This year, I'm going to be kinder. If I like or appreciate something about someone, I'm going to tell them right then and there. I'm going to look deeper for less superficial reasons for complimenting someone. If I tell you I like your shoes though, then I really do like them.
I'm going to care less about being alone and care more about the blessings that surround my life in great abundance.
I'm going to hang out with my brother more.
I think those are good resolutions and totally doable. If a goal seems impossible, it's easier to give up on them.
Be happy and be nice to each other. Thanks.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Today
I want to share my today with you. It was amazing, stressful, fun, touching, and yummy.
This year, our department did quarterly team building meetings. It is hard to attend those types of meetings because the store needs management supervision most of the time. We went to the first one but were unable to go to the next 2. They brought the meeting to our store for the last one. That was today. They were going to all pitch in and help us out where ever we needed it. My boss and I joked about who would get stuck with bathroom cleaning and hanger sorting. Truthfully, I was a little stressed out about how we were going to keep all those people busy.
So yesterday I get a phone call. We have community partnerships with different organizations. One of my contacts from the school district called me. (They send all their donations to us, mostly clothing, and in turn we will give items to kids that need it.) She had an eagle scout who had done a donation drive. He had gathered over 400 coats, a whole heap of blankets, and boxes of food. They were all brought to our store today about an hour before the service project started. YES! We had something to get people to work on. Now, understand that there is always something to work on at the Thrift Store but it takes a lot of creativity to keep 11 people busy for 3 hours without tripping over each other and stealing my volunteers' work spaces. They had those coats all hung and put out so fast. It was amazing and awesome!
During the day, I had a woman from the homeless shelter bring in a voucher for clothing. She was wearing a smith's plastic grocery bag as a belt. She literally could carry all her belongings in a backpack. She was able to get a coat among other needed essentials. Don't worry, she did get a belt. I did tell her that she made the smith's grocery bag look good though. I had all my winter clothing items priced and put out when it was still 90 degrees. We have to get it done soon or it doesn't get done. Anyway, we were low on coats and THIS week it started to finally feel like winter. It was a much needed donation and it was donated at a very perfect time, when I had people to work on them and get them out fast. Within a couple of hours it was all done. I was so grateful that it worked out so well.
Later that night we had a Christmas party at a lovely home. She showed a beautiful Josh Groban video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPDimGnpv4g Then she shared what she was thankful for about each of us. We all then shared something we were thankful for. It was a lovely evening and Staheli catering provided the delicious food.
I'm thankful that all my belongings don't fit inside a backpack. I'm so thankful to be working in a job that I am able to help people like the ones in the video. I'm grateful that the experiences at my job remind me of how much I have. I'm blessed to be able to help someone, somewhere, somehow with every effort I put forth in my job. Helping homeless people with clothing, jobless people with interview attire, abused women with household items, helping someone find a treasure and a smile, and lower income families with affordable COOL needs and wants. This is why I do what I do. It isn't an easy job, and sometimes it can be heartbreaking. I get to work with some amazing volunteers and I see miracles and good every day. This is why I'm generally an upbeat and positive person. I have so much to be grateful for.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Boss quotes
I decided I needed to start writing down some of the things my boss says. He is hilarious!
- Did you need the thesaurus to look up different ways to say the word sh*t?
- Just because it's old, doesn't mean it's worth anything.
- You can't fire slaves, you can only free them.
- I have 300 PTO hours saved up, I may just take next month off.
- In response to how his kids are doing "They're still breathing."
- When I die, I'm going to have my ashes put in a Fedex package and have all these forwarding addresses so I can travel the world.
- You should have said Nope We have a double dose of discontent. Thanks for calling.
- I took a management class on employee appreciation. Thanks for all you do. Consider yourself appreciated.
- He really does appreciate me, he just likes to be funny.
- Due to the Festivus pole in the store, I need to request the 23rd off. Otherwise I'll go on strike unless I need to use the bathroom.
