A less dramatic post :)

Yesterday was a pretty non-horsey day.  We met Merlin, and brought him home to Gene and Irene's.  Merlin is a chocolate lab that Lori is adopting.  Gene and Irene are Lori's Dad and stepmom, and who we're staying with.  It has been fun, because I've been able to pick my Mom's brain more about dog behavior.  Merlin is very grounded, mellow, food-motivated, and friendly.  He is the quintessential lab!  I think Lori really lucked out in finding him.  There was a moment of worry because the previous owners had been found, and we're thinking of taking him back.  But I guess they lost their job and couldn't afford him.  Merlin helped Snowball, Gene and Irene's American Eskimo, become a little more socialized and comfortable with other dogs.  They met each other very politely, and are fast friends as of this morning.  

     Last night we had dinner at the Melting Pot.  It is a fondue restaurant and it was delicious!  You can pick out different cheeses with bread, apples, and veggies for the app.  Then you can pick a salad.  I had a spinach mushroom salad.  The meats come on a tray with different flavors of broths to cook them in and tons of different sauces to try.  Then dessert was the best with choices of melted chocolates, dark, white, peanut butter, and fruits, cheesecake, brownies, marshmallows, pound cake to dip in the chocolate.  YUM!  We we're with a group of 9 people, and conversation was easy with the layout of the table and presentation of the food.  It would be a really fun place for a birthday or other sort of celebration.