The day I met the Kaley-Girl

I've honestly been meaning to document the awesomeness that is my dog for at least 6 months now and tonight just seemed like a good night to actually sit down and at least start it.  The only documentation I have of her currently is a video of us together from the day she came into my life, a few photos and a kick ass massive blanket from Parental Unit 2 that I got for Christmas last year (2011) (Hands down, one of the best gifts ever!  I think it might have actually passed the game-worn, autographed to me, Mark Merila jersey...damn!  They're REALLY good at giving gifts!).  For a pet that has been so amazingly special and important in my life, I figured it was about dang time I sat down and wrote out some of our adventures together...please forgive me in advance if I start to ramble.

When I was 12, we took a family vacation to visit some family up in Montana.  The trip was absolutely amazing!  We went parasailing, jumped off bridges into lakes, I actually started to become okay at pool, had my first break up, went innertubing, boating, saw Glacier National Park, named the dark green Chevy Astro van we'd been driving for a while (Queenie), listened to Chicago and Edwin McCain non-stop (I was the DJ whenever I had the chance and when I listen to those albums, memories of that summer come flooding back) and went out on the family's boat what seemed like everyday to me.  One day we had to get gas for the boat.  When we pulled up to the gas dock (station? I don't know), there was the most beautiful, sweet, fun loving, soft, cuddly puppy I had ever seen in my life.  I fell in love almost instantly.  Turns out, he was a golden retriever.  Fast forward to our drive back to California.  I kicked my mom out of the passenger seat and proceeded to talk my step-dad's ear off the entire way home.  Yes, the entire way home.  I didn't just talk his ear off though, I was trying to convince him that I wanted, no, needed a golden retriever.  (Mind you, I had spent years picking up after my little brother's black lab trying to convince Parental Unit 1 that I was ready for the responsibility of a cocker spaniel. Ha!)

A month or 2 later, it's the week before we go back to school I think, and I'm at a pool party for Ellen Dooley's birthday.  I had finally worked up the nerve to jump off the high dive at the Victoria Country Club in Riverside.  Yep, I was able to put my fear of heights out the window for a few moments that summer, it was awesomely terrifying!  So, Parental Unit 1 shows up to take me home, but being the 12-year-old I was, I didn't want to go home and was trying to convince them they needed to hang out with all of the parents for a while, so I could continue hanging out with my friends.  They yell at me, from the top of the country club, "Celia Michelle" (oh, shit!  The middle name...), "you get your butt up here now!"  I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I think Ellen was the one who convinced me to go up and meet my parents.  I begrudgingly walk up the stairs to the van and open the sliding door to hop in the back.  There, shaking with fear and curled up under the middle seat of the van, was my golden retriever puppy!  Oh my gosh, the rest of the day was a blur, but in a great way!

Her Name:
At the time, I was all about being a princess and all of those graphic T-shirts said "Princess" on them, so the first name that came to mind was "Princess."  It fit her for a while, too.  She was so skittish and scared of almost everything, that it seemed like she was being a bit prissy, so it seemed to work.  After a week, it dawned on me that maybe her breeder was right in naming her Kaley.  According to the breeder, in Indian culture, it means peaceful.  According to the internet, she was most definitely wrong, or I'm wrong in the way I'm spelling it.  Oh well, she's a pretty dang peaceful dog, so I'll stick with the breeder's name meaning.  I had to go back to less than a week after I got her and when I'd come home from school, she'd be so asleep, along with the black lab, Buck, that I'd have to either watch her to see if I could see her breathing or knock on the window so she'd wake up.  And I panicked almost every time.  Thus, her name was changed back to Kaley and we gave her the full kennel name of Kaley Princess of Bedelia (yes, that makes me Queen Celia Bedelia ;) ).  And, yes, she most definitely lives up to it, especially now.  Speaking of, her majesty is currently sprawled out on her bed breathing as if she's frustrated with me.  I think she's in need of some attention... :)

I know that's a lot for now, and I haven't even actually started writing about our adventures, but I think it's time I give you a break.  More to come again soon! I promise.