Megan's My Name... Dogsitting's My Game

Annie and Louie after a round of puppy combat

Over the Christmas/Holiday break I've been watching pets. I don't mind really as the more the merrier in my mind when it comes to animals. I've dogsat Hunter my roommate's brother's pet, and catsat Runco my friend's kitty. They returned to their respective homes yesterday and the house felt a whole lot quieter. Too quiet actually.

That changed today! Today I picked up Annie a service dog in training for Therapetics. She's an 11 month old puppy, full of energy, sweet, and willing to bring you shoes and socks even when you don't want them. lol I'll only keep her for a few days, but, I do believe being a puppy sitter is a great way to get hands on 'training' if you will for when a puppy comes home for me to raise- whenever that'll be. So far the dogs have played endlessly and I'm learning some new commands and methods of training. Pretty cool. Of course because Annie's becoming a service dog she can go to public places with me. Naturally I took her for a spin around Home Depot, she was pretty good especially for a puppy!

How's your break going?

Winter Wonderland- Blizzard Edition

We were 'treated' (depending on who you're talking to) a nice blizzard Christmas Eve. One of the firsts in a long time around here. I was so excited, but, in anticipation of some serious winter weather (I listen when they issue warnings) I hauled some stuff and the pets over to Jon's as he was better equipped to deal with a snow-in than I. Thank goodness I did! I didn't have much food and the streets became too dangerous to go out. So, we stayed in all day! We missed Midnight Mass, but, I think Jesus understood. Here's a pictorial sum up of the blizzards progression.

First there was the ice/snow mix.

A few hours later....

After the earth is given a nice laquer of ice the snow begins to fall from the sky.

And gradually the landscape begins to transform.

Natrually Louie wanted to be right in the middle of it!

The more that came down the more he wanted to be outside!

Then the wind- Oh my gosh the wind! There were gusts up to 40mph if not more!

Trying to convince Louie to come inside proved to be a challenge. Despite the increasing depth of the snow and the high winds he wanted to stay put.

Before midnight the snow was easily a foot deep... if not deeper.

No worries we got Louie inside! Thought it did involve bribes. A quick pat down with a towel and he was ready to go for another round. Note the soaked through socks on the floor... when I came over to Jon's house I didn't bring any boots at all! So, I braved the cold in my socks to take pics of Louie and the snow. The things I'll do for a good picture!

Merry Christmas!!

From Louie, Mina, Jon and Me- Hope you all are having a Very Merry Christmas!!

More entries to come about the Christmas Eve blizzard we in Oklahoma recieved. I got my white Christmas and then some!

Eve of Christmas Eve

Also known as... preparations. Louie was very into it. I love to bake, but, I don't do it often as I don't like to bake and have a batch of goodies go to waste. Christmas is the perfect reason to bake though and I was so excited to be able to spend a day doing that!

I went over to Jon's mother's house for some baking. She was in charge of pies- pecan of course! Oklahoma may not be the deep south- but we're pretty close to it so...

I was in charge of cookies- French ones bien sur! Now, don't judge me too harshly. I do not have the guts to make my own puff pastry- so store bought it is!

I decided to make palmiers. One batch with jam and one without. It was my first time making these delictable cookies (not to mention the first time dealing w/puff pastry) so I was a bit nervous.

During my experimentation Jon's mother used the leftover dough and pecan pie batter to make mini-pecan pies! She's a pie making pro.

First batch of palmiers ready to go!

Mmmmmm..... pie.

My palmiers! Not too bad for a first go. They don't look too pretty, but, they tasted great. I'll work on my presentation next time around.

Jam palmiers. Next time I'll roll in some sugar on both sides before layering in the jam. I loved making these cookies! Pretty easy to make and oh, so, delicious.

I made macarons as well. 'Supersized' macarons! I soooo did not intend to make them this big or chunky. I was in a rush and didn't pay attention to detail. I can hear the bakers at Laudree crying in horror!

Despite all the baking I managed to get to Best Buy to buy Jon's gifts AND I was able to wrap them while the macarons were cooling I wrapped them up. All in all a very busy and successful day of Christmas preparations.

The irony is that we're under a blizzard watch today and we probably won't be able to have a holiday gathering if the weather does what the weather man is predicting. Ah well! Still it was a fun day and I will take a White Christmas if it means staying curled up on the couch with Jon watching the snow come down.

Pretty Things Part Deux

A peek at my favorite ornaments on our (roommie et moi) Christmas tree at home.

A ballerina ornament that Jon got me during an ornament exchange game I refused to play. I wish I could look this pretty when striking a pose!

Mina's Christmas ornament. It embodies Mina's personality to a T!

Humor and truth embodied in this one.

A present from my roommie to mark Louie's first Christmas.

Still plenty to do before Christmas! Most of my gifts have been bought, but, I still have to brave a store or two for Jon. Tomorrow I'll be baking goodies galore with Jon's mother. Hope everyone is hanging in there and enjoying the holidays despite some of the mania that goes with it.

