I was told this on V-Day after i posed my annual "Thing i love" post. Really Brett, really?
This is my therapy, my release, my partly creative side. And i love to write. Remember, i did write a thesis in college.....142 pages. It is located in the Duke Library if you feel like reading it. I have a copy too if you don't feel like traveling that far. :)
I'm on vacation this week. Well, it is more like a "stay-cation" for part of the week and then a trip to Boston to see Karen and Amol at the end of the week. SOOOOO excited! I mean, soooo excited!!! I've never been to Boston before....and holy crap, it is going to be C.O.L.D! I'm freezing down here in Charleston....so i am not quite sure i will be able to tolerate the weather. Thank goodness wine keeps you warm. And so does hanging out with good friends. :)
And speaking of Karen, i stole this from her FB page
It is Jimmy Kimmel and Justin Timberlake rapping/singing about the history of rap. It is amazing. Watch it. Watch it now!!
And now i have to give a shout out to my dear friend Jen Sample, who not only is my friend and Taylor's friend, but also our hairstylist. She just opened up Holy City Barber shop on King Street (up near Butcher and Bee). It is a great place where you (if you are a guy) or your man (if you are a woman) can get hair cuts, straight razor shaves, libations, and hangover remedies. Men- go see her. Women- send your man to her.
684 King Street.
Tues-Fri 11a-7p and Sat 10a-6p
And if you are my friend on Facebook (which is usually how most people read my blog),you will remember the old female dog that i found on VDay, running down the road towards a busy street without a collar. She stayed in my bathroom that night, i posted her pic on Pet Helpers and Craigslist and Facebook. And the next morning, i was going to take her to Pet Helpers after i got back from work.
Here i am with her last Friday morning (please excuse the hair and oh yeah, totally wearing the same jacket because i AM COLD!!!)
So i went to work and conference and got home at 1:30 (ish) on Friday and found a message on my home phone. A lady from about 2 subdivisions over had lost her dog and she called Pet Helpers, who told her that i had posted pics of a lost dog matching their dog's description the night before, and gave her my phone number. So the dog, Cecelia, who is 13, deaf, mostly blind, and has seizures, started her adventure Valentines Day night after a neighbor left their gate open. It took the family about a hour before they noticed she was gone, and by then she had already gone about 1/3 mile, down many streets, and ran by my house, which is when i caught her. The family searched for her all night because and was very distraught....apparently this lady's husband got the dog in college, before they got married, and he was so upset. So she called and left a message. I called her back, told her that i "thought" this was her dog, and she came flying up the road about 5 minutes later. Her young son in tote, i opened the front door, the lady peeked inside to see Cecelia sitting at the top of the landing in the front hall, like she owned the place, and she burst into tears and hugged me again and again. This was her dog. :)
Heartwarming, right?
Well, last night in our mailbox we got this, from Cecelia's family, Ben, Kristen, Parker and Sam Johnson. I love the picture of the dog dreaming about home.
In all honesty, it only makes sense to me to take in a stray and see if they have a family, collar, chip, etc. The dog looked well loved and cared for, so i knew she hadn't been abandoned or had been abused. I can only hope that if my dogs get out, that people have kind enough hearts to do the same.
Now, if you see THIS dog running around, luckily he has a collar with his name and my phone number, but please make sure to give him milk at night before bed and he loves to snuggle.
Isn't my baby the most beautiful boy ever?
And since i am keeping up with my New Years resolution and taking more pictures, this is what i have been doing over my vacation. Painting and getting the house ready to sell!
1st two pictures are of Taylor's bathroom- pretty new green color.
Last picture is of the master bathroom- blue/grey color.
Today- painting my bedroom- will post pictures later of completed project!
Ok my dearies, busy "stay-cation" day today. More painting, washing clothes, and starting packing.
Have a good hump day!
Happy V-Day! Before i proceed with my annual "things i love" post in honor of V Day.......Do you remember my wonderful patient who told me to "marry for love" last year? The Heme-Onc lady who died only 2 days after her 40th birthday, who imparted some relationship wisdom only a few days before she passed away.... Well, i had forgotten about her until yesterday when i saw her name and wow- these memories of an ill woman sharing wisdom with me on her death bed....it brought me to tears. 12 months ago she told me this: "Here is my advice. Marry for love. Don't marry for money. Don't marry beneath you. Marry for love." I loved how frankly honest she was with me and her words were something that kept me going when i didn't think that i would make it through the year.......and what a challenging 12 months it has been.
We all know that i am not a big fan of Valentine's Day...or that i have been lucky in love for pretty much my 34 years of life.....but i am sharing with you the things that i love, that make me happy, that keep me going.
The Taco Bell commercial with Notorious B.I.G in Spanish (from the Super Bowl)..... ........freaking genius..... and you still sing along, even though the lyrics are in Spanish.
The time when the rain ends and the sun starts shinning, and you know your shoes are saved. :)
When the hot tub is full and warm and inviting.....and i have a bottle of Prosecco and my ipod. I really love love love this.
To live by this: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a
miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein
Watching movie trailers (still....love it)
The unconditional love of my puppies (again, yes, they love me) even though Leia likes to eat my leather couch....still....they love me regardless of.....well, me.
The smell of other people's coffee in the morning, which smells delicious but i have no desire to drink it! Hand me my Diet Dew please!!!
Eleanor Roosevelt. It has been a rough year, both personally and professionally. As i start a new chapter after i end my marriage and graduate, i will always remember this quote.
When clothing stores mention me on Facebook......retail therapy has been very helpful this year......and given the fact that work keeps me busy, busy, my therapy can continue through shopping online.....
