Maggie & Me....err...I mean Marley & Me

OK, so I finally went and saw Marley & Me.....and I cried as much as I knew I would. I had been planning a 2nd date with a guy and he knew I wanted to see this movie, so he suggested it. I told him that I appreciate the fact that he remembered I wanted to see it, but that it would just be impossible for us to see it together - not on a 2nd date. I was certain that I would be a sobbing mess and that's not a pretty picture on a date!

I went after work on a Tuesday - by myself - and watched it. A good portion of the movie is very "Jennifer-Anniston-romantic-comedy"ish, but the last half hour of the movie made up for it. I cried for that whole last half hour and especially hard at the very end in the vet's office. OMG - I just sobbed. Loudly....well, at least I feel like it was loud since there were only about 8 people in the theater at the time (it was a 5:30 movie on a Tuesday).

After pulling myself together and leaving the theater, I drove home very sad and depressed. I gave Maggie an extra big wiener hug when I arrived home - with lots of kisses on her ears (my favorite).

The movie made me feel very uneasy about the whole fact that dogs rarely outlive their owners. Maggie has been such a constant in my life since I got her in the spring of 2004 at 10 weeks old. I can't imagine my life without her, but after watching Marley & Me, I just couldn't stop thinking of what I will do when that time comes. It makes me want to be physically ill just imagining it. So instead of thinking about that horrid idea, I just snuggled on the couch with my favorite furry friend and continued to enjoy every moment we are lucky enough to share.

Everyone Loves A Parade/March of the Thousand Horses

Recently, I went to downtown Fort Worth ("Cowtown") to see a 'western' parade - it was called the 2009 Fort Worth Stock Show's "All Western Parade". I tell ya, it was THE longest parade I have ever seen - we were there for almost 2 hours and it wasn't even almost over when we left. And there were NO motorized vehicles in the entire parade! It was filled with about a billion horses, cowboys, high school bands, every kind of sherriff's posse you could image, riding clubs, civil war reinactment soldiers, cowgirl organizations, the Wells Fargo stagecoach, clydesdale horses, etc. You name it, it was there. I saw LOTS of chaps, spurs, cowboy boots - I loved it all!

Here is what the Fort Worth Stock Show's website said about the parade:

Don’t miss the tradition of the Fort Worth Stock Show’s “All Western Parade” scheduled Saturday, January 17 at 11 AM, Downtown Fort Worth! The Stock Show Parade is held each year on the first Saturday of the Show. Nearly 100,000 spectators line the streets of downtown Cowtown to watch this spectacular annual event. Plenty of horses and other livestock can be seen – but no motorized vehicles are allowed!

I was a picture-taking fool at this parade - it was awesome! Everything was soooo Texas - just how I like it. It made me want to learn how to 2-step right then and there!

Here are some of my pics from the parade:

I love clydesdales!

The horses were GORGEOUS in this parade. I just couldn't stop taking pictures of them!

Here's the Wells Fargo stagecoach:

And what would a 'western' parade be without the mascot for the Texas Rangers baseball team??
Some southern belles on horseback:

Here's the Tarrant County Sherriff's Posse (this is the county I live in - includes Fort Worth):



Another sherriff's posse:



These ladies were awesome - they rode the entire length of the parade standing up on their horses!!



Some civil war reenactors:


Here's a high school band - they were playing "The stars at night, are big and bright.....deep in the heart of TEXAS!"

And last, but not least, a little Senorita on a mini horse - how cute!!

Angel Among Us/Tribute To Dad

Wow - I can't believe it's been 6 years today that my Dad died. That was such a terrible day, so I'm choosing to remember his life today, rather than remembering that horrible day.

Here are some pics of my Dad over the years:

This one is my favorite - just me and Dad.

Dad took Kristi and I trick-or-treating every year. For some reason, I remember that black hat he always wore so vividly.
Here he is where he loved it the most - 'at the wheel' of his boat. I think that's my sister, Kristi, waterskiing.
And when he couldn't be at the lake, he would monkey around in the boat....in our driveway!

At some point, he added the pontoon to his cache of watercraft...

Here he is, obviously proud of what he caught that day.

