"For no men, no cause, no war. Because there is no cause greater than life. And life is here with my family. When I was alone, a return was all I dreamed of. And now, reality of being home is greater than any dream. To you my fellow travelers, I will carry you always in my heart of hearts. If we perish, we do so as one. Because it is with my family that I will stay. Till the end. The ghost of what I was will haunt me no longer. For I am loved. I am free."
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Jerry-rigged & The Pup and The Fish
Tomorrow is our final day here in good old Anderson. I expect it to feel like it takes 2 weeks instead, lots of tearful goodbyes, and a load being removed from my shoulders as well. Here's to a good last day!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Countdown
2 Days!!
I got all my room decorations, closet, and bathroom items packed up. Mowed the lawn one final time (Stepped in Indy's landmines as well...), took the trash to the curb one final time, and got my laundry done in my scary basement one final time as well. The third one is something I celebrated at *shudder*.
Tomorrow, I collect my pantry foods, the rest of the clothes, and my office supplies. The last of my homework is to be done Wednesday night ahead of any deadlines since my printer will be packed up.
Yay!!!!
Tomorrow, I collect my pantry foods, the rest of the clothes, and my office supplies. The last of my homework is to be done Wednesday night ahead of any deadlines since my printer will be packed up.
Yay!!!!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Comfort Level Redefined
You know you're comfortable in your house when you're cooking a meal and it gets too hot to be wearing a t-shirt and you strip it off on your way to your room. Then you get changed with the windows open while there's a church service going on in the parking lot behind your house.
Good thing I'm moving to the country and living with other humans. I'll have to start wearing clothes around and shutting the door when I go to the bathroom. That and I won't have a dog as my only conversation partner.
Good thing I'm moving to the country and living with other humans. I'll have to start wearing clothes around and shutting the door when I go to the bathroom. That and I won't have a dog as my only conversation partner.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Busy Day
Today was a little crazy. I had class of course but after that I was off from work. So I decided to accomplish everything I had on my list of To Do things before I moved.
1) Ran errands (groceries to last a week, a new toy for Indy since he chewed through his old one and cow hooves so I don't have to play with him sometimes. I'm a great mom.)
2) Came home and cleaned my bathroom from floor to ceiling. This is my final serious clean of that room. I will clean it briefly before leaving next week.
3) Cleaned my room and hallway, vacuumed everything, organized my belongings. I need to stop throwing my clothes in a pile at the end of the day but as I write this I literally restarted that pile about 15 minutes ago.
4) My housemate officially moved out so Indy and I are alone. I cleaned EVERYTHING!! The kitchen, dining room, living room, even the terrifying basement. It's all scrubbed and sparkling clean and prepared for a moveout.
5) Indy and I took two walks today. On our second one, we saw another German Shepherd. Indy was brave and tough and looked about 4,000,000,000x's more handsome than it too. I love long-haired shepherds.
6) Ran out for dinner because I was getting cabin fever. Had my last Deluxe Donuts before leaving town :(
7) Cleaned the yard and relaxed on the porch before the storm hit.
8) Chatted with the neighbor about yard work, school work, and life in general.
9) Crashed...I'm pooped. Indy is pooped. He also peed on the floor today for the first time in nearly 4ish weeks. I blame myself because we were playing fetch and he got too excited after not going out for a while. He's such a baby sometimes. I have only a week left in town. I'm prepared for crying/celebrating.
Also, I began writing again today after 10 months away from it. I promptly gave up because I had no idea what I was saying.
I also forgot to study for a quiz tomorrow for class. Looks like I'll be using one of those drop quiz cards my prof offers!
1) Ran errands (groceries to last a week, a new toy for Indy since he chewed through his old one and cow hooves so I don't have to play with him sometimes. I'm a great mom.)
2) Came home and cleaned my bathroom from floor to ceiling. This is my final serious clean of that room. I will clean it briefly before leaving next week.
