Blog Challenge: Day 3

Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.



Only eight? Okay... I'm going to take the less sentimental route here... So, I'm not going to list Brandon, my mom, friends, etc... okay? But do note that I don't want to live without those people either!!! ;)
 

1. Music.  I love it, I need it... I couldn't live without it.  Period!
2. My animals.  I am an animal lover, for sure! Mama Moose and Jacker Whacker are lucky to have me!!! Oh, did I just say that? ;)
3. Chapstick.  Preferably Burt's Bees Pomegranate... Yum-O!
4. My Droid. Oh, love. :)  How else would I check Jen and Candice's blogs five times a day... Neurotic? Me? No.
5. Tom Kha Gai - Or Thai food in general. It's amazing.
6. Sarcasm. Life just wouldn't be worth it, would it? Nah.
7. Philosophy's Amazing Grace. It's my body wash, my lotion... my love. Oh, and Pureology hair products. *sigh*
8. Flip flops/sandals.  I really don't like real shoes... I prefer the flops.  I got a kinda "greenerish" pair this year because my feet have really taken a beating... I bought a pair of Birki's. Oh geeze.  Now I own Birkenstocks AND Danskos.  Yes, I live in the PNW. :) Oh well, my feet thank me.

That's it! This is a cake walk... only seven more days!!! You should join me in the challenge!

The Jackson Tales Part 2

Brandon waited in the car while I walked our still spooked "Lindsay" into the pound.  On our entrance into the compound (its big - really big,) I couldn't help but notice the billboard that stated how many animals they put down per year.  The sign reminded me to "Think twice..." Um, CRAP!  I kept dragging the scruffy dog towards the entrance into the building.  When we entered the waiting room the stench that permeates any animal care facility hit us like a wall.  I took a number and waited patiently to speak to someone about the dog.  My plan had changed in the thirty seconds from leaving the car to entering the building:  I no longer would leave the dog here unattended.  If he was chipped I would see if they would give me the owner's information personally or I would leave my information so they owner could contact me to get the dog.  If he wasn't chipped... well, if he wasn't chipped then I would just take him and figure something out.

After waiting for ten or so minutes I was directed to walk the dog outside and around the corner to a warehouse of sorts where someone would scan Lindsay for a microchip.  When the scanner didn't pick up any chip I really started to get a nervous stomach. *What am I going to do with a dog?* *Brandon is going to kill me* *We're leaving in five days back home to Washington for his sister's wedding... WHAT WILL I DO????* I walked him back into the building to discuss his likelihood of being treated and adopted out.  The lady point blank told me that with his skiddish demeanor and rough physical condition she doubted he would make it into the next week at the shelter. For a quick second I mistook her statement as meaning that he was so cute and lovable that he would be adopted right away. That is not at all what this lady was implying.

Without a second thought, I walked the dog back to the car.  When I opened the door to get in, I gave Brandon one look that must have screamed "NOT ONE WORD!" because he just drove and got back on the freeway headed for home.  He gave me about five minutes of silence before he inquired about my plan.  I'm glad he gave me a bit to think... because my plan was certainly not very clear.  I decided I needed to have him seen by a vet to determine if anything was seriously wrong for him as well as to get him on treatment for the ticks.  In the meantime I would list him as lost on petfinder and look for rescue organizations to take him. 

I had to find him a home.

.......Brandon will never let me keep him.......

The Jackson Tales Part 1

I'm not sure if I have ever shared the full story that brought Jackson into our lives... I'm too lazy to go read my first post so I will give a series of posts that will bring us all up to speed on my main man.  Well, my main furry man. :)

July 14th, 2007 I was driving down a main drag in Mesa, Arizona around midnight.  We were killing time because we had to pick Brandon up after his shift at the lovely Red Lobster.  We came up on a frantic looking dog that was running like a mad man in the middle of the street, literally.

 *Sidenote*
I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but up here in Washington, most main roads the speed limit is between 30-45 depending on how busy, how wide and how curvy! We have several highways that the speed limit is higher, but main roads through cities and towns are different.  Well, in Arizona the main roads are of course all N/S and E/W.  The Phoenix Valley is literally a grid which is great for getting around! However, all of the main roads are four lanes (two on each side) and while the speed limit is 35-45mph everyone goes 60+.  No joke.  Well, except for the snowbirds that all slow traffic down which is a hazard in itself.

So, with that tidbit of information, you can imagine my fright when I realize that the oncoming traffic's red light had just turned green and here are a whole buttload of cars headed in this poor dog's way.  I sped up, pulled into the center lane and jumped out of my car in attempt to scare him out of the road.  It worked.  He went running off into the subdivision that was on the other side of the street.  I got back into my car and kept driving.  While waiting in the Lob's parking lot for Brandon I couldn't get my mind off of the dog.  I kept thinking... is he okay?  Why is he so frantic? He's obviously lost... Should I call animal control? Should I go back?  Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out which thought process I went with...

So, fast forward to 45 minutes later.  The dog is in the back of my SUV and I'm picking Brandon up from work (late, might I add.)  The dog's odor is absolutely atrocious and he is spooked out of his mind.  Oh, and I should add that Brandon was peeved.  Like, extra peeved.  I don't blame him, either.  We lived in student housing for Arizona State University and quite honestly we didn't have a budget that included a dog.  So, I promised that I would take him to the pound the next day.