Here's an old-school picture of my parents - circa 1991 or so.

Note to self - don't mess with the guy who has a blow torch belt contraption!

Here's one of Mom and Dad as they began their trek down to south Texas for the winter with the RV.

I miss you Dad!

On The Border/Roadtrip to Mom

Well, the date has been set for my annual trip to visit my Mom in south Texas - I leave February 12th and I'll be down there for several days! This year is a lot different than previous years since I'm already in Texas.....but it's still a long trip because Texas is so freaking huge (it will be about an 8.5 hour drive - plus stops for food/gas/bathroom)! Instead of flying, I'm going to be taking a roadtrip in my Mazda (with "Amanda" my GPS, of course) so that I can buy bigger items in Mexico when we go shopping there. In previous years, I didn't have my own house to decorate with a big vase/pot or chiminea.....and those things wouldn't have fit in the plane anyway! This year I will have a house to decorate, as well as a car to lug it all home in. YES!

I was also contemplating adding an extra day or so to explore Austin, San Antonio or any other exciting city along the way. But even if I don't...I will still be driving across Texas - uncharted territory for me! Can you imagine all of the adventures I might have?!

Urban Hunting/Maggie On The Prowl

For the past few weeks, Maggie and I have been walking 3 miles in the morning before I go to work. This has been something we both enjoy.......until today. Our walks start early enough where it is still dark when we start, but the sun comes up throughout the walk and it's light by the time we're home.

Today, we were about halfway through the walk and Maggie was lagging behind me (something she RARELY does - she's full of energy all the time). So I look behind me and she has got a live mouse in her mouth that she just plucked from the grass along the edge of the sidewalk!!! Like any red-blooded normal female, I screamed and yanked on the leash to scare her so she would drop the mouse. Thank goodness she did get startled and dropped the mouse as I was jerking her away! It all happened in a split second - I didn't know what to do - she has never 'caught' anything before! She likes to chase all animals, but is always on a leash, so she never actually catches them.

I was soooooo grossed out by this, even though it's really quite natural for dachshunds to do this. After all, she is a hound by breed and the mini dachshund was originally bred to hunt rabbits (the standard size dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers) in holes - hence their weird long shape with short little legs, and a long nose. But still - she's the most domesticated, spoiled wiener in all the world! She has Pupperonis at home! She doesn't need a nasty mouse! ICK!!! I still get a chill thinking about it!

Opportunity Lost...

Today I had a realization - an "A-ha" moment, if you will. As I was catching up on Facebook activity, I saw that my friend Holly from Ohio added a bunch of pictures to her profile (she's new to Facebook). Some of them were of the girls in our small group having fun 'at the lake' (Beth's lake place near the Indiana border). It was great to see those pictures and remember the fun and friendships I had there.

At the same time, seeing these pictures made me sad for a couple reasons.....the first one is the obvious - I miss these friends a LOT and it's hard to be away from them, especially since big changes have happened to a couple of them since I left. But the second reason that the pictures make me kind of sad is that I have VERY FEW pictures from the 4 years that I spent in Ohio. After my marriage ended in late 2004, I just stopped taking pictures (partly on purpose, partly unconsciously). It was a crappy time in my life, so why would I want to 'relive it' in pictures for all time in some sort of photo album. However, I made some fantastic friends during that time and we did some really fun things as well, but I was too busy protesting the camera to capture those fun moments forever.

I am so glad that we went whitewater rafting as a group in West Virginia a couple summers ago - what a fabulous bonding weekend! I had so much fun (and not just because I was the only one who got lots of sleep in our tent when our tent-neighbors were loud and kept the rest of the girls awake all night long) and I will never forget that trip. I am very thankful that I coughed up the money to buy the DVD and the CD of pictures that they offer after the trip down the river was over (they have a photographer riding down the river in a kayak with the group of rafting boats, taking 'action' shots and then they make a DVD of it set to music, as well as CD's of the pictures.....I got both!!).

But when I look through photo albums, there is a huge gap in there where history seems to have stopped for a few years. I know my Mom lost all desire to take pictures after my Dad died too - it's probably just the brain's way of protecting our fragile hearts. I see that gap of 'history documentation' as very unfortunate, but I know I won't forget my Ohio experiences & friends, but it would be nice to have the photos as well!

