A place without background music

The countdown has officially been on for a while now, but it is getting so close that I can almost taste it. 

Brett finishes school one week from today.

It's a surreal feeling to think that soon we will be packing all of our things and relocating.  We have lived in this apartment for just over five years now, and even though we are outgrowing it, I think I will miss being there.  Just a little.

We have started looking for houses closer to where we both work, in hopes that our daily commutes won't have to be as long.  It's been fun to think about all of the possibilities, and sad to see some of the ones we really liked being sold, but it's exciting. We are ready to be home owners again.

Soon things are going to settle down a bit, and I will have more time to update this blog.  I'm looking forward to that, too. Things have been so busy for both of us between work and trying to get all of the final school projects completed, that I don't feel like there has been any time to sit down and breathe, let alone write.  I miss it.

I'm curious to know.... is anyone still here? 

If you had an opportunity to save a life, would you take it?

I have always been about organ donation. I am registered as a donor and, in the event of my death, I want them to take everything that they can to save the life of someone who needs it.

It wasn't until recently that I came to the realization that I don't actually have to die in order to help save someones life.

Sure, I've always known that donating blood saves lives, but I've always been too damn scared to do it myself because I am a total baby and can't stand the thought of needles. Oh, right... my tattoos. Yeah, that's partly what made me open my eyes. That, and the fact that a blood transfusion once saved my husband's life.

I started thinking about it a few months ago when I volunteered to run the table at a blood drive for my office, and I've come to the conclusion that I need to start giving blood regularly. I need to do my part to pay it forward. I am so grateful for the people that donated their blood so that Brett could have it when he needed it, and if I am capable of sharing, why shouldn't I?

The second thing that has really helped me to open my eyes, came shortly after that blood drive. A friend of mine at work, whom I have become extremely close with over the past year, has a son who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. He is currently awaiting a bone marrow transplant.

Did you know that donating bone marrow isn't as tough or painful as it used to be? The majority of donors no longer have to be put under anesthesia to have the marrow drilled out of their hip. Now, it's mostly all done through donating blood. Then once you have donated your blood, there is a process that takes weeks, but will eventually result in bone marrow ready for transplantation.

Isn't that cool?

You could save someones life.

As soon as I found out about Be The Match, I signed up to be a donor. It's a quick online registry where you can go sign up to be a part of an amazing cause. It doesn't cost you a dime, and you will have the chance to be a hero for someone who needs your help.



My swab kit - Ready for processing!

Once you sign up, they will send you your swab kit. You swab your cheeks and pop them back in the mail so that they can test you and see if you'd be a match for someone. It's that easy! 
If you want to follow Marshall's story, you can visit his blog: HERE
If you want to sign up for the Be The Match bone marrow registry, you can do that HERE

My version of heaven

Moab, Utah 2011

I cannot wait to be back there again.

We need a vacation, and Moab is right around the corner. I couldn't be more excited. I sit and reminisce about last year and look through our pictures, and it brings a smile to my face that is wider than the Grand Canyon.  

Basking

Belle takes her toys very seriously. They are her babies.

She absolutely loves to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy its warmth. Since we are fully taking advantage of the fact that there is still no hint of snow in sight at our house, she gets to spend time outside when Brett is home between classes. Today, she snuck her baby out with her so that it could enjoy the sun, too.

Success!

With the first week of my Etsy shop under my belt, I have officially made my first sale! So what if it was my aunt Michelle?

It's still pretty exciting.  Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!! Have you gone over to take a look yet?

The big reveal

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I have been working on a few projects.  Remember that?

Today, I am finally ready to share one of those projects with you, and I really hope that you'll like what you see. It has taken a lot of time, but it is finally ready to be revealed, and I couldn't be more excited.

For the past few years I have been making jewelry for myself, mostly because I can never seem to find anything that I absolutely love in a store.  The more necklaces that I made for myself, the more frequently I noticed people complimenting the pieces that I had made. Then eventually it got to the point that people were asking me to make custom pieces for them, or telling me that I should be selling my jewelry and making money off of my craft. After a lot of thought and preparation, I decided to open my own Etsy shop.

Today I listed the first round of items for sale, and The Pink Pendant officially went live.

If you have a minute, stop by and check it out.  Right now I have necklaces, earrings and wine glass charms for sale, and everything is handmade by me. I'd love to hear feedback from you on anything that I can do to improve the shop or the products and I also offer custom items if requested.  If you see something you like while you are there, and decide that you'd like to buy it, I am offering a discount to my blog readers, so make sure to use coupon code 'PFOBfan' at checkout to receive 15% off of your purchase.

{Click image to visit The Pink Pendant on Etsy}

If only she could talk

Yesterday was a rough one for our puppy.

