i've had a cold since tuesday- that means a) my throat is on fire & b). i can't breathe thru my nose. i'm also sleep deprived from staying up late to complete the apartment projects... which isn't helping my cause. (BUT THE APT. LOOKS UH-MAZING!!) my husband & my best friend are browsing bookshelves at the local book shoppe while i'm stuck at work for another hour. but i've gotta say: life is just so dang good!
i picked up my best friend from the airport this morning. by morning, i really mean the.crack.of.dawn. -no really i was driving at 5-something this a.m. & even tho i have driven to the orlando airport many times i got super lost. i may or may not have missed an exit somewhere. anyway i ended up bypassing the usual tollbooths & only paying like $2.75 vs. the usual $6, so "the scenic route" ended up working out in my favor. not in ash's however. i made her wait outside the baggage claim way longer than she should've had to wait (my bad bestie!)
we had Terminal B to ourselves & we took full advantage: screaming & hugging & pinching each other- "is it really you!?" such.a.great.moment. i felt like i took a breath of fresh air. like i could breathe better (tho methaphorically- not physically, thx to this cold, ha). having my bestest girl friend by my side feels like such a relief.
taking her luggage up to the apt. & getting her settled into her bedroom felt soooo wonderful. i think she should just stay. like permanently. anyway i'm going to enjoy every minute til thursday.
pix to come soon of the 2 new guest rooms. many many many many many thanks go to the husband. he put in more hours then i did, painting & such. he called me pathetic cos i kept dribbling on the carpet. (i'm a really efficient scrubber tho- all we had was oxyclean laundry stain remover. worked pretty well actually) + his arms are a little longer. he also built the new bookshelf. which we already had until he came into the bedroom the other day & said: "do you want the good news or the bad news?" i said: "um, both please." he said: "well, you're getting a new bookself b/c.......... i just busted the old one." haha, i burst out laughing when he told me. i had no attachment whatsoever to the old one so i was rather excited that i'd get a new one. anyway he built it. duh. i am so not efficient when it comes to drills & nails. & he installed the shelves in our living room. & he's installed all 4 new curtain rods that are now in our place. (we LOVE the dark!!! or rather... the ability to darken a space if we so desire maybe & also theres the whole walking around nekkid without giving the neighbors a show) i am moving up in the world tho... i totally unscrewed all the switch plates all by myself & i'm a master taper. & i rolled paint on every surface within in my reach (well not really, but it's something i can do to attempt to be helpful). & i put up the adhesive chandelier at 2 something this a.m. (when i couldn't sleep because helllloo... ashlee was coming in like... 4 hours!!!) so yah, basically i did nothing, i'm just trying to make myself feel better. zane is the best husband ever. it's so sexy that he's so good at doing all these things. i'm so proud of him because he can fix like anything, & i know if he doesn't know how he has this eagerness to learn whatever it is he needs to. anyway, that was my little cheer speech for my lover. you rock babe!
i put in some "excrutiating" hours at the antique store... & by excrutiating i really mean exhilarating!!!! i had so much fun yesterday afternoon browsing my favorite antique store in holly hill picking out knick knacks for the guest bedroom to add charm & character. i got some sweeeeeet treasures. pics are coming eventually. i let ash pick which bedroom she wanted, i secretly picked out which one i thought she'd choose. my personal favorite of the two... & she did. & it's the one with the cool knick knacks from the antique store.
anyway this has gone on quite awhile. i am super bored & super happy with my life. apparently that means i have a lot to say!
i feel strong & free & content. yay!
4.30.2010
4.28.2010
i heart maxine
haha, you smiled. i saw it. as maxine's coffee mug proudly says: i love my attitude problem! amen.
thanks aunt alice for this fun email!
(& don't you worry, it's day 11 of my tobacco-free life)
this made my heart smile
i received this email from zane's uncle corrin. i can't get over how sweet it is!!!
When hurricane Hannah separated two white tigers from their mother, Anjana came to the Rescue. Anjana, a chimp at TIGERS in South Carolina, became surrogate mum and playmate to the cubs, even helping with bottle feeding, according to The Sun. But here's the truly amazing part: This is something Anjana does all the time, having helped raise leopard and lion cubs on several occasions.
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
~ Anatole France
4.26.2010
wonderful things
a card from my love, just because
zane's awesome new tie. he wore it with a pale lavender dress shirt & his soft wool butterscotch-colored pants i got him from banana. he looked smashing
i went thru my closet & found this scarf. i remembered the way laura had draped hers when she came to visit me in florida. i tried it. zane called me his little arabic girl all day
zane concentrating really hard on his secret societies book he just bought. has been glued to it ever since
i read "don't sweat the small stuff" & "simple truths" -good inspirational prose to keep fresh in my mind
the 4 of us took afternoon naps to the sounds of rain & sarah maclachlan
junebug curled under zanes leg. i lifted up the blanket to show you- how could this little one not melt your heart!?
we gave them their first baths with us. they didn't try to fight it. they just stood there & let us lather them up with doggie shampoo. junebug even let me blow dry her a little. johnny ran away.
