Okay, so my Snow White dream of being surrounded by animals that had pretty much come true with the adoption of our second dog and without the birds and bunnies has been somewhat shattered.
We gave Cooper back. It was very sad. I cried a lot leading up to it. I doubted my decision, affirmed my decision, doubted again, reaffirmed, and then drove him back Monday.
He is a very sweet dog. He did nothing to bother the kids. He became afraid of the cats after trying to hunt them the first couple days. He was fine with Daisy. What was the problem then you ask?
He is a hound dog.
He would sleep all day and get his energy up at night. It didn't matter how much I would take him outside during the day. He loved the night time when we were all settling in, doing bedtime, etc. Not only that when he was outside he would catch a scent, lock in on it, and bark and bark and bark and bark. I would distract him for a minute, and then he would go right back to it. It was hard.
I don't think he was made to live in the suburbs.
So, I drove him back Monday knowing I was doing the best thing for all of us. Since we got him from a Rescue (http://www.camppapillon.org/ - they are wonderful!) he was in a foster home. The couple who had him was willing to take him back even though they now have 9 (yes 9) dogs in their house including Cooper.
I drove up to Stroudsburg, PA and was meeting Bob at the Red Robin there. I had a few minutes to walk Cooper around while we waited. Next thing a car pulls up, out jumps Bob who says, "Cooper!! Hey Cooper!" Cooper goes running over to him and you would not believe the love-fest that took place. Hair was flying off Cooper while Bob petted him and told him his bed was all ready for him at home, hunting season was starting, they were going to go shop for coal before they headed home, etc. They were having a nice little reunion. It did my heart good.
I still cried as Bob and I were agreeing on how Cooper was such a cool dog. It's always hard to say good-bye.
I wanted it to work out. I really did. He and Daisy looked nice together. Although you should have seen when I would try to walk the two of them at once. Yikes. Let's just say it was good it would be dark by the time I could walk them. What a comedy of errors!
So, if any one reads this and is looking for a really cool, adorable, hound dog, contact Camp Papillon Rescue. They'll hook you up.
In the meantime I will be enjoying my sweet Daisy who is just happy to be snuggled and taken outside every now and then.
(Word of Advice: Don't plan to give a dog away during a week of pms. The emotions that are already there come out in full force and it gets down right ugly at times. Trust me on this one.)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Elijah Quotes
Here are a few Elijah quotes ...
This morning I had Elijah take Dan his socks. We had just pulled them out of the dryer ... "Here you go Papa! Here are your socks all fresh and clean!" I didn't even tell him they were clean. I was still in my morning fog. I just handed them to him and asked him to take them to Dan. Elijah just wakes up with such joy in the mornings while the rest of us find our joy later in the day and at night when we should be going to bed :P
Last weekend we celebrated mine and Madelyn's b-days. My Mom brought each of them a white chocolate ghost shaped lollipop. Well, I guess it wasn't what Elijah though it was going to be. You should have seen the look on his face when he bit it. You would have thought we fed him liver. Then he says with a pained expression, "I can't eat that gross lollipop. It makes me sick. Mommy, I need some milk!"
Last night Dan had the kids while I was at Bible Study. Madelyn was trying to guess his age. After a while she figured out he is 35. Elijah said, "35! What a cool age!" ... Yeah, I have no idea why or where that came from, but it made Dan feel good :)
There are so many things I've been wanting to blog about, but haven't been able to! I'm hoping to write more soon.
This morning I had Elijah take Dan his socks. We had just pulled them out of the dryer ... "Here you go Papa! Here are your socks all fresh and clean!" I didn't even tell him they were clean. I was still in my morning fog. I just handed them to him and asked him to take them to Dan. Elijah just wakes up with such joy in the mornings while the rest of us find our joy later in the day and at night when we should be going to bed :P
Last weekend we celebrated mine and Madelyn's b-days. My Mom brought each of them a white chocolate ghost shaped lollipop. Well, I guess it wasn't what Elijah though it was going to be. You should have seen the look on his face when he bit it. You would have thought we fed him liver. Then he says with a pained expression, "I can't eat that gross lollipop. It makes me sick. Mommy, I need some milk!"
