Bring the Rain

I love a good rainstorm. It was one of the things I missed the most when I lived in Vegas. I good hard rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightening.

However, my dogs do not share in my sentiment.

They think the Thunder is a personal attack on them. An attack that needs to be answered with full out outrage and vocal retaliation.

It drives me crazy!

My calming rainstorm has been turned inside out!

What are you going to do though? You can't really reason with a dog and tell them things like you would a child. "Honey, it's just God bowling" doesn't really make K9s feel any better.

So I did the only thing I could do.

I sent them to a time out. They are now taking naps in there "sleepy-time" kennel. They are snuggly with blankets and they seem to have calmed down.

Peace has returned.

I will wake them from their naps soon, but for now Peace.

I know kids aren't any easier but hopefully I will not have any that bark and hopefully they will understand by age 4 or 5 that Thunder is not a personal attack on them.

Hopefully.

The joys of traveling

This has probably been the longest stretch of time in the past 5 years that I have not traveled anywhere by plane. You really get out of practice. I used to travel, at least for a day trip, once a month or so. Weird. I am having a hard time packing.

Thank goodness for Southwest still letting you take two checked bags with no fee. Dear God tell me that has not changed in the last few days and I haven't heard about it yet.

Just checked - Bags still fly free! Thank you my sweet Dallas based company!

I have picked up a few things along the way that make flying more comfy for me. Here is a list of what is in my carry-on bag (which is pretty much always packed with the basics)

-1 large and snuggly blanket that never leaves the carry-on so it is dog hair free (this was especially important when I traveled for work and I was usually wearing black).
-neck pillow - I prefer the ones with the micro-beads from Brookstone. The cotton filled and (shiver) inflatable ones are just not acceptable. If the pillow is too firm my head ends up being pushed forward and I look like a chicken trying to get comfortable. A neck pillow needs to be soft enough that you can sink back into it but firm enough to offer support.
-ear plugs - a must for drowning out that child with the ill behaved parents who sat behind you.
-good book/magazine - because the emergency reference card can only hold your attention for so long.
-yummy smelling aromatherapy lotion - I sometimes just rub a little right below my nose for a soothing effect. It also helps when some rude person brings stinky food on the plane. Or there is just a stinky person near you. Smell violations are sometimes inevitable so be prepared!

Also essesential for traveling is a light weight jacket that is easily shedded and stuffed away if not needed. Slip on shoes for security line ease. If possible wear socks with those shoes so you don't have to walk on the dirty carpet.

And of course your photo ID. Which for some reason I always panic right when I get to the airport "do I have my license?" It has been ages and ages since I ever went anywhere without my license but I still have this fear that I have gotten all the way to the airport without it.

So what are your traveling secrets? Anything that I can use for my upcoming trip?

Decades, count 'em 3

Today is the last day of my 20s. Tomorrow is the beginning of my 30s. So all of those things that I was putting off until I was "like - 30" are going to need to start happening.

But let's not get all worried about that right now.

I am 29 for one more day! Live it up! I should do something wild. I should do something carefree...go get a mani/pedi, go out to a fabulous lunch and have a glass of wine, go party it up downtown!!! Count down the seconds of blissful twenty-nine-year old youth!!!

Um ya, I will be putting away Christmas decorations today and having left over lasagna for dinner. My party posse consists off three dogs, my two and one named Fred who is visiting.

I do have plans for this weekend to celebrate my birthday with friends and it will be a rockin' time and I am looking forward to it. But no plans to kiss my twenties goodbye.

It is probably for the best. No reason dwelling. It is inevitable.

Oh well. It is just a number. Nothing much will change. But I still feel like digging in my heels and holding on...

for...

just...

one....

more...

day.

relocating

So here is the thing about moving. There are good things and there are bad things. I will break them down for you as I have experienced them today.

Awesome phone call from my SIL (who so graciously) went over to the house that I would love to move to and checked it out for me, and confirmed my hopes that this was INDEED the house that my husband and I should move to. Granted I think she may just want to hang out there with me, which I totally don't blame her for, but her support is extremely appreciated and I love her and her husband for checkin' it out for us!

Then there are the people that are really sad. And I am really sad about leaving. The people that I love. The people that I am going to miss so much that it physically hurts. I haven't cried yet because I don't want to think that things will ever be any different than they are now. But alas I am moving ACROSS THE COUNTRY. These people are all very understanding and lovely and I hate to possibly hurt them and I hope that they know that if I could possibly pick them up and move them with ME, I would. Because, obviously, it is all about me.

But then again it is...about me...and my husband... and what is best for our future.

It is hard to admit that. But sometimes you just have to do "what you have to do".

Then there are the peeps that you never knew even cared until all the sudden you are leaving. These are the ones that perplex me. All the sudden my cubicle mate (sadly I do live/work in a semi-cubicle) has to listen to me tell the story over-and-over again about why and when I will be leaving. It isn't that I don't appreciate their concern, I just did not, for some reason, anticipate the inquiry. That is interesting. We will have to wait and see if that changes after the shock has worn off.

So to all of the people out there that are either excited or upset, numb or angry, happy, sad, anxious, or just plain excited &/or in shock, I just want to let you know that I am pretty much all of the same.

It is life, and therefore, by default, is a journey.