pix of our new living room- it finally feels cozy & homey. i told zane that it feels like the first "grown up" living room we've ever had. i'm not even sure i can pinpoint exactly why i feel like that. anyway the feel of the room is totally thanks to zane. he picked out pretty much everything.
it was overcast & stormy most of the afternoon... lots of rain showers & thunder. the first thunderstorm we've had in awhile. it was the kind of thunder that makes you believe there really could be giants in the sky bowling like the stories you read about when you're a kid.
the evening ended with a rainbow. the apartments were glowing in the sun. so pretty
it was wonderful, quality, cozy family time. couldn't really ask for more.
zane's awesome new tie. he wore it with a pale lavender dress shirt & his soft wool butterscotch-colored pants i got him from banana. he looked smashing
i went thru my closet & found this scarf. i remembered the way laura had draped hers when she came to visit me in florida. i tried it. zane called me his little arabic girl all day
zane concentrating really hard on his secret societies book he just bought. has been glued to it ever since
i read "don't sweat the small stuff" & "simple truths" -good inspirational prose to keep fresh in my mind
the 4 of us took afternoon naps to the sounds of rain & sarah maclachlan
junebug curled under zanes leg. i lifted up the blanket to show you- how could this little one not melt your heart!?
we gave them their first baths with us. they didn't try to fight it. they just stood there & let us lather them up with doggie shampoo. junebug even let me blow dry her a little. johnny ran away.
pix of our new living room- it finally feels cozy & homey. i told zane that it feels like the first "grown up" living room we've ever had. i'm not even sure i can pinpoint exactly why i feel like that. anyway the feel of the room is totally thanks to zane. he picked out pretty much everything.
it was overcast & stormy most of the afternoon... lots of rain showers & thunder. the first thunderstorm we've had in awhile. it was the kind of thunder that makes you believe there really could be giants in the sky bowling like the stories you read about when you're a kid.
the evening ended with a rainbow. the apartments were glowing in the sun. so pretty
it was wonderful, quality, cozy family time. couldn't really ask for more.
4.23.2010
smells
isn't it weird where smells can take you? i went to hawaii this evening when i was stocking frozen mango used for smoothies. twenty pounds of freshly frozen mango totally smells like my memories of hawaii over the years.
& then unexplainably, when i was walking into work one morning, i smelled a boat marina & i went back & visisted my childhood where i spent many many saturdays on a boat & around marinas. maybe some salty air drifted up from the ocean, i donno. but it was both the salty air & that fiberglass smell. i can picture myself watching the boat launch scoop the boats in & out of the water, half in awe, half in fear that the boat would somehow slip. i remember walking down steep ramps & that meant that the tide was either really high (or really low- i can't remember) & looking thru the water to see the orange starfish & sometimes a jellyfish. i remember the times dad would let me sit up on the bow & straddle the rails & the wind would whip my hair into a knotty mess. i remember spending the night on the boat. on one summer night dad called into his favorite oldies station & requested "summer in the city." sometimes we would go dock downtown seattle by anthonys fish bar & walk around bell street pier. i remember bringing chapter books to read "below deck" because boating "bored" me. now i wish i could go back & appreciate it more.
& then unexplainably, when i was walking into work one morning, i smelled a boat marina & i went back & visisted my childhood where i spent many many saturdays on a boat & around marinas. maybe some salty air drifted up from the ocean, i donno. but it was both the salty air & that fiberglass smell. i can picture myself watching the boat launch scoop the boats in & out of the water, half in awe, half in fear that the boat would somehow slip. i remember walking down steep ramps & that meant that the tide was either really high (or really low- i can't remember) & looking thru the water to see the orange starfish & sometimes a jellyfish. i remember the times dad would let me sit up on the bow & straddle the rails & the wind would whip my hair into a knotty mess. i remember spending the night on the boat. on one summer night dad called into his favorite oldies station & requested "summer in the city." sometimes we would go dock downtown seattle by anthonys fish bar & walk around bell street pier. i remember bringing chapter books to read "below deck" because boating "bored" me. now i wish i could go back & appreciate it more.
it's official!
when i got to work this morning, i checked my email & bank account like i usually do on paycheck fridays. i noticed that our check for johnny & junebug finally went thru after 3 weeks. they had told us that they would hold the check for a few weeks before cashing it so it would give us a chance to really decide if the dogs were going to work in our home, etc. & tho we'd more than settled that they'd stay permanently with us... i can't explain it, but it just made my heart smile to see the check posted. made it somehow more final & secure. they really belong to us now!
last night i had a good cry. i was in bed & johnny was out on the couch in the living room- whining. maybe because he couldn't get down. maybe cos he heard me crying, i really don't know. he whines alot. so i figured we might as well cry together. i went & picked him up off the couch & took him to bed with me & i cried into his hairy back. & he just let me stay there & rest my head on him. i fell asleep with him in my arms & zane snuggled up behind me with junebug curled up between his legs burrowed under the covers. her favorite spot.
i can't picture our life without these two.
last night i had a good cry. i was in bed & johnny was out on the couch in the living room- whining. maybe because he couldn't get down. maybe cos he heard me crying, i really don't know. he whines alot. so i figured we might as well cry together. i went & picked him up off the couch & took him to bed with me & i cried into his hairy back. & he just let me stay there & rest my head on him. i fell asleep with him in my arms & zane snuggled up behind me with junebug curled up between his legs burrowed under the covers. her favorite spot.
i can't picture our life without these two.
