The "Garage Sale Dog". Talk about an impulsive purchase!

I L-O-V-E Thursdays because I get to Link Up with Mama Kat and all her fabulous bloggy writing buddies at her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

Assignment- List the names of five dogs from your lifetime.  Write about why one sparks a stronger memory to you than the others. (inspired by Writing Fix)

When I saw this as one of the writing prompts this week I instantly became giddy with excitement.  It's been a long known fact that since I was born (ok, maybe not since I was born but since I could talk) I have ALWAYS wanted a dog.  My parents were not and ARE NOT animal lovers.  They don't hate them but they REALLY don't like them.  At All. But they DO love me and that is why I have had the pleasure of "lovin'" 3 of my very own furry creatures in my life.  All three, for a VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  Before I can explain,  I must list 5 dogs from my lifetime.  Come and take a stroll with me through my canine past...

The 2 doggies that I loved like they were my very own even though they weren't:

BROWNIE-  He's the reason why I love "wiener" dogs with all my heart.  I always said that if I ever got my own dog, it would be a Dachshund.  His owner was my mom's friend.  Every year I was "responsible" for dog sitting him when the family would go on a Vay-K.  It was the time of year I looked forward to most.  My parents would "allow" him to come stay at our house and he was even permitted to sleep with me in my bed.  They moved away but we would still get to go visit once or twice a year and I was so sad to learn that he had an untimely death.  He "fell" of the back deck with his chain on and well....the truth as to whether it was an accident or not has not been determined as the neighbours didn't like that little feller. (I can't imagine why not other than the fact that he did have that continuous "yappy bark" that little dogs are infamous for.)

SPENCER- Was the most lovable, red-golden retriever E-V-E-R.  He was massive.  He was adorable.  He was mischievous.  He was my best friend, LeeAnn's, dog.  I spent the good part of my early 20's hanging out at her house and now that I think of it, she should have probably charged me rent...LOL!  Anywho, apparently Spencer was not an easy dog to "train".  I met him after LeeAnn had spent years working on his "behaviours" but every so often something would happen and I would get a "glimpse" into what she must have had to deal with in his puppy years.  Like the time I was dog sitting and I came back from work to find the entire kitchen scattered with garbage.  Let me clarify.  It looked like a tornado had ripped right through the kitchen.  He must have spent hours tearing apart every single item in that garbage can because it took me over an hour to clean it all up as he sat in the corner giving me those, "You still LOVE me RIGHT?!?!" eyes.  He passed away a few years back.  I never got to say good-bye and that makes me sad.

The 3 dogs that came into my life and then left:


ALFIE- This one is a real sore spot in our family.  At least for my sister.  Alfie was a big 'ole sheep dog we got from a friend of the family.  She was such a furry mess.  In a good way.  She would sit on the couch like a human.  With her back end perched with her hind legs on the couch and her front legs on the floor.  Can you say A-M-A-Z-I-N-G?!?!  She bit me.  She was given to some family on a farm.  I could just leave it at that but that wound be wrong. 

You see, it was thought for MANY years that she just turned from one of the most gentle, friendly dogs on earth to a vicious, biting mad dog.  My family thought that because I let them.  The truth is that I was waving a cheese sandwich in her face and then pulling it away.  Every time she GENTLY went to take a "taste".  The 100th time I was teasing her,  I pulled it a little too close to my eye and she ACCIDENTALLY nipped me.  I never told the truth until I was older.  I was like, 7 or 8 years old when it happened.  I know...shameful.  I feel bad every time I think or talk about it.  I am sure she was happier on that farm anyways.  (It makes me feel better to think that)

MIDNIGHT- This gorgeous black lab showed up one day in our yard and had no collar or tags.  It wouldn't leave.  Likely because I was secretly feeding him when no one was around but my parents agreed to let me "foster" him until his owners could be found.  We put flyer's around and took out an ad in the local newspaper but after 2 weeks, no one called or came to claim him.  My parents said that I could "keep" him.  I was soooooo excited.  He was MINE!  The next day,he jumped our fence and was never to be seen again.  I searched high and low for that dog.  I guess he missed his "real" family and went HOME.

