Below is a link to an article in today's Columbus Dispatch about organ donation. The article focuses on the journey of the Price family and the gift of life they gave after their son Paul died in 2004. Jeri is the newly elected president of women's Varsity O - and is very passionate about this cause, as I have experienced first hand over the past three years I have served on the board. She, her husband and their daughter all went out to Pasadena to work on a float to be featured in the Rose Parade with the theme of "Stars of Life". Paul's picture will be one of 37 on the float. The float was featured during the weather segment of the Today show in the 8:30 half hour.
I hope all of you will consider marking the box "yes" and making sure your families know that in the event of the unthinkable, organ donation is your wish. This is a very personal decision - one that may not be necessarily for everyone, but I hope that each one of my readers considers it. As I am sure you have all guessed, my driver's license indicates that I wish to be an organ donor.
Have a very safe and happy New Year!
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/12/31/oller31.ART_ART_12-31-08_C1_HCCCQ40.html?sid=101
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
That's not where I want that, Mom"
This morning, I gave Chelsie her frozen yogurt kong before I went to work - as is custom in our household. I put it on the kitchen floor - the tile kitchen floor - in an effort to keep it off my nice, clean carpet. Not 10 seconds later, she picks it up and takes it into the living room - on the carpet. Not sure what the difference is between the kitchen and the living room, but apparently there is some sort of significance to eating it in the living room - on the carpet. Oh well.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
QQ vs 0-2 & BBQ
Well, let's just say that yesterday was a better agility day from a results perspective than today. Yesterday, we got our 6th double Q - with a whopping 5 MACH pts and today we got ZERO q's!!! She ran so freakin slow through the weaves yesterday on her jumpers run that at one point I actually said to her..."Good god, hurry up out here!"
Although our results do not reflect how well we ran today, I could not be more proud of her. Today's bobble in the std run was the result of mom sending her into the weaves at full acceleration...she made the entrance, but at about pole 4, could no longer manage her body to get through the poles. She skipped 2 but reentered....we were already done at that point so we just kept on going. Video assistance provided me great information about what had gone wrong...and as usual, it was "Praise the dog, slap the handler". She knocked the last bar on the triple in her jumpers run - someone has made a potential suggestion about why that happened, and I will review the video evidence tomorrow. My mom graciously records her runs when she comes, and it is very helpful. One look at the video today of our std run and I said to myself, Yep, that is why she came out.
Please keep our friends Janet and Jessica in your thoughts. After the show yesterday, their six year old border collie Ruckus developed bloat very suddenly (think Marley & Me) and they were unable to do anything for him. Jessica, 18, was a trooper today and was on course running her dog, Pistol. Can't rightly say if I would have been able to do that...
Tomorrow is another day, so we will be back at it full steam. We hope everyone is still able to enjoy a few days off from the holidays!
Although our results do not reflect how well we ran today, I could not be more proud of her. Today's bobble in the std run was the result of mom sending her into the weaves at full acceleration...she made the entrance, but at about pole 4, could no longer manage her body to get through the poles. She skipped 2 but reentered....we were already done at that point so we just kept on going. Video assistance provided me great information about what had gone wrong...and as usual, it was "Praise the dog, slap the handler". She knocked the last bar on the triple in her jumpers run - someone has made a potential suggestion about why that happened, and I will review the video evidence tomorrow. My mom graciously records her runs when she comes, and it is very helpful. One look at the video today of our std run and I said to myself, Yep, that is why she came out.
Please keep our friends Janet and Jessica in your thoughts. After the show yesterday, their six year old border collie Ruckus developed bloat very suddenly (think Marley & Me) and they were unable to do anything for him. Jessica, 18, was a trooper today and was on course running her dog, Pistol. Can't rightly say if I would have been able to do that...
Tomorrow is another day, so we will be back at it full steam. We hope everyone is still able to enjoy a few days off from the holidays!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A little self pampering & indulgence
Today marks the day one of my club's three day year end trial. While I love agility and competing, the course building I do is very physically demanding and is exhausting. We run in an indoor riding arena, so I walk around on dirt and concrete all day. By the end of the day, I am wiped out.
For most of you that know me, gentle is probably not a word you would use when describing how I treat myself sometimes - physically and mentally. Well, tonight, I decided a little self pampering was in order. I stopped and got some aromatherapy stuff from Bath and Body - Eucalyptus mint pillow spray, sugar scrub and candle, along with some bubble bath. I took a long hot shower, gave myself a face mask, and used the sugar scrub...it was fabulous. A little tea tree lotion on my poor abused tootsies and a little yoga to stretch out and relax my muscles that literally feel like they are tied in knots. My cousin had this great yoga video I did with her when I was in California, and she sent me one for Christmas. It is basically 20 minutes of stretching, but it feels so good...I need to make sure it gets incorporated into my nightly routine going forward.
As the entire process will start again in a matter of hours, I am off to sleep in the soothing smells of eucalyptus mint....
For most of you that know me, gentle is probably not a word you would use when describing how I treat myself sometimes - physically and mentally. Well, tonight, I decided a little self pampering was in order. I stopped and got some aromatherapy stuff from Bath and Body - Eucalyptus mint pillow spray, sugar scrub and candle, along with some bubble bath. I took a long hot shower, gave myself a face mask, and used the sugar scrub...it was fabulous. A little tea tree lotion on my poor abused tootsies and a little yoga to stretch out and relax my muscles that literally feel like they are tied in knots. My cousin had this great yoga video I did with her when I was in California, and she sent me one for Christmas. It is basically 20 minutes of stretching, but it feels so good...I need to make sure it gets incorporated into my nightly routine going forward.
As the entire process will start again in a matter of hours, I am off to sleep in the soothing smells of eucalyptus mint....
