what am I doing?

Life is back to normal. Well, maybe... is there really ever a normal? I think not. Or, there might be. But just not for me. I feel like normal is always changing. Though thankfully I think a little routine is beginning to emerge. Who knows though. And really, a routine? I'm not sure I am capable of this. Not true, I am, I just have been lacking one for some time now.

Anyhow. Life is life. I wake up very early in the morning and begin my day with breakfast.

I Love breakfast. Who doesn't though? It's only The Best Meal of the day! I mean, think about all of the deliciosity (yes that is a word, but don't look it up :) that comes along with breakfast. Off the top of my head: pancakes: blueberry, chocolate chip, buttermilk, banana... waffles, crepes, muffins, oatmeal, eggs, biscuits, fruit, yogurt, cereal, toast, French toast... and those are just a few. Anyhow, can you not see how incredible breakfast is? Sad to admit that my typical week day breakfast usually consists of a bowl of cereal and maybe an English Muffin. A shame really considering all of the elaborate and delicious choices out there for me.

I'm at school now, all day, every day as a student teacher. It's pretty nice. I get to be a teacher and a student at the same time, so I have the responsibility of both. Learning much? Busy much? Stressed much? To say yes would be an understatement. So anyhow, this is what I do. This is what fills my days.

As I was taking a break from homework and school (some refer to it as procrastinating) this afternoon, I was reading a post by a new blog friend (I'm allowed to say that because that's what blogging people say about people they have never met but still know because they read all about them in their blog) of mine over at Story of My Life I got to thinking about the purpose of this here little blog. What am I trying to do? Unburden my life through words? Eh, maybe. Retell the events of my day? Not really, but I find myself doing it just the same. Tell an amusing story? Yes. I like to think I do. On occasion at least. Impart my worldly wisdom? Most certainly :D So anyways. I'm a thinkin'. Purpose. What is it? Apparently it's a good thing to have. But then again, maybe the purpose of this blog is just like the purpose of my life, of which I am not sure.

But for today the purpose will be to impart a few words of wisdom. From my brain to yours: Sometimes it is best to ignore a nippy puppy, and sometimes it can be detrimental.

the last of 'em

Then we came back home and life was like it had been before we left... until October when we got a puppy for our anniversary present.

ah! what a cutie! I can't stand it!

Then in November we went out and about again for the hubs' work. Can you guess where?

And December too... While we were there we went to museums and monuments (until our noses were too cold or we had just plain had enough of it) and explored the area around our apartment. At one of the museums they had a crochet coral reef. It was Incredible. My favorite.

A little Christmas tree was our only homeyness. How I loved that little tree. You would be surprised at just how much joy a little tree like that can bring.

and a palm tree for some extra twinkle.

Then of course it was Christmas and it was, Christmas and perfect.

We saw the hubs' family for Christmas and were looking through all of the Christmas cards they had received. One of his aunts was very sad and disappointed that we hadn't sent a Christmas card out, especially considering as how we had a puppy. So after the festivities passed I made a Christmas card special for his auntie. The above picture was the one we picked for our card.

And now that year has passed a new one has started, already I tons busier than I have been in forever and it is taking getting used to... but I'll save that for another day :)

5 away ... almost there

I only have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 assignments left to do. Then I am done. I mean, done. Finished. No more. I will have nothing school like to do from now on, unless you consider student teaching school like (which I don't for the obvious reason that I will actually be at school and so that is hardly schoolish, know what I mean? right. I thought you would).

With the remaining assignments, I know exactly how long each one will take me to complete and so I am putting it off for that much longer. Don't worry, I won't wait until the last minute to get them done and turned in, I want the luxury of submitting my work early (before it is most absolutely due) so I can sit back and twiddle my thumbs and say, "I really have nothing to do." And it will be wonderful and I just might even do a little jig.

It's really quite exciting, the prospect of finishing up with my last class. I had forgotten what a wonderful feeling it was to finish something up. ...well, school I mean. Cause I've finished lots of things since I've graduated: an afghan, job applications, baby booties, house cleaning (although is that really ever done? I think not), making dinner, bread baking, baking cookies, candy making, eating all of the above mentioned yummies, walks, 3 mile runs (crazy, but true), and even a second afghan. Now, these aren't the only things I've completed, I've done lots of other things, but you get the gist of it right? I've done a few things with my days.

