Together on Tuesday - My Rambling, Meandering, and Hilariously Off-topic Craft Discussion that Includes My Thoughts on 3 Seemingly Unrelated Things: Wine, Sewing Machines, & Mullets and it will leave you wondering...'What?!?' Then Somehow I Use My Fabulous Word-Smithing Skills To Tie It All Together and then Recommend That You Subsequently Consume A Large Volume of Said Wine After Having Read This...

This may be my shortest blog entry yet!  However, in a last minute move, I've made an attempt to have my blog entry title be longer than my actual blog entry itself.  Why, you ask?  WHY NOT?  By the way, I am starting to think there isn't a character limitation on the Blogger title field; after several fruitless attempts to max out, it is still taking whatever I add to it.  

Are you crafty?  Not at all...  If so, what are you good at?  Good at drinking wine...but I guess that doesn't count as crafty, per se.  Bad at?  Being crafty...especially, if there is a sewing machine involved. What are you currently working on?  Making coffee...kidding (but really, I am actually making coffee - its Sunday morning); I am also working on this blog which you are currently reading.  Let's see some photos of your projects!  There are none...LOL!  If you aren't crafty, do you have a hobby that isn't craft related?  If any of the following count: shopping, travel, hanging out with Mark and our friends, spoiling the dogs, and just being generally hilarious (usually inappropriately hilarious, but hilarious nonetheless).  Oh yeah...and mullet watching at Wal-mart (I don't actually go to Wal-mart for this specific purpose; but I DO live in Kentucky...mullet capital of the world, perhaps...so I do take full advantage of the opportunity to scope the hideous mullet scene while I am there anyways).    

The End.

Ha, ha...you almost fell for that 'The End' part...I just heard the panic welling up inside you!  While I am probably the LEAST crafty member of ToT, I do still have to take this opportunity to entertain you...so, here is a visual from the 'Good', the 'Bad', and the 'Ugly' of the above crafting discussion since I don't really have any craft projects to talk about...

The Good:

The Bad:

The Ugly:

The Confusing Confession:

Contrary to ALL of the above, and in the interest of complete honesty...I do have a Pinterest account.  Yep, now you are just sitting there wondering 'WTF???'  I created the Pinterest account for the SOLE PURPOSE  of voting for a pic of a fabulous craft creation that our very own ToT blogger Katie over at Fun Home Things  had entered into a competition.  I logged in exactly one time, to vote for Katie's project.  If she enters another contest that I need to get onto Pinterest to vote for...I'll have to create a new account...I didn't save my account login info and I've long forgotten it by now.

The Wrap Up:

So, now that I have horrified your brain with images and thoughts of Joe Dirt mullets and sewing machines, my best advice is to go drink as much wine as you can get your hands on so you don't have nightmares about all of this tonight!  

The End.  For reals this time!  Go on...get out of here...go get your wine drinking on to keep the above images from being scorched into your brains....and remember...if you are offended or confused about how I got so far off-topic on this blog entry...just remember...I am severely lacking in the craftiness department...so I had to fill the the blog space and your time with something, right???

Together Last Tuesday - (Un?)Conventional Wisdom

Notice what I did there?  I am making up for last week's missed ToT post.  It just occurred to me that at a glance, you may think this is my last ToT post, nope, not the case...I just crafted a little bit of word play into the title.  Put down the Kleenex...Dog Days of Life is NOT leaving the ToT group!  Just being a little tricky...well...because it is MY blog...so, I can do that!  Am I going to get sued for actually saying Kleenex instead of tissues??  Oh well, we'll burn that bridge if it comes to pass!

I typically don't always go back and make up missed posts, but I was really looking forward to this one, and well, quite frankly, I was sulking about missing it.  The only cure was to write it.