Last night Dan had the kids while I was at Bible Study. Madelyn was trying to guess his age. After a while she figured out he is 35. Elijah said, "35! What a cool age!" ... Yeah, I have no idea why or where that came from, but it made Dan feel good :)
There are so many things I've been wanting to blog about, but haven't been able to! I'm hoping to write more soon.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
"Elijah was so brave!"
One evening the kids were playing upstairs while Dan and I were actually able to have a decent conversation at the kitchen table.
Madelyn comes running downstairs exclaiming, "Mommy, Papa, Elijah was so brave! He got a stink bug out of my room and flushed it all by himself!" Yay! We are so proud of our brave boy who then ends up running into the room buck naked exclaiming, "I got the stink bug all by myself!" .... Ummm ... "Elijah you are naked." "I WENT POTTY!!!"
Yes. You gotta love potty-training. Elijah will go potty downstairs. We clean him up and send him upstairs for a pullup. Usually about a half hour later he will come back downstairs still wearing just his shirt. He gets sidetracked quite easily by books, toys, the sunshine, you name it. It doesn't take much.
So, who knows how long he had been playing fully naked. Why this doesn't bother Madelyn will continue to amaze me. It's like it's just no big deal.
Even after all this they run along and continue playing. Still, Elijah has no clothes on.
I love my kids.
Madelyn comes running downstairs exclaiming, "Mommy, Papa, Elijah was so brave! He got a stink bug out of my room and flushed it all by himself!" Yay! We are so proud of our brave boy who then ends up running into the room buck naked exclaiming, "I got the stink bug all by myself!" .... Ummm ... "Elijah you are naked." "I WENT POTTY!!!"
Yes. You gotta love potty-training. Elijah will go potty downstairs. We clean him up and send him upstairs for a pullup. Usually about a half hour later he will come back downstairs still wearing just his shirt. He gets sidetracked quite easily by books, toys, the sunshine, you name it. It doesn't take much.
So, who knows how long he had been playing fully naked. Why this doesn't bother Madelyn will continue to amaze me. It's like it's just no big deal.
Even after all this they run along and continue playing. Still, Elijah has no clothes on.
I love my kids.
My Trip to Georgia
I had a long weekend planned. I was going to GA to visit my sisters-in-law Pam, and Susan, a total girl's weekend. I dropped the kids off with Dan Friday afternoon, got directions, and headed to the airport. Little did I know this was only the beginning of a what would be a LONG night ...
I misread the directions and missed my exit. No big deal right? I call Dan and he tells me to stay on the turnpike until I reach 95 south. Easy.
Well, then I see a sign for Rt 1 that also says "to 95" so I think, "Well, this is closer and will take me to 95 too." So, I take the exit. Lots of red lights, lots of traffic, but lo and behold I see a sign that reads "Next Left N. E. Philadelphia Airport." Hallelujah! I'm on the right track!
Wrong. It's some rinky dink airport that does not have my Delta flight leaving at 6 pm :(
I call Dan again. After getting over the fact that I didn't follow his directions, he tells me I am on the right track. I will be on 95 south soon, but will be north of the city so I am definitely going to miss my flight.
Sitting in traffic, trying to call Delta, but not getting through, I call my mom. She tried to find out if there was another flight going out that night. She couldn't really give me much info, but I told her she might be seeing me that night because she lives closer to the airport than I do and I know how to get to her house from the airport!
I finally arrive, park, wait for the shuttle. It doesn't come. I then see that there is a phone in the booth where I can call Delta and find out if it's even worth going into the airport. I get in touch with a representative and the shuttle comes. Argh.
Fifty dollars later I am on a new flight. I head to the airport, but not before the man waiting for the shuttle with me makes a comment about me being 18. Aw. That was nice being that I turn 32 this week.
Okay, I reach my gate. I call Dan to let him know what I am doing. I hear they are boarding so I hang up with Dan, run to get a drink, and hit the bathroom, when I hear them call my name!! AHHHH! I run from the bathroom to the gate. They send me through the gateway. Next thing I know I am outside, and I see no plane! "What?? The plane left me!" I peak over the edge and a man waves me down the stairs. At this point I am wondering where they are going to take me. Turns out the plane was on the other side. It was a smaller commuter plane where you have to walk up the steps.
So, after nearly missing my second flight I call Dan again. He then tells me not to step foot off of the plane now that I am on it.
It gets better.
