WE DID IT!!!

TINYSUPERSTARS!  BIG NEWS!  WE REACHED OUR $4000 GOAL AND WE ARE FUNDED!!!

Bridget here, btw.  We are 100% making our movie!  This is such amazing news and it is just the boost TJ and I have been needing!  We have been putting in so much time and effort into this project, and it was really hard to do at times not knowing whether or not we were even going to be able to make the film.  Well, that stress is gone!

Thank you to the last few contributors who pushed us over the edge:  Rojeen, Avery, Nikki, Mona, Karissa, Ariel, Alia, Aubert, Brett, Nicole, Cristina, Amy, and Karla!

Thank you to EVERYONE who donated.  There are still 2 weeks left for us to be able to raise money.  We would still love to surpass our goal (please don't think me greedy!).  SO if you are still interested in donating, it is not too late!
BRIDGET AND TJ'S AWESOME KICKSTARTER PAGE

Sorry I have been absent recently.  I knew going into May that this was going to be a hard month.  We had two of the busiest holiday's in the restaurant industry last week with Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day.  I have a 5k on Saturday that I did not train for, but am still going to complete come hell or high water.  And come the end of the month I have to move.

What I was not expecting this month was to find out my dog has cancer and to have to put her to sleep.  This has been a really, really big blow and I am still struggling with it.  TJ's post was so sweet and I can't wait to see the tree she plants (she has so many talents, doesn't she?).  I also appreciated all of the comments and support from you all!  I decided to write something about Fluffy, which I am attaching to this blog.

Here a picture of me and Fluffy from the first year we got her, 1997.

Fluffy on 5/15/2012, her 15th birthday.

Wish me luck this weekend in my race!  I will be sporting a neon bow tie and will be sure to post pictures next week!

Psst...hey guys.....WE DID IT!!!!!

Bridget  (Read on for Fluffy's story)

It was a hot summer day in Pennsylvania in 1997. I had contracted some sort of bug that was keeping me from going to the public pool or running through the sprinklers with my friends.  Instead, I was alternating sleeping and watching television on our family room couch, and I wasn’t even getting to miss school.  I was miserable. 

Mid afternoon I heard my dad emerge from the back porch. He was covered in sweat from laborious yard work and he was carrying what looked like an oversized cotton ball.  It was a puppy, no more than 8 weeks.  She licked my forehead and I swear I was instantly cured of all ailments. My 9-year-old mind had already conjured the fantasy that this dog had stumbled into our yard and we were going to get to keep her!  “It’s the neighbor’s new dog, Marzy.” He said.  I was crushed.  “Do you want one?” he asked.  Fantasy restored. 

Our neighbors had gotten Marzy from an Amish farm not too far from our house.  We waited a couple of days for my flu to pass and then decided to go check out the rest of the litter.  There we 5 or 6 puppies left.  They were all so cute, it was hard to pick a favorite.  The runt of the litter was a little white puff ball who kept playing with my shoelaces.  She grabbed the end of the lace and ran the opposite direction, untying it.  I re-tied my shoe.  She did it again. We had gone to pick out a dog.  She picked us.

Like most kids, I had always wanted a dog.  I would go to the school library and check out books on dogs over and over again just to show my parents how serious I was about taking care of one.  The answer had always been “no”.  My mom showed the most resistance to the idea of getting a dog (which in present day is one of the most ironic things I have ever said) but she was quickly convinced and we took the little white dog home with us.  I stayed up that night compiling a list of names for my new pup.  The list of 20+ names (including such creative choices as “Cotton Candy”) was narrowed down.  “Fluffy” stuck.

Though I have four wonderful older brothers, I was raised as an only child due to a 20-year age gap.  Fluffy and I grew up together.  She played in my playhouse with me in elementary school.  She was my comfort during a cross-country move to California when I was twelve. She has been around for many milestones in my life: when I learned to drive, my first love, graduating high school, moving into my first place (where she visited and sometimes spent the night), graduating college and many more.  Anyone who has ever been close with me has known Fluffy.  Most of them will remember for her overwhelming excitement at seeing new people (actually… seeing all people), which included a five-minute barking routine, running laps, doggy kisses and probably a little pee.   She loved EVERYBODY.  Fluffy started showing up in pictures on Facebook so often that we even made her own page.

Age had been good to Fluffy.  She had made it to 13 with hardly any health issues. She had slowed down a bit over the last couple years, trading in long walks for short trips into the yard and racing around the house countless times for a couple laps around the coffee table.  She still played like a puppy; she looked like one, too.   Recently Fluffy had started eating less and sleeping more, as we expected she would in her advanced age. After a couple of particularly lethargic days, Fluffy and I went to the vet.  It was a Saturday when we found out she had advanced cancer in two major organs.  Three days later we put Fluffy to sleep.  It was her 15^th birthday.

I do not regret our decision for a second.  Fluffy lived a long and happy life.  She had a better life than some humans.  She was fed, sheltered and loved everyday.  She has been across the country.  And most importantly, she didn’t suffer a single day.  Fluffy was not just my dog.  She was there by my side when I was sick or sad, or just having a lazy day in front of the TV.  I talked to her when there was no one there to listen.  And even though there were some mornings I didn’t want to be up at 7am to let her outside or days when I was just too tired from work to chase her around the house, she was part of my family, my best friend, and I will miss every minute of her.    

Thanks for everything Fluffy.  Sis-sis loves you.