PRINCESS the "Garage Sale Dog"- It goes without saying that THIS dog is THE DOG that "sparks a stronger memory than all the others".  Not because she was the most cherished.  Nor because she was the cutest.  And certainly not because she was the best behaved. No. Not. At. All.   It's because she was purchased at a GARAGE SALE.  Yup.  A Garage Sale.  My mom and I still laugh our asses off when we talk about how "Princess" the poodle came to be a member of our family. 

My mom was so excited the day she came home and hollered up to me to come downstairs because she had a BIG SURPRISE for me.  When I rounded the stairs, there she was, Princess the poodle.  I was, ummmm, less than excited.  I don't like poodles.  BUT  beggars can't be choosers and I quickly became filled with love for this little white, curly bundle of energy.  My mom set down some VERY clear expectations for me as the new, apprehensive proud owner of Princess.  I had to walk her everyday, pick up her "droppings", feed her, wash her, etc. etc.  I accepted that wholeheartedly because it had been YEARS since Alfie & Midnight and I had been asking to get a dog ever since and promised to be fully responsible.

Princess displayed some, ummmm, behavioural "concerns" from day one.  We wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt that she was just adjusting to life with her new family.  In the meantime, Princess was treated like a Princess.  My mom spared no expense.  She was given a full check-up at the veterinarians, complete with a quick neutering.  She got "beautified" at the Doggie Salon complete with a pink, crystal collar.  She had nothing but the best bowls to eat that "top shelf" dog food from, not the kind made mostly with corn.  She was walked everyday.  Yup.  She was living the life.  And I was starting to really warm up to her.

A couple months after the Impulsive Garage Sale Purchase, Princesses "behavioural concerns" became unbearable.  She continued to pee EVERYWHERE in the house.  She continued to "poo" EVERYWHERE in the house.  She would bark almost constantly.  She licked herself until she bled.  But when she started to bite, we had no choice (and no I was not teasing her with a cheese sandwich!).  My mom actually found someone with more skills and patience to adopted her, love her and "help" her work through her issues.

It makes you think doesn't it?  Why were they selling that dog in the garage sale?  Perhaps the more puzzling question is: Who the hell BUYS a dog that is for sale at a garage sale?  LMAO!

I never asked to own another dog.  I have never chosen to own my own dog.  But I have never stopped dreaming of being a dog owner someday.  Ave & Bryce love doggies but Dave is deathly allergic.  I would say then that we will likely not be a dog owning family but then again..isn't there a pill he can take now-a-days for THAT?!?!  LOL!

If I've Said It Once...I've Said It a Million Times...

 

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I AM

I am linking up with DEUCES WILD & AN ACE IN THE HOLE, MAME MUSINGS, LIFE IS BUT A STAGE, 3 of my fellow Bloggy World buddies who completed this really "neat" post of filling in the {BLANKS} and we'll I am NOT one to miss the "party" so here goes...

I  AM feeling like I JUST HAD to participate in this super fun post that's all about me!

I WANT to be a little less narcissistic in 2012.

I HAVE so many things to be thankful for in life but sometimes I forget that.

I KEEP thinking that I am 35 but I am actually 37.

I WISH I COULD turn back time and then I could find a w-a-y, to take back those words that hurt you...

I HATE the word "retarded".
I FEAR that one day I might wake up and think/say "I wish I would have [blank]"

I HEAR a lot less better than I use to.  (Some say it's more just more "selective" now that I have children rather than ACTUAL loss of hearing?!)

I DON'T THINK people in Florida know that not using your "signal lights" when turning is illegal and extremely dangerous.

I REGRET quitting Pathfinders 4 months before the troop was heading to Europe for a once in a lifetime trip.

I LOVE like I'll never get hurt.

I DANCE like no one is watching.

I SING like no one is listening.

I AM NOT a great dancer or singer but I sure know how to "LOVE"!

I NEVER pay with cash.

I RARELY pay with my debt card.
I CRY WHEN the Visa bill comes in. (Actually, Daddy Dave "crys" w-a-y more!)

I AM NEVER without hope.

I AM CONFUSED ABOUT when the Zombie's take over the world how I am going to make it all the way across the country with all my supplies (and family too, of course) without becoming "infected" and/or robbed before getting to our family's designated "End of the World" secret shelter spot.

