Fabulous Friday Finds - "Puppy Size"

I must admit that I am not one to forward on emails. I don't participate in those "get to know your friends" emails. I don't send on "warnings" that come out by email (especially if they haven't been checked through Snopes.com). I'm as big a fan of cute cuddly puppies and kitties and babies as the next person, but I'm trying to live a simpler life and that means not cluttering the inboxes of my friends with useless information and electronic "paper clutter."

Ok, with that being said......

My mom sent me this email a few weeks ago and it has been on my mind ever since. Since it's something that I can truly feel and understand and becaues I think it's so endearing, I present it to you this Friday as my Fabulous Find:

Puppy Size

'Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,' the mother told the volunteer.

'What is it she keeps asking for?' the volunteer asked.

'Puppy size!' replied the mother.

'Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for.'

'I know..... we have seen most of them, ' the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the office. 'Well, did you find one?' asked her mom.

'No, not this time,' Danielle said with sadness in her voice. 'Can we come back on the weekend?' The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

'You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply,' the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. 'Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend,' she said.

Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her. They both felt she was being too particular. 'It's this weekend or we're not looking any more,' Dad finally said in frustration.

'We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size, either,' Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs. Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted. Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one. One by one she said, 'Sorry, but you're not the one.'

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup. The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer. ' Mom , that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!' She screamed with joy. 'It's the puppy size!'

'But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks,' Mom said.

'No not size..... The sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,' she said.. 'Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sighs!'

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both. 'Mom , every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,' she said. Then, holding the puppy up close to her face, she said, ' Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!'

Ok, now go and hug your kids and husband, friends and pets. And when you do, remember that what matters is the sighs of your heart.

The first 100(ish) days

Last Friday (October 23rd) was day #100 of my second bucket list. Perhaps it's time for a review of my progress. Shall we?

The Good:

5. Eat sushi once a month. {I know - it's my burden to bear, but I'm muddling through. ;-) } So far so good on this one. I just need to find some time in these last few days of October to grab myself a Canadian Roll from Ocean World. YUM!

13. Feed 3 expired parking meters. So far, I've done one. I have plenty of time and I pass about 100 of them every day on my way to/from work, so I'm not worried.

16. Hug 50 people. With 25/50 under my belt, I'm doing really well, but I need to remember this one is on the list more often.

17 Buy tickets to and attend a charity dinner - COMPLETED 09/17/2009! The church I attend had a fish fry in September and I enjoyed the fish very much. It wasn't what I had originally thought of when I came up with this list item, but it definitely fit the bill.

18 Send flowers anonymously 3 times (1/3) - Check this one out HERE.

20 Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice through http://www.freerice.com/ (92,180/1,000,000) - So far this one's not that bad. I'm a little bit behind, but it's not that labor intensive and donating a couple extra grains of rice a day is a pretty easy thing to do. Have you done it yet? Check it out.

21 See my parents at least once a month (4/34) - Mom and I try to get together once a month anyway to scrapbook. They generally come down to my house, but I've been up to their once so far too. Not bad. I'm right on schedule. This one's really important I think because if you think about it (which I try not to), I probably don't have THAT many more visits left with them. If I see them once a month and they live for another 20 years (they are both around 60), that's only 240 more times. If that represented the number of days in a year, I would only have 8 months left with them. That's clearly not long enough.

25 Help build a house for someone - I'm totally doing this one tomorrow on a Habitat for Humanity project. Yeah!

39 Read the whole Harry Potter series (0/7) - I'm about 1/2 way through the first book. Perhaps this one should be in the "bad" category for the lack of progress I've made?

45 Get at least 10 official followers on my blog (10/10) - COMPLETED 10/24/2009!!! SCORE! When I first put this one on here, I was sure it would be really difficult to complete, but I get to cross it off already!! I love my followers. I especially love Kelsey Dahlin for putting me over the top. Why don't we try for 100? Haven't joined yet? Well I still have a few open slots, but they're going quickly! ;-)

50 Write myself a letter on Day 1 to be opened in Day 1001 - COMPLETED 7/17/2009. Done, but I still have to find it. Dang it.

56 Pray for those I love once a week (15/144) & 57 Pray for those I don't love once a week (15/144) - still praying.

69 Find 3 new musical artists whose music speaks to my soul (1/3) - I'm really, really, really pleased about my find in Cari Ray. You should totally check her out if you haven't done so already.

70 Buy flowers once every month (4/34) - I've been quite pleased with my selections so far. That reminds me that I haven't shown you my lovely picks for August, September and October. Gorg!