Thursday, December 25, 2008
OSU 20 ASU 17
You might recognize this as the score from the 1997 Rose Bowl when OSU defeated ASU by a score of 20-17 on a last minute (literally last minute - ASU got the ball back with 14 seconds on the clock) drive in the 4th quarter. It was on ESPN Classics today, and I caught the game with about 4 minutes left. Now, I was present at that game with many of my teammates (I think we all might have been screaming at Joe Germaine that David Boston was open - thank god he saw that too!) but can anyone explain to me why 11 years later it was still so stressful to watch, even though I WITNESSED the outcome?????
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Reliving the Glory Days
Last night, I was on a mad search for some of Chelsie's puppy pictures to put in a frame my good friend Kim got me for Christmas. I could not find them (and still have not been able to locate them - grr), and in my search came across what appeared to be a random box. I opened it up, only to find it was a bunch of prep sports newspaper articles from my junior and senior year in high school. Orange County did a pretty good job of covering HS sports, especially softball, because it was so competitive. My dad saved a lot of those articles for me...one day, when I have time, I would love to go through them and put them in some sort of chronological order. For me to have time to do this, I think I will have to win the lottery....
Among the articles I found:
List of the 1993 All County Team - I was in some pretty good company that year. Many of my fellow all county teammates went on to have very successful softball careers at various colleges.
Articles about the victories that got us the Woodbridge Tourney Title - we went into extra innings in the semis and in the final game. In the final game, one of our sophomores who had been struggling came up with the bases loaded and on the first pitch, crushed the ball to right center field for a base clearing triple. They had walked our number 4 batter to get to her, and she just absolutely ripped the cover off the ball on the first pitch the other way. Amazing what you can recall - I remembered it quite well as I read about it. That was the top of the 8th inning - I think I maybe threw a total of about 7 pitches in the bottom of the 8th. I believe my senior year we won both HS tourneys we played in - Woodbridge and Cypress. That was a really big deal considering the competition in the county.
Kennedy 2 Garden Grove 1 (AT TWAIN FIELD) - Hey Garden Grove, what the heck is an Argonaut???? So my 4 yr starting class of softball was just myself and one other girl - Lana Jimenez. Garden Grove was our big rival, esp at the their home field, Twain Field. We beat them handily and consistently at our home field (Cypress Arnold Park, Main Diamond - the field I actually grew up playing on) but we could not for the life of us beat them on their turf. Our freshman year, we tied them 1-1. The game was a 20 inning game, called for darkness. Lil old freshman me had the RBI for our one run, and the last out of the game, I threw the catcher out on a ground ball in the hole at shortstop that was arguably in shallow left field. I should qualify this by saying anyone other than the catcher would have beat this easily...but 20 innings in a squat position tends to make your legs a little tired. Anyway, the article was on our last game at Twain field...the game that finally gave Lana and I our vindication. We were up 1-0 and they tied it in the 5th, on an unearned run. Flashes of 20 innings went through my head...I knew I could pitch as long as I needed to (soccer conditioning had me in really good shape for pitching!) but dear lord, 20 innings? Well, my good friend Kristi Hensel took care of that for us. In the top of the 7th, she hit the ball into the gap in left center - it rolled to China and she was around 3rd when they got to it. Kennedy 2 Garden Grove 1. Finally. :)
And finally, I have kept this letter I got from my chemistry teacher junior year - it came to Ohio State with me, through all of my nasty college apartments and now is housed in my nightstand drawer. This was after we lost in the CIF Semi Finals to one of our biggest rivals, Cypress High School. My freshman and sophomore year, we had one of the top pitchers in the county and I did not see much time on the mound - which was fine with me. But my junior year I pitched exactly about half the games, and we were very successful because when I pitched, our other pitcher (a freshman) played shortstop, and vice versa. I threw down and out, Lisa threw high and harder than I did. It was a great combo. I was given the ball in that game, and my usually reliable defense let me down a lot that day. In fact, I remember the first error of the game was hit to my friend Laurie at second base...she bobbled it and the girl got on...I remember laughing at her because of it...but 5 errors later, I was not laughing so much, because it really wasn't funny anymore. After the 5th error, I had one of those "Oh Sh*t" pitches, where I let go of it and knew I was in trouble. The girl crushed it and the runner scored from 1st base - we got the girl out at third, so that was the only damage of the game. However, it was enough, and we lost in the semi finals 1-0. Here is the letter that my chemistry teacher, Mr. Murray, sent me 1st period of the next day.
Nicole -
A small not to you before I see you, per 4, Wed.
Of all the 100's of softball games I have seen over the years, rarely - maybe 2-3 times - have a seen a braver effort by a pitcher to stop a disaster waiting to happen. It was so sad to see your confidence eventually, finally dribble away after the big hit that scored the runner from 1st base, on based courtesy of Kennedy's 5th error. (Maybe the left fielder would have been 4-5 steps back without a runner on 1st base?)
Whatever. I just wanted to write this small not to let you know that I was very proud of you this afternoon, even though the official records will show you as the losing pitcher. What went on behind you eventually did you in. I am sure the whole team knows this, but I just wanted to say it too.
Nicole, I have watched the best - HS and college and in truth, this game should be in the 18th inning...continued to Wednesday!!!
Larry Murray
Let's just say the tears started flowing again after that on Wednesday morning...yep, can you imagine me a crier??? Haha. I have often wondered what happened to Mr. Murray, but I have kept this letter and have read it time and again. I read it a lot when things weren't going as planned in my college softball career - and still to this day pull it out and read it quite frequently. Maybe I need to frame it and put it up in my buckeye room...because it is that special to me.
And finally, as someone who watches a lot of college sports, I hear this all the time:
"There are 380,000 NCAA athletes, and nearly all of us will go pro in something besides sports"
No truer words have been spoken. Hard to believe that this little game I started playing so young because I wanted to wear cleats would eventually fund my college education. This past Thanksgiving, I found an envelope in my jacket pocket from my uncle when I was in California...in it was three pictures, one ot them of me in 1977 with a glove and a ball (I was 2 1/2)....I guess you can take the girl off the field, but you can never take the field (or the competition) out of the girl....right Natalie???