Festivus Pole hehe
- I was going to call him spawn of Satan, but that isn't fair to Satan.
- I'm going to be famous someday and if you make any money on this, I get dibs.
- Core purpose: To do as little as possible and still get paid for it.
- Will you read this and tell me if it sounds too mean, I left out the word a$*hole.
- He has this middle management philosophy. Middle Management are crap filters. We make the the crap that comes up from the bottom look good to the top and the crap from the top look good to the people at the bottom.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Chelsey
I know this amazing girl. She is a high-functioning special needs girl. I don't know the specifics of her disabilities but I do know the specifics of her abilities. She is one of my volunteers where I work. She is 21 and this is her last year in Post High School. That would be scary to think about getting turned out into the big wide world.
This girl loves unconditionally and deeply. She feels emotions a lot more dramatically and she has a really hard time controlling them. She may be unable to. I'm not really sure. I've worked with her for quite a few months and I've learned how to steer her away from negative emotions. I've learned how to interact with her as a boss and a friend at the same time. You can't just tell her what to do and have her be happy to do it. You have to approach it a specific way. I've learned to be kinder and more fun and more tolerant, which has improved a lot of my work relationships. She always asks how I am doing and she always asks me about previous struggles I've been going through. She's made me cookies and brownies to help me feel better when I'm struggling emotionally. She is very in-tune with my moods and sometimes it surprises me how much she thinks about and cares about other people. She is loud, and happy, and joyful, and playful, and loud. :) She is so proud of herself when she accomplishes things and my heart swells for her and with her.
Her mother died about 7 years ago and her grandparents are her legal guardians. She still has times where she cries about a mother that isn't there for her any more. She has had a very hard time dealing with it. Her grandfather is currently dying. He has cancer throughout his body, blood clots in his legs and lung. He is in a lot of pain and it is extremely hard for Chelsey to be around that and see her grandfather hurting and dying. I can't even imagine what she is going through, the girl that feels emotions so dramatically and deeply. The girl that has a lot more hurdles she has to jump over just to do things that come naturally for most people. The girl that always asks how I'm doing and how I'm feeling. I love her and wish I could help her deal with this struggle she is currently going through on top of all her regular struggles that she goes through every single day.
This girl loves unconditionally and deeply. She feels emotions a lot more dramatically and she has a really hard time controlling them. She may be unable to. I'm not really sure. I've worked with her for quite a few months and I've learned how to steer her away from negative emotions. I've learned how to interact with her as a boss and a friend at the same time. You can't just tell her what to do and have her be happy to do it. You have to approach it a specific way. I've learned to be kinder and more fun and more tolerant, which has improved a lot of my work relationships. She always asks how I am doing and she always asks me about previous struggles I've been going through. She's made me cookies and brownies to help me feel better when I'm struggling emotionally. She is very in-tune with my moods and sometimes it surprises me how much she thinks about and cares about other people. She is loud, and happy, and joyful, and playful, and loud. :) She is so proud of herself when she accomplishes things and my heart swells for her and with her.
Her mother died about 7 years ago and her grandparents are her legal guardians. She still has times where she cries about a mother that isn't there for her any more. She has had a very hard time dealing with it. Her grandfather is currently dying. He has cancer throughout his body, blood clots in his legs and lung. He is in a lot of pain and it is extremely hard for Chelsey to be around that and see her grandfather hurting and dying. I can't even imagine what she is going through, the girl that feels emotions so dramatically and deeply. The girl that has a lot more hurdles she has to jump over just to do things that come naturally for most people. The girl that always asks how I'm doing and how I'm feeling. I love her and wish I could help her deal with this struggle she is currently going through on top of all her regular struggles that she goes through every single day.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Update on my New Year's resolutions