Edited to add: Forgot to mention. Instead of doing those last minute Christmas things I need to do, I am taking a day off and being a couch bum. I slept in until 11am, and haven't done anything remotely productive since. I should feel guilty, I should feel stressed... but, I don't! :)

Pretty Things

I am a Christmas junkie. I love decorating the trees, baking desserts, wrapping presents, buying gifts (as long as I minimize my exposure to the mall- I still get ticks when I go there thanks to my retail days), and so on. So, when we put up the tree at Jon's new house and decorated it I just got giddy inside. I can't help myself!

I swear I was a raccoon or a moth in another life. I love the glow of Christmas tree lights.

The ornaments are from a package Jon bought at a store. Not very personal, but, better than nothing! I do love how they shimmer.

Jon does have a couple of fun ornaments- Simpsons of course!

Had to get a shot of the puppy in front of the tree. It's his first Christmas afterall! (I know like I need an excuse to photograph my dog!)

Just you all wait- you haven't seen the tree and decorations at my house yet! ;-)

In Brief

Oscar is doing much, MUCH better! Thank you all for the kind thoughts- each one was appreciated.

Watching a friends cat- Runco. He can't stand the dogs, but, gets along with Mina. It's been interesting to say the lease.

Jon's grandmother passed away a couple of days ago. Funeral is Saturday, and I'm probably not going. Mixed feelings about that.

Last week of lessons- kids getting ready for Christmas and the holiday break has been very draining. But, teaching them Christmas/Holiday music has been a lot of fun.

I'm sick. Sinus infection. So today I took the day off and am taking drugs. Hopefully recovery will occur soon. I'm optimistic.

Am gearing up for some serious Christmas baking next week.

Oh and I haven't bought one single Christmas present. Not uncommon for me and I'm positive I'll get those done before Christmas Eve day- which would be a huge accomplishment.

And how are you doing?

Poor Wittle Guy

Oscar, looking too cool for school, and Mina

Last Monday afternoon I threw away some chili Jon brought over for lunch. I had some, but, it was just too greasy! After I chucked it out I took Louie over to the vet's to get weighed so I could give him the right dosage of flea and heartworm meds. My visit didn't last but 10ish minutes as I chatted with my vet about becoming a puppy raiser for Therapetics. Because of this short visit I didn't put Oscar away figuring the food was disposed of, what's the worst he could do?

Was I in for a surprise!

Got home and sure enough Mr. Mighty Eight Pound Dachsund knocked over the trash can, got the lid out of the way, and dug into my what was left of my lunch. My roomie and I didn't think much of it, though we were pretty sure he was going to have some...erm... "intestinal issues". Well, we were right about that, but, wrong in thinking that'd be all.

This morning I woke up to Oscar shrieking and whining. Now, at first I thought he had a sore back and tried to get him to lay still, but, he just wouldn't settle! Finally he went to Tia's room and did the same. Of course I can't fall back asleep, I'm tired, cramping, and annoyed at this point and figured Tia could deal with it.

His shrieking, however, didn't stop and we both noticed how bloated his stomach still was. While obsessing at work my roomie began to panic our called our vet Dr. Wendy asking if there was something we should do. Dr. Wendy reccomended we get him in in case he has pancreatitis as that can happen when doggies consume too much fat. So, after teaching one lesson this morning I ran back home to get Oscar to the vet. I told her everything I knew and had observed and sure enough he's got it along with some GI irritation.

He's being observed right now and recieving anti-biotics and pain meds (he seriously does not like pain in the least- can't say I blame him) and should be good to go home this evening. Poor little guy! We'll keep him rested (thanks to meds), feed him bland food, and spoil him further and he should make a full recovery.

Moral of a story- Never, EVER, underestimate what damage a small dog can do!

Thinking Warm Thoughts

I was browsing through some picture files and found these. I took them back in October, or was it September, when the weather was a nice 60-70 something degrees and I could open the window. The past week or so winter has made itself known in Tulsa. Mind you I love cold weather, just not being cold (makes perfect sense right?). So, for fun I thought I'd post pictures from warmer days.

And what those warmer days mean for my pets!

Despite his size Louie can actually wiggle himself out of a window at our house

Far too easily actually


Don't even get me started on Mina's mad escape artist skillz!

(Suffice it to say, sometimes despite the nice day I still had to close the windows!)

A Theme

Car died in the parking lot at the vet clinic-seems the battery is having some issues.

Then my laptop's battery charger goes caput.

Which appliance, toy, essential everyday item is next? Nobody knows....

Hi, I'm Megan and I'm a Sucker

Last week Jon and I were invited to go to a Christmas Party for Therapetics, an organization that trains service dogs for those with disabilities. One of my bosses is their executive director (she's seriously one helluva superwoman!) and she's been slowly wearing me down to go and see what this organization does and to agree to be a puppy raiser/trainer. I've had my reservations; what about food and vet care [all covered by Therapetics as I came to find out]? Will it be okay that I have Louie and Mina? And many more. At the same time, however, I thought it would be a wonderful thing to do. So, I went to the party, ate the nice food, and was introduced to some of the dogs and the people that they helped.

