123 Book Meme

Quick Update

Hercules' suffering ended this morning. I thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers. God answered them with fabulous weather and wonderful neighbors.

Our friends next door watched the girls so Jeff and I could be with Hercules during his last moments. We came home and took advantage of sunny skies by taking the girls and our other dog, AJ to the park. Later all the neighborhood kids played outside together while the parents chatted. Jeff's buddy who lives down the street decided to take his Dodge Viper for a spin, and Jeff got to go with him. Basically our day was filled with a lot of distractions that helped alleviate the sadness.

On To Blogging

dlyn tagged me for a meme, and it was just the type of thing that I needed today.
Thank you dlyn.

Page 123 meme:
Here are the instructions:
1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people. & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.

I am sitting at my very clean desk (thank you Jeff). All my books have been put away in the bookcase which is a couple feet away. Luckily, I have grouped all my Harry Potter books on the side nearest to me.

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" page 123 puts us in the middle of chapter seven .

He cleared his throat. "I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at one another.

"A surprise apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?"

Umm, so everyone knows that Dumbledore died, right? If not, I am really sorry, and you are way behind on your reading!

Thanks again for the tag dlyn.

Hey -PB&J in a Bowl, Rachel from The Land of Monkeys and Princesses, Kelly at Ordinary Art, Huckdoll and Maria at Mommy of Four. You are all very interesting people. What book is sitting nearest to you?
Tag you're it.

Hercules

December 1997

When given a choice between several puppies we picked you. We brought you home and made you our first born. Like any child we spoiled you with toys...and we rejoiced when you learned how to walk down the stairs.

A year later we brought home another puppy.
You gently taught him how to play your favorite games.

That's my good dog.

Do you remember all the camping trips?And the snow?All the fun we had together.

You must have been shocked when we started bringing home babies.
But you took it all in stride.

And you became great friends.You are a prince.

It has been painful for us to watch the cancer destroy your body. Today, you couldn't stand up, so tomorrow we will take you to the vet for the last time. They tell me that it is the right thing to do. They tell me that you will feel no pain.

Tomorrow will be the hardest day I have ever faced. Every fiber of my being wants to keep you here with me, even though so little of you remains.

Take the piece of my heart that is broken from the loss of you. When you get to heaven, say hi to Koda. Tell her that Tod and Amy really miss her. If you run into an old dog named Maggie, ask her about me. She and I go way back. Please don't chase Schatz and Liebe. I know you love cats, but those two are very special to me.

If you get a chance can you check into reincarnation? I would really like for you to come back as a dog, but not just any dog. Could you be a black dog with a white chest? That is what I will be looking for when I go to the pound someday, and I want to be sure that I pick you all over again. Okay buddy?

Good dog.

Run away from the Frump

Do you remember my New Year's resolution? I haven't forgot. I am training for the 5K race that I resolved to run. I expected this training to push me beyond my comfort zone. I expected to developed a love/hate relationship with the treadmill. I expected soreness and aching knees. I have not been disappointed.

What I didn't expect was physical improvements so early in my training and increased self confidence. Mrs. Fussypants is kicking off the weekend with her first Fight the Frump, this is a perfect opportunity to talk about my training program.

The Program

The goal is to go from running one mile to four miles in sixteen weeks. Here is how it breaks down:

Weeks 1 & 2: Monday - 1 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 10 minute runs
Week 3: Monday - 1.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 12 minute runs
Week 4: Monday - 1.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 15 minute runs
Week 5: Monday - 2 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 18 minute runs
Week 6: Monday - 2 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 20 minute runs
Week 7: Monday - 2.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 22 minute runs
Week 8: Monday - 2.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 25 minute runs

I think you are all smart enough to figure out the pattern here.

The Benefits

You can run anywhere. The supplies that you need for this activity are already in your closet. A good workout can be achieved in very little time. There are so many reasons why running is a great way to exercise.

I am in week five of my training program. The thought of running four miles without stopping still overwhelms me. Two weeks ago, I didn't think I would be able to run a mile in less than ten minutes. Then I did it. I ran a mile in ten minutes and then continued to run for another half mile. I cannot explain how satisfying that was. I felt terrific. I accomplished something that I thought would be very difficult for me. My success had a tremendous impact on my self-esteem.

You know what else happened? This -

My tushie is tighter. Five weeks to a tighter tushie. Need I say more?