On another side note- I always give Taylor a present for V-Day each year, and this year besides the candy, gum, and of course Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, i gave her two movies- The Breakfast Club and 16 Candles. Two movies that she hasn't seen before......and i am so excited to introduce her to these movies. 16 Candles is my favorite movie ever (although Pitch Perfect is now competing for the prize) and i just love this coming of age movie where geeks rule and Jake Ryan is the ultimate heart throb. <3
Well, Happy Valentines Day everyone! Wear red today in honor of the day (as per my request from my patient yesterday!). xox
.....a bit under the weather. Maybe it was my busy weekend. Or sick family. Or the weather. Come on weather- decide- hot or cold. Wet or dry. I guess i should be happy that it isn't snowing.
Nevertheless, i feel slightly feverish and have a headache.....but not feeling too bad that i can't enjoy a glass of wine. :)
With that said, i must share some pictures that make me happy.
Remember how much over the top in love i am with my niece, Ava. This precocious 22 month old darling has me (and everyone else) wrapped around her finger. I cannot wait to take her shopping for clothes. And have sleepovers when her parents need a date night. And talk to her about boys, and love and life, etc. And introduce her to alcohol...hehe.
Well, i got the chance to babysit this past weekend and "Auntie Lara" had so much fun! :)
Isn't she so beautiful???
Although she hates hair bows.
And then i told her to say "cheese" and this is what she does.
My heart just melts.
And of course i have to video us....because i love my iphone and she is just too cute.
Hope this is a good pick-me-up for you all on a dreary Monday evening.
Only 4 more days til the weekend.
10 days til Boston!
And 16 days til Independence Day!!!
By the way, yes, i like countdowns
I'm going to snuggle with Tiberius, watch Pitch Perfect, do some reading for work (although i have some new magazines that i would like to look at) and enjoy my wine. Hopefully one of these things will make me feel better. Happy Monday!
I am sitting here waiting for the electrician, so i thought i would update you all on, well, life in general.
First off, stay safe my friends in New England. It is currently 63 here in Charleston and i cannot even fathom 24+ inches of the white stuff. I do like snow, don't get me wrong.....my fellow fellow and i talked about Canaan Valley and how we both learned to ski there! We were probably there at the same time! Crazy! And so yes, i like snow but have turned into a "southern wuss" where any temps lower than 60, i am turning on my electric blanket and grabbing my coat. Yes, total wuss!
I want to share some cute cute cute pictures of my niece, who i just adore. Auntie Lara is going to miss her because her father (my brother) got a Peds Dentistry Fellowship at Ohio State (!!!!). And so yes, i am excited for him to continue his education but man! I am going to miss him, his wife, and Ava....and my soon to be born 2nd neice. <3
Here is Paul, Ava and my dad watching the Duke bball game. :)
I love this because i remember vividly watching Duke games with my father when i was a young girl.
And i do have to say, that sometimes people surprise you. In a really good way.
It is so easy to get caught up in your own drama/life and everyone else gets caught up in their own lives and sometimes when you feel down and all entangled in yourself, you forget there are other people out there who care. And it is almost like you don't want to bother them with your problems because they look so happy with their job or marriage or kids or whatever, but you are falling apart. Not to get too far off track from my story (because i have a point, i really do), but i will admit that i hit rock bottom last week. Actually, i went past rock bottom.....i went about a foot further than rock bottom which resulted in about a 1/2 bottle of wine and 4 hours solid of crying. remember that whole crying blog where i told you i had turned into a "L" version of "crybaby cave?" this totally embodied that name one night last week.
how did that happen, you ask? how did this seemingly well put together girl fall so far from where she came from? it goes like this:....i had a conversation with an attending at work last week, which saved my career, and possibly me from myself. in a seemingly innocent conversation where i asked him about jobs and contracts, the subject quickly went to me and MY issues. this is where he asked/said "what are you doing with your life? you are flailing. you are not focused. you are not the person you were 3 years ago. you let your unfortunate circumstances dictate your life. you are playing the victim. suck it up, you are better than you are acting, you need to stop this pitty party, focus, and focus some more. with laser like vision."
oh man. that is all hard to hear....mainly because it is true. so with that conversation, i passed rock bottom and hit what i can only call "a place where i never want to be again." that one conversation, that one journey to pass rock bottom made my eyes open....and i can't really say that i any better now....maybe a little bit, but i am working on it. it is time to stop saying "poor me."
so with that being said, i love surprises. especially when it is unexpected, out of the blue, and totally selfless. i am the proud owner of new bling AND the envy of my co-workers because i got sent jewelry to my work address. this one act of kindness is amazing and makes me realize i need to be more selfless, and be more reflective on the people and situations around me. so thank you my dear friend, thank you for my bling. :)
enough of my ramblings. my electrician should be here soon and hopefully my kitchen won't be in the dark and i can do something with my friday night. however, i will leave you with this picture.
the time is near my friends. Anyone want to pop open a bottle of champagne with me on Feb 27th??!?!?!?
:)
Ok, i am joking.....kinda.....maybe.....ok, just call me if you want her.
I do love this dog- she isn't Tiberius of course, but she is pretty cool.....for Brett's dog.
As for any good thing, i need to contemplate the good and the bad, and here is a list:
Pros: loyal, protective, beautiful, very smart
Cons: she likes to eat things- specifically, christmas ornaments (about 50) and my beautiful leather couch, the molding around the windows, and the stuffing out of my dinning room chairs.
For example- this is what i came home to yesterday (Monday)
Yes, my friends, that is my couch. *sigh*
And after a big scolding, telling Leia "no, no!" "bad dog." etc. AND letting her run around at the dog park to hopefully wear her ass out.....
This is what Taylor comes home to today (Tuesday)
AGAIN!
She did it AGAIN!
Ooops. She did it again.
I learned a valuable lesson when i was ending my marriage and getting divorced. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Guess who is staying in the kennel starting tomorrow?!?!?