3) Cleaned my room and hallway, vacuumed everything, organized my belongings. I need to stop throwing my clothes in a pile at the end of the day but as I write this I literally restarted that pile about 15 minutes ago.
4) My housemate officially moved out so Indy and I are alone. I cleaned EVERYTHING!! The kitchen, dining room, living room, even the terrifying basement. It's all scrubbed and sparkling clean and prepared for a moveout.
5) Indy and I took two walks today. On our second one, we saw another German Shepherd. Indy was brave and tough and looked about 4,000,000,000x's more handsome than it too. I love long-haired shepherds.
6) Ran out for dinner because I was getting cabin fever. Had my last Deluxe Donuts before leaving town :(
7) Cleaned the yard and relaxed on the porch before the storm hit.
8) Chatted with the neighbor about yard work, school work, and life in general.
9) Crashed...I'm pooped. Indy is pooped. He also peed on the floor today for the first time in nearly 4ish weeks. I blame myself because we were playing fetch and he got too excited after not going out for a while. He's such a baby sometimes. I have only a week left in town. I'm prepared for crying/celebrating.
Also, I began writing again today after 10 months away from it. I promptly gave up because I had no idea what I was saying.
I also forgot to study for a quiz tomorrow for class. Looks like I'll be using one of those drop quiz cards my prof offers!
Indy
Today I realized that my dog is tall enough so I don't have to bend over to pet him. I also realized that his collar finally fits him. I can no longer pull it off over his head. He's getting so big! My little baby is no longer little. He's a mean, lean, fighting machine who cries and feels guilty each time he accidentally hurts me. He's a big boy, not a baby anymore :)
I need to upload more photos of him. It's been far too long since he's suffered through a photo shoot with me.
I need to upload more photos of him. It's been far too long since he's suffered through a photo shoot with me.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Thoughts On Moving
1) You mean I'll be living with 'adults' who can boss me around? 4.5 years without this and it begins again?
2) I have to close the door when I go to the bathroom? But I never had to do this while living on my own this summer :(
3) My dog can't sleep in my room with me...He sleeps within arm's reach...Not anymore?
4) I actually have to do my dishes in a timely manner?
5) My WONDERFUL bed can't come with me? SOB!!!
Yes, I am in panic mode...
2) I have to close the door when I go to the bathroom? But I never had to do this while living on my own this summer :(
3) My dog can't sleep in my room with me...He sleeps within arm's reach...Not anymore?
4) I actually have to do my dishes in a timely manner?
5) My WONDERFUL bed can't come with me? SOB!!!
Yes, I am in panic mode...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Tidbit
There isn't much to report on tonight. My life these last few days has been remarkably dull and unpleasant. It's been a rough few but it's time I move on. Therefore, I'm focusing on just a couple things to help me face these next few days with.
My dog is adorable. While sitting on my bed with me, he tried his darnedest to stay awake as I pet him. Puppies dozing off sitting up are adorable. I also have the best dog in the world. He knows sit, shake, dance, down, off, and house. He also chases away peepers, people, and any squirrel he chances to see on campus. Yes, he's better than your dog. He's a GPS dog. Why wouldn't he be better?
This is my last full week living in Anderson. I think the root of my sadness this weekend lies in this fact. I'm stuck in a pond of bittersweet emotions I have yet to figure out.
My dog is adorable. While sitting on my bed with me, he tried his darnedest to stay awake as I pet him. Puppies dozing off sitting up are adorable. I also have the best dog in the world. He knows sit, shake, dance, down, off, and house. He also chases away peepers, people, and any squirrel he chances to see on campus. Yes, he's better than your dog. He's a GPS dog. Why wouldn't he be better?
This is my last full week living in Anderson. I think the root of my sadness this weekend lies in this fact. I'm stuck in a pond of bittersweet emotions I have yet to figure out.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
"Forever is An Awfully Long Time"
I only have two weeks left here. Two weeks left in Anderson before I turn and leave this world behind. Exactly two weeks of classes left. Less than two weeks of work. 14 days. I know I've talked about leaving Anderson and how much I couldn't wait for months now but now that it's actually almost here I couldn't help but feel sad.
