Koda!!!!!!

I finally convinced Kevin that it was a good idea to get a 2nd dog. Lot's of people call me crazy - but animals make me very happy and I can't wait to get our newest addition - Koda!

We took her to the vet on Friday and she is a happy healthy 11.4lbs. We will be picking her up Friday afternoon and after that our lives will be forever changed. Puppies take a lot of work, and I'm prepared for that. Between her, my husband, Dutchess, my cats, and training for a triathlon I'm going to be BUSY!! But I'm looking forward to it. Cause it's my happy, crazy little life and I wouldn't want it any other way!

My sister is in AFRICA!

Wow....I never thought I would say those words....I have spent the last couple days worring and thinking about my little sis who is embarking on the adventure and journey of a lifetime. I was very happy this morning to see that she has posted on her blog and is doing well.

I share some words from the blog post of hers before she left:

Ubuntu is an African concept basically standing for kindness towards other human beings, for caring, sharing and being in harmony with all of creation. It promotes cooperation between individuals, cultures and nations, an ideal founded on the concept of unity, collective work and responsibility, and empowerment through discipline and common purpose.

What a delightful time for me to come across this powerful, powerful mindset.

For the individual, it means something like, "I am who I am because of who we all are."
I know, that I am who I am, because of who you all are. Thank you to everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me to grow to be the person who I am right now, getting ready to leave Saturday morning on this adventure.

I am who I am because of my sister Tamara. I am sooo proud of you sister!!

Daily Kabbalah email....

I get a daily inspirational email from a Kabbalah site and I had to share this morning.....

There's this force inside of us that wants to destroy everything that is good in our lives.

It especially likes to seep into our relationships and wreak havoc there because it knows herein lies the greatest potential for our happiness.

Today, find one relationship where there is discord and do what you can to make peace.

I have tried my hardest in the last year to make amends and apologize to people from my past where our relationship has ended badly or there are hard feelings on either side. It is an amazing and cleansing feeling when you say I'm sorry. Even if the person still harbours bad feelings you are able to let go of the ones you have. It's not healthy to stay angry.

I also agree that everyone has a part of them that wants to destroy everything good in their life.

On another note, my baby sister is getting ready for the adventure of a lifetime, she leaves at the end of this week for Africa. I am extremely proud of the journey that she is going on and very happy for her, but sad at the same time due to the fact that there will only be small amounts of contact...... I'm used to talking via email everyday and on the phone normally once a week. My heart and spirit will be with her though...........even with her thousands of miles away all I have to do is look at the tattoo on my ribcage and feel the LOVE.

The Darkest Evening of the Year.

I just finished reading the book "The Darkest Evening of the Year" by Dean Koontz.
It was a pretty good read and there were a couple parts that really help define in words some of my feelings:

Golden Retrievers are not bred to be guard dogs, and considering the size of their hearts and their irrepressible joy in life, they are less likely to bite than to bark, less likely to bark than to lick a hand in greeting. In spite of their size, they think they are lap dogs, and in spite of being dogs, they think they are also human, and nearly every human they meet is judged to have the potential to be a boon companion who might, at any moment, cry "Let's go!" and lead them on a great adventure.

(this describes my Lab exactly).

Amy believe that dogs had a spiritual purpose. The opportunity to love a dog and to treat it with kindness was an opportunity for a lost and selfish human heart to be redeemed. They are powerless and innocent, and it is how we treat the humblest among us that surely determines the fate of our souls.

The geometry of judgement is a circle. Hate is a snake that turns to consume itself from the tail, a circle that diminishes to a point, then to nothing. Pride is such a snake, and envy, and greed. Love, however, is a hoop, a wheel, that rolls on forever. We are rescued by those whom we have rescued. The saved become the saviors of their saviors.

Milk

Academy award winner Sean Penn stars in the movie Milk.

I would rate the movie a 6 or 7 out of 10. If a person can get over the amount of gay kissing (which happens a tad bit more than needed I think)...it's a touching movie. I had an extremely hard time watching Sean Penn and James Franco kiss, they just seemed tooooo into it.

It really got me thinking though about how much inequality there was and still is for people that are "different". It showed the struggle that most gay people go through and the fighting it took to get them equal rights.

I HAD a limited opinion about being gay that I'm not proud of. I am ashamed to say that I once argued that gay people should not be able to marry because it destroys the sanctity of what marriage is. My view has greatly changed since that day. What person would choose a life of ridicule and harassment???? I believe every person has the right to be happy and live freely and if that means two men being married - why not?

I wouldn't say the movie Milk was GREAT, it will definately not be most people's cup of tea....but Sean Penn played a convincing role. Was it good enough to have won best Actor? I haven't seen all of the other roles that were nominated so I don't feel I can fairly say yes, but I will say.... like EVERY role Sean Penn takes on - he committed 100% of himself and then some!

Crazy...

