Taking Time Off

Thank you everyone for welcoming into the Blog World, I hope to return again soon.

Normally I am not so flaky, but I have had a lot on my mind...and I just have to concentrate on getting thigs sorted out right now.

I plan on checking in and reading blogs from time to time...

I hope you all have wonderful summers...

Happy and Sad All Mixed Together

So Buddy has found his new forever family and life is back to “normal”. He was only with me for 2 ½ weeks, but I cried (a lot) when I dropped him off with his new family. I knew it would be hard but I guess I didn’t realize how hard. In my mind it was only a little while and I knew he was never mine to keep. But at the end of day it didn’t make a bit of difference because it still hurt like a…well like giving up a puppy.

His new family is wonderful and actually live about 5 minutes from me, now that’s fate! They have another 8 month old Britt boy so the two of them will get to play and grow up together. The dad is retired and spends most of his days at home so there is very little alone time for the pups. I couldn’t have hoped for a better home for him.

And knowing that he’s in a wonderful home with a wonderful family and that I was doing the right thing didn’t help one little bit when he tried to follow me out the door and when he realized he wasn’t leaving with me he started to cry. Now just thinking about it is making me cry.

His family has sent me two updates, for the two days that he has been away, and for the most part he is doing well. It made me sad to hear that he cried for a bit even after I pulled out of the driveway and also when I found out he didn’t eat the next morning, which is huge for him because he eats everything in his path. But to hear that he spent the day playing with his new brother and that his new mom left work early on Monday to spend time with him makes me smile.

I thought that being a foster mom would be great and that the feeling happiness when finding the dog a forever feeling would override the sadness of letting them go, but after going through it and talking to other foster parents the answer is no, no it does not override that feeling when it first hits, but that in time when you hear about how the dog is truly becoming part of the family and if possible seeing how well their doing with the family later on then it becomes worth it. But the immediate feeling of loss does not become easier.

With hearing this I thought that maybe this isn’t my thing, that I’m just not tough enough to handle the loss. But then I received an email from the state coordinator (going out to all of the volunteers) stating that foster families are needed and that there are two states that are at full capacity (meaning the shelters are full and so are the foster families) so now they are willing to transport dogs all over the country just to get them into foster care. So, I have decided that I need to bite the bullet and not be so damn selfish. In fact I was a bit disappointed in myself for quitting so easily. The amount of sadness that I go through is nothing compared to leaving the dogs out there in shelters or worse being put down because there isn’t anywhere for them to go. So, though I am sad and know that it will suck each and every time I go through this, the benefits and joy for the dogs and forever families (and selfishly for me down the road) override the sadness. So, I will be taking in another foster dog after 05/19/07- odd date I know, but that is the first available time I have to devote enough time it and getting my grass fixed from after the winter.

Hope you all are doing well!

Just had to share this...

Buddy's the one on the left and Daisy's on the right. This picture made me laugh.

Interviewed by Kell...

Sorry, it took me so long to answer..

1. You’ve won a contest to go on your dream vacation. Where do you go?

I would go to Alaska. I have always wanted to go and see the mountains, the whales and go fishing! I’m not even sure why Alaska is that enticing to me, but it is. One day I will get there!

2. If you could take a potion to change one thing about you, what would you change?

My cynical side…I wish I could just squash it! I think that I get better everyday and I actively try and keep it in check, but sometimes it still gets away from me.

3. What was your favorite Halloween costume?

Don’t boo…but I have always disliked getting dressed up in costume. I think that I was excited about being Lemon Meringue (from the Strawberry Shortcake group) but I just remember the mask slipping all the time and then I couldn’t see out of the little eye holes and the plastic outfit/dress thing was too big so I kept tripping on it. L

4. Which reality show would you be on?

Again, don’t boo… but I don’t watch reality TV. But…if I could be on a TV show that is about real people and events, but not a contest, it would the dog whisperer. I have been to one of his seminars and I was able to talk to him for a little bit about my dog, but I would still love to meet him and spend more time learning from him, though he and I do disagree on some of his theories I still think he has a lot of good information to learn from.

5. You have a friend who’s thinking of adopting a rescue dog. What advice would you give her?

LOL!!! Probably more than she would ever want! I have a bad habit of spewing information/my opinions about dogs. But really to make sure that she picks the dog with both her brain and her heart, because there would be nothing worse than it not working out and having to send the dog back. It is so easy to get caught up in looks or the sad life it had, but sometimes people aren’t prepared and/or able to handle the baggage a dog can bring along.