4.21.2010
just some travis tritt philosophy
And it's a goofy thing but I just gotta say/Hey I'm doing alright/Yeah I think I'll make me some homemade soup /Feelin pretty good and that's the truth/It's neither drink nor drug induced/No I'm just doin alright/And it's a great day to be alive/I know the sun's still shinin when I close my eyes/There's some hard times in the neigborhood/But why can't every day be just this good?woke up- put on my running shoes- ran 1.6 miles- (my first run in months) it felt so good- my 4th cigarette free day- feelin' free - came home to see my family snuggled under the covers- makes my heart smile- sat down on the floor beside our bed with junebug & read an inspiring email from a worker in s. africa- knowing these thoughts will stay with me thru-out my day, knowing that i need them to stay with me- one certain verse running over & over in my mind that he quoted- loving the effect it's having on me- thankful for a feeling of refreshment & peace & newness.
4.16.2010
change of plan
took an improptu trip down to ikea last night.
our schedules don't align often & i have a serious itch to make our space more "homey" so off we went!
all thoughts/direction/inspiration/colors stemmed from the sam toft print i blogged about early in the week.
that was until zane was drawn to this piece. (see above)
i was so surprised that he had such a strong reaction to a piece of art. usually that's me. but there he was "ooohing & ahhing" over this particular canvas.
it took me a minute to shift all my thoughts from one piece to the next. but i was so struck by zane's instantaneous excited reaction. he is not excitable & here he was toally excited. over art!
plus combine all that with the fact that this ginormous piece (6.5 ft. x 4.5 ft - definitely not going to fit in our economy car) was conveniently packaged into a long skinny cardboard box with a DIY frame you put together at home.
obviously we couldn't just walk away.
so now this is the new center piece & inspiration to The Rathbun Living Room Project.
an interesting delightful turn of events. & i haven't written off sam toft. the whimsical Mustards might make an appearance yet in our next project. =)
4.13.2010
yesterday
johnny's got some yoga moves! "downward facing dog"
he's a good spooner, what can i say? we made cornbread together
2 months now....
we both had the day off so we enjoyed being mostly lazy together...
we tooks lots of cat naps, made french dip & corn bread for lunch, watched a couple movies, sat in the hot tub for awhile, got chinese take-out, ran a couple errands.
i tried in vain to relax.
i needed the running dialogue in my head of all the things i was/am worrying about to stop, so i decided to "free write" & just spill my head onto paper.
and then i had a panic attack. so zane held me while the tears flowed. it was a relief to release some of the pent up stress inside me.
i doubled my medication dosage as of yesterday. so hopefully it can continue to take the edge off of impending stress triggers.
4.12.2010
"The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality."
vi-tal-i-ty: capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence:
Andrew Solomon
Author, The Noonday Demon
I just watched a documentary about depression that i got from the library, because that's just what i do. i thought this definition was nice. well, nice doesn't seem to be a fitting word, but you know what i mean. it's not the kind of definition you'll find in Websters, void of emotion & personal experience.
"I knew that the sun was rising & setting but little of it’s light reached me. I felt myself sagging under what was much stronger than I. First I could not use my ankles, and then I could not control my knees, and then my waist began to break under the strain, and then my shoulders turned in, and in the end I was compacted & fetal; depleted by this thing that was crushing me without holding me. I had thought that when you feel your worst your tears flood, but the very worst pain is the arid pain of total violation that comes after the tears are all used up. The pain that stops up every space thru which you once metered the world, or the world you. This is the presence of major depression."
Andrew Solomon
Author, The Noonday Demon
I just watched a documentary about depression that i got from the library, because that's just what i do. i thought this definition was nice. well, nice doesn't seem to be a fitting word, but you know what i mean. it's not the kind of definition you'll find in Websters, void of emotion & personal experience.
Thank You Mother Nature...
...for helping a sister out.
my to-do list was as follows before i woke up to cloudy/cool/breezy weather:
now i can really focus on some important things.
(not that johnny & june aren't important!!! but considering they don't even know this park exists... i think i'll be ok)
sit by the pool & work on my tan while catching up on gossip magstake the dogs to the dog park & let them run around- other stuff
Mmmmm...
my jaw hurts because i just chewed my chocolate donut so fast.
think woodchipper.
woodchipper? my mouth.
unfortunate tree? my donut.
does this mean Chocoholics Anonymous is in my future??
think woodchipper.
woodchipper? my mouth.
unfortunate tree? my donut.
does this mean Chocoholics Anonymous is in my future??
