November 5, 2013: My Brother

Today is my big brother's birthday and he (and his sense of humor) is what I'm grateful for today. We didn't always see eye to eye growing up, but what siblings do? As we have grown up, though, we definitely don't argue as much, but sometimes I wish we got to hang out more.

My big brother taught me a lot when I was a kid. He introduced me to Star Wars and video games, and helped me learn to ride a bike and roller blade. But I think his greatest lessons for me are still to come, like how to be a great parent and a loving spouse and how to work hard to provide for my family.

So, for today and everyday I'm grateful for my big brother, Ryan. Thanks for being there for me Brobi Wan Kenobi! Happy Birthday!

November 4, 2013: Carpooling

Today, I want to reflect on how grateful I am that, although I have a 45-50 minute commute one way, I rarely dread the ride because I have one of my best buds to share it with... my mom! My mom and I carpool almost everyday, and I can honestly say that I never would have made it commuting that far for 8 months without her daily companionship.

I know I can be frustrating at times because it is so difficult to be on time in the am, but I'm so very glad that she puts up with me and I get to sit down to coffee with my mom 5 days a week. She also bakes me biscotti sometimes, so I have another reason to be grateful for carpooling with my mom. And we are saving the environment (and money...)!

 That's my mom, isn't she a doll?

So, just to recap: Today, 11/04/13 I am grateful for carpooling with my mom for the following reasons:

1. Her company makes driving 45 minutes one way interesting and fun
2. I get to see my mom 5 days a week
3. She bakes biscotti for me
4. We are saving the environment!
5. We save money!

Thanks for sticking with me today. Happy Monday!

November 3, 2013: Fellowship

Today was such a wonderful day! I really have numerous things to be thankful for...family, good food, clocks falling back...

My mom, my stepsister and I hosted a Wildtree party today, and we had a great turnout, plus it was a boatload of fun! So, I spent yesterday evening at my moms cooking with my mom and stepsister and I had a blast! Then, today, it was great to spend the afternoon appreciating great food with great company.

Today was also my Father-In-Law's birthday, so Tim and I went over to his parents for a bit this eventing. Whenever we are with our families we laugh so much and always have a great time. I love spending tons of time with my husband and our furry children, but I also love that we are surrounded by so many wonderful people that we can share in fellowship with.

November 2, 2013: Books!

On this, the second day of November, 2013 I am thankful for books, and having time to read them. Growing up, I used to read voraciously. However, when I went to college, I spent all of my free time reading for classes. Now that I have more free time, I read every night and most days on the weekends.

Right now, I'm absorbed in the world of Westeros (George R R Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series). I just started the third book, so I will be caught up to the HBO series soon! There is nothing like reading to take your imagination on the most wonderful of adventures.

Happy Reading!

28 Days of Thanks

For the month of November (through Thanksgiving, anyway) I am going to post one thing each day that I am thankful for. I suppose this a great practice for all year round, but I'll start with a month of Thanks. This was inspired by a few statuses I saw on Facebook this morning, and I thought it was a great way to circumvent seasonal dreariness (especially with Daylight Savings coming up...).

So, November 1st, 2013. I am thankful for so many things today, but most of all I am thankful for my husband. Tim has been my rock, my laughter, and my best friend for almost 4 years. He is the most wonderful man.

He is so many things, but most of all, he is an amazing husband!

And seriously, how could you not love this face :)

MAINT REQD

Tim found a website a few months ago that publishes 100 word stories, no more and no less. It sounded like a cool idea, and hey even I have the attention span for a 100 word story. This is a story I threw together for it, but never sent in. Don't read too much into the content, I am just intrigued by the idea of the Quarter Life Crisis and what it means for my generation. Also, this is the first time I've ever allowed anyone that isn't my teacher or my family read something I wrote...

Here it is :)

_________________________________________________________________________

Maint Reqd

MAINT REQD lit up the front of my dusty dashboard. Another problem to solve with the good old Cavalier.

“MAINT REQD,” the light says, but is it the car that needs it or me?

They call it a ¼ Life Crisis. I call it limbo – ready for life to move on but unsure how to begin. I am stuck in a place I swore I’d never return to and a job that insults my intelligence, but it’s a job and more than most have.

But the light says MAINT REQD and I wonder how long I can put it off.

_________________________________________________________________________

Let me know what you think. 

Here is a picture of my dog being cute to start your weekend off right :)

Dog Gone It! The ugly truth behind pet adoption.

Rescuing an animal from a shelter or animal services can be a great act of kindness, and I've heard it can also be incredible fulfilling. However, I know it can also be incredibly frustrating and even heartbreaking at times.

Tim and I recently tried to adopt a rescue dog. As some of you may know, I have wanted a dog for about 6 months and have been trying to convince Tim of the same thing, but he has been far more rational than I am capable of and has wanted to wait.

Enter Buddy.

After showing him to Tim, we decided to actually call up and find out more about him.

The description from his foster mom sounded great, so we set up a time to meet him. We did, and totally fell in love. We stayed there for about an hour and just petted Buddy the whole time.

So, we filled out the adoption application online. And I let his foster mom know that we were going to apply, and she sounded pleased and hopeful. Waited all day Thursday and all night only to get an email this morning stating our application was denied.

Seriously?

I tell this story to illustrate a few bumps on the road to pet adoption.

1. The kind folks who work at shelters/rescues do not necessarily want to help you find a dog to adopt. Their first concern is for the animals in their care - not you. If they do not feel you are the "furever home" for a particular pet then you should just walk away before you get emotionally attached.

2. The kind folks who work at shelters/rescues are not always right. Many folks feel that crating a dog is cruel or that not being able to be with a dog 24/7 is unfair to the dog. I, however, live in reality and know that it is a rarity that a family has one person that does not work full time. A friend of mine had to convince her dog's shelter "mom" that she was the right person to take the dog home. If you feel very strongly that you could give the dog a great home research the breed, research training and dog care and bring all of that passion and information with you and fight for the dog. You might just surprise the employees and volunteers.

3. Adopting from a shelter or rescue can still be fairly expensive for some people, but those costs are necessary for the organization to continue to provide food, a warm bed, and vet care for the animals they bring in. And it sure beats the $1000+ you'll pay at a breeder.

If some of these roadblocks get you down, don't give up on rescuing a dog. Re-evaluate the shelter you originally went to and try a different one.

Tim and I didn't give up. We went to Noah's Ark this weekend and found Lizzie. She is an absolute doll and will actually be a better fit for our family than Buddy would have. We get to bring her home tomorrow and we couldn't be happier that we gave rescue a second chance because at the end of the day, all animals deserve a second chance.