Colby's Story

I know I am a little biased here, but I think Colby is an amazing dog. After hearing his story, I hope you will agree.

About 5 years ago, my brother adopted a puppy from the ARFanage, an animal rescue group in Mobile. This little puppy came to the ARFanage after being abandoned on the side of a road when he was just a few weeks old. To this day, he suffers from separation anxiety and tends to frighten easily--no doubt residual effects of being abandoned, and maybe even abused, as a puppy. But from the moment this dog entered my family, he stole our hearts. He is a very loving and loyal dog.

When I made the decision to buy a house last year, I knew that I would get a dog as soon as I was settled in the house. In fact, one requirement during my house hunt was that the yard be fenced in so that the house would be dog-ready. Because my brother had such good luck with adopting his dog from a rescue organization, I decided that I would do the same. To me, it wouldn't feel right to buy a dog from a breeder when there are so many abandoned and homeless dogs out there who need good homes. Just a few weeks after moving into my house, I began looking at dogs listed on www.petfinder.com. I was hoping to find a small, young, female dog. I found a dog listed that met all of these requirements. This dog was at a rescue group in Mobile called Lauren's Zoo. I sent an email to express interest in this dog, only to find out that she had already been adopted. However, Lauren informed me of another dog that had recently come to her organization that I might be interested in. The dog was an 18-month-old male Havanese mix. She attached these pictures of the dog to the email:





How could you not love this face? However, for reasons that make absolutely no sense to me now, I really wanted a female dog. I assumed that a female dog would get along with my brother's dog much better than another male dog would. I emailed Lauren back and basically told her thanks but no thanks because I wanted a female dog. Thankfully, Lauren took the time to inquire as to why I was so set on a female dog. She assured me that dog aggression is more about personality than gender. It was very important to me that my new dog get along well with my brother's dog. Lauren understood this, and suggested that we let the two dogs have a "play date" during my next trip to Mobile. I agreed that this was a good idea. She brought Colby over to my parents' house, and as soon as Colby saw me he jumped into my arms. That was a good move on his part. I was already in love. At first, my brother's dog was not very receptive to Colby. But as the play date continued, he became more tolerable of him, and even began to play with him. We began to see a side of my brother's dog that we hadn't seen in a long time--a very playful side!



Colby seemed to be a perfect fit for me and my family. I left Mobile with Colby in my arms. He wasn't the female dog I had wanted, but I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Here's what I know about Colby's history. Colby's previous owners dropped him off at an animal shelter. It was probably a case of someone buying a cute little puppy and then realizing that they didn't have the time for it. Unfortunately, the shelter that Colby was at was a high-kill facility. If the dogs at this shelter are not claimed or adopted within five days, they are euthanized. Colby was on day 5, at death's door, when someone at the shelter noticed that Colby was a good, adoptable dog. Thankfully, someone at the shelter contacted Lauren's Zoo, and Lauren's Zoo took Colby in. And the rest is history!

After all of that worrying about how well Colby and my brother's dog would get along, they are now the best of friends:



Colby has settled into his new life with me as his owner very well. He is very much a lap dog, and loves to be pampered and spoiled. He also loves people. He thinks that anyone who comes to my house comes to see him, not me (which is probably true...). He has his playful moments, but for the most part he is a calm and well-behaved dog. He is the best little companion!









If you are ever planning on getting a dog, please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue group before going to a breeder. It worked out really well for me. There are so many abandoned dogs out there who need good homes!!!

Lessons From a Novice Lawn Mower-er

Because I moved into my new house near the end of fall last year, I had a good five or so months before I even had to consider the prospect of yard work. In fact, I don't believe the thought of yard work even crossed my mind during those five months. However, spring came, and it was around the time that I noticed there were weeds half as tall as my house that I decided something must be done with my yard. Since I am often at home on weekdays, I began to notice that most of my neighbors had hired people to get their yards into shape. Out of fear of being disowned by my parents, who actually find great pleasure in doing their own yard work, I quickly ruled this option out. I knew that I was going to have to purchase a lawn mower, and that I was somehow going to have to learn how to use it. I enlisted my dad's help for this task. While in Mobile a couple of months ago, my brother very graciously allowed me to use his lawn mower and cut his grass for practice. With my dad there to guide me, I successfully cranked the lawn mower and cut my brother's grass without any trouble (aside from the extremely sore arms I woke up with the next morning). A few weeks later, my parents drove up to Birmingham to assist with the big lawn mower purchase and with my first lawn mowing session at my house. Following my dad's expert lawn mower advice, I became the proud owner of this:



Yep, that's a NON-self-propelled push mower. Again, with my dad's guidance, I was able to cut my grass without any trouble. In fact, I even kind of enjoyed it. Something about being able to see my progress as I mowed and being able to make those straight lines up and down my lawn really satisfied those OCD tendencies I hide way deep down inside of me. By the time my parents left to go back to Mobile, we were all confident that I had the lawn mowing thing down.