The Last Song
My co-worker Amy & i had been trying to go see this Nicholas Sparks movie starring Miley Cyrus. Well really, we'd been trying to see Dear John, another N.S. movie, but that came & went thru theaters before we could line up our schedules. So we were trying to see this flick instead. I was dragging my feet a bit, i'll admit. I'm not a huge Miley fan & she'd gotten horrible reviews to boot. Plus I hadn't read the book yet. I usually read Nicholas Sparks books before they come to the big screen. But i'd made the discovery that after reading 7 of his novels, i'm just not a fan of his books. He is the exception to the rule, for me anyway. I think his films are better than his writing. I have never cried in any of the 7 books. I just don't get emotionally invested like i do when i watch his work translated to film.
Anyway an improptu plan fell together to go the theater after our shifts on saturday night.
It was a beautiful movie... it really was. On a sidenote, I sobbed. If i'd been alone, it would have been audible.
It was filmed on Tybee Island in Georgia- only 20 minutes from Savannah & the surrounding area. Zane & I actually were in Savannah when they were filming last June. (just a little fun fact). The way they embodied the charm of southern beach towns is amazing. the beautiful imagery made me fall a little deeper in love with the south, it's true. The house they used is described as being a character of it's own & i couldn't agree more. it even has a name: "Andy's Cottage." Wikipedia also told me that Miley Cyrus learned to play classical piano for the film. Gotta give her serious props for that.
So when Ash comes to see me at the end of the month, we're going to take a road trip & explore tybee island. see the light house & the beautiful beaches. maybe some plantations in the area. & of course we'll see savannah too. there is a vintage boutique in the movie called Terra Cotta that i'm dying to get to.
I am beyond excited for some long over due girl time & adventure.
Anyway an improptu plan fell together to go the theater after our shifts on saturday night.
It was a beautiful movie... it really was. On a sidenote, I sobbed. If i'd been alone, it would have been audible.
It was filmed on Tybee Island in Georgia- only 20 minutes from Savannah & the surrounding area. Zane & I actually were in Savannah when they were filming last June. (just a little fun fact). The way they embodied the charm of southern beach towns is amazing. the beautiful imagery made me fall a little deeper in love with the south, it's true. The house they used is described as being a character of it's own & i couldn't agree more. it even has a name: "Andy's Cottage." Wikipedia also told me that Miley Cyrus learned to play classical piano for the film. Gotta give her serious props for that.
So when Ash comes to see me at the end of the month, we're going to take a road trip & explore tybee island. see the light house & the beautiful beaches. maybe some plantations in the area. & of course we'll see savannah too. there is a vintage boutique in the movie called Terra Cotta that i'm dying to get to.
I am beyond excited for some long over due girl time & adventure.
Project Rathbun Living Room
i have been feeling uninspired. not like myself. i haven't had the energy or desire even, to decorate our apartment since we moved in december, almost 5 months ago now.
the only room i've really touched is our bedroom- our only real haven from the world.
but i feel ready now. this is a new chapter.
i've settled on a print that will inspire the feel of the living room. the artist is sam toft. we have two of his prints in our bedroom & i really love them. his characters are endearing to me: doris, ernest, horace & stripes. they are a plump, sweet family. so when i found this print, i knew it was perfect.
it was settled when i discovered the title: "home from home." (& of course zane's seal of approval settled the matter as well).
i think "home from home" captures how we feel about florida nicely.
& it quite possibly could be the closest i ever come to having a retro-esque trailer in my life. zane is not fond of them in the physical form. he'd rather have a mick jagger type rockstar motorhome when it comes to recreational vehicles.
4.08.2010
9-5s
sometimes i get dragged down by the monotony of my jobs. i have both of them in order to break up the idea of 40-some-odd hours in.one.location. (ew) but even still... both jobs are basically repeating the same phrases/speeches/&/or tasks over & over & over again. & over & over. & quite honestly i get bored. i know, that's what you get when you skip the whole college thing & don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining. i appreciate my jobs very much. any presence, no matter how small, of mental sanity, is enough to be very grateful to have both of my jobs. but i'm just saying. sometimes i'm sitting in my office. or folding yet another stack of clothing & i'm just a million miles away, wondering what i'm doing exactly.
& another element to this post that needs to be said before i make my point... i think i may have touched on it before. but it's funny how people assume things about a person based on what they're paid to do. let me make it clear that just because i work at banana republic & a fitness club does not mean that i am a stylist & fit. please do not ask me to pick out outfits for your daughter or the photoshoot your doing. it makes me incredibly nervous. & thank you for thinking that i'm a gym rat because i work here. unfortunately looks are quite deceiving. i break like every rule in the book that we promote in our type of facility, trust me. if you want someone to tell you how hard it is to get your butt out of bed & sweat your socks off, then i am definitely your girl. i mean i'll cheer you on, but i'll also be the one standing in heels & not sweating. & when you leave i'm going to drink mt. dew & cupcakes in my office.