Among the articles I found:
List of the 1993 All County Team - I was in some pretty good company that year. Many of my fellow all county teammates went on to have very successful softball careers at various colleges.
Articles about the victories that got us the Woodbridge Tourney Title - we went into extra innings in the semis and in the final game. In the final game, one of our sophomores who had been struggling came up with the bases loaded and on the first pitch, crushed the ball to right center field for a base clearing triple. They had walked our number 4 batter to get to her, and she just absolutely ripped the cover off the ball on the first pitch the other way. Amazing what you can recall - I remembered it quite well as I read about it. That was the top of the 8th inning - I think I maybe threw a total of about 7 pitches in the bottom of the 8th. I believe my senior year we won both HS tourneys we played in - Woodbridge and Cypress. That was a really big deal considering the competition in the county.
Kennedy 2 Garden Grove 1 (AT TWAIN FIELD) - Hey Garden Grove, what the heck is an Argonaut???? So my 4 yr starting class of softball was just myself and one other girl - Lana Jimenez. Garden Grove was our big rival, esp at the their home field, Twain Field. We beat them handily and consistently at our home field (Cypress Arnold Park, Main Diamond - the field I actually grew up playing on) but we could not for the life of us beat them on their turf. Our freshman year, we tied them 1-1. The game was a 20 inning game, called for darkness. Lil old freshman me had the RBI for our one run, and the last out of the game, I threw the catcher out on a ground ball in the hole at shortstop that was arguably in shallow left field. I should qualify this by saying anyone other than the catcher would have beat this easily...but 20 innings in a squat position tends to make your legs a little tired. Anyway, the article was on our last game at Twain field...the game that finally gave Lana and I our vindication. We were up 1-0 and they tied it in the 5th, on an unearned run. Flashes of 20 innings went through my head...I knew I could pitch as long as I needed to (soccer conditioning had me in really good shape for pitching!) but dear lord, 20 innings? Well, my good friend Kristi Hensel took care of that for us. In the top of the 7th, she hit the ball into the gap in left center - it rolled to China and she was around 3rd when they got to it. Kennedy 2 Garden Grove 1. Finally. :)
And finally, I have kept this letter I got from my chemistry teacher junior year - it came to Ohio State with me, through all of my nasty college apartments and now is housed in my nightstand drawer. This was after we lost in the CIF Semi Finals to one of our biggest rivals, Cypress High School. My freshman and sophomore year, we had one of the top pitchers in the county and I did not see much time on the mound - which was fine with me. But my junior year I pitched exactly about half the games, and we were very successful because when I pitched, our other pitcher (a freshman) played shortstop, and vice versa. I threw down and out, Lisa threw high and harder than I did. It was a great combo. I was given the ball in that game, and my usually reliable defense let me down a lot that day. In fact, I remember the first error of the game was hit to my friend Laurie at second base...she bobbled it and the girl got on...I remember laughing at her because of it...but 5 errors later, I was not laughing so much, because it really wasn't funny anymore. After the 5th error, I had one of those "Oh Sh*t" pitches, where I let go of it and knew I was in trouble. The girl crushed it and the runner scored from 1st base - we got the girl out at third, so that was the only damage of the game. However, it was enough, and we lost in the semi finals 1-0. Here is the letter that my chemistry teacher, Mr. Murray, sent me 1st period of the next day.
Nicole -
A small not to you before I see you, per 4, Wed.
Of all the 100's of softball games I have seen over the years, rarely - maybe 2-3 times - have a seen a braver effort by a pitcher to stop a disaster waiting to happen. It was so sad to see your confidence eventually, finally dribble away after the big hit that scored the runner from 1st base, on based courtesy of Kennedy's 5th error. (Maybe the left fielder would have been 4-5 steps back without a runner on 1st base?)
Whatever. I just wanted to write this small not to let you know that I was very proud of you this afternoon, even though the official records will show you as the losing pitcher. What went on behind you eventually did you in. I am sure the whole team knows this, but I just wanted to say it too.
Nicole, I have watched the best - HS and college and in truth, this game should be in the 18th inning...continued to Wednesday!!!
Larry Murray
Let's just say the tears started flowing again after that on Wednesday morning...yep, can you imagine me a crier??? Haha. I have often wondered what happened to Mr. Murray, but I have kept this letter and have read it time and again. I read it a lot when things weren't going as planned in my college softball career - and still to this day pull it out and read it quite frequently. Maybe I need to frame it and put it up in my buckeye room...because it is that special to me.
And finally, as someone who watches a lot of college sports, I hear this all the time:
"There are 380,000 NCAA athletes, and nearly all of us will go pro in something besides sports"
No truer words have been spoken. Hard to believe that this little game I started playing so young because I wanted to wear cleats would eventually fund my college education. This past Thanksgiving, I found an envelope in my jacket pocket from my uncle when I was in California...in it was three pictures, one ot them of me in 1977 with a glove and a ball (I was 2 1/2)....I guess you can take the girl off the field, but you can never take the field (or the competition) out of the girl....right Natalie???
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Birthday Day
So Saturday was my birthday...33 years of my life are a wrap and the 34th has commenced. On Saturday, I did not get out of bed until well after 10 (maybe closer to 11?) which is virtually unheard of for me. As it was not freezing, windy or raining, I opted to take Chelsie for a walk. I treated myself to a pedi...the color on my toes is called "I'm not really a waitress" (an OPI color). Dinner was Mongolian BBQ, followed by a happy hour at BW3. It was a lot of fun.
