I went to the doctor today for my 37 week check up. Thinking that I have been having a lot of braxton hicks contractions lately, I was hoping she would say I was 1 cm dilated for all the uncomfortable pain I've gone through... In actuality, she said I was 3-4 cm already. I wish someone could have had a camera to record the lo0k of shock on my face. I think I turned to see Kevin grinning from ear to ear. The doctor predicted that I have Clare on Thanksgiving, and that if I still hadn't started active labor by next Monday, she would be shocked. She said that once my body gets to 4 cm, the contractions will be a whole lot more painful and that I will know when to come into the hospital, but for now it's just a waiting game.
Right now I'm full of a thousand emotions... excited, nervous, happy, and mostly scared. Giving birth is no easy task and it will definitely be an event I remember for the rest of my life. Physically the house is ready for her to come, but I'm not sure how ready my mind is for her to be here. I was still thinking we had 3 weeks to go! I hope Kevin and I are ready for little Clare, and I hope she is ready for us. Our lives are about to change forever.
All prayers are gladly accepted and needed!
November 24, 2008
November 18, 2008
Man Slave
As I was writing out my mundane grocery list last week, I was taken back to my college years. I loved to find my friends grocery lists and add a bit of my own flare. I would always either add (a) Cookie for Mary or (b) Man-Slave. Even with all my years of persistent asking, they never brought me back either one. But boy, would a man slave had come in handy.
Now don't get your minds in the gutter. A man slave is not to be used for any "inappropriate" uses. The phrase actually started in high school. I had an 8:00 class on the 3rd floor of our building. Ah, the torture. Keep in mind my inability to function before 10 am and my lack of physical fitness. All I wanted was a man slave, hired for the purpose of carrying me and my book bag up those long, twisty staircases every morning. My morning would have been exponentially brighter had my precious energy not been wasted on hauling my own body weight and bag up those stairs.
I would have loved to have the man slave in college too. Think of the struggle of lugging groceries up to a second story apartment, having 3-4 bags hanging from each arm. For a man slave, I'm sure it would have been no problem, but for me a weekly nightmare. Or what about when I missed the bus to campus and had to trek across the cold, windswept parking lots to my class. If my friends had been nice enough to have gotten me a man slave, he would have given me a piggy back ride all the way to my class desk.
Now a days, I no longer have a need for a man slave. Either life has gotten easier, or I have accepted to do things (like walking) on my own. But if any of you happen to run across a man slave with working mammary ducts, I bet I could use him in a couple of weeks! (or you could just get me that cookie I asked for on the grocery list, thanks...)
Now don't get your minds in the gutter. A man slave is not to be used for any "inappropriate" uses. The phrase actually started in high school. I had an 8:00 class on the 3rd floor of our building. Ah, the torture. Keep in mind my inability to function before 10 am and my lack of physical fitness. All I wanted was a man slave, hired for the purpose of carrying me and my book bag up those long, twisty staircases every morning. My morning would have been exponentially brighter had my precious energy not been wasted on hauling my own body weight and bag up those stairs.
I would have loved to have the man slave in college too. Think of the struggle of lugging groceries up to a second story apartment, having 3-4 bags hanging from each arm. For a man slave, I'm sure it would have been no problem, but for me a weekly nightmare. Or what about when I missed the bus to campus and had to trek across the cold, windswept parking lots to my class. If my friends had been nice enough to have gotten me a man slave, he would have given me a piggy back ride all the way to my class desk.
Now a days, I no longer have a need for a man slave. Either life has gotten easier, or I have accepted to do things (like walking) on my own. But if any of you happen to run across a man slave with working mammary ducts, I bet I could use him in a couple of weeks! (or you could just get me that cookie I asked for on the grocery list, thanks...)
October 30, 2008
Sugar, you sexy little thing
I cry out in sadness, because my life has been flipped upside down. I used to have days when I would literally have dreams about the burgers at Carl's Junior. McDonald's was a weekly stomping ground with their tantalizing 2 cheeseburger meal and big mac with the scintillating secrete sauce. There was never a question that I would always like seconds when it came to hot dogs. And I was always a fan of bologna, even after knowing what all it was made of.