but then you have days where stephanie steps into your office. she is special to me. i gave her an orientation when i was still on the floor. she was wearing head to toe pink & she had wild crazy curls. classic case of mom wanting to get back in shape. she is the mother of twin boys, age 2. two little heart breakers with personalities to die for. they are wild little monkeys. runners. escape artists. & they run in opposite directions. the stuff of heart attacks for sure. but their favorite phrase is "be right back." because they know that their mama will "be right back" to get them when she is done doing her mommy workout. & they repeat it to each other over & over again. to watch the love between these 3 is really just precious. & she steps into my office the other day to ask me if she can use our scale in the PT office. i tell her that of course she can. so she comes back in the office with a big victorious grin & says: "anna i've lost 17 lbs!" & you can just see how good she feels because she's glowing. to see someone work as hard as she has, and to watch her energy change, is truly inspiring.
so is ray. he comes in multiple times a week. a senior citizen. and he walks on the treadmills & uses the recumbant bikes with his oxygen tank thing on his back. & he always has a big smile on his face. his dedication makes my heart soar.
john makes me smile too. we trade advice from our therapists across my desk. we have heart-to-hearts. we trade books. his willingness to make himself so vulnerable to the world as he struggles thru the drama of life makes me want to try harder.
or like yesterday my crazy boss was chattering away to me as i was filing on his office floor. telling me about very specific live oak trees i need to hug because it will re-energize me & cool state parks in the local area where i need to have picnic lunches with zane. and he'll excitably report things like: "i haven't watched tv in 4 weeks!" (he thinks it's really cool that z&i don't have a tv). & that: "pop music definitely lowers your IQ." i just had to be silent on that one. my IQ level must be somewhere near the core of the earth by now if thats the case. we talked about the granny that came in the other day with a portable cassette player, and our first cassettes we ever purchased. & how much i wanted to just squeeze her for rocking that cassette player.
tom the owner & i laughed with crazy eddie, the maintenance man. him + a chainsaw + hedges + A.D.D. = hiiilarious. & scariness. he's a sweetheart, but eccentric.
so i guess what i'm saying is... the moments that get me down are trumped by the moments that remind me that life is beautiful. odd, definitely. chaotic, sometimes. funny, most of the time. crazy indeed. but beautiful all the same.
& another element to this post that needs to be said before i make my point... i think i may have touched on it before. but it's funny how people assume things about a person based on what they're paid to do. let me make it clear that just because i work at banana republic & a fitness club does not mean that i am a stylist & fit. please do not ask me to pick out outfits for your daughter or the photoshoot your doing. it makes me incredibly nervous. & thank you for thinking that i'm a gym rat because i work here. unfortunately looks are quite deceiving. i break like every rule in the book that we promote in our type of facility, trust me. if you want someone to tell you how hard it is to get your butt out of bed & sweat your socks off, then i am definitely your girl. i mean i'll cheer you on, but i'll also be the one standing in heels & not sweating. & when you leave i'm going to drink mt. dew & cupcakes in my office.
but then you have days where stephanie steps into your office. she is special to me. i gave her an orientation when i was still on the floor. she was wearing head to toe pink & she had wild crazy curls. classic case of mom wanting to get back in shape. she is the mother of twin boys, age 2. two little heart breakers with personalities to die for. they are wild little monkeys. runners. escape artists. & they run in opposite directions. the stuff of heart attacks for sure. but their favorite phrase is "be right back." because they know that their mama will "be right back" to get them when she is done doing her mommy workout. & they repeat it to each other over & over again. to watch the love between these 3 is really just precious. & she steps into my office the other day to ask me if she can use our scale in the PT office. i tell her that of course she can. so she comes back in the office with a big victorious grin & says: "anna i've lost 17 lbs!" & you can just see how good she feels because she's glowing. to see someone work as hard as she has, and to watch her energy change, is truly inspiring.
so is ray. he comes in multiple times a week. a senior citizen. and he walks on the treadmills & uses the recumbant bikes with his oxygen tank thing on his back. & he always has a big smile on his face. his dedication makes my heart soar.
john makes me smile too. we trade advice from our therapists across my desk. we have heart-to-hearts. we trade books. his willingness to make himself so vulnerable to the world as he struggles thru the drama of life makes me want to try harder.
or like yesterday my crazy boss was chattering away to me as i was filing on his office floor. telling me about very specific live oak trees i need to hug because it will re-energize me & cool state parks in the local area where i need to have picnic lunches with zane. and he'll excitably report things like: "i haven't watched tv in 4 weeks!" (he thinks it's really cool that z&i don't have a tv). & that: "pop music definitely lowers your IQ." i just had to be silent on that one. my IQ level must be somewhere near the core of the earth by now if thats the case. we talked about the granny that came in the other day with a portable cassette player, and our first cassettes we ever purchased. & how much i wanted to just squeeze her for rocking that cassette player.
tom the owner & i laughed with crazy eddie, the maintenance man. him + a chainsaw + hedges + A.D.D. = hiiilarious. & scariness. he's a sweetheart, but eccentric.
so i guess what i'm saying is... the moments that get me down are trumped by the moments that remind me that life is beautiful. odd, definitely. chaotic, sometimes. funny, most of the time. crazy indeed. but beautiful all the same.
