NaPoBloMo - The End

Well, this was everything I hoped and nothing at all! While I didn't write every.single.day but...I tried!

Farewell November!!!!

Lost time is never found again.
Benjamin Franklin 

November 22: Posting about Posting

I’m about two hours into my work day, and have completed my morning activities for the most part. My next thought, of course, was thinking up a blog post for the 22^nd of November. For some of you, blogging comes easily; you seem to have no problem, coming up with a topic, blogging about that one.topic and sounding very intelligent and put together about that one.topic.

You must know, some of us sit in the audience and weep over our lack of fluidity.  (I was so about to write flowativity #lame) In my defense, I am very much random like this in real life…I am what I am.

After going back and forth between, being completely random, and only somewhat random, I think I’ve decided to go with…a topical post.

Come back tomorrow and it may just be completed.
No ok, fine I’m going to try this.

First Pick A Topic:

*2 hours later….

YeahNo. I’ve got nothing.

No, that’s not true, I have about a gazillion things I wanted to write about but am hesitant, due to the whole…staying-on-one-topic-and-making-sense-while-doing-it, thing. That and I don’t want to offend…in the sense that people never want to speak to me again offended. It’s also hard to also convey your words in a text format, the way YOU want them to be taken. However if it takes getting people offended in order to get comments….I may be willing to do that.

I’m a very hard person to offend…probably because I’m so busy trying to analyze why the person is trying to offend me, that I miss the offensive statement. But…just because I’m not offended, doesn’t mean that I like what you did or didn’t say to me. And more often than not, I’ll let you know.  In a very nice, quiet but firm way. I’ve learned the hard way that attitudes grow quickly if things are allowed to simmer.

Sure, I’ve done my share of offending, my habit of not thinking before I speak, or being overly sarcastic… has gotten me in trouble many a time…and God and I are working on that little personality trait. But there are some people who I just can’t not offend, and in one sense I have given up trying with them. “If you don’t know who I am by now, we’re never going to get anywhere”.

Then I get around people who aren’t trying. At all.

And I go back to the drawing board and work on another plan to “keep Erin from offending someone”.

Yes I’m all for you being yourself, but if that means hurting and putting down other people..then no thank you. Plus it is my belief that that’s not the real “you” coming out. Any who, but that’s another topic.

Things that will offend me: Talking bad about my family, putting down my feelings about something, devaluing my opinions about things, talking bad about disabled people. Those are things that I more than likely will not be happy about, and probably will have to spend some serious “God Time” before approaching you again. Just…keepin it real.

Other subjects will make my blood pressure rise, but I can discuss them without getting angry or upset about it, mainly because I can understand the motive on the other side of the argument. 

Eh.Sort of.

Abortion, Gay Marriage, Dog Training Techniques, Religion, Politics…TSA Pat Downs, just to name a few..However talking to other people about these things, is almost impossible if they are not “on your side”. Here’s a funny fact: people get angry very.very.easily. I feel strongly about every.single. one of these topics, but not enough to get angry/offended about it.

Anger. In my opinion. Is an extremely useless emotion. Seriously what good comes out of being angry? Tell me that, and perhaps I’ll subscribe to that feeling more often. But Probably not.

One hour of work to go…

You really don’t want to know how many times I’ve deleted and re-written this post at this point. However I knew I needed to post about something besides school.

Have I stayed on topic? Who knows. I do know that I need to get off of here so I can go home and rob my account to pay my bills.

Gragh.

Money is another topic I need to write about.

Peace Peoples. 


~E

November 4: When I was 10.....

If you had made a career out of whatever you were passionate about when you were ten…what would you be doing?


Though I can't pinpoint the exact date, it was most likely right around age 10, that my obsession with animals had started. I can remember going to the library and checking out book, after book about dogs, dog training, dog breeds, dog stories. I wanted a dog so.badly it was unbearable at times. Its funny now, to think of my obsession with dogs at the time, simply because a few years prior to this, I was deathly scared of them.  Makes me wonder if I wanted one more so because my  childhood friends Brittany and Jeffery (siblings), and Warren and Wesley (brothers) had both gotten puppies recently.  Brittany, my best friend at the time, had gotten a Boxer puppy named Durango and the "W" brothers a Golden Retriever mix named Ralph. Who knows. 

I remember leaving little notes around the house for my parents trying to convince them to let me have a dog! It was to know avail. Meanies. But in the meantime I dreamed of becoming a dog trainer, or even a veterinarian,I really had no REAL preference..other than it had something to do with dogs. 