donationoftheday.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 31, 2011
New Years Resolutions
1. Write more blog posts. I have a blog!
2. Stop setting myself up for hopelessly repetitious heart break.
3. Get the courage to move on with my life.
2. Stop setting myself up for hopelessly repetitious heart break.
3. Get the courage to move on with my life.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thrift Store wedding gift ideas
I work at the Hospital Thrift Store. First of all, I NEVER thought I would end up there. I also never thought I would actually enjoy working at a place like that. That's probably why I never thought I would end up there. I absolutely and almost totally enjoy my job. There are rough days of course. I'll give you a very recent example. It's Monday AND Valentines day. That is two strikes against a day, especially for someone whose relationship status isn't compatible for that type of holiday. I get to work to open the store and see that someone has left an after hours donation at our back gate. At first I was a little bit happy because we haven't had many donations in the last few weeks. HINT HINT! (go clean your house and donate your stuff) I walked over with trepidation though. Usually those type of donations are crap. Not in the literal sense luckily. They use our back gate as a dumping ground because they are too lazy to drive to the dump. They do it when we aren't there because then we can't refuse to take it! We were the lucky recipients of 2 icky doors, a grossed-out aquarium that hasn't been cleaned since the flood, a few bags of clothes that I was scared to look in, 2 kitchen sinks covered in the red dirt of our beautiful desert, and a toilet also covered in that same dirt which doesn't look quite so beautiful when it is marring the surface of white porcelain. Other than days like that though, I usually love my job. The day ended up turning out better than it started. Now that I have sufficiently veered off onto a tangent that really has nothing to do with the direction I had first intended for this post to go, I will cut across the median and get back on my original thought roadway.
I recently attended the wedding of my best friend. It was awesome! I wish that I had planned their gift better. I should have given myself 2 or 3 months to find exactly what it was that I wanted to give them. I almost never go out shopping at other stores, which is a good thing because it saves me money, so that means I have to plan my needful purchases and keep a sharp eye out for them when they are donated. I'm a fan for recycling items, the details of that probably belong in an entirely different blog post though. I have decided that I need to make a list of things that I should look out for in case I have more friends that decide they need to get married because they fell in love or something.
1. Old fashioned copper jello molds, especially the most common one that happens to be in the shape of a fish. The reason I think that one is the most common is because it is the most donated one. Maybe that isn't the reason I see it the most though, maybe it's the most hated one and everyone is trying to get rid of it. The reason it's donated though is entirely irrelevant. If you can find a fish one though, it makes the gift even better! It's quirky and something they aren't likely to get for their wedding. I would suggest getting a few packets of jello, some raisins, and dried carrots to go with this glorious jello mold. I would also suggest getting them a gift card for a store that would actually have useful items as well. That way they won't think you are just crazy and at least they will be able to buy something they need and didn't get at their reception. They can also get a laugh at your gift and quite possibly hang it on the wall and leave it there, or just donate it again to the nearest second hand store. May I suggest bringing your donations to 76 W. St. George Blvd. It is a convenient and centralized location in the St. George area. The profits from this organization also go back to the hospital. Those profits help pay for needed equipment, grants, scholarships, and other things of that sort.
2. A salad bowl and tongs. They are quite cheap at a thrift store and then you can crumple up hundred dollar bills and make them look like salad. Or you can use one dollar bills. It all depends on your budget and your love for the couple that is getting married. Sometimes you can find fake fruits and vegetables at thrift stores. They make great accents to your money salad. Wrap the finished product in some cellophane and you have a really unique and cute gift.
3. A small specialized kitchen appliance. Sort of like a waffle maker but even more specialized. We've had quesadilla makers and crepe makers donated. Those little machines that make grilled cheese sandwiches or mini pie pockets come in frequently as well. Fondue sets also make regular appearances among our donations. They are actually a more common wedding gift but getting one at a thrift store will save you a lot of money. Let's face it, most of those items were probably only used 2 or 3 times. They are practically new! I think that these gifts are perfect for the couple that has a lot of shelf room that they don't mind filling up with appliances that will get little or no use because their regular pots or pans can do the job just as well. I would suggest adding a gift card to a useful store to this gift as well for the same reasons that I stated up above in suggestion number 1.