Share the life lessons you have learned so far:

1. Bad things happen to good people.  It sucks, but it is a part of life that we can't change.  
2. We won't always understand why we go through certain things in life.  At some point, you just have to accept what you are dealing with and stop spinning your wheels on the 'why' part.  You just have to accept that you may never know - we aren't supposed to know everything about our lives.  Plain and simple. 
3. A good indicator of someone's true character is how they treat those in the service industry.  If I want to get a good sense of someone's true character, I pay close attention to how they treat a waiter or waitress.  A truly nice person is appreciative of the service they get from a waiter/waitress doing a good job.  Someone who gets their kicks or self-esteem boost from belittling, talking down to, or otherwise being a jackass to a hardworking waiter or waitress is NOT a nice person; they are not my friend, and they never will be.  
4. Blaming others for your lot in life only carries you so far.  Get over it.  At some point you just have to suck it up, put on your 'big girl/boy panties' and move forward as a responsible member of society.  You can only blame your parents for the first 18 years of your life...beyond that, you are legally an adult, your choices are up to you.  Own them, take responsibility.  Be a grown up and don't dwell in the past. 
5. Have a sense of humor.  Life is hard, but a good sense of humor can make it a lot less hard.  
6. Surround yourself with people who can make you laugh and love doing so.  Whether it be friends, spouse/significant other, or co-workers find people who love life and laughter to spend your time with.  
7. Stop thinking through the 'what if' scenarios.  In certain situations, you will certainly drive yourself to insanity.  I have always been the 'what if' lady...it is just how my mind works.  Great for analytical thinking that I use at work, but horrible for things that happen in life.  (Somewhat) jokingly, I have referred to myself as the 'worst case scenario calculator'.  But, I have been put in some situations this year that have forced me to stop my mind from going down the 'what if' path.  The 'what if' path contains things that are just too dark and horrible for me to think about.  Thankfully, God has pulled me through these situations with good results, and who am I to second guess the grace He has shown me and those around me?  
8. Don't freak out over the small stuff.  Life is too short for that.  At the end of your days, do really want to reflect back on your life and see that you spent most of it fussing over the insignificant, mundane details?  
9. Take a few minutes one week to meet your Garbage Man (or Woman).  They could be really nice.  We've met ours, and he is really a nice guy.  Besides, those times when you forget and try flagging him down on his way back down the street...he/she can choose to see you, or not see you.
10. Have a pet, at least once in your lifetime.  They bring joy to a home.  We all know I am a dog person, but that is just me.  I have had cats, and cats can be absolutely entertaining - cats are always plotting against you and it can be fun trying to stay a step ahead of them!  
11. Sometimes being a grown-up sucks.  Life can get really complicated and sometimes we have to make tough decisions that have no good outcome no matter what you choose.   
12. It is OKAY to laugh at things society says it is inappropriate to laugh at.  Just choose your time, location, and company accordingly!
13. Listen to your gut instincts.  It is there for a reason, so don't ignore it.
14. Don't sugar-coat things.  Life isn't always sweet, and finding out this reality will feel like having a band-aid ripped off after a lifetime of being sheltered.  Just avoid all that and tell it like it is. 
15. Marry the person you can't live without - the person you would gladly walk barefoot from New York to California just to spend some time with.
16. Be aware of the unconditional love in your life - both those who love you unconditionally, and those who you love unconditionally.  Unconditional love is the best security blanket in the world.  
17. In career/business: everyone is replaceable.  Period.  Of course there are some 'workplace superstars' out there that have convinced themselves otherwise.  I have watched others think this, and have seen more than once the subsequent fall from grace.  The very instant they deem themselves irreplaceable, is the very same instant that big head of theirs has been distracted long enough to be unaware of the target they just put on their own backs.  In business, everyone is replaceable.  Do a great job; pat yourself on the back here and there, but in the end stay grounded.  Why?  Because you are replaceable, and know this: someone out there can do a better job than you, and someone out there wants/needs your job.  If you disagree with me, then you are probably someone who needs to hear this.  
18. Don't be that coworker who over-does everything and is that person who goes so over the top that you cause everyone to lose perks or privileges just because you are an idiot.  Everyone (besides you, that is) knows it is because of you.  People will lose respect for you, no matter how good you are at your actual job, and people are talking about you.  Its true, I'm sorry, but its true.  The same applies to the person who makes the biggest, most drunken ass of themselves at the company Christmas party - so don't be that person either...even if it is the only night of the year you get out on the town.   
19. Don't work harder to get out of work than it would be to do the actual work itself.  That just isn't an efficient use of energy, time, or effort.  
20. You can't fight every battle.  Accept that, then choose carefully which battles you want to fight.  Once you have decided that, dig in...dig in for the long haul and don't give up. 

