Secret Santa Whiskey and the Case of the Coughing Dog

Whiskey Exchange Bottles
Sampled on Friday Night

I am in a Secret Santa whiskey exchange with some friends and have been part of it for about four years now. It’s a fun tradition that lets me sample new whiskeys. The first two years, the friends who originally invited me to the group happened to draw my name. The past two years, though, the people who drew me were folks I didn’t know—and both times I didn’t receive my gift until well after the holiday season.

On Friday night, a few of us got together to meet, share, and talk about whiskey. It was a great time!

I took a Lyft to and from the event. When we did the gathering two years ago, Carrie was my designated driver. I told her I could easily take Lyft this year so she didn’t need to go. It worked out great—I had a fun time and got to connect with friends through a social activity I really enjoy.

Haverty Cousins in
Kansas City for Dinner

Last Thursday, Carrie and I traveled to Kansas City to meet up with some Haverty cousins. My brother was there too. We met at a new spot for us called J. Alexander’s Restaurant. It was really good! I’d definitely like to go back and try some other dishes. It’s a chain with locations in different cities, and I’d recommend it if you have the chance to visit one.

It’s a long weekend with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. I’m spending the weekend watching sports, reading, and knocking out a few things around the house. I watched Washburn basketball on Saturday afternoon, where they won and moved to 17–0 on the season. I also caught some of the NFL games, even though my Chiefs are no longer playing.

Oliver Coughing

Oliver hasn’t been feeling well since Saturday afternoon. Out of the blue, he started coughing, hacking—just something nasty sounding. He’d been perfectly fine before that. He kept Carrie and me up all night with the coughing. We’re not sure what to do since it’s very similar to what he had about two years ago. When I took him to the vet back then, they said there wasn’t much they could do. It seems like he’s trying to get something out of his throat.

He’s still drinking water, eating, and asking for snacks, but the cough is rough. We were supposed to head to Lawrence to meet Erin and Greg for lunch, but we canceled so we could stay with Oliver.

After being up most of the night with him, I fully plan to take a nap or two today—possibly during the afternoon football game, which will make for good background noise while I snooze.

Another short and choppy update this week, but that’s how things go sometimes. I hope you have a great week!