I was in before I knew it!

I was introduced to a young woman named Amanda. She's around my age, if not younger, and suffers from MS. I met her dog Uli, who was recently placed with her, and we got to chatting. I listened to lovely stories about how the dog sleeps during her classes at OCU, grabbed a scarf for her when she was cold (without being asked to), and so on. What really got me, however, is when I found out that thanks to Uli (and a specially designed harness w/a handle) she was able to stand up and put on shoes for the first time in years.

Could you imagine? I put my shoes on standing up several times a day! It's something I don't even think about. And here Amanda was, talking about this activity as a major milestone. All thanks to her dog learning how to brace and stand still to assist Amanda.

So what could I do? When the puppy raiser coordinator, Lisa, contacted me via email asking if I wanted to be a raiser I couldn't say no. A litter of Golden Retriver puppies is due in January and if all goes well I will have a puppy to begin raising and training in March. It's a committment it is. There are classes to go to twice a week, paperwork to keep track of, and so on.

Maybe I will be the one who has to suffer all the headaches, and the final heartbreak whenever a dog I raise goes to someone leaving me forever. However, I've come to realize that's a small price to pay to give someone more freedom in their life. These dogs are given to people who need them at no monetary cost to them* which is extraordinary considering that most people who get service dogs must pay thousands of dollars. Therapetics can do this, in large part, thanks to the volunteers who raise the puppies helping to curb costs to those in need. To see tears of joy when a person describes what their dog does for them, how much they mean to them and to see the dogs themselves lovingly and protectively look up at their companion is very moving. When I add it all up, I think I can deal with a little bit of heartache.

*They are required to come to the classes to learn the commands and work with the dog that will be placed with them once he or she reaches maturity.

Introducing My Piano!!

May not be much to look at, and no it's not a concert grand, but, it's all mine and plays better than no piano. I'm a lucky, lucky gal!

Photos Coming Soon!

The camera is back in action!!! My friend Scott_O., a talented architect and fabulous photographer came to my house to drop off the photography book I ordered. Of course, I took advantage of him and showed him the camera. After messing with a dial everything was coming out clear!! Hallelujiah!!

So, fyi digital SLR cameras have this cute, indiscreet, little dial next to the window you put up to your eye to take a picture. This tiny little dial will adjust how you see when you look into the camera to take a pic. It's intended for those who take off their glasses when they are taking pictures. But, if you have your contacts in, like me, or are one of the fortunate "sight capable" peeps you will get a very distorted picture unless you turn the nice little dial to neutral. A simple, fix, that took nearly two months and the aid of a saavy friend to figure out.

Lesson learned!

Holiday Joke

A little girl sends Santa a letter asking for a baby brother or sister this year for Christmas. Instead of a doll to appease the child Santa sent a letter to this girl simply saying this,

"Dear Susie- Send me your mother. Thanks, Santa"

Forgive Me Blogger for I Have Sinned....

Okay so it's been a little bit since a new 'here's what's going on in my life' post. To be quite honest life just got busy and thus I was T-I-R-E-D. Too much going on, info scattered and jumbled in my brain, and lots of fatigue made it difficult to sit down and sort through it all on my blog. So I will try to give a little recap to catch everyone up on the latest and greatest. Again no pictures because yeah... the camera has just not been taken care of. I think I'm going to make some serious threats to Jon to get that thing fixed... stay tuned.

On with the show!

Thanksgiving was celebrated at Jon's sisters house on Wednesday night. Everything went well- and I didn't have to bake a thing! Jon's sis is amazing, very much like him, in that she LOVES to cook and she handled it all with calm and holiday cheer. If I had to be in charge of an entire Thanksgiving meal for 15 people I would be having a series of mini-meltdowns- at best! We ended the night playing Cranium with Faith's whole family plus a boyfriend. Jon and I totally lost, but, I did know the answer to a little known factoid proving once again I have way to much random information in my brain.

Thursday Jon and his father cleared out the way too small storage unit and dropped everything off at his house. This proved to be helpful come Sunday when the big move occured.

Friday Tia and I rented a U-Haul to pick up the piano in Broken Arrow (a city just south of Tulsa). Thank goodness for Tia's brother and father though! The piano is a spinet or console, meaning it's the smallest upright piano you can get. Still, that sucker weighs easily 300-400 pounds! Fortunatly man power (literally), wheels on the piano, and a ramp got the piano safely in the truck. Add some scarves (yes I said scarves! We didn't pack any rope- real smart move) and we got the piano safely into our house. I've been playing LOTS! The joy of having a piano in my home after 6 years of not having one has been bliss!

Oh and Jon braved Black Friday madness and bought a fridge and a couple of random items for the house. Give me piano moving any day over retail madness!

Saturday brought about moving two loads of small boxes from Jon's parents house to his new abode. That took all afternoon. So the evening was spent in proper style over at a friends house with Wii playing and pizza eating good times.

