New Kid On the Block or What Were We Thinking?

As some of you may know, we lost our precious Zack the Wonder Dog to a quick growing cancer in July of this year.

Zanna the Wonder Dog misses him.  And we miss him. 

So much that we made a quick decision (i.e., we weren’t thinking, didn’t do the research, we weren’t thinking, (oh yeah, I already said that, didn’t I?) didn’t look at the big picture) to adopt a dog that we had decided to foster.

Before we even got him into foster status.

His name is Dexter.

He is wrecking our house.  He regularly believes table tops, no matter the height, should be his perch from which to gain purview of everything.  So that he might find something else to chew up. Tear up. Throw up in the air and catch with his mouth.

So, if I’ve been a little distracted, I believe it's because I have a toddler in my house.

And Janie the Dog Whisperer has officially hung up her hat in an admission of failure.

We have had to call in a dog trainer.  One who thought he could turn Dexter around in 45 minutes. (Even he quickly changed his mind, haha!)

We laugh, now.  And ThatManILove says that, with every act,  Dex is just trying to fill up his love bucket.

It’s been four weeks and Dexter is making huge progress but he is still stretching us to the max.

Insofar as we can tell, Dexter was a chained up yard dog, with virtually no human interaction.  It took us almost 2 weeks to establish eye connection with him.   

I hate it when my carpet has stuff on it, like pieces of pig ears, fabric,  and plastic.  It drives me bonkers.

And he loves to tip over the grands’ storage toy buckets.  LOVES their stuff.

Right now, I’m just walking over, under, or by the mess, and putting on Young Living Stress Away Essential Oil.

If I get out the vacuum cleaner, it will be certain death to that machine…because Dex will want to play with it.  He LOVES to help me dry my hair.

If you can imagine a dog with interest in E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G., you might have a wee idea of what animal we have.  Add the German Shorthair hunting instinct?  And just a tad of young pup?

Voila.

Dexter.

And he has absolutely stolen our hearts.  He makes us laugh, ‘til we cry.

Playing the "Don't Cross The Barrier" Game.

 And Zanna?  Is back to her wild ways, getting Dex to chase her, play fighting, and (gulp) even flirting.

She LOVES him.

All is well in her world.

Dexter is officially part of our house.  He's been neutered, chipped, and sleeps on our bed about half the night.  He's in like Flynn.

If you’d like to foster or adopt a German Shorthair Pointer, let me suggest www.texasgsprescue.com.  They’re great people – and you will fall in love with a German Shorthair. 

Inspiration - Who Inspires You?

Will you talk to me about inspiration?

Who, currently in your life, inspires you, and how?

Have you told them?

My favorite story teller will win a bottle of this amazing

Young Living Essential Oil - Inspiration!!

Inspiration Essential Oil is a spiritual oil blend that has Cedarwood, Royal Sandalwood and Frankincense.  All of these oils have been used for hundreds of years by the Native Americans to open and enhance spiritual communication with the Creator.

The blend opens the third eye and throat chakra and releases negative thoughts that can block our connection with the divine. It also harmonizes the body systems; and opens the pituitary and pineal glands of the body which operates our emotional control center.*

*Notes courtesy of http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/inspiration-essential-oil.html.

If this oil or any Young Living Essential product interests you, contact me at www.youngliving.org/janiesnelson

NomNomNom That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles Nom Nom Nom

The other day, a box arrived in the mail.

I opened it up, and here’s what I found.

What a wonderful surprise!

This gift is one of the things that spurred me to start my “People Helping People/Pay It  Forward” Program.

Doing little things to let people know you care.

Kellye, this Cheryl's Cookie-gram present really made me smile.  (It made my tummy smile, too!)  But more than anything, I smiled because I knew you thought of me…and took the time to let me know.

I sure love you, girly!  Thanks for all you do, for your community and your friends.  You're amazing, and you and your family make the world a better place.

The Blessing of Sons

The weekend is over, and I’m trying to think up blogging topics.  Instead, I’m thinking about the blessing that our boys are.

Younger Son just left our house, headed back to his house.  Elder Son is roping somewhere around San Antonio.