I would scoff and pity the people who loved desserts. Those people seemed foreign in the way they would drool over a cookie or feel tempted by a candy bar. Getting a dessert after a meal seemed like just a waste of money. Sugar and chocolate held no appeal to me... until two weeks ago.
Dang pregnancy has caused my walls to crumble around me. The sweet lure of chocolate and sugar tugs at my taste buds. I sneak around like a secrete ninja just to raid a twix bar from my co-workers candy jar. I actually join Kevin on his search for a dessert after dinner, instead of mocking his dependence on sweets. I spend my preciously saved nickles and dimes to splurge on a sweet mug root beer in the afternoon. Even this morning, I did the unthinkable and broke into our Halloween candy early to eat skittles at 10 in the morning. Ahhh!! What have I become?
I can only hope and pray that this is just a pregnancy craving phase, and not that my meat loving taste buds have left me for good. Oh meat, I do still love you, but you just aren't the number one food group on my mind! Is this adultery of the heart?
Tell me, what is the food item that weakens your knees and leaves you helpless to do nothing else but eat it?
I would scoff and pity the people who loved desserts. Those people seemed foreign in the way they would drool over a cookie or feel tempted by a candy bar. Getting a dessert after a meal seemed like just a waste of money. Sugar and chocolate held no appeal to me... until two weeks ago.
Dang pregnancy has caused my walls to crumble around me. The sweet lure of chocolate and sugar tugs at my taste buds. I sneak around like a secrete ninja just to raid a twix bar from my co-workers candy jar. I actually join Kevin on his search for a dessert after dinner, instead of mocking his dependence on sweets. I spend my preciously saved nickles and dimes to splurge on a sweet mug root beer in the afternoon. Even this morning, I did the unthinkable and broke into our Halloween candy early to eat skittles at 10 in the morning. Ahhh!! What have I become?
I can only hope and pray that this is just a pregnancy craving phase, and not that my meat loving taste buds have left me for good. Oh meat, I do still love you, but you just aren't the number one food group on my mind! Is this adultery of the heart?
Tell me, what is the food item that weakens your knees and leaves you helpless to do nothing else but eat it?
October 8, 2008
Pinching Pennies
Kevin makes the money, and Mary tells it where to go
This statement is how Kevin and I have always dealt with our finances. And now with the economy looking scary, we take our jobs even more seriously.
In the very beginning I took over paying the bills and managing the budget, because someone had a bad bachelor habit of not always opening his mail... I won't name names, but that lead to me being in charge of watching our money. Truthfully, I love the job. I have never been very good at bringing in a lot of money, but I love to manage it. I love working through our budget and determining where our money is spent. Looking at a finished budget every month is like looking at a newly reorganized and cleaned room. You just can't help but be proud of it, even when there are still imperfections showing.
In a little over two months, Kevin and I are going to make a big switch from a two income household to a one income household. To say it will not be a big deal is a lie, but we have been trying to prepare for this since we first joined lives (or checking accounts!). We always tried to budget and live off of his paycheck alone, and used mine as a way to eliminate our debt and get a nest egg. We try to live cheaply and money wise; shopping at Wal-mart, buying a house in our lower price range, never owning a credit card, buying only used cars, and splurging on extra trips to McDonald's instead of extra trips to Hawaii.
I sometimes think about how different the life of our future family could be if I would not be a stay at home mom. Not that we would be rich, but at least have a little more luxuries in life. Cable, flat screen t.v., private school, eating out more than once a week. But Father John reminded me this weekend on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi that we are called to "live simply and distinguish our needs from our wants".
I need to fulfill God's call in my life to be a stay at home mom.
I want to be able live in a plush 2 story house with a neighborhood pool.
I need to ensure that our family is using our money in the best way possible.
I want to eat out every meal over the weekend and not cook.
I need to see the beauty is living simply.
I want to get wrapped up in the material world.
It's time to focus on the real needs of our lives, and learn to get over our wants. I am definitely going to need some divine assistance with this one!
