Introducing Montague

Thank you ladies for your comments - they are very encouraging! And as always, as soon as I start writing down my blog thoughts, I realize once again how much I enjoy having a forum for my regular ramblings....

So....while gaining momentum in June 2010, this next post is All About Montague!!!

Ask and ye shall receive Janine! :o)

As I mentioned in my last post, I have visited the Maui Humane Society on several different occasions - I'm grateful that Carrie loves animals just as much as do, because it is a normal occurence for us to take bi monthly trips to town for Costco and home goods, and to stop at the Humane Society on the way for our animal fix. The Maui Humane Society has everything from dogs and cats, to turtles, pigs, and rabbits. It's a really fun trip, and usually I'm able to go in, get licked, pawed, and barked at, and leave with a full heart.

Not this time.

For some reason unbeknownst to me, I checked the MHS website before we headed over on this fateful day. There was a picture on the website of a pooch with a droopy face that just melted my heart, and I knew that I wanted to see him. As we walked down the row of kennels, each puppy jumped up and ran to the fence trying to get our attention - most barked and jumped with excitement. And at the second to the last kennel, this guy was just chillin on his bed, barely raising an eyebrow when we stopped at his cage:

He was like, "Whatever dudes, I'm chillaxin."

I knew I needed to visit with him. The MHS has a pretty sly system - you can't meet a dog unless you're serious about adopting, which means you fill out adoption paperwork first. I honestly hadn't even considered adopting this goober-faced pooch, but I really wanted to meet him. So I filled out the paperwork. And something in me shifted gears....and I started to suspect I wasn't going home empty-handed.

Like I said , the MHS is pretty sly...

We met him in the visiting area, and it was love at first lick. He was friendly, calm, sweet-natured. I left very reluctantly, after placing a hold on him, thinking I would talk it over with Bradley first. I should note, however, that Carrie and I promptly went to the pet store, and I bought a collar, leash, and food bowls....."just in case". :o) After one day of consideration, no concerns from Bradley, and MUCH prodding from Carrie, I went back to the Humane Society and happily paid my adoption fees.

I brought Monty home on Monday, May 3rd, after two surgeries - one to neuter, one for a face lift (he's a sharpei/lab mix, and apparently sharpei's have problems with their eye wrinkles) - and proceeded to get to know the newest addition to the household. From the very beginning, he has been an easy dog. He definitely likes to chew stuff, but only when he's really bored or wants to go out, so we haven't had any major destruction in the house....so far, we have some chew marks on the door frame, and two slippers have fallen victim to Monty's wrath.

Oh stats, he's 3 years old, about 60 lbs, he's a Sharpei/Chocolate Lab mix, and they picked him up stray on the West Side of the island up by Honolua Bay. They have no idea where he came from. Which is amazing to me, because for how even-tempered, sweet, and social he is....well, someone must have given him love at some point. Who knows what happened, but it's my good fortune, that's for sure.

He has already been a positive influence on me - we walk at least twice a day, to the dog park, to the beach, around the neighborhood, and these walks have 1.)reawakened my love of the outdoors, 2.)allowed us to meet a whole bunch of other awesome dogs, and 3.)forced me to leave work at a normal hour. All good things!

If he's a sleep at the screen door and you sneak up on him, he wakes up with a bark. That's cute. So far.

If your face is anywhere within range, it's gonna get licked.

When we come home at 6am from our morning walk, he promptly jumps on the bed to wake Bradley up. Also cute. Not to Bradley. Speaking of which, those two are like best buds, and Bradley loves him just as much as I do...it's pretty awesome.

He also likes to climb up on the couch with us at the end of the day when we're unwinding, and watching TV. Or just lick you.

It has definitely been an adjustment, and I certainly hadn't planned for it, but that pooch is the bestest, and I love him lots. I'll hopefully be putting up more pictures (probably on Facebook) once I get my digital camera situation ironed out.

Truth be told, the arrival of Monty in my life is such a blessing - I don't think about babies quite so much anymore. I have a feeling that won't last very long though....hmmmmm.....Well, for now, it's just us!

Oh how time flies....

I'm not sure how it came to be June of 2010, and my last post was over 8 month ago. Unbelievable.

I've now typed and retyped this line six times trying to figure out where to start. Start with the now? Or go back 8 months and try to catch up? I really don't know.

