On January 10th, we celebrated my dad’s 71st birthday! He says he is hoping for at least 49 more. I am hoping so too!
We took him out for a nice dinner…then, we went out for an after dinner drink. We finished the night with cake and presents. He said he really enjoyed himself, and that was all I cared about.
The restaurant delivered him a complimentary lemon mousse sundae…
He chose a warmed up covossier for his after dinner drink…See the warming technique below:
He opened his presents, which included a new phone, which he needed. I picked him out a fancy touch screen. He is hating the learning curve, but is happy it works. 
He does a lot for us, and it was very important that his day be celebrated. I love my dad a ton, and only want to see him happy and appreciated.
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Posted on 13 January '12 by *shi*, under Family. No Comments.
The new dog has arrived! It was a rough couple of days in the house with these beasts!After the nightmare of Christmas, and a bad birthday, I had high hopes on adding a new dog to the family. I thought it would be a good distraction, as well as a warm feeling, sincewe saved a dog’s life.
My dad and I drove the 3+ hours each way to Portland, where he flew into from Pensacola, Fl. We got Alphie at about 9pm. He was so happy to be off the plane & in the car. He’s a really friendly, happy guy.
Fuzz freaked when we got home. He was not happy to have another dog there. The first two days required two people home at all times. The growling and lunging was awful. They both had to be on leashes, mostly due to Fuzz being angry, and Alphie being restless & in his face.
Finally, my husband suggested we turn them loose in the house & see what happens. Thankfully, they wrestled, but did not fight. They’ve had a few minor scuffles since, but nothing major. I am the only one who got injured. I have a pretty deepbite on my left hand from when I tried to break them up initially. Stupid me….I tried to superglue it at work. I probably need stitches, but am hoping the glue works! Since then, they have been so much better!
Today, they have been playing and happy. So far, so good.
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Posted on 3 January '12 by *shi*, under Animals. No Comments.
Yes, I truly feel like we had a National Lampoon’s Christmas. The good news is that we’re laughing about it now, but seriously folks. Rough day..
It started off with presents. That went well, minus me and my family feeling like we did not do enough for CJW. However, you can’t buy him “stuff” or clothes because he won’t use it or wear them. He says he does not want anything, which makes it tough. Next year, he is going to be FORCED to make a list. We want to spoil him!!
Anyhow, presents went well, and so did breakfast, minus the fact that I was having serious chest pains. Acid reflux maybe? Then CJW left to go pick up his son. Pulling out the driveway, he backed into my dad’s car. The bumper got smuched. That started bad moods all around.
Then, we had a little tiff about his ex-wife/picking up his son. That didn’t help.
That was followed by a small kitchen fire. No damage, except to the pot holder that started it.
Then, CJW went to go pick up his grandma’s car that is for sale. It was not at the store that he owns. Turns out, some young men vandalized it on Christmas Eve. He didn’t tell her, because he did not want to ruin her Christmas….but the windshield got smashed in, dash may be screwed up…The police got blood and handprints from the scene.
Then, to top it off, we took her home, and while getting out of the car, she stumbled and fell. She was bleeding on the back of her head, but it turned out to be a scrape. She was not injured, only scared and panicked. We stayed with her a while, and she calmed down. She was just afraid she really hurt herself. Luckily, she did not.
I guess our Christmases can only get better, right?
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Posted on 27 December '11 by *shi*, under Holidays. No Comments.
I just had my first Christmas Eve with both my parents together in 10 years…I also just had my first Christmas as a married woman!!
We spent a nice evening at home, eating appetizers and watching a Christmas movie….Next up, a nice winter slumber, and early to rise.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas….
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Posted on 24 December '11 by *shi*, under Holidays. No Comments.
This week, one of my friends from Syracuse starting helping out finding dogs home in Syracuse that were set to be euthanized down South. It seems that there is a large population of kill shelters there. It broke my heart to read about, and see the photos.
Over the last few weeks, I had tried to adopt a shelter dog that seemed a perfect fit for us. I was too late though, and it did not work out. He was adopted to another home. It must have happened for a reason.
Thursday, a whole group of dogs was set to be euthanized down South. My friend helped get a few out and placed. They had an extension until today at 2 pm. Rescuers and volunteers worked so hard to get them placed, but were struggling to get help right down to the last minutes….