I AM MORE CONFUSED when people look at me like I am out of my mind when I talk about my "End of the World" plan-o-action!  Ummmm....like, doesn't EVERYONE have one?!?! LMAO!

I NEED to get healthy and lose some weight.

I SHOULD probably reconsider eating this bowl of chips I poured myself to "enjoy" while writing this post. Hmmmm....

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Employment For People With Developmental Disabilities. My Career...I Miss It!

I attended a Holiday Dinner with a friend of mine back in the beginning of December.  It was the annual celebration that my previous place of employment (before I became a SAHM) throws every year.  It was so nice to visit with some of the staff, students, graduates and families.  It made me realise that while I do love being a stay at home mom...I miss my career.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade the time I have with my kids for anything and I have no intentions of returning to work until they are in school, full time.  BUT, I really miss the people and the "work" I did for over 8 years.

I was the Program Coordinator for an initiative that supported individuals with developmental disabilities to secure gainful, meaningful employment.  Not "work experience".  Not volunteering.  Paid positions, in areas that best suited their abilities and talents and more importantly, their life goals & dreams.  This was not an "easy" job.

Society has long devalued many populations and people with developmental disabilities have been marginalize in the employment sector for as long as I can remember.  Employers and the community at large often see these individuals as "incapable" of being contributing members of the workforce.  I couldn't disagree more.  Many employers tend to offer "work experiences"  read, volunteer, instead of paid employment and this equates to "free labor", something that is against the law.  Some might argue that it's far better for people to be a part of their community, even if they "work for free" at for-profit companies, than to sit at home and do nothing.  I would argue this, only because if we continue to allow this to happen then we are giving the message that people with developmental disabilities do not deserve the same monetary compensation as everyone else and therefore they are "less of" an employee...in fact they are not an employee at all, they are a volunteer.

To make my point, I wanted to share with you an article I wrote several years back for a publication that is circulated to staff throughout Alberta, Canada who support individuals with developmental disabilities in gaining employment.  It was submitted at the height of my frustration surrounding ways in which staff were trying to "secure" employment for others. 

With good intentions, the problem with the marginalization of individuals with developmental disabilities has often lied in the hands of the very people who want to help them succeed...

Not to "TOOT" my own horn BUT I've had a pretty good 7 months...

As always, I am linking up with MAMA KAT and her pretty much WORLD famous Writing Workshop...

Assignment: This year in blog posts.  Choose a favorite post from each month of 2011 and share.


Ok, so I just couldn't resist the opportunity to "toot" my own horn when I saw this writing prompt.  I mean seriously...who would pass up the opportunity to share their most FAVORITE posts with the bloggy world?!?!

I decided to go through the past 7 months post "stats" and let YOU, the readers, decide what my most FAVORITE posts have been (excluding my giveaway posts & wordless Wednesdays because we ALL KNOW these get more hits that are really "deserved"...LOL!)

Without further delay, I present you with my "READER'S CHOICE TOP 7 POSTS OF 2011":

June- I Kinda Felt Like Mrs. Robinson the day that the "MEN" arrived to build our new fence!

July- I Felt Like I Was Back In College after visiting the Dentist and having NO RECOLLECTION of the events that took place there!

August- Do you ever wonder if kids grow up TOO FAST these days?   I've Been Thinking...Where Do The Children Play?

September- My husband has never understood the Bloggy World "thing".  He can't seem to wrap his mind around WHY? other people would read each other's blogs...LOL!  Being the GREAT sport he IS, he made FIVE SPECIAL INSTALMENTS  on my blog this year and well, he's kinda F-U-N-N-Y (or so you thought)!  Check out the one that got the most "hits"...Daddy Dave Dishes On Donnerstag (That's German For Thursday) Part II


October- After a "run-in" with a pompous male chauvinistic $#@* in the parking lot of Dollarama, I wish I would have told him that Your Badge Doesn't Intimate Me and Neither Does Your Gender!

November- This post gives you a quick overview of "moi"...what YOU may not know, what I know, what I don't know & what I believe.  A Whole Lotta 5's

December- Candy Cane Vodka...Can I get a "Joy to the World?!?!" Ummm....Enuff Said! (This post has had over 650 hits...LOL!)