84 Moisturize daily (106/1001) - I'm so moisturized, I practically squish when I walk. Well...maybe not..

97 Buy a Wii - COMPLETED 7/22/2009 - The Wii is by far the coolest gaming system ever. I {heart} the super hula hoop. Seriously. Too much fun!
The Bad:

8. Collect 100,000 pennies (8,600/100,000). I was doing REALLY well on this one for quite a while because I raided all of the pennies from all the people I knew. Any suggestions on how to get more? They do still dribble in and the bowling team is a HUGE help! Thanks, "Clean Slate".
{EDIT: Last night when I got to the bowling alley, I had a red velvet bag from one of my team members. It held over 900 pennies! Sweet! Now instead of being about 2000 behind schedule, I'm only a little over 1,000. That's a big boost for me!}
28 Learn all the state capitals (40/50) - Ugh. I'm right on top of that, Rose!
66 Place 100 inspirational notes around me to inspire me (5/100) - I actually have done a few of these, but I need to do a few more and of course, I need to share with you what inspires me.
90 Take one picture every day (106/1001) - I don't think I've actually taken one picture every day, but I've definitely AVERAGED well more than 1 picture per day. I think that still counts. I guess that's beauty of it being MY list. I get to make up the rules, right?
The Ugly:
58 Get rid of 101 items I own (3/101) - I am REALLY frustrated with the amoun of stuff that I have in my house and despite busily cleaning out drawers and cupboards and closets galore, I haven't actually gotten RID of the things yet. They're all just packed in boxes so far. They. Must. GO!

79 Walk 8,008,000 steps (603,000/8,008,000) - Ok, so it's LOT harder to catch up than it is to fall behind on this one. You would think I could catch up on the weekends, but instead all I want to do it lounge and I end up getting 4,000 steps in that day instead of 8,000. I am currently {gulp} about 160,000 {GULP GULP} steps behind. EGADS!
So that's what the first 100(ish) days look like for me so far. I'm really looking forward to helping with the house tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Fabulous Friday Finds - 72hours.org

Hello all! I apologize for my absence the last few days, but my office staff and I are in the throws of moving to a new space and I've been swamped before, during and after work trying to get work done while weeding out stuff (I do so love doing that) and packing what's left into boxes to be moved by the movers on Saturday. Stay tuned for pics of the new space. My old cubicle was VERY utilitarian and a bit messier than I would like, but I'm using this opportunity to have a clean slate and a fresh start. I've been inspired by all of my new, crafty blogger friends, so my new space is well on it's way to being very girly and non-officey.

So, today's Fabulous Friday Find:

Recently Troy has really gotten into some survival research. Either it's a man thing or he's anticipating the worst is right around the corner. In any event, he's gotten me thinking more and more about #92 and #93, which are to make emergency kits for my house and car. In doing research, I stumbled upon a great resource. 72hours.org has everything you need to know about preparing yourself, your family and even your pets for the aftermath of an emergency situation. They have everything from a list of what you need in terms of food, water, first aid kit, medications and copies of important papers.

With the cold winds of winter right around the corner, I think this is a great resource for getting my supplies together. Check it out if you have a moment. You may not live in a disaster prone area, but that's no reason to be unprepared.

Also check out these great 72 hour kits prepared by another blogger. She makes it look so simple and easy!

Cari Ray - updated

I just wanted to send out an update that the Cari Ray concert on Saturday evening was wonderful! I had originally found her through a friend on Facebook. What I didn't realize is that the friend I discovered her through actually went to high school with her here in Indiana. So, I am only two degrees of separation away. Sweet!

The concert was an opening event for her new CD "Always On" (a MUST have!) and contained a great mix of her own music as well as AMAZING covers of songs by Cheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams and Indiana's own John Mellencamp. She was upbeat, witty, funny and at times, self-deprecating.

Her back-up band she dubbed the "Loaners" because most of them were on loan to her. My favorite member of her back-up band was the lead guitarist. First, he was a very skilled musician, but my friend Rachel and I mostly got a kick out of the fact that he was wearing what appeared to be a plumber's shirt complete with name badge. We joked that it looked like he had come in to fix the toilet and got pulled up on the stage because they needed another band member.

A small venue like this (an auditorium that probably seated less than 250) is always my favorite place to see a musical artist because it's much more personal and intimate. It's a chance to see the artist in a way that simply can't be seen on a jumbotron at your nearest stadium. For me, music is personal and the venue should be too. That was even more true for her encore number, Lightning. She performed it acustically with the lights turned down low and the audience in the palm of her hand.