I arrive in Atlanta a half hour early at 9:30 pm. I check my messages to find out that Susan is picking me up instead of Pam so I call Susan. Turns out she isn't going to be driving through Atlanta until 11 or 11:30. She forgot there was a time change from TN (where she was coming from) to GA. Just what I want, more time at an airport.
It's okay though because I didn't pick up my suitcase outside of the plane like I was supposed to. I make my way all the way down to baggage claim only to realize I made a big mistake.
Atlanta's airport is huge. There was no way I was making my way back to the gate at that point. So, I start the search for where my bag will end up. 45 minutes later I find it. I still have about an hour to wait for Susan so I start to look for a place to eat and plug in my cell phone which is about to die.
Things are looking up. I have food in my belly. My cell has juice again, and Susan arrives soon after.
We're driving along, catching up, and oh we have to pull over to get the directions out of the back. Okay, we are driving along, catching up, and oh we are getting pulled over by a police officer.
"Susan, were you speeding??"
"No. I just saw the speed limit sign said 70. I wasn't speeding."
"Do you have a tail light out?"
"No. We just got it fixed!"
"Are you sure you weren't speeding?"
The officer comes to my side shining his flashlight in our faces. My window doesn't roll down so I open the door. He asks us where we are headed. Susan says, "Georgia." We are in GA. So, I say, "We are seeing family in Fortson" just as Susan says, "Oh, we are in GA."
The officer then says, "Are you aware you have a headlight out?"
"Yes."
"You just haven't had time to fix it?"
"No. Next paycheck."
"Oh, I understand that." Pauses. "Okay ladies. Keep it safe." (Or something typical for an officer to say when he's letting you off the hook for breaking the law - yes Susan you were breaking the law ;)
Whew! That was close, but really. I had the directions on my lap, my "Marley & Me" book I was reading in plain view. How much trouble can two girls be getting into when we are headed to GA while being in GA, and reading puppy dog books?
At this point I'm thinking we should just stay in for the weekend and order delivery foods because I am afraid of what might happen next.
We go on to have a great weekend together with only a few "oopsies" with Vern's truck, some ants trying to take over Susan's car, and a bout of diarrhea to take home with me.
All in all good times and great memories. I have been blessed with great families on both sides.
I misread the directions and missed my exit. No big deal right? I call Dan and he tells me to stay on the turnpike until I reach 95 south. Easy.
Well, then I see a sign for Rt 1 that also says "to 95" so I think, "Well, this is closer and will take me to 95 too." So, I take the exit. Lots of red lights, lots of traffic, but lo and behold I see a sign that reads "Next Left N. E. Philadelphia Airport." Hallelujah! I'm on the right track!
Wrong. It's some rinky dink airport that does not have my Delta flight leaving at 6 pm :(
I call Dan again. After getting over the fact that I didn't follow his directions, he tells me I am on the right track. I will be on 95 south soon, but will be north of the city so I am definitely going to miss my flight.
Sitting in traffic, trying to call Delta, but not getting through, I call my mom. She tried to find out if there was another flight going out that night. She couldn't really give me much info, but I told her she might be seeing me that night because she lives closer to the airport than I do and I know how to get to her house from the airport!
I finally arrive, park, wait for the shuttle. It doesn't come. I then see that there is a phone in the booth where I can call Delta and find out if it's even worth going into the airport. I get in touch with a representative and the shuttle comes. Argh.
Fifty dollars later I am on a new flight. I head to the airport, but not before the man waiting for the shuttle with me makes a comment about me being 18. Aw. That was nice being that I turn 32 this week.
Okay, I reach my gate. I call Dan to let him know what I am doing. I hear they are boarding so I hang up with Dan, run to get a drink, and hit the bathroom, when I hear them call my name!! AHHHH! I run from the bathroom to the gate. They send me through the gateway. Next thing I know I am outside, and I see no plane! "What?? The plane left me!" I peak over the edge and a man waves me down the stairs. At this point I am wondering where they are going to take me. Turns out the plane was on the other side. It was a smaller commuter plane where you have to walk up the steps.
So, after nearly missing my second flight I call Dan again. He then tells me not to step foot off of the plane now that I am on it.
It gets better.
I arrive in Atlanta a half hour early at 9:30 pm. I check my messages to find out that Susan is picking me up instead of Pam so I call Susan. Turns out she isn't going to be driving through Atlanta until 11 or 11:30. She forgot there was a time change from TN (where she was coming from) to GA. Just what I want, more time at an airport.