Oh, Baby

I am aching for a baby. I don't know why my desire to procreate is so strong right now. I haven't held an infant recently. No one I know is pregnant. We have reached the stage with our children where the unpleasant aspects of having a baby are part of the past.

Ariel is potty trained. After changing diapers for four straight years, both my daughters are pantie wearing "big girls". Is it possible to miss diaper changes? Am I so crazy that I would get pregnant just so I can have a little bottom to clean?

Yes, I think I am.

But, no I think I won't.

I'm an intelligent woman. I am good at math. I know that diapers + formula + infant checkups + our normal expenses > my take home pay.

It is a pity that I am so smart. I really want a baby. I want three kids running around my house for the next twenty years and six to nine grandchildren to keep me company in my old age. I want my husband to have a son.

I know you are thinking, "It's okay. You are young. You can have more children later."

But I know what happens. The youngest child turns four and the joy of not having to deal with naps, sleepless nights, teething, and pregnancy overrides the desire to have more children. Parents start realizing that two is a nice even number where you conveniently assign each child to a parent, juggling gymnastics for one and ballet for the other with grace. Families of five are are busy, harried, chaotic and require a mini-van.

I only have one and a half years until Ariel turns four. One and a half years is not long enough to pay off the fifty-five thousand dollar debt that hanging over our heads. In three years both our kids will be in school and Jeff can go back to work. In five years I will be approaching forty and my oldest will be nine. Tick-tock, Tick-tock. Can you hear it?

If I don't have a baby now, it will never happen. So I'll pray. Pray that God will provide a way. Pray that our birth control will fail. Pray that I can have one more child. If these desires are not part of God's plan, I will pray that the next year and a half passes quickly so I can start convincing myself that a family of four is fine.

Wordless Wednesday: Trashy

Six years ago, before kids, my husband and I went to a rocking party.

We had a fabulous time. Sometime after 2 am the cops came in response to a noise complaint so we decided that it was time to go home. We were tired, but determined to make the 90 minute drive home and sleep in our own bed. About half way into our journey, it became impossible to keep our eyes open so we checked into the first motel we could find.

The next morning we woke up, in our party clothes with unwashed faces, bed head and at the trashiest motel I have ever seen. Even though we had been married five years, it felt very much like a walk of shame.

Thank you to Mrs. Fussypants for setting up the League of Extraordinary Wives and Rachel for inviting me. Without you, I would not of had a reason to dig so far back into my photo album and find this jewel.

Go here to see more Wordless Wednesdays that follow the rules by posting pictures without any explanation.

Sssssssuper Bowl

On Sunday, while you were watching the Super Bowl, I was surrounded by snakes. Our church hosted the biggest party I’ve ever been to. They had bounce houses, crafts, games, food, a reptile show, and an important football game that played on a couple of big screens.

Now back to the snakes. I thought it would be fun for Belle and Ariel to see the reptile show. We arrived late and sat towards the back. The handler had just put away a lizard and was pulling out a Boa Constrictor. Ariel loved the snake and wanted to sit closer to the front. Since Ariel is not very tall and we were at a church event, I didn’t mind her moving up to the second row without me. The people around didn’t mind either. My little two-year old, with a stuffed sheep tucked under her arm, was met by, “Oh, how cute,” and “You can sit here.” This put a smile on my face, until they brought out the cobra.

The handler explained that a cobra is attracted to movement. “So whatever you do, don’t move,” he cautioned.

Um, excuse me, couldn’t he of said that before he put away the slow moving Boa and brought out a very irritated cobra? At ten feet away from my baby, all I could do is not move and pray to God that she didn’t move either. God must have been close enough to hear my prayers, because Ariel sat perfectly still as the cobra was brought within striking distance of her.

Once the cobra was put away, I breathed a sigh of relief and focused on Belle. Her eyes were as big as saucers. “Mommy, what is that sound?” she asked.

“Well Hon, that sounds like a rattlesnake,” I answered as the fear began to rise in me again.

“I don’t like rattlesnakes,” she trembled.

“Neither do I, but it’s important to look at that snake and listen to that sound,” I explained. “If you ever see a snake like that and hear that sound you know to move slowly away from it.”

I spent the rest of the show keeping one eye on my curious two-year old while making sure my four-year old learned everything she needed to know about dangerous reptiles. I am grateful for the education. I saw a cottonmouth for the first time and learned that a snapping turtle can bite off your finger. I also learned that God blessed me with two very different daughters. One who is keenly interested in all creatures and the other who has the sense to know that she SHOULD be afraid of snakes.