Chelsea the FREE Dog

We are animal lovers! At our home right now there are 5 dogs, 3 potbellied pigs a rooster and a hen. Just a week ago there were only 4 dogs. This is where Chelsea comes in. Three years ago a friend of my dad's named Earl came to my parent's home while I was there. Everyone knows I am a sucker the second I hear that an animal is in need of a home. We have plenty of space so I just kind of figure why not. Earl started telling me this story about Chelsea and Glory. Glory is Chelsea's owner and has had her for 7 years, Chelsea was 8 at the time. Chelsea is a miniature schnauzer. The story in short was that Glory was moving from Utah to Washington for health reasons and she was not able to take Chelsea with her. She had been looking for a good home for Chelsea for a while with no luck and Glory was leaving the following day. After Earl told me this story I went right over to Glory's house to see if we would be the fit for Chelsea.

When you think schnauzer you think cute little groomed dog. Not Chelsea! Glory was older and was not able to take care of Chelsea properly. However she loved her like a child. I met Glory and through her tears she shared how heartbroke she was and how she desperately needed a home for Chelsea. I assured Glory that we would provide Chelsea with a loving home and made a promise to stay in touch with her. I found out that Glory was Chelsea's second owner, her son had her before. Glory took me to see Chelsea. On the grass under a tree there was a ball of grey fur. Her hair was so long you could not see her eyes. Glory hugged her and cried then gave her to me with along with her bed, food and toys. Then off we went 3rd home for Chelsea.

The first thing we did was make her an appointment with our Vet. then an appointment with the groomer. Chelsea did not smell good at all. We just figured it was because she needed groomed. After the Vet. looked her over he had a list of ailments that Chelsea had. First and most important she need surgery in her mouth. Remember the smell I mentioned. Well her mouth was full of infection and she needed it taken care of immediately. I promised we would take care of Chelsea so I booked the surgery on the spot. $600 later she had a clean bill of health. Oh did I mention she was free? We then go get her groomed and it was like we had a brand new dog! For about a year and a half Chelsea did really well. We love her to pieces and she even talks. Yes, I said she talks! She barks I Love You for a treat. It is very cute and you can't help but just love her for it. Then it all started Chelsea began bolting out the door and getting in the cows. She would come back matted in manure and sick from, well eating it. GROSS! Not good for her mouth at all. We tried as much as possible to stop her from doing this but any time the door opened she was off like lightning. She also started chasing the ducks and the other dogs followed. Needless to say we no longer have ducks! We cannot forget that when she is left in the house alone she scratches the leather couches.

We knew we were going to have to find Chelsea a new home. My husband's Aunt Sylvia came over one day and fell in love with Chelsea. PERFECT! They could spend all day together and no other animals lives would be at stake. The situation could not have been better. The past year Chelsea and Sylvia have been the best of friends. It seems that home #4 is the perfect place for Chelsea and everyone is happy. Well 2 weeks ago I get a phone call. Sylvia had a series of events happen and needed us to take Chelsea back for a while. So we went and picked her up and brought her home with us and my boy's are thrilled to have her back here. When I picked Chelsea up I had a feeling that it was going to be more permanent that a few weeks. I was right we are going to have to keep Chelsea. So far she has scratched the couches and ran off down to the hay field and could not get back. My son went and picked her up on the motorcycle and she loved the ride. Figures! It seems that fate is telling us not matter how rotten Chelsea may be home #3 and#5 are where she belongs. We will just keep her here and love her for her stinky mouth, running off, scratching our couches but most of all because she can talk! The fact that she says I Love You probably helps a little. I guess she has earned the right to do anything she wants to at this point. Anytime someone gives you a FREE dog always try to remember there is really no such thing!

To Diet or Not to Diet?

If I were to add up all of the days I have spent on a diet I probably would have been on a diet for at least 22 years of my life so far....I am only 36! You name it I have tried it. There is not plan, pill or cleanse that has not crossed my path. It is very funny if you think about it. The amount of money we spend trying to find that miracle cure is insane! There have been 2 times that I have actually lost weight and felt really good and healthy. Both times I swore I would never gain it back and I would always stick to my new routine. Right! I have decided numerous times to just accept the fact that I am pleasantly plump and I will always be. Then you see shows like The Biggest Loser and other weight loss journey's that people venture on with much success. It makes you realize that if the effort is put forth anyone can lose the weight. So what the hay is my problem?! The time and energy spent on a daily basis worrying about my appearance and weight is close to at least 1/2 of my day. The times I have decided to just accept it are when I usually get far to comfortable and gain 10+ pounds really quickly.
I am not sure why I am posting this tonight I suppose I just needed to vent for a minute. My friend and I have started a diet and exercise plan our 2nd workout was tonight. We both survived! So keep us in your thoughts we will need all of the positive energy we can get.....trust me on this one. May my next post on weight loss be me telling you that I lost some of it!

Ok....I am an official SLACKER!

So here it is 5 months later.....I can't believe I have not put a post on here since November! Well I guess doing everything you intend to all of the time just does not always work out as planned. To be honest I am not sure what my plan was/is. I have wondered often how many people read these anyway. Then I second guess that thought with...I read blog posts all of the time! I love to read other peoples ideas and thoughts. The wit, advice and sharing that goes on in this blog world is amazing. So with that being said I will continue my little blog journey and pick up where I left off....seriously November! My oh my I have alot of catching up to do!

