 30-40 dogs jumped on the fence and growled so much that they couldn't even get close to me.       

I didn't have a name then but had just been called Shih-Tzu.  Mommy was so sad and also mad that I hadn't had a name for five long months and realized I couldn't have been loved or pampered much.  She asked Cory to name me.  He named me Champ, which was just perfect for me.  Because I am a champ.  It didn't take them long to realize that I was a Champ for having survived five months without much love or attention. 

I was a very happy puppy when we drove away from my first home.  I was happy to be sitting on Cory's lap.  And my first snuggles with Mommy above were awesome.

The first night I was in the family we went to a cool place called Petsmart and I got so many fun things.  Here's a picture of me snuggling in my very own bed in the shopping cart.  This bed is still my favorite to this day.  They bought me piles of toys, treats, a crate, blankets and food.  I felt so loved that first night.  And Cory held me lots, which I liked a lot then.

I slept with Cory for the first few weeks and this was cool.  He and I were buddies.  I cried a lot at night when I was in my crate and I was pretty sick at first. 

When Cory and Mommy took me to the puppy doctor the next day, they were pretty disgusted when some ticks jumped off me onto the vet's table.  Plus the vet said I had eye infections, ear infections and a weird thing called demodectic mange.  This wasn't my fault, you know.  I didn't have a lot of loving before my family adopted me.

I have two big sisters, Sunshine and Sierra.  They are 80 pound Golden Retriever puppies.  I love playing with them and teasing them also. 

 

I also have another big brother named Christopher.  He plays with me a lot now and gives great baths, too.  I love picking him up from school and get really excited to see him.  He gave me an awesome bath tonight so I would be very handsome for my second anniversary tomorrow.

I didn't really like the time I went to the doctor and came home with less body parts and a weird thing around my head.  It was called being neutered and wasn't much fun.  They said it was for my own good but I didn't like the whole thing.  And this miserable blue pillow around my head wasn't good for sleeping with, either.  I didn't even feel like smiling in this picture, which is unusual for me.

 Cory was really my pal for a long time.  He played with me, took care of me and even snuggled with me.  I don't see him much any more and miss him.  He is very busy working out and wants to be a professional body builder.  He has humungus muscles and is now over six feet and 220 pounds.

My first Halloween was really fun except that Mommy dressed me up in a weird Halloween costume that said "Trick or Treat".  Luckily, it doesn't fit anymore so I don't think I'll be seeing it next month if I'm lucky.

Thanksgiving was also a fun time when I was a young puppy.  Even though I still had that stupid blue thing around my neck, I was very thankful to be in such a great family with so much love and attention.

My life is busy and full.  One of my favorite things to do is sleep.  And I sleep a lot.  Usually within a few feet from Mommy, wherever she may be.  I'm below her desk in this picture and her sneakers are on the floor from a recent walk.

I really love to go to the park and take walks.  When I first came to the family, I was very scared at the park.  My tail was always between my legs. Whenever someone would come towards me or come up behind me, I would stop and look around nervously.  We didn't get much walking done.  Everyone at the park was so nice to me and pretty soon I got more comfortable.

 

My first Christmas was a bomb.  I didn't realize how fun it was to get presents.  I got to have a sleepover with Auntie BK and had such a great time running around her humungus backyard with orange trees.  I take my toys with me everywhere I go.  This candy cane toy was one of my favorites until I tore it apart so much. Luckily, Mommy knows how to do surgery on my toys; I usually watch her intently as she is sewing them up again.  She says this is the only time she will ever do the "S" word, whatever that means.

I snuggled quite a bit with Mommy.  She liked it a lot.  I didn't.  I'm not a lap dog but like to stay at a distance.  But sometimes I give in and let Mommy snuggle me because I know she loves it so much. 

But after all that snuggling, I'm pretty pooped and like to hang out alone especially when it is quiet and I can rest my head on the nice quilted tree skirt thingAuntie Sharyn made for Mommy years ago.

Oh I forgot to show you this picture with the Thanksgiving pumpkin top atop my head. I  wasn't a happy camper but I was comfy on the leather couch.

 

That reminds me.  I think Mommy wanted a girl puppy.  Can anyone tell me why girls find it necessary to dress up boys with hair things and cute clothes?  I don't find it amusing, but try to be a good sport, nonetheless.

Mom says it's getting late and I should stop my story.  But I'm having so much fun and it's only two in the morning. Mom and I are alike in so many ways.  We are both night owls, hate to get up in the morning, love the wind blowing in our faces, love broccoli and cabbage, love bike riding and walking.  But before I end, I want to show you a few more cute pictures. I had barely covered my first year!

My favorite thing to do, beside sleeping, is playing with my toys.  The best toys squeak, loudly.  I play with them and squeak them so much that they usually lose their voice.  But I still love and play with them because I'm a very loyal puppy. 

When Mommy says it is time to go to bed, I always run back and find my favorite toy to sleep with during the night.  The blue toy was my first ever toy and is named "Mr Blue".  He has been re-sewn so many times and has lost his voice, but he is still my favorite.  And Mommy says I'm just like having a toddler around.  By the end of the day, my toys are scattered from one end of the house to the other.  And I have LOTS of toys.