Together on Tuesday: To Keep or Not to Keep...

Okay, sorry, but I just had to sneak in some cheeky, off-beat humor about this week's topic:  Keepsake or Clutter?  How do you decide what to keep and what to toss?? 

I really believe that as humans we all have at least a slight tendancy to save things, which oftentimes becomes too many things.  We live in a retail society.  It is so easy to find things all the time that we want to buy.  But with the wonderful feeling of finding that great buy, there is also that dreadful feeling of finding a space for it.  For me, this is usually seasonal things like home decor items.  I seem to come across lots and lots of great seasonal home decor and I love buying and having it...at least that year, until I find something seemingly better for that same season the following year.  I have plenty of these items already, but each year I seem to add to it until I just have too much of these things.  That is something that I have to proactively think about each time I find myself meandering the seasonal aisles of my favorite stores: do I already have this or something already to serve as good of a purpose?  Do I really need this?  Where will I put this?  When the season is over, where will I store this? 

Things I Keep

Over the years, especially during the college years, I accumulated things that at that particular moment, felt like life-long 'must-have' items.  However, that stack of things included such ridiculousness as every paper I ever wrote (which is a lot...considering I have a bachelor's degree in English Education), newspapers, magazines, books, coats/jackets, teaching materials, things I could potentially use later, etc...  However, I have since had to take a more critical look at these things and pare down what I keep and what I get rid of. 

Things I have kept from college now fits into a flat plastic tote that would fit under a bed for easy storage.  Except for the books, that is.  Still have a LOT of the books, but as far as other random things, I have really minimized it down over the years. 

Of the things from colllege, I decided to keep only the documents that were of some personal or historical value.  This would include a small sampling of the best of the papers that I wrote (or ones that I put the most thought or effort into writing - because let's be honest, there were plenty that were written in the wee hours before class with the printer ink still drying as I turned them in).  Early on, I also came to the conclusion that there was ablsolutely no logical reason or justification for keeping the notebooks and folders from my college classes.  That just took up too much space from the get-go, so they got tossed.  I have never needed them, so that was a great choice of things to toss.  I also still have a lot of the cards, notes, and such that my mom mailed to me while I was away at IU.  The keeper pile also includes the Business Law quiz that I was taking at the exact time that the September 11 attacks happened.  I will never forget, at that moment before hearing about the attacks, that quiz was the most important thing happening...until I heard.  Oh, how horrible it was to find out what happened while I was taking that quiz.  The very next time I had that class was two days later, so we were all still reeling from the news, and we all awkwardly waited for class to begin knowing that is what we were doing when it happened.  The professor wallked in and tossed them on the table and simply said, "here are the quizzes...not that they are important."  He is right, they became insignificant to what the country was going through, but, I have kept that quiz, if for no other reason to remind me that something you think is the most important thing right now can quickly become the most insignificant thing in the grand scheme of life. 

I also still have the IU Student newspaper announcing the firing of basketball coach Bobby Knight.  I am not even much of a basketball fan, but Bobby Knight was a legend at IU, so since I conveniently have the newspaper from the university from which he was fired, I figure I may as well hang on to it...who knows. 

Now back to the books.  Oh, the books.  Confession: I have a really hard time forcing myself to get rid of any books.  Even at the end of the semester when I could sell them back for fast cash after finals, I still carefully picked and chose which ones I thought I should keep and which ones I could part with for pizza money...literally, I once sold back some of my books because I really wanted some extra cash to order a pizza the evening I finished my last final for that semester.  I cashed in my thick, heavy volume of Shakespear literature at TIS Bookstore, and cleared just enough to pay for the last pizza that Pizza Express delivered that night.  They cut off deliveries very early that evening due to a snow/ice storm that was moving in, and I got the very last pizza they delivered that night.  Shoo...just under the wire!  The irony here is that a couple semesters later I had to REBUY that exact same big, heavy volume of Shakespeare for my second semester of Shakespeare Literature.  Dammit.  But I learned, and didn't sell it after that semester so I would never have to buy another piece of Shakespear literature.  Plus, it had all my class notes written in it and that alone has served of zero value in the subsequent years of my life!  I still have that second copy I got.  I haven't been able to part with it, probably because it reminds me of the cute and funny story of when I really wanted pizza money and sold the first one. 