Busy with Buddy

Well all within the same 48 hrs I was accepted as a volunteer with the American Brittany Rescue group and receive my first foster dog!
Buddy is 8 mos old and very sweet he was dropped off with another volunteer by his old family. They stated that he was scratching and nipping at their 4 children under the age of 7, they have 9 children total!
He’s a wonderful little guy, he does need some training, but all dogs do. He learns quickly and is very eager to please. He will make some family very happy!
He and Daisy are doing great together. He and Lily haven’t made fast friends and it’s not because he hasn’t tried!
If I could I would adopt him in a heartbeat. I have only had him since 1:00 PM yesterday, but already have fallen in love with the little guy. I know I will miss him when he leaves, but I can’t wait for him to find a forever family!!! All dogs deserve a good home with a family to love them.

Interviewed by Newt...

1. Your pup Daisy gets a friend - what do you choose?

That’s easy another Brittany, but this time it would be from the American Brittany Rescue group. I love Brittany’s their size, “normal” temperament, energy level and affection level, for me their the best dog. But they’re definitely not for everyone.

2. What designer would you want to be a runway model for?

That’s a tough question because I don’t have a favorite designer. So I will go with whoever is modeling petites. Being short isn’t bad, but trying to find clothes that fit can be a real stinker.

3. What would your ultimate car be?

Stupid answer, but honest answer, would be the same car I have right now, but new and I don’t mean a 2007 I really mean the car I have right now. The 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited. I love the size, color and interior. I love having a sunroof for the summer and the heated seats in the winter. In fact I would keep the same exterior and interior colors. The only thing I don’t like about my car is that I have 80K+ miles on it.

4. You could live inside one book - which one?

Clifford the Big Red Dog…that would rock!

5. Free day off from work - all expense paid - how do you spend it?

Springtime buying plants and planting flowers and then have family and friends over for a cheese and wine tasting party.

Summer enjoy reading a good book on the patio while Daisy plays in the kiddie pool then have family and friends over for beer and a BBQ.

Fall I would spend the day up North admiring the beautiful scenery on the North Shore

Winter…well I would just wait until spring to take my day off.

There’s just something about spring…

What a great weekend...Friday I had dinner with an old friend, K. K and I have known each other since the 7^th grade but actually started becoming friends in the 12^th grade. Basically we were college best friends. She and I can go forever without talking and then pick up where we left off as if a day had not passed by. Before Friday I hadn’t seen her since early November. Anywho, it was great getting together with her and catching up.

Saturday, started with a nice walk in the AM with Daisy and then I met up with Newt. We hung out for a while at her place, as I am trying to bribe Caleb and Lily into trusting me. Then we headed off for a fun day of shopping! Let me just say that thank god my dad was nice enough to take Daisy for the day as we were gone for over 8 hrs shopping! By the time I had picked up Daisy and gotten home it was 10 and I still hadn’t eaten, so I threw some burgers on the grill and ate dinner at 10:30. J I know that’s super late to eat, but a girl’s gotta eat (again)!

Sunday I went to parents to visit and we relaxed, drank wine and read our books. It was nice. The dogs played all day running around in the backyard.

Today, the weather was unbelievable! It actually hit 80+ degrees! Needless to say after work Daisy and I hit the park and I let her go in the lake for a little bit, there was still some ice on the lake so she could only wade, but by the time we got back to the car she was already dry!

SPRING

On Saturday Daisy and I went for a four mile walk and I loved it!!!! I know spring is full of mud puddles and there's still snow on the ground, but that doesn't bother me in spring. I love driving with my sunroof open, being able to open the windows in the house, turning off the heat and oddly enough I love the spring cleaning. There's just something about spring that changes the way things look.

WTF

I don’t get it! I was driving with my mom today and as we were waiting at a red light 3 boys all under the age of 15 (I would guess) started running across the hwy (A true Hwy w/a speed limit 50 MPH). They were crossing against the light. Two of the boys stopped and stood on the island to wait for the traffic and the third STROLLED into traffic. Then when cars slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting the kid he turned and gave the drivers the finger and continued to stand there, in the middle of the highway, giving various drivers the finger. My mom and I were both like WTF???? Then he finally crossed and was standing on the sidewalk waiting for his other two friends. Of course, he is staring into our car (two feet from my window) and throwing rocks in our direction to get a rise out o f us. Both of us refused to give him any reaction, which I believe disappointed him. I turned and looked at him and casually turned away as if I just looked at a pile of …on the side of the road. After looking directly at him without any emotion he stopped. This kid was just looking for a fight. When I was his age there was no way I would have attempted any such idiotic behavior, hell I don’t think that I knew anyone who would’ve behaved in this fashion back then. I guess I just wonder why is it the police are never around when you want them to be, because that would have been sweet had the kids been busted by them.

The Slump is Over!!!!!

The Perfect Weekend...

