Sunday, November 29, 2009

Thanksgiving, exploring spaces








The drive to Phoenix wasnt bad, the boys didnt fight, we all just listened to music and enjoyed the ride. Toms grandmas house felt like home, she is a typical grandma, cozy, sweet, warm. His family treats the boys well. We are family now, I have to keep reminding myself. I have a tendency to resist new relationships, and not allow people inside my life so easily. It feels good to let my guard down and relax. His family is now my family, and they have welcomed us with open arms.
Steveo and I went for a walk, stumbled upon a little church, the light hit it perfectly, I took a few pictures of it and thought about how in other states there are little churches like this on every corner. Not so much in California. Im happy I got to spend time in Arizona and see where Tom grew up.

Monday, November 23, 2009

First and last day of Volunteering at The Animal Shelter




So it was a nice thought, but in reality, I am allergic to dogs and cats. I did think of that before I started. I just imagined I would be outside in the fresh air with all these dogs running around, playing catch, petting them all, being sure to give equal amounts of attention to each one, just giving them all I had for approximately 2-3 hours max.
What REALLY happened, was this:
1) Get all the dogs outside (this is what they do first when they open) sounds easy, but not all of them want to go outside so they hide and you try to entice them with treats to get them out. This process took about 20 minutes.
2) Get all the newspaper that they lay on the bottom of each kennel, and throw it away. (most of the newspaper was wet with urine)
3) Take all the towels from each kennel that have poop on it and throw it in the washer. ( that was pretty much all the towels)
4) Scrape all the poop that DIDN'T land on the towel or newspaper off of the bottom of the kennel. (that's when things started to sink in, this is not what I had in mind)
5) Sweep all the dog and cat rooms and prepare to mop. (this is where my asthma started to kick in and my eye was beginning to itch)
6) After not really sweeping that much, I grab a mop and start mopping, 15 minutes of mopping and depriving myself of the necessary amount of oxygen, I start to plan my escape.
7) While the owner was talking on the phone I tell her Im done mopping and feel a little sick but will come back next Friday and thank her as I grab my purse and walk out the door, ( Not sure why I thanked her or why I told her I would be back next Friday)
So on the drive home, I look in the mirror, lots of red hives, eye swollen shut, hit my inhaler a few times, go home, take a Benadryl, take a bath, and try to forget the whole thing happened.
Fast forward to Sunday, In the urgent care, still cant breathe, on steroids. Poor Tom had to shell out 170$ total, and deal with my attitude (I'm a bitch when I cant breathe) So today, I can breathe much better, have 6 more days of steroids, and am already dealing with the side effects (puffy face, insomnia, sweating, increased appetite)
So now Im just going to take it easy and just love the animals in my immediate family.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Puppies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






So we didnt get our Frenchton (long story, dont want to talk about it) but I did get the next best thing... A puppy/best buddy for my parents puppy Paco. My mom and I picked him out from the Coachella Animal Rescue. We fell in love with his relaxed demeanor and ability to snuggle right into your neck. We love him. His name is Jaxson (yes Im spelling it that way)he was actually named by the owner of the shelter since he was found on Jackon St. I wish I could rescue them all. Im such an animal lover, and this little guy just stole my heart.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

Inspirational photograph ( I took this on Olvera St)



When Im alone and have no distractions, I view the world in a series of images. When I stop and look around, I see the beauty in everything, and everyone, and these little moment of silences that I live for, drown out all the bad and gives me a glimpse into a better world not so far out of reach.