We took her to the vet on Saturday for a check up, and to inquire about having her teeth cleaned. We knew that there would probably be a few other minor things that we would also need to consider, and so we had set aside some money so that we would be prepared to take care of our girl. When we got to the vet, some of our suspicions were confirmed and a few others were brought to our attention.

In the last year or so, we have noticed a skin tag sprouting from her side and a small lump growing on her back. We have been a bit concerned about them, so that was one of the things that we brought up and asked about the possibility of having them both removed. The Vet agreed with us that it would be easier to do everything all at one time, while she was under anesthesia for the teeth cleaning, than having her go through two separate procedures with anesthesia both times. The other things that the Vet addressed, that would also need to be taken care of while she was under were a broken tooth that would need extracting, and some overgrowth of her gums that would need to be lasered off. Apparently this is common in Boxers.

Yesterday was the day she went in to have all of these things taken care of. Brett did the dirty work and dropped her off in the morning while I was at work. I knew that I would have fallen apart if I had been there, because of the fact that I am an emotional basket case who always sees the worst in any situation. He is my hero. He even took her to Petsmart and bought her a new toy to take with her to keep her company while she was there. I still ended up crying like a baby from work when he sent me a picture of her in the car on the way there. Just the thought of her being scared to be there alone with strangers made me sad.

I left work early so that we'd both be able to go pick her up together after she was done. When I walked in the door, and she wasn't there to greet me, I nearly lost my shit all over again. That is one of the highlights of my day. I can't imagine how sad life must be for people without dogs. 

We finally got the call that we could come pick her up, but the girl told us that the Vet wanted to discuss her blood work before we could take her home. It turned out to be fine, just a small matter of needing to lower the amount of protein in her diet, but I was worried the whole way there to face the impending doom of being told that there was something seriously wrong with her. (remember, I always expect the worst from situations) When they finally brought her out to us, she seemed a lot happier than I would have expected her to be, and her nubbin (that's what we call her tail, or lack thereof) even wiggled a bit. The spot where they removed the lump from her back had been dramatically shaven to give them room to work, and now looks like this:



When we finally got her home, she was still a little loopy from all of the drugs and in pain. My heart was broken. She couldn't fall asleep, so she just laid on the couch whining. We did our best to comfort her, but nothing seemed to help.

This morning Brett says that she seems much happier which, in turn, makes me much happier. Hopefully this will be the last of her surgical adventures, but at least now she will have a cool scar to show off.

Lethargy leads to thinking.

So far, all the new year has brought to me is illness. I have been sick for the last two days, which means that I have done nothing but lay on the couch and sleep.

It has given me a lot of time to think though. I've been thinking about the changes that I'd like to make this year to better myself, better the situation we are living in, and better my relationships with the people who mean the most to me.

To better myself I plan on writing, at least a little bit, every day. Whether it's my blog or working on my book, I want to write. I need to write. Writing is my sanity. It's the one creative outlet that I have, and it helps me to keep myself balanced. I enjoy it, and that is why it's important to me. Along with writing, I need to become a healthier version of myself. I need to get back into a routine, start eating healthier and workout regularly.

To better our situation, I need to work on doing something to make a little extra money. I have a few ideas that I am working on, some by myself and some with partners, that I hope to be able to tell you all about soon. For now though, I don't want to jinx anything. They are big ideas though, and I cannot wait to see where they will take me.

To better my relationships with those that I care for, I need to start by making a stronger effort to communicate more often.  This year for Christmas, I didn't pick up my phone to make a single phone call, all I did was sent out a mass text. A text message. So pathetic. The other thing that has really been lacking is birthday's of those that I love. I used to be very good at remembering birthday's and I have seriously fallen off the bandwagon with that one. I never send birthday cards, and half the time I don't even remember to call.  I need to make a better effort with birthdays.

Don't mistake these changes for new year's resolutions.  They are not.  They are life resolutions. Things that I want to change about my life and keep up with them indefinitely.

Torn

You all know that I hate the snow.

I'm a little torn lately, though.

Usually by now we have had snow for at least a month and a half, and lots of it. I'm usually bitching about the shitty commute by now, because as soon as it starts snowing, people drive like total assholes. This year though, there is nothing. No snow anywhere in sight, other than the very peak of the surrounding mountains, and it is January 4th. I wake up every morning a bit relieved, but to be honest, now it is starting to worry me.

I don't like the snow at all, but in January I would rather be a month and a half into the snow season, knowing that there are only a few more months to go before spring. The fact that we have no snow yet means that when it finally does start to fall, it most likely won't stop until June. Last year we had snow clear into April, and it started when it was supposed to. It's not unusual for the snow to linger into late April, or early May, but that is usually where it stops. This year, I'm not convinced that will be the case.