I also have a handful of things of the dogs' that I keep.  From Watson there are a few of his favorite toys and his collar and tag that I have in a special box that I bought to keep his things in.  Since we don't have our Watson anymore, at least I have a lot of photos and a few of his favorite things to remember him by.  And speaking of dogs' things, I now have a new one to add.  Eli learned to swim this week.  All on his own.  Mark threw a ball out in a stream for him and Austin to go retreive and it went a little farther than they could wade out to get it and Eli was determined, so when it got too deep for him to wade, he kept going and started swimming for it!  It was a proud moment for Mark and I - my heart swelled a hundred times bigger watching him.  He brought that ball back and after playing with it a bit more, I got ahold of it so I could keep it and always have a memento of when we were so proud of him for being brave! 

Things I Toss/Donate

I have recently come to terms with just clearing out clothes that don't fit anymore or that I know deep down that I will never wear again.  About a year ago, after my weight being up and down and up and down, I decided that having the teeny tiny clothes that I could once wear in the closet staring at me everyday was just too depressing; I decided I needed to do a major purge.  So, after bagging them up, I had every bit of three giant garbage bags stuffed full of great clothes that I needed to never see again.  So, I donated them to a better cause than collecting dust inside my closet. 

Coats and jackets are another thing I have way too many of - that is one of my weaknesses; for some reason that I don't fully understand, I LOVE buying new jackets and coats.  Since fashions change from year to year, that is a grand reason to justify getting them...right??  Just agree with me on this.  As a result, I have a ridiculous amount of them, winter coats especially, that I need to donate.  Some of the coats are too small or no longer fashionably appropriate for my "grown-up" life, so I just need to get rid of them.  Seriously.  I could provide coats for an extended family of Eskimos.  Seriously.  I just need to get them to a more useful home.  People in less fortunate situations need coats every year, and it is selfish of me to keep these coats collected up in a closet knowing I will never wear them.  The funny thing is, that even though I buy all these jackets and coats, there is one I still keep going back to.  A grey wool pea coat that I bought in college for $25 off the clearance rack at Old Navy one year.  Yeah, I still love that coat and always default back to it after I grow tired of my most recent coat purchase.  All I have to do is pair it up with a new scarf and glove set each year, get it dry-cleaned at the end of each winter, and voila...its appearance is refreshed, and it is as good as new! 

The Basement

We all know the best parts and perks of home ownership.  However, the slightly darker and more sinister side is that space that most houses in the mid-west have that sits directly under the main part of the house...yes, you know what I am talking about...<insert music from a horror film here>...the basement.  It is just a big space...for stuff, right?  Well, ours has been just that.  There have been times where I avoided going down to the basement because of all the stuff.  But, to our credit, it was also being used as a shop for some things that my husband works on.  At some point, it became abundantly clear that we needed some type of space dedicated to just his projects and tools and things like that.  So, we built a 1500 sq foot shop for just that.  So, out of the basement went all the tools, saws, sawdust collection sytems, shop vacs, lawn maintenance equipment, and dirt bike & dirt bike accessories.  Oh, the open space of the basement once all that stuff got moved!  We even had a little part of the basement we referred to as 'the garage' and it is now almost empty because all that stuff went out to the shop.  So now, we are down to just one corner of the basement that we try not to think about.  That corner of the basement would be a hoarder's dream come true.  I say there just hasn't been time to go through it all, maybe that is true, but deep down, part of me knows that I just don't want to deal with all that stuff and what to do with it all.  Woof.  This part of the basement story is to be continued...

Together on Tuesday - MY Personal Causes!

Today's topic:  Soapbox time!  What is the issue that gets you stirred up?  What is your personal project or cause(s)?  How does this affect your daily life?  How do you try and make a difference?