This is the quilt my mom made me for my birthday. She has been quilting now for about 2 years, and I have been eyeing this quilt in the quilt store for about that long. She kept telling me "Nicole, there is no way I can do that". I am here to tell you I could never do this quilt justice in a picture. She has been working on this quilt for the past 6 months, as have the ladies at the quilt shop. All who stop by the castle have to see this. I am still working out how I am going to display this - clearly NOT ON A BED where an animal can lay on it.
Mom and Chelsie. This was right before we left to go out...and right before Chelsie had to go with grandma and grandpa. Anytime the thought that she may have to go with them enters her mind, she runs right to my side. Last night was no different. She was very glad to get in the car tonight and come home with me. I assure you she is treated very well at grandma's house.
Belinda and I at BW3. I think the last time she and I were in BW3 at the same time was when she told me she was pregnant with Bryce. He was 3 in Sept. No calculator needed for that math. :)
My good friend Lisa I used to work with at Deloitte. She shares the same birthday as my little brother and I was in her wedding 4 years ago. She and her husband are expecting a daughter (probably Ashley) at the end of February. They came from Blacklick (solid 40 minutes east) to celebrate - and poor Lisa could not even have a drink.
Chelsie cuddling on the blanket Aunt B gave me for my birthday. I love blankets and this is a really fun one. My gift also came with a toy for the bug a bean. The blanket has since been taken off her and is around me right now.
This is the quilt my mom made me for my birthday. She has been quilting now for about 2 years, and I have been eyeing this quilt in the quilt store for about that long. She kept telling me "Nicole, there is no way I can do that". I am here to tell you I could never do this quilt justice in a picture. She has been working on this quilt for the past 6 months, as have the ladies at the quilt shop. All who stop by the castle have to see this. I am still working out how I am going to display this - clearly NOT ON A BED where an animal can lay on it.
Mom and Chelsie. This was right before we left to go out...and right before Chelsie had to go with grandma and grandpa. Anytime the thought that she may have to go with them enters her mind, she runs right to my side. Last night was no different. She was very glad to get in the car tonight and come home with me. I assure you she is treated very well at grandma's house.
Belinda and I at BW3. I think the last time she and I were in BW3 at the same time was when she told me she was pregnant with Bryce. He was 3 in Sept. No calculator needed for that math. :)
My good friend Lisa I used to work with at Deloitte. She shares the same birthday as my little brother and I was in her wedding 4 years ago. She and her husband are expecting a daughter (probably Ashley) at the end of February. They came from Blacklick (solid 40 minutes east) to celebrate - and poor Lisa could not even have a drink.
Chelsie cuddling on the blanket Aunt B gave me for my birthday. I love blankets and this is a really fun one. My gift also came with a toy for the bug a bean. The blanket has since been taken off her and is around me right now. Thank you to all who came last night - I had a really great birthday and a really great time!!! A lot happened to me in my 33rd year, some better than others, but I lived to tell about it. I can hardly wait to see what 34 brings!!!
The LAP-rador
Our beloved chocolate lab Ella - the LAPRADOR. She is such a lover...and 80 lb lover, but a lover at that.
Last night, Grammie and Grand Paw agreed to take both children so Uncle Joey and I could go out to celebrate my birthday. Ella behaved so badly all night - got up 4 times before Grampie finally had it. She spent the rest of the night on the bed leashed up, with Grandpa holding her leash so that she would stay put. Apparently there were no more issues after that. Can you all imagine my dad leashing this dog up in the middle of the night???
Friday, December 19, 2008
Love is...
Being so happy to see your mom that extreme lab laps around the coffee table with your stuffed cow in your mouth are necessary!!! Did I also mention you were beating yourself in the head with your cow?
Anyone that has walked in my house is well aware of the greeting I get from my little bean....I get the same greeting all the time, whether I have been gone 5 minutes, 5 hours or 5 days. She is always so excited to see me, you can't help but be in a better mood when you walk in the house and all that exuberance greets you. She is a fantastic companion, and I cannot imagine what my house would be like without her...Chelsie Belle, you are the BESTEST puppy in the whole world!
Quotable Quote:
"If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either!"
Anyone that has walked in my house is well aware of the greeting I get from my little bean....I get the same greeting all the time, whether I have been gone 5 minutes, 5 hours or 5 days. She is always so excited to see me, you can't help but be in a better mood when you walk in the house and all that exuberance greets you. She is a fantastic companion, and I cannot imagine what my house would be like without her...Chelsie Belle, you are the BESTEST puppy in the whole world!
Quotable Quote:
"If your dog doesn't like someone, you probably shouldn't either!"
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tressel & Katzenmoyer
For all you Ohio State fans out there, you absolutely know who Tressel and Katzenmoyer are. Tonight at Dodd, we visited a patient whose daughter had 2 labs named Tressel and Katzenmoyer - whom they called Katz for short. So they had a dog named Katz - and we were laughing about it, and I told them, no biggie, I had a cat named Scoobi. The patient was laughing at them asking them what happened to the good old dog name of Rover...it was cute.
She was fabulous tonight as usual. The house was pretty quiet - we definitely see less patients this time of year because they go to sleep earlier. But everyone who saw her was glad to see her. Morover, we have a number of patients going home before next Wednesday, and that is always very, very good news. One of them was a man named Roger - the past 2 weeks we have seen him, he has not been able to speak. But tonight, he spoke loudly and clearly and told Chelsie what a beautiful dog she was. The therapists there are pretty freakin amazing.
We are now resting in bed - the trip in Indiana wore mom out, and she is tired. We hope everyone is having a great week and that the Christmas spirit has come upon them!!!
She was fabulous tonight as usual. The house was pretty quiet - we definitely see less patients this time of year because they go to sleep earlier. But everyone who saw her was glad to see her. Morover, we have a number of patients going home before next Wednesday, and that is always very, very good news. One of them was a man named Roger - the past 2 weeks we have seen him, he has not been able to speak. But tonight, he spoke loudly and clearly and told Chelsie what a beautiful dog she was. The therapists there are pretty freakin amazing.