This statement is how Kevin and I have always dealt with our finances. And now with the economy looking scary, we take our jobs even more seriously.
In the very beginning I took over paying the bills and managing the budget, because someone had a bad bachelor habit of not always opening his mail... I won't name names, but that lead to me being in charge of watching our money. Truthfully, I love the job. I have never been very good at bringing in a lot of money, but I love to manage it. I love working through our budget and determining where our money is spent. Looking at a finished budget every month is like looking at a newly reorganized and cleaned room. You just can't help but be proud of it, even when there are still imperfections showing.
In a little over two months, Kevin and I are going to make a big switch from a two income household to a one income household. To say it will not be a big deal is a lie, but we have been trying to prepare for this since we first joined lives (or checking accounts!). We always tried to budget and live off of his paycheck alone, and used mine as a way to eliminate our debt and get a nest egg. We try to live cheaply and money wise; shopping at Wal-mart, buying a house in our lower price range, never owning a credit card, buying only used cars, and splurging on extra trips to McDonald's instead of extra trips to Hawaii.
I sometimes think about how different the life of our future family could be if I would not be a stay at home mom. Not that we would be rich, but at least have a little more luxuries in life. Cable, flat screen t.v., private school, eating out more than once a week. But Father John reminded me this weekend on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi that we are called to "live simply and distinguish our needs from our wants".
I need to fulfill God's call in my life to be a stay at home mom.
I want to be able live in a plush 2 story house with a neighborhood pool.
I need to ensure that our family is using our money in the best way possible.
I want to eat out every meal over the weekend and not cook.
I need to see the beauty is living simply.
I want to get wrapped up in the material world.
It's time to focus on the real needs of our lives, and learn to get over our wants. I am definitely going to need some divine assistance with this one!
September 30, 2008
DreamGirl
When being asleep is your favorite part of the day, it naturally makes all mornings the worst time of the day. I am a very grouchy person in the morning, and you better stay out of my way. Kevin's morning routine is earlier than mine and a lot more chipper. As he greets me with a perky "Good Morning", I respond with a loving "gruhhh". I tend to not like to use words until after my hot shower.
Since the first of my pregnancy, my dreams have quadrupled and exploded in vivid stories all over my mind. My entire night is filled with dream after dream after dream. I wake up feeling like I haven't rested due to all the running around I've done the entire night. Some people say that everyone dreams all the time at night, but only a few remember it when you wake up. Maybe my waking up every other hour to use the restroom has caused me to remember more than usual.
I must admit that this period of dreams is a lot more welcome than when I was a child. I never had "good dreams" as a child, only nightmares. I never understood why everyone loved to have dreams and analyze them, because they were always a horrible event to remember for me. The only flying dream I had was because I had just been killed and was then floating up to heaven. Luckily through some childhood therapy and my loving and patient Mom & Dad, I was able to leave that stage of my life behind and actually have good dreams for the first time ever.
Now that my nights are completely booked solid with dreams, the variety is pretty pathetic. Apparently my active imagination during the day doesn't like to exert itself at night. After watching the presidential debate, I dreamed about the debate. After watching 12 Amazing Race reruns, I dreamed about the Amazing Race. It's getting a bit boring. I think I will eat some spicy mustard and bad cheese tonight to see if the old "Christmas Carol" theory will give me some more interesting dreams.
Sweet dreams everyone and good luck waking up in the morning!
September 2, 2008
Two Years and Counting
Dear Kevin,
Happy Two Year Wedding Anniversary! In the past two years, I have really come to realize how much God loves me to have paired me with you. On that beautiful and muggy wedding day, I stood before God and all our loved ones and promised to be your wife for the rest of my life. While at the time I knew that you were an amazing man, I didn’t know yet what a perfect match for me you would be. Through these years, God has revealed more and more of how you are a perfect compliment to my soul.
I know that when we are joking around I love to tell you that “You’re my Favorite”, but I don’t think you know how true that is.
When you are driving me around in the car, with my fist pumping in the air and you dancing with your shoulders… You’re my favorite.
When I’m an emotional heap-of-a-mess, crying in bed, and you make me see that everything’s going to be okay… You’re my favorite.
