Chewy in his bowtie

When we began our world trip, we placed only one condition on our itinerary: we would be home in time for Chewy's 10th birthday on November 4.  And, boy, did we celebrate in style with a grand Silver Screen Soiree for the man of the day.

Invitations

I designed two alternate invitations, one to satisfy Patrick's sense of symmetry and the second to satisfy my all-over-the-place creative instincts, so guests received one of two invitations.  The wonderful folks at Moo printed up our postcard invitations with the party details on the back and I sent them to our guests in the snazzy silver envelopes Moo sells.  (And, if you're not using Moo for your printing needs, may I ask why not?  Their service and print quality is stellar.  We love them and use them whenever we have the chance.)

We decided on the Silver Screen Soiree theme because we held the party at the wonderful Atlanta Dog Spa in their "Doggywood" room.  I can't say enough good things about Atlanta Dog Spa and owner Sarah Segal.  They went out of their way to make the party a success, including having three staff workers available to help manage the dogs (including their inevitable messes).  We had a huge room, good-sized play yard, and everything was completely fenced in, for the duration of the party, all for only $125.  If you live in the Atlanta area and want to throw a party for your dog, I highly recommend Atlanta Dog Spa.

Each of the dogs received a miniature popcorn bucket with Pupcorn, a Kong squeaky ball, a tiny toy, a martini or margarita shaped treat (because you can't have a party without drinks, right?) from TajmaHound,  and a super cute bone-themed bow tie in either red or black from Designer Duds for Dogs.  Designer Duds made Chewy's bowtie and collar and I only wish I had another event at which he could wear it because it is just so adorable.

Because Abby was the lady of the party, we found her a gorgeous pink-red collar with pearls and sparklies, and a crystal heart pendant from the great folks at Madison's Fifth Avenue Luxury Pet Boutique. 

. . . keep reading chewy's silver screen soiree at The Road Forks

What do we have to show for one year's worth of travel?  Incredible memories, a year's worth of writing and photography, and not much else.  We don't buy anything for ourselves when we are on the road because we know that everything we purchase will end up in our storage facility gathering dust.  

Our only tangible souvenirs are dog toys so that Chewy and Abby can experience a little bit of what we saw in our travels across the world.  We thought y'all might like to see what we bought, where we found it, and what the dogs thought about our selections.

Australia.  Well, obviously, we had to buy them a koala and a kangaroo.  I mean, come on . . . they're cute, furry, and only found in Australia.  Once upon a time, the kangaroo looked like it was ready for the Outback with a canteen, a little cowboy hat, a roo, and the boomerang and, when I pressed its belly, it played, "Waltzing Matilda."  The dogs were big fans.  They gutted the koala, pulled out the kangaroo's eye, and did gosh-knows-what to the roo.  Poor little roo.

New Zealand.  We kind of struggled to find the perfect New Zealand toy.  We knew we wanted to get a sheep after our cuter-than-cute lamb-feeding experience but couldn't find a lamb toy, so settled on this ram toy.  The funny looking bird is a kiwi which is New Zealand's national bird and how New Zealanders refer to themselves.  Unfortunately, the dogs didn't find either toy to be particularly interesting or they could have gotten distracted with the awesomeness of their Australia toys.

Thailand.  We knew we wanted to buy an elephant after our amazing experience training elephants at Patara Elephant Farm but finding a stuffed elephant proved to be a difficult task. In the end, we opted for this luxury item: an elephant made completely of silk.  The dogs weren't impressed.  Apparently, silk is not the optimal fabric for dog toys, according to our experts.

Cambodia.  A cute hand-made patchwork monkey was the perfect find because we found monkeys roaming through a park in Phnom Penh.  This was the winner amongst all the toys.  Abby ripped the limbs from the body in about three minutes and Chewy mangled the body into an unrecognizable mash.  I looked for some limbs for this picture but couldn't find any.  RIP, Cambodian monkey.

... keep reading one year of dog toys at The Road Forks

Amicalola Falls

You know this already but I'll tell you anyway:  America is beautiful.  Often, people from other countries look at us disbelievingly when we tell them that because they associate America with the concrete landscapes of New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. 

Amicalola Falls

We tell them that there are pure white beaches in Florida with giant ocean waves that crash against the shore.  I explain that our "small" waterfalls are stronger and more powerful than the biggest waterfalls in Australia and India.  And, springtime in the South is so green that I feel like a workman pulled a paintbrush across the landscape.