"Play Date" at Lucca with my gal pal Mia and our moms Dani and Ceyda!!

Hi everyone!

First, happy happy New Year to all my friends out there! I hope all of you have a wonderful 2012 with your owners and families and enjoy the good life - just like me!

It has been a while since my last post, but soooo much as happened. If you read my last post, you know that I got sick and had to wear a stupid bubble on my head - which I had to wear from December 13 to December 25! Let me tell you - that wasn't fun at all! But, mom was happy because I was a good trooper and didn't really complain - the only problem was I had a tough time eating my bones with "no paws" - but guess what? Just a day before I had it taken off, I got the hang of it and mom took a video... so before I get into my real article subject - I wanted to share that video with you!

After I got the bubble off, mom thought I looked a bit scruffy, so she took me for a haircut and bath at Animallia on December 30, so that I would look good for the New Year! Of course, at the same time she got me another new outfit!!! She's really on a roll, but justified the purchase because it was on sale at the Pet Shop at Animallia and cost her 30 TL (since I have no concept on money, I believe whatever she says!)

My "new" outfit - pre New Year's Eve

Also, my grandma knitted me an outfit as a New Year's gift - but unfortunately, it's a little big and will be altered, but I really like the colors  - don't you?

Grandma's New Year's gift...

If you are a first time visitor to my blog, let me tell you who my mom is... she also has a blog and it's http://danislogbookdestinationistanbulbeyond.blogspot.com and if you visit her site, you will notice that most of the times when she posts articles, she has a tendency of going off tangent instead of getting straight to the point! Well, she has a habit of doing the same thing on my blog! What can I say, it's her way!

Now...let's start on the topic for this blog!

I have been living with mom since May 10 (if you want the whole story, read my first blog) and she has been taking me out to lots of different places every since!

One of the first places we went to was a restaurant/cafe called Masa at IstinyePark... When we got there and sat down, a woman - her name is Ceyda... came over to our table to introduce herself and to meet me. She also as a Maltese and was at Masa with her: her little girl's name is Mia.

Mia and me at Masa (left, right) May 2010

So, that's the first time I met Mia... I was 7 months old then and Mia was 3 months old! Since we were both Maltese Terriers, our moms exchanged numbers and we said that we definitely needed to get together again!

Unfortunately because of everyone's crazy schedules we didn't get a chance to get together until yesterday - January 5th!!!

My mom texted Ceyda the night before and told her we were going to Lucca (yuppeeeee!) as it was going to be a lovely sunny day and because she felt bad that she hadn't taken me out in a long time. Ceyda and Mia were free too, so we set up our "play date" for 2:00pm.

Lucca (www.luccastyle.com) is one of my mom's favorite places and has also become mine! Well, our names are pronounced the same way too - and the meanings are pretty much the same.. that is "light, illumination" or to brighten someone's life! And... we both do!!!

Lucca (Bebek)

I know it appears that mom's constantly plugging this place, but she has been a regular ever since it opened about 7 years ago - loves their food, service, the crowd.. and they are dog friendly! And.. although it is cold, you can sit outside under the new heaters they installed this winter and let me tell you, it's like an oven!

Mom and I first took a long walk in Levent and in Bebek before we got to Lucca at 2:00pm and Ceyda and Mia were running a little late and arrived at 2:30pm! So, I just hung out and waited for them to arrive...By the way, it's always a good idea to make a reservation at Lucca - whether you go during the day or night because it is very difficult to find a table and that's exactly what mom did!

Soaking up some sun @ Lucca

This is Mia and her mom Ceyda...

Ceyda (left), Mia (right)

Isn't she adorable???? Mia is 11 months old now and she too had on the cutest outfit... here she's in her tshirt... but she had on a pink coat with a hood too which she took off at Lucca!

At first, she was a bit shy when she saw me and because she's been "fixed" (I don't know what that means), she was a little anxious with my overtures towards her! But, after a while, she allowed me to snuggle up to her and mom shot a short video...

Mom and Ceyda caught up and Mia and I got re-acquainted, and just hung out until it was time to leave. Mom had one of her favorite dishes.. Grilled Salmon served with broccoli and mashed celery root (absolutely delicious and better than mashed potatoes she says!) and Ceyda wasn't really hungry so she just ordered their herbed French Fries.

Of course the subject of pet supplies, clothes etc came up during their conversation! Ceyda mentioned this website where you can get all sorts of accessories for dogs and cats. It's called Petza "For Cool Pets" (www.petza.com.tr). Although the heading is in English, the website is in Turkish only. Mom visited the site today and it's the best one she has seen until now. The selections are so vast and most of the items are reasonably priced - so I know for a fact that she will definitely be ordering me all sorts of items from there - god help me!!!

We left Lucca at about 4:30pm and took a walk up along the Bosphorus because Ceyda had a meeting she had to go to at 5:30pm and after sitting for hours, Mia and I got bored and we also had to take care of our "business"!

Then..mom being the photography buff and freak, handed her camera to someone and had them take a picture of the four of us to capture the moment by the Bosphorus in Bebek!

Ceyda & Mia (left); Mom and me (right)

We had a wonderful afternoon! It was great seeing Mia again and when we said our farewells, we decided that we would definitely get together more often in 2012!

Now... it's time for me to go to bed... it's late...

Till the next time!

Luka