All in One Week

I have not done much creatively this week and I need to remedy that soon before I grow antsy.  This has been a very full week.  A week that has been full of love, feelings of being overwhelmed and out of my element, and foreshadowing of the busy months to come.

My family and I made the decision to work with a local animal rescue group.  We all have a love for animals and want to give back.  My husband, Jay, and I made the decision to foster dogs for a while.  Last Sunday, we took in two small pups - a 7 month old Mini Schnauzer and a 4 year old Pug.  Did I mention that we also have two of our own forever dogs and a 15 year old cat with an attitude?  It's a menagerie in this house.

The day the dogs arrived, everyone was very excited.  Jay and the boys gravitated towards the puppy which meant I gravitated towards the pug, the underdog.  As the week has gone on, the pug has won all of our hearts.  She was rescued from a puppy mill where, it seems she was bred a lot.  She has since been spayed, had an eye issue treated, and had a couple of teeth pulled that weren't well.  She is the most gentle, sweet, and loving dog I think I've ever met.  If ever there was a lap dog, this is what one looks like.

The mini schnauzer was treated poorly by her previous owner and was rescued.  By the second day in our house, she thought she owned the place.  She only weighs 5 lbs but she thinks she runs with the big dogs.  I had forgotten how much work a puppy can be.  She is loving and playful --- and ornery and into EVERYTHING.  She is very curious and has chewed up a few things in the house.  We have a fenced in yard but she is so small that she can fit through the wooden slats (and has).  So she only goes out on a leash now.  For every moment of exasperation, there are multiple moments of "you are the cutest little thing!"

Neither dog has really lived in a house so neither is house trained.  It has been a lot of work and I'm pretty sure my house now smells like an episode of animal hoarders despite our best efforts.  I was pricing deals on good carpet cleaners online this morning so we can take back the carpets (I am open to suggestions on decent carpet cleaners).  On the plus side though, I have seen these sweet pups be loved and give love back to us and one another.  The pug sleeps on my lap and is very soothing.  The mini schnauzer loves to be held and babied.   There are moments where I wonder how we can keep doing this now that school is starting and my boys' sports and activities are starting.  However, then I think about what these dogs' lives would be like if they hadn't been rescued.  I can see it in their faces that they are so grateful.  They just want to be loved and give love.  How can we not help them?  I am learning that giving back, really doing something, takes persistence and determination.  It would be easy to give up with excuses about how much work it can be or how busy we are.

My forever dogs have been so wonderful through this experience.  They are gentle and loving and sweet.  I make sure they feel loved too.

 

In addition to fostering this week, we had a birthday.  My middle son turned 10!  He is my wild child, my creative soul, my worrier, and such a light in my life.  He is witty and fun and sweet.  His worrying keeps him up at night and almost every morning I find him sleeping on the floor in my bedroom with his quilt and pillow.  He shares my fear of the dark and the adult wisdom to know that bad things happen in this world and they could happen to us.  My 10 year old self was the same way.  Summertime and lack of routine adds to his worrying.  Now that school and football are starting, he will slip back into being a 10 year old again.  My life is so colorful because I get to be his mom.  Also, I love his morning hair and sleepy face.

This weekend we have a soccer tournament and the pug is meeting a possible forever family.  I will be so sad to see her go but I would rather shed a tear because I'll miss her, then shed a tear because she had no chance at life.  I am tired and still a bit overwhelmed with everything going on right now but routines will be re-established and my family of five will stick together and make a difference in this world.

Happy weekending!

I Heart This Week: Finding Beauty

I've had a fantastic weekend.  I spent time with great friends, watched my boys play basketball, had a date night with my husband and spent time at the lake with my parents, aunt, and grandmother.  This morning I woke up feeling emotional, but in a good way.  Sipping coffee, listening to The Avett Brothers, reading through blogs that inspire me, and suddenly I began to feel overwhelmed by beauty in this world.  My heart felt swollen and I felt like a very small, but important, cog in this enormous and beautiful machine.  I realized that I have felt this before and, as one who often tries to ignore my emotions, I always just thought I felt out of sorts and tried to avoid it.  I've been working on that the past couple of years - allowing myself to feel what I feel and just ride it out, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for me.  Today it dawned on me, this feeling isn't bad - it's pretty wonderful.  To be completely overwhelmed with beauty and what I have in this world, this one life, to the point that it overwhelms my whole self and makes me more appreciative. 

