All About ME!

My father's services were this past Saturday.  It was a really hard day.  I didn't know most of the people who attended which kind of reminded me that I didn't really know my father all that well either.  I cried at the services and cried some more when I got home; I actually think it was harder than the day he died.  Afterwards, I went to a park by myself and walked around for a bit, taking pictures.  It was nice to have that alone time to just kind of put the day behind me for awhile and not think about it.

Source:  weheartit

Not everyone has posted what they got from the Doggone Dog Swap but I do have a few more links for you.  Check out what Shelby, Dolce and Pip got.  I love seeing everyone's goodies; it gives me great ideas for what to do for next time.  I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I have and that it'll be even more successful in the future.  I'll post additional links as they become available.

I was supposed to post this a week or two ago but life got in the way and it didn't happen.  So I'm answering them now instead.  I'm sure that you've just been DYING with anticipation.  Because it really is *all about me.*  Stop laughing, it really IS all about me!!!  Yes, it is!!!  Just read my header and my profile, you'll see!

Questions and Answers: 

Jenny Woolf said...

What's your first memory of feelings connected with an animal?  Mine is of riding on an elephant which I found a bit scary!!

I grew up with 2 small, white poodles.  My first real memory connected with either one of them is that one night, I was eating dinner.  We were having spaghetti and everyone else had already finished so I was the last one at the table.  I think I was 4 or 5 at the time.  Well, being alone in the kitchen, my dogs had come in and begged me to share.  I don't know what made me do it but I decided to pour whatever spaghetti was left on my plate onto one of the dogs.  I remember laughing at him as he tried to get at the noodles and meat.  The other dog tried to eat the spaghetti off him too and he growled at her.  He ran into the living room where my mom had been watching tv.  She didn't find it nearly as funny as I did and I got into trouble. 

I wanna hear more about that elephant ride!  Elephants are one of my favorite animals.

 Nadine, Chewy and Lilibell said...

I've always wondered what you look like, it's sorta been like talking to someone on the phone without ever meeting them face to face and imaging what they look like.

Source:  ask men 

I don't show any pictures of myself because I want to protect my identity.  However, I've been told by more than one person that I resemble Reba McEntire.  I totally don't see it and I'm not a fan of country music.  She's much prettier than me but it's better than being compared to someone like Bette Middler, I suppose.  Not that Bette isn't attractive in her own way, she just isn't known as a classic beauty.

Cheeseboy said...

I'm always interested in how and why bloggers get into blogging.

I finally got my own computer which allowed me to be on the internet for more than a couple of minutes at a time.  I wasn't really sure what to do with it beyond just checking my email and the one or two websites I knew of.  And then one day I discovered google!  It's a magical place where you can search for anything your heart desires.  I somehow came across a dog blog and wanted more, more, more!  I noticed links for other blogs placed off to the side and clicked on a few of those whose names I liked.  And then one day I decided I should start my own.  Only I quickly discovered I had nothing to say.  It sat dormant for a long time until I finally decided I should either use it or delete it.  So I started using it and here I am all this time later...  Sorry it's not a more interesting or exciting or inspiring story. 

the booker man said...

if you could go anywhere in the whole wide world for a vacay, where would you go?

I haven't been on very many vacations so pretty much anywhere would be good!  I have a couple that have really stuck out that I enjoyed immensely.  One that I took in childhood and would love to repeat would be that when I was about 12, my family lived in Holland.  (My father was in the military.)  We took a 5 day covered wagon trip a few months before we moved back stateside.  We were in a covered wagon pulled by a horse traveling the countryside by day and stayed in four star hotels at night.  There were stables for the horses back behind the hotel and they fed them for us.  Our breakfasts and dinners were provided by the hotel and they prepared a substantial lunch to take with us the next day.  The really cool thing about this trip is that we crossed borders into several different countries and had we not had the map and notes with us, we'd never have known!  It was a very cool experience and I'd love to do it again.

Reading through this description, it really does sound unbelieveable.  But it really did happen, I swear!

Melissa said...
Hmm..  my question would be..  Are you a neat or tidy person?  Is your house spotless, messy or just "normal"?  (I guess some people call that "lived in.")

I go through phases.  At the moment, my house is pretty clean because I've been in the process of spring cleaning.  I'll keep it clean for awhile and then one day I'll decide I just don't care anymore.  When it gets to the point where I'd be embarassed to invite someone in if they came over unexpectedly (I have one friend in particular who is notorious for this!), then I know it's time to scrub it down again.

The Life of Riley said...

How did you get the name Sprinkles?  It's a great name.  Is it something you picked yourself or did someone else name you that?  When and why?