When we arrived home that night, I proceeded to give "Lindsay" (his temporary name... I found him on Lindsay Road and I thought he was a girl... whoops!) a bath to rid him of his terrible stink.  In the process, I found over 75 ticks on the poor dude and several "road rash" wounds that looked like they had attempted to heal to only be reopened.  He spent the night in an empty room in our house.  The next morning, we loaded him up and I regretfully walked him into the Maricopa County Animal Shelter.

To Be Continued...

A Little About "Us"

I have followed some of the blogs on my list for well over a year. I began my blogging journey in 2007 and it's a habit I haven't kicked, thankfully. I'm not too good at that habit kickin' thing anyway. What I'm realizing is that while I've followed several blogs and know about their background, I need to fill in the gaps about our lives as this has been a one way road since I began reading blogs.

I'll give a short summary of our last seven years together.... SEVEN years. Woah! Seven is my lucky number so I think that is an omen (or something) that 2010 will be great for us! I will surly go more in depth on many of these things I am about to summarize!

Brandon and I are "Highschool Sweathearts." I've always hated that title, by the way. I feel like it has a very negative connotation to it. People assume we were the clingy overly dramatic couple that was on-again off-again throughout the years. Ok, or I assume that people assume that. Maybe my assumption is off. Never the less, I'm certain anyone who knows us well will tell you that we're anything but that. In fact, Brandon and my relationship is the easiest one I've experienced. I mean relationship in general, not solely romantic. I'm lucky to say that I suppose. Anyway, we've been together since February of 2003, our Junior year of high school.

We graduated in 2004 and both went to community colleges around our home town. Brandon played golf all through high school and received a scholarship to a nearby CC in Tacoma. I went to the closer CC here in Olympia. I finished my Associate's in December of 2006 and we made a BIG move to the desert on 1/1/07. Arizona was full of promises for us. A big University for myself and golf courses galore for Brandon -- seemed like it would be so perfect! However, there were several things that brought us back to the Pacific Northwest. Our families were the main reason, though. Money was a second contender! Turns out, it's really expensive to golf all of the time and out of state tuition is even more expensive! Ha! Not to mention that this girl was BORN to be in the PNW. 119 degrees is not my cup of tea. Ever. Period. While in Arizona we had some great times, met some great people and learned to be a bit more independent. Brandon proposed to me at a gorgeous hotel in Scottsdale on December 16, 2007. We moved home the first week in February of 2008. We bought our first house in June of 2008 and were married in August. **WHEW** We were busy for the first half of 2008!

The latter half of 2008 brought some great struggles within my family that have lasted through 2009. We lost my dear step dad in February of 2009 and I still can't believe he's gone today. I've began back in school to finish my BA and we both work at Brandon's family's business. We're both essentially bartenders but we both do a little bit of everything around the place. Brandon does managerial type things and I can be found either cleaning or bartending/serving. I have grown to love the place and enjoy my time spent there. I also care take for a 8 month old little girl. She's such a doll and I love spending time with her!

Over the years we have acquired four animals. We only have three of them currently. Our first baby was Libby. She's quite the cat! She has quite the attitude but is a very beautiful girl. Next was Jackson, found running on Lindsay Road in Mesa, Arizona. He's an 8 year old Border Collie with quite a history. After Jack was rescued I received my very favorite *boy* kitty for Christmas in 2007. Riley was the perfect tabby with white toes and he was as friendly as any kitty could be. The last addition really wasn't an addition for me, but was for Brandon. Rainie is my family's pet that found herself homeless after my step dad passed last February. She's a 14-16 year old (we adopted her so we're not sure of the age) chow/golden retriever mix. She's a pain. I love her and I heard Brandon tell her the same today. Unfortunately, she is old and that comes with quite a few challenges but she can't control her age anyway, right? Let's just say that I wish I owned stock in Bounty and it's not for cleaning up kitchen messes. However, she has gone through just as much grief as the rest of us this year and I'm happy to announce she hasn't had an accident in over two weeks! I am sad to end the pet segment of this post with the news that Riley has been missing for over two weeks. I miss him dearly... all of his family does. Libby spent all of last week checking each room for him, meowing constantly. She hasn't touched his food dish and hasn't left our sides for every moment that we're home. I miss my favorite *boy* kitty. I say that *boy* part so I don't hurt Libby's feelings. She knows she's my favorite *girl* kitty. :) Anyway, I can hope that Riles will come home... but the odds are that he's in Kitty Heaven now and his Mama misses him. :*(

Yes, I am a crazy pet owner. All of my animals have several nick names and I talk to them all of the time. They are my (our) life, that is for sure. Spoiled as ever. I am the type of person that cries when those danged ASPCA commercials come on. You know? The Sarah MacLaughlan ones? Sheesh.

Now that I'm full blown crying over my cat's disappearance, I better go for now. I know that was a lot of information crammed into one post. But, I figured I'd try to catch everyone up really quickly. For now, at least.

Have A Beautiful Week!