When we are lying around watching T.V. at night, and you give me a few of the purple fruit snacks because you know they are my favorite… You’re my favorite.
When I look at our entwined hands after communion at mass, and I know that you are praying for me and our marriage… You’re my favorite.
When I feel so fat and ugly pregnant, and you have to help me off the couch and tell me that you think I’m still beautiful and sexy… You’re my favorite.
When we walk around the house talking and imagining about all the projects and improvements we plan to do throughout the years… You’re my favorite.
When we go to Sonic and you order my overly picky drink (Medium Diet Coke, Light Ice, with Real Cherries, no Cherry syrup) without complaint… You’re my favorite.
When I get lonely sitting in my hot bath and need someone to talk to, and you sit in the bathroom even though you have other things you would rather do… You’re my favorite.
When I think about how much you mean to me and how whole my life has become since we said ‘I do’… You’re my favorite.
Two years is not a very long time, but they have definitely been more wonderful than I could have imagined. My heart swells with joy when I think of the years together we have ahead of us. And at night when I watch you sleep, I pray to God that nothing separates us before we grow old together and thank Him for choosing you to be my husband. I am truly blessed, and I love You!
Love,
Mary (LoveDove)
Happy Two Year Wedding Anniversary! In the past two years, I have really come to realize how much God loves me to have paired me with you. On that beautiful and muggy wedding day, I stood before God and all our loved ones and promised to be your wife for the rest of my life. While at the time I knew that you were an amazing man, I didn’t know yet what a perfect match for me you would be. Through these years, God has revealed more and more of how you are a perfect compliment to my soul.
I know that when we are joking around I love to tell you that “You’re my Favorite”, but I don’t think you know how true that is.
When you are driving me around in the car, with my fist pumping in the air and you dancing with your shoulders… You’re my favorite.
When I’m an emotional heap-of-a-mess, crying in bed, and you make me see that everything’s going to be okay… You’re my favorite.
When we are lying around watching T.V. at night, and you give me a few of the purple fruit snacks because you know they are my favorite… You’re my favorite.
When I look at our entwined hands after communion at mass, and I know that you are praying for me and our marriage… You’re my favorite.
When I feel so fat and ugly pregnant, and you have to help me off the couch and tell me that you think I’m still beautiful and sexy… You’re my favorite.
When we walk around the house talking and imagining about all the projects and improvements we plan to do throughout the years… You’re my favorite.
When we go to Sonic and you order my overly picky drink (Medium Diet Coke, Light Ice, with Real Cherries, no Cherry syrup) without complaint… You’re my favorite.
When I get lonely sitting in my hot bath and need someone to talk to, and you sit in the bathroom even though you have other things you would rather do… You’re my favorite.
When I think about how much you mean to me and how whole my life has become since we said ‘I do’… You’re my favorite.
Two years is not a very long time, but they have definitely been more wonderful than I could have imagined. My heart swells with joy when I think of the years together we have ahead of us. And at night when I watch you sleep, I pray to God that nothing separates us before we grow old together and thank Him for choosing you to be my husband. I am truly blessed, and I love You!
Love,
Mary (LoveDove)
July 29, 2008
Hitting the halfway mark
The finish line is still no where in sight, but I've made it to the halfway point of this marathon called pregnancy. This week I have made it to week 20 of an average 40 weeks!
A friend recently asked me if pregnancy was what I expected. I must be honest that the first trimester was not. It was much more hard and difficult than I could have ever imagined. The symptoms were staggering (nausea, dizziness, bleeding gums, bleeding nose, extreme exhaustion, excessive gas, cramps, dry eyes, loss of appetite, constipation, excessive peeing, excessive drooling, back aches, increased allergies, sore "chest", indigestion, incontinence, memory loss, mood swings, shortness of breath, and weight gain). All of those problems and your not supposed to take medicine (or a good stiff drink) for any of it.
I literally almost got into a crying fit with Kevin in Wal-mart one day when he wanted to buy generic shampoo instead of the Dove I normally get him. Why did this upset me so much? I have no idea now, but I assure you those hormones had something to do with it. As I laid on the couch that night wondering if I would be allowed into an insane asylum, I tried to figure out how women all over the world had multiple children and endure these symptoms all over again.