I bought a condo. There, that's a start. It was a crazy whirlwind process, and I find myself having paid a mortgage for the last six months. Oddly enough, I did not rent out my second bedroom. Somehow I have managed to afford the mortgage and homewoners dues on my own. Which I'm pretty stoked about because now that I have lived without a roomie, I think it would be reeeally hard to do it again. Bradley is basically living with me, and he helps a little too. I really love making this place my own, but it is definitely in the forefront of my mind to be looking for the next place - a step up with more room. That will be awesome. I'm also really looking forward to a tax return that reflects home ownership - I think it will be much nicer than normal. :)

It has been a serious year of visits and visitors, which I think is why I have been so very lax in my posting. I think it's a great excuse. I went back to the mainland the first week of December 2009, and then Elissa and Paul came to visit in March 2010. Dad surprised me with a birthday trip back to the mainland in early April. Corrie came to visit in late April. Lisa Fluckiger and her whole family came to visit in May. I'm going back in June for mom's surgery. Jayson and family are all coming in August. I'm going back in October for Grandma's 90th. And so far, that's it. :o)

In January, I made a resolution of sorts to change my lifestyle. I had gained about 40 lbs in the last 4-5 years, and I am really unhappy about it. So I started making some big changes in terms of what I eat and my activity level. Things have changed a lot since January/February. I was doing really well, and dropped 10 lbs by the end of February, and then with visits and visitors, I allowed myself a whole lot of excuses. I haven't stopped thinking about my lifestyle change, and I have definitely made some better decisions for myself, but I'm still struggling with food and my weight. I re-commited to myself in the last couple weeks, and my fridge is now full of a lot of green stuff, but I'm not feeling very optimistic about my resolve. I just don't know how to get over emotional eating and lazy eating....but I'm working on it.

I don't have a working digital camera, and I really need to fix that - I hate not having a camera with me for the special moments. My phone camera just doesn't cut it.

I got a dog! I've had him for exactly a month, and he's so awesome. His name is Montague Ruffalo Stebbins, and he's super mellow and sweet. I got him after a particularly vulnerable trip to the Humane Society - Carrie and I go there every once in a while just to see the sweet dogs and cats and give them a little love. I usually escape unscathed. But once those droopy eyes looked up at me, I just couldn't resist. He is amazing, and is just what I needed in terms of enjoying the outdoors. Because we live in a relatively small condo, we have to go out for walks twice a day. And I love that. We have a great time playing with other dogs, walking on the beach, and just enjoying the outdoors. I lucked out - he seems to love people and dogs, and is just a great dog all around. I can't believe that anyone could have let him go, but it's my good fortune.

My sister had a baby!!! William Harper Hanson was born last week, and I can't wait to meet him at the end of June!!!!!!!

I think that's about all I can write for the moment. Looking at this post has made it clear to me that I need to dedicate a separate post for almost each item of interest here, and that is a daunting task. Hopefully I'm up for it.

More time-worthy posts are forthcoming....

Everything in One?

Trying to play catch-up on my blog seems like a daunting and impossible task, and I will try to be succinct. I don't promise to make any cohesive or chronological sense.

I am still actively pursuing a home purchase. It has been a trying process to say the least. I have looked at dozens of condos, have put in four offers, and still don't have a home. Luckily, all my homebuyer friends prepared me for this, and I'm not totally discouraged. Yet. There have definitely been discouraging moments - the last place I put an offer on....I really wanted. And I'm still holding out hope that the offer they went with instead of mine will fall out of escrow. Is it rude to wish bodily or financial harm on someone you've never met? I know, I know.

So my brain has been flooded with flooring, tile, cabinet, and storage ideas. To the point where I am frequently not able to sleep. It's ridiculous.

It has been an especially difficult time because I have been doing this on my own. I had expected that Bradley would be coming with me to view places, and that I would have him to bounce ideas off of - he's so awesome at renovations and creative building - but unfortunately he has been swamped and stressed out with stuff going on at his house. Renovations, repairs, irrational relatives, and shady vendors have caused him a lot of angst, and he takes a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. This has caused a lot of stress between us - we're both going through a lot right now, and it's hard being sore, tired, and exhausted all the time. It has been rough to say the least, and I am just hoping we make it out of this with our relationship still intact....right now it's tense, and a lot of effort.

In the meantime I've realized that there are a lot of things that I used to love to do that I have let fall by the wayside, and in order to maintain some balance and sanity, I'm trying to get back to those things. I made a list:

*Swimming

*Making Jewelry

*Multi-Sport Events - sprint triathlons, etc.

These are things that I used to do pretty regularly that I really wish I was still doing....so I'm setting myself a goal to do them more often.