4. Quirky ice cube trays. The cute ones that make different shaped ice cubes! Now most young married couples are inexperience with household items. They will totally dig these trays and then end up never using them because they will get forgotten behind their useful tupperware containers that will be saving all their leftovers in the refrigerator. I actually saw a useful ice cube tray once though that froze the water into long thin bars. The customer informed me they were perfect for shoving inside of water bottles. I know that I've tried to shove those banana shaped ice cubes, the ones your freezer makes for you, into water bottles and it was just a pain. After they told me what the ice was used for, I was sad that they bought it before I did.
5. Speaking of refrigerators, one of those small ones would make a fun wedding gift. They can have cold soda or water next to their computers. Then they don't have to get up to go to the kitchen during their raids pvp battles against Draenei shaman on the lovely world of Azeroth... or something of a similar nature. Understandably this gift would probably only work for a small demographic.
6. An orange shag couch for their first apartment. Now this may be a little tricky wrapping and transporting to the reception. We all need a couch like that in our first apartment though. Usually you can find one on the street next to someone's garbage can. They are hoping that the garbage men will have pity on them and haul the couch away. Or they are hoping that some poor starving college kids will drive by and grab it. When free roadside couches are at a minimum, you can always check at thrift stores.
7. A storage bin that will fit a Christmas tree. If you don't clean up your Christmas decorations fast enough and get to the store ON boxing day, there won't be any of those left. For some reason the Thrift Store I work at saves EVERY single storage bin that is ever donated, even the ones that are falling apart. I would imagine that some of the other thrift stores in the area aren't quite as attached to those items though. So many get donated that they are bound to put some on sale at some point. Storage bins are a great gift and you can get them for next to nothing, if a store decides to part with them, and they are easy to clean up. They might get the hint that it has been used before if there is black sharpie on the side stating it was Joseph's D&D figure collection "Don't TOUCH". If the surface is smooth, you can get that off by coloring over it with dry erase marker and then wiping it off. The clear plastic ones come clean relatively easy.
8. A Hospital Thrift Store Gift certificate. These work really well for those individuals that shun deodorant/antiperspirant because it is bad for the environment. They are the ones that were born in the wrong time period and look like they got their clothes from their relatives that lived during the 60s. They LOVE second hand stores. That is probably how they get their authentic vintage duds. They love looking for "antiques" that they can resell on ebay for a hefty profit. On a side note, I've figured out that the difference between antique and vintage is this. With an antique, you know the year and you can prove that it's as old as it looks. With a vintage item, there is no proof that it isn't some modern facsimile of an antique that your great-grandfather probably paid .35 cents for. Back then that was a lot of money! They slap vintage at the front of any description so that you can feel better about paying 50 bucks for something that is probably worth 5.
9. Athletic equipment. When I say this, I do NOT mean that you should get them used protective cups for all their sport needs. I mean treadmills or stationary bicycles. I was going to type exercise but I couldn't figure out how to spell it and I wanted to make a joke about athletic equipment. Spell check works though.
10. A crazy looking floor lamp. Let's face it, they probably won't be able to buy a nice generic lamp because it is out of their budget. You can help alleviate their lighting problems by picking up one of the lamps they offer at thrift stores. The bigger and gaudier the better. Really you are just helping them out. They will look at that monstrosity, or monstrosities if you can find a matching set, and be especially motivated to try harder at school/work so that they can upgrade in the future, hopefully the not too distant future.
If you don't think that the bride and groom will appreciate these items to the fullest, you can always go get them something at Target. Or supplement any of those gifts with a gift card. Target gift cards can be really cute by the way. I think that these ideas can give anyone a smile though. Especially for you, the gift giver, as you imagine the look on their faces when they open up something that has come from a thrift store.