Then God "threw me a bone", and I entered into my second trimester. Slowly and surely, all my symptoms have either disappeared or become part of my life and routine. I've finally started feeling like a normal human being again and can be taken out in public. The idea of being a Mom is starting to make me glow and get excited. Just about 3 weeks ago my belly finally started to show my baby bump. So instead of just feeling like a ill psychotic woman, I can now look down on my little bump and feel small kicking inside.
So for right now as I sit at the halfway mark of my pregnancy, I can say that pregnancy was nothing like I expected. While it has been hard, it has also been more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. I pray that God keep me and my little girl safe and healthy, so that we can finally meet face to face in December. Wish us luck on the second half of the run!
A friend recently asked me if pregnancy was what I expected. I must be honest that the first trimester was not. It was much more hard and difficult than I could have ever imagined. The symptoms were staggering (nausea, dizziness, bleeding gums, bleeding nose, extreme exhaustion, excessive gas, cramps, dry eyes, loss of appetite, constipation, excessive peeing, excessive drooling, back aches, increased allergies, sore "chest", indigestion, incontinence, memory loss, mood swings, shortness of breath, and weight gain). All of those problems and your not supposed to take medicine (or a good stiff drink) for any of it.
I literally almost got into a crying fit with Kevin in Wal-mart one day when he wanted to buy generic shampoo instead of the Dove I normally get him. Why did this upset me so much? I have no idea now, but I assure you those hormones had something to do with it. As I laid on the couch that night wondering if I would be allowed into an insane asylum, I tried to figure out how women all over the world had multiple children and endure these symptoms all over again.
Then God "threw me a bone", and I entered into my second trimester. Slowly and surely, all my symptoms have either disappeared or become part of my life and routine. I've finally started feeling like a normal human being again and can be taken out in public. The idea of being a Mom is starting to make me glow and get excited. Just about 3 weeks ago my belly finally started to show my baby bump. So instead of just feeling like a ill psychotic woman, I can now look down on my little bump and feel small kicking inside.
So for right now as I sit at the halfway mark of my pregnancy, I can say that pregnancy was nothing like I expected. While it has been hard, it has also been more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. I pray that God keep me and my little girl safe and healthy, so that we can finally meet face to face in December. Wish us luck on the second half of the run!
July 7, 2008
Divisable by 12
Happy Birthday to Me! What a wonderful day. To say that I was apprehensive about this birthday would be an understatement. Somehow the thought of being an adult in the real world made me sure that the day would be a huge unnoticed flop. I am happy to report that I was completely wrong.
With Kevin's immense love, cards from family, and numerous phone calls and messages throughout the day, I was swarmed with love and happiness. It was almost a birthday straight out of my childhood. The highlights being a picnic lunch of Arby's, getting my favorite baskin robbin's ice cream cake (mint choc chip), presents (of course), Japanese hibachi dinner (yay, MSG), and two rounds of mini golf to end the evening (a putt-putt b-day tradition).
Kevin really went out of his way to make sure everything went right. He even got the perfect birthday present to commemorate my birthday month; ruby earrings! I am so lucky to have him for a husband. He has had to put up with a lot lately with my ever irrational pregnancy hormones. He loves me so unconditionally that I wonder if I won some sort of marriage lottery. There is no question in my mind that God set me up for a lifetime of happiness when he showed me to Kevin.
I want to thank all of you for the birthday wishes, prayers, and gifts. I really do appreciate it. It is really nice to know that even when you're an adult, your birthday can still be just as magical as when you were 12!
As I laid awake last night unable to sleep (perhaps due to the large amount of sugar in my cake), I thanked God for a wonderful year with the amazing people in my life. I am truly blessed!
With Kevin's immense love, cards from family, and numerous phone calls and messages throughout the day, I was swarmed with love and happiness. It was almost a birthday straight out of my childhood. The highlights being a picnic lunch of Arby's, getting my favorite baskin robbin's ice cream cake (mint choc chip), presents (of course), Japanese hibachi dinner (yay, MSG), and two rounds of mini golf to end the evening (a putt-putt b-day tradition).
