Love list...

After the post entirely about things that I dislike, I thought it would be nice to create a list of things that I DO like!  : )

• Chai tea lattes
• Bubble baths
• A good book that you can't put down
• Finding money in a coat or pants pocket
• Strawberry Lemondrop martinis
• Mail... real mail, no junk mail
• A perfect hair day
• Flip flops and painted toenails
• Sleeping in
• The little things; love notes, helping hands, etc.
• Puppy dreams and puppy tongues
• Chocolate!!!  ...without nuts, coconut, creme or toffee
• Thunderstorms
• Polka dots
• Taking photos
• Pizza
• Show tunes
• Black and white photos
• Cinnamon
• Organization
• Lunchables... yes, lunchables
• HGTV
• Writing, Drawing and Painting
• Fluffy pillows
• S'mores!
• Sunglasses
• Fresh flowers
• Dill pickles and baby corn
• Massages
• Anything vintage or antique
• Dimples
• Crossword puzzles
• Playing Piano
• Scrapbooks
• Yard sales!
• Sweatpants
• Green eyes
• Swing dancing
• Pearls
• Fresh fruit
• Eyeshadow
• Craigslist
• Ice-cream
• Purses
• Cosmo
• Sunsets
• Inside jokes
• Butterfly kisses
• Clearance sales
• Swingsets and seasaws
• Pandora
• Bobbypins
• Slippers and bathrobes
• Netflix
• Finding something that was lost
• Driving with the windows down, radio up and feet on the dash
• Cover-up, concealer and foundation
• Musicals and old black and white films
• Night-lit skylines
• The Original Super Mario Bros.
• Cute old men and little old ladies
• Freckle-faced kids
• Stained glass windows
• British and Irish accents
• Scratch Tickets
• Curly hair and pigtails
• The smell of fresh rain and fresh cut grass
• Fireworks and sparklers
• Rainbows and double rainbows
• Cracking open a new can of tennis balls
• Minigolf
• Running through sprinklers
• Rubber Duckies
• Baking cookies, cheesecake, cupcakes, etc.
• Rainboots
• Paydays
• (some) surprises
• Airconditioning
• Chocolate Malts
• People-watching
• Spending time with friends and family

Rant it out!