But it will be exciting and wonderful to be done being a student! O how I dislike school. It's a good thing I decided I wanted to be a teacher then huh? I know. pretty smart on my part, I'd have to say. but, eh, what can I do about that? nothin. I'll just keep baking my bread on the side and it will all even out. Maybe one day I can teach someone to bake some yummy bread, that would be the best of both worlds. ...you see, I was going to be a baker (a professional one) but then I decided to be a teacher. It was a toss up. Well, not really, but I do love both. A lot. So that is good.

Though, I will have to say I miss baking. I haven't done it in Forever! I'm even tempted to buy the bread kits at the store just so I can say I kind of baked something... but when I pick it up to put in my cart to buy I realize that I don't have any bread pans. So... that won't really work. I put it back and try to humm a cheery tune and forget about the wonders of baking.

I have been enjoying days filled of crocheting. I was going crazy at it too. ...until the puppy learned how to jump on the couch. And even though I tell him no and push him off, he bounces right back up. Eventually I relent and he stays on the couch. And really, I don't mind him being on the couch (especially since he has learned that it is not ok to chew my arm off) cause he will sleep or nibble on his bone. But, and here's the kicker... if I were to have my bag full of yarn up on the couch... ya, there's a sight I don't want to see. For a few reasons: 1. my sweet granny squares would be no longer. 2. the yarn would be no longer usable. 3. the living room would look like it was tee-peed only, it would be impossible to salvage my pretty blues and greens and oranges... yarn, that is. So far I haven't figured out a way to crochet in peace yet. ...if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear em : )

So anyhow. My homework. I don't want to do it. It's what I should have been doing the whole time I've been going on and on about how I despise school ... but like a good student, I was procrastinating : ) kehehe... or maybe that's not a good student. At least I will understand my students procrastination.

alrighty. I'm gonna go bake. a boxed pizza. o yes.

Oswald

The hubs and I went to get a dog. We decided it was what we were going to do. We found out that the Humane Society was having an awesome special deal over the weekend, we decided to go for it, when else would we have such the perfect opportunity to get a puppy for practically nothing? The deal was, if you brought in a much needed pet item: food, treats, towels, bleach, peanut butter or some suchness, you could name the price you wanted to pay for the adoption fees. Well, us being the wonderfully cheap people we are, we went right in with a jar of peanut butter.

Now, you might be sitting there thinking, "What?! She just said she hates dogs. Now she's going to get one? Crazy person?!" And that's very well good and true. ...however, sometimes the hubs is gone, and when he's gone I would like some protection. Thus the dog. But this dog is going to have to be one heck of a special dog to win me over. Cause, as we all know now, I do not like dogs. But I feel as though there might be one special one other there. Maybe. Maybe. ...and that's why we are looking for a dog. This dog is going to have to not bark, jump, climb, scratch, nibble, bite, prance, or run. Well, he can bark, but only should an unwelcome guest appear. And bite, but given the same circumstances.

So, we go looking for a dog. The right dog. There are dozens and dozens of puppies. Nope. There are big dogs and small dogs, but they all bark and hop and are just pretty crazy. Plus, none of them are really very cute. And if we're going to get a dog, it sure as heck better be a stinking cute dog. We don't see any that suit us, even though we've gone to a bizzilion different humane society places. There is one more. One more. We go and look. Why not? We are already out. The hubs sees one he likes. Personally, I can tell just by looking at it jumping around like crazy and barking non-stop in his cage that he is not the one for me. But they get him out and stick us in a room with him. The dog's jumping and barking and spinning in circles and then starts to jump on me. Naturally, I jump on the counter. O no. This dog is not happening. They put the dog back.

I remembered seeing one dog in the whole row of dogs who was not jumping up and down like a maniac, or barking. I asked to see him and they went and got him. Now, this dog, this dog was nice. He did not jump, he did not bark. He let me pet him without trying to devour my arm. O sweet thing, I want to take him home with me. The hubs agrees, he likes him too.

Before we do take him home, we want to talk about it, to make sure we really want him and that I really like him. He is pretty much the nicest dog I have met since Clarabell. He even has a little bit of wrinkliness going on on his face. Plus it's a really good sign that I didn't hop on the counter when we were trapped in the little room with him like I did when the other dog was in there. I'm pretty sure I like this dog... We name him Oswald. Before we even get him, that's how sure and excited we are about getting him.