Also curious approximately what age you and your dogs are... blogging you never know if you are writing to someone much older or younger than you!  You can sort of guess, but you never really know especially when you haven't seen a picture of the person, and you only know what they tell you!!!  I'm four and a bit (32 in dog years - can you tell by my photos?) and my human is in her forties.  We always imagine that you are in your early twenties - are we correct?

When I first started blogging, I decided to be completely anonymous.  If I was going to blog, I wanted to be as honest as possible.  In order to do that, I didn't want people in my real life to stumble acrossed this bloggy o' mine and potentially read things they weren't happy about or didn't agree with.  I could've used just my first name but decided against that because A) someone I know IRL could've come across it and put two and two together more easily and B) almost no one spells my first or last name right.  You'd think I'd be used to this by now and just accept it but no, it pisses me off when someone gets it wrong and I didn't want to be filled with rage everytime I looked at my blog.  lol

I'd come up with a list of names I liked and *sprinkles* was one of them but not necessarily my first choice.  Then I read a list of specific words that ooked people out when they heard them.  The most popular word was "moist."  A little lower down on the list was "sprinkles."  I didn't get why that particular word should creep anyone out and being the rebellious wyldechylde that I am (yes, I just linked to myself on my own blog - 'cause that's how I roll!), I immediately decided that was the name for me!  I've actually used several other names in the duration of this blog but sprinkles is the one that has been around the longest and I like it.

As for my age, I've never liked telling anyone how old I am.  It has nothing to do with covering up my identity; even in my real life, I don't tell people.  I think it's because I feel like I haven't done as much with my life as I'd have liked to.  I don't feel like I've really accomplished much of anything.
Both of my chi's are 4 and both will be 5 in September.

AndreaLeigh said...
is there a significant other in your life?  where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Sadly, no, there isn't a significant other in my life at the moment.  I always knew from a very young age that I'd be alone and it appears that prediction has turned out to be true.  I've had boyfriends before but wasn't very good at relationships.  I can't even remember the last time a guy hit on me.  Actually, I do.  It wasn't pretty.  I asked him what was wrong with him because if he liked me, there must be something wrong with him.  Yeah, that didn't go over so well......  I miss having a boyfriend but I just feel like it isn't in the cards for me.  Please don't suggest I try online dating because I really have no interest in that. 

Honestly, I have no 5 year plan anymore.  I used to kind of have one.  And now, not so much...  I'd like to have graduated, be in a good job that I enjoy and be able to support myself financially with a little extra left over to go out and splurge once in awhile.  I used to always take a little bit from each paycheck and buy myself something frivolous - new shoes, dinner and a movie with friends, makeup, whatever my little heart desired.  But most of all, I just want to be happy and at peace with myself.

Schnauzer Days said...
 Now a question for you, let me think...who do you think is better looking, me or Louis?  No seriously, if you could, would you come back as a very big dog or would you come back again as a smaller dog like us and your good self?  There are pro's and cons to both aren't there? 

I can't choose between Dexter and Louis.  I think you're both equally handsome!  bol

Your next question is a little more difficult.  Yes, there are most definitely cons to both being big and little.  After much thoughtful consideration (three and a half minutes is much thoughtful consideration, right?), I'm gonna go with a small dog.  I have nothing against big dogs at all but I know my boys probably get a little more lovin's as smaller dogs because I can pick them up and cuddle them as I carry them from one spot to another.  They sleep in my bed with me and curl up with me on the couch when I watch tv.  Not that large dogs couldn't sleep in the bed or curl up on the couch too but I'd want there to still be room for me once the dog got up there.   So if I had to come back as a large or a small dog, I'mma go with the small dog.

And now you know....

I'm off to visit a fish hatchery and an alligator farm today.  Catch ya later!

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list! ( This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list.  Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

I FOUND A JOB!!!

No new zits this past week!  And the ones I do have are ever so s-l-o-w-l-y beginning to go away.  But at least they're healing up! 

I think I found a bapipe player for the ceremony I'm working on!  This has literally taken several very stressful years weeks of my life  that I'll never get back so I'm really excited about this!

My dad is no longer suffering.  I just wish he could still be here with us and no longer suffering though.

My aunt on my mom's side came in from out of town yesterday!  I haven't seen her in years and probably wouldn't recognize her if I ran into her on the street but I'm glad she's here.  She'll be a great support system for my mom.  (One of my brother's is coming too, not excited about seeing him though.)

I saw folders on sale at the store earlier this week and bought a bunch of school supplies!  That got me really excited for the new semester to start.

*****

My dad's service is tomorrow.  I'm not really looking forward to it.  You know how I said I didn't really feel much about his death beyond being relieved?  Well, turns out that's not so true afterall...  Twice this week I've been out and about running various errands and have run into people I know.  The first time it was a guy I went to high school with.  I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him back then but for some reason, he's remained friendly towards me all these years later even though I've basically just brushed him off whenever I see him.  (Yes, I realize this isn't nice.  I was going to try and justify why I but decided not to, I'll just let you judge me harshly because I probably deserve it.)   Anyways, I wasn't thinking about my father at that moment and when he brought it up, it immediately made me sad. 

