Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful....

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow....

Well, we had our first snow of the season today!! It is a bittery, cold & windy day here in Michigan. And, now it is it time to start singing, shopping, and celebrating the holidays that are on their way. I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas - and I love all of the food. :)

Our neighbors have long thin sticks all along their yards bordering the road.... apparently the snow plows have a tendency to plow over the grass, or worse the sprinkler heads.

Snickers has never been so delighted for the last 5 months... he absolutely loves the winter weather...and he will be joyous when the snow arrives....must be nice to have a winter coat permanently attached throughout the winter.

We were delightful for the time change and the extra hour of sleep. Monday morning on the news the traffic report listed numerous deer/vehicle collisions. Dave mentioned that the deer must have forgotten to set their clocks back!! Woops!! The deer here are quite friendly, and do not seem to mind human presence.... I hope the coyote feel differently. I awoke a couple of weeks ago to coyote howling - they seemed to be right behind our house!

Well - that is all for now.......... watch out for "Jack Frost nipping at your nose..."

Proceed At Your Own Risk

I was on my work travels a couple of days ago when my Garmin GPS unit directed me to take a right turn.... I looked at the yucky, unpaved road - and noticed a sign posted: "High Muck Area, Proceed At Your Own Risk." I decided not to proceed. I found it interesting though, I feel like I proceed at my own risk every morning when I pull out of my garage. You never know when you leave for the morning what your day is going to entail, what problems you might encounter, or when you will happen into a "risky" situation.

Life is like that, though, isn't it? You can live very cautiously and never take any risks, and you might make it though safely, untarnished.... but what fun would you have had? What adventures did you miss? And what wisdom could you have possibly acquired to pass on to others if you only sailed through life without ever taking a chance or opting for the adventure? This is from a greeting card that was shared with us from Dave's uncle, he is in final stages of cancer and received this card early on in his diagnosis - it was inspiring to him:

"LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE INTENTION OF ARRIVING SAFELY IN AN UNBLEMISHED AND WELL-PRESERVED BODY; BUT RATHER TO SKID IN BROADSIDE, THOROUGHLY USED UP, BRUISED AND BROKEN, TOTALLY WORN OUT, AND LOUDLY PROCLAIMING: "WOW....WHAT A RIDE!!"

And, if you do or do not have your faith in God - don't go thinking anyone slides in to heaven unblemished, unbruised, or without sin along the way - but when you get there, and you say, "Wow, What a Ride!!" You might just hear "I knew you'd make it!"

When you've lost love, lost your desire, lost your hope------keep proceeding at your own risk-----there is more love, more desire, and more hope just past the muck. Here's to everyone who tramples through the muck, and comes out better on the other side.

Happy 1st Birthday to Snickers!!

Well - today is Snicker's first birthday....although we didn't meet him for several weeks later - I think Dec 9th, to be exact. That was the day we picked him out, and put a little blue ribbon around his neck - we went back 2 weeks later to pick up our cuddly and fuzzy little blue boy!

We took him home and he walked around the kitchen, frightened to be more than a few feet away from us.... and whimpering for the companionship of his brothers. It was a long winter - but really fun winter potty training him, and watching him investigate everything for the very first time.

We couldn't ask for a better dog... he has been great. Although, I'm sure I would say that about any dog of mine. He is certainly a part of our family and we try to take him everywhere we go... the only exception is when we have to fly somewhere. :)

So, today is his birthday... he doesn't know, of course - it's just any other day to him!! I was going to get him a gift from PetCo, but.... he already has so many toys and treats. Instead I took him for a nice long walk, and gave him a heaping 2cups for dinner. :) I think he'll settle in after I'm done here with a nice, tasty chew treat.

Well - that's all for tonight. We are supposed to be getting some bad weather in a bit, but so far nothing.... we'll see if the weather guys come through tonight!

I'm Just Resting My Eyes

I fell asleep last night while watching television..... Dave asked, "Are you sleeping?!?" To which I responded, "No, I'm just resting my eyes, but I can't remember what just happened [on the show]."

I would like to credit my Grandma with teaching me the "I'm just resting my eyes" line. I can remember being at my grandparents house and finding my grandma on the couch, apparently sleeping. I would ask, "Grandma, are you sleeping?" She would respond, as above, "No, I'm just resting my eyes." I'm still not sure to this day, but I think she probably was just resting her eyes. Whereas, I was really sleeping. And, I typically am really sleeping when someone asks me this question.

I would like to credit my friend, Mindy, with the fibbing about sleeping part. I frequently fall asleep during movies, I have even done it approximately 5 times a the movie theatre. This, I believe is irritating [note: especially if someone else paid $8 for your movie] - and I can see why.... you think you are watching a movie with a friend, you laugh at a funny part (alone) - only to discover that your friend has fallen asleep on you!!! It's just not fun anymore. SO - I will give Mindy the credit [she would make me wake up] for my neverending fibbing about not really being asleep, but just "resting my eyes." I have even gotten so good at it, that sometimes I can wake up when I hear someone else laughing, and I pretend to laugh as if I actually heard the joke. Once I hit REM though, it is all over.

I would like to credit my mom's genes with the actual reason for the falling asleep part. [And quite possibly my dad, too... he can often be found snoozing during Sunday football games] But, alas - if it is between 8:30-9:00pm and you are watching tv with my mom, she is most likely snoozing. My brothers and I learned very early that you can ask mom almost anything while she is sleeping, and she will always say yes, and not remember what she told you the next day. She would say, "Did I tell you that while I was sleeping?" Very Funny.

Dave doesn't care if I snooze while we are watching tv, so maybe someday I will admit that I am actually sleeping, instead of my usual "I'm just resting my eyes."