Who's Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?

I have wanted a 4-poster canopy bed for a long time and last year when I moved to Texas, I got my wish. I bought a bed that I really loved. But the other day, I looked at the bed with new eyes, for some odd reason. I decided that my bed looked kind of 'naked' and I needed to add something.

So, being the impatient person that I am....I went straight to the fabric store and got to work! I decided that I wanted to have kind of a simple, romantic look (even though I'm the only one enjoying it at this point!). I found some fairly inexpensive cream-colored material and played around with different options.

Here are some pictures of my attempts to create 'the effect'....not sure if I have it like I want it yet...I may need to loosen up the fabric some....

Holy Crap - Common Sense prevails!!

For once, I read a news story about politcs and budgeting.....and I was encouraged, enlightened and proud! I don't know if that has ever happened before!! It looks like Minnesota and Wisconsin are going to put aside their football differences (Go Vikes) and other rivalries (Go Gophers) in order to work together to save money for both states. Gotta love Economies of Scale!! (But my guess is that no matter how much you collaberate for the common good.........both states are STILL going to argue over whether it's "Duck Duck Gray Duck" or "Duck Duck Goose")

Minnesota, Wisconsin Looking To Help Each Other Save
By Bill Salisbury bsalisbury@pioneerpress.com
Posted: 01/13/2009 12:01:00 AM CST

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle today signed an agreement to share services in order to cut costs and help both states cope with big budget deficits.

The pact directs agency heads in both states to identify possible areas of cooperation that would cut costs and provide services more efficiently. Minnesota faces a $4.8 billion budget shortfall over the next two years while Wisconsin has a $5.4 billion projected deficit.

During a press conference at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, Pawlenty, a Republican who initiated the idea, called the agreement a "unique partnership" that has not been tried by other states.

Pawlenty didn't know how much the two states would save but said it would be "millions of dollars and maybe more."

Doyle, a Democrat, said it was an "enormously important opportunity" for both states. Wisconsin and Minnesota are similar in many ways, he said, and both states need to find ways to cut government spending during the current recession.
How would it work? Here's one example: The two states combined buy more than 600 tons of road salt every winter. Pawlenty said they could save nearly $1 million by bulk purchasing.

Doyle said they could also save money by jointly buying software for licensing, bulldozers and other heavy equipment and food for prisons.

They could share fixed assets. For example, Doyle said, Wisconsin could rent Minnesota's helicopter to do its deer counts. They could also share prison and warehouse space and patrol boats.

The two states might also be able to work cooperatively on nursery and hatchery operations, lotteries, call centers, professional licenses and Duluth-Superior harbor inspections.

Doyle said he directed Wisconsin state agency heads to identify areas of possible interstate cooperation and report to him by Feb. 27.

Pawlenty said he wants to implement shared services "as quickly as possible."
He said he hopes the two states' public colleges and universities could cooperate to eliminate unnecessary duplication in research and programs.

Mayce's Moment of Genius

I had lunch with Mayce yesterday and we were talking about our lives (we haven't seen each other much lately, so we were catching up). She was talking about a very frustrating situation that she is dealing with right now and we were comiserating about how we overanalyze EVERYTHING in our lives and make problems worse for ourselves or make them more than they really are (as Mayce calls it - we 'intellectualize' things).......when out of the blue.........she spewed forth a sentence that had me almost falling out of my chair laughing:

"I JUST WISH I WAS A DUMBASS! Then life would just be so much easier!"

I nearly died - we laughed pretty hard at that one. But isn't it true - people who are just oblivious to the rest of the world outside of their little bubble usually have more fun, less worrying, NO overanalyzing, and they usually get others to do their dirty work because they are just too stupid to figure it out on their own and others around them know that and save them from imminent peril!

I think we all know a few people like that. They just never figured out that whole "common sense" thing and just stumble through life......but seem to do OK, because everyone paves the way for them so they don't die of stupidity.

Don't you just want to be 'that guy' or 'that girl' for a day, week or month.....just to see what it's like to be a complete dumbass?? Mayce and I do!!