And then today it happened again with someone else!  She was asking me a little bit about it and I could tell she didn't want to pry but that she wanted details.  I gave her a very brief version of it because I just couldn't really go there yet.  And tomorrow, I'll have to go there, whether I'm ready or not.

Source:  weheartit

So...the job.  It's a pretty meaningless job for the most part and the pay is pretty meaningless too.  But at least it's something!  My first day is August 10th when I go in for two days of training.  After that, I'll be working M-T-W-F after class once the new semester starts.  I don't have any classes on Tuesday but will have to make a drive in to school anyways.  My new title is Online Testing Proctor or something to that effect.  Basically, I just check people in when they come in for tests and walk around to make sure no one is cheating.  Sounds easy enough...  The most excellent part about it is that I don't work weekends and if the school is closed (holidays, spring break, snow days, etc.), my department will be closed too!  Not all departments are like that.  I'm kind of nervous and praying I haven't overextended myself.  Last semester I took 4 classes and had endless hours of homework each day.  This semester I'm taking five and one of those classes requires 10 hours of online work each week.  Eek!  My new supervisor has stressed repeatedly that I cannot do any homework on the job. 

Source:  weheartit

Wordy Wednesday - Dog Swap Edition

I've hosted the Doggone Dog Swap three years in a row now and this is the first year I've actually gotten to participate.  My partner was Munchkin Memiors and my boys were quite spoiled with everything they sent.

I really thought that Shiver would be overly excited about these tennis balls since he's obsessed with them.  Plus, they're flavored!  What could be better?

He's hardly even paid any attention to them!  He's been much too busy chewing on his Skineez toys instead.

Both boys have gotten endless hours of play with them.  Sorry they're both blurry here.  I couldn't get a good picture of them with their new toys. 

Thanks A Million Times Over

Thanks once again to everyone for your thoughts and prayers.  It really meant a lot, especially since most of my friends IRL haven't said much about it.  My father passed peacefully and my mom and I were both there.  I'm so glad because I didn't want him to die alone.

One minute he was breathing and the next, he wasn't.  I'd only been at the hospital for maybe a half hour before he died.  I told my mom it was probably wishful thinking but I almost felt like he waited for me to get there before he passed.

Source:  weheartit

He seemed to be doing a lot better on the Friday before he died.  He was still out of it and doing odd things but even so, he seemed improved from the day before.  Saturday, I went to visit him and he just stared right through me.  He didn't acknowledge my presence at all.  It was like he was asleep with his eyes open.  And Sunday, he died.

Mostly I don't feel much of anything about it other than relief.  Not so much relief for me, but for my father.  He went downhill so quickly and he never even got to start his chemo meds.  It was so hard to see him as just a shell of the man he used to be.  Sometimes I feel sad about it and I do miss him but I really thought I'd be a lot sadder.  I don't know if that's normal or if I'll feel more sad in time.  Maybe I'm unconsciously in denial or something...

I was bored at the beginning of summer and wishing I'd done summer school.  But now I'm really grateful that I had this time with him.  

Right after my dad's initial hospitalization when he found out he had cancer and before he got so bad, I had a dream about him.  In it, I was leaving school for the day and walked out into the quad area.  He and my grandfather were sitting on a bench there; I was really surprised to see them both . (Maybe because my grandfather has been dead for years and there is no bench in the quad?!)  I was walking towards them and then suddenly stopped in my tracks.  My dad was like a balloon in that he was no longer sitting on the bench but floated up into the sky and disappeared.  I thought at the time that it meant my dad would be ok.  But now I think it was my grandfather's way of telling me he wouldn't make it and that my dad was floating off to Heaven.

Source:  weheartit

A day or two ago I had another dream about my dad.  I don't really remember what happened but just before I woke up, my dad said something to the effect of, "Your mother is my successor."  WTF does that mean?  I hope it doesn't mean she's going to die soon too.

We're holding services for my dad this coming Saturday.  We waited since family is coming from out of town.

My uncle, my dad's brother, called a couple of days ago to tell us that my other uncle is in the hospital and probably won't be with us much longer.  They thought he had lukemia but he wouldn't go in for further testing because he was afraid of the results.

I hope all this stress goes away soon.  My face isn't dealing with it well at all - I'm covered in zits and I'm not liking it.  At this point, there's only a spot or two left before my face will become one great big zit in and of itself.