4.05.2010
today
today was a GREAT day.
i finally asked my boss lady if i could have mondays off. so today was my first monday off. to have two days off in a row feels extremely exhilirating, like i belong to the land of the living.
it was perfect timing with getting the dogs just yesterday & all too, so they wouldn't have to be alone on their first day.
i did run some errands this afternoon so they were alone for almost 4 hours. johnny cried. i could hear him three floors down in the parking lot. it broke my heart. but i made myself leave because we need them to get accustomed to alone time. i was seriously doubting getting two dogs in the beginning, but now i'm sooo glad we did. they need each others company.
zane had a closing shift so we planned on sleeping in together, but we both were wide awake before 8 am. we got up & assessed the damage the dogs perhaps created during the night, but weirdly the room was exactly as we'd left it when we shut our eyes to sleep. whew.
we took the kids out for a walk. junebug hates the grass, so she pees on the concrete. kinda funny.
it felt really nice to not sleep the day away & get up & go outside first thing.
then we packed j&j in the car and went to starbucks. they were such good little children. it's amazing how approachable they make us. we sat next to an older couple who rescued some dogs of their own. they asked us when we'd gotten them. they were shocked when we told them yesterday. they commented on how calm they are. strangers think they're calm... that's how calm they are. we got sooo lucky.
then we took them to petsmart & got ms. june a harness. she doesn't really know how to walk on a leash & she chokes herself, so we decided a harness would be better. it's working like a charm too.
we took zane to work & took them in again to see more of his co-workers who'd missed them yesterday. they were a hit.
i picked up lunch for zane & i after my errand running & we went to check on the dogs. they were so good. the house was completely in tact. no messes. just wagging tails greeting us at the door.
i'm kinda gushing i know. i might lose one or two of my three readers, lol. what can i say? we love em!
i finally asked my boss lady if i could have mondays off. so today was my first monday off. to have two days off in a row feels extremely exhilirating, like i belong to the land of the living.
it was perfect timing with getting the dogs just yesterday & all too, so they wouldn't have to be alone on their first day.
i did run some errands this afternoon so they were alone for almost 4 hours. johnny cried. i could hear him three floors down in the parking lot. it broke my heart. but i made myself leave because we need them to get accustomed to alone time. i was seriously doubting getting two dogs in the beginning, but now i'm sooo glad we did. they need each others company.
zane had a closing shift so we planned on sleeping in together, but we both were wide awake before 8 am. we got up & assessed the damage the dogs perhaps created during the night, but weirdly the room was exactly as we'd left it when we shut our eyes to sleep. whew.
we took the kids out for a walk. junebug hates the grass, so she pees on the concrete. kinda funny.
it felt really nice to not sleep the day away & get up & go outside first thing.
then we packed j&j in the car and went to starbucks. they were such good little children. it's amazing how approachable they make us. we sat next to an older couple who rescued some dogs of their own. they asked us when we'd gotten them. they were shocked when we told them yesterday. they commented on how calm they are. strangers think they're calm... that's how calm they are. we got sooo lucky.
then we took them to petsmart & got ms. june a harness. she doesn't really know how to walk on a leash & she chokes herself, so we decided a harness would be better. it's working like a charm too.
we took zane to work & took them in again to see more of his co-workers who'd missed them yesterday. they were a hit.
i picked up lunch for zane & i after my errand running & we went to check on the dogs. they were so good. the house was completely in tact. no messes. just wagging tails greeting us at the door.
i'm kinda gushing i know. i might lose one or two of my three readers, lol. what can i say? we love em!
you knew they were comin!
ok everybody say: "AWWWWwwww...." =)
gorgeous pic i know. it's sole purpose is to show off my sunburn!
i love how...
...florida can go from this:
to this:
cos i love both kinds of days.
spring is here. that means everything is gorgeous & green! & that also means... that i saw my first cochroach of the season. you win some, you lose some. the bugs should be better this year because of our cold winter. fingers are crossed! we also have to worry about mosquitos giving our babies heart worm now. yikes!
on a side note... i got my first sun burn of the season. picture in next post. i am very excited about this burn. it means summer is coming & the future is sunny & hot!=)
thinking out loud
a dangerous thing, i know.
but laying in bed last night. two sweet dogs snuggled between zane & i... zane's hand in mine. it's hard to not love our life here, this life that we've created for ourselves in florida. it feels sorda awesome.
i can honestly say that when we took the plunge & moved across the nation that we had no idea what we were doing. all that we knew was that we needed to get out & have an adventure.