We are now resting in bed - the trip in Indiana wore mom out, and she is tired. We hope everyone is having a great week and that the Christmas spirit has come upon them!!!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Maybe it is dementia?
Tonight, I am spending the night in lovely Merrillville, In. I flew over this morning on the jet (makes me never want to fly commercial again!!!) and met with my boss. After work, I decided I was going to try and do some Christmas shopping, as there are a lot of stores around here and I still have some to do.
Into Target I go - and out I come, with zero recollection of where I parked the car. To make matters better, it was a black car (a pool car they keep on hand for people coming to Mville) The unfortunate thing was that it was absolutely freezing outside - probably close to zero with the wind chill. I said some words under my breath (which I could clearly see) that would have turned heads had I said them out loud. I probably walked around the parking lot for 5 minutes before I found the damn thing....
I better sharpen up and get my act together...maybe I need to start doing some of those brain teasers or something...or maybe it is not enough sleep. The FB game on is a booty kicker and it is not even half time, so I think we will call it a night in this hotel room....
Into Target I go - and out I come, with zero recollection of where I parked the car. To make matters better, it was a black car (a pool car they keep on hand for people coming to Mville) The unfortunate thing was that it was absolutely freezing outside - probably close to zero with the wind chill. I said some words under my breath (which I could clearly see) that would have turned heads had I said them out loud. I probably walked around the parking lot for 5 minutes before I found the damn thing....
I better sharpen up and get my act together...maybe I need to start doing some of those brain teasers or something...or maybe it is not enough sleep. The FB game on is a booty kicker and it is not even half time, so I think we will call it a night in this hotel room....
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Mystery Bruises
You all know EXACTLY what I am talking about - and this time, I have not been dancing on any bars, tables or anything of the sort that could lead to the infamous mystery bruises! Not that I ever did that anyway....(I am sure someone out there has photo evidence to the contrary, so let's keep that among friends, can we??)
However, oddly enough, one has mysteriously appeared...and I found out about it this morning when I was half awake and my little bean pounced on me to tell me it was time to eat. I was half laying on my side, half on my stomach when all 58 lbs of her exuberance found their way to my calf...I yelped and startled her, and was trying to push her off me. The only thing that came from that was her other three paws finding that mysterious spot. I finally managed to free myself and look at the spot, and sure enough, there was a bruise - as of this moment, I have no idea what I could have done to cause that bruise...not sure whether to think it is a mystery bruise or whether I have early onset of dementia???
However, oddly enough, one has mysteriously appeared...and I found out about it this morning when I was half awake and my little bean pounced on me to tell me it was time to eat. I was half laying on my side, half on my stomach when all 58 lbs of her exuberance found their way to my calf...I yelped and startled her, and was trying to push her off me. The only thing that came from that was her other three paws finding that mysterious spot. I finally managed to free myself and look at the spot, and sure enough, there was a bruise - as of this moment, I have no idea what I could have done to cause that bruise...not sure whether to think it is a mystery bruise or whether I have early onset of dementia???
Saturday, December 13, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATALIE!!!
May you live 1000 years...
And drink 1000 beers (I think you have probably already accomplished that!!!)
Get plastered you bad girl (done that too)
Happy birthday to you!!!
I would be happy to sing it live to you. Name the time and place!!!!
And drink 1000 beers (I think you have probably already accomplished that!!!)
Get plastered you bad girl (done that too)
Happy birthday to you!!!
I would be happy to sing it live to you. Name the time and place!!!!
Facebook & Old College Roomies
So, a few mos ago, I got roped into Facebook...I am not big into it, I don't poke people, throw snowballs or chickens at them or anything like that (although I have had a chicken thrown at me, thank you very much Dean!!!) But I have reconnected with many people I went to college with, most of them my athlete friends.
A few weeks ago, I got back in touch with one of my old college roomies, Tracey. Tracey was from Philly and played field hockey. We lived at 232 W 9th Av, Apt D - and what a place it was...we thought it was great, but in all reality it was probably disgusting, just like all college apartments were. I knew Tracey was still in the Columbus area - I randomly ran into her and her 2 sons in Dublin Kroger of all places probably 4 yrs ago. Well, she finds me on Facebook a few weeks ago and we start communicating and what not...and then, she found one of our other college roomies and one of my former teammates, Jen. So we all start communicating and decide we should get together, and today was the appointed day. We met at Tracey's house in Milford Center - Jen is living in Kentucky, working in Cinci so she drove up to my house and then we went out to Tracey's.
I have to admit I was a little apprehensive...I was very excited, but still nervous at the same time. For all my gentle readers that do not have history on this situation, let's just say a few mos into our junior year, I moved out of the apartment under some circumstances out of my control, and sort of lost touch with them. It was the best thing at the time, but I was really sad - I had lived in the dorms with both of them, and we had a lot of fun. But the circumstances of the situation, which I would rather not get into, left me in a somewhat difficult situation, esp with Jen because she was one of my teammates until this whole little scenario arose (no one was arrested, did any drugs, or anything illegal like that, for the record).
If I had to describe Jen, I would say she is just a really good person - and I was so glad to see the Jen I knew all those years ago today. She has really done well for herself, personally and professionally. She and her partner are raising her partner's 11 yr old daughter from a previous relationship, and it was funny to hear Jen talking about school districts, grades, homework, how she flipped out on Caylee when she got a C on her report card and Caylee told her that was average (Jen's response - I AM NOT RAISING YOU TO BE AVERAGE!!) I wondered if there would be the any resentment about what happened so long ago - esp when she saw my buckeye room which has my bat, my varsity jacket, etc in it, but no trace of any resentment at all...
