::sigh::

Pride goes before a fall, and so here I sit with the formerly mocked and now grudgingly respected swine flu.  Phrases like “Oh, I’ll be fine tomorrow” and “I’m feeling better already” ring in my already ringing ears and have fallen on deaf ears.

Yesterday I scoffed when a slight headache,fever, fatigue, and annoying cough seemed to be the worst I would get. I laughed at the fearmongers who proclaimed that this epidemic would be the worst the world has ever seen. I was wrong, oh so wrong.

I would kill to leave the house, so I stumbled outside to let my increasingly corpulent dog do her business. When mommy and daddy are not paying attention, life is a never-ending all-you-can-eat buffet of trash cans and compost buckets, of half-eaten bowls of soup and unchaperoned Subway sandwiches.

So here I sit, with the flu besting my best efforts and a fat, lazy dog.

Booo, lame, dislike.

(Would it be selfish to pray that I get better so I can go to the fair on Thursday night?)

I’m amazed at how long it has been since I have written anything.  I feel like I’m chained to the computer every free moment, and yet I havn’t made it over here to type just a few words for those few people who read.  I’m really busy editing photos, and can I just say that I LOVE THAT I CAN SAY THIS! I’ve been building my portfolio and getting all the experience I can and I’m having a blast!   I’m gearing up to shoot my first wedding as THE photographer for my friend Kimmie and we just did her bridal portraits. It’s amazing how one’s attitude and perspective can change when you are actively pursuing something you love. Strangely, I think my mind and heart work better the more I indulge in creative pursuits. I think C.S. Lewis said something about how we are most like our Creator when we create,  and I think there is definitely something to be said about making time to “make things,” whether it’s cooking or crafts or photography.

I’ve also been introduced to some great new music, something that I’ve been really lazy about lately. I’m the girl that will just leave a cd in the car and listen to it all the time.  Some of my own *new* finds have been Owl City and Copeland. Today’s title is taken from an Owl City song, and if you like Postal Service, you will love this guy.  Bonus is that he is a born-again Christian who has actual talent and writes these poetic, whimsical songs about everything under the sun.

Time to get going to one of my part-time jobs, get ready for a Pumpkin Princess Party I’m hosting tomorrow, and generally run around like a crazy person.  =)

I won’t sport with your intelligence by promising to write more.

Brian and I are spending the week house sitting and dog sitting for our friends, the Elliots. We are making a “staycation” out of it while pretending that we own a nice home and a kitchen where two people could actually cook a  meal together at the same time.  The Elliots have a sweet dog named Zipporah, who is 50ish pounds and a mix of hound and…something else. Lucy and Zipporah met last Saturday when we came over to receive our instructions and important info. They played together and seemed to get along well, so we all felt good about the two dogs sharing a house for a week…..

Lucy does this, and I know she does this and I should have been prepared–she lures you into a sense of well-being and then BANG she comes up with something amazing/embarrassing/stinky/annoying to do. It started with a little snarling, a warning growl, a wrestling match that went too far, and ended up in more than one confrontation in which my 9lb dog went up against the 50lb dog over a favorite toy or a scrap of food. She starts it, the little brat, and then Zipporah tries to finish it.  Who can blame Zipporah for fighting back when Lucy takes Z’s favorite toys and hides them in spots where Zipporah is too big to get to them? Heaven forbid that Z get too close to Lucy’s beloved squeaker, but it’s perfectly ok for Lucy to drag Z’s favorite bone into an impossibly small space, and then insolently chews on said bone in full view of, but not in reach of poor Zipporah.

The emotional turmoil reaches its peak when Brian and I dare to leave the house with Lucy in her cage and Z allowed to roam free. We came home a couple days ago to the most pitiful shrieking and yelping ever heard by human ears. Lucy was almost inconsolably frantic after spending a couple hours home alone with Z.

I’m trying to see it from Lucy’s perspective, though my patience with this dog is wearing thin. One day, she’s living the good life as the only child in her family with two parents who give her tons of affection and attention. She’s the center of the world, and impossibly, irresistibly cute. All is good, until one day this huge mammoth of a dog dares to share her space and DARES to share the attention of mommy and daddy. Whoa, hold on, stop the truck. Why is daddy playing with that other dog? How did that other dog get a hold of my toy and rip to shreds? Where are all the crumbs that used to be on the floor??!!!!