Meet Alphie:
From what the volunteers have said, he is a sweet boy who needs a home. He was scheduled to be euthanized today. After a long day of networking, he was pulled from the shelter and is SAFE.
He is being taken to the vet in Mobile. He will be neutered, vaccinated, and boarded until the volunteer returns from Christmas vacation. Then, he will be put on a plane and shipped to Oregon, to come live with ME!
We don’t know if he does well with dogs, or if he will work out here. Regardless, he will have a HOME and not be euthanized. My Fuzz man was in this situation back in 2008. I could not imagine not having my Fuzz and wanted to do something nice for another doggy. I feel good about this because now I have helped out a local child who was really needy, as well as a doggy.
Christmas is about HOPE.
There is still a week left…..can you help give someone some HOPE?
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Posted on 17 December '11 by *shi*, under Animals. No Comments.
Christmas is rapidly approaching. It feels a little like I am the only person interested in it so far. I started early, and have tried to get the Christmas spirit going, but our house definitely is a bit ba humbug.
We still haven’t solidified our holiday plans. CJW’s daughters have decided not to spend any part of Christmas with us. This did not go over well with me, as I feel as though they treat their father badly, and are using us. They want dinners out, shopping trips, and rides to school, but we aren’t invited to band concerts, school award nights, or given time over the holidays. I got emailed Christmas lists and told they’d see us after the holidays.
Bullshit.
That does not fly for me. Instead of spending money on kids that won’t appreciate it & are not grateful, I went and picked the name of a local needy kid. He wanted winter clothes and a train. We bought him winter boots, a winter coat, fleece pullovers, long-sleeved polo, winter boots, and a train set! I wish I could be there to see this kid open it!! It felt soooo good yo do something for someone else.
I really wish CJ’s kids were nicer. It breaks my heart to see how sad it makes him. He’s my family now, so it is hard to watch. I just want to tell them how awful I think the situation is. I haven’t though since CJW thinks it will make it worse. I am just trying to step out of the picture.
I am also on a big animal kick (like usual). I am tempted to either adopt another dog, or at least send money to sponsor an animal. My heart is breaking when I look at all the homeless pets! It kills me. I wish I could open my own rescue!!!
My old office is having their Christmas party tomorrow night. I am calling in to it. They are honoring my old boss on her promotion. I sure miss them!!!
I am hoping to do a lot of holiday things in the next week! Iceskating, movies, baking! I personally love this time of year! I wish everyone else did too!
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Posted on 15 December '11 by *shi*, under Holidays. No Comments.
The house has been ready for Christmas since before Thanksgiving. It does not feel particularly festive due to the warm, sunny days we have been having. I want COLD and SNOW!
This year we have 4 trees: two big and two small.
This one sits in our bedroom. I love looking at it during the evening.
This one is one of our small ones in our less formal living room:
This is the fireplace in that same room:
This is the main tree. My parents bought this fake tree from Canadian Tire back in 1978. It is still the tree we use! We try to take good care of it. I don’t think my dad would celebrate Christmas without it. He is so attached to it. I try to “fluff” it and improve on it each year. Somehow, it is still going strong:
This is the view from the top of the stairs going toward the front door:
This is our baby tree at the top of the stairs:
Looks like we are ready. I still have a lot of shopping to do. December is happening so quickly! Before you know it, it will all be over….
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Posted on 5 December '11 by *shi*, under Holidays. No Comments.
I miss blogging. I don’t do it as much anymore for a few reasons. 1. I don’t have anything exciting to do here, so I have little to talk about. 2. I don’t have the type of house that I can constantly change anymore, so house projects have decreased. I also don’t own it, so it feels different. 3. I feel like I am not supposed to write about the good, bad, and ugly of my new life–almost protective of it now. I guess that is a good thing, but it is also hard because I hold a lot in.
