Murphy Montana Moquin

Murphy Montana Moquin
Murphy is Irish. It means "sea warrior." Murphy's middle name is for Joe Montana, Marc's favorite quarterback of his favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Mistletoe and Murphy


Murphy is getting ready for his big adventure, and so are we. We are all driving south to California to visit family. It didn't seem right leaving Murph alone this Christmas, his first Christmas. He already has gifts in his stocking and under the tree. And his bag is packed, unlike ours. Happy Christmas to all...see you in the New Year.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Love My Boys

When times are tough...I'm thankful for the love of family and friends.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

My Little Pumpkin


Murphy was a good sport when he let me put this head band on...but he kept his eyes closed. Maybe that was because I have to wait until he's half comatose before he would let me do such a thing...Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Bed Heads


I've been sick this week. Bad cough. Headache. No swine flu, just something else. This according to the doctor. Murphy and I have just been lounging about. It's not uncommon for me to wake up with something furry around my head. Wish I could be healthy and stay home - then we could play more. But I don't think work would approve. Check out Murph's bedhead. You can barely see his face underneath all of that scraggly mess. My little muppet.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Seattle Loves Pearl Jam


Last Monday night, a school night, Marc and I went to see Pearl Jam. Marc had seen them before, but I hadn't so wanted to. After all, Pearl Jam in Seattle - it's like U2 in Ireland; or the Beatles in Liverpool; or Bob Dylan in Hibbing, Minnesota - okay, that may be a stretch. So we lumbered over to Key Arena and saw a great show. A friend at work took this photo. Great rock band. Great show. But I'm getting old. The MJ was prevalent at PJ and the drunk behind us, while funny, was also annoying. An interesting mix of people. Seattle proved to be the best home crowd, though, singing along and showering the band with as much applause and awe as they could muster.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy Birthday, Bruce!



Bruce Springsteen turns 60 tomorrow, Sept. 23rd. My hero. 60. In honor of this, Murphy will wear a red bandana during his evening walk. Tramps like Murph, baby he was born to run...

Missing Murphy












W
e recently spent the weekend in Chicago, primarily to see U2 at Soldier Field, but also to see the city. The wonderful windy city. From the top of the Sears Tower, to Wrigley Field, to a play at Steppenwolf, the Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute - we couldn't have asked for a better weekend. But something was missing. Murphy. Around every turn, we were reminded of our little guy - meeting another labradoodle on the street; seeing a sign near Wrigley that said Murphy's, to receiving text of a picture of Murphy sprawled on our friends' bed, with the caption, "Easy Livin.'" Murphy was well taken care of by our friends, Bill and Bev. We missed Murph's antics, and were so happy to return to his welcoming, furry arms.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Project Ruffway

Murphy, the most adorable labradoodle in Ballard - and maybe on the planet, recently attended the Project Ruffway contest at All the Best Pet Care. Murphy and I love All the Best Pet Care because every time we walk in, they treat us like royalty - giving Murphy treats and letting him play in the store. For the contest, Murphy attempted to dress as a little devil - not a stretch - but his horns didn't stay on very well. There were many other dogs there, but he was the only one who attempted a costume, so he WON! We knew he was a winner already, but this confirms it. This is the write-up from the store: "Devilishly cute Labradoodle puppy Murphy won last night's "Project Ruffway" pet costume contest. He would have preferred eating his costume to wearing it, but hey, he's a puppy. Thanks to Laura Bee & Otis of Laura Bee Design...s for serving as judges and providing the grand prize!"
We love you Murphy! You're awesome!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Victor, the Guide Dog







I recently visited friends in Vancouver, B.C and the West End Dog Show was going on. I wanted to bring Murphy over the border, but he still has a couple of shots to get, so didn't have the necessary paper work. He would've loved the dog show. Don't tell him I fell in love with Victor, my guide dog. B.C. Guide Dogs offered a demonstration where they blindfolded you and let Victor lead you around. It was so cool. It was a beautiful day in Vancouver - friends, dogs, a Farmer's Market.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Favorite T's


I'm quite busy these days what with ripping around the yard; learning sit and down and chasing after some of my favorite toys, like the beaver tail and my hedge hog. I also love chasing my rope toy in circles around my Mom as she tries, quite unsuccessfully, to keep it away from me. So that I can concentrate on important things like this, my Mom decided to take over the blog for awhile. This is her first entry. WOOF!