I think her fears are understandable. Someone newer, stronger, faster, or prettier comes along and sometimes we just lose our heads.  Instead of welcoming them with open arms, we become territorial and insecure. They try to play with our favorite toy, and we spitefully hide it under the papasan chair where they can’t get at it. They try to make friends with our friends, and we “forget” to invite them to our house for that birthday party. (And  by “we” I mean girls)

Sometimes we just need to know that no  matter how shiny or awesome the other dog is, we are still loved and valued. Scratch us behind the ears and remind us that no matter how many times we have accidents on the carpet or start fights over table scraps, we are important and special. Let us sleep in the bed and curl up on your favorite shirt.

But most of all, give us a good whap with a rolled up newspaper.

There are few people in this world whom I love more than I love my dog. I’m sorry- excuse me for a sec:

( Wuucy Wu, I wuv you sooo much, oh yes I do, yes yes yes yes I do wuv you)

Ahem.

There are few people in this world whom I love more than I love my dog. I show my love for Lu Lu in a variety of ways, doggie treats, backrubs, sneaking her into the bed when Brian isn’t looking, picking fleas off her….etc. These are good things, don’t get me wrong, but nothing says “I love you” like making your dog wear clothes.

Let’s go back to the beginning: A few weeks ago at a kick-off party for my preschool (Praise God! I get to go back to work!!) my boss, friend, director of everything childlike at WCR, handed me a package for Lucy. Inside was a bright yellow adorable raincoat for Lucy to wear. I was elated. This thing screamed “My mommy dresses me up for her own amusement!!!” and smacked of Britishness and Paddington Bear and brought back memories of NOT having a bright yellow raincoat growing up. It was also useful, as I have to parade this dog–sorry Lu–(I wuv you, oh yes I do, oh yes, give mommy kisses) ahem, as I have to parade my Lu up and down three flights of stairs and into flea-infested grass for her to do her business rain or shine.  I brought it home and introduced Lucy to her new raincoat–she promptly ran away and hid under the papasan chair shaking with indignation and shame. We use it though, darn it, and since it rained for three weeks straight, we used it frequently, but always with the same effect. Of course, being a good mommy, I documented the raincoat incidents so I could add these photos to my portfolio. (Please excuse me while I try to overcome the dead zone between editing photos and uploading them to the blog.) Enjoy while I untangle Lucy from the power cord (happening live!) :

]]> http://fifteenminuteslate.wordpress.com/2009/09/06/lucys-rainy-day/feed/ 7 ravnistic Kissing LucyLicks 5595806430 LucyBooty Pretty paws Tongue The Best http://fifteenminuteslate.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/josiah/ http://fifteenminuteslate.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/josiah/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:21:22 +0000 ravnistic http://fifteenminuteslate.wordpress.com/?p=547 ]]>

I’m on an emotional rollar coaster when it comes to photography. Aside from the obvious, I’m never happier then when I have a camera in my hands. Sometimes, I’m just on and I’m shooting my very best, other times I’m just not feeling it and it shows. Lack of funds and general self-pity and cowardice have gotten in the way lately, but things are looking up! I just received my first official paycheck for my first official event and now I get to use it all to buy equipment that I really really need and really really want.  And in case you care, Amazon beat Wolf Camera’s prices for a Canon 430 II external flash by $80.  I’ve been practicing alot, falling on my face alot, and gaining small victories in the hope that one day I can make a decent living doing what I absolutely love.  Here are some photos I took of my dearest love Josiah, he is the son of my good friends Jonathan and Elissa.  These were taken back in June, he has grown so much since then!

I”m trying to blog more.  I’m trying to be interesting and fun and earn the adoration of blog-readers everywhere. I fall way short in my endeavors, so I’m going to send you over to my new favorite blog: Friend A Day

The fact that I may or may not be semi-related by marriage to the blogger is completely beside the point.

Read it, laugh, look for familiar faces.

Well it’s been 5 days since the surgery and we are both still here. Brian’s knee looks great and the new cartilage fits perfectly. It’s odd to think that someone passed away and left a part of them to be given away, but as weird as it is to receive cartilage from a deceased person, we are so thankful that the knowledge and skill exists to turn tragedy into victory. Maybe victory is too strong a word for knee surgery, considering that we are always losing the fight against our aging bodies, but for Brian it means victory over crippling knee pain and the hope of getting back the activities and opportunities that he lost. Brian’s parents were here for a week to help and I am so thankful they came!There was no way I could have done all this alone! Many other people helped us out in so many ways so THANK YOU!!