Rescue Animals
Anyone who has been reading this blog...or has read it only once...or has seen the name of this blog can guess that rescue animals tug hard at my heartstrings.  I have literally stood in the dog section of the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) and cried because I couldn't take them all.  All three of our dogs have been rescue dogs, and any pet we ever have will be a rescue.  There are so many sweet, sweet pets that needs good, secure, and loving homes.  I cannot urge people enough to consider adopting rescues when they want a pet.   Most states require that all animals be spayed or neutered before adopted out from shelters, so that is ONE LESS HASSLE you have when you adopt!  Adopting a rescue can happen in many forms, most people think they all come from shelters (yes, that is what springs to mind - typically for me too) but it also happens when people take a pet someone can no longer keep or take in a stray they find.

Excuses, excuses, excuses...the Top 3 that I hear from people as reasons why they don't want to rescue:

"You don't know what you are going to get because you don't know what the animal has been through"
TRUTH:  You NEVER really know what an animal has been through, nor can you predict their future behaviors whether they come from a pet store, breeder, or a shelter.

"I don't want a pet that has been/will be/is sick"
TRUTH:  most of the time an ill animal will be isolated from the rest of the shelter animals and unavailable for adoption, most shelter animals are cared for by Veterinarians who either volunteer or work for the organization, their immunizations are kept up-to-date, or just ask...they will usually tell you whether an animal has been sick during its time at the shelter they also typically have Vet/Medical records available to give adoptive parents...just ask to see them.

"I heard some horrible story about a family who adopted a rescue...."
TRUTH: There are always some failures with adoption.  It just happens.  Did you know that there are also failed child adoptions?  I am by no means comparing adopting children to adopting a pet, I realize that adopting a child is a much more serious event, but most people don't want to think about child adoption failures, but it happens.  Some child adoptions have had to be legally unwound and the child returned to 'the system' for various reasons.  Likewise, all kinds of pet/family relationships fail every day.  Do you really think that pets that are purchased from pet stores or breeders never fail to work out with the families?  Really...do honestly believe that NEVER happens?  If you believe it never happens, contact me, I will sell you some ocean front property right in the middle of a desert...(kidding...!)

I do realize that in special circumstances, certain families need certain types of pets such as Physical Handicap Service Pets, Therapy Pets, and Hypo-Allergenic bred pets.  I understand that...I wouldn't argue with these needs for special-purpose pets.  It is the rest of you that I am preaching to!

**If you are interested in adopting or fostering a rescued animal; donating time, pet supplies, or money; or participating in fundraisers, you can contact: Kentucky Humane Society, No Kill Louisville, Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS), or PetFinder.**  Or, just talk to people about it.  Someone you know always knows someone who is needing to find a home for an animal.  You can usually find the age and size you are looking for within a short period of time of doing this.  The need is always there, just ask or spread the word that you are looking for a pet!

In Kentucky or Southern Indiana, I urge people to first check at LMAS for a pet companion to rescue or foster from.  That place has a bad history, I feel like they are cleaning up their act now, but only after years and years of mishandling of animals.  A number of people who have worked there in the past should do jail time for the things that went on there.  It is horrific what went on there.  The city and the CURRENT Mayor are working to clean up the mess that LMAS became (in my OPINION which is based on news stories in the local media: the previous Mayor, pretty much IGNORED the reports of what went on there during his reign of atrocity terms in office).  I am so glad Mayor Fischer and his administration cares about the situation, and are trying to clean up LMAS and make it a better place for homeless animals.  I really think the current staff is doing their best to improve the place, but they need our support and the more animals they can adopt out, the better they can handle the improvements they are working on there.  The community, city officials, and local media also need to remain vigilant of what is going on at LMAS so that it doesn't ever backslide into the horrible mess it once was.

If you ever find yourself in the situation of having to surrender a pet, please, first reach out to No Kill shelters.

How this cause affects MY daily life:
I have been lucky to have been/be a dog mom to three of the BEST dogs ever to Watson, Eli, and Austin!  ALL have been rescues.  They melt my heart, we adore them.  Their sweet faces and antics make me smile and laugh every single day!  Sometimes my house feels more like a 'dog rodeo' but I would not have it any other way.