I'll miss my warm yellow bedroom with the giant, bright windows letting in happy sunrise light. I'll miss driving down 8th street with my music blaring, my window rolled down, and my hand riding the wind. I'll miss Deluxe Donuts and the awesome jelly donuts they make. I'll miss little, homey Pay-less with the friendly staff. I'll miss the city smell and sights. I'll miss Scatterfield and its terrible drivers.
Even though this wasn't the best home, it was my home for over four years. It was my haunt and now I'm preparing to say goodbye in 14 quick days.
And even though 14 days isn't that long I feel more cut off from my family than ever. I'm caught between worlds. I'm no longer from Anderson, or Greenfield, or New Palestine, or Greenwood. I want to be back home right now. I want to stay in Anderson forever. I don't want things to change.
Now I've bawled my way through an entire, mopey, emo blog post. But a girl is entitled to a good cry at least once a month. It builds character and puts hair on the chest.
I'll miss my warm yellow bedroom with the giant, bright windows letting in happy sunrise light. I'll miss driving down 8th street with my music blaring, my window rolled down, and my hand riding the wind. I'll miss Deluxe Donuts and the awesome jelly donuts they make. I'll miss little, homey Pay-less with the friendly staff. I'll miss the city smell and sights. I'll miss Scatterfield and its terrible drivers.
Even though this wasn't the best home, it was my home for over four years. It was my haunt and now I'm preparing to say goodbye in 14 quick days.
And even though 14 days isn't that long I feel more cut off from my family than ever. I'm caught between worlds. I'm no longer from Anderson, or Greenfield, or New Palestine, or Greenwood. I want to be back home right now. I want to stay in Anderson forever. I don't want things to change.
Now I've bawled my way through an entire, mopey, emo blog post. But a girl is entitled to a good cry at least once a month. It builds character and puts hair on the chest.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
What Is The Price of Love (For A Dog)?
Well, if we were speaking literally here, the price of love would be a.lot.of.money....
But, of course, we aren't speaking literally. We're speaking loosely. Since getting home from my sister's house Sunday night, he's been lethargic, sad, had no appetite, and was just overall a different dog. This morning he had a runny nose and was on his second day of diarrhea. Diarrhea and a snotty nose is a bad sign when found in dogs. I panicked, called in late to work, and took him to the vet. I was terrified he maybe had parvo or the coronavirus, both dangerous things for a young pup.
All he had was an upper respiratory infection. I went ahead and placed him on antibiotics because I knew he'd be stressed these next two weeks with moving. He should be perfectly okay within a couple days. But for a while all these panicked thoughts were running through my head about how my dog could be deathly ill and maybe die. It was later that I realized that I was one of those obsessive mothers I despise who panic when their child sneezes and poops too much. Granted, those symptoms are a sign of something dangerous in a pup but he probably didn't need to see the vet for them.
But a good mom grinds her teeth, pulls out her debit card, and forks over the money to ensure her baby is healthy and happy. My baby is just different than most. He gets his big kid teeth at 6 months, feeds himself, sexually matures around 2 years of age, and rides shotgun. He's allowed to slobber all over me because it's his way of showing love. He drops everything he's doing, from chewing on his toy to eating his meal, just to follow me around the house because he loves me so much.
I can at least return the favor for that endless admiration by overreacting when he sneezes.
But, of course, we aren't speaking literally. We're speaking loosely. Since getting home from my sister's house Sunday night, he's been lethargic, sad, had no appetite, and was just overall a different dog. This morning he had a runny nose and was on his second day of diarrhea. Diarrhea and a snotty nose is a bad sign when found in dogs. I panicked, called in late to work, and took him to the vet. I was terrified he maybe had parvo or the coronavirus, both dangerous things for a young pup.