I
f you haven't already checked it out, please read 1000 Awesome Things (1000awesomethings.com). It's a favorite blog of Murphy's and mine. The author writes about fun, often silly, memorable, AWESOME things, one of which recently was favorite t-shirts. Murphy has kindly agreed to model one of my favorite t's. From U2's Joshua Tree tour, the shirt is worn, soft, perfect polish rag material, despite the holes. A wave of sadness washed over me when I saw those holes. It was like a piece of my past had disintegrated. Yes, there are memories and ticket stubs - but there's something special about the concert t-shirt. It's a statement to the world that, "Yeah, I WAS there." Or, "I'm into this band. I'm cool." For whatever reason we fork over the now ridiculous sums of money to advertise our love for certain music, or music artists, the reasons are usually filled with love. Music has healed me during sad times; inspired me in tough times and brought happiness most all other times. My favorite memories of dating my husband were when we would just lay around listening to music with the lights out. Nothing comes close to the feeling. Is it strange that I've gone on Ebay searching for old concert t's I may have once had or wish to now have, so I can let the world know, "I'm a fan of ________ (fill in the blank)."
No, I don't think so either. Music soothes the soul. Kind of like puppies. The lovefest never ends.
AWESOME!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Rubber Ducky

I had my first bath today. Barbara's hands were full, otherwise you'd be looking at a very unflattering photo of me. So, thankfully, you're stuck with the duck. My fur is very soft now, and I smell good. Really, I do.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Support Your Local Newspaper




There's nothing like tearing apart a newspaper. I miss the P.I., but the Times works just as well. You should try it. That being said, I support newspapers and all our friends who are journalists, but it IS a good way to get out any puppy energy you might have. Another one of my favorite things are shoes. On one of my recent condo excursions, I came upon Barbara's sandal and her beloved Ugg boots (they were cozy). Funny, I haven't been able to find them since. Our neighbor, Jen, who is a vet tech, came over and clipped my nails. I squirmed at first, but Jen brought treats and Barbara kept feeding me the treats while Jen worked. Jen was nice. I'd let her clip my nails any time.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

I Got the Beat

My mom made me dance around the living room today to the Go Gos Greatest Hits. It reminds her of her days in L.A. It also helped her get things done around the house. Anything to make my mom happy, especially since I cried a lot last night.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The Beach





I love the beach. I love digging. I love nipping at my pals' Guinness' and Caddie's heels. I love playing with my friends Lucy, Fiona and Emily. I loved Seaside, Oregon. I love my mom for taking me there. But I miss my dad. He's been in the Bay Area visiting his family. I get to go to the airport tonight and pick him up.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Backyard Fun





Visited my friends the McGoverns tonight for a barbeque. Rich and Kristi and Carly were there as well. I played with a hose; got to know Guinness, who barked a lot at me (maybe it was because I was biting his tail). I ran around like a maniac. I had fun. Now I'm fast asleep. I'll wake Barbara up around midnight for a potty break.

A Baby Gate? Why Do I Need a Baby Gate?


My crate is normally not in the kitchen, but it is. The door is open, though. That's strange. Usually, I'm in the crate and the door is locked. What's this Cuisinart box doing here next to it? Blocking some gap it looks like. Barbara went somewhere and I'm roaming around the kitchen. I think I've got it in me to clear the box. I want to be able to greet Barbara when she returns. She'll like that, right? I was wrong. Barbara was surprised to see me greet her at the door. She didn't seem too upset. I wagged my tail to exaggerate the cuteness factor. She called me clever. One day later, though, there's a thing called a baby gate in our home, thanks to her friend, Kelly. I thought Aneke, Max and Carolyn were on my side after giving me a toy and some treats. Instead, we left their house with this baby gate. I'm not a baby. I'm almost 10 weeks old.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Stop For Me, It's the Paw















I
took a trip to Seattle Academy today with Marc. He wanted to introduce me to some co-workers. Everyone thought I was cute. It was nice to take a ride in Marc's car. Barbara retrieved me so Marc could get some work done. On the way home, she remembered she wanted to show me this cool sign and this festive, patriotic tree. Seattle loves its dogs!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Happy Anniversary!





Marc and Barbara, my human parents, recently celebrated two years of marriage. They seem very happy. And now I complete their family...or am at least the furriest, cutest addition. Here are a couple of photos of the happy couple on their recent Alaskan Cruise. Barbara, feeling just a little guilty about all the time she's spending helping me with the blog, told me to make sure to let everyone know she loves Marc very much.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Good Dog, Carly
















I
love Blondie. When Debbie Harry sang "The Tide is High," she was right. My friend Carly and I had to be quick at the beach today. Just time for a little peak. Carly discovered a seal waiting for it's mama. I felt badly for the seal, and hoped that its mama was coming back soon with some food. The waves kind of scared me. Barbara and Marc had to carry me around a bit. Uncle Rich invited me back when the tide is low. Back at Rich's, Carly and I had fun in the backyard. It was a great afternoon, but once again, I'm pooped.

Ballard Buddies





Napping. Dreaming. There's a knock at the door. It's Eli and his Mommy, Kelsey. I was still a little groggy so played it sweet to start. Then I helped Eli knock down the magazines and tear some pages out of them. Oh, yeah, maybe that was just me. Eli was better behaved. It was great meeting Eli. Like Fiona, he checked out my crate, too. He's cool. He's just about walking, too. Someday, we'll have a race.

Friends





Guinness and Caddie playing in the water on Whidbey Island; Guinness in the snow; Marc and Caddie at Whidbey; Barbara and her ring bearer, Carly. Good dog, Carly. And, of course, cousin Lucca. These are my friends.