Tracey is a stay at home mom with three kids - 2 boys and a darling little girl. Eric, Tracey's husband, is returning from Iraq on Friday, and Tracey has been on her own for nearly a year with all three kids. She is so patient and is such a good mom..and looks freaking fantastic for having three kids. I ended up losing touch with Tracey because she still lived in the old place, and was sort of in a rough spot in the whole situation as well. I still saw her over at Woody Hayes, but not as often, as field hockey had a different competitive season than we did.
Overall, it was great to talk and catch up...the day flew by, literally. We made a promise not to wait another 12 years to get together again, and I told Tracey she needed to come up for a girls night out...her response? "Twist my arm"...the same response we got all those years ago when we were trying to convince her to do something. It was funny to see where we have all ended up...probably not in the place we thought we would, but hey, we are all doing fine and we all turned out OK.
The world gets smaller every day...and I am greatful for that in this situation, as I now have 2 of my dear college friends back in my life!!!
A few weeks ago, I got back in touch with one of my old college roomies, Tracey. Tracey was from Philly and played field hockey. We lived at 232 W 9th Av, Apt D - and what a place it was...we thought it was great, but in all reality it was probably disgusting, just like all college apartments were. I knew Tracey was still in the Columbus area - I randomly ran into her and her 2 sons in Dublin Kroger of all places probably 4 yrs ago. Well, she finds me on Facebook a few weeks ago and we start communicating and what not...and then, she found one of our other college roomies and one of my former teammates, Jen. So we all start communicating and decide we should get together, and today was the appointed day. We met at Tracey's house in Milford Center - Jen is living in Kentucky, working in Cinci so she drove up to my house and then we went out to Tracey's.
I have to admit I was a little apprehensive...I was very excited, but still nervous at the same time. For all my gentle readers that do not have history on this situation, let's just say a few mos into our junior year, I moved out of the apartment under some circumstances out of my control, and sort of lost touch with them. It was the best thing at the time, but I was really sad - I had lived in the dorms with both of them, and we had a lot of fun. But the circumstances of the situation, which I would rather not get into, left me in a somewhat difficult situation, esp with Jen because she was one of my teammates until this whole little scenario arose (no one was arrested, did any drugs, or anything illegal like that, for the record).
If I had to describe Jen, I would say she is just a really good person - and I was so glad to see the Jen I knew all those years ago today. She has really done well for herself, personally and professionally. She and her partner are raising her partner's 11 yr old daughter from a previous relationship, and it was funny to hear Jen talking about school districts, grades, homework, how she flipped out on Caylee when she got a C on her report card and Caylee told her that was average (Jen's response - I AM NOT RAISING YOU TO BE AVERAGE!!) I wondered if there would be the any resentment about what happened so long ago - esp when she saw my buckeye room which has my bat, my varsity jacket, etc in it, but no trace of any resentment at all...
Tracey is a stay at home mom with three kids - 2 boys and a darling little girl. Eric, Tracey's husband, is returning from Iraq on Friday, and Tracey has been on her own for nearly a year with all three kids. She is so patient and is such a good mom..and looks freaking fantastic for having three kids. I ended up losing touch with Tracey because she still lived in the old place, and was sort of in a rough spot in the whole situation as well. I still saw her over at Woody Hayes, but not as often, as field hockey had a different competitive season than we did.
Overall, it was great to talk and catch up...the day flew by, literally. We made a promise not to wait another 12 years to get together again, and I told Tracey she needed to come up for a girls night out...her response? "Twist my arm"...the same response we got all those years ago when we were trying to convince her to do something. It was funny to see where we have all ended up...probably not in the place we thought we would, but hey, we are all doing fine and we all turned out OK.
The world gets smaller every day...and I am greatful for that in this situation, as I now have 2 of my dear college friends back in my life!!!
Friday, December 12, 2008
IF YOU THINK FOR A MINUTE....
that they are as cute and innocent as they appear in this picture, think again, I am here to tell you that YOU ARE WRONG! Today, we are baby sitting Truth the guide dog...her mom thought she could use a day off, and being that I am working from home, I said sure, bring her over.
She has been here for 15 minutes and they have already been outside romping around and multiple face offs resulting in serious unladylike behavior have ensued. The girls used to play a lot more when they were younger, but don't often play like they used to these days. Little miss Truthie is nearly 10 years old and will likely be in retirement sometime in the next 6 months but she is as full of pep and mischief as a 10 week old puppy sometime....and I would not have it any other way.
She has been here for 15 minutes and they have already been outside romping around and multiple face offs resulting in serious unladylike behavior have ensued. The girls used to play a lot more when they were younger, but don't often play like they used to these days. Little miss Truthie is nearly 10 years old and will likely be in retirement sometime in the next 6 months but she is as full of pep and mischief as a 10 week old puppy sometime....and I would not have it any other way.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Unselfish Acts
I know I always say that I should know by know not to guess who wants to see us, but gentle readers, you know I am a slow learner sometimes...
Last night, I walked by a room with an older gentleman in it - initially, I thought he was somewhat incoherent, but turns out I was wrong as usual. He definitely had trouble speaking - but the look on his face when I walked by told me to get my booty back there in the room. I put a chair by his bed, and he just reached up and started petting Chel's ear. He could not speak - well, let me rephrase that - I could not understand him. He just sort of moaned and kept petting Chelsie. He was definitely a dog person - Chel just sat there and let him pet her. I had her on a chair and my knee on the chair as well, and she was leaning in on my knee while he was petting her ear. I was saying a prayer for cooperation from her the whole time, and divine intervention kicked in and she kept on sitting there.
About 5 minutes into our visit, the man began moaning and pointing next door - I finally figured out he was saying take her next door, the guy over there would like to see her. I told him when we were done visiting that we would go over there, that this was his time. He smiled and went back to petting her - and she ate it up. His roommate was very glad to see him as well.
