It's been a while...

So, it's been a couple of years since I've posted on my blog, but I think that the change that I'm going through is good motivation to start writing again. I'm buying a house. It's been a roller coaster of emotions. The nervousness of this change. Going to the bank. Finding out that I need to drastically alter my spending habits (I was a little in denial about my love of shopping). Finding out that I couldn't afford as much as I wanted in a house, and that I couldn't afford to live where I wanted to live, where I've always lived so I looked more in the country. But I refused to live somewhere with well water. Municipal water is a must, because that's what I've grown up drinking and I think that well water is disgusting. I looked at 8 houses before I found the one that I'm buying. With my limited budget, I looked at some major shit holes. I can't afford something that is totally move in ready, so I'll have some updating to do. The house is adorable with a huge living room and under the carpet is hopefully a beautiful hardwood floor that only needs a little TLC (I know the hardwood is there, I just don't know the condition). So I'm going to write about this process and my choices that I'm making updating the house. First off though is getting through the inspection. I have an idea of what the house needs thanks to an awesome close friend who came with me the second time that I looked at the house to give me an idea of the updates that I need. This diamond in the rough was built in 1955 and it's the first time that it's been on the market, so I'm excited to turn it into mine. The day that I decided that I wanted this house I brought back a ton of paint samples cards from Home Depot. I'm spending time learning about plaster walls and how to patch all the holes from all of the pictures that were on the wall and all of the shelves. My Pinterest boards are filling up and I'm ready to make my mark. Bring it on!

Carpe Diem

I've decided it's time to start writing again, even if it's just about the little things. It was beautiful out today, mid-40s and the sun was shining. Unfortunately, I spent the day sleeping but I did manage to spend some good quality time with my Mocha. I had 5 spare minutes (Damn, I could have hit the snooze button one more time this afternoon) and decided to take advantage of the warm weather and play with Mocha. I got her squeaky football out and she was ecstatic that we were going to play fetch (the way she acted was so much better than if I had hit that snooze button on more time). I'm glad that I took that time to play outside and soak up a little bit of sunshine with my pup. It's the small things that make life important.

How my life has changed since I got a puppy

It's been just over 2 months since Mocha came into my life.

I can barely remember how things were before I got her, except for the sleep. I miss my sleep, but we're getting that ironed out. She's slowly learning that 7am makes mommy much happier than 545. Life with my first puppy is not what I expected though. For the first 2 months that I had her, I thought I was doing the right thing by giving her Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy Chow. Oops. It was either too rich for her or too sweet for her and she had the runs, but I've got that figured out and now she's eating food that agrees with her. And no more goose poop either. My Mocha Latte is very much my companion. She doesn't like me to be in a different room or to be outside when I'm inside. But if I'm in a different room, and come back out to her area, well, there she is on the couch looking like the queen of the castle. Speaking of the couch, not only has she claimed it as her spot, but she's my 40+ pound lap lab. If I'm laying on the couch, she has this need to be on it with me, and frequently wants to curl up on my head. We're going to have to sort that one out, because her feet and knees in my back are not the most comfortable feeling, and she's still got a lot of growing to go. She spends every Saturday night with my parents since I work overnight and that way I get to sleep some on Sundays. Mocha likes being over there, though she misses me a lot. My parent's neighbors have a cockapoo who is a few months older than Mocha, and those two are inseperable. If Mocha's outside, she's looking for Sandy and vice versa. I love Mocha. She gets on my nerves every now and then, but she's the perfect companion for me.

Christmas and the holidays

I love Christmas as much as any normal person, in fact, I can't wait to decorate my own place for it this year with all the stuff that I got 75% off on New Year's Day. I'm super excited for it. But I'm not rushing things. Thanksgiving is next Thursday. I have cinnamon rolls to make from scratch this Saturday. Thursday is the day to spend with family and count your blessings.

Friday, starts the Christmas season. Sometime over the weekend I'll put away my fall decorations, load my Christmas playlist back onto my iPod and put up my Christmas tree. I'll make and buy things for my family. But I'm not going to rush it. I'm going to enjoy every day because that is what life is about.