I hope everyone got their Doggone Dog Swap goodies out.  I've only heard from about half of you who participated so... I know I got mine out on time!  Sagira recently met up with Frankie in the furs to exchange their stuffs.  Click on her name to see what she got.  Raising Addie posted about her swap too!  I'll be doing mine tomorrow.  Whenever my boys get a package in the mail, I'm always just as excited about it as if it was for me.

RIP, Daddy!

My father passed away peacefully yesterday afternoon.  I'm still trying to process everything.  I'll be taking  a short break from blogging and commenting.  I hope you'll understand and I'll be back when I can.  Thank you all for your kind words and prayers.

04/25/1942 - 07/03/2011

I'm Sorry I've Been Such a Bad Blogger This Week

My dad has had a really difficult week.  He's been back in the hospital since Monday.  We were told that he probably won't make it through the weekend.  He's alive for now but not really living.  He's been extremely agitated today and the nurses are doing everything they can to keep him comfortable. 

Cancer is such a cruel disease...

I Can't Believe You Just Asked Me That!

Only 3 more days to get your goodies mailed out!  I haven't heard back from most of you so I don't know if your swaps have been mailed out or received.  Please keep me updated on when you send, receive and blog about your swap.  Sagira and Frankie met in the furs this past Saturday to exchange their pressies.  Click on Frankie's link to check out his loot.  I'll post other links as they become available so we can all see what everyone got.

You're probably wondering about the title of this post?!  Well, most of my time these days is spent helping my mom care for my father.  He can be a handful at times.  As a result, I really have nothing to post about other than how I'm annoyed by the many bugbites that have cropped up all over me in the past week or so.  I have one by my eye that I'm especially excited about.

Sooooo.....  Awhile back, I'd asked if there was anything you'd always wanted to know about me and I'd answer any questions you may have had.  (I'm too lazy to find the link.)  Well, I thought I'd do it again.  If there's a question you've always wanted to know and have just been dying to ask, this would be the time.  And if there isn't, that's fine too.  You have a whole week to come up with questions and I'll answer them (if I actually get any, that is!) next Monday.  Ask away...

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list.  Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

We finally got warm weather for longer than just a day or two this week!

One of my meetings this week went much better than I expected it to!

I got my ceremony pretty much figured out!  I have to put one on next month for one of the organizations I volunteer for and it's probably the most difficult part of the job - deciding what to do for it.

Out of the 21 things on my to-do list, I only have 4 left!

I finally found my BBW gift cards!

My dad is home from the rehab center!

I got two more participants for my Third Annual Doggone Dog Swap!  This brings the total to 18!

I got another follower this week!  If I could see who you were, I'd follow you back!

*****

Nothing new to report on my dad.  He has a team of doctors and one of them told him he had liver cancer.  Last Friday he went to his oncologist for the first time and this doctor said that he wasn't covinced.  He thought it was more likely lung cancer but possibly a combination of the two and scheduled an MRI.  I felt like we left there with more questions than answers.  My father went to do the MRI but couldn't lay still long enough since part of the cancer is along his spine.  I guess the hospital didn't learn anything from when he went in to do the CT scan.  Now he goes back in on Monday to try it again, this time with a sedative and pain killers.   I don't see any real improvement in him but he isn't necessarily getting any worse either.

*****

I had every intention of posting pix of my beautiful baby boys for Wordless Wednesday this week but I was much too busy hosting a pity party for myself and didn't get around to doing it.  And then I was going to do it yesterday but that didn't happen either, obviously...  So here's one today, instead.

Booker and Asa's mama asked to see my roses so here's a snapshot I got yesterday.

Doggone It

Only 10 days left to shop and get your goodies in the mail! 

Don't forget to let me know when you sent, received and blogged about your swap.  I've created a chart and am keeping track of everyone.  So far I've only heard from Sarge and Finn.  Click on their links and it'll lead you to their posts.  That's my favorite part; I love seeing what everyone got.

I've updated the post where I list everyone's partners because we got a few more participants since then.  Because of the uneven number, I finally got to participate this year.  HOORAY FOR ME!!!  The last 2 years, it was an even number so I didn't get to join in which was kind of a bummer.

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list.  Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

I can see a huge improvement in my father from just a week ago!

 
It didn't rain this whole past week!
 
I enjoyed another red velvet cupcake cappuccino yesterday!
 
The price of gas had gone down by about 7 cents when I went to buy some yesterday! 
 
I saw a flyer at the store for a Dog Walk fundraiser!  Gonna have to go back and check it out again because I can't remember the date and I really wanna take the boys.
 
Sarge and Zona's Mom both joined me for Half Full Friday recently!  And Velvet Over Steel joins me every week, of course!  Please feel free to play along with us.
 
I got some new followers recently!  Welcome!  I just wish I could see who you are so I could follow you back.
 
I won another one of Katie's giveaways!
 
