A List and Some "Shout Outs"

I don't normally do the question/list thingy on my blog but one of my very favorite bloggers tagged me and I just couldn't say no.  If you don't already read Pamela's blog then you must click here and hang on for a ride! She tells the greatest stories about her family, including her extremely good looking husband, Eric, and of course Petey, the one-eyed wonder dog.

1. Who was your favorite teacher and why?

I really put some thought into this and since I hated school from day one of kindergarten all the way through college I could not even remember any of my teacher's names. Pretty bad huh? I must be one of a handful of people who never had a teacher that influenced them.

2. What were your sports of choice when you were younger?

I was a runner. Those that know me are probably thinking...no freakin' way! In high school I ran 5 miles every morning and 5 miles every night. I never competed in running though. Because I grew up on a lake I was a very strong swimmer. Powder puff football and field hockey were my other two favorites.

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a large animal vet. That is until I learned how much college was involved. I hated school and had no intention of attending school that long. See question #1.

4. What profession did you ultimately end up in and why?

Accounting. I mostly ended up in accounting because I was always good at math and it came easy for me. No need to attend all classes as I could just read the text book. Once again, see question #1.

5. What is the single most important thing you think parents should teach their children?

Personal accountability. I think it is something that is lacking in this world.

6. When you run, what is the one thing your mind turns to the most often?

I don't run anymore, but I do walk on a treadmill frequently. The one thing I think of most often is the things I still need to do around my house. It is still a work in progress.

7. What is your favorite book and how many times have you read it?

"Illusions" by Richard Bach. I love, love, love this book. It is my bible of sorts. I read it whenever I am down. Often I will begin it again as soon as I read the last page.

8. If you could only pick one movie to watch for the rest of your life what would it be?

Under The Tuscan Sun

9. Are you more comfortable in the city or the country?

"The Shack"! of course. For those that don't know that is what I call my property in Southeastern Arizona.

10. If you had the option of spending three months of the year in another place, where would you choose?

I guess I would have to say "The Shack". Since I live in Arizona I am already in paradise and leaving this state holds no interest for me.

11. What is your all time favorite museum to visit?

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum. It opened in 1991 and I actually have not been there.....yet. I know that once I do go it will be my favorite though!

Many of the bloggers that I love have already been tagged in this so I am not going to tag anyone, but I am going to take this opportunity to give a shout out some of my favorite bloggers and if you haven't been tagged already then please feel free to copy these questions to your blog. Check out these blogs...they are all fantastic bloggers!

Inger at Desert Canyon Living

Greg @ Greg Smith MD

Kim at My Inner Chick

Terri @ Terri Sonoda

Rae @ The Old Weather Vane

Pauline @ The Paddock (I love this woman!)

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm

These Are the Good Ole Days

I have been obsessed with this song lately so I thought I would share it with you all.

My favorite line is: "Ain't gonna live my life through no picture frame."

See....it made ya smile didn't it?

Go ahead....go to iTunes or where ever you buy your music and get it.

Embracing Impermanence

This past weekend I attended the Arizona Sun Circuit Horse Show and sat through 5 hours of lectures/demonstrations. All were very interesting with the exception of hour 2 and that was when the phrase "embrace impermanence" popped into my head. 

Impermanence is usually something we try to avoid. I prefer things structured and dependable. I like the security of knowing what is going to happen on a daily basis. Because of fear we try to hold onto whatever makes us happy. We hold on because we don't want to feel the alternative. But the reality is that nothing lasts forever.  It is because of impermanence that not only do the painful times pass but the joyous times as well.  Change is inevitable and we must learn to expect and accept the changes in life. It is when we resist change that we suffer the greatest.

The next time you find yourself in a joyful moment remember impermanence. The next time you find yourself sad or depressed, also remember impermanence. It is impermanence that allows us to appreciate the moment. Because of impermanence we should try to find the positive in every moment and not dwell on what we have lost. The unknown can be a curse or an adventure. It is up to us to choose.

"When you truly embrace your human impermanence you connect with the power you have, and influence you have, over the time you have." ~ Steve Maraboli

Little Oido

Back on December 19 a little stray chihuahua mix showed up in the parking lot of the complex I work in. He was very skinny and appeared to be fearful of just about everyone and everything. Because of my love for dogs and just about any other animal I picked up a bag of dog food while running errands that day. Come to find out, not only was I feeding him, but just about everyone in the complex was. I called him Oido.

Over the past 5 weeks Oido and I became very good friends. He was still very skittish and would not let me touch him but he spent all day by my office door.

Whenever I would walk anywhere in the complex he would follow me right on my heels.  At the end of the day he would follow me to my truck and as I was leaving I would see him running behind my truck. It was heartbreaking.

Last week he was beginning to show some happiness when he saw me arrive in the morning.  He would run around in circles, wagging his tail and yipping. I really felt like I was making progress with him. I had multiple homes lined up for him once I was able to socialize him. He could not take that leap of faith and actually come in my office, but he got close!

Today would have marked the beginning of week 6 with Oido. I waited and waited for him to show up for his breakfast but no Oido. As the day progressed I got very sad thinking about what could have happened to him.

Hopefully he will show up tomorrow.....

Healing

I have always loved animals. My Mom used to frequently dream that I brought home a stray elephant I had found. Throughout the years I have adopted numerous stray dogs and even a few barn cats.  For me, animals bring so much joy into my life that I can't imagine being without them.