One time I can remember, my mom came into our room one morning, all excited about a surprise she had to show us. We were half asleep, but when she said this "surprise" was indeed alive, I can STILL feel the intense excitement I had that perhaps, FINALLY, I had gotten the puppy I had longed for. My sisters and I jumped out of bed, and went through our "morning routine" as fast as we possibly could. Going through ideas of what we would name said puppy, if that were indeed the case. Who knows, I might have prayed and asked God to please, let us get a puppy!

You can imagine our disappointment to find a pot full of budding seeds, we'd planted a couple of weeks earlier. I can still remember rushing outside, and looking around for the "live" surprise. I can still remember faking my "happiness" that our stupid plants were blooming. My heart was broken. 

However I didn't give up hope, and it 2002 - Miss Bubbles came to live with us! We were such bad dog owners at first, but the dog is still alive, and in reasonable health. Poor Dear. At least her last  years will be lived out in relative peacefulness. Grins. 

Bubbles would really like me to leave her alone, so she can get back to her nap.

It wasn't until 2006 that was finally able to "fulfill" my dream, and in a completely different manner than I'd even thought of. That's when I saw my first guide dog puppy. We were at a 4-H Achievement Night, were all the clubs gathered together and we gave awards for different programs we'd done through out the year. 
I, at the time was ...probably Secretary of our county and  rushing around, attempting to make sure everything was were it was supposed to be. 

I was standing in the middle of the auditorium where the event was being held, and see a woman walk by with a 4 month old, black lab puppy wearing a vest. My curiosity was peaked, and I was dying to go over and find out why she had that dog in here, but alas my duties called and I wasn't able to find out any information. 

As soon as the event was over, and the photo taking had ceased, I streaked for the "dog lady". I was surprised to find my mom had reached her first, and had already gathered information. I nearly fell over when she turned to me and said these magic words: "I was thinking we might get involved in doing something like this." Truthfully I really didn't know WHAT it was the lady was doing, but I did know if it had anything to do with dogs you could count me in! 

Long story short 4 years later, I'm still "living my dream". From my first guide dog puppy, to multiple jobs at Dog daycares, shelters, working as a trainer for a local service dog organization, as well as volunteering as a puppy raiser for the Guide Dog Foundation. Yeah, its a little crazy to actually get to do, what you wanted to do as a child! Granted I'm not getting paid to do it at the moment...but volunteering is just as good..or better even! 

Me meeting my first guide dog pup Jake. 

And that, my friends, is my story. 

What "career" goals did you have as a child?
But here's the real question: 12 dogs later...do my parents regret getting me my first dog? 


You can see more stories at Mama's Losin It.

November 3: Singing the Bluessss

Have you ever had a day you felt so alone, scared and overwhelmed?
No?
Wow guys. Way to make me feel like an island.
Kidding.
But really, today was one of those days. When I woke up, looked at my phone and I knew it was just going to be a bad day. Most of it probably was self inflicted. I can admit that, but even knowing that it was “all in my head” doesn’t really do much to get me out of it.
I’ve found talking …or writing.. is the best way, for ME to get myself back to the logical ground I’m comfortable at. Unfortunately for me, at this time in the morning all my friends are working and aren’t allowed to chat on the phone.
This is where I’m thankful for my parents. While actually getting them to answer one of the four phones in our household is difficult…..I never have to worry about them not wanting to hear what you have to say. Well, unless you are talking to my dad when he’s in front of the computer…then you KNOW he’s NOT hearing what you say. There’s no question there.
However, my mother is willing to listen to me ramble on and on about nothing, which is good. Though they are out of state, and in another time zone, I waited very impatiently until 10 our time, 9 theirs before calling.
Though I didn’t feel as reassured as I wanted too after our talk…(as they haven’t had the problem I’m dealing with EITHER…) I was glad to tell SOMEBODY. 
After sitting and reflecting about horrible this year has been, and how I didn’t know what I was going to do, and wondering why is this happening to me? I heard these words:
Don’t Quit. Don’t Give Up
It was one of those things you know is for you. Regardless of the context, who said, how they said it, where they said. So what things are tough, and while my situation is NOT as bad as others, it’s bad for me, and giving up and crawling under my bug infested bed isn't go to solve anything. nothing. except for make me feel better for a little bit.  I've got to keep moving forward.

That is all.

Nov. 1- National Blog Posting Month

Welcome to NaBloPoMo - I Should Be Studying Edition! 


I'd seen other bloggers do this in the past, and really never had any desire to participate myself. However Pompei (my guide dog puppy in training) only has 30 days left with me, and I decided to post daily about our last month together...to which someone suggested I sign up for NaBloPoMo. So here I am here and here...and maybe here. We'll see!! 


To those who are participating! 
Good luck!