Sunday- ie "D-Day" ie "The Big Move". Four friends volunteered to help with the promise of two paid for meals as payment. Jon rented a U-Haul and I drove it. Yes, I drove a U-Haul around as I wasn't going to be able to be much help when it came to the heavy lifting- had to contribute in some way! Of course Sunday was cold and dreary with the threat of rain. Still we managed to clean out most of Jon's stuff from his parent's house and all the stuff that was stored at my place (due to the before mentioned storage unit being tiny). This was accomplished in about four hours and we beat the rain. Some doors had to come off their hinges, but, large items were put in place and our friends were rewarded with a large Indian meal bought at a nearby restaurante.

So to summerize... several days of on and off packing and three days of moving culminated in Jon finally out of his parents house and into his own place- FOR GOOD! If I hadn't been so exhausted I think I would've done cartwheels all over Tulsa. However, for me, the adventure didn't stop there. Monday I went down to Norman in a rental car (my roomie works for a large car rental company and it was going to be cheaper than filling the tank my big hooptie car) to see an aunt and uncle I haven't seen in over 8 years! They live in California and they were in town to see my cousin's family. So, I made the trek in hopes of reconnecting with more of my family. The trip was a success. Nothing major really went down, just lots of catching up, and helping with a project my aunt and cousin were working on. I finally got home around 11pm and in bed after midnight.

As a result of all of that 'activity', yesterday I woke up EXHAUSTED beyond comprehension. So that's why this rather long and drawn out post came today.

So there's what I've been up to! How are you all doing?

Finally

It's done. Jon closed on the house this afternoon!! He's moving in over this next week.

Oh and also I am getting a piano (for free!!)! It's coming home this week!

Oh and there's Thanksgiving which means stuffing, dessert, which makes me happy!

I am having serious issues sorting the degrees of excited I am about these things.

Precious

I was at the studio doing my normal teaching routine. After one lesson, my student (a girl we'll call K) asked me this:

K: "Is the guitar teacher guy your boyfriend?"

Me: (laughing) "No he's not, just a co-worker. Besides, he's too young for me."

K: "He's not [your boyfriend]?"

Me: "Nope. My boyfriend doesn't work here. He's a lawyer."

K: "A lawyer?!"

Me: "Yup."

K: "That's BORING!!"

Me: giggling beyond control.... if she only knew.

Little Secret

I have something to share- I dread my birthday. Yes, it's true. The dread I feel has nothing to do with age, nope- I mean age is a number and when it comes down to it I will be young at heart as long as I still breathe on this planet.

I dread my birthday because I never know what'll happen on the day in question. As I am estranged from my parents I don't get any talks about what we're going to do on that day, or how we'll have a family gathering to celebrate on or around my birthday- nada. It feels as if no one has any reason to want to celebrate my entry into this world. So, I get myself all in a 'mood' about my bday trying to set myself up for disappointment.

And every birthday since the estrangement has been great. So really, I should get OVER IT!

Case in point, yesterday I recieved dozens of FB messages wishing me happy birthday. As little as it sounds, I was touched. No one really has to take the seconds/minutes out of their life to do that and that's why I appreciate it so much. My massage therapist gave me a free massage to start off my bday, Jon's sister took me out to lunch, my roomie made muffins and cupcakes, and to top it all off Jon arranged for a surprise bday party at a sushi restaurant in town! My 28th year started off fabulous and I cannot express how much I appreciate my friends who in little and big ways made me feel I am someone special.

And now you see... I really should get over my pre-bday funk.

Changing Tone

I realize that my blog is chaulk full of not so happy or house buying entries. D-pressing!! It doesn't help that I don't have a working camera (my cell phone camera doesn't count) and thus, have missed some amazing fall foilage to take pics of and post. Believe me, I've been in mourning for weeks about this!

So to break things up I'll post some pictures of Louie. The first one taken right after I got him, the second taken in September (the most uptodate one I currently have).

What a cute fuzz ball!

Still as cute as ever- just bigger and more fluff!

I know I'm bias here, but, DANG I have a cute dog!! ;-)

Happy Friday tout le monde (everyone)!!!

I Usually Don't Do This Kind of Thing...But...

"Please help my friend Lynne by sending little Noah a card! Diana Harrison Biorkman has a 5 year old Noah. He is in the last stages of a 2 1/2 year battle with neuroblastoma cancer. The family is celebrating Christmas next week. Noah's request was to see how many Christmas cards he can receive. Please send a card to :...... Noah Biorkman 1141 Fountain View Circle.. South Lyon, MI 48178. Let's see how many cards he gets!"

A friend of my boss passed along this message to me and my fellow co-workers about a little boy she knew. As far as I know it's legit and there is a school in the Tulsa that will be sending cards. So, I'm copying it here and if you want to do something please do, if not, please spread the word if you are comfortable with that kind of thing. Thanks so much!

What Do You Do?

Life's been a bit distracting lately and, of course, I was going to blog all about it.... then all came to a screeching halt in my head. All it takes is life really handing you a doozy to make you gain some serious perspective on your measely 'distractions'.