However, I want to write about everything anyway. I just never know how much to say since I know people from the town I live in, read this. I never want stuff to get back and hurt the people that I write about…but I also don’t want to hold it in. Like I would love to tell you about how awful and terrible part of my new in-laws are. A select few of them hate me, even though they have only been in my presence maybe one handful of times. Nothing bad has happened any of those times. The only thing I have gathered is that an ex-wife is favored, so I am not welcome. because of how mean they are, I hate them so much and want to be far away from them. That is complicated of course because of CJW’s job and kids. Well, I 2/3 of his kids are awful, cruel and heartless 75% of the time. I feel the other 1/3 needs to learn a lot of manners. More and more I feel punished by these kids and exes because they are the reason I will likely not have an opportunity to have a family of my own. They take up too much time, money, drama, and other things. Don’t even get me started on how much ex-wives drive me nuts. AWFUL. Before I moved, this is not the reality that was painted for me.
I daydream about a different life all the time. I want to move away from these energy vampires, to a neutral place. In my heart, I know that it is not likely that CJW would ever leave. He would rather stay in his comfort zone. I guess I can’t blame him since it is comfortable, and he has found a way to successful navigate the hurtful, ridiculous social ladder that is this town. Because he is well-liked and known, he will never understand why it hurts me so much to be here. He will never understand how it hurts that I always get overlooked because I am not “somebody” with a last name that everyone knows. I don’t want to be known for being his wife—if I wasn’t ever good enough as just me, then I don’t want that to change now. I just want out. CJW would be miserable if we left. He says he could do it, but it is very obvious that it is not that way. If it was, he would have already left. I don’t know if he could survive the anonymous city life that I desire. Fast-paced, on-the-move, and far away from the drama that is his family. I don’t know if there is a compromise. It sucks because I really love CJW. I just can’t accept this lifestyle long-term. It is bringing me down. I’ve tried so hard to make things great here, and I know that I can’t change other people.
I usually love the holidays. They feel bleak this year. I miss winter, snow, and festivities. I am the only one who is into Christmas shopping and watching the Christmas specials. This week I watched the Rockefeller tree lighting on tv by myself. When they lit the tree, I started bawling. It made me just want to fly away.
Wishing for a snow day. It would really brighten my spirits.
Posted in Holidays, Personal, Relationships | No Comments »
We got our photos back from the photographers. We love them. We now just have to decide what to order! I thought I would share a couple faves:
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Posted on 27 November '11 by *shi*, under Wedding. No Comments.
One year ago today, I re-met my now husband. What a whirlwind year!
I had decided to visit my mom for Thanksgiving and had flown to Oregon during some horriffic weather. I had been going through a rough time during the few months leading up to this. A getaway was just what I needed. My plan was to see a few of my friends, have Thanksgiving with my mom, and try to re-group.
The day before Thanksgiving, my mom and I were going to grab lunch, run to see her work friends, and then run a few Christmas errands at Wal-Mart. Right before lunch, she pulled into the business that CJW owns. She said to me, “I told CJW I would bring you by to say hi”. I was mortified for several reasons. The first, was that I had dressed in old jeans, fuzzy boots, and a winter hat with a cat face on it. It was my “run errands outfit”. I knew we were going out later that night, and didn’t want to bother to get ready twice. Second, I had told her the year before that he was good looking. I hadn’t seen him since, and didn’t think he would even know who I was!
We went in, and she explained that she had told him I was coming home and how excited she was. She wanted to bring me by. When we walked in, we didn’t see him, and were about to walk out when he popped up. I think I was red-faced, but managed to say hi, and utter something stupid about my rough plane rides and the snowy drive home. My mom mentioned we were going out that night, and CJW said he was not. He said he was going Friday, but maybe he’d see us then. As we went to pay for our fountain sodas and leave, he handed me his business card and told me to call him if we went out so we could meet up.
As I left, I had that giddy feeling. After all I had been through, I was almost surprised that anyone found me attractive or wanted to talk to me. Within an hour or two, I texted him so that he’d have my number. Later that day, I told him when we were heading out to see the band play. He said he would join us. He did!
That night I hung out with him, my mom, our mutual friend Jen, and other people we ran into throughout the night. From then, we started hours long text conversations, and spent a lot of time together that week.
When I left, I remember us talking about, “What are we even doing?!” Who knew that a year later, we would be married, living in the same place, and planning our life goals together!
It’s been a whirlwind of a year, but I would not have asked for anything else. I got my fairy tale, and it’s been amazing. He is still one of the nicest people I have met, and a ton of fun to be around. Not only is he now my husband, but he’s also one of the best friends I could ever ask for.
I love you, CJW.
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Posted on 23 November '11 by *shi*, under Relationships. No Comments.