I also love going to the park and running around.  Sometimes I will hide beneath a bench and stick my head out to say hi.  I also love rolling on my back and getting a good scratch.  Mommy and Auntie BK and I go to parks and look at birds and trees almost every weekend.

I have been to four states:  California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona.  Luckily for everyone, I am a very good traveler and love road trips.  Here I am driving though Oregon snuggled up on a blanket because it was raining and very cold. 

 Here's a picture on my first birthday, April 2, 2009. 

This is Mommy's favorite picture ever.

 I love to frolick in the grass and take walks most every day.  We have a neat place with lots of ducks, geese, birds, trees and even a small dog park very close to our home.  Aren't I so handsome?

 I like to explore in the pretty shrubs and flowers.

But sometimes a boys just needs alone time.  So I crawl under Mommy's accent table.  Even though I'm at 16 pounds now, I can still fit, but not as easily as when I was a 10 pound boy.  And sometimes I only go under part of the way.

  

Sometimes I play with my toys underneath or just poke my head out and watch the action. 

But I always come out happily.

 Life is good, very good.  I'm a very happy and thankful puppy.

Fun With Angels

How many people can say they had fun with angels recently?  Well, Christopher, who is an angel to me, and I had this experience on Friday, July 30th when we went to Mormon Night at the Anaheim Angels Stadium and had so much fun together. 

It's nice because the Angels Stadium is only about 30 minutes from my home. We have always loved going to baseball games and this was our first for the season (and unfortunately our last). My how fast the summer went!

The first inning, however, was excruciatingly painful.  The Texas Rangers got 5 hits and scored 3 runs.  Christopher turned to me and said in a very matter of fact sort of way, "I think this is going to be a very long game". HA!  It appeared so true.  The second inning was likewise difficult until the Angels got 4 runs.  We could hold our heads up at this point! 

Luckily the Angels continued their rebound in the 4th inning with a score of 8-7 and then stayed ahead the rest of the game and won by a score of 9-7. Winning always makes the game more fun, don't you think?  : )
                         1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9      Runs       Hits    Errors
 
          TEX        3  2  1  1  0  0  0  0  0         7           12         1
          LAA       0  4  0  4  0  1  0  0  X         9           10         1

After the game, there was a fireworks display which is a tradition on Friday nights.  It may seem like I see a lot of firework by my blog posts, but this really isn't the case.  But the month of July certainly had a lot with July 4th and this Angels game, which was fun.

Little did I know as we were walking out of the stadium with a throng of happy Angels' fans, that it would take a lot of

for us to find our car.  We walked around for what seemed like hours because we couldn't Sweetpea, my old and very loved Honda Odyssey van. We walked and walked and walked while watching the stadium get more and more empty. 

We later realized that we walked out the wrong exit. After about 30 minutes, we did find my van and we were so thankful.

No Excuses, I Know! PLUS Fun Family News

You may not believe me but I really do LOVE blogging.  In fact, I see the world through different eyes now, that of a blogger . . .  I am sure that most of you understand what I mean by this comment.  I used to wonder what in the world I could share that would be of interest.  But with so many fun adventures and great everyday stuff happening (that I used to see as boring but realize that these adventures are my life), I get so excited as I contemplate what I want to share with the few people whom I've invited to read this blog.  And excited for the new addition to the photo journal that I've finally printed out a few months ago and put into a binder.  I love reading back on these blogs.  I've always loved to write in my journal, and have done reasonably well at over the years, but this photo journal is such a wonderful way to remember and share my life with those I love.

So, I recognize that I have no excuses whatsoever with being so far behind.  I was talking to Brittany today and also reading Trina and Tiffany's blogs.  All of them have one thing in common, which is a lack of time to blog or not feeling well enough to blog.  Why is that?  Well, two are pregnant and one has a tiny baby.  Do I have an excuse?  No, since I'm not pregnant, don't have a newborn, and face it, I don't even have a job . . . yet.  In theory, I should have tons of time.  Yeah, right!  HA!

On that note, I'm so excited to announce that Brittany is pregnant with baby number three, due next February.  (Grandbaby number 6, hallelujah!)  With Maya turning four on Wednesday and Jasper a little over two, the time is right for her to add her third child.  Here are a couple of pictures of my sweet Ohio grandbabies who will be moving to Los Alamos, New Mexico in October since John just received a job at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a post-doctoral engineering student.

Here's Maya as she started preschool last week in Ohio:

Here is Maya preparing for Spirit Day, with Jasper looking on.  Of course, Maya is wearing her Virginia Tech Hokies shirt!

And here is sweet Jasper, who until recently had long and unruly yet adorable locks, posing after his first hair cut.

As with her prior two babies, Brittany is very sick in the early stages of her pregnancy.  And Trina, Sharyn's oldest daughter who is like a daughter to me, is also pregnant, due on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day!  So these two special girls who are both currently 30 and spent some time together during summers when they were young will both have their third babies within a month of each other.  HEAVEN!  : )

I will repent and do my best to catch up, if such a thing is possible.  As I look at my list of blogs, I see so many that I named months ago so I wouldn't forget, but yet are getting rather old now as they weren't ever completed, or even started.  UGH.  So I won't go back and try to finish those (which is hard thing for me to decide).  Instead I'll focus on the fun things happening recently with Christopher, birding, Champ, vacations, trees, my new home, family and friends.  More coming soon!