Kevin really went out of his way to make sure everything went right. He even got the perfect birthday present to commemorate my birthday month; ruby earrings! I am so lucky to have him for a husband. He has had to put up with a lot lately with my ever irrational pregnancy hormones. He loves me so unconditionally that I wonder if I won some sort of marriage lottery. There is no question in my mind that God set me up for a lifetime of happiness when he showed me to Kevin.
I want to thank all of you for the birthday wishes, prayers, and gifts. I really do appreciate it. It is really nice to know that even when you're an adult, your birthday can still be just as magical as when you were 12!
As I laid awake last night unable to sleep (perhaps due to the large amount of sugar in my cake), I thanked God for a wonderful year with the amazing people in my life. I am truly blessed!
April 7, 2008
Jesus and the breaking of the Goldfish
This past Youth Group with the high school teens really revitalized my soul. It was a night of saying "Praise God" for these teens are amazing. Our focus of the night was on the Eucharist and John Chapter 6. To sum up the Chapter "Mary Style":
After Jesus had performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes, he tries to tell the Jews that he is the everlasting food. "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
But the people murmured and argued about what He said. Then Jesus said again, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
But still the people argued about what he was saying to them. Now at this point Jesus didn't say "Wait guys, I was just kidding about the eat my flesh stuff. If it makes you more comfortable, just look at it as a symbolic thing." No, Jesus states for a third time, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."
After that, people told him that what he was saying was "hard to believe", but Jesus made no excuses for what he said. He knew that there would be those who would then leave him.
This chapter in John is the rock that steadies my belief in the Eucharist. It is not a symbol of Christ, it is not something just to remember the last supper, it is the true presence of Christ celebrated every mass.
Last night we had a teen named Joseph give a testimony on his experience with the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. He really blew me away with his faith and growth! I know that it took me until I was in college to really start to believe in the Eucharist, and here he was just in high school already feeling the power of the host!
Joseph told a story about a Lutheran service that he went to recently. The speaker was a former military man that was talking about times when they used Goldfish and grape juice as symbols of the last supper. Joseph said that his faith in the Catholic Church was renewed, because he could tell that others were really missing out with their services. They didn't have or believe in the real presence of Christ. He had us imagine going up to receive at our church and the communion minister saying to you, "Receive the Snack that Smiles Back!"
Today I hold onto the joy of receiving Christ every week and hope that someday everyone will see and receive the Eucharist for what it really is. AMEN!
After Jesus had performed the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fishes, he tries to tell the Jews that he is the everlasting food. "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst."
But the people murmured and argued about what He said. Then Jesus said again, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
But still the people argued about what he was saying to them. Now at this point Jesus didn't say "Wait guys, I was just kidding about the eat my flesh stuff. If it makes you more comfortable, just look at it as a symbolic thing." No, Jesus states for a third time, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him."
After that, people told him that what he was saying was "hard to believe", but Jesus made no excuses for what he said. He knew that there would be those who would then leave him.
This chapter in John is the rock that steadies my belief in the Eucharist. It is not a symbol of Christ, it is not something just to remember the last supper, it is the true presence of Christ celebrated every mass.
Last night we had a teen named Joseph give a testimony on his experience with the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. He really blew me away with his faith and growth! I know that it took me until I was in college to really start to believe in the Eucharist, and here he was just in high school already feeling the power of the host!
Joseph told a story about a Lutheran service that he went to recently. The speaker was a former military man that was talking about times when they used Goldfish and grape juice as symbols of the last supper. Joseph said that his faith in the Catholic Church was renewed, because he could tell that others were really missing out with their services. They didn't have or believe in the real presence of Christ. He had us imagine going up to receive at our church and the communion minister saying to you, "Receive the Snack that Smiles Back!"
Today I hold onto the joy of receiving Christ every week and hope that someday everyone will see and receive the Eucharist for what it really is. AMEN!