Every one of my rosebushes has buds or is blooming!  So pretty!

Source:  weheartit

This morning, my father meets with the oncologist for the first time, to discuss his options.  I'm really nervous and anxious about this appointment. I'm afraid they're going to say there aren't any options at this point.  Just have to keep my fingers crossed and pray for the best.  He's still at the rehab center getting daily occupational and physical therapy.  We think he'll be there until next Friday. 

 

I was going to post some pix of the chi's for Wordless Wednesday but I wasn't feeling well so I'll carry them over for next week. 

 

So I know not everyone checks their stats.  I like to check mine from time to time but not religiously or anything and can't help but wonder how accurate blogger's stats actually are.  There's one post in particular that seems to pop up almost every single time I check them and I can't figure out why it's so popular.  It's not like it's an earth shattering post or anything - it's one where I'd gotten an award and passed it on to other bloggers.  I think it's about a year old which makes it all the more curious.  And plus when I look at the referring urls/sites, sometimes I'll find one I've never heard of before so I'll click on it and for the life of me, I can't figure out how anyone ever found my blog from it.  It has nothing to do with me in any way, shape or form and doesn't even link to me.  (For instance, someone found my blog from a roofing website in another state recently.  Huh?!)  Has anyone else noticed stuff like this when they check their stats or is it just me?

 

I had an interview last week for an office assistant job on campus.  I didn't get it but I kind of knew I wouldn't.  During the interview, one of the two ladies said that they tend to hire people right out of high school so that they can help students build working skills and that I already had them since I've been out in the workforce.  She called to let me know the bad news and asked if she could share my resume and praised my past experience.  I told her I'd be thrilled if she shared it but I'm not expecting anything to come of it.  I've had other interviewers say they'd do the same thing in the past and it never got me anytwhere.  You never know though.  I also had an interview for an internship just over a week ago.  Still haven't heard anything which really surprises me because she made sure to keep in touch regularly up until the day before we met, sending me an email saying she couldn't wait to meet.  She did say she wanted to work with me either way, whether I got the internship or not.    At this point, I'm just going to presume I didn't get it and that she's waiting for another project to open up before she contacts me again.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments.  I could really feel the love flowing from the blogosphere.  I got a lot of blog hits this past week and even a couple of new followers. 

Source:  weheartit

So...  It's official, my father has liver cancer.  He's already survived kidney and skin cancer but I don't think he's going to be able to pull through this one.  We've already been told it's very agressive and incurable.  It can be slowed but not cured. 

He's been released from the hospital and is now at a rehab center for physical therapy to rebuild his strength.  We're not sure how long he'll be there; he's still very weak.  He's doing significantly better though and is about 95% coherent now with only mild confusion. 

We're waiting for the oncologist to contact us to go in and discuss his options.  My mom didn't even want to do the biopsy but I was very insistent on it.  My father was not in a position at the time to be making medical decisions for himself  and I'm listed as second on his medical power of attorney so I won that fight.  I just want to know in my heart that when he passes, that we were informed of all of his options and that we did everything we could for him. 

I don't know when I'll get to blog again but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all of your support and your kind comments.  I'll get around to visiting everyone when I can.

Bloggy Break

My father's not doing well at all.  He's was admitted to the hospital again yesterday and the news just seems to be getting worse.  As of last night, the hospital was saying my dad is full of cancer all over.  We're still not sure of what kind but they think that it's kidney cancer. 

Right now, he has no coordination at all and is very confused much of the time.  He's been in the hospital since yesterday afternoon.  We're still waiting for answers and praying for the best. 

I'm not sure when I'll be back but I'll be taking a short blogging break.  My priority needs to be my father and doing what I can to ensure he's well taken care of.

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list.  Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

I got some more spring cleaning done this week!

We went several days in a row with no rain!  And then it really came down.

I enjoyed a lovely Red Velvet Cupcake Cappuccino yesterday!  I ate it with a red velvet cupcake -- just because I could! 

Thanks to Sarge, this is my most successful Doggone Dog Swap yet!  Still need one more participant to swap with Shelby so let me know if you're interested!

I had a job shadowing session!  Actually, that was last week but I forgot to include it so I'm carrying it over into this week because I really was/am happy about it!

I have an interview for an internship next week!  Unpaid, but good experience.

Source:  weheartit

Sadly, this has been a rather uninteresting week.  After the stress of last week though, I'll gladly take it!  Mostly I spent my days close to home catching up on reading, bad tv, spring cleaning, reading blogs and anything else I could find to amuse myself with for longer than 5 minutes.  I even took my dad's beagle for a walk!