I recently attended the wedding of my best friend. It was awesome! I wish that I had planned their gift better. I should have given myself 2 or 3 months to find exactly what it was that I wanted to give them. I almost never go out shopping at other stores, which is a good thing because it saves me money, so that means I have to plan my needful purchases and keep a sharp eye out for them when they are donated. I'm a fan for recycling items, the details of that probably belong in an entirely different blog post though. I have decided that I need to make a list of things that I should look out for in case I have more friends that decide they need to get married because they fell in love or something.
1. Old fashioned copper jello molds, especially the most common one that happens to be in the shape of a fish. The reason I think that one is the most common is because it is the most donated one. Maybe that isn't the reason I see it the most though, maybe it's the most hated one and everyone is trying to get rid of it. The reason it's donated though is entirely irrelevant. If you can find a fish one though, it makes the gift even better! It's quirky and something they aren't likely to get for their wedding. I would suggest getting a few packets of jello, some raisins, and dried carrots to go with this glorious jello mold. I would also suggest getting them a gift card for a store that would actually have useful items as well. That way they won't think you are just crazy and at least they will be able to buy something they need and didn't get at their reception. They can also get a laugh at your gift and quite possibly hang it on the wall and leave it there, or just donate it again to the nearest second hand store. May I suggest bringing your donations to 76 W. St. George Blvd. It is a convenient and centralized location in the St. George area. The profits from this organization also go back to the hospital. Those profits help pay for needed equipment, grants, scholarships, and other things of that sort.
2. A salad bowl and tongs. They are quite cheap at a thrift store and then you can crumple up hundred dollar bills and make them look like salad. Or you can use one dollar bills. It all depends on your budget and your love for the couple that is getting married. Sometimes you can find fake fruits and vegetables at thrift stores. They make great accents to your money salad. Wrap the finished product in some cellophane and you have a really unique and cute gift.
3. A small specialized kitchen appliance. Sort of like a waffle maker but even more specialized. We've had quesadilla makers and crepe makers donated. Those little machines that make grilled cheese sandwiches or mini pie pockets come in frequently as well. Fondue sets also make regular appearances among our donations. They are actually a more common wedding gift but getting one at a thrift store will save you a lot of money. Let's face it, most of those items were probably only used 2 or 3 times. They are practically new! I think that these gifts are perfect for the couple that has a lot of shelf room that they don't mind filling up with appliances that will get little or no use because their regular pots or pans can do the job just as well. I would suggest adding a gift card to a useful store to this gift as well for the same reasons that I stated up above in suggestion number 1.
4. Quirky ice cube trays. The cute ones that make different shaped ice cubes! Now most young married couples are inexperience with household items. They will totally dig these trays and then end up never using them because they will get forgotten behind their useful tupperware containers that will be saving all their leftovers in the refrigerator. I actually saw a useful ice cube tray once though that froze the water into long thin bars. The customer informed me they were perfect for shoving inside of water bottles. I know that I've tried to shove those banana shaped ice cubes, the ones your freezer makes for you, into water bottles and it was just a pain. After they told me what the ice was used for, I was sad that they bought it before I did.
5. Speaking of refrigerators, one of those small ones would make a fun wedding gift. They can have cold soda or water next to their computers. Then they don't have to get up to go to the kitchen during their raids pvp battles against Draenei shaman on the lovely world of Azeroth... or something of a similar nature. Understandably this gift would probably only work for a small demographic.
6. An orange shag couch for their first apartment. Now this may be a little tricky wrapping and transporting to the reception. We all need a couch like that in our first apartment though. Usually you can find one on the street next to someone's garbage can. They are hoping that the garbage men will have pity on them and haul the couch away. Or they are hoping that some poor starving college kids will drive by and grab it. When free roadside couches are at a minimum, you can always check at thrift stores.