It was pretty amazing to see this guy try and send us to someone else. It brought back memories of another stroke patient we saw, her name was Angel - I know I blogged about her at one point. Oddly enough, Angel's speech was grossly impaired as well and on our last visit, she told me I should go visit someone else because she was better. I told her that when she was done, we would move on, that this was her turn. She smiled.
For the last few weeks, I have been burning the candle at both ends...this was a good reminder to slow down and smell the Christmas candles.
Last night, I walked by a room with an older gentleman in it - initially, I thought he was somewhat incoherent, but turns out I was wrong as usual. He definitely had trouble speaking - but the look on his face when I walked by told me to get my booty back there in the room. I put a chair by his bed, and he just reached up and started petting Chel's ear. He could not speak - well, let me rephrase that - I could not understand him. He just sort of moaned and kept petting Chelsie. He was definitely a dog person - Chel just sat there and let him pet her. I had her on a chair and my knee on the chair as well, and she was leaning in on my knee while he was petting her ear. I was saying a prayer for cooperation from her the whole time, and divine intervention kicked in and she kept on sitting there.
About 5 minutes into our visit, the man began moaning and pointing next door - I finally figured out he was saying take her next door, the guy over there would like to see her. I told him when we were done visiting that we would go over there, that this was his time. He smiled and went back to petting her - and she ate it up. His roommate was very glad to see him as well.
It was pretty amazing to see this guy try and send us to someone else. It brought back memories of another stroke patient we saw, her name was Angel - I know I blogged about her at one point. Oddly enough, Angel's speech was grossly impaired as well and on our last visit, she told me I should go visit someone else because she was better. I told her that when she was done, we would move on, that this was her turn. She smiled.
For the last few weeks, I have been burning the candle at both ends...this was a good reminder to slow down and smell the Christmas candles.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
"Your Ligaments are in Tact"
For anyone that has ever had a potential knee injury, those are the best words in the world.
A few weeks ago, while course building at an agility trial, I lost my balance with a sandbag in my hand - don't ask me how that happened. The end result was the sandbag hitting me knee and hyperextending it backwards. This induced immediate panic, esp given that you can't exactly jerk a 40 lb sandbag off you quickly. My knee had not been right since...loose, painful to move certain ways, but ok for the most part, as I could still do whatever I wanted. However, to be sure I had it looked at this morning.
End result was likely a sprained MCL, that heals on its own with little or no intervention at all. Doc has asked that I wear a brace - which I will do gladly is because it offers a ton of support and will definitely increase my confidence on the soccer field (I will not have to wonder if the next move it going to blow my knee out!) No activity restrictions and recheck in 6 weeks.
I feel very lucky to have the wonderful folks at OSU Sports Medicine in my backyard. The PA was actually a trainer when I was at OSU, and they were so nice and incredibly helpful. And I am very grateful that everything was ok.
Hope everyone is having as good a day as I am now!!!
A few weeks ago, while course building at an agility trial, I lost my balance with a sandbag in my hand - don't ask me how that happened. The end result was the sandbag hitting me knee and hyperextending it backwards. This induced immediate panic, esp given that you can't exactly jerk a 40 lb sandbag off you quickly. My knee had not been right since...loose, painful to move certain ways, but ok for the most part, as I could still do whatever I wanted. However, to be sure I had it looked at this morning.
End result was likely a sprained MCL, that heals on its own with little or no intervention at all. Doc has asked that I wear a brace - which I will do gladly is because it offers a ton of support and will definitely increase my confidence on the soccer field (I will not have to wonder if the next move it going to blow my knee out!) No activity restrictions and recheck in 6 weeks.
I feel very lucky to have the wonderful folks at OSU Sports Medicine in my backyard. The PA was actually a trainer when I was at OSU, and they were so nice and incredibly helpful. And I am very grateful that everything was ok.
Hope everyone is having as good a day as I am now!!!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
In the spirit of Nat's post....
I added some music that should definitely bring back some memories...you always knew 39 W 10th B was rockin' when the Atomic Dogs came on, usually as we were putting the banners down on the floor on Thursday night!!
CP...what was the name of the bar on Three's Company??
CP...what was the name of the bar on Three's Company??
Friday, December 5, 2008
Words to Live By
This is the December quote on my Black Lab calendar:
"Don't always keep your dog on a leash if you want him to be attached to you".
Could not agree more..assuming the word "come" is part of their vocabulary!!!
"Don't always keep your dog on a leash if you want him to be attached to you".
Could not agree more..assuming the word "come" is part of their vocabulary!!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Congratulations to Team Megan's Miracle Workers!!!
My good friend Kim's 15 year daughter Megan was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes three years ago. I met Kim through my volunteer work at CCI. For the past three years, team Megan's Miracle Workers has tirelessly raised funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Tonight, at an awards reception, Team Megan's Miracle Workers was honored for their outstanding fund raising efforts this past year, raising $20,600, the highest dollar amount earned by a family team. Last year, Megan's goal was to raise $10,000, which she surpassed easily, earning is excess of $14,000. Her goal this year was $20,000, which she met as well.
Diabetes is a nasty, nasty thing. My good friend Sharon lost her sight as a result of complications from diabetes. Over the past three years, Megan has worked really hard to maintain steady blood sugar levels. This is a very difficult thing to do in puberty, as raging hormones make this quite difficult. She has ensured many highs and lows, but always maintains a positive attitude and is a great kid to be around.
Congratulations Megan, Kim, Chris, Stephen and Shaun!!! I am honored to be part of your team and hope I can actually walk in the walk next year!!!!
Diabetes is a nasty, nasty thing. My good friend Sharon lost her sight as a result of complications from diabetes. Over the past three years, Megan has worked really hard to maintain steady blood sugar levels. This is a very difficult thing to do in puberty, as raging hormones make this quite difficult. She has ensured many highs and lows, but always maintains a positive attitude and is a great kid to be around.