I will back up and explain. As I was doing my usual perusual of blog and Facebook updates this morning I saw one of my friends post a picture of her father. I haven't seen her father in 10 years as they live in France [I stayed with the family in high school]. The picture was of her father flying and he looked exactly the same way I remembered him and that being so, I posted a comment on her photo.

About 10 minutes later I recieved a FB message from my friend. She told me that her father had passed away, two weeks ago, of a heart attack and that she and her family were having a hard time. I literally felt a Mack Truck hit me on the inside. I wrote back express my condolences of course, said what I could think of that would be comforting- felt like a complete looser for missing the status messages (no worries I didn't say that to her).

I don't think those words were enough. Though obviously those words were better than nothing. I wish there was more I could do, could say... I would love nothing more than to hop on a plane right now, go to Paris, and give her and her family a hug- cost be damned. Unfortunatly I don't have the cash to spare at the moment (one of those 'distractions' I spoke of earlier) and I have no clue what to do so far away. I am very unfamiliar with French customs when it comes to the loss of a loved one- I'm very familiar with American ones though, cards, flowers...food.

So... what do I do? Or is there anything I can do?

Ahhhhh

Computer is finally up and running... my connection with the world has been reestablished.... all is right in the universe.

Quick Update (ie.I'm Too Tired to Write a Real Entry)

So inspections have gone well with the house. I am beginning to wonder, however, if there is life after buying a house? Do homes really become this all consuming? Does this get better or worse after the ink dries on the dotted line?

Really if you have some input, it would be most welcome. I'm a bit battle weary!

Looking forward to other subjects for entries ahead,
Megan

Let the Exorcism Begin

The Power of Clorox Compels You!!

Okay the bad news first, there is mold in the house. However, there is great news. The mold was found only in one place- the basement. Specifically, on a couple of wood timbers that makes the ceiling of the basement and the base of the above level's floor. The mold levels are well within the 'threshold' and thus, can be easily removed without much fuss. (hey I made a rhyme!)

So yay!! Mold in one spot, a spot that was tested at the last minute 'just in case'. The rest of the house checked out. We're getting estimations on the mold exorcism, but, everything else is go. Inspections are being scheduled and I am praying to all who can help that they'll be as smooth as this! Also, hoping we can wrap all this stuff up and close in the next couple of weeks. Beyond happy and relieved that we are over this big hurdle.

Pictures

As the camera is out for the count right now, and the owner was on top of taking the house off of the websites, I had to do some serious digging to find pictures of the place we could one day call home as long as the inspections go well of course.

Here's the house. If this link doesn't work let me know and I'll do what I can to get some photos. Mind you we're probably going to expand the half-bath downstairs, remodel the upstairs bathroom, open the kitchen up, and make the sunroom the breakfast nook. Not that we've thought much about this! lol

Hope you all like it!

House Buying Post Number...Wait I've Lost Count!

Seriously, buying a house in one heck of an intricate dance- and I'm not much of a dancer! I'll attempt to look pretty in a leotard, but, that's about it. Anywho, the bid that Jon made on the house was accepted first go around as is. I discovered that 'as-is' means everything, the price, the conditions, that we put on the bid were accepted, period, end of sentence.

Are you kidding me?!

Today we did the mold test- gee wonder why that was on the inspection to-do list first! The results will be in Monday. Which is nice, we won't have to wait too long to know if we can continue or jump ship. If all checks out then the other hurdles shouldn't be so bad. Of course that's in theory. The saga continues and btw I am SOOOOOO ready for this to be over with!

Yes Another "Stay Tuned" Entry

Seriously, do you ever tire of these, "wait and see" posts? You don't?! Excellent.

So I as I said we planned on bidding adieu to the house, and we did. Monday the contract was canceled. It was a major bummer and we really didn't want to, but, it was neccessary as our time frame is just too limited to wait and see what'll happen.

Today we put a bid on another house. Yes I realize it has only been roughly 36 hours since we said, 'buh bye' to the other house. I swear it's not like we were ready to jump to bidding on another house so quickly! It just so happened that Sunday Jon's sister saw a house, in a historic district, that had been recently reduced as it had been on the market since June. We did the look through Sunday night, Monday his father and sister came over, and yesterday his uncle (an architect) looked through it. That's right folks, to buy a house with Jon's family there is a three visit minimum requirement.

The verdict? Everyone loves it. The only catch is that it needs updating- like kitchen, bathrooms, knock out a wall here and there sorta way. That said, however, it is in great condition especially considering it is 84 years old! Jon is actually gun-ho, getting out of his long 'funk', and wants to go for it. Holy crap! I've been sick and wasn't quite prepared for a renovation house, but, I've warmed up to it and if we did do it- boy howdy would we get some money back.

The contract was sent in this morning... and now we wait- again! Stay tuned!

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye...

No worries, I'm not going anywhere (or maybe that's what you're hoping for? lol). Anyways, we are going to, 99% probability here, bid adieu to the house. The owner has not contacted us and unless she calls out of the blue with a very sweet deal we'll have to back out and we have to do that by Friday to be free and clear or the realestate gods will get angry. Well, actually the state laws of Oklahoma, but, those can be the same right?