& the first couple years were a struggle trying to grow up some & figure out what we were doing. but it was a beautiful struggle. we've learned so much about life & each other. it's an experience i wouldn't trade for the world.
we never set a time frame of how long we'd stay here, but it never seemed permanent. but a month into our 3rd year here & home seems closer & closer all the time because "home" has become this place we live in.
i just felt so present last night laying next to the man i love. i don't feel this pull to go back to where we came from. i feel so good just being right here.
i know that will probably change when kids become a more pressing issue. but right now we're focusing on being 22 & married & kids are no where on the horizon. unless of course you count the dogs, which in our family we do.
lately i have more moments where i'm just utterly struck by how much this place has grown on me. it's scary how much i've started to love sunshine. a part of my heart & soul will always always feel a connection with seattle, mountains & rainy days. but i also feel myself feeling more & more dependent on sunshine. it's very strange.
everytime i drive into jacksonville, the largest city in the US. 800 sqaure miles of city. everytime i look at pictures of our trip down to miami & watch episodes of csi: miami & remember this vibrant colorful city. everytime i drive down to the beach & think fondly of our year & a half living across the street from the beautiful atlantic... i fall a little deeper in love with this state. & to think... there is so much undiscovered too.
the distance from everything familiar was a major selling point in the beginning & then it grew into a source of pain & then we grew to love our isolation again. i don't mean that in a harsh way, but it's just who we are. we quite simply like to be on our own.
we also have a responsibility here. one that i have wrestled with quite frankly. i haven't been to meeting in a couple months & tho i want to go back soon, i don't know when i'll feel ready to take part, but zane has been going as much as work allows him to, and our worker has asked him to share responsibility leading the bible study every other week. it scares me. it's an honor, but it scares me. we are the youngest couple within two hours in any direction. we are a rest stop in the middle of two fields.
when we were with sarah & terry last month, we told them that eventually we'd probably move to arizona to have babies & be near my family. sarah, who famously says exactly what she's thinking says: "why?! they need you here! you can't leave!" i brushed it off. but my initial reaction was to fire back & say "hey now sister." but they were workers so they think like workers so i'm more willing to bite my tongue. but i'm not comfortable being told that i have to stay here or there. but if i'm being honest, she's right. so for now we stay. & i'm so happy to report that i'm really honestly happy about that. the future is unknown & the end of florida is no where in sight. and for now that is o.k. by me.
but laying in bed last night. two sweet dogs snuggled between zane & i... zane's hand in mine. it's hard to not love our life here, this life that we've created for ourselves in florida. it feels sorda awesome.
i can honestly say that when we took the plunge & moved across the nation that we had no idea what we were doing. all that we knew was that we needed to get out & have an adventure.
& the first couple years were a struggle trying to grow up some & figure out what we were doing. but it was a beautiful struggle. we've learned so much about life & each other. it's an experience i wouldn't trade for the world.
we never set a time frame of how long we'd stay here, but it never seemed permanent. but a month into our 3rd year here & home seems closer & closer all the time because "home" has become this place we live in.
i just felt so present last night laying next to the man i love. i don't feel this pull to go back to where we came from. i feel so good just being right here.
i know that will probably change when kids become a more pressing issue. but right now we're focusing on being 22 & married & kids are no where on the horizon. unless of course you count the dogs, which in our family we do.
lately i have more moments where i'm just utterly struck by how much this place has grown on me. it's scary how much i've started to love sunshine. a part of my heart & soul will always always feel a connection with seattle, mountains & rainy days. but i also feel myself feeling more & more dependent on sunshine. it's very strange.
everytime i drive into jacksonville, the largest city in the US. 800 sqaure miles of city. everytime i look at pictures of our trip down to miami & watch episodes of csi: miami & remember this vibrant colorful city. everytime i drive down to the beach & think fondly of our year & a half living across the street from the beautiful atlantic... i fall a little deeper in love with this state. & to think... there is so much undiscovered too.
the distance from everything familiar was a major selling point in the beginning & then it grew into a source of pain & then we grew to love our isolation again. i don't mean that in a harsh way, but it's just who we are. we quite simply like to be on our own.
we also have a responsibility here. one that i have wrestled with quite frankly. i haven't been to meeting in a couple months & tho i want to go back soon, i don't know when i'll feel ready to take part, but zane has been going as much as work allows him to, and our worker has asked him to share responsibility leading the bible study every other week. it scares me. it's an honor, but it scares me. we are the youngest couple within two hours in any direction. we are a rest stop in the middle of two fields.
when we were with sarah & terry last month, we told them that eventually we'd probably move to arizona to have babies & be near my family. sarah, who famously says exactly what she's thinking says: "why?! they need you here! you can't leave!" i brushed it off. but my initial reaction was to fire back & say "hey now sister." but they were workers so they think like workers so i'm more willing to bite my tongue. but i'm not comfortable being told that i have to stay here or there. but if i'm being honest, she's right. so for now we stay. & i'm so happy to report that i'm really honestly happy about that. the future is unknown & the end of florida is no where in sight. and for now that is o.k. by me.
fun things
i love to come across fun things that make me say: "wow!" like these:
um, i love cupcakes & i definitely love dr. suess. sooo how GREAT are these!? the hair is cotton candy! http://kitchendoughdough.blogspot.com/2009/07/thing-1-and-thing-2-cupcakes.html
i would never want this as my room, there are way too many possibilities of drowning... but how cool is it!? (found this on hgtv.com)
4.04.2010
Tail Wagging Goodness!