 

I've decided I officially miss school.  Never thought I'd ever say that!  I was sooooooo busy this past semester and always felt like every spare moment should've been spent focusing on school and that I never had any free time for myself.  Now I have an excess amount of free time on my hands and I'm not sure what to do with myself.  I've been half-heartedly looking for work only because I don't know what will happen with my dad and I want to make sure I can be there for him if I need to.  Before I know it though, summer will be over and I'll be back to complaining I miss it.  :)

Third Annual Doggone Dog Swap and Partners

Thanks to everyone who participated in the swap.  This one has the most participants out of the three I've hosted so far.

The deadline has arrived and you should've received your swap partner's information by now.  Please let me know if you haven't gotten it yet and I'll resend it.  Remember, it's coming from a different email address than the one you sent your information to.

Here are the ground rules, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

1.  The maximum you can spend before postage is $30.  You don't have to spend that much but you can't spend more than that!

2.  You'll need to let me know when you sent your package and when you get yours.  If I discover that you received one but never sent one out, you'll be outted and blacklisted from participating in the future!

3.  You must post about the swap once you receive your package.  I want to see what you got!

4.  You have until June 30th to get those packages mailed out.  That gives you one full month to go shopping and to get it in the mail.

5. This is the most important rule - HAVE FUN!!!!!

Want to know who else is playing along and who they're partnered with?
Meg - Amber          Dolce - Addie         Shelby - Mr. Pip
Katie - Deborah      Sagira - Frankie      Muchkin Memoirs - sprinkles
Sarge  - Finn            Booker - Meeko    Mona and Weenie - ~ks
If anything comes up and you aren't able to continue with the swap, please let me know immediately so that I can make other arrangements.  I won't be mad, sometimes things just come up that are beyond our control.

Happy Shopping and Swapping!!!

Happy Memorial Day!

Source:  weheartit

Today is the last day to enter my Third Annual Doggone Dog Swap!  As of early yesterday afternoon, there are 10 participants -- still LOTS of room for others to join in the fun.  I'll email everyone sometime tomorrow with their swap partner info.

Half Full Friday - on a Saturday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list.  Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

My daddy's home from the hospital!

Thanks to Sarge, I now have over twice the number of participants as I did last year for my Third Annual Doggone Dog Swap!  There's still plenty of time to get in on the action if you're interested!

I've gotten some new followers this week!  Welcome! 

My computer apparently didn't like Internet Explorer 9 any better than I did -- it was gone once I restarted my computer!

I got my haircut today!

While it's not exactly bright and sunshiny today, at least it's not raining!

Much thanks to everyone for your kind comments on my last post.  My father is feeling considerably better now than he was when he was admitted to the hospital.  He's still got a long ways to go though before he's completely healthy.

Source:  weheartit

To make a very long story short, the doctors found one problem and got it taken care of.   We thought he was good to go and his plan was to come home yesterday morning.  But then they discovered something on an x-ray and decided to do a CT scan.  That showed even more than what the x-ray caught.  My father has spots on both lungs and his liver.  The doctor said it's very likely cancer only they aren't sure what kind yet.  They tried to do a biopsy on him but he couldn't lay the way they needed him to because it was too painful as he has a bad back.  They couldn't knock him out to do it because for some reason or another they need him to be awake and coherent during the procedure.  I vaguely recall them saying they'd need him to take deep breaths for them or something.  They allowed him to come home late yesterday afternoon and he'll go back up this coming Friday and they'll try something else.  Once they have the biopsy, they'll be able to determine for certain that he has cancer and what kind it is.

If it really is cancer like the doctor thinks it is, this will be the third kind he's had now.   I really disliked my father a great deal as a child and as an adult when I lived with him but we've actually become much closer now that I live on my own.  I truly hope it isn't cancer or if it is, that the treatment won't be too difficult on him.  I'm not ready to lose him yet. 

I don't think it's all sunk in yet.

I've had trouble this past week with commenting on certain blogs.  So if I'm not commenting, please just know that I'm still reading.  Has anyone else had an issue with this or is it just me?  I can comment on some but not all.

FYI

No Wordless Wednesday today.  I may be out for a few days - my father was unexpectedly admitted to ICU last night and we have no idea what's wrong with him.  Please keep him in your prayers.

Source:  weheartit

Third Annual Doggone Dog Swap

Yep, it's that time again!  I originally started this as a way to gain new followers.  It didn't exactly work out that way but it was fun anyways and I wanted to continue doing it.  I haven't had many participants in years past but hopefully this year will be different.

This isn't a swap for yourself, it's a swap for your dogs!  No, we aren't swapping dogs, although sometimes I wouldn't mind trading mine in, lol!  Basically, you'll each buy toys and/or treats for your swap partner and they'll do the same in return.  You never know what you might get.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 1st which gives you almost 10 days.  Once your swap partner has been chosen, I will email you back from a different email address.

