Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Oh, Sh...Shampoo


With Thanksgiving only days away, Kerry and I took her mother to Costco to do a little shopping. Found some goodies that we had been wanting to pick up. Anyhow, upon our return, we saw what you see in the above photo... all over the house. Now, Bella (our young little puggle) has had some previous potty training issues in the last year that we've had her but we thought things had massively improved. But, something about this looked strange. This was a big area with a lot of these spots.

So, as we wandered through the house to assess the extent of the damage, we breathed a sigh of relief. Then a little fear set in. Chocolate and dog stomachs don't exactly play well together. Bella had gotten into the pantry and broken into a box of Jello Chocolate Pudding mix. It does seem that the amount of chocolate is small (and most wound up on the carpet) so we may be in the clear. (For some reason Jell-O would not tell us how much cocoa is in a box as it is a proprietary measurement. Yeah, I laughed at that too.) Now, the fun part is trying to clean it up and getting the dog to vomit. I sound excited don't I?

Update: She heaved, she pooped, she barked... and repeated the process all night. Tomorrow will be better, I expect. That is if our nerves hold out.

Friday, November 13, 2009

12 Is A Magic Number


Today my son, David, turned 12. It was at the end of the day that I made one of those mental leaps that leaves me lost in thought for hours on end. I've often told people that my favorite year for music was 1983. I've looked at it over and over again but some of the music just connected for me. That was the year that I turned 12.

What makes it more interesting is that, just the other day, David did something he's never done before. He asked his mom if they could stay in the car to listen to the end of a Taylor Swift song. Usually, he just asks us to turn the music down or off. Now, he's enjoying Swift, Carrie Underwood, Rodney Atkins (especially "Watching You") and a few oldies that we've slipped in.

So, I'd like you to take a moment and do some math for me. When were you 12? How close was that to when you first really started to appreciate music? You see, some people believe 12 is a magic number. But, I wonder if our listening habits finally come into their own. Do we understand the lyrics more? Just thoughts to ponder for the next 12 years or so.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

People Waiting For Us


Forever is a big word. I used it twice when I said my vows to my wife because I didn't feel it was big enough. When I married Kerry, I inherited an even larger family than my own. Kind of daunting when you gain 3 father-in-laws that each give you the long stare, considering if you are worthy of their little girl. One of those men was Fred Sicks.

There are always things you hear within a family about how 'so and so' aren't speaking to each other or how 'so and so' weren't the nicest of human beings in their past. Since I didn't have a past with this new family, I didn't have anything to compare the present with. But what I did know is that after a long absence in my wife's life, Fred and his wife Sandy moved to Las Vegas to be closer to his family. Fred had been dealing with type 2 diabetes and heart issues.

The Fred that I knew was jovial, smiled wide when he shook your hand and had a twinkle in his eyes during the holidays. He enjoyed politics and was active in his community. Of course, this is the side I will remember most of him. Fred lost his life yesterday. My promise to watch over his little girl is fresh on my mind. His family is hurting but one thing is assured... he will be one of the people waiting for us, greeting us with a warm smile as we enter heaven.