A few weeks later, that confidence was shattered. As I was mowing my front yard and admiring the straight lines I was making, I noticed a neighborhood walker laughing at me. I tried to brush it off by smiling and waving at him, but he just continued to gawk and laugh at me. I guess he had never seen a girl cutting her own grass before. As much as I tried forget about the incident, it really cut deep. Being the strong-willed person I am, after much thought I decided that I would show that man who's boss in this household. Afterall, Colby has never once offered to cut the grass for me. I began cutting the grass more often. If the lines in the grass weren't perfectly straight, I went back over them until they were perfect. I wanted to show that man that I have lawn mowing skills.

As a result, my lawn mowing skills have greatly improved since that incident. Just the other day, I got a little brave as I was mowing and decided to cut the grass at a diagonal, instead of my usual up and down or side to side. I was quite pleased with the result:





Take that, Mr. Neighborhood Walker Man.

A Journey Through the Past Four Years of My Life (With Pictures!)

I realize that many of my new readers may not be completely caught up on my life. So sit back and relax as I take you on an illustrative journey through the past 4 years of my life.

In May of 2006, after pulling more all-nighters than I dare to remember and writing countless nursing care plans (which, by the way, the words "care plan" still make me want to puke a little), I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Spring Hill College.



Three weeks later, I packed up my belongings and moved to the Magic City of Birmingham, AL.



I took up residence at this beautiful apartment complex, home of the largest number of ducks and geese you've ever seen. And, consequently, the most duck and geese poop you've ever seen. However, I did my part to control the duck and geese overpopulation problem while living there when one day a duck flew into my windshield on my way to work, but that's another story... Anyway, I ended up living there for three years.



Within just a few days of my big move to Birmingham, I started my first nursing job as a RN Intern in Women and Infants' Services at UAB Hospital. In the beginning I worked in this building, that was over 100 years old:



I now work in this building, that is just a few months old:



On June 21, 2006, I took my licensing exam to become a registered nurse. It was an absolutely horrific experience. I was sure I had failed. I began looking into a new career path. But, after an agonizing 48 hours, I got the news that I had passed and that I was a licensed registered nurse!

In the summer of 2007, I suffered from temporary memory loss. Although I had only been out of school for about a year, I had forgotten how horrible it was. (Schooling must be a lot like childbirth...you forget how horrible it is the first time around so that you are more inclined to do it again.) I began taking classes at UAB to work toward becoming a "master" nurse, while continuing to work as a "regular" nurse full-time.



In July of 2007, I made a trip to Hartford, Connecticut to visit my friend, Colleen. This was actually the first time I had ever flown by myself. Everything was going great. I had my ticket purchased, I was all checked in at the Birmingham airport, and I had even boarded the plane and found my seat without any trouble. And then a storm appeared out of nowhere. And we were asked to de-board the plane. A couple of hours later, we re-boarded and took off. I arrived at the Atlanta airport just in time to watch my connecting flight to Hartford go down the runway and take off...without me. There were three or four more flights to Hartford that day, but they couldn't seem to fit me in to any of them. At that point, I did the only thing that seemed appropriate at the time--I had a total meltdown in the middle of the Atlanta airport. Fifteen hours later, I made it to Hartford. And the rest of the trip was a total blast. But I have not flown since.



During the rest of 2007 and most of 2008, I just tried to stay afloat as I balanced working full-time with schooling part-time. Life was crazy.

In the summer of 2008, I became "Auntie Ann" to three very special little kids--Piper, Henry, and Rosemary. These little babies were born prematurely and I had the pleasure of being one of their primary nurses during the weeks that they were in the hospital. Through this experience, I developed a special bond with them and their parents. It was a defining moment in my career. And now, almost two years later, I couldn't imagine not being Auntie Ann to these sweet kids. This summer, I will become Auntie Ann again when their little sister is born. Here is a recent picture of me with my "nieces" and "nephew" (from left, Piper, Rosemary, and Henry).



