I know,
I've been absent for a while. Blame it on the kids' ball schedules,
proms, a birthday, a graduation, a camping trip to the beach. Did I say ball? Practices,
doubleheaders, season wrap-up, tournament of champs and weekend
tourneys! Family also visited from out of town, and we managed to
squeeze two weeks worth of activities into five days! And of
course, there were the ten Labrador pups, born to Ms.
Molly Marie on April 18th.
Whoops, wrong litter pictured here, but you get the idea.
It’s been another wild and
extremely special experience for my family, and I thought I would
share everything digitally. Like the birth, the first time they
opened their eyes, their first gruel meal, a swim in the baby pool or
those action shots that would warm the Grinch's cold heart. But it began to feel too personal, and I decided not to share it all. We marvel over
the fact that eight weeks came and went like the blink of an eye. As
quickly as they arrived, the pups left with their new owners.
We're left with our sad yard, dug-up herb garden, torn up lawn furniture, and chewed slippers, shoes, throw rugs, buckets, etc. All worth it to spend with them their very first eight weeks of life.
And then there’s Brodie!
The Brodmeister is almost three months now, a high-energy, fearless addition to
our family. Yep, we broke with the tradition of all black animals
when we decided to keep him. Now we’ll have white animal hair all
over the house mixed in with the black. What’s a little more hair?
More chewed shoes? Double the demand for
our attention?
29 days old, before teeth, a deafening bark and alpha attitude!
Brodie "Lights Out" living up to his name???
Apollo still lives with
us while his new owners vacation. Less than two more weeks of his howling,
whining, peeing, destroying. He is a handful, but oh so cute! All he has to do is look straight into your eyes, cock his head to the side, and he's forgiven. His new
family should fall instantly in love.
Apollo, being his usual adorable self
Must go now. That noise in the
kitchen means the boys are either just fighting over a rawhide or
they got into the recyclables again. I find myself saying “no” as
often as I long to take a catnap! (Speaking of which, now I know why I've had cats most of my life!)
You never know when you might get some.
Not Bruno Mars-style entertainment, but entertainment nonetheless.
What would normally be an uneventful ride downtown the other morning turned into something a little out of the ordinary. Just a
little bit. This was brought to the light rail riders by the proud
pushers of street drugs. This young man boarded the train, talking
to himself, occasionally air boxing,and apparently feeling no pain. Higher than a kite, he
soon broke into song and dance, which I share with you. The only
reason I took the video was to show my co-workers that I don’t make
this stuff up.
Don’t worry… he was so high, he
never noticed that I was capturing his performance.
2. Exercise is not overrated
As a family…well, at least the
parents of said family… we’ll be getting fitter. Hubby assembled
the new stationary bike delivered to our door by Target, and it now takes up residence in our living
room. It’s easier to clock miles when you’re absorbed in a
recorded episode of Walking Dead. Your heart rate is up anyway.
I’ve put 60 miles on the bike, and burned up a total of 2,000
calories this week, but I haven’t lost a pound. Maybe
because the exercise has kicked up my appetite! It’ll all balance
itself out soon enough.
That's not me! SHE was in the ad, and did not come with the bike, much to Hubby's disappointment.
3. Check out Target's discounts
Since we’re on the subject of the
bike, I feel I have to mention that I got it through Target on my
REDcard. I could have purchased it at Walmart and Sears for the same
price, but I got 5% off with my REDcard, which includes free
shipping. As the kids would say, “Holla!”
Love Target – its coupons, Cartwheel
and REDcard. The first time I
saw someone bring their grocery bill down, way down, I was hooked on
their system. The young girl at the head of the line threw down her
coupons to bring her $24 bill down to $12. Then she even further reduced
it with an electronic scan of her Cartwheel MICR right off of her
smartphone. For the big finale, she swiped her RedCard, and got her
total bill down to $5 something! Those in line behind her almost
applauded, and both the guy in front of me and I vowed we’d never
step foot into the store again without coming in prepared. She
totally inspired the shoppers who didn’t want to pay full retail.
4. Introducing Sasha –
the newest addition to the family
A gift to my daughter for her 17th. Sasha is black, of
course, and while very cute, she’s more a skittish, pooping,
gnawing machine than a cuddly bunny. Like any baby, all she wants to do is chew. The tally: two iPod chargers, cable wire, and one Ugg. The list is short, but very expensive. More Sasha filled stories to follow...
5. My dog had a better Valentine’s Day than we did!
Miss Molly had a date Friday evening, or as I like to refer to it a booty call, with her beau Tucker Deuce. The last time they saw each other was June 1 of last year, the day she conceived 13 perfect lab puppies with him. Hubby is obsessing over the pup he didn’t keep, so he's decided to breed her one more time, with the goal of getting the perfect male stud to add to our already animal-filled house.
Our V-Day didn't compare to her glorious night with Tucker, with whom she played and frolicked for a couple of hours. Since the evening ended so late, our dinner out turned into a meal of takeout, and shortly after we called it a night. Not quite as romantic.
6.“Don’t stand,
don’t stand... don’t stand so close to me...”
Or sit next to me. Or shop near me. I’m not a people hater, but if you’re going to converse on the
phone, talking to your bud like I’m not next to you, we have a
problem.
I’m tempted to get a name badge that says “Don’t sit next to me if you’re going to carry on a full-blown, LOUD conversation on your cell phone.” I mean, I’m talented, but not so much that I can tune you out. How am I supposed to read through your litany of blah blah blah or have a complete thought when you’re chattering in our communal space? I don’t want to hear how you lost your paycheck at the casino or how the mole on your ass is bleeding!
There’s also the
shopper who decides to multitask by slowly pushing their grocery
cart down the aisle or blocking the section you need to get to while
catching up with their long-lost friend! Or that same shopper who is
at check-out ON THE PHONE, more interested in her conversation than
the clerk trying to move the line along. I mean how fun it must
be for the clerk to have to wait for the one chatting away on her phone to take a breath so the transaction can be wrapped up. What happened to
manners?
Another favorite is
the person who doesn’t take a breath. She/he talks, and talks, and
talks, as if to ensure the person on the other end can’t break her
chain of thought by interjecting. That, or maybe they’re not on the phone with
anyone at all! You know what I’m talking about. It happens! Some people love to hear the sound of their own voice.
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