We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog post…

We had yet another bit of mom's New York adventure scheduled for today. However, the weather has other plans.

We have not one but two nasty weather systems in our future. First, a nor'easter is bringing us lots of rain and storms. Two, a little hurricane called Joaquin may cause us some trouble. 

It's too early to tell where Joaquin will make landfall, but this is what it looks like as of 6 pm on Sept 30. No bueno.

Yes, Norfolk (where we live) is right in the bullseye. 

Our local weather team is predicting a poopy outcome overall. 

But we'll see. Who knows what will happen in a few days time? 

In the meantime, our supplies have been updated. We have oodles of potty pads in store. We are as ready as we can be. Think good thoughts for us and our city. The biggest impact will likely be damage from falling trees since the ground is saturated from lots and lots of rain. That could mean power outages and damage to buildings. 

It's the price we pay for living near the wild and wonderful Atlantic.

Next stop, Central Park, Apple Store and the Library

The Met is right next to Central Park. Mom got lunch at a falafel cart (so NYC) and ate it in the park. Then a stroll through some of the park. 

 The reservoir. 

 The APPLE STORE! MECCA FOR APPLE NERDS! It's a glass cube on top.

 You take a windy ramp down into the actual store (on the left). No time (or money) to visit. 

 The Plaza! Did not see any pugs. 

 Practice, practice, practice did not get her to Carnegie Hall. It was a car! Comparatively speaking, it's a small building for such a huge piece of history. 

 This is the New York Public Library. Mom knew better than to even step foot inside. All those books? She'd never come out. 

This is Fortitude. The other lion is Patience. 

Mom knew better than to pose in front of Patience. Fortitude is more her speed. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mom had basically one full day in NYC. First stop, the Egyptian wing of the Met. Unbelievable.

Mom at the beginning of the Egyptian wing. 

This is the temple at Dendur. It was moved from Egypt, stone by stone. It was in an area that would become flooded after building a dam in the 1960s. 

 Four statues of the Goddess Sakhmet

 Statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

 The Temple at Dendur

 Graffiti! Can you believe that people vandalized this ancient wonder? 

 The Sphinx of Hatshepsut  Hatshepsut was a female Pharaoh. This statue is made of granite and was smashed into pieces. The archaeologists put it back together again. Simply amazing. 

Outside the museum

If you ever get a chance to visit the Met, do it. It's donation based (which is great for people on a budget). If you are a history or art nerd, you can spend a lifetime in there. Mom only got about an hour, but it was worth it. If you can't make it to NYC, visit the website. Much better pictures than mom's and fascinating facts. 

U2 in NYC!

Part one of more than 100 pictures in 2 days! We promise not to bore you with all of them. 

In July, mom abandoned us to go to New York to see a concert. Can you believe it? 

Obligatory bathroom selfie

She took Amtrak (which was so much nicer than flying although it took a lot longer). She got two nights free in a swanky hotel in Chelsea, courtesy of our vet bills. She uses this one credit card for our vet visits which earns her points. Enough points=free nights! 

It looks like magazine.  

Madison Square Garden! 

 Some Irish band

 Yup. She was that close. 

 Outside the Cambria Suites. Two thumbs up! 

 The hotel was in the Flower District. 

A block from a subway stop, about 7 blocks from Madison Square Garden. 

If you are *actually* interested, you can see mom about the 3 minute mark in this video. Look for the hot pink shirt on the right side of the screen near the stage. That's her! 

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2015/07/u2_rocks_msg_moments_highlights_photos_videos.html

One year gone

Tomorrow, it will be one year since Isabelle left us. 

It's been a really hard year. For a lot of different reasons. 

Don't worry though. 

We pugs are pretty healthy. 

The house is still standing. 

Mom still has a job that pays for our food. 

In the good column, mom did go to New York for two days to see U2! That was amazing.

Our aunt Mandy moved from Nebraska to Georgia this summer. Not exactly next door, but a heck of a lot closer than Nebraska. We went to see her over Labor Day. 

We plan to go again for Thanksgiving too. 

And mom's planning a trip to Texas for Christmas. It's been four years since we've seen our grandma. None of us are getting any younger. 

Mom's been too depressed to blog much. Or do much of anything really. If your human is sleeping more than usual or feeling several degrees below blah, take them to the human vet. It may take a while to find a medication that helps, but it's important to keep trying. There is hope. 

Sometimes, we have to figure out a new normal. When your routine is changed forever, like two dog bowls instead of three, you have to find a new way to be. It can be hard, but you have to try. 

So we are trying.