I have to say it’s getting easier each time we have to do it. Ferris was a shocker, Shasta was a long time coming, and Franey surprised us, but we knew it was best. And then there was Trumania. A girl who had lived so much longer and with so much more vigor than any of the ones that had passed before her. We made the appointment because she wasn’t moving around much any more – or eating or drinking for that matter. It was time. And it’s alright.
I remember our first Christmas with her – mainly the memories of walking past the Christmas tree and getting a Christmas ornament launched at my head. She would climb the trunk of the tree and try so hard to get those shiny aluminum balls. Most of the time, though she just ended up pawing them out of the tree – right as someone was walking by.
She was a feisty little thing that loved to crawl up your jean legs and give you a bit of a chomp on your calves. When John’s family used to come to our house for Christmas, we would always laugh at the sight of the boys walking around with their pants tucked into their socks for fear that Trumania would be close by.
I don’t think she ever bit out of spite. I think it was an extension of her matronly nature. Man, I sure am gonna miss her.

Bye bye Tru.

Last night was our anniversary dinner at work. Fancy Schmancy with good food and lots of wine. I was on the planning committee this year and I envisioned some nice piano playing in the background and no games and no karaoke. Better than that we got a kick ass full ensemble jazz band (piano, drums, guitar and saxophone) and 100 bucks stuffed inside our personalized travel mugs.
It was a nice night where someone actually asked me if I was in charge of mingling. If you don’t know it already, it should be said that I’m not a very good mingler. But I was proud of the night and the atmosphere, so mingling came easy to me.
Sometimes, I complain that my job is boring and un-challenging. But lookey there – this job done made me a social butterfly.

Two years ago, these two got married and moved far, far away from all they loved.

Me, for one – I’m glad they did.

Happy anniversary, James and Kate!

I had heard rumors of the bus schedule changing in October. I couldn’t find anything on the website, so I just chalked it up to people talking and didn’t really take heed. And so I stood, waiting for the bus to arrive this morning. I got there at my usual time (leaving my house around 7:22 gets me to the bus stop by 7:25). I waited and waited. Finally at about 7:43, I saw the bus at the square, its lights shining at me as if it were teasing me. I jumped off of the bus at 7:53. At least 10 minutes later than I usually do.
I’ve checked the new schedules and it absolutely does not make sense. They are picking people up later in the morning and the afternoon! I’m not sure why the schedule makers at Indygo ever thought their schedules were good ones. I’m dropped off now at 7:50, have to walk around the corner and up 17 floors and they still expect me back at 4:50 to catch the bus back home. Doesn’t it make more sense to pick us up at 4:55, so I have a few seconds to leave my office.
I’m going to try it for one more week. Tomorrow, we’ll see what time I get home leaving my office at 4:50. I fear, I won’t be home before 5:30. I may have to be at the bus stop at 7 am, just so I can get home by 5.
I really hope that my car is not more convenient, I was really liking this bus riding thing!

My cutie-pie husband turns 30 today.

He doesn’t want a big celebration. He says he wants to wait until his thesis is done and then he will have the most awesomest, kick-your-ass celebration ever. So instead of birthday cakes and birthday gifts, I offer him this.

30 things I love about my Johnny:
1. Sometimes he talks in his sleep.
2. He’s cuddlesome.
3. His fingers on paper as he turns pages – it just melts my heart.
4. He loves the sound of communion cups hitting the holes in the back of pews.
5. When I scratch his head, he moves his head around instead of me having to move my hand around.
6. He’s real good at tossing things up in the air and catching them with one hand
7. He laughs out loud while he’s reading a book. He thinks this drives me crazy, and it does a little bit, but I wouldn’t ever want him to stop.
8. Sometimes, he’ll read those funny things out loud to me.
9. He wrestles with little kids.
10. He’s a lover of animals.
11. He likes curves.
12. He raises his hands during the benediction.
13. He can’t wait until the day that Cosi slams her first door.
14. Sometimes, when he holds our baby girl, he dreams of what she’ll be like in the future.
15. He’s a friend to the friendless.
16. He makes me feel good.
17. He has a dream of having a online neighborhood network.
18. One time he surprised himself with really good handwriting.
19. He’s loyal
20. Sometimes, he cries when our friends leave, or when we have to leave them.
21. Sometimes, he’ll repeat a song he really likes, many, many times in a row.
22. He loves to drive with the windows down.
23. When it’s cold out, he’ll turn up the heat so I don’t get too cold with the windows down.
24. He looks really good in yellow.
25. He smokes a pipe.
26. He wants me to ask him how his day went and he wants to give me a real answer.
27. He makes coffee for the neighborhood on the weekends.
28. He’s a conversationalist.
29. He could start a business of website design, you know, once he finishes his thesis.
30. He sees me as a person and not just a mom.