March 28, 2008
Office Space
There is nothing more refreshing, humorous, and real than a Dilbert cartoon. It is amazing how life can change when you get into the real world after college stuck in a cubicle cell.
February 22, 2008
It's Raining Cats and Dogs in Here
"Pinko Pig" ~ This was the endearing term my mom called me growing up. She said that I always had an unusual love for nature and the care of animals. While we were a nature conserving family (using reusable cloth napkins everyday), my mom felt like I had an over the top love for the environment. She might have gotten this idea when she caught me attempting to give cat food and a blanket to a dying squirrel in our back yard. Or maybe it was when I started collecting and keeping snails as a pet in my room, because I was disgusted by the fact that my parents would purposely step on them outside. What ever the reason, I was considered the Pinko Pig of the family.
Now I have two more reasons to be called a Pinko Pig; Duke and Daisy. After our first dog Lucy passed away so suddenly, Kevin and I knew that we wanted to get another dog. As we searched through the shelters, my "bleeding heart" started to show. Oh there were plenty of normal average loving dogs that would have been perfect in any home, but my heart always goes out to the odd ones. The pitt bulls that everyone thinks are vicious but really just misunderstood, the deaf dogs that people don't want to worry about training, and the brother and sisters that end up being separated because it's easier to adopt one dog not two.
Duke and Daisy, the two great pyranees mixes, looked like a bleeding heart case if I ever saw one. They had many strikes against them. A) They were a brother and sister that would likely be separated. B) They were so large and awkward. C) They would easily go through 20 lbs. a dog food a week if kept together ($$$). D) They were wild dogs, meaning they had no idea what a leash was or why a dog would chose to hang around a human (unless it was feeding it of course).
How could a labeled Pinko Pig turn down two dogs like that! So our peaceful little family of Mom and Dad and Cat got turned upside down with the new dogs. Some things have been great. They don't try to eat the cat, and the cat doesn't try to kill them. Some things have been sad. Our yard that was once magnificent now looks like people have been digging for treasure. All in all, our new larger family is very happy.
Now I think my pinko-ness is spreading to Kevin, because he is talking about finding another cat for Mae to be with! Ah, someone stop us! We just don't know when to stop, but maybe that's a good thing in the end. Wish us luck as our family continues to expand over the years. I hope to still have my sanity when I'm in my forties!
p.s. I soon found out after being labeled a pinko that it is actually a derogatory term for people who are communist sympathizers. Oh well... Not in my family!
Now I have two more reasons to be called a Pinko Pig; Duke and Daisy. After our first dog Lucy passed away so suddenly, Kevin and I knew that we wanted to get another dog. As we searched through the shelters, my "bleeding heart" started to show. Oh there were plenty of normal average loving dogs that would have been perfect in any home, but my heart always goes out to the odd ones. The pitt bulls that everyone thinks are vicious but really just misunderstood, the deaf dogs that people don't want to worry about training, and the brother and sisters that end up being separated because it's easier to adopt one dog not two.
Duke and Daisy, the two great pyranees mixes, looked like a bleeding heart case if I ever saw one. They had many strikes against them. A) They were a brother and sister that would likely be separated. B) They were so large and awkward. C) They would easily go through 20 lbs. a dog food a week if kept together ($$$). D) They were wild dogs, meaning they had no idea what a leash was or why a dog would chose to hang around a human (unless it was feeding it of course).
How could a labeled Pinko Pig turn down two dogs like that! So our peaceful little family of Mom and Dad and Cat got turned upside down with the new dogs. Some things have been great. They don't try to eat the cat, and the cat doesn't try to kill them. Some things have been sad. Our yard that was once magnificent now looks like people have been digging for treasure. All in all, our new larger family is very happy.
Now I think my pinko-ness is spreading to Kevin, because he is talking about finding another cat for Mae to be with! Ah, someone stop us! We just don't know when to stop, but maybe that's a good thing in the end. Wish us luck as our family continues to expand over the years. I hope to still have my sanity when I'm in my forties!
p.s. I soon found out after being labeled a pinko that it is actually a derogatory term for people who are communist sympathizers. Oh well... Not in my family!
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