Approved & Adopted y'all!
We are now a proud nerdy family of 4.
Junebug is the sweetest middle-aged lady dog you ever did see. She warmed up to us in no time & is perfectly content to snuggle right up to us & just "Be." Her position of choice is back down/paws up in the air.
Johnny is this big beefy dude & he's still trying to figure this all out. He whines whenever Zane & i aren't in the same room. It's kinda adorable.
They did so good on their first car trip. They were both calm & unexcitable. We laid a blanket out in the backseat, but they both made their way to the front seat with us & just laid on our laps.
They both have weak legs so can't do stairs or jump up & down off couches & in & out of cars. Well let me rephrase that, they caaaaan, but they shouldn't because it aggravates their arthiritis. So these pampered pooches get to take the elevator. Zane is thrilled about that.
Johnny is a "talker." I'm not sure how else to describe it. If he's laying down, you can bet that he'll be mumbling & groaning & jabbering under his breath in no time. It's HI-larious.
Zane pranced them around Lowe's. He is a ridiculously proud papa.
We took them down to the beach after Z's shift this evening. We didn't realize it, but the section of the beach we found a parking spot at didn't allow dogs on it, so we just stayed on the boardwalk. They did pretty good. They're not exactly leash saavy yet, but we made good progress. & we found out they don't get too excited by other dogs. Yay for non-yippers! Johnny barked only one time when another dog got right in his face. We had to stop every few steps & let some kid pet "the weiner dogs!" They aren't too interested in strangers, but the strangers sure gravitate to them.
My Mom asked me if i was "giddy?" I told her that I think i'm too nervous to be giddy to be honest.
Ms. June Carter has to have her food floating in water, as this is the only way she'll drink water. She won't drink out of a bowl. But she'll drink all of the water out of her food & then eat her food. funny stuff. & she had to have her vitamin disguised in shredded mozzerella tonight.
I'm still nervous. But they are pretty sweet little things. & to see the joy behind the smile seemingly permanently plastered on my husbands face is worth whatever crazy ride this is going to entail.
We are now a proud nerdy family of 4.
Junebug is the sweetest middle-aged lady dog you ever did see. She warmed up to us in no time & is perfectly content to snuggle right up to us & just "Be." Her position of choice is back down/paws up in the air.
Johnny is this big beefy dude & he's still trying to figure this all out. He whines whenever Zane & i aren't in the same room. It's kinda adorable.
They did so good on their first car trip. They were both calm & unexcitable. We laid a blanket out in the backseat, but they both made their way to the front seat with us & just laid on our laps.
They both have weak legs so can't do stairs or jump up & down off couches & in & out of cars. Well let me rephrase that, they caaaaan, but they shouldn't because it aggravates their arthiritis. So these pampered pooches get to take the elevator. Zane is thrilled about that.
Johnny is a "talker." I'm not sure how else to describe it. If he's laying down, you can bet that he'll be mumbling & groaning & jabbering under his breath in no time. It's HI-larious.
Zane pranced them around Lowe's. He is a ridiculously proud papa.
We took them down to the beach after Z's shift this evening. We didn't realize it, but the section of the beach we found a parking spot at didn't allow dogs on it, so we just stayed on the boardwalk. They did pretty good. They're not exactly leash saavy yet, but we made good progress. & we found out they don't get too excited by other dogs. Yay for non-yippers! Johnny barked only one time when another dog got right in his face. We had to stop every few steps & let some kid pet "the weiner dogs!" They aren't too interested in strangers, but the strangers sure gravitate to them.
My Mom asked me if i was "giddy?" I told her that I think i'm too nervous to be giddy to be honest.
Ms. June Carter has to have her food floating in water, as this is the only way she'll drink water. She won't drink out of a bowl. But she'll drink all of the water out of her food & then eat her food. funny stuff. & she had to have her vitamin disguised in shredded mozzerella tonight.
I'm still nervous. But they are pretty sweet little things. & to see the joy behind the smile seemingly permanently plastered on my husbands face is worth whatever crazy ride this is going to entail.
4.02.2010
dog update
so we finally got the call we've been waiting for, the call to set up the appointment for the home visit to see if we qualify as doggie parentals. & we found out that she will be bringing two of flo's roomies: sal & hutch.
so if we're approved, the dogs will get to stay with us. no no, we won't be keeping all three. not sure yet which two will stay. flo & one of the boys tho=)
so excited! zane is shopping right now for important doggies things like food & leashes & such.
so if we're approved, the dogs will get to stay with us. no no, we won't be keeping all three. not sure yet which two will stay. flo & one of the boys tho=)
so excited! zane is shopping right now for important doggies things like food & leashes & such.
meet flo: 9.5 year old girl. soon to be june carter cash-rathbun
meet sal: thought to be 4 or 5 years old. soon to be johnny cash rathbun
sal picture #2. aww...
so pix of hutch wouldn't download. is that a sign?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)