We received good news today, Brian received a job offer from a company who contracts IT techs to do in-home computer repair. He also received news from Ligon Middle School that they are bringing him in for contract work and are very very hopeful about him getting his job back for the next school year. As always, we are learning to trust that God is bigger than bureaucracy and the state legislature.

Here are some photos of our adventures, Brian doesn’t really remember most of these. tee hee

Showing off his lovely hospital gown (not sure he was conscious)

His shaven leg…so attractive!

The nurses were a bit concerned about all the picture-taking

Mama Ros used our 10 hour day wisely and made about a million handmade bags

Pretty sure he was mostly asleep =) One day it will be my turn…

The Horton women received preemptive roses for the hardship and toil

Brian’s best friend for the next 5 weeks

Introducing…Brian’s new knee!!!

Hello my friends, just a note to tell you that Brian is having surgery tomorrow. I was trying my hardest to link my Twitter feed to the blog, but those ding dang widgets just won’t work on my newfangled bloggity blog. I resisted getting a Twitter account, but with so many people asking to be updated I thought it was the fastest and least internet-relying-upon way to communicate with alot of people who are really curious about how one puts a deceased person’s cartiledge in a living person’s knee. It’s called a meniscal transplant, and you can google it.

For those of you who have watched Brian hobble around with that blasted knee brace on and his muscles all warped from wearing it 18 hours a day, you will be happy to know that this surgery means (hopefully) the end of the pain and the brace and the beginning of having a knee that will last for a while. It’s a bad time to get knee surgery for a mostly unemployed 27 year old, but we have the insurance and the opportunity, so we are fervently trusting God and He has been faithful to provide through the mistakes of Wake County payroll and the kindness and generosity of friends and family.

Pray for me, I am the world’s worst nurse.

Pray for Brian, recovery is going to H E double hockey sticks.

We love you.

You can get updates and funny photos on my Twitter Page

Cake Wrecks is one of my favorite blogs, I was more excited than a 26 year old should be when I saw the cake topic for today:

Cake Wrecks

Special thanks to my friend Allison who walked up to me at church last night and handed me a Hello Kitty flannel blanket. *Yay*

I am ashamed, my dear readers, at how I have let myself go this past month. I have neglected not only you, but also my creative flow of amazing ideas and THAT is a crime for which I must pay.  I have alot to catch up on, and many fun photos to post, but as my dinosaur of a computer is not up to the task and I am due at the Yadusky house in 10 minutes, that will have to wait.

I have just begun a new job working for a really great family in Wake Forest. Its not often that I really love a job, whether that stems from a lack of work ethic, a cynical attitude, authority problems, or any number of my many faults– I say all that to say that I really do love this job. I love this job because my bosses are easy to work with, I get to hang out in a nice house in a quiet neighborhood,  the kids are great, but mostly because I get to drive the Award Series Chick-Fil-A Ford Expedition. That’s right my friends, I get to putter around the Wake Forest area in the most recognizeable vehicle within a 10 mile radius of Wal-Mart.  It has more gadgets than I know what to do with, and I have to resist the urge to play with the touch-screen extravaganza while driving around this family’s most precious cargo. (If you are wondering what I’m talking about, Chick-Fil-A franchise owners receive a free vehicle when their franchise performs above and beyond. It’s all spiffy with Chick-Fil-A written on the sides and little plaques inside the car. It’s kind of like Mary Kay directors getting a  free car except it’s not pink and…not pink.)

So if you are in the Wake Forest area and you think you see me driving a “soccer mom’s dream” as my friend Elissa so calls it, then it really is me gulping down some Chick-Fil-A sweet tea and listening to Rush Limbaugh.

But for real, this family is awesome, they are going through a very challenging time with an infant in the hospital and hour long drives with the other baby and a 6 year old son, yet peace still reigns in their house and it’s a great place to be. They really are so kind and generous, and I’m very glad that they feel like they can trust me with not only their vehicle, but their children as well.  I’m so happy to be serving them!

(Photos coming soon!)