It's okay though because I didn't pick up my suitcase outside of the plane like I was supposed to. I make my way all the way down to baggage claim only to realize I made a big mistake.
Atlanta's airport is huge. There was no way I was making my way back to the gate at that point. So, I start the search for where my bag will end up. 45 minutes later I find it. I still have about an hour to wait for Susan so I start to look for a place to eat and plug in my cell phone which is about to die.
Things are looking up. I have food in my belly. My cell has juice again, and Susan arrives soon after.
We're driving along, catching up, and oh we have to pull over to get the directions out of the back. Okay, we are driving along, catching up, and oh we are getting pulled over by a police officer.
"Susan, were you speeding??"
"No. I just saw the speed limit sign said 70. I wasn't speeding."
"Do you have a tail light out?"
"No. We just got it fixed!"
"Are you sure you weren't speeding?"
The officer comes to my side shining his flashlight in our faces. My window doesn't roll down so I open the door. He asks us where we are headed. Susan says, "Georgia." We are in GA. So, I say, "We are seeing family in Fortson" just as Susan says, "Oh, we are in GA."
The officer then says, "Are you aware you have a headlight out?"
"Yes."
"You just haven't had time to fix it?"
"No. Next paycheck."
"Oh, I understand that." Pauses. "Okay ladies. Keep it safe." (Or something typical for an officer to say when he's letting you off the hook for breaking the law - yes Susan you were breaking the law ;)
Whew! That was close, but really. I had the directions on my lap, my "Marley & Me" book I was reading in plain view. How much trouble can two girls be getting into when we are headed to GA while being in GA, and reading puppy dog books?
At this point I'm thinking we should just stay in for the weekend and order delivery foods because I am afraid of what might happen next.
We go on to have a great weekend together with only a few "oopsies" with Vern's truck, some ants trying to take over Susan's car, and a bout of diarrhea to take home with me.
All in all good times and great memories. I have been blessed with great families on both sides.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Every Day ...
Every day now I drive Madelyn to school, except for the weekends of course, but every week day I take the same route to her school, two times a day.
So, this morning we head out onto that route.
Well, there's a house for sale on Main St. here in Leesport so naturally I start thinking ...
"Could I live in a house like that right on a main road?"
Then as I drive around the bend I look to my right and think ...
"Oh, there may be a yard back there. Maybe I could live there. OH and it's so close to the river. Does it flood at the house then? No. The house is up the hill, but I wonder if the sewage backed up at that house after the flood two summers ago like it did for some of the other houses near the river. hmmm ... well, I would be a minute closer to the grocery store (sidenote: the grocery store is only 5 minutes away from where we live now) ... wait, where am I going?"
At that same moment I heard Madelyn say, "Uhhhhhh?"
We drove right past the turn to go to school.
Poor Madelyn. I start laughing and she says, "How 'bout you turn around?"
Thankfully we can still get to the school without turning that way. It just take a teeny bit longer because there are lights. So, instead of taking 7 minutes to get to school it may have taken 8 or 9.
Still, not a good start to the day. I usually start losing my marbles closer to late afternoon when I would be napping if I were a toddler or senior citizen.
So, this morning we head out onto that route.
Well, there's a house for sale on Main St. here in Leesport so naturally I start thinking ...
"Could I live in a house like that right on a main road?"
Then as I drive around the bend I look to my right and think ...
"Oh, there may be a yard back there. Maybe I could live there. OH and it's so close to the river. Does it flood at the house then? No. The house is up the hill, but I wonder if the sewage backed up at that house after the flood two summers ago like it did for some of the other houses near the river. hmmm ... well, I would be a minute closer to the grocery store (sidenote: the grocery store is only 5 minutes away from where we live now) ... wait, where am I going?"
At that same moment I heard Madelyn say, "Uhhhhhh?"
We drove right past the turn to go to school.
Poor Madelyn. I start laughing and she says, "How 'bout you turn around?"
Thankfully we can still get to the school without turning that way. It just take a teeny bit longer because there are lights. So, instead of taking 7 minutes to get to school it may have taken 8 or 9.
Still, not a good start to the day. I usually start losing my marbles closer to late afternoon when I would be napping if I were a toddler or senior citizen.
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