All he had was an upper respiratory infection. I went ahead and placed him on antibiotics because I knew he'd be stressed these next two weeks with moving. He should be perfectly okay within a couple days. But for a while all these panicked thoughts were running through my head about how my dog could be deathly ill and maybe die. It was later that I realized that I was one of those obsessive mothers I despise who panic when their child sneezes and poops too much. Granted, those symptoms are a sign of something dangerous in a pup but he probably didn't need to see the vet for them.
But a good mom grinds her teeth, pulls out her debit card, and forks over the money to ensure her baby is healthy and happy. My baby is just different than most. He gets his big kid teeth at 6 months, feeds himself, sexually matures around 2 years of age, and rides shotgun. He's allowed to slobber all over me because it's his way of showing love. He drops everything he's doing, from chewing on his toy to eating his meal, just to follow me around the house because he loves me so much.
I can at least return the favor for that endless admiration by overreacting when he sneezes.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Faux Title
I remember when being a professional meant that you were paid for something. Now you tack it on to any job or life. It reminds me of this time back in high school where my teacher asked for some background about me upon our first meeting. I told him I was a professional writer. He smiled and said, "How much do you get paid?"
That's when I learned I wasn't professional. I was just far more seasoned than most people. To be a professional (inset title) you are paid to perform those actions. Tack on something that you aren't paid for and you're just a sad person trying to sound more important and smart than you really are, just like that 16-ish child.
That's when I learned I wasn't professional. I was just far more seasoned than most people. To be a professional (inset title) you are paid to perform those actions. Tack on something that you aren't paid for and you're just a sad person trying to sound more important and smart than you really are, just like that 16-ish child.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Indy vs. Plunger
I tried to plunge a sink, it exploded on me, and Indy now believes the plunger is out to kill me. And, yes, I did chase him around with it but only for a few seconds.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Religion is a Public Affair
*While I don't often reference religion in my blog it dawned on me this week that religion and God is right in the blog description. Because of that, I'm blogging about something that has recently offended me greatly and is pressing upon my character. If you don't like religious rants, stop reading now :)
A month or so ago I had a discussion with someone close to me about religion. During this discussion, I was forced to explicitly pin down my religious beliefs and tack a name to them. The problem with this was that I'm not expressly one religion. I grew up Christian and my beliefs are inherently Christian but there are other aspects as well. The biggest thing that makes me somewhat non-Christian is that I believe in many paths to God, in other words, I believe you can reach heaven and meet God through many religions.
This belief mainly stemmed from my experiences last summer living on my own with far too much time to my own devices. Up until last summer, I was steadfastly agnostic. Yeah, there was a God out there, I would say, but he was not the all powerful God. I wasn't against religion and I wasn't for it. But then I had the most amazing moment in my life and I realized there truly was a God. That's the summer I once again became religious.
And I say religious because I don't think it's necessary to pin a label on your belief system. The way I saw it, I believed in the all powerful God. I believe he lives in all of us, whether we desire it or not. I believe his son died for us in an attempt to save us from our own wicked nature. I believe that through sound decisions, constant prayer, faith and effort, we can all reach a moment where we have followed God's laws and guidelines.
But because I believe in many religions, because I believe you can be enlightened, believe in ghosts and spirits (both good and bad), and find God equally as easy in our meditations and surroundings as in a church, I am not guaranteed a place in the afterlife? To make someone feel ashamed of their beliefs, beliefs as raw and true as the fiercest love for a son and daughter or husband and wife, and push them to question those beliefs is perhaps the most morally corrupt and religiously incorrect action possible.
A month or so ago I had a discussion with someone close to me about religion. During this discussion, I was forced to explicitly pin down my religious beliefs and tack a name to them. The problem with this was that I'm not expressly one religion. I grew up Christian and my beliefs are inherently Christian but there are other aspects as well. The biggest thing that makes me somewhat non-Christian is that I believe in many paths to God, in other words, I believe you can reach heaven and meet God through many religions.