My Loveys: 

Watson: 

Adopted him in December, 2006 when we lived in Indiana.

Sadly, we lost him in October, 2009 - RIP Buddy, we miss you everyday!

Eli:

Adopted him: February, 2009 from Kentucky Humane Society.

He is the diva.  If you look 'diva' up in the dictionary, you will see the above picture of Eli!

Austin:

Adopted him: November, 2010 from LMAS.  

This pic is Austin & Mark watching our Sunday NFL Football the day we got him!

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What is YOUR personal cause?  What soapboxes do you preach to any who will listen?  I would LOVE to hear all about them!

Together on Tuesday - My Gratitude List

List 30 things that you take for granted that you have gratitude for - elaborate as much or as little on each item.

I have been dealing with some very serious health issue for the past few weeks, so a lot of mine will reference that.

• Mark - I always have been and always will be grateful for him. But facing serious health issues and getting back on my feet has made me realize how truly grateful I really am for him. He is THE BEST and has taken phenomenally great care of me. 

• Our family - Everyone just dropped everything to see that I was being taken care of.  My family lives nearby, but they put their lives on hold to be at the hospital and do whatever Mark or I needed.  They were there when I was rushed to ICU and when the doctors came and told me all the scary stuff they may have to do if things 'got bad'.  They held it together while I fell apart and was completely terrified not knowing what was going to happen.  Mark's family also dropped everything and drove hours and hours to get here to see me, comfort both Mark and I, take care of our house, and take care of our dogs.  Other family members have sent cards, e-mails, and notes of concern and filled with such kindness.
• Our friends - we have had so many kind words and expressions of concern from our friends. So many of them have been praying for us and each day we feel those prayers being answered.
• Our co-workers - many, many of our co-workers also fall into the friend category and have reached out to us personally. Both our employers have shown an outpouring of support and have given us the time we've needed to handle this and recover. My department especially, has had to take on my workload on top of their own, with no advance notice - they are wonderful.
• The fact that my recent health crisis was no worse than it was and that we eventually expect a full recovery.
• Our two dogs - did you really think they wouldn't make the list? Didn't think so! They are so sweet and seem to realize that I am not my full self right now.  I sure did miss those two adorable faces when I was in the hospital!

• The three years we had our first dog, Watson.  RIP, buddy - we miss you!

• Our memories & photos of Watson.

• Our home
• Our jobs
• My car - because it is paid off - no more payments!!
• Mark - again!

• The fact that my husband and I have a similar sense of humor - warped?  You bet..but funny!

• Backless, slide-on tennis shoes...how convenient!
• Flip-flops
• Being allowed to wear jeans to work on Fridays.
• Yoga class - especially when I am well enough to go, not these days, but I will get there.  I highly recommend PM Yoga in Louisville. 
• Technology - including, but not limited to my iPhone, my new Netbook, and wi-fi.
• Ink pens with purple ink!
• My ToT blog group & the other ToT ladies, of course!
• Spaghetti & other pasta - my favorite!
• Sushi Tuesday lunch with the ladies at work.
• Driving - I miss being able to jump in the car and drive myself wherever, whenever.  Will get there again, in the meantime it is just frustrating.
• Two weeks of driving around Europe this summer with Mark.

• That I don't actually own the tiny car we drove around Europe for two weeks.
• The fact that the people around me know that I am sassy, opinionated, and that I just tell it 'like it is' and that they seem okay with that.
• The little things in life: those double-walled hard plastic cups with lids and the plastic straws (and how can you NOT love those straw stoppers??!!), Brisk brand Raspberry Iced Tea, my pink Swavorski crystal memory stick, having a TV in my kitchen, our new and hopefully dog-proof garbage can, fingerprint-free stainless appliances for the kitchen, and fall-themed seasonal decorations.
• My scarf collection - yeah, I have a scarf collection!
• Zip-front hoodies and fleece jackets.
• Mark - yes, AGAIN!  3rd time is a charm...right??

 

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What are you most greatful for???  Please share!

Together on Tuesday takes the Gold!!

It is probably apparent from my title that this week we are writing about the Olympics.  Do we watch them?  What do we think about them? What Olympic sport would you do? 

