& that's the way life goes

Currently I am…

…Terrified and excited at the same time
…Prepping like crazy for something that might entail a major change
…Exhausted but for good reasons, I’m afraid to jinx anything so I’ll let you know when I can (no I am not preggo)
…Have a bazillion things going on right now!

Sunday was the Kidney Walk that I participate in in memory of my Mom. It was downright horrible and nasty, raining and windy. I don’t blame my mom’s friends that decided not to venture out this year, it really was miserable. But C was the best, he got up without even mentioning that maybe we should stay home. We met my dad and got soaking wet walking around the zoo. The sponsors this year were way better in year’s past and even though the weather was horrendous (ok, it could have been WAY worse but still…) thousands of people still came out.

braving the elements with my favorite men

Thank you again to everyone that donated to the Kidney Foundation!

Animals are way more active when the weather is crappy and the polar bears were the best.

sitting on the top of the underwater enclosure

chasing the seal in the next enclosure

playing with the floating toy

Thanks for all the interview tips – they definitely helped!

There aren’t a lot of pictures of my mom and I when I was in high school and in college.  Dialysis made her retain water and she was self-conscious about the way she looked.  At times the stint in her arm wasn’t working so she had to get one put in her neck.  She tried to hide it with a scarf and then when they were able to take it out it left a  noticeable scar.  She never complained and she hid it well when she was feeling lousy.  She never made me change my life to accommodate her, sometimes  I wish she did.  I was a selfish teenager that didn’t fully understand my mom’s situation.  I took her for granted because it was too hard to think she may not be there, I just thought she’d get better.

I’ve been walking in the Detroit Kidney walks for over a decade and the tradition started with my mom rallying to raise money and to spend the day together at the walk.  I walk in memory of my mom and to remember all the people that are affected by kidney disease.  Not just the patients, but their family and friends too.

I hate asking for money but this cause is extremely close to my heart.  Any amount helps, if you can spare anything I would truly appreciate it.  I’m currently 30% to my goal of $200.  Visit my National Kidney Foundation Walk Page to donate.

Christmas 2002 - The last photo of just my Mom and I - I had no idea it would be

Thank you – xoxo

proposal: how it happened, how long were you engaged for? was it a total surprise? pictures of that… etc.

the ring: tell us about it! did you pick it out? did he? pictures! tell us about his ring too!

C and I started talking about getting married when we lived in Florida in 2005-06.  We went and looked at rings for fun whenever we were at the mall.  We moved back to Michigan in March 2006 and in May around Mother’s Day we ended up finding a ring on a casual trip to the mall.  I picked it out, he paid, it got sent out for sizing and we went together to pick it up.  When we got out into the car he took the ring out of the bag and asked me.

Sometimes I regret not having a “traditional” proposal but that’s just not C.  He’s not good at planning or surprises and although sometimes it irritates me, I’ve accepted it because I love him.  He shows his thoughtfulness in smaller ways.  And really?  That is just who we are as a couple.  We tend to just float along without a solid plan and, I’m going to be honest, a lot of the time it feels like things just happen.

For better or for worse, that’s just how it is.

I have one “engagement” photo that my Grams took and I’m not sharing it because it’s hideous. We didn’t make a big deal about our engagement.  There were no professional photos or parties.  We told our families and closest friends and let it spread that way.

—————————–

Previous answered questions in this series:

1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together…..etc.

2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?

I’ve always known that Scooby was special and not an “aw he’s so cute, smart special”, I mean dumb. Like a rock.  I mentioned that he had stopped eating and I do think that in the beginning he was sad but now I’m starting to wonder if it’s because he is seriously mentally handicapped.

For real.

Nani was the first to get up in the morning.  As soon as she heard an alarm go off or C stirring in bed she knew that there was going to be food in her bowl.  She’d bang her tail against the wall for some extra noise and prance around while her nails clicked on the floor.  This signaled Scooby to get up.  He would follow her outside and by the time that he decided to come in she was already chowing away.

Now that Nani is gone, in the morning he just lays on the couch.  He doesn’t even move when C gets up and starts turning on lights and opening shades, he just stares, waiting for something.  C has learned he has to coax him off the couch and outside.  The first couple mornings after Nani was gone he actually almost forgot to feed them.  Liko doesn’t help either because he’s always done his own thing, he’s sort of like a cat.  He has his own morning routine where he snuggles with me until I get up and then he follows me around my morning routine and he eats whenever he feels like it.

This leaves Scooby to fend for himself.  If Scooby is hungry, which he should be in the morning, C has to pick some food up and feed Scooby by hand so he will eat the whole bowl.  I’m wondering how long it’s going to take before Scooby sets up his own routine and starts eating on a regular basis.

Mourning sucks for dogs just as much as it sucks for us.

2. when you knew he was the one: self explanatory.. but how and when did you know?

I love romantic comedies and all those Disney movies growing up but I don’t have one defining moment to answer this question.  He didn’t rescue from an evil sea queen or slay a dragon for me.

Maybe it was…

• On our second date when I told him all about my Mom and how our dates and meeting seemed to coincide with my Mom’s birthday and other special dates.  He didn’t think I was crazy, btw.
• When I skidded down a hill while rollerblading and did some serious damage to my upper thighs and ass, I was wearing shorts.  He applied neosporin to tough to reach places and replaced bandages.
• When he sat on the bed with me while sobbed with a pillow over my head when I missed my mom too much.
• When he had no problem getting the hell out of Michigan when I graduated college because I just needed to be somewhere else.  He applied for jobs in other states and moved 3 months before I graduated.
• When he let me cry in the walk-in closet in Florida because I was homesick.
• When he changed the oil in my car or checked the pressure in my tires, just because.
• When he went with me to get my guinea pigs on whim.
• When he covered the dogs up at night.
• The times he came to family functions without me having to beg or out to dinner with my Dad to get to know him.

This list doesn’t really do him any justice.  There are probably a billion more small things he did that I didn’t list or didn’t fully acknowledge.  And so this post is so disgustingly schmoopy, he annoys me a lot of the time too. Haha

—————————–
Previous answered questions in this series:
1. how it all began: how you met, first date, first kiss, how long did you date? first picture together…..etc.