7. A storage bin that will fit a Christmas tree. If you don't clean up your Christmas decorations fast enough and get to the store ON boxing day, there won't be any of those left. For some reason the Thrift Store I work at saves EVERY single storage bin that is ever donated, even the ones that are falling apart. I would imagine that some of the other thrift stores in the area aren't quite as attached to those items though. So many get donated that they are bound to put some on sale at some point. Storage bins are a great gift and you can get them for next to nothing, if a store decides to part with them, and they are easy to clean up. They might get the hint that it has been used before if there is black sharpie on the side stating it was Joseph's D&D figure collection "Don't TOUCH". If the surface is smooth, you can get that off by coloring over it with dry erase marker and then wiping it off. The clear plastic ones come clean relatively easy.
8. A Hospital Thrift Store Gift certificate. These work really well for those individuals that shun deodorant/antiperspirant because it is bad for the environment. They are the ones that were born in the wrong time period and look like they got their clothes from their relatives that lived during the 60s. They LOVE second hand stores. That is probably how they get their authentic vintage duds. They love looking for "antiques" that they can resell on ebay for a hefty profit. On a side note, I've figured out that the difference between antique and vintage is this. With an antique, you know the year and you can prove that it's as old as it looks. With a vintage item, there is no proof that it isn't some modern facsimile of an antique that your great-grandfather probably paid .35 cents for. Back then that was a lot of money! They slap vintage at the front of any description so that you can feel better about paying 50 bucks for something that is probably worth 5.
9. Athletic equipment. When I say this, I do NOT mean that you should get them used protective cups for all their sport needs. I mean treadmills or stationary bicycles. I was going to type exercise but I couldn't figure out how to spell it and I wanted to make a joke about athletic equipment. Spell check works though.
10. A crazy looking floor lamp. Let's face it, they probably won't be able to buy a nice generic lamp because it is out of their budget. You can help alleviate their lighting problems by picking up one of the lamps they offer at thrift stores. The bigger and gaudier the better. Really you are just helping them out. They will look at that monstrosity, or monstrosities if you can find a matching set, and be especially motivated to try harder at school/work so that they can upgrade in the future, hopefully the not too distant future.
If you don't think that the bride and groom will appreciate these items to the fullest, you can always go get them something at Target. Or supplement any of those gifts with a gift card. Target gift cards can be really cute by the way. I think that these ideas can give anyone a smile though. Especially for you, the gift giver, as you imagine the look on their faces when they open up something that has come from a thrift store.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Sunday, January 2nd
I was sitting in church and it was fast Sunday. I was trying to ignore the feelings that I needed to get up and share my testimony. We had a baptism and a baby blessing that weekend. There were a ton of visitors that day as well. I kept telling myself that they didn't need me to go up there but I ended up at the pulpit anyway. Nia shared her testimony. She was so very cute. Then it was my turn. One year before, on the fast Sunday in January, Kaden was announced as a member of the church. He had been baptized the night before. I received a calling to teach primary. I was also allowed to take the sacrament and to share my testimony. I did all of those things that first Sunday of 2010. I was so excited at what the future would hold. I was proud of my son for choosing to be baptized. We both had the missionary discussions. I had been away from church for 11+ years. He was 8 1/2 and didn't know much about the church at all. It was a wonderful experience to share with him.
The first Sunday of 2011, I was able to share my testimony about my temple experience. I am endowed! I had worked towards that goal for a whole year. Going to the temple was such a wonderful experience. I'm so grateful for the atonement. It allowed someone like me to work my way to being able to set foot inside the temple. It was so sacred. I really enjoyed going in December. It was a great reminder about why we celebrate Christmas.
I am so blessed in my life. I have the gospel. I have two beautiful, amazing kids. They are so sweet and loving. I want to always be an example of good things to them because they are to me. My job is going really well. I asked for a raise and it was approved! The store is doing great! I'm very thankful to be able to work in a type of job that I do. The store helps a lot of people and I get to participate in that! I am able to be creative and I work hard. My family is there for me through thick and thin. I have an amazing group of friends that I can call on if I ever need to.
Looking back on 2010, I'm happy about all that I have accomplished. I am looking forward to the new year. I know I'm going to have to embark upon the dating scene. It may give me good blogging material. :D
I hope your new year is filled with all the blessings that you need.