They can sense so many of our emotions and give us unconditional love. I believe one can find so much symbolism in the way they behave and often times parallels between their life and ours can be drawn. I want to share with you one such true story.

Quite a few years back an injured dove showed up at our house. I don't know if he had been shot or hit by a car, but his breast was completely sliced open.  I first noticed him while I was throwing scratch (cracked corn) on the ground for my chickens. He was trying desperately to steal some but the chickens kept chasing him away and it was obvious that he could not fly. I threw him some scratch off to the side so he could eat.  For the first week he ate alone, away from the chickens and away from me.  Every morning he would appear for his share of some scratch and it wasn't long before my chickens began to accept him and he blended right in.  Over time his breast began to heal and he could fly a little bit at a time; not very long and not very high but to me it was fantastic improvement. During his healing he learned that I was not a threat and he had no fear of me.  When eventually he could fly good as new he never left our place.  He would always be waiting for me when I went out to feed in the morning and often when I would leave for work he would ride the bed rails of my truck until I pulled out of the driveway. He would then fly up to rest on the power lines. Often he would be waiting on those same lines when I got home. As I pulled into the driveway he would swoop down and ride the truck to it's parking place. In the evenings, as TJ and I sat on the patio discussing our day and planning the next he would happily perch nearby. He eventually found a mate and they built their nest on our patio right outside the back door. While TJ wasn't happy with the mess they were creating, I convinced him to please let them be. They raised not just one but two families right on our patio.

When I moved from that house after TJ died there was no way for me to bring him with me so I was forced to leave him behind and it broke my heart. I can still vividly remember the last time I pulled out of that driveway and he was on the bed rails of my truck. When he flew off just as I pulled into the street I stuck my hand out the window and waved goodbye.

I was leaving my old life behind to begin my own healing process.  I was beginning my own journey to learn how to spread my wings and fly again. Small short flights at first, as the pain held me back. But with time and nourishment much longer and higher flights. I am not yet soaring above the power lines, but I will.

Can Friendship Last Forever?

The friends I am closest to have been my friends for years. Recent research shows that people replace about half of their closest friends every seven years! The definitely does not apply to me. I am very selective when it comes to letting people into my "inner circle". I have to know that they will be there for me forever and unconditionally. I have come to realize that I am basically not trusting of people in general and they must prove to me I can allow them in. I am often very closed with my emotions and feelings (in person at least, on here I lay it all on the line). Throughout my life I have been blessed with some friendships that I believe will last forever.

I met Terry my freshman year of college. He was head over heels for my girlfriend and she was difficult, to say the least. We became friends through our discussions about her. Today he is one of my dearest friends. He has always been there for me and he was the only person who ever stood up to my Father when he would treat me poorly. My Dad quickly learned to not talk down to me in Terry's presence as he would not tolerate it. Over the years Terry has never missed my birthday! I always get a phone call, text, or email from him to say happy birthday. While we live thousands of mile apart, I know if I truly needed him he would jump on a plane and be here for me. Thanks Ter, I love you!

Bob, aka Bad Bob, I met while working at Grand Canyon National Park. I spent 5 years working at the park and loved every minute of it. Bob and I worked in the maintenance department together. While we both had significant others we still managed to spend one weekend day together exploring the Kaibab National Forest. Over the years we lost and regained contact many times, always picking up right where we left off.  After TJ died and I bought the new house I was speaking on the phone with Bob's girlfriend about how I think with the new house I may have bitten off more than I could chew as far as remodeling goes. She suggested that Bob (she called him my brother) fly out to help me as he was unemployed at the time anyway. She handed the phone to Bob and without hesitation he said he would happily come help me.  Bob came out for 3 weeks and did nothing but work on my new house the whole time he was here. That, my friends, is true friendship! He expected nothing in return as he was here just to help his friend. Bob and I will be friends forever, I am sure of it.

I could go on and on with my special friendships: Ed, he went to high school with my ex-husband and now we live within a mile of each other; my sister (Alberta), we have never had a period where we didn't speak and I truly love her; my brother (Mark), we are not in constant communication but I know he is there for me; my first boyfriend (Greg), we have a truly unique friendship that has lasted throughout the years; my best friend from high school (Mary) we only reconnected recently and you can read about our friendship here.

Now I have my bloggy and twitter friends, some I have met in person and some I have not. Regardless of meeting in person, many have become very special friends to me. I have my local IRL friends that have supported me in person the over last few years. I am sure if I were to rewrite this 10 years from now some of these people would be included.

Take a moment to think about your "forever" friends. Friendship for life - what a great concept! 

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

I AM HEALED!!!!!!

Yesterday I had an appointment with my Physical Therapist as well as my Pain Management Doctor. They both released me from treatment. My truck accident was on June 2, 2011 so after six long months of recovery I am finally healed. Well, healed with conditions of course..... I was given a 6 month supply of the pain creme I use since I still wake up every morning with a sore neck and I was told to be careful for the next year.  But no more appointments.  While I loved both my doc and therapist I am happy to not have to see them again. EVER...hopefully.

In light of this I am declaring 2012 to be a year of NO DRAMA for me. I have not had a drama free year since 2008 and I am due for one. Needless to say I am absolutely thrilled about having an entire good year so please wish me luck, cross your fingers, cross your toes, pray....do whatever it is that you think will help.