Happy 3rd Last Day of 2011 Everyone!

Are you a member of this FABULOUS weekly workshop?  If not, you should totally go sign up...

The Most Memorable Christmas Gift I Ever Got...A Balloon!

I am linking up with Mama Kat for her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

Assignment:  Best Gift EVER!

Ok, so it goes WITHOUT saying that the best gift I ever got was my kids but I didn't want to get all mushie and sappy so, I have opted to write about the most MEMORABLE gift I ever got at Christmas...a Balloon!  Yup, you read that correctly.  A WHITE BALLOON.  But it wasn't JUST a balloon...oh no, it sure wasn't!  

Every year, my dad would put a little something special "just from him" under the tree.  (That ended the year he told me my "special gift" was going to be a summers long vacation at a fat camp wellness camp (it's a long story).  No, I never accepted that gift.  Yes, I now wish I had.  LMAO!)   

A few days before Christmas one year, a BIG white balloon appeared under the tree.  I was so puzzled as to what on earth daddy's gift for me that year was.  I must have picked it up a hundred times to try to figure out the contents inside. 

The only clue was the sound of faint "scratching" inside when I would give it a shake.  Adding to the puzzle was how "light" it felt, like NOTHING was in there.  But there had to be, he wouldn't play such a cruel trick on his little girl!  Surely it wasn't something "living and breathing" making that "scratching" noise?  I stopped shaking it because I was worried that maybe my dad didn't know that the puppy I had always wanted wouldn't likely survive a few days inside that balloon but I wanted to give it a "fighting chance" just in case. LOL!

After all our presents had been opened, that Big White Balloon just sat there...taunting me.  My dad knew that I was so desperately wanting to know what was INSIDE.  What WAS the "special gift" he had got me that year?  It was killing me.  He finally picked that balloon up, walked over to me and told me to close my eyes...

POP!

 I nearly jumped out of my seat and as a natural reaction, my eyes flung open and there I sat among 100, one dollar bills.  I am one of the few people in the world (or at least, I think) that knows the greatness of being under a "shower" of Cold Hard Cash! 

I Love You D-A-D-D-Y!

The Top 5 Celebrities I'd Marry (If I Hadn't Already "Ball n' Chained" Myself to Daddy Dave!)

I am linking up with Mama Kat for her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

Assignment- If you HAD to marry a celebrity...who would make your top five list and why? (Let's just pretend you're not actually already married mkay?)

This one is hard for me.  I have never been a celebrity crazed commoner.  I have always been way to proud modest to allow myself to daydream of life with a celebrity.  In high school, I had a girlfriend who was obsessed with Cory Haim and I just never understood the infatuation and the insane thoughts she would actually vocalize when she'd go on and on and on about meeting him "someday" and how he would fall madly, deeply in love with her.  I mean seriously...was she for real?? 

Yes. She. Was.  I am sure it was a normal part of adolescence for her to have these delusional thoughts wonder through that space between her ears but I always wanted to tell her to "Get a grip!". If she wasn't such an "unstable" teenage gal, I might have saved her the embarrassment and told her that.  But I didn't want to risk my life.  So, I didn't.  Was I a terrible friend?  Perhaps.  But,  I am still alive to tell the tale and I am sure she is still imagining life with a celebrity.  (Just not Cory Haim I'm sure (R.I.P.).  OK, I'm NOT sure because she really was that "unstable"...kid you not!)

Anywho.  I thought I would allow myself a moment of  "fantasy" today and share with you the TOP 5 CELEBRITIES I would exchange vows with and forever devote the rest of my life too. (That is of course, if I hadn't already committed myself to Daddy Dave.) 


These are listed in no particular order of preference or delusion...
 

Shawn Micheals- There was a time in my early 20's that I was addicted to WWF.  You couldn't get a hold of me on Monday nights if your life depended on it.  I know....embarrassing.  But a small part of this BIG heart of mine still "beats" for the Heartbreak Kid.  Besides, he throws around 200 plus pound men like they are toothpicks so, I'd be a "cakewalk"!  LMAO!