Goodbye little bungalow on 18th Street in Tulsa. Hopefully, you'll have the right owners soon. And please God let us find a better house, with better potential, and most importantly that's not mold infested.

Post Script

Adding to the craptacular fun of this past week with the house, I'm now running a fever, feeling horrid, and thus having to decline tickets to the U2 concert tonight in Norman.

Anything else God?

Three's

Bad things come in threes- or at least so they say.

Inspections had been going well. Of course, there was this and that, things that needed to be taken care of. However, all was looking well. The bank paperwork is nearly complete and Jon's father was actually excited about the whole situation(which if you knew him you'd be surprised at that adjective too).

Then- WHAMO! The fan in the h-vac unit goes out. Being that it's a 30 some-odd year old unit it has been an ordeal as to what to do. If that's not stressful enough we then get a call from the man who did the ambient mold test. Apparently, the results are shocking. We don't know the exact measurements though and we don't know where the mold is. All we do know is that the preverbial ball is now in the home owners court. She must decide whether to do her own test, which it would be wise to do what's called a destructive test which is when they take samples out of the walls, floors, etc to determine what is mold infested where. If we were to back out she would have no choice but to disclose the 'mold history' before anyone made a bid.

So now we wait. The scarlett M is on the house. Now we haven't folded yet. If the mold is in the air ducts and wallpaper in the bathroom (which you can tell there's some on there) then that's easily fixable and as long as it is documented it won't be an issue for future sale. We all are hoping and praying it's the airducts! The h-vac unit is old and this woman hasn't been actually living in her space for awhile. The next 'scratch your head' thought is the fact that during attic and crawl space inspections no one saw any indicators of bad leaks, mold, severe rot, and so on. Lastly, no one who's allergic to mold had any problem when walking through the house!

Ugh, ugh, ugh!!

Oh and what's the third thing? Minor in comparison, but, the nice digital-slr camera that Jon lets me hog fell over. Nothing seemed wrong until I tried to take pictures. Seems the lense is 'off' and since I know nothing about nice camera equipment I don't know what the problem is. It can take pictures, but, the fine focus just doesn't focus that well.

So crap on a stick, deep fried in sewage. It's been a crummy week.

A Letter to Sleep

Dear Sleep,
I know we've had our ups and downs over the years. Sometimes I haven't appreciated you as much as I should have. Or, sometimes I have taken you for granted. Thus, I understand why you haven't been around much lately- I would be that way too. As of right now I make this pledge in hopes that you will know how much I need you. I promise to be better to you this time around as two weeks without you around has shown me how much better my life is with you. My head is clear, my problems do not feel as overwhelming, and teaching children hours a day is less of a practice in trying not to bite their heads off. I miss liking my job, being able to think clearly, and drive without the fear that my lack of focus will get me into a wreck.

As you see Sleep, I have been doing a lot of thinking these past few days. And, I want you back desperately. I hope this little message will resonate with you and you will embrace me once again tonight. I miss you oh so much.

Love,
Megan

PS- If I keep going without you I will probably go postal. Just something to keep in mind as I don't think you would want that on your conscience. ;-)

The Hangover*

Home sweet home!

*aka Why I haven't been able to blog the past few days

What a ride.

Ever since Jon's deal was accepted on the house we've kept saying to ourselves, 'Is this really about to end?' When we began to look at houses for Jon we knew it would be a bumpy road- but, we were in NO way prepared for the big growing pain it would become!

Allow me back up a bit. Jon's father told Jon that he would help out with the downpayment. Suffice it to say it was a generous offer and of course who would want to say no to a little extra help?! But, boy that little extra help proved to be a bit of a problem!! Jon wanted to live in a particular area of Tulsa, known as Midtown. His father was a little reluctant as he didn't think any home that wasn't the super nice old ones in that area are worth much. Jon figured he could just use his usual power of persuasion and work his father into the idea of a midtown house.

He was wrong... oh so very wrong.

Months dragged on. Jon became more disconnected and well downright depressed. Communication with his father was nill and no house shown by Jon to his father satisfied him. Little did we know his father believed that a house in Jenks would be worth more in the next few years as that area is 'in development'. Finally the situation came to a head. I was furious, frustrated, and upset that Jon wouldn't stick up to his father leading me to be uncertain about our future.

Fortunatly Jon and I worked through our rough patch. Then as soon as we began to settle things Jon's father hit a breaking point and issued an ultimatum to Jon, a house in Jenks or no gift. Suffice it to say I was amazed when Jon stood his ground- the first time he really had to do so to his father! At the same time, I was so proud, worried about what this would mean in terms of getting a house, but, somehow by Jon taking that step I knew things were going to work out.

And they did!

Jon's father backed off and relented. We began looking at houses with a realtor who was a friend of Jon's family as opposed to looking online, arranging a time to see things, all on our own. In about two weeks we walked into the house. It was serendipty from the start.