It started out with dinner with friends, L², L and her husband (also an L) just brought home the newest addition to their family, so I stopped over to visit after work and see the baby. It was a nice quiet evening.

Saturday started with a walk at the park, it was a beautiful morning, followed by a successful training session with Daisy at the vet clinic. Later that afternoon I met up with Newt at the conservatory and zoo. We had a great time! The weather was so warm I didn’t even need a jacket, the scenery was beautiful and the company was wonderful. I took a ton of pictures and was able to try out different features on my new camera.

Sunday I spent with my parents we just hung out around the house and relaxed. We had our first BBQ, yum… And to top it all off BB and I were able chat, via IM, twice this weekend!!! (We haven’t had an opportunity to IM in a long time)

Daisy, Lily and Gracie

I wanted to introduce Daisy, Lily and Gracie. The top picture is Daisy, she will be 3 this Spring. Lily, my cat, just turned 6 in February and Gracie, though she's my parents dog, I still spend a ton of time with her so I thought I would introduce her too, just turned 8 this month. These three are a very big part of my life, so there's a very strong possibility that I will be writing about them from time to time.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I will write about mine later, but just don't have a lot of time tonight.

What's going on????????

I’m not sure if it’s the weather, the time of year or something in the water, but it seems that the blues are going around. Maybe the blues isn’t the right name for it but it seems that a lot of people are out of sorts lately. I myself have been in a bad mood and it seems like it is getting worse. The thing is I couldn’t really say why I am. Today, I was in the worst mood that I’ve been in, in a long time. I had a very crap ass day today and to give you just a small taste of how stupid my day was; my car alarm started going off when I was leaving work and I couldn’t get it to shut for about 3 min! 3 min doesn’t sound like a long time, but it is when your car horn is going in a small parking garage. (That has never happened before!) But what really gets me is that I have no reason to be anything but happy! Things that are off are very small potatoes, so little that I rarely give them much thought, so it really frustrates me that I can’t get out of this funk. Well, I'm not going to carry on about this because I shouldn’t give into this anymore than I already have.

So I will finish with 3 good things that happened today...

1. Went shopping at Macy’s with a friend I haven’t seen in a couple weeks

2. My vacuum is working again, thanks to my dad who fixed it

3. And most important (though not really something that happened today) my family and friends are all healthy and doing well

How I came to my New Year's Resolution

It’s funny I never really thought about why I don’t travel, when people asked I just said I didn’t have anyone to go with and no one seemed to press the subject further. But when my BB (Big Brother) asked, this past December, I gave him the standard answer and instead of dropping the subject he asked “why can’t you go by yourself?” I told him it was a safety thing, which he countered that Tokyo is one of the safest cities in the world, far safer than the Twin Cities. That got me thinking I travel the TC all the time by myself and never really think about it.

I still think that it’s definitely more risky for women to travel alone than it is for men. But if I wait to meet someone, either a friend or that “special” guy to travel with, I think that all I may have to show for it is a lot of waiting. With my decision to travel alone it still won’t cover all of my destinations, because some places really wouldn’t be that safe after a certain hour, but I think there are enough destinations out there to keep me busy for a while.

If you’re wondering why I don’t travel with my friends, well all of my friends are married and some are starting families, so if they do travel generally it’s with their spouse and/or families. So, financially it just doesn’t work for them, which I absolutely understand. As far as traveling with my parents, which I used to do and enjoyed doing, we have special needs dogs that can’t be boarded, so if I do go out of town for a weekend up North (which I do a couple times a year) they take my dog and when they go on a vacation I take theirs. BTW: I don’t count going up North for a weekend as a true travel vacation. So, I am quite excited to start my new adventures! Now all I need is my passport (which I’m working on).

A little about BB….

I have always been the classic little sister who is in awe of her BB, even today I love hearing about his adventures. I say adventures because truly I have never met someone so bold in chasing their dreams. 4+ years ago he decided to move to Japan and about 2 wks after making that decision he sold/gave away all of his furniture etc packed a bag and flew to Japan. At the time he had nowhere to live and no job, but he had friends who lived there (he went to school there for 1 yr) and is fluent in speaking Japanese. Within the month he had a good job teaching English and an apartment near Ginza. He has traveled to Korea for a long weekend, gone all over Japan, climbed Mt Fuji and so on. At the school where he teaches he’s had the opportunity to meet and befriend other teachers from all over the world. He is currently planning on going to visit a friend in Peru.

What to blog...