I've listed the ground rules below, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

1.  You can only swap for up to three dogs.  If you have more than three, don't despair.  You can still participate but you'll have to decide which three will join the swap.  I'll do my very best to match you up to someone who has the same number of dogs.

2.  The maximum you can spend before postage is $30.  You don't have to spend that much but you can't spend more than that!

3.  You'll need to let me know when you sent your package and when you get yours.  If I discover that you received one but never sent one out, you'll be outted and blacklisted from participating in the future!

4. You must post about the swap once you receive your package.  I want to see what you got!

5. You have until June 30th to get those packages mailed out.  That gives you one full month to go shopping and to get it in the mail.

6. This is the most important rule - HAVE FUN!!!!!

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please email the following information to me at glitter.sprinkles@gmail.com:
1.  The name(s) of your dog
2.  Male or female
3.  Breed of dog and size (small, medium, large, xlarge)
4.  Is there anything your dog cannot have?
5.  Is there anything in particular that your dog really likes?  Examples of this might be a certain kind of toy or treat.
6.  Your address.  Your information will only be shared with your swap partner.

I didn't specify the first year whether or not people outside of the US could participate and had someone from Canada join in.  It never occurred to me that someone from another country might read about it and want to do it too.  So yes, even if you don't live in the US, you can still do the swap.  You'll likely be partnered up with someone else from outside the US although not necessarily, it all depends on who else decides to take part.

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.   We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.   So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.   The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.   They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.   I'm determined to find something good in each day.   Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.

~I'm happy because...

My mom mowed the lawn for me!  In the rain!

I got an A in History!  My final grades for the semester are an A and 3 B's.

I've gotten  to sleep in almost every day this week!

I got a wonderful gift in the mail from the fabulous ~KS earlier this week!

I've started a little bit of spring cleaning!  Very little bit but hey, at least I started!

Shockingly, it didn't rain at all yesterday!

I've received numerous comments from various bloggers saying that Half Full Friday is their favorite post of the week.  If that's the case, why not join in?  I've hosted it for awhile now and the only one who ever joins me is Velvet Over Steel.  There's plenty of room for everyone!  I couldn't add the link this week because I finally upgraded to Internet Explorer 9 yesterday and I'm not impressed with it.  For one thing, it won't accept the HFF link for some reason.  I tried to uninstall the program but I can't even see on my system where it's even been updated.  You know how you can check your updates and stuff?  It's not even listed.  Gotta figure out how to remove it over the weekend.  Not liking IE9 at.all.

Source:  weheartit

So today I'll be volunteering.  I'm kind of curious as to what they'll have me doing.  Usually I just go in on Thursday's but lately they've been telling me they have too many people and don't need me.  Yesterday morning when I spoke to them, the girl said something to the effect of, "But you are coming in tomorrow, right?"  To which I replied, "I wasn't aware I was supposed to but if you need me, I can come in."  They don't typically hand out food on Friday's so I'm wondering why they need volunteers today.  Guess I'll find out in just a little bit.

Tomorrow I have to get up at the crack of dawn and help out with the other organization I volunteer for.  Since I've started school, I've done exactly jack squat for them and feel like I really need to get a move on since the big event is coming up in less than two months so this will be part of my contribution.  Not looking forward to getting up so early but hopefully I'll raise a lot of funds for them.

And then on Sunday probably, I'm thinking of making cupcakes.  Just for something relaxing to do and for something extra fattening to eat.  Because I want to put any weight back on I might have lost walking a zillion and a half miles (one way!) across campus 3x a week for 4 months as quickly as possible!  LOL  And of course, I'll be adding extra sprinkles.  Because everything is better with sprinkles...

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This is mostly what spring has been like so far and we're in for about another 3 weeks of it according to the weather man...

All images courtesy of weheartit

Goodies, goodies, goodies

A few weeks ago, I got my prize in the mail from Amber's live giveaway.  Wanna see what I got?  Well, too bad because I'm gonna show you anyway...

Powder, a makeup brush and concealor.

I love how the mirror and the powder applicator thingie are separated between the powder.

I won this forever ago from Life With Dogs.  It seems like it came just before school started which would've been sometime in early January.

The author autographed it and sent a bookmark and a card with it.

I got this book and the cards above and beside it from Deborah.  She was kind enough to pass the book along to me once she finished it and I'll keep the tradition going.  Now that school is out, I'll actually have a little free time to read.  The cards are from her card company which she started to help raise money for her best friend Penny who is suffering from cancer.

Chico is just as excited about this package from the lovely ~KS as I am!

And now we're doubly excited!  She sent House Rules and Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult, one of my 2 favorite authors.  ~KS spoils me way too much!  I have most of her books but didn't have these two and now I do!

This is the necklace I gave my friend as a graduation present on Saturday.  She majored in psychology.

