What, no spin?

Last night, all three of us trudged up to our fitness center.  (Can you sense that I really love going up there?)  The Little Guy and I were going to join in on a spin class, and Hubby was going to work out doing his usual thing.  I knew the Tuesday night spin instructor was popular, but there was only one bike left and there were five minutes to spare before class was to start.  Crikey!  So, The Little Guy and I headed to the treadmills.  Which I can't stand those things.

I walked quickly for about a mile and a half before getting totally bored.  (Since we thought we would be in the spin class with tunes a'thumpin' we didn't bring iPods.)  The Little Guy switched to a pull up apparatus to see how his shoulder would handle the workout.  Hubby soon finished up then we all headed home.  I began cooking dinner and the guys worked on more shoulder exercises to strengthen up my son's shoulder/collar bone area as part of his recovery.  Tonight we are heading back up there, and hopefully I'll make it up there early enough to get two bikes side by side.

I can't stand working out.  This is another time when I would love to just throw on a t-shirt that says, "I'd rather be crocheting."  Yes, quite a nerdy shirt to want to sport, however I'm sincerely hoping that I will find a t-shirt such as this in my stocking this Christmas or have one made some day.

It's the little things that bring us such pleasures, right?  Just kidding... 

Some Sense of Normalcy

(The condition that Sushi was diagnosed with was IMT, Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia.  Basically what happened is her platelets were being consumed by her white blood cells, her blood was clotting, and it was causing her heart to not function properly.  The loss of movement in her back left leg (which was my first clue something was wrong when we went to the ER) was most likely caused by pain the IMT/heart condition was causing; dogs can sometimes lose functionality in the hind end when they have pain radiating from the chest area. This is something that dogs can be treated for, however it can require blood transfusions and high doses of steroids, both of which would've been brutal with uncertain results for an elderly dog.)

Thank you guys for your sweet words and notes to me about Sushi.  I really appreciate them.  Our sadness is still around, but my overwhelming need to sob is subsiding.  I can now think about my little Sush with maybe just a couple of tears in my eyes instead of breaking down.  At least that's what I feel I've progressed to so far this morning.

The Little Guy and I are waiting for the memory stone we've started to cure completely so that we can add a bit of colorful paint to it.  Once that is complete, and we have it in place, I'll share a picture with you.

Axel seems to be handling the loss well, too.  I let him sniff Sushi quite a bit while we were getting her settled in her little spot.  I've always believed that dogs learn where you've been and what you've been up to by smelling your legs and shoes, so Axel gave me and The Little Guy a good sniffing when we got home.  I also wanted him to see Sushi so he wouldn't think she had disappeared, just in case the sniffing didn't explain everything.

He was there when we buried her, and he continues to go over and sniff around the little temporary fence we've put up around her grave.  He walks up to the fenced area gingerly with his head low to the ground, like he does when he's investigating something.  He and I talk about Sushi pretty regularly.  Rather, I talk and he listens.

I'm still not ready to move her little bed out of my room yet.  I keep hoping for her little spirit to visit me and curl up in it, or curl up next to me as I sleep.  Maybe she already has.  Maybe she's busy running and playing with friends and family who greeted her.  And, that's ok, too.  I'm content to know her suffering is over.

Thanks again for all of your sweetness, my friends.  It really means so much.

So Long For Now, My Little Sushi

Last night I had to say good-bye to my little Sushi Bear.  Her little body stopped functioning normally and I had to take her to the emergency hospital. 

She was cared for by literally the most angelic veterinarian I've ever met, and the doctor helped me and my son through the entire process so gingerly. 

Hubby prepared a beautiful little spot for her under our willow tree.  I'm trying to focus on her being able to run and jump and be all that a dog can be in Heaven.  I just hope to feel her spirit.  I miss her so much.

I'll see you again one day, Sushi.  I love you with all my heart, and miss you very much.

Here's to Health!

Yesterday I was given some GRRREEAAAATTTT news!  (that was Tony the Tiger's version of great in case you missed it.)  The Little Guy went back to his orthopedist (sounds like such an old man thing to do...) for a follow up xray of his left collar bone.  He has been healing so well it's amazing!  Well, at least it's amazing to me.  The bone is almost back to normal, enough so that he no longer has to wear the brace.  He just has to pay attention to when he is lifting things and if he notices tenderness then he needs to back off.

Now we just need to get his foot to heal up from his cut at the beach.  The stitches should come out in about a week.

Lovin' this Today!

As I was flipping through my blog roll this morning what did my wandering eyes observe?  Some of the most beautifully contemporary crochet I've seen in some time!  Check out emma lamb's post...  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.  I certainly was!

Painful Summer for the Little Guy

My little fellow has had a bit of a rough summer, mixed with some good experiences, too, thank God!  He started off his 'out of school' summer schedule by attending a day football camp for a week, and followed that week up with trekking off to Arkansas for a week long Boy Scout adventure with Hubby.

They came home, my sister had her wedding, and The Little Guy was required to wear a tuxedo for the first time.  He was very excited, which I was very thankful for, and looked smashing in his formal duds.

The Monday following the wedding, June 21st to be exact, he fell in the driveway while skateboarding and fractured his left collar bone.  The unlucky duck has been wearing a figure eight brace ever since.  He made it through our vacation to Canada and the brace didn't hinder anything, which was a great thing.