Dramatic Puppy recovery!
Koda has been pretty pathetic since the accident. He's been in a lot of pain from the broken pelvis. He hadn't moved much from his puppy bed. He wouldn't eat or drink. We were getting worried about him being dehydrated. We had a few successes getting him to go to the bathroom but he looked so pathetic sitting there shivering and whining on the potty pad.
Anyway, today I decided I just needed to be patient and I hand fed the poor little guy. He started eating better when the cat tried to eat his food. He didn't want to share. He even drank water if I squirted it in my hand for him. I felt so bad for him and he seemed so helpless and pathetic. Later on we tried to get him to pee again on the potty pad. He just wouldn't do it. So I decided to squirt his little puppy parts with water to see if it would stimulate him to go to the bathroom... It actually caused him to look at me in shock and run away from me! Seriously he hobbled away so fast after the cold water hit him where it counted. THEN he realized it didn't hurt so bad to walk. He didn't put any weight on one leg. That was the side of the pelvis that broke. He managed just fine on the other 3 though. He walked outside, went down 3 steps, and then explored the yard and did his business. That is a major major breakthrough! He even came back in and started begging at the table. It was such a dramatic improvement. All it took was shockingly cold water on his little puppy penis. So I cured him kind of! No more hand feeding for him. He can fend for himself now. I think he was just too scared to try before. I wasn't trying to torture him or anything but he's a lot happier and chipper. He is almost his old self. It was a good day for him. :)
Anyway, today I decided I just needed to be patient and I hand fed the poor little guy. He started eating better when the cat tried to eat his food. He didn't want to share. He even drank water if I squirted it in my hand for him. I felt so bad for him and he seemed so helpless and pathetic. Later on we tried to get him to pee again on the potty pad. He just wouldn't do it. So I decided to squirt his little puppy parts with water to see if it would stimulate him to go to the bathroom... It actually caused him to look at me in shock and run away from me! Seriously he hobbled away so fast after the cold water hit him where it counted. THEN he realized it didn't hurt so bad to walk. He didn't put any weight on one leg. That was the side of the pelvis that broke. He managed just fine on the other 3 though. He walked outside, went down 3 steps, and then explored the yard and did his business. That is a major major breakthrough! He even came back in and started begging at the table. It was such a dramatic improvement. All it took was shockingly cold water on his little puppy penis. So I cured him kind of! No more hand feeding for him. He can fend for himself now. I think he was just too scared to try before. I wasn't trying to torture him or anything but he's a lot happier and chipper. He is almost his old self. It was a good day for him. :)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
As common as water
So my sister Jen is sick of her name. She is so frustrated with her normal unassuming name. She said that she may as well be called Jane Doe. She told me a funny/frustrating story about her name and I am going to share it but first a little background.
She called my mom the other day and demanded to know who decided to name her Jennifer. Before she was born, they had almost decided to name her Kira. When she was born though, they decided she didn't look like a Kira, she looked like a Jennifer. Jennifer thinks that her name is boring and so common. She has had problems with her name for a long time.
It all started in kindergarten when there were 3 Jennifers in her class. At that age, they don't use your last name much so there was a lot of confusion and identity issues I'm sure. The next time she had problems was in 6th grade. She was in the lunch line trying to pay for her food and the lunch lady informed her she didn't have any money in her account. She was embarrassed about holding up the line while she fixed the name issue with the lady. There were 2 Jennifer Wards (apparently her name is so common that it is safe enough to plaster it all over the internet) at the 6th grade center. After all this hullabaloo with her name, in college there was another Jennifer Ward. She actually had an initial. A middle name would have helped Jennifer distinguish herself better but she doesn't have one. Jennifer L. Ward got all of Jennifer's emails. She actually got a disgruntled email from this Jennifer asking her to tell people exactly how they should email her to get the right Jennifer. Jen even got this Jennifer's transcripts mailed to her. On her own transcripts they had things that were dated and belonged with the other Jennifer. So confusing. But wait, there is more. This next story is why my mom got the phone call.
