Through Rose Colored Glasses

I was at Ft. Belvoir yesterday getting one of my errands checked off my list and it turned out to be more fun than I had expected. With the sad mood I was in it was perfect timing!

From the crowded pharmacy lobby I looked out the door to the front court yard and saw a PAR-TAY!!

And since I had a ticket number that would be called in approximately one hour....naturally, I had to go out and join the fun! Duh. The sign said "join us" and you never have to ask me twice.

Turns out it was a family appreciation day for the Wounded Warriors from Walter Reed Medial Center. Very nice.

There were a few special 4-legged friends that caught my eye.

This super shy little girl was GIGGLES, a therapy dog. She goes around to the hospitals and visits wounded warriors and their families and thank GOD she wasn't up for adoption because I'm telling you....I'd be blogging about our newest family member....and going out to buy a king size bed. Just sayin'.

My heart is so raw from the loss of my Minnie Mouse that when I played with Giggles, I turned to a complete gooey mushy box of insanity. It wasn't pretty. There was snot involved.

Thankfully, Giggles has a beautiful, sane & stable owner who, I'm pretty sure, pretended that I was a mental ward patient from the 5th floor and just let me play with her dog and didn't call security on me.

And the poor woman knows more about Minnie than any complete stranger should have to know.

Oh my God, I won't be able to go onto that base again..........I'm so sorry Giggles' Mommy. Don't hide from me if you see me in the commissary. Unless you have Giggles with you. Then I would hide. Yes. Good idea.

This is TANK! Tank was cool! Tank listened to me talk about Minnie, too. He said he was sorry and totally agreed that he and Minnie look SO much alike (okay, minus the extra 150 pounds, and with more floppy ears, but color wise....oh shut up I'm grieving...) and then he melted my heart with his eyes and made it all better. Tank ate part of my free hot dog and didn't call security. I like Tank. And I like free hot dogs.

Therapy dog? Really? I truly believe in them now. And it was perfect timing. If I got a weekly visit with Giggles and Tank my heart would be mended forever. How do I get in their appointment books?

Then I met this dude. I have to say "Dude" because he was too damn cool for the rest of us. And yes, I look like I've been crying for 4 days. Because...well....I've been crying for 4 days.

So this dog is the Army's calendar dog named K9 ROCKSTAR and he has his own web site! He wore cammies & sunglasses it was too hilarious. He was a hit with the Wounded Warriors and the vet clinic folks. By the time I got up there all of his calendars were gone. Bummer. My kitchen would've been so rad.

This pic is for Jack, my father in law....do you know what that is Jack? I'll bet you do!

This man was sitting off on the sidelines having his own party all by himself. All he needed was a dance floor. I told him that my father in law plays the concertina also and he didn't believe me! He kept telling me I meant acordion, and I kept saying no, I know what a concertina is!

(Side note: My sister was born in this hospital and that tree trunk in the above pic? That's exactly where I stood and looked up to the 3rd floor and waved as my Mom held my newborn baby sis up to the window for me to see her for the 1st time. They didn't let kids on the maternity wards back then. I was 9, aawwww....).

Anyway......He finally indulged me and said, "If your father in law does play the concertina, tell him this is a Hayden Duet." So Jack.....this is a Hayden Duet :o) I thought of you yesterday!

Well....since I didn't steal Giggles or Tank and K9 was too cool for me, there was only one thing left to do.

Go home and dive face first into this. Oh. Yes. I. Did. True story.

Talk about a gooey mess! I lined the bottom of my dish with graham crackers, poured in a box of brownie mix, added extra chocolate chips, baked....then put marshmallows and more chocolate chips on top, roasted them and TA-DA!!! My version of smores brownies.

However, I wouldn't recommend it. Your mouth will will be glued shut. True story. I could barely chew!

I made an extra casserole full for Josh and his friends at Gold's Gym (ironic, huh?) and they disappeared, but Josh said no one could talk, haha! The marshmallows were so sticky, it was rediculous. Nearly a choking hazzard.

But it was my therapy. And it worked. No complaints here.

Thank you Giggles, Tank, K9 Rockstar & my 9x13 casserole dish of sticky goop. I'm feeling better by the day :o)~

Tonight? Thai curry therapy.

Tomorrow night? Dinner with friends therapy.