Does this mean that my life is perfect and I live in a dream world?  Heck no!  It just means that finding beauty is part of our journey and is possible to do, in most situations.  I hope you can find beauty and embrace it too.

Quote by Frank Lloyd Wright

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Vision Board

Those who know me already know that my current dream is to move to Asheville, NC.  My friend and I visited Asheville for the first time last year.  We were there for only a couple of days but I felt an intense draw to it.  Driving back home after that trip, I could not get it out of my head.  I had a strong feeling that I was supposed to be there and a strong feeling that it would be a good thing for my family too.  I told my husband, Jay, my feelings when I returned home and he was open to checking the city out (bless him for being willing).  He said he saw a spark in me when I returned and I think that is why he was so open minded.  To me, Asheville represents inspiration, art, culture, music, nature, and endless opportunities to become well rounded individuals for my children.  It's a place where I can thrive on inspiration and may open opportunities I never expected.  It's a place where my children can still do the normal things they do in our current city but where there will be new opportunities they can't find here.

I started researching schools first.  We have three young boys and their education was going to be the deal breaker if it did not look promising.  As I researched though, I learned that the school systems are great and offer a lot of different programs.  Once we knew that, Jay and I scheduled a weekend trip to Asheville so he could check out this place too.  Long story short - Jay fell in love too.  We entered into planning mode - told our kids the plan, our families, and started researching the area more and working with a realtor.  We took our boys to Asheville in the spring and they fell in love as well.  We wanted our boys to finish out the 2011/2012 school year in our current town but were hoping to sell our house and move in the summer of 2012. 

Unfortunately, the housing market had other plans.  We learned that we were more upside down on our current house than we initially thought.  That was a bit of set back for us because it pushed our plans back possibly a year or more.  I was really disappointed but, we are responsible homeowners and we are content where we are right now so we keep looking ahead.

In order to stay focused on our dream, a friend suggested I make a vision board.   I had never heard of this so I googled 'Vision Boards' and found so many inspiring ideas.  They can be anything from a scrapbook, to wall art, journaling, online inspiration, etc.  I decided to create a vision board within one of my Pinterest boards.  It was a perfect way for me to pin things that inspire me and keep me moving forward.  I look through the items I have pinned and, when I'm feeling low, I seek out additional items to encourage me to keep going.  As a result, my vision board items are probably the most repinned items out of all of my Pinterest boards.  You can see it HERE

Another great way I stay inspired is to go through the photos that Asheville inspired me to take with each visit. 



On my first hike in Asheville.  This was taken in August 2011.



In the River Arts District, there was an abandoned building near the railroad tracks where people were taking photos.  Within the open building, this old dirty couch sat in the middle of water and trash.  Someone had written 'Christ's compassion' on the couch.  The special part about this photo is that heart-shaped light.  There was no window or any special effects.  At the moment I saw this couch, the sunlight shown on it and made that heart.  I snapped the photo.  Is that a sign or what?



A street performer in downtown Asheville.  His sign says it all and is probably my biggest source of encouragement on my vision board.  Dude was in heels, on a balance board, juggling knives.  It's a challenge...a tease...motivation to keep looking ahead...




Jay.  My husband, biggest fan, supporter, and willing to pose for a photo in front of a blank canvas, sitting in a dirty chair in a studio building.  I'm so thankful that we are in this together.



The top.  Our dream.  This was a hike that Jay and I took together.  It was a tough hike for me because of some health challenges I have but I was determined to get to the top.  I made it -- I may have been sick for a few days after but I made it and it was worth it.

One day when I was back at home, in our routine, working, and I was feeling discouraged.  I work from home and had my door shut, just working away.  Suddenly a folded piece of paper slid under my door.  Jay wrote a note of encouragement and, wrapped in the note, was a small rock.  He had taken it from this exact mountain and kept it for the perfect moment to give it to me.  He said that if I could climb that mountain, I can easily keep going to achieve our dreams.  Man, I love that guy.

I will probably have other posts and photos and things inspired by Asheville in blog posts.  It will help keep  me going and motivated.  I highly recommend a vision board for whatever dreams or goals you have - big, small, or in between.  It's a great way to keep your eyes on the prize.

Dream on, dreamers...