Fabulous Friday

Ever had a day when everything just kept getting better with each passing hour? I had one yesterday!

First, let me update you about my ex-pet hamster, Snickers. I had him for 2 weeks. At the end of the 2nd week, I returned him to the petstore. He was a sweet hamster; don't get me wrong. Chinese dwarf hamsters are one of the friendliest hamster breeds. But he also bit me 5 times in the first week. My fingers had puncture marks and tiny scabs from the little wounds his teeth made. I know that all hamsters bite, but the people at the store who'd sold me said Chinese dwarf hamsters hardly bite at all. That was why I adopted him! So when he bit me hard for the last time, I decided I wanted a new hamster. I just didn't feel especially drawn to him anymore. All the hype about Snickers died on his last bite, and I went online and researched other hamster breeds.

When I returned him to the petstore, I found a little winter white hamster that was still in "hamster hospital" at the store, because he was missing a couple of toes. The moment I held the weight of his round little body in my palms, I just knew that this was the right hamster. But the store said he needed more time to recover, so they said they'd call me when he was ready. I'd thought of naming him Wallaby. (yeah, like that Australian creature)

I waited anxiously for 2 weeks. I was supposed to pick him up on Friday, but on Wednesday afternoon, the petstored called to deliver the bad news: the hamster died of a stroke that morning. I was baffled. And then I was overwhelmed with a strange sadness; I'd lost something I never had. But it still felt awful. I never even had the chance to take him home with me.

So yesterday, Taylor took me to the petstore one more time to check out the hamsters. I wasn't particularly excited about any of those on display because my heart was still with Wallaby, the hamster I never had. And suddenly, I was introduced to a winter white hamster that looked exactly like Wallaby, except he had all his toes. This hamster was also in "hamster hospital" for wet tail, which is kinda like diarrhea for hamsters. But the store said he's recovered now, and as I held him in my hands, I just wanted to take him home. I'd found the right little guy. :) (Taylor and I are going to the petstore today to pick him up! I'm so excited!)

So, that was highlight #1 of my fabulous Friday: finding the right hamster.

Highlight #2 was finding the large package my mom had sent from Malaysia :) I was literally jumping with joy. This package has traveled through the great seas for over 2 months! Now it's finally sitting in my living room. 

Taylor, Cathy, Stacey, Danielle

Highlight #3 was when we headed to Little Rock for dinner with Taylor's mom and friends. We'd only sat down for 10 minutes when Danielle spotted a roach crawling across the table. We didn't make a big deal of it; just calmly called the waiter and asked to be transferred to a different table. After a delicious meal of appetizers and entrees, we were bloated and ready to go. 

"Can we have our bill?" Taylor's mom asked the waiter.

He smiled sheepishly. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's on the house."

We were totally surprised. Even though Cathy and Stacey insisted on paying, the manager came and generously assured us that our meals were taken care of. I guess they felt bad about the roach. We couldn't believe our luck.

I ordered the Palermo pizza; Italian sausages, portobello mushrooms, pepperoni and whole milk mozarella.

Free dinner!

On top of that, they gave us free dessert! :P (Warm apple crumble topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.) 

And finally, the best part of my Friday was watching JEFF DUNHAM at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock.  I was eating Dippin' Dots (frozen ice cream balls that melt in your mouth) while waiting for him to appear onstage. 

Taylor and Danielle's excited faces

I'd watched all his videos on YouTube in high school. I never thought I'd actually get to see him in person. It felt kinda surreal. :) And he was amazing! Oh, some of his acts were repeated, but he had a bunch of new ones to balance it out. I was laughing so hard, there were moments when my ribs hurt as I struggled to breathe. 

Achmed, the crowd's favorite.

It was a night of laughter and doubling over in our seats to catch our breaths. I had a fabulous time. It couldn't get better than that.