They're all lovely. Lots of vowels, though, especially at the endings. I'm assuming that will go well with your last name? Congratulations! astrid

Done. Thanks for the heads up and link! astrid

OH MAN I can't wait! I knit A LOT of lace and LOVE Addi Turbo Lace needles. They make SUCH a difference! Astrid (currently working her way through all of the Victorian Lace Today patterns!)

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: LUUUURVE my Addis! astrid

Yep. Couldn't agree more. Same goes for almost any working breed-- just look at the weak topline and ridiculously overangulated rear on show German Shepherds, then look at one from working lines. Completely different animal. astrid

And unfortunately, you ain't seen nothin' yet. :crying: Astrid

Thanks, Allene. It's been a long, long haul. I have been President of the Leonberger Club of America for the past three years, but have been an Officer in the Board of Directors for the past six, which is when this whole AKC journey began. It's been draining, both physically and emotionally. My term ended in April, and our bylaws state that I must sit off a year before running again for a board position. Haven't decided whether I will or not. For anyone who's interested, here's the short version of a very long story: The Leonberger Club of America (LCA) is the founding breed club for Leonbergers in the USA. We just celebrated our 25th anniversary, and have a VERY large membership-- over 1,000 members, most of whom are pet owners and do not breed or show. OUr national specialty shows are big family reunions, and it's an amazing, amazing breed club. Our club motto is "Great Dogs, Great People" and I can say unequivocally that it's true. More than true. The LCA flew under the AKC radar for 20 years. We had six active regional clubs who each held two shows per year, and our national specialty. Members showed in UKC, IABCA, and Rare Heirs shows, and we were all happy. We brought European judges over to judge our nationa specialty and consult with breeders in seminars so that we could keep the breed meticulously close to the original European/German dog. We didn't want to develop an "American Type Leonberger" and above all, health and temperament were what we bred for. The LCA was a partner in the International Leonberger Union, supported two very active breed rescue groups and a very influential Health Foundation, and prided ourselves on our dedication to the health and welfare of our breed and to the family roots. But mostly we had picnics and get togethers, hugged puppies, watched the dogs play and get muddy and happy, and loved our big hair breed and each other. Then 5 years ago a few members of the LCA who were very interested in showing split off, formed a rival club and filed the AKC paperwork. From then on it was foregone conclusion that the breed WOULD go AKC, it was just a matter of which club (now that there were two) would be named the Parent Club by the AKC. We (the LCA) didn't want to be AKC recognized because with the AKC comes irresponsible breeding, an increased public awareness of the breed and an end to the strict breeding Code of Ethics and controls that we as a club were able to place on the breeding. Our Code of Ethics forbade breeding dogs who did not have extensive health and temperament clearnaces. AKC doesn't allow those restrictions. We watched what happened to, for instance, the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the German Shepherd Dog and a host of other breeds who are far, far away now from what they were originally bred for, and plagued by horrific health issues. Even the Berner folks themselves will tell you that the life expectancy of their breed is now about 5 years. Cancer is rampant. It's so sad. So anyway in the end it was decided by the Board of Directors, and a full vote of the membership, to pursue Parent Club Status so that we could be better positioned to protect the breed going forward. As the PC, WE would be the ones to write the AKC breed standard, staying true to the European type, educate judges, handle the health foundation and rescue groups, and be positioned for public awareness campaigns. NO ONE was happy about it, but it was the better part of valor. I was president during this time. It was heartbreaking for me and many others in the club to see our beloved dogs show up in puppy mills, backyard breeding operations and Amish dog breeding farms. Gut wrenching. We spent many years trying to position the breed to be in the safest possible place prior to our July 1, 2010 entry into the AKC's Working Group and full recognition. WE've been working so hard on public awareness, judges education, and health research. Managing all this and brokering/negotiating with the AKC has been basically a full-time job for me for the past six years. We never wanted to see our breed at Westminster, but here we are. The dogs are big, hairy, bouncy, they shed, and they love the mud. They are NOT OUTSIDE DOGS. The are DEVOTED to their people and should NEVER be tied outside or required to live outside. There's so much we want to tell people, and we're petrified that impulse buying will result in tragic lives for many of our beloved breed. I've had too many conversations with people in other breeds who have seen it happen to their world too many times. Don't get me wrong-- we're active show people. We have nice dogs and we love to show and train for conformation and performance events. Molly is active in AKC Junior showmanship and we show to win. But the world is about to change for us. So there is the very short version of a very long saga. Yes, I'm sad today. Very sad, and very worried. I'm hugging my Leos extra close, and bracing for what the future holds. I hope I"m wrong. I hope that all this stress and worry has been for naught. God help me I hope I"m wrong. I pray I'm wrong. In the meantime I'm still doing all I can to educate the public. I have to work at a teachers workshop today or that would be me and my dogs on Fox and MSNBC. AKC is all about marketing, but at least I could have snuck in comments about the hair, the size, the mess, and the expense of their upkeep.

