A New Chapter

Howdy!

So, this week has been...interesting to say the least.

I was told that I have two weeks left at my current nanny job and need to make a plan. SO WE DID. Once I am finished with my job on March 26th I am going to take over most of the "operational" aspect of Pets N Pads. This means that I am going to be getting down and dirty with house cleaning and pet sitting! I am SO excited! Finally, I am able to get involved with every aspect of my business which is what I have wanted for a long time now. Dan and I met with our marketing guy Peter Wyro with BraveMatters (http://www.bravematters.com/) and have some great strategies at hand. We are having door hangers & brochures made. We are starting a referral program. We are using Twitter & Facebook to their full advertising potential and so much more to come! Our goal is to get this business booming! We are already busy but since this is MY only source of income now we are needing more. My two employees are GREAT and are very excited about the direction of the company. We are working as a team on one goal....GET MORE CUSTOMERS! It is such a good feeling to start a business from scratch and to see it turn into something great. We thoroughly enjoy caring for people's homes and pets. It is so nice to be trusted with their most valued possessions. We do not take it lightly.

Well that is about it for now. Please keep Dan and I in your prayers. We have a lot more to think about with Dan finishing his thesis, finding a job, and then us moving and figuring out what to do with our Oklahoma branch of Pets N Pads.

Waiting Game

The Future:

So, it is now March, 2010 and the beginning of a new season for us. Dan will be finishing his Masters degree this summer and he will be looking for a job to have lined up and ready! We think he will start applying for jobs in April and will probably start work in July or August. Finally, all of Dan's hard work will be paid off :-) He has been so busy and so great through it all. We were worried that he may not do as well in school/research due to us being married and having a business etc. He sure showed us! He is graduating with a 4.0 from the University of Oklahoma! I couldn't be more proud of my husband.



Business: www.petsnpads.com

Business is booming! We have two employees now who are helping with both house cleaning and pet sitting. I am so blessed to have finally found two hard working, reliable employees to have on my team. I had a few bad experiences with hiring and firing, but I suppose that was expected. With moving in the near future we are trying to put together a plan of action as far as the business goes. We really would like to keep it running here in Oklahoma as well as start up a new branch wherever we move. We still have time and need to put a lot of thought into this very big decision. We are confident that no matter what happens, we will be fine :-)

Save OKC Pets:

I have also been doing a ton of charity work for the OKC Animal Welfare Division in Oklahoma City. I am now a "Foster Captain" and have about 20 foster families under me. I have made a website in efforts to educate the community about the issues at hand. You can visit the website at www.saveokcpets.wordpress.com. I am knee deep in a fundraiser that I am heading which will be held on the first weekend of May (be kind to animals week) at a park in Oklahoma City. I am putting together the OKCAWD 1st annual dog walk-a-thon! I am very excited and think this will bring many people together for a great cause. It will take a lot of work, but we will do it!

One of the litter of 10 pups out to foster right now:


Pet News:

Our cat Zoey had been sick for a while and we found out that she had Pneumonia and Bronchitis. We put her on meds for that and she got better for a little while (a couple of days). After that she started to cough again and was very lethargic. After X-rays and several rounds of antibiotics we finally suggested to the vet that it may be Asthma. We put her on meds for the Asthma and she is doing great! She is more friendly and active than she has ever been! Poor girl has had this every since we bought her in 2008 and is finally normal!


Our other cat Smokey has his second UTI in 2 months :-( Poor thing was miserable. Smokey was always crying and wanting attention at the worse times! He also started going to the bathroom outside of his litter box which made us think it was a UTI. Yet again, we were right and he is on meds too! It was not very pleasant trying to diagnose him though. He had to stay at the vets all day and they kept sticking a needle in his bladder with no luck! He finally drank some water and they were able to diagnose his UTI. Smokey is not running around the house like normal and not driving us nuts anymore!

We fostered a dog named Emma and she still had puppy teeth (very sharp!). So needless to say, Duke loves to play rough but he has received some battle wounds from the pup. He has one on the top of his head and on on the side of his head. It would have healed by now but Daisy (his girlfriend) will not stop licking it! So he looks as though he is a fighting dog with 2 scars on his face/head now.

Duke, Daisy & Emma:


Daisy is great! She loves wearing her adorable outfits and necklace (sick right?!). She is no sissy though! She loves to roughhouse with Duke and Emma. She has no idea that she is smaller than them. It is great :-)
Waiting Game:

Now we are just waiting to see where the Lord brings us next! We are not even sure what state we will be in in the next few months! It is scary, but exciting at the same time :-) We covet your payers.

I guess that is all for now. I will leave with this...

"We know not what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."