The evening was perfect. I had a moving experience at the concert, a lovely drink afterward with two of my friends that attended the concert and great hopes that Cari Ray will make a big splash on the world-wide music stage soon.

If you want to see her for yourself and didn't get a chance to come out Saturday night, you can see her again this Friday at 8 Second Saloon here in Indianapolis. She is opening for Doug Stone.

Fabulous Friday Finds - Cari Ray

I've spoken before about how music really moves me. I'm not sure if it's my tendencies towards being melancholy or just that I'm deep and introspective (I'm guessing the first one), but I LOVE to find music and musicians that hardly anyone knows about. Mostly the music I am drawn to Troy (lovingly) refers to as "music to menstruate by" because they generally consist of a chick and a guitar. (He really needs to expand his horizons.) I've tried to find artists that speak to my soul in other genres, but they just don't do it for me the same way.

Through the beauty of Facebook, I stumbled upon such an artist the other day. (Since #63 on my list is also "Find 3 new musical artists whose music speaks to my soul", it's nice to know I'm making progress.) Her name is Cari Ray and she's actually sort of a local gal. She's having a CD release concert on Saturday night here in Indy and come hell or highwater, I will be there! I don't care if I have to go alone.

So far, my favorite song of hers is "Close to the Pain". Here's a sample of the lyrics:

The closer I get to the spotlight the closer I am to the pain
I cahse off the stories I lean on and stare down the truth that remains
I know that I had to come this far to go back to places I've been
I'll come back with keys to my freedom and burn up my wings flying in.

Check out her music here!

My own superpower.

If I was a superhero, I would be Fat Girl!

Let me explain. I don't want to be fat. No. I've pretty much had that one mastered for about 30+ years. I only want the ability to be fat whenever it is inconvenient not to be fat.

I've never really had to worry about relying on my looks to get me through life. I think the few boyfriends I've had in my life chose me in spite of my physique. Certainly it wasn't because of it. I'm pleasantly (ha!) rotund. I have an overabundance of womanly curves, but generally not in a good way. But because this has been the case for all of my life, I have adapted. I became smart and witty, a good listener and an excellent storyteller (I think anyway).

I thickened my proverbial skin by continuing to go to school dances as a youth even when no one asked me to dance and the night always ended in tears for me. When I was a teenager and in my 20s, I had crushes, but I learned to not expect any kind of affection in return. I wasn't one of the girls that boys swoon over. Over time, I learned to think of myself devoid of any kind of sexuality.

And that's not all bad. Somehow it allowed me the freedom to interact with men on levels I might not have otherwise. In high school and college, I was able to hang out with all of the smart guys without that pesky sexual tension getting in the way. I now have a great group of guys that I play poker with now. For better or worse, it's amazing the side of men that you get to see when you're just "one of the guys."

Some of those things changed about 6 years ago when, for about 5 minutes, I lost weight. No longer could I blend into the crowd. If I wore a skirt when I walked the 4 blocks to my car from my office, I invariably heard a plethora of catcalls. For a girl who has always been fat, that's unnerving. It made me uncomfortable and I didn't know how to act.

So, unconsciously I put the weight back on. It was my protection from a frighteningly sexual world. But now I'm tired of being wrapped in this protective layer of fat. I want to be thing and pretty....but only sometimes.

That's where the superpower comes in. In my dreams, I would be able to transform into Fat Girl in the blink of an eye. I could get up in the morning, dress my skinny size 6 body in cute clothes, enhance my gorgeous face with make-up, spritz on my favorite scent and be ready to face the world as a knock-out. I would get the attention of that man in the file room who's caught my eye. That man I flirt with as I walk my dog would ask for my number. But when I walked those 4 blocks to work or passed a construction site of men or stopped at a truck stop to get gas, I could magically transform into Fat Girl. Because Fat Girl also has the power to be invisible. Those construction men wouldn't see me. Those truckers wouldn't notice me at the pump. I could walk to work unaccosted.

Until that happens, I guess I'll just keep wishing for a skinny suit.

"Harry Potter", here I come!

I love it when the universe conspires FOR me!

So, I was recently checking out the blogger of the day on SITS, when I saw on her sidebar a "Harry Potter" reading challenge. Sweet! It's on my list to read all the books in the series anyway, so this is great! Now I get to have a community to share it with.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this whole internet blogging community thing?

It really is an amazing blessing to me.