We get back from Canada, and he leaves town with his faj last Thursday to head to the Texas coast to meet up with another family who has a vacation home there.  They were supposed to head back yesterday, but he asked his dad if they could stay just one more day.  Dad told The Little Guy to call Mom and make sure it was ok.  I said it was fine with me, after all, he was having a blast hunting for crabs at night and fishing by day.

Then, this morning I got a phone call at 3:00 a.m.  The Little Guy tells me he is headed to an ER for stitches.  He was running on the beach, obviously in the dark and in the wee hours of the morning considering the time of the phone call, and something sliced his foot open.  He didn't know it if was glass, a rock or a shell.... I guess it didn't really matter. 

I pushed away the questions I wanted to ask his father right then and there, such as "What in the heck was he doing running on the beach at 2 a.m. and are you sober as you drive this child to the hospital?" since I was several hours away and the situation was out of my control.  I then lay in bed and pray for my son's safety and healing, hoping that I can get a bit more rest before having to get up for work at 4:45.  All was well, I called back a bit later and the doc had him all stitched up with a prescription for antibiotics.

I'll leave the questions for a conversation in person just between adults.  And in the meantime just be thankful that nothing worse happened.  I can't wait for The Little Guy to get back to town today.  We have about four weeks until school starts.  I'm hoping that there are no more injuries in this child's future.  Ever.  We'll see... I'm sure all the other mothers of rough and tumble 12 year old boys are telling me to 'just wait.' That more is coming.  OMG.

My #1 Summer Read

If you're looking for a great book to read this summer I highly recommend this one. I took it with me on the plane when I left for Canada, and was able to finish it right after we got back.

Ozzy has always been a bit mysterious to me.  Growing up I always heard he was a Satanist so I didn't buy his music, but it turns out that was a fabricated description he chose not to correct until years later.  I've never really followed his life, but I admire the success he's become.  Plus I really enjoy seeing his wife Sharon on tv.  She reminds me a lot of my mom with her style and her 'I am what I am' attitude.

Reading this book was what I imagined sitting down and having a conversation with Ozzy would be like. It was easy to get through 40 pages in just one sitting. Granted, if we were really having a one-on-one conversation I wouldn't have understood Ozzy as plainly as reading a transcription.  His heavy accent, plus his slurs and slang, make for a complicated interaction, I imagine.

His story is a roller coaster ride, as I'm sure you can imagine if you've ever known any details about his career.  He's really a lucky fellow, but he'll tell you that too in the book.  I love a good rags to riches story, especially when people turn out better in the end.  I hope I have as many guardian angels as this guys has, although I don't think I'll ever consciously test that out like Ozzy did time and time again.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think I could be good friends with the guy knowing what I know about his past. I have a hard time doling out patience to grown men who have led a life with little or no self-control. But, I'm keen on a happy ending, and it seems like that's what he's had.

(1) Me and The Little Guy once we got to our hotel in Calgary; (2) a beautiful view outside of the train on our way out of Calgary into the Canadian Rocky Mountains; (3) Lake Louise in Banff; (4) a view of our train from the caboose as we were heading up the track; (5) a canola field... there were so many! (6) my step-brothers goofin' off with the Mounty in Banff; (7) Me and The Little Guy in Banff; (8) Hubby, The Little Guy and Me in Banff

Holy Canada, Batman!

I am back in action... back in Texas but wishing for a more beautiful skyline. Canada was awesome. I am in total awe of just how beautiful it is up there. My husband and I chatted (as we gazed out the train windows passing through the Canadian Rocky Mountains) about just how flat and ugly the place we call home is to look at. We literally have to take a road trip to get anywhere with a real view.

Just to give you a recap (sans pics since I haven't uploaded my camera just yet) we took the Canadian Royal Pacific rail tour through the mountains, starting in Calgary and looping through the mountains before getting back to our original starting point. Then we visited the Stampede in Calgary checking out Chuck Wagon races and the rodeo.

Do you know who I saw! In the lobby of my hotel, in the Stampede parade, at the Chuck Wagon race and the Rodeo? I saw Jet and Cord McCoy from The Amazing Race! They were the runner's up in this past season, and they happened to be my all time favorite contestants. I hollered and waved my arms off showing my support when I saw them. If only I would've gotten to meet them. And take a picture with them. My son was equally as disappointed, but just to have been all the way in Canada at the same time as them, when they are from the same region I'm from. It was a very cool feeling!

Stay tuned for some Canadian pics later this week. I'm still playing catch up with life and getting back into the swing of things.

Philosophical Question of the Day

If you drive a car, and you have a 'Jesus Lives' sticker on your back windshield, why would you choose to drive like Hitler? That is a complete contradiction from the message you have printed on your vehicle.  Or, maybe you are about to test what you believe by trying to meet up with Jesus sooner than later?

I'm just curious....

You see, I'm quite the bad driver. I threaten the lives of fellow freeway users every morning and afternoon while I'm commuting. I like to speed because I hate my commute so I'm trying to make it as brief as possible.  Plus, I'm just impatient and I would love for everyone to simply get out of my way. But, I have the sense to not put a 'Jesus Lives' sticker, or a 'Give Peace A Chance' sticker, or a 'Do Unto Others' sticker on my car. Why, that would just be hypocritical.

My husband just recently got back from a trip to Mississippi where he had to drive about eight hours to get to his destination.  He said as soon as he crossed over the Texas border into Arkansas drivers became nice and truly shared the road. People actually used the left lane as a passing lane only. That information stunned me a little bit.

I guess when people say 'everything's bigger in Texas' that must include our vehicular egos.