That Perfect Moment

There is a time in a marriage or a relationship when you have... That Perfect Moment. My first date with my husband was on Thanksgiving. I invited him to our Thanksgiving dinner and every year at this time I think about how we got started. We have been together 10 years this Thanksgiving. There have been so many perfect moments in our life together, but I recently had the one that stood out more than any others in the past 10 years. There are many that I could count as perfect like:
When I first met my husband and I knew he was the one.
The day he proposed in a way that only he could, on our farm in the midst of cows. Sounds strange but it was so perfect he could have never done it any other way.
The day we got married I thought there was no way I could ever be happier.
The day he finished building our home that we have lived in now for almost 9 years.
The way he looks when he is so proud of our boys.
How it feels being wrapped in his arms, so safe and comforting.
All of these times in our life have been perfect and wonderful. After you are with someone for 10 years you think you have done it all. Then it happens you have, That Perfect Moment. For me it has been seeing my husband grow and change. There is a time when what is really in your heart comes right to the surface and there is no denying the love and vulnerability that comes with it. Some people bury their fears and emotion their entire life. Then there are those that face them head on and become a better person for doing so. There is nothing that can compare to the way it feels when after all of this time you look at your husband and know that at that exact moment you love him more than you could ever imagine possible. We all go through the motions in life get married, have a family, be a good spouse, work and pay bills etc. Then there is the time when it all comes together and you know without a doubt that you have found your purpose, you are with your soul mate and the life that you live is exactly where you are meant to be. I have never been so in love with my husband or so grateful for the life he provides for our family. If you have not had your moment, you will. If you have, then you know exactly what I am talking about!

There is So Much to be Thankful For.

My sister in law introduced me to blogging. When she was showing me how to do it she also shared a blog with me called Nie Nie. The story behind Nie Nie definitely gets your attention and pulls at your heart strings. Her words are amazing and really make you think twice about all the little things in life that we take for granted. In reading her posts I have been reminded of many things. With Thanksgiving coming up I wanted to share with you my top 10:
1. Never take 1 minute for granted.
2. 1 person CAN make a massive difference in the world.
3. You can never say "I Love You" to much or give to many HUGS.
** By the way I LOVE YOU! Here ARE 101 HUGS for you today! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXOOXOOXO
4. No matter what religion or non-religion you are Heavenly Father loves and believes in you whether you choose to love or believe in Him or not.
5. Do not wait until tomorrow.
6. Enjoy tripping over shoes, backpacks, blankies and toys.
7. It is okay to have a voice and stand up for what you feel is right.
8. Everyone DOES have a Soul Mate.
9. If you hear someone calling you Mom or Dad you are truely blessed.
10. It's okay to still have a tea party and play with dolls even if your 36!

This is a story from my family blog. I just love this story so I wanted to share it!

Last night my son had a friends birthday party and my husband took care of everything and got him to the party. When I got home I asked my husband how it went. He started telling me about how proud of our son he was. When they were getting the present together for his friend, my son said he wanted to make a card all by himself so my husband let him do it. When he got done my husband read the card. He could not believe how nice it was. When I got home that is the first thing my husband told me about and he said some of the things that were on it and how proud he was of our son for being so sweet. The only thing was that he wished he would have made a copy of it to show me. We sat and talked about how great our kid is and it was a shame I did not get to see the card. While we were talking I noticed a pile of papers on the table. In the pile was a birthday card my son had got from Grandma and Grandpa in July. I opened it and started reading it. I asked my husband if this is what the super sweet card to his friend said. He looked at it and we both started laughing. When we finally were able to talk again after laughing so much the first thing I said was "you should know better than that he has your last name!" When my son came in I said "I heard you made a nice card for your friend." He then replied "yeah I copied it out of my card because I could never spell all of that right by myself!"We are still laughing about this!

Lesson to us...1st-Never think an 8 year old can come up with all of that nice stuff by himself.

2nd Even if he did he would not share it with anyone.

3rd If the spelling is correct he cheated!

Change and Hope 2 powerful words

I have to admit that I come from a very small minded town in Utah. Not only that, if you talk much about anything outside of the acceptable beliefs you are certain to have a barrage of comments and ignorant opinions coming your way. I have taken great pride in thinking that I am above those stupid old timer beliefs.

When I first heard of Barrack Obama my immediate thought was WOW! This is history being made and I am going to be a part of it. Quickly I thought of my children and what they are going to be able to share with their children and so on being a part of this time in America. The first comment out of my mouth to my Dad when I got to work was "isn't this the coolest thing ever." The look he had on his face was priceless! He quickly came at me with many comments on how the world was about to be taken over and the President is no place for a colored man. I have never been one to tolerate racist comments. If you were to see a picture of my family you would see exactly why. Even when I was a child I made sure I was friends with EVERYONE no matter what. Yes, it made things interesting.

After days of trying to get my Dad to change, which is ridiculous. I finally stopped talking about it with him. Then I started getting the emails. You know the ones I am talking about that tell you all of the distorted beliefs, secret plots and twisted morals behind Obama. So very stupid...hind site is 20/20 right? This is very embarrassing to admit but the emails and comments over the months got to me. Thoughts of "what if" started getting into my head.

While cooking dinner last night the announcement was made that Obama is to be our next President. Honestly I did not know what to think. The next thing I knew I was glued to the TV to watch his speech. While I listened to his words I just kept thinking...if so many Americans have voted for him then what about all of the things I had heard. Didn't they hear them too? What are we going to do? Then I realized I had fallen into exactly what I dislike the most...a fearful small minded person. How did I let this happen! Right then I knew my lack of educating myself with the FACTS was the problem.

Watching all of the people in the crowd on TV with the promise of hope brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. The outlook of our future just changed forever. You could see the hope PRESIDENT OBAMA gave to so many. The faces I saw were full of peace and joy. Right then I knew we were in good hands. I owe my sincere apologies for the lack of daring to believe in change and hope. I am thrilled to be alive to see our first black President! One man able to bring so much love and hope to so many Americans is someone I will stand behind 100%.

This morning I woke up and could not wait to tell my children about the historic event that they are a part of today. I had to eat some crow too!