Congratulations Megan, Kim, Chris, Stephen and Shaun!!! I am honored to be part of your team and hope I can actually walk in the walk next year!!!!
Back in the Swing
Well, it was a successful Wednesday night in our house - we made it back to Dodd and back to agility class. One of the ladies in class told me that if was not at class last night, they were going to send a search party for me. It was really good to everyone at both places.
I was a little concerned about how last night would go when I got home - for the last three nights, Chelsie has gone APE when I have gotten home from work - extreme lab laps all over our yard and neighbor's front yard and then jumping around like a jumping bean, as if she still can't believe I actually came home. But she calmed down nicely once I put her working jacket on her...maybe after nearly 7 years she is growing up?
She got right back into the swing of things right away. We did not even make it down one end of the hall before a lady came out of a room and said "you take that dog into this room and see this old guy in here". I think we saw a lot of stroke patients last night, many of them had very, very limited mobility. One case in point was probably a lady in her 50's who was laying down...I took a chair and put it very close to her head...and I was amazed at how Chel responded. The lady found one of her favorite spots - her ear, and she put her head down and let this lady scratch her ear for a long time. I don't even think this lady knew I was there - she was just petting Chel's ear and talking to her.
I do think she was ready to shoot me at one point...there was a little 6 yr old girl that was very interested in her. She tried to pet Chelsie from above her head...which is really never a good idea anyway. I got her in a "down" (in the middle of the hall, of all places) and got her to pet Chel on the back. This little girl was loud and a little jumpy, and at one point sort of teased her and then tried to grab her tail. Mom drew the line there, and we got up and went to the next room. Her patience during this "ordeal" was pretty darn good. :) I apologized to her for making her stay as long as she did with that little girl.
I was reminded again last night how silence speaks volumes. As I said, we saw a lot of stroke patients last night and many of them appeared to be verbally impaired. One such man was an older man - I asked if he wanted to see the dog and he nodded. I took her over there and he just looked at her, I thought for a minute he was going to cry. As he rubbed her ears, he was in his own little world, just looking at her. The silence was loud and clear.
After that, it was off to agility. It was so good to get back and see my friends, and I only sucked on one sequence. "Praise the dog, slap the handler" is a common phrase we use, and I only needed to be slapped once. She did really well for not being in class for three weeks! We have a competition this weekend - hopefully, mom can lead her to her masters jumpers title. At the last trial, we got our master standard title. This jumpers title will likely be her last title before her MACH. However, her most important title is still her therapy dog title, CGC/TDI.
We hope this finds everyone well!!
I was a little concerned about how last night would go when I got home - for the last three nights, Chelsie has gone APE when I have gotten home from work - extreme lab laps all over our yard and neighbor's front yard and then jumping around like a jumping bean, as if she still can't believe I actually came home. But she calmed down nicely once I put her working jacket on her...maybe after nearly 7 years she is growing up?
She got right back into the swing of things right away. We did not even make it down one end of the hall before a lady came out of a room and said "you take that dog into this room and see this old guy in here". I think we saw a lot of stroke patients last night, many of them had very, very limited mobility. One case in point was probably a lady in her 50's who was laying down...I took a chair and put it very close to her head...and I was amazed at how Chel responded. The lady found one of her favorite spots - her ear, and she put her head down and let this lady scratch her ear for a long time. I don't even think this lady knew I was there - she was just petting Chel's ear and talking to her.
I do think she was ready to shoot me at one point...there was a little 6 yr old girl that was very interested in her. She tried to pet Chelsie from above her head...which is really never a good idea anyway. I got her in a "down" (in the middle of the hall, of all places) and got her to pet Chel on the back. This little girl was loud and a little jumpy, and at one point sort of teased her and then tried to grab her tail. Mom drew the line there, and we got up and went to the next room. Her patience during this "ordeal" was pretty darn good. :) I apologized to her for making her stay as long as she did with that little girl.
I was reminded again last night how silence speaks volumes. As I said, we saw a lot of stroke patients last night and many of them appeared to be verbally impaired. One such man was an older man - I asked if he wanted to see the dog and he nodded. I took her over there and he just looked at her, I thought for a minute he was going to cry. As he rubbed her ears, he was in his own little world, just looking at her. The silence was loud and clear.
After that, it was off to agility. It was so good to get back and see my friends, and I only sucked on one sequence. "Praise the dog, slap the handler" is a common phrase we use, and I only needed to be slapped once. She did really well for not being in class for three weeks! We have a competition this weekend - hopefully, mom can lead her to her masters jumpers title. At the last trial, we got our master standard title. This jumpers title will likely be her last title before her MACH. However, her most important title is still her therapy dog title, CGC/TDI.
We hope this finds everyone well!!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Returning to Dodd Hall
Tonight will be the first time in 5 weeks we have volunteered at Dodd Hall. I missed it a lot and am very much looking forward to taking my girl in and making everyone's day better! A post will be coming about our visit.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
You know your friends have had too many babies when...
..you, as a non parent, can walk into Babies R Us, print off a registry and find your item of choice unassisted.
Like Owner, Like Dog
This morning, I was in my usual routine of drying my hair while watching the Today show. They were doing a piece about having an evacuation plan in the event your house catches fire. During the piece, a smoke alarm was going off - even on the tv, I found it to be deafening. For those of you that have watched TV with me, you know that I am don't particularly care for loud noises coming from the TV...I usually mute the commercials (yes, I know if I have DVR I would not have to deal with the commercials) Well, I found out this morning that my little bean is irritated by noise from the TV as well. When that smoke detector started going off on the tv, she came down off the bed, tail REALLY between her legs, looking around to see what was making the holy racket. I finally had to put the TV on mute, and she came running over for comfort. I actually had to turn off the hair dryer to console her and convince her it was OK to get back up on the bed.
Like owner, like dog. Scary.
Like owner, like dog. Scary.
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