The neighborhood was one of the original neighborhoods we were looking at. The owner was a former co-worker of Jon's. So far so good. Then the concern came up that Jon's father would take forever to look at the house because he had just undergone galbladder removal surgery. However, Jon's father asked his son-in-law and brother to look at the house. After getting postive reviews he said, 'Okay let's go for it!'

The bargaining phase as I said was intense. Jon had to do more standing his ground, but, it turned out to be so good for him. His father actually respected his position and thanks to Jon's cunning and a lot growing up he's done over the past months he was able to take control over the situation and get the deal accepted. Now we wait to make sure the house is okay after inspections- but, major victories have been won and no matter what happens I am so very proud of Jon and us for taking some hits, learning from them, and growing up.

Now you have an idea as to why I'm so drained!

Good News!!

I can tell you!! This is the good news!!!!!

Jon's offer was accepted today. It was a tough bargaining phase which was why I was so hesitant to say anything earlier- we weren't sure if it was going to happen. Now we can move on to the inspections and all of that. If all goes well, closing will be November 12th and Jon's moving in right after that. Like seriously... probably an hour after papers are signed. lol

I will go into the details of this long, long journey later. For now, however, take a look at the link and let me know what you think. :-)

PS- good job to Sarah for guessing correctly!

I promise

As soon, seriously, as soon as this situation has some degree of resolution I will let you know. Right now we are in the middle not sure which path we're about to go down and I just don't want to say much until things are clear. I know the suspense is killing me too! ;-)

I do appreciate you patience and keep your fingers crossed for some good news.

Big News on the Horizon...

Or at least I hope so! I'm not going to say much as I don't want to jinx anything. Buuuut, the crappy start to October for me has been balanced out with some big, positive, developments in the past three days; which is why I haven't been around. I will only say it involves Jon, the situation needs a bit more time to come together, and no there is no ring involved. ;-)

I will let your imagination run wild. Hopefully I can update you all soon with good news!

My Start to October

Today is the day October begins as well as the office hours at my studio. So, to get things started on the right foot I wake-up late. Okay, no biggie, I'll just get there 15 mins late- max. It's not as if I have a boss waiting for me to come. Alrighty, so, get pets food and get me coffee- oh yes, and food too. Next step is to wash hair, pick out an outfit, let the dogs out for one last romp. Wait, better check on the puppies as it's too quiet in the yard.

Go out into the yard and realize the wind blew the gate wide open and the dogs are nowhere in sight. Start panicking, run into the front yard in bathrobe with wet hair and begin calling for dogs while workmen across the street look at you in confusion. No dogs? Okay now start freaking out. Frantically run back into the house, grab cell, dog treats, and keys. Run out of the house (still in the bathrobe), get in car, call boyfriend for back-up, begin driving around the block and the next street over.

Still no dogs- okay now for the meltdown. Drive back towards the house and- SWEET RELIEF!! There they are!!!!! The workmen across the street try to corale the escape artists up. Throw your car into park before it comes to a full stop (I'm sure the transmission LOVED that!) get the treats and tempt one dog to you. Louie gets captured, but, the spritely 8 pound dachsund seems to be having fun playing hard to get.

Okay- so now, let cute workman in your neighbor's yard hold the big dog while attempting to catch Oscar. Insert two other workman, a neighbor running after his dog, to the chaos. Catch neighbors dog, but, not your roomie's dog. Give dog to neighbor, continue playing cat and mouse with the I-swear-he's-on-speed dog. Finally run him over to a fence where another dog is barking, lunge after him, thank God you have some shorts on under the robe, get both dogs, profusely thank workmen, go inside, call boyfriend to tell him things are alright, rush to get ready, and throw dogs in the cages.

I got to the studio and began office hours 35 mins late. All things considered not too shabby.

At least the dogs, and the workmen, had a fun start to October. How did yours go?

Edited to add-

This is how I ended my first day of October

Giving my poor cat Mina a bath after she got a fly trap strip (you know the sticky ones) stuck all over her body. Today wasn't a great day- but, I think Mina had it far worse.

Finding the Balance

Sooo.. things are good. Somehow, the changing season has provoked me into finding a new balance in my life. I am actually trying to find time to exercise as I'm no longer walking around campus nearly 20 mins per day five days a week and man am I noticing it. Besides, I have a puppy who cannot stand to be bored- so he needs to walk. Then there's adding more fruits and veggies in the daily diet.

Tomorrow I begin office hours at the studio which isn't an issue at all. Just one more adjustment this new position. I think sitting at the studio, even if there isn't one call, will really help me get my work to-do list done, work on being a bit more organized personally, study more, and hell maybe I'll get to write a blog post or two...or three...or.....

To be honest, not sure why I'm blogging this, but, I'm getting it out of my head and that helps.

And I don't care how crazy or rambly you all think I am. ;-)

Relief!!

Guess what I got in the mail today?

I have been approved!! My request for student loan consolidation has been approved and I cannot adequatly express what a relief it is!