A list of possible blog subjects…

1. Daisy, Lily and Gracie (The dogs and cat in my life)
2. Places I would like to vacation
3. The sitcom I call my workplace
4. Favorite foods
5. Favorite books and authors
6. Favorite TV shows and movies
7. Favorite restaurants
8. The dogs that were in my life
9. Family
10. Friends
11. Favorite stores
12. Online shopping verses going to the actual stores
13. Why I never want to move from MN
14. Favorite vacation spots
15. Biggest pet peeves

I will start with my list of things I want to do this spring/summer/fall…(after the snow melts and before it snows again)

1. Go up to the North Shore 2+ times and at least one time with Daisy (my dog)
2. Go around the city and take pictures with my new camera
3. Go to at least 3 MN state parks hiking
4. Get Daisy into a dog class as a true participant (we currently work 15+ ft from the class, she has a fear of strangers)
5. Go to the farmers market at least once a month
6. Visit the St Croix Vineyards
7. Host at least 2 get togethers
8. Book my trip to Japan
9. Go fishing at least once a month, I never made it out last year
10. Go to the Albertville Outlet Malls
11. Host several Saturday breakfasts
12. Go shopping in Hudson and Stillwater
13. Finish my scrap books that I’ve been working on for 3+ years
14. Clean out all of my closets and reorganize all of the items I am still unsure if I want to keep or throw/give away
15. Plan a vacation outside of MN

The Evil Girl Scout Cookies...

I hate that Girl Scout cookies come out right about the time I’m making headway with my “Winter Weight”. I would think that by now I would know better than ordering all of my favorite cookies. What I should do is order the kinds I don’t like and then bring them to work and put them out for others. But no, instead I stockpile them in my cupboards and freezer so that I can think about how I shouldn’t eat them as I am polishing them off by the box. I know if I’m blogging about the darn cookies I should clearly stop eating them, but instead I will blame the Girl Scouts for their horrible timing. They should bring them out in the summer when I’m more active and have a better chance of getting rid of the weight faster or bring them out during the holidays because I’m already packing it on so what’s a few more cookies? Oh well, I better get going I think I hear think I hear a Thin Mint calling.

Irritating calls

A tiny bit of venting. I just received the billion-ith telephone call from some collection agency looking for someone I don't know. I keep telling them they have the wrong number etc. But they keep calling; sometimes they call more than once in a day. I finally asked to speak to their manager and she was super rude! I told her that I was sick of getting calls from their group and that they just needed to stop. All she did was ask if I knew him in as many ways as she could think of, i.e. "Do you have any association with X?", " Does he live there anymore?", "So, what is your affiliation with X" etc...like if she asked me in enough “clever” ways I was going to slip up! But then again maybe some people do…I'm sure that everyone tells them the same thing, but c'mon I shouldn’t have to change my number just because some jerk gave them the wrong one. Okay so it was a bit more than just a tiny bit, sorry. But if I have to find the upside, at least it isn't me that they are looking for.
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I don't want to finish my blog regarding a rant.
Today's weather was unbelievably nice, it hit the 40's! I brought Daisy and Gracie for a nice walk/play time on the lake after work and they loved it!

Hope you all had a good Monday!

Thank you!

Thank you all for such a warm welcome! I really look forward to getting to know all of you!
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I agree life is too short to waste time on a book that I just can't get into.

I also agree sometimes it has everything to do with my mood and that later on if I pick up the book I will have a whole different opinion of it.

When is it time to throw in the towel?

Currently I am trying to read The God Of Small Things and I'm having a really tough time getting through it. The book was originally a recommendation from my mom, quite a while ago but I never got around to picking it up. Recently my friend, Newt, picked it up and we are trying to read it at the same time, kinda like a mini book club. I have picked it up and put it down 3 times now and still haven't gotten to page 10, but I really have a feeling that it has a lot of potential to be a good book, so I am trying to stick with it.

I love to read and I have a long list of books that I want to read...so I just wonder with so many books and so little time, what is a fair amount of time to give a book before you just move on?
Newt says she generally gives it about 100 pages and another friend, The Girl, always finishes the book, even if she doesn't enjoy it (which I just don't get). I try and give a book a chance, but after a few attempts I generally just put it back on the shelf to collect dust.
What I can't help to wonder is, how many books I've really missed out on because I put it down too soon.

The Real Things That Count

Had anyone asked me yesterday, last week or even last month if I was happy with my life, I would have answered without a second thought, “Yes, I am.” But it's not something I think about on a day to day basis, though there are times when I hear something sad or maybe even tragic that I think to myself how truly blessed I am. While putting together the section on “About Me” specifically thinking about the things in life that I love, it amazed me that I had to edit it a couple of times to shorten the list. If I had continued to write about all of the things in life that I love, it would be the size of a novel. My list is made up of family, friends and fond memories; the things in life that are normal day to day things, not the once in a lifetime maybe things or even the once every few years if your lucky things, but about the things in life that truly matter.

First Blog

Thanks to Newt I have now officially become a "Blogger".