Yes. To my face. AND it was a family member (dh's side.) She went on to say how having one is "basically just playing with dolls," and if I had another, or five, then I'd know what it's like to REALLY be a mother. :001_huh: I was so shocked, and mumbled something about having gone through labor and delivery made me **** sure I was a mother, and literally have not forgiven her totally to this day. It's without a doubt the most hurtful thing anyone has EVER said to me. Now see? I'm getting all worked up about it all over again and it was 8 years ago! UGH! Some PEOPLE! astrid

:iagree::iagree: At least in all the neighborhoods I've lived in here in New England, the whole, "Da*n it, I pay taxes, it's MY house, I'll do what I WANT!" wouldn't play well with neighbors. Your choice, of course, but if someone moved in next to me and immediately erected a privacy fence, I'd form a pre-concieved notion about them most likely, and assume that they want little to do with me, which I would reciprocate. They'd most likely quickly become the talk of the neighborhood, too. It's just how things work around here. Not saying it's right, just that it IS. astrid

Hi Kate, Thanks for your kind words. It was done by a stranger; one of those "Nigerian" scams, I think. I have NO idea how this happened, other than last night I had to update Adobe Flash and a friend at work said sometimes that's a breach, not an actual update. I never thought anything of it; I"m always having to update adobe stuff. I always used online email accounts because we travel a lot and it was always easier. I don't use outlook at home, so the contact list is just GONE. I have a few of the addresses in my iPhone, I think, so I can recover some. Seriously, this has been a nightmare-- I wouldn't wish it on anyone! UGH. Why can't these geniuses use their brilliance for good instead of evil? astrid

I think the point was being made that it's important to be on good terms with ones' neighbors. You never know when you might need them, and knowing that there are folks around to lend a hand, a hammer, or share a chat on a sunny day is a nice thing, don't you think? astrid

Well, as a lifelong Nutmegger, yes, I wanted to say that, but thought I hadn't better. Around here they are referred to as "spite fences." Really-- you'll be fine. The kids won't get abducted, the bears won't invade, and your neighbors will be lovely. Promise. :001_smile: astrid

YAY for ONLIES!!!! It's often hard to make others realize that we face the same challenges as other homeschooling moms face, as well as different ones. I've even had people say to me, on more than on occasion, that it "doesn't count" if you have only one child. THAT'S not being a REAL MOTHER. :001_huh: I homeschool our only, dd who just turned 13. She attended PS from K-April of her 2nd grade year but then we brought her home. She'll go to high school somewhere--- perhaps not our public---- after next year, which will be her 8th grade year. astrid

I'm in CT and live without a fence. I kept my eye on dd in the backyard while cooking. We live in a residential neighborhood on a street with a lot of local traffic. We just taught dd never to go near the road or sidewalk and to stay in the backyard. I always kept an eye on her, but she always obeyed that rule. Put up a fence if you're worried. Welcome to the Nutmeg State! Where in CT are you moving? Homeschooling is easy-peasy here. NO regulations. astrid