I miss them both.

Over the last 15 years, our blended family has experienced seasons of laughter, togetherness, and celebration.  We have also experienced estrangement, lack of communication, seasons of agony and worry and despair.  We’re just like any other family in those areas.  Thank God the good times outweigh the bad, and Love?  Love heals.

Love. Heals.

So, today, I’m thankful that we’re all in communication.  Thankful that our sons know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we love them unconditionally.  And that we will always love them and always, always, always, be their biggest fans.

So, with that being said, I’d like to say to them:

As y’all go about your respective endeavors today, remember this: We Love You.  We love each of you individually, and we love you both. We are thankful you have become brothers, and that you love each other.  We are thankful for each of you, as our sons, and as each of you, as men.

Continue to do what you do, as always, with excellence.  We are here, cheering you both on.  

Homecoming

ThatManILove sang this song to me last night.  He stole my heart away, again.

"Something in the Way She Moves"  

James Taylor

Something in the way she moves, or looks my way, or calls my name
that seems to leave this troubled world behind.
And if I'm feeling down and blue or troubled by some foolish game,
she always seems to make me change my mind..

And I feel fine anytime she's around me now, 
She's around me now almost about all the time.
And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now.
She's been with me now quite a long, long time and I feel fine.

Every now and then the things I lean on lose their meaning
and I find myself careening in places where I should not let me go.
She has the power to go where no one else can find me and to silently remind me
of the happiness and the good times that I know, and then I just got to go then.

It isn't what she's got to say but how she thinks and where she's been.
To me, the words are nice, the way they sound.
I like to hear them best that way, it doesn't much matter what they mean.
she says them mostly just to calm me down

And I feel fine anytime she's around me now, 
She's around me now almost about all the time.
And if I'm well you can tell she's been with me now.
She's been with me now quite a long, long time and I feel fine.

Home, Home on the Range…(links provided)

I'm a little late posting yesterday and today…but I'm here!

So glad to be home…for four short days.

The Wonderdogs will be home shortly for a short respite from the boarder.

My list of stuff to accomplish in those four days to get ready for a National AADE Board Meeting (housed within a three-day National AADE Technical Conference) is a little overwhelming, but I think I've might have it drilled down to manageable. (no pun intended)

I just finished my Pathways WALK.  I'm really excited about the next phase of my training, and I have some homework to do.

AND Friday night, we get to see REO Speedwagon at our local Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center!  I "heard it from a friend"!!!

And until then, I'll keep on loving you!!

Check out REO Speedwagon here!

Open Sesame

ThatManILove cracks me up.

He’s a gourmet cook.

He can throw anything together and it is a.m.a.z.i.n.g.  Seriously amazing.

See?  Like this.  Omelets...and fresh veggies.  Breakfast.  Yum.

I will hear beeping.

I know, without looking, what it might be,  but there’s this thing in me that makes me go look to see what is up.

The beeping is usually the sound that means the refrigerator is open.

Wide open.

Plus the fact that ThatManILove is cooking.  Simultaneously. With the refrigerator doors wide open.

Check it out.

The dishwasher...open.

The refrigerator...open.

Almost every top cabinet in the kitchen...open.

It’s just how he does it.

He cracks me up.  He thinks it's funny that I think it's funny.

I love him.

By the way, breakfast was awesome...and awesomely healthy.

Yummmmm.

Sayonara, 2012….I Will Not Miss You

2012.  It's been a looooonnnnnng year.

A year of both good, and bad.  Much joy, much heartache.  Hope, deferred.

A year of both decision and indecision.

A year of mostly waiting. 

I have a huge knowing, in me, that 2013 will be much better.  I cannot explain it…but I know it. Have you been there?

Come midnight tonight, we will have made the turn into the year 2013.

Tonight, we celebrate the wedding of dear friends, at a beautiful place in the Hill Country.  And within that celebration, we'll also celebrate us…ThatManILove and I.

What better place, than a wedding, to remind us of all we have to anticipate, experience, and enjoy?  

What better place?

Happy New Year, y'all.  May all your dreams come true in 2013.