Chris Farley-Oh Christopher!  My poor Christopher.  I still remember where I was the moment the news was announced about your untimely demise (Shopping at the Buck-Or-Two in my hometown of Timmins, ON).  If ever I felt a moment of sadness for the "loss" of someone I had never met, it was for you my "funnyman".  You will always hold a special place in my heart.

Kevin James-  What can I say?  I love a man in uniform.  Cutie-patootie Kevin wears the UPS, Mall Cop and Fireman "digs" like no other. Grrrrrr!!! (Ummmmm...That's my cougar-call in case you didn't know.  LMAO!)

Will.I.Am-  Only because I totally think that having the last name I.Am, would be super-dooper cool.  Am.I right?  No.  Ginger.I.Am.  (I.Am F-U-N-N-Y! Right?)

Fergie- And no, I am not talking about the Duchess of York.  I am talking about the Fergilicious, Fergie. You know the one with the lady lumps?!?!?!  Yup.  She's my "girl crush" and I ain't afraid to admit it.

 

So there you have it...my delusional list of celebrity married bliss!

(If you are not a WWF Superstar, a chubby, funny guy or a member or the Black Eyed Peas ...you just don't make my "short list", actually my ONLY LIST, of celebrities I would marry!  Sorry 'bout that. LOL!)

Are you a member of this FABULOUS weekly workshop?  If not, you should totally go sign up...

A Whole Lota "5's"!

I am linking up with Mama Kat for her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

Assignment:  List 5 things we don't know about you, 5 things you're knowledgeable about, 5 things you know nothing about, and 5 things you believe.


5 Things You MAY Not Know About Me:


1.  I am deathly afraid of fire.
2.  I am addicted to eyeglasses.
3.  I ate an entire bag of " eggies" on Sunday night.
4.  I  speak "op" language fluently.
5.  I am a total sci-fi fan.






5 Things I am Knowledgeable About (or at least I'd like to think so!):

1. Parenting
2. Scrapbooking
3. Social Role Valorization
4. Cooking
5. IVF & Reproduction


5 Things I Know NOTHING About:

1. Parenting
2. Baking
3. Football (or any sport for that matter)
4. Gardening
5. The War of 1813..I Mean 1812! ;)





5 Things I Believe (in):

1. God
2. Reincarnation
3. The Supernatural
4. Santa Claus
5. Marriage

Spiritual Sunday- Birthday Reflections

Yesterday was my birthday.  I turned 38 years old.  I thought it was time for some random, self-reflection.

Thankful...for the two beautiful children I have been blessed with.
Home...that I have one to come too and a happy one at that.
In Love...with a man who loves me for who I am and stands by me.
Reams...of friends who support me.
Tame...are my troubles and worries compared to most.
Yes...has been the answer to so many of my prayers.

Endless...is the love I feel from my family.
Integrity...the one virtue I'd like to believe I live my life with.
Grateful...for everything but more importantly, everyone in my world.
Happy...for the most part.  I have so many reason to be & need to remember that!
Time...how much I value it now that I am older.  Life is too short to hold a grudge, have regrets and waste.

CLICK HERE to Enter My Latest Giveaway!

The Golden Mile Restaurant- A Great Place for a Turkey Sandwich and a Family Meeting

I am linking up with Mama Kat for her Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop!

Assignment- Write about your favorite place to eat when you were a child.

I was born and raised in a little place called Porcupine, Ontario, Canada.  When I tell people this, they have RARELY EVER heard of Porcupine so I have to refer to the City located about 15 Kilometers west...Timmins.  Yes, this is the birthplace of Shania Twain.  Yes, we were best friends growing up.  (I'm kiddin'.  About the best friend part.)  But I AM NOT from Timmins.  I am proudly from Porcupine.  Well, for the sake of full disclosure, I am in actuality from Pottsville, which is smack dab in the middle of Porcupine & South Porcupine.  However, no one EVER KNOWS Pottsville, even the people who actuall live there.  LMAO!  Besides, when I tell people I am from Porcupine, it's an EXCELLENT conversational starter...Porcupine?  Really?!?!  LOL!

Anywho, now that I have CLEARLY identified the origin of my "roots", I would like to share with you ONE of my many favorite places to eat as a child...The Golden Mile Restaurant.