This belief mainly stemmed from my experiences last summer living on my own with far too much time to my own devices. Up until last summer, I was steadfastly agnostic. Yeah, there was a God out there, I would say, but he was not the all powerful God. I wasn't against religion and I wasn't for it. But then I had the most amazing moment in my life and I realized there truly was a God. That's the summer I once again became religious.
And I say religious because I don't think it's necessary to pin a label on your belief system. The way I saw it, I believed in the all powerful God. I believe he lives in all of us, whether we desire it or not. I believe his son died for us in an attempt to save us from our own wicked nature. I believe that through sound decisions, constant prayer, faith and effort, we can all reach a moment where we have followed God's laws and guidelines.
But because I believe in many religions, because I believe you can be enlightened, believe in ghosts and spirits (both good and bad), and find God equally as easy in our meditations and surroundings as in a church, I am not guaranteed a place in the afterlife? To make someone feel ashamed of their beliefs, beliefs as raw and true as the fiercest love for a son and daughter or husband and wife, and push them to question those beliefs is perhaps the most morally corrupt and religiously incorrect action possible.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Packing My Bags
For some odd reason I forgot about this blog for a few days and neglected to update regularly. I blame school. Here's a quick rundown of new events in my life.
- I finished my first summer Spanish class with an A. It was easy and fun and the professor was very kind.
- I start the last class of my college career on Monday.
- The temperatures in Indiana are soaring! My non-air-conditioned house is hot and stuffy and the outdoors are just as bad. I love my wonderful sister and BIL for buying me a window AC unit last summer :)
- I move in less than 4 weeks.
- I started to pack up my bags today since I had the day off from work. I got three bags stuffed and one bag of donation items. I still need to pack up my bookshelf but I need boxes from work before I can do that. I'll be doing my first mini-move this coming weekend.
Indy is easy exhausted by changes in our routine. He went to get his nails trimmed and meet a friend of mine for a play date today. When I started packing he got worried, grabbed his favorite toy, and hid in his crate (The picture above). Maybe he thought I would pack his toys with everything else :)
He's not as much as a baby as he was when he joined me 4 weeks ago. He's definitely getting braver and trying to find his place in the pecking order. When I tell him to do something he doesn't want to do he'll let out the MOST annoying bark I've ever heard. He tries to bark at other dogs and people and protect me from all the random evil things out there. But he certainly still is a kid. He saw a raccoon in a tree on our property, barked and growled at it, then promptly turned and ran back to the house with his tail between his legs. He loves carrying his tennis ball around the room, 'accidentally' dropping it, then chasing it down again.
- I finished my first summer Spanish class with an A. It was easy and fun and the professor was very kind.
- I start the last class of my college career on Monday.
- The temperatures in Indiana are soaring! My non-air-conditioned house is hot and stuffy and the outdoors are just as bad. I love my wonderful sister and BIL for buying me a window AC unit last summer :)
- I move in less than 4 weeks.
- I started to pack up my bags today since I had the day off from work. I got three bags stuffed and one bag of donation items. I still need to pack up my bookshelf but I need boxes from work before I can do that. I'll be doing my first mini-move this coming weekend.
Indy is easy exhausted by changes in our routine. He went to get his nails trimmed and meet a friend of mine for a play date today. When I started packing he got worried, grabbed his favorite toy, and hid in his crate (The picture above). Maybe he thought I would pack his toys with everything else :)
He's not as much as a baby as he was when he joined me 4 weeks ago. He's definitely getting braver and trying to find his place in the pecking order. When I tell him to do something he doesn't want to do he'll let out the MOST annoying bark I've ever heard. He tries to bark at other dogs and people and protect me from all the random evil things out there. But he certainly still is a kid. He saw a raccoon in a tree on our property, barked and growled at it, then promptly turned and ran back to the house with his tail between his legs. He loves carrying his tennis ball around the room, 'accidentally' dropping it, then chasing it down again.
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