So excited and 100% sure that we are going to get him in fact, that we go out and get him all kinds of doggie goodies and treats. A crate, a little pillow bed, food, water and food bowls, treats, a bone, and some snazzy looking dentist for dog chew toy. Oswald is going to love it all.

Oswald is a mix, as are a lot of the dogs we've seen at the Humane Society. Some of his mix is... pitt bull. This doesn't bother us in the slightest, in fact I quite like it because that means all the better protection for me. However, we happen to remember one of our friends talking about home owners insurance going up with a pitt bull in the house, so the hubs calls. The insurance people won't know till Monday, it's Friday. The hubs calls again and again and the more people he talks to, the more confident they are that they would drop our policy if we got him. So the hubs shops around. Only, everyone else is ten times as much as our current policy and if we didn't have him insured it would cost us a million dollars if he bit some one. Not that he would, cause he's not that type, but you never can know. And a million dollars is a lot of money.

It's a sad day when we realize we can't get Oswald. He was such a happy sweet lovely dog.

And now, I'm pretty sure we will only ever dream of getting another dog. It will probably never really happen. O well. ... unless of course, you happen to have a red and white Welsh Corgi puppy for sale. That's my new pick. If we can't get Oswald, the only other dog I will get is a Welsh Corgi. But seriously, if you have one, I want him.

Clarabell

Now, I have never been much of a person for dogs. With on extreme exception: Clarabell. Oh, how I loved Clarabell, she was the most wonderful most sweetest, most cutest, most precious dog ever in the world. Ever. She was. I loved Clarabell and Clarabell loved me. She loved me so much that nearly every time I picked her up she would scratch me or try to bite me. But I didn't care. I loved her. There are not many things I remember very clearly from my childhood, but she is one of them. We had a dog, Tucker. He was a nice dog, and I liked him too, but the day I saw Clarabell I fell in love. She was a little puppy shar pei with golden fur. I loved her wrinkles. She was like a life size cuddly non-sticky prune! Only it was a little tricky to cuddle with her cause she would continually scratch and nibble at my arms and legs as she tried to escape my loving arms. In-spite of her bites, I loved her so much I abandoned my beloved dolls and favorite stuffed piggys just to play with her. I found doll clothes that fit her and I would dress her up in them (she was so cute!) and I had the best little doll basket ever. It had two handles and a lining (a miniture Moses Basket), to keep the dolls comfy. I let Clarabell sit and lay in my doll basket. One day after wrestling her into a cute little dress and bonnet I set her in the basket to take her on a walk around the yard. But when I picked up the basket it popped. The handles broke. Clarabell broke my baby doll basket. She did. It's true. I was momentarily downhearted, but it didn't last long, cause I had to chase after her as she ran away in the little dress and bonnet. I just loved her so much. Oh how I loved Clarabell. I really did.

Then came the day we had to give her away. Mums and Fater told me we were really just watching her for the summer and it was time to give her back to her owners. I was devastated.

Not long after that I went with my Aunt to visit her boyfriends Dad. I was sooo excited too. It was just me, Aunt, and Boyfriend. I got to go on a special trip, just me and them. I was just so excited. The Dad had dogs at his house. And since I loved Clarabell and Tucker, I loved all dogs. I wanted to go see them. So we went. The dogs were locked up in separate barns on opposite sides of the yard. Safe, right? You would think. We went down in the yard to look in at the dogs (who were safely and securely locked up), but as we were peeping over the fence at the girl dog... the boy dog escaped. A big growling ferocious boy dog. Somehow after the boy dog got out, the girl dog found her way out too. They were running... right to where I was standing. Two angry, big, mean, barking, growling, in heat, dogs, running right to me. Terrified I froze. The natural thing to do, of course. Thankfully Boyfriend swooped me up on his shoulders right before the dog bit my leg, and ran inside the house. Unfortunately Aunt was not as lucky as me and one of the dogs bit her. We went to a clinic and had to get checked by the doctor (in case the dogs had rabies or something).

I do not like dogs. No. I am terrified of dogs. I am horrified that a dog will run up and bite me. Even years after the attack I can't stand jumping dogs, barking dogs, running dogs, big dogs, little dogs. No. No dogs. It doesn't matter if it's small, it doesn't matter if it's big. No dogs for me.