Both my gmail and my yahoo accounts were hacked into and hijacked overnight. I'm not sure how; I'm hyper-vigilant about security stuff. Gmail was able to get me back online; asked me some security questions-- such as provide the names of three labels that I had on email conversations which I was able to do. I've changed the password to a really secure one, but all my emails are going directly into my trash now, and my entire contact list is GONE. WHY?! Do you think I should keep on using gmail? I've always been very happy with it and until now have not had any problems. I'm not sure what to do now.... astrid

If you don't use your ISP, which one (ones?) do you use? Looking to rebuild my life since the incident! astrid

That's just it---- my contacts list is GONE. And all my new emails from people to my gmail account (which is the only one up and running now!) are only going directly to my trash account, which is weird, because I thought you had to manually move messages to the trash folder. What's up???? astrid

OMG I woke up this morning to my cousin from Sweden calling to ask if I'm okay because she recieved an email from me saying I was in the UK, had been mugged and needed $1,700. Needless to say, I'm fine, and here in Connecticut FUMING over having both my email addresses hacked--- yahoo and gmail, as well as my FaceBook account. Yahoo doesn't want to entertain my pleas until tomorrow, but I managed to get my gmail account back up and running with changed security info. HOWEVER, my entire contacts list is gone, which is HUGE because I was president of a national dog breed club until my term expired in April and have a TON of contacts all over the world through that. I've tested the gmail account through my work address and had others do the same, and I'm recieving the emails, but all new emails are going directly to the trash. I can't figure out how to change that....does anyone know? Thanks for any advice about the hijacking and the gmail fix! Oh, and plain ole' sympathy is fine too! :glare: astrid

Not to put too fine a point on things, but if you believe the blastocyst is already a baby (present tense) why would you say, "I"m going to have a baby!" (future tense?) Why not, "I HAVE a baby!" ? Just a thought. astrid

LOVE Tervs! I"m kind of intrigued by Lakenois as well--- I'm a sucker for a grizzled wire-coated face! :001_smile: astrid

Absolutely--- just look at my avatar, and the amount of time/money/gasoline/etc. we spend training, showing, studying bloodlines, driving rescue transport legs, fundraising for, living, loving and laughing with our Leonbergers. WHY? They are an amazing family dog, but they are hairy, BIG, and love the water. They're definitely not for everyone, but we cannot imagine life without them. We also have a rescued Pembroke Welsh Corgi and honestly, though I will ALWAYS be a Leonberger person, we will never, EVER be without a Corgi either. We just ADORE that little guy--- as do the Leos. Astrid

We're staying in DC; the Holiday Inn near DuPont Circle. Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I've made a list! astrid

It's one of the reasons we're going now--- funny story: I bought my mom the book for Christmas, and she bought it for me! We're both big Madeleine Albright fans, but since Mom lives with us, we returned one of them. The book is really wonderful. Thanks for the recommendations-- I'd heard a bit about Ben's Chili Bowl, so we're planning to stop there. How long is the wait? astrid

So I'm assuming by your title that this is a Christian dance studio? (And let me just clarify--- I live in the northeast and maybe those exist here, I don't know, but the only place I've ever heard of dance studios, medical/law/dental/ practices, etc. ever referred to as "Christian" is on this board, so maybe I'm out of the loop.) But back to your post--- personally, yes, I feel that's kind of, well, weird. My dd, though an extrovert and a definite daddy's girl (she's an only child) wouldn't want to do that on stage. In fact, it sort of creeps me out a bit, as I associate roses and slow dancing with a romantic relationship, not a paternal one. That's part of what makes me feel the same about those "Purity Ball" events. But I'm probably the odd person out here. Best of luck to your dd! I'm sure she'll have a great time! astrid