Recently Jen and Cody sold their townhome. The bank approved most of it but suddenly Jennifer was blacklisted. There had been another Jennifer Ward that had committed bank fraud. They froze the loan application until she could prove that she wasn't the same Jennifer Ward. A simple social security number later, and everything was straightened out. Now she feels like she should just go by her SSN so people won't get so confused. I told her that a ton of people would have 529 as their first name if we all went by our SSN numbers. She admitted defeat on that idea. While she was calling mom to complain about all these annoying incidents in her life, my mom started singing her the go eat worms song. She then handed me the phone. Apparently I have more sympathy because I still have my uterus. Who knew? I was laughing my guts out while Jen was explaining her aggravations while mom was singing about going to eat squirmy worms.
Don't tell Jen, but at Party Land I found some gummy earthworms I'm going to send her. She will laugh about it, then she will eat them on her pity pot. Seriously though, that girl is hilarious and I had such a fun time talking to her about all this. She fervently told me that her baby WILL be named Jonabeetha (inside joke, she told Jon she was naming her baby after him) and that she would be unique and not have to go through the same torments that plain Jane Doe Jennifer Ward had to put up with her whole life. I hope Jonabeetha has a sense of humor, she is going to need it to deal with her mom.
She called my mom the other day and demanded to know who decided to name her Jennifer. Before she was born, they had almost decided to name her Kira. When she was born though, they decided she didn't look like a Kira, she looked like a Jennifer. Jennifer thinks that her name is boring and so common. She has had problems with her name for a long time.
It all started in kindergarten when there were 3 Jennifers in her class. At that age, they don't use your last name much so there was a lot of confusion and identity issues I'm sure. The next time she had problems was in 6th grade. She was in the lunch line trying to pay for her food and the lunch lady informed her she didn't have any money in her account. She was embarrassed about holding up the line while she fixed the name issue with the lady. There were 2 Jennifer Wards (apparently her name is so common that it is safe enough to plaster it all over the internet) at the 6th grade center. After all this hullabaloo with her name, in college there was another Jennifer Ward. She actually had an initial. A middle name would have helped Jennifer distinguish herself better but she doesn't have one. Jennifer L. Ward got all of Jennifer's emails. She actually got a disgruntled email from this Jennifer asking her to tell people exactly how they should email her to get the right Jennifer. Jen even got this Jennifer's transcripts mailed to her. On her own transcripts they had things that were dated and belonged with the other Jennifer. So confusing. But wait, there is more. This next story is why my mom got the phone call.
Recently Jen and Cody sold their townhome. The bank approved most of it but suddenly Jennifer was blacklisted. There had been another Jennifer Ward that had committed bank fraud. They froze the loan application until she could prove that she wasn't the same Jennifer Ward. A simple social security number later, and everything was straightened out. Now she feels like she should just go by her SSN so people won't get so confused. I told her that a ton of people would have 529 as their first name if we all went by our SSN numbers. She admitted defeat on that idea. While she was calling mom to complain about all these annoying incidents in her life, my mom started singing her the go eat worms song. She then handed me the phone. Apparently I have more sympathy because I still have my uterus. Who knew? I was laughing my guts out while Jen was explaining her aggravations while mom was singing about going to eat squirmy worms.
Don't tell Jen, but at Party Land I found some gummy earthworms I'm going to send her. She will laugh about it, then she will eat them on her pity pot. Seriously though, that girl is hilarious and I had such a fun time talking to her about all this. She fervently told me that her baby WILL be named Jonabeetha (inside joke, she told Jon she was naming her baby after him) and that she would be unique and not have to go through the same torments that plain Jane Doe Jennifer Ward had to put up with her whole life. I hope Jonabeetha has a sense of humor, she is going to need it to deal with her mom.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)