In May of 2009, I had the honor of serving as maid of honor in Colleen and Kevin's wedding. I had a lot of duties as Colleen's maid of honor. First, I was in charge of making her ring bearer's pillow:



Second, I was in charge of keeping all of the bridesmaids in line:



Thirdly, and probably most importantly, I was in charge of "The Beast". This was the name I affectionately called the train on Colleen's dress.



It was the longest train I've ever seen. Keeping that train fluffed was one of the most difficult tasks I think I've ever faced. I had a few panic attacks before the ceremony, but luckily the bride was there to calm me down. The wedding was beautiful, and I am so happy that I got to be a part of this wedding of two of my closest friends.



In August of 2009, I finally graduated with my Master of Science in Nursing from UAB. I use the word "graduated" loosely, as my "graduation" involved simply receiving my diploma in the mail two months after my graduation date (UAB's explanation for why it took so long for me to receive it--they "forgot" to send it).

In September 2009, my parents took me on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate my graduation. It was my first cruise, and it was an amazing experience. I am ready for the next one!



In October of 2009, I made a big leap into adulthood and purchased my first house. It was both a scary and thrilling experience. I love my new house, and I have had so much fun decorating it and making it my own.



In November 2009, I adopted my sweet little Colby. He is a 2-year-old Havanese mix, and I adopted him through a rescue group in Mobile. It was love at first sight. He is the sweetest, most lovable, most perfect dog ever! I can't even begin to explain the joy he has brought into my life in the six short months that I've had him!



Keeping up with the "newness" theme of 2009, during my trip to Mobile to adopt Colby, I also bought a new car. Here I am pictured with my goods from that trip:



Following all of my big purchases in 2009, 2010 so far has been the year of bills. Lots of bills. I don't see the need for an illustration here, as I'm sure you all get the picture.

Whew! So there's the last four years of my life in a nutshell. I'm glad we're all on the same page now.

Hello, Blogging World!

Up until a few weeks ago, I just assumed that it was a requirement that you must have kids, or at least be married with the thought of bringing kids into the world, in order to be a blogger. What could I--a childless, husbandless girl of twenty-six--possibly have to blog about? Well, not much. I lead a pretty boring life. I work as a neonatal nurse 3 days a week, and on the other four days of the week I watch TV, I eat, I facebook, and I sleep. Really not much blog-worthy content there. Because I live on my own, I tend to spend a lot of quality time with myself. I think about things a lot...indeed, probably too much. I think so hard about these everyday things and situations that they often reach a point where they become hilarious to me. Maybe it's because I spend so much time in solitude, or maybe it's because I have a job that requires me to be serious and diligent for 12 hours straight. If my four years of being a nurse have taught me nothing else, they have taught me to find humor where I can and spread it around. Whenever I can make someone laugh, especially someone who is having a rough day, I feel productive. Upon reflection of this fact, I have come to the realization that a blog does not have to have adorable pictures of beautiful children or tasty recipes to be shared in order to be enjoyed. My blog will let you have a little glimpse inside my head and into those everyday things that I find so hilarious. I hope it will make you laugh.

Having said all that, I must back up and say that I am not completely childless, and I do not live in total solitude. I have a furry little canine son named Colby. He is a 2-year-old Havanese mix, and he is basically the light of my life. Much of the humor in my life revolves around this little guy. Given this fact, you can expect Colby to have a frequently recurring role in my blog. Although I am a proud mother, I will try to refrain from making every post about my Colby.

I must warn you that you may not find every one of my posts exceptionally funny. That's okay. Occasionally I may put my serious face on and post something that is really not meant to be all that funny. And at other times, I may try to be funny, but fail miserably. I am a dork, so it kind of goes with the territory. I hope to make posts based on the funny things that come to me. So don't expect daily posts, and sometimes there may even be weeks between posts. The number of posts will be directly correlated to the number of funny things that happen in my life from here on out. If you get really desperate for a post, then just find some way to make me laugh hard enough that it becomes blog-worthy. Oh, and for all of you visual learners, I will try to incorporate pictures into most of my posts.

Let the blogging begin!