In Memory of Mocha

I didn't expect to feel for you as deep as I did so quickly. You didn't catch my eye the first time I walked around the kennel at the animal shelter but when I saw you, you were sweet and didn't get in the face of the other dogs at the shelter. I guess I should have seen it with how excited you were to get out of your kennel, but I just thought that you were excited after 2 weeks of being in doggie jail. You had such a fun ride in the car and a trip through Petsmart where I spoiled you rotten, buying you much more than you needed. I laughed when we got home and you jumped into the trunk of my car while I was unloading the haul from Petsmart. You loved your Kong toy, watching you chase it around the house made me smile. I was worried with how easily you jumped up and were sniffing things on the counter, looking for something to eat. When you met my dad you wouldn't calm down and you decided that you liked my papasan chair and I knew we were going to have to work on the staying off the furniture thing. I tried to give you a bath, but that was a losing battle. I saw then that you were an escape artist and I didn't have your collar tight enough since you got out of it twice. I felt bad leaving you to go to a meeting at work. I didn't realize when I got home that our time together was almost done. We went out once and we came back inside. You looked so peaceful when you went and laid down in the middle of the living room while I was cooking. I was getting ready to eat myself and you were sniffing around the house in a way that made me worry so I put you back on your leash and took you out. You sniffed, you rolled and then you got free. You unclipped your leash and took off. I almost had you at one point and you took off again. Apparently you thought that we were either playing a game, you smelled an animal, or you were trying to get back to your old home. I thought that you were going to be fast enough. You almost made it across the street before the car hit you. I was horrified. I got to you as quickly as I could and you died in my arms. At least you had a good afternoon. You got to taste freedom again. I miss you Mocha.

Ghost Chronicles: Part 2

March 2/3

I suppose I deserved this visit from my ghost (If one of them, because I think that there's 2 now, is my grandma). I said one of those things that scare your family and friends. I had a bad infection and I had been feeling really crappy, the right side of my face had swollen up. The family was over making room for Ryan and Liz to move in and I started out with the right side of my lips going numb and it then proceeding up my face. Most of us are medical professionals and know that I was having one of the symptoms of a stroke, so it was a trip to the emergency room to make sure that I wasn't. Apparently, I scared my ghost too. Because after I got home, I saw the ghost again. I'd convinced my parents that I could sleep by myself because we knew I wasn't going to have a stroke, so they dropped me off at home and I'd crawled into bed and to sleep. I laid down and at some point during the night I had rolled over and saw a smoking comet (anyone who knows my grandma would know how she loved her smokes) streaking across the ceiling above my bed. Then I had a little break from my ghost. I don't remember what day it was, but I was taking a nap before work one day and I felt something stroking my hair, even though I was alone.

Fast forward to last night. I was sleeping with my bedroom door shut and I swear that I heard it click open. Then I felt something jump up into bed with me, like a cat (and there has never been a shortage of cats in this house until now), and walk around the bed for a minute and then jump off. Nightmare, I miss you buddy, but please leave me alone while I sleep.

Ghost Chronicles, Part 1

So, I never really believed in ghosts before. I didn't believe other people's stories about ghosts in their houses.

Until I saw one in my own on Sunday night.

Since I've moved into my own place, the water heater has been making funny sounds. It shakes the pipes in the whole house when it turns on and you can hear water running. It's not a quiet sound. So, it just happened that I was falling asleep when the water heater did it's lovely little trick. I opened my eyes and rolled over and I saw it.

Right by the door, which was partially open and letting in a little of the light from the nightlight in the hallway, was a set of what looked like curlicues of smoke at about knee height coming out of the carpet. There was nothing to explain it besides a ghost. There's no heat vents or anything that would explain smoking carpet.

And it happened again last night. Once again, the water heater did it's little trick and I opened my eyes. About a foot away from my head, overtop the pillows that I have on an end table next to my bed, was an "orb" of "smoke" with wisps coming out from it. I rolled over and tried to ignore that it was there, but sleep did not come easily to me the rest of the night. At some point, I felt something patting the blankets next to me, yet I was all alone.

What will my ghost do next?