Summer Olympics
Well, I'm going to probably start right off spoiling my entry this week...as I mentioned in a previous entry (ToT: Brain Download!) I just don't care for the summer Olympics...so in the spirit of being honest, I admit that I did not watch one single minute of the summer Olympics this year.  There.  I said it.  Go ahead, hate on me for a little bit...then come back finish reading.  I understand.  I just don't have a Summer Olympic event that I am attached to - it just isn't there.  I would have enjoyed the opening ceremonies, but I was on a plane from Germany back to the U.S. during that...I think...those few days are a little fuzzy because of all the travelling we were doing.  Although, I must say that from seeing some of the news coverage during the Olympics that I was completely shocked at how scandalous the sport of Badminton could be.  Who knew?  Until now, I thought that the only thing that could even remotely be controversial about Badminton was their use of the word 'shuttlecock'...

However, not having even watched the Olympics, and going only by news coverage I still managed, like the rest of the world, to just fall in love with Gabby Douglas.  Be sure you check out Tish's blog over at Just Gets Sweeter to read about her connection to Gabby! 

I actually much prefer the summer X Games over the summer Olympics.  I think the events in the summer X Games are more exciting.  Plus they have motorized sports, like moto-cross races and stunt competitions and things like that.  This year, X Games upped the excitement with the live Hot Wheels Double Loop Challenge.  My mom and I saw this live on TV the day they did it (poor Mark, he kept waiting to see it, then had to leave and missed seeing it live by less than five minutes).  They make it look so effortless, but can you imagine if one teeny little thing had gone wrong??  Whew...and no, I will NOT be trying that one in the Sentra, LOL!

I really had a moment of pride this summer when I realized that my mother who is in her 60's and I were sitting there watching the X Games BMX Bike competition - and we were BOTH really enjoying it.  My proudest moment was when my mother said, 'that kid is just trying to look like Shawn White'...OMG...my mom knows who Shawn White is...awesomeness points for MY Mom!!

Yes...this sweet lady holding her tiny dog in a basket:

really enjoyed watching this:

I was as surprised as the rest of you!

Winter Olympics
Okay...so here is my chance to redeem myself with you guys...I LOVE the winter Olympics...did you hear that??  I LOVE THE WINTER OLYMPICS!!  Everything from the skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, luge, to the curling...YES...the curling!  During the last winter Olympics I had a random day off, and me and Eli (we did not have Austin yet) were fixated on the winter Olympics.  As I mentioned in the Brain Download blog entry...would it be weird, or just wrong to take a day or two off just to watch the winter Olympics??  I think not.  Mark probably wouldn't take a vacation day for that (I get a lot more vacay days than he does), so it would be me and the dogs cuddled up on the couch with our blankets watching.  Can't wait! 

Most certainly if I were going to be an Olympic athlete, my sport would be would be from the winter Olympics.  I think figure skating would be fun and it is a little more artistic than some of the other winter Olympic sports, so I would probably pick that...minus Tonya Harding's bodyguard and his baseball bat, of course.

And yes, you probably figured that I also really enjoy the winter X Games as well!

What about you?  What do you love/hate about the Olympics?  Did you watch? 

Together on Tuesday - Nicknames...line up and get your nicknames - I hand them out daily!

Nicknames: did you have one growing up? How did you get it? Do people still call you that? Have you given your kids dogs nicknames?  Other people?

My Nicknames from Others

Growing up, I hated my name – however, my middle name is Lynn…one of those sort of ‘filler names’ so to speak…no offense to any Lynn’s out there who love their names…but to me some names just seem like filler names that, in my mind, exist to serve as middle names that easily compliment a longer or more difficult first name to match to a middle name. Point being that while growing up I hated my name – but I hated the idea of going by my middle name even more. No win. Especially when you are 7 or 8 and in those days, the only other Charlottes were peoples’ grandmothers, great aunts, or something like that (however, maybe now my name has taken a more trendy turn because it seems to have become a more popular name for baby girls in the last year or two). At any rate – leading us back to the topic at hand, nicknames, did I have one? Well…ish, maybe…I did not really have a solid nickname that everyone who knew me called me all/most the time over the long haul of the years of my childhood. Sure, there are several close friends or family who regularly (and still do) shorten my name to Char, which is fun - I like that they feel comfortable enough with me to do that, but its not like I had the teachers call me that in school. Any nicknames that I had were usually just names that certain people would call me at home. Which seems odd given the above discussion of how I felt about my name growing up.