Finally seeing the light at the end of this long, long tunnel

Getting Back

The attempted break-in at our house last week was unnerving at its best and horrifying at its worse. My roommate and I were reeling from what occured and we each dealt with it in our own way- which come to find out we are complete opposites when it comes to coping. My roomie is the activist type. She called her friend who was a cop, reported the events to the police, talked to them, put a baby gate on the back door, and so on. She needed to regain a sense of control over her environment. Me on the other hand, I withdrew. Going through each day slightly disconnected from everyone and everything, and just trying to keep myself numb.

After a few days I had a small revelation- actually I had a rather profound epiphany! It didn't hit me like a Mack truk, just oozed out of my brain, coating me in understanding. Let me backtrack a bit- when we realized what happened, with the house, I lost my sense of security- or something along those lines- and thus withdrew inward. Then it occured to me, I have done this repeatedly throughout my life. When I was a child and throughout my teenage years whenever there was tension, fights, I retreated literally and emotionally. I didn't want to connect, I couldn't because I didn't feel safe. When s*it hit the fan in Japan I withdrew even further and we all know where that led me. Leaving my family for good resulted in the same behavior, but, fortunatly I had enough friends and school to keep me from becoming an emotional hermit and self-destructive. More recently, when Jon and I had a rough patch a few weeks back, I felt that I was teetering on the edge, insecure, and became practically a zombie; disconnected and [again] withdrawn.

Really, in comparison to all of that a near break-in is rather minor. After I connected the dots I began to think about how I need to react to the situation. I don't want to allow some random criminal act to rob me of what is good about my life and I will not allow myself to dismiss what I am happy about. I have an amazing boyfriend, a nice roommate, a comfortable and cute house to live in, pets who make me smile every single day, a great job that I'm happy to do, and the realization of endless possibilities for the future. I am not stuck, my life is rather satisfying, and you know a random crime is not going to devalue those in anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I still am checking the locks at night, taking extra precautions, and even Louie refuses to leave the front room at night. We're all more aware, but, that's normal and natural. It's when I allow an unnerving event get to the point where I stay inside my head and begin the whole 'going nuts' thing again. Yes, I use that phrase because after all I was in a mental instituation for awhile- I like to say I was genuinely certifiable ;-). All joking aside, I am grateful that I'm learning to let go, yet getting back more control, and realizing more about myself- even if the source of all of this is not so pleasant.

It's called life- and I can choose to grow from the good and the bad.

Cuuhhhhhraaapppppp

When Jon was leaving tonight I noticed there were marks on the inside of the door. Marks that were not there yesterday. Upon closer inspection it was obvious that those marks were made by a crowbar. My memory wafted back to early this morning when I heard Louie barking, loudly, and (for him) viciously. Best we can figure, someone tried to pry our door open early this morning in hopes they could swipe something and Louie's barking and our sliding bolt saved the day.

Ugh and ugh. A call has already been made to our landlord, David, who thankfully will add more safety measures to the front door, the back door, and our fence gate. I am doing what I can to keep the "What if?" scenarios at bay and just process through all of the rather intense emotions. Most importantly, keep focused on the fact that we are okay and they (whoever they are) did not succeed. Some people aren't so lucky.

Say What!?!

I have a couple of really nice, thoughtful, blog posts stewing in my brain. One about my experiences with cultures, personal growth, and all that jazz and the other giving a glimpse into my new position at the studio. However, I'm going to set that all aside for now and talk about Louie my 7 month old mutant puppy.

Now I know you all have had a whole lotta Louie. It's hard not to constantly post pictures of his cuteness. Fortunatly, this entry is not about Louie's cuteness, but, rather his ancestry. About three weeks ago I bought a DNA breed identification kit, swabed the inside of Louie's cheek, and sent it off in hopes that we could uncover the mystery that is my Heinz 57 special puppy.

Originally we were told Louie is a Corgi/Collie mix. I had some doubts those were the only breeds in Louie as he has rather webbed feet and floppy ears. The trainers at the training school I took Louie said he had Golden Retriever, even a Duck Tolling Retriever was thrown out there. So, when I recieved the big envelope with Louie's results in the mail yesterday I was eager to see what it said.

Drumroll please....

A chow chow, chihuahua mix!?!?!? Are you effin' kidding me? Now the American Eskimo and Sheltie I can wrap my head around. Though level 4 means he has only 20-40% of that in him. However, that means the chow chow and chihuahua should be the dominant breeds within Loulou.

According to these papers Louie's DNA is at minimum 65% ish acounted for. There was also the caveat that not all breeds are on their records and IF by chance there is an unidentifiable breed they would then find the nearest ancient breed(s) within your doggie's DNA. Both chow-chow and chihuahua are ancient breeds. So, maybe, just maybe Louie has an unusual breed within him?

I ask you.... does he look like a chow chow/chihuahua mix to you? Where did his floppy ears come from, the webbed feet? Is Louie in that 8% of the mix breed population that has DNA in them that this company BioPet doesn't have listed? I have no flippin' idea. Instead of answers I now have even more questions. Ah life's little loopdie-loops- apparently they can seep in anywhere- even your dog's 'questionable' lineage.