I intend to come home for a visit in December, and I think this will help a bit. I want to a.) bring back a lot more of my crafty stuff, and b.) sell all the rest of my crap and make some money - hopefully enough to pay for my trip. :) I am really looking forward to spending a good deal of time with my family, I miss them so much. And luckily, a bunch of them are coming to visit in the next year - I am really looking forward to that. Like, REALLY.

I got a little taste of home at the beginning of this month when Megan and Nicole came to visit. It was so awesome to see them both, I can't even begin to explain. It was probably the most time I have spent with Nicole in the past 5 years, and while I love her family to death, I love her more, and it was awesome to enjoy her beautiful spirit on her own. And to laugh and get stupid drunk with Megan again was just like old times, and really makes me miss living with her. We have such an awesome connection that the time and distance doesn't seem to have any affect on us - we're right back to being roomies in Sunnyvale, making oven pizza in the microwave.

Last week I took my first Zumba class - it was a blast. I didn't know anyone in the class, which I think actually allowed me to have more fun - I wasn't worried about what anyone in there was thinking, and I just got to dance. I was super sore the next morning, but it was so worth it, and I am definitely going again this week. That capped off four days of working out in a row last week, and I intend to hit that goal this week as well.

I need to buy oil for the scooter, and get it serviced. I am very grateful for it during these times of high gas prices. Yikes. I've been riding it for about a year, and while my massage outcalls are limited, you can't beat the $13 a month gas bill.

I think I'll wrap up this post, and just try to commit to posting more regularly. We'll see how that goes....

Cart Before the Horse, or House Before the Car?

I'm riding around on a scooter, and thinking about buying a house. How's that for ironic?? It's come to my attention that I'm "stupid not to buy right now". Which is true - if you can swing it, NOW is definitely the time to purchase a home. So apparently that's what I'm going to do. Well, barring a few minor details. Like, the downpayment. Just a tiny little issue.

There is a real push to get this done right now because of the Federal Housing Tax Credit of $8K if you purchase by the end of November. So I'm looking at condos this evening, and I'm actively trying to find people that are willing to lend money to me. My head is spinning so fast - I already got a preapproval from Jayson, and 35 pages in loan docs. Talk about nuts.

I am VERY excited at the prospect of paying a monthly housing bill that is actually getting me somewhere, but I am insanely nervous about it as well. I will need to rent out the second bedroom wherever I end up. I'm really grateful that Bradley will be able to come with me tonight, I just feel so disjointed. Life just got BIZZEE.

And oh yeah, I suppose there goes the idea of saving for a car - house before the car it is....!!

Feeling Moved

Today is a bit of an emotional day - I'm feeling very sad for Blythe today, it's the anniversary of her mother's death. This is the first anniversary of that day, and while some think that we shouldn't focus on that....I know from experience that this day will always be a landmark for she and Sean, and their family. I hope for her that eventually the acute pain of the loss will start to dull, and the day can be spent remembering the positive things about Nancy that we all miss. Her beautiful smile, her supportive nature, and infectious energy. And of course, her awesome hair cut. Right now my heart goes out to them across the ocean...It's hard to be away, I wish I could give them all hugs.

Thoughts are Swimming

My hair is getting long. Well, long for me anyway.

I wonder at what point I will actually start growing up.

I keep thinking about babies, and I believe I finally understand the ticking clock.

I'm saving a little bit of money.

There are a thousand things that I want to buy with that little bit of money.

So many amazing visitors coming in the next 9 months - mom and dad in August. Megan and Nicole in September. Corrie and friends in April (for her 40th. WTF??)

Had a bitchin couple of weeks with my man - lots of connection, activity, and happiness.

Started a program called Donate Your Fat - it's an awesome way to get healthy, and contribute to a worthy cause in the meantime. I'm on Day 8 of 40. If you want to sponsor me - ANY amount, find me on www.donateyourfat.org

I need to buy myself some special shoes for the lava rock.

My goggles keep fogging up in the ocean...it makes snorkeling in 30 feet of open water, 1/4 mile from shore a little scary.

I think I'm going to ride my scooter into town today and go to the arts and crafts store. I need to make Jake and Nicole a wedding gift - TARDY.

I made turkey burgers last night - they leaked a weird meaty goo because I baked them, but they were quite tasty regardless.

My new favorite treat - Safeway macadamia nut brownies. They are sinful. So is the Dairy Queen Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard.

The King

I have a nice update from the weekend forming in my head, as well as pictures to share, but for now, just know that it was very relaxing to do absolutely nothing.

I read 750 pages in The Stand. I fully intend to read the last 450 this weekend. Again. For the third time. And now I want my Stephen King collection here with me.