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?” Albert Einstein

This week was an unusual one, and it ended with someone calling me crazy and about the 4th person that week to look at me with part amusement and part pity maybe....The topic was that fact that I'm looking for a second dog. You are either a dog person or your not, and I understand that many people don't understand my love for animals and my dog Dutchess. But to be quite honest - I like dogs alot more than I like people for the most part. They are simple, giving and caring and just not complicated. What you see is what you get. I have spent 9 weeks of the last 3 and 1/2 months alone due to the fact my husband was working up north. My dog Dutchess is always excited to see me and always up for a jog or a game of catch. I can rely on her to be there for me no matter what. And honestly I don't care if people don't get it. The people that matter to me and that have met Dutchess get it.

So the hunt for dog #2 begins. And this is as much for Dutchess as it is for me. She home during the day and I would love for her to have a companion that likes her (the cats - not so much)... I really want a German Shepherd and I'm not sure if it will happen as the breeder we know doesn't think the litter they were expecting is going to happen, we are trying to find another breeder but I would be happy with another lab....they are a loving, affectionate, playful breed.

The reason for the love of German Shepherds? Well they are beautiful, powerful, smart dogs that are extremely loyal. One of my favorite movies - I am Legend has a wonderful Shepherd Sam who demonstrates how smart and loyal these dogs are.

Honestly each to their own. If I want to have dogs - I'm going to and I don't really see why people feel the need to judge. It's my life!!

Bill Cosby....

I came across this quote a while ago and it is SOOO true:

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
Bill Cosby

Here is another Cosby quote that I find interesting:

The heart of marriage is memories; and if the two of you happen to have the same ones and can savor your reruns, then your marriage is a gift from the gods.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, I have to come into town on Saturday to take my pooch to the vet, and I think we will enjoy the scenic Chinook pathway as well. I'm glad the weather is finally going to be NICE!!

Had to share this....

One of the mysterious processes of spirituality is sometimes things get so dark we're required to become broken in order that we can completely let go of our old belief systems. Old vessels need to be traded in for new ones.

This process is called 'exile' and it's the period before a huge revelation of Light.

Today, don't fight what you are going through. Now is the time all your study and efforts are being put to the test.

Early Riser...

I have struggled the last few years with getting up early. I used to be an early riser but love my sleep and got trapped in the cycle of sleeping too much. I read an article yesterday and realized that I am missing out on some things that when I get home I am just to tired to do, so I figured, lets wake up at least 1/2 hour earlier and see what happens...I woke up at 5:30am, and have already exercised and am going to be ready for my day at 7am....when usually I'm rushing around still at 7:30am when I should be leaving for work. This is drastically going to change my productivity because I will be at work early, get stuff done in the am I was just simply missing out on and feel energized for the day....

Here's the article: Early Riser...

Dreams....

I dream....A LOT.

Sometimes I have good dreams...really good dreams. Sometimes I have nitemares. Lately its been more bad then good. Last night I had a unbelievable REAL feeling dream that when I woke up I really felt like it had happened. I HATE THAT cause I end up thinking about it for the rest of the day. I've learnt though that it's probably best not to tell the person you dreamt about, about the dream.

He's just not that into you....

I have been reading the book turned major motion picture: "he's just not that into you".
All I have to say is GENIUS. The concept is dead on and I really wish I would have come across this book about 9 years ago when I was in college. May have saved me much heartache!

The concept is simple:
"if a (sane) guy really likes you, there ain't nothing that's going to get in his wayk. And if he's not sane , why would you want him?"
"All the years I'd been complaining about men and there mixed messages; now I saw they weren't mixed messages at all. I was the one that was mixed up. Because the fact was, these men had simply not been that into me".

The book goes on and breaks it down by the type of guy....examples:
He's Just Not that into you if he's not calling you.
He's Just Not that into you if he's having sex with someone else.
He's Just not that into you if he's Married (and Other Insane variations of being unavailable).
He's Just not that into you if he's a selfish jerk, a bully, or a really big freak

I'm only part way through the book but it just made things make sense when looking back on many of my pre-marriage relationships...and all I have to say is THANK GOD I AM NOT DATING! I plan to keep it that way!

Quote

The only thing you own is your story...I'm watching the movie Australia and this quote stuck a cord with me. Material possessions come and go. All you truly have is yourself and your life experiences!

I was in a sad mood today and looking through my previous posts to find some inspiration...I came across this one and it really spoke to me today. These life lessons are so true and I often stuggle in many of these areas. I love this list.

Here are some thing that I believe/have learned...let's call them My life lessons:
-I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
-I've learned that no matter how much I care some people just don't care back.
-I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
-I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
-I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but whom you have in your life that counts.
-I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
-I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
-I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
-I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
-I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.
-I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
-I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
-I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
-I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And, just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
-I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.
-I’ve learned that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt, and you will hurt in the process.
-I've learned that heroes are people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
-I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you can’t.