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list.  Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

Blogger is finally back up!

I made it through the semester!

I got B's in my Psych, Government and Theatre class!  Still waiting on my History grade.

My History professor agreed to accept my report!  And she said I was a joy to have in class!

I'm going to my friend's graduation party tomorrow!

Another friend from school sent me a really sweet email at the end of the semester!
 
I got my free BBW stuff for the month yesterday!
 
I got a book and cards in the mail from Deborah!  I'll show them off next week, along with some other goodies I was lucky enough to receive.
 
I'm a little ticked at my Theatre grade.  We had to write 2 reviews.  I got an 86% on the first one and admittedly, put very little work into it.  The second one I'd worked on for several days and was quite pleased with it when I turned it in.  I got the same exact grade as on the first one!  I really felt like I deserved an A on it.  I got a high C on the final because I didn't really study for it.  It was an easy class so I chose to put my focus on other classes instead.  But the important thing is just that I passed!
 
Once I got back into town yesterday from taking my Psych final, I went over to my parent's house and from there, we all drove over to the vet's office.  They had a very old beagle named Angel and my father decided it was time to put her down.  She hadn't been doing well and he felt it was in her best interest.  She sat in the back with me and immediately peed on the seat as soon as my dad closed the door.  I didn't say anything to anyone about it though because I didn't want her to get yelled at in her last few minutes of life.  She cuddled with me on the way there and I kept telling her how much I loved her.  It was so hard to let her go.  We think she was about 15-16 years old.  My parents are having her cremated. 
 
The worst part of it all was when we returned home.  My parents have a young beagle and he was extremely upset that we didn't bring Angel back with us.  He just howled and howled and wouldn't let anyone comfort him.  I felt soooooo bad for him; Angel has always been there his whole life and he's lost without her. 

RIP, my sweet Angel

MIA

Yes, I'm still alive for anyone that might have been wondering...

This is finals week so last week was filled with last minute homework and this week has been focused on studying for finals.  I've done very little else and am so ready for it to all be over with for a little while.

I was going to do my Half Full Friday post last Friday after I got back from class since it was a short day.  Unfortunately, I had a really, really bad day with several things going wrong and by the time I got home, I just wasn't in the mood.  It's supposed to be a positive post and I was afraid my negativity would rub off so I decided to forgo it.

One of the things that happened is that because it was the last day, two of my classes had been canceled so I didn't bring my book bag and just grabbed a folder out of it.  My history professor has strongly stressed since Day 1 that we must do every single assignment in order to pass the class and that our final report was due at 10:30 AM Friday, NO EXCEPTIONS!  Late papers would not be accepted.  I grabbed the wrong folder and by the time I realized it, it was too late to go back home for it.  There wouldn't have been time to have anyone bring it to me because my friends would've been at work plus none of them have my house key.  If I'd have called my parents, I'd have gotten a 20 minute lecture on how irresponsible I am and I seriously doubt they would've made it on time anyways.  It's a 45 minute drive from my house to the university.

My professor is recovering from surgery so her husband has been substituting in her place.  We haven't actually been doing anything the last two weeks anyways other than oral presentation in front of the class so I guess the school doesn't care that he doesn't have a teaching degree?!  Anyways, I talked to her hubs and explained my dilemma.  He told me to email it to my professor as soon as I got home so I did.  I haven't heard a word from her so I still don't know if she accepted it or not.  I hope so because I have a B in her class and would hate for all that hard work to be for nothing.  We had a take home final and I was hesitant to even work on it because I don't want to put time into it only to be told I was going to fail since my report wasn't in.  I figured I'd still go ahead and do it though because I didn't want to find out at the last minute that she did accept it and my final wasn't done.  Got the multiple choice section completed, now I just have to pound out the essay portion. 

I told my mom about it and she told me that I have no one else to blame but myself.  True, but that's the last thing I wanted to hear after such a s#$%& day. 

We go in tomorrow to drop off our finals, then we have to have one final discussion on history.  Ugh, soooooo not looking forward to that!  It's going to be painful to have to sit there and listen to a lecture on the very last day when alls I really want to do is to drop off my test and go home!

Then Thursday is my Psych final and I am DONE!!! 

Flat George, Part II

More adventures with Flat George!  These were all taken last Wednesday, the only decent weather day of the week.  I was going to try and get some more shots on Friday but the wind was blowing and cold and a little wet and all I wanted to do was just go home and curl up with the chi's.  I'm thinking maybe next semester we'll do another post and get some shots of things around campus that I missed on Friday.  There's definitely more I would have liked to have shown you.

Tiptoeing through the tulips

Checking the flyers on the bulletin board

The Wishing Tree - click to enlarge

The Wishing Tree

Helping me study for the Psych final