There was one person that had the special privilege of calling me something that no one else was/is allowed to – Charlie. It seems logical to shorten my name to Charlie, but that privilege was reserved for one very special lady – my Great Aunt Beverly. She called me that growing up – it was a special thing between her and I, and I would very get upset if anyone else tried to get in on that. So, when that wonderful lady passed away in December, 1989 with her went the privilege of being able to call me Charlie. My family knows not to, and if anyone I know or meet calls me that, I will usually correct them that I do not go by that – sometimes explaining why, but not always – depending on who it is.

Now, my Mom always has, and always will, call me her ‘Baby Girl’…I am her youngest, the baby of the family, so she calls me that a lot.

Now – in the college years…I had plenty nicknames, but I won’t go too much into that…most of them were born as a result of inside jokes with my college buddies and some would probably be offensive to those who don’t lend themselves to my particular brand of humor!

A few years ago, our friend Tom started calling me Soot Lady...I mention this one in particular because of the uniquely funny progression from which this name came.  It all started one evening...drinking involved?...Given.  We were all hanging out, and at some point, Tom told me I was being snotty to him...I am sure I WAS...LOL!  So, he decided to start calling me Snot Lady.  Got it.  Check.  We're good.  However, a short time later, I sent him a text, attempting to sign it as 'Snot Lady'...however...that handy-dandy T9 (oh, yeah, back in those days...remember T9 anyone??...crickets chirping...didn't think so!) auto-corrected, changing my signature to 'Soot Lady'.  Tom thought that was so epically funny that I instantly became Soot Lady as far as he was concerned!

Mark typically calls me Sweets.  Just a simple shortented version of Sweetie or Sweetie Pie.  I like that he calls me Sweets.  Neither of us are very super lovey dovey verbally, so this sort of fits us.  I think it is...well...sweet of him!

My Nicknames for Others

I don’t have any children, so as you saw above, I modified it for the dogs – which are my kids. I have no less than ten million and twelve nicknames for my dogs! At the rate I come up with them, Mark is usually a nickname or two behind! Here is a short sampling:

Eli (full name: Eli Robert): Eleey Bob, The Bobber, The Bob, Eli Roberto, Bugaboo, The Bug, Little Dog, Booty Dog (because he tries to sleep up against my booty!), Grumpy Old Man, and Shifty (sort of a word play on him acting a little shady sometimes...you know, those shifty eyes of his - this is a brand new one from yesterday).

Austin (full name: Austin Vega): Austie, Austie Vega, Big Dog, Tall Dog, Crazy Man, Crazy Pants, Stinky Gonzalez, and as of last night...Stilty (because he is just so...dang...tall).

Collectively, I refer to the dogs as ‘The Boys’...but as of last night, I'm also collectively referring to them as 'Shifty & Stilty'.

As far as people…yes, I give out LOTS of nicknames. The one that has really stuck is my sister’s…I have called her Sissy ever since I began speaking – I have friends who probably could not tell you her first name because all they’ve ever heard was ‘Sissy’ and subsequently just started calling her that themselves.

Mark, of course, has not escaped being nicknamed either. His has stuck pretty well too. I call him Bear. I'm not exacly sure of the origin of my calling him Bear, but I believe it started out as something more than just Bear and eventually getting shortened down to just that. He doesn't seem to mind it, at least he's said he doesn't, and he continues to answer to it so it has just stuck. I guess I'll find out for sure - as in whether he gets upset that I've told all of you that I call him Bear!

I also have given (and have helped in giving) other people I know nicknames as well. You just can't sit in an office all day five days a week observing the people around you and not give them nicknames, it just isn't possible - at least for me and my closest work pals...and that is all I will say about that! I also will not deny giving nicknames to complete strangers - which are typically based on stupid things I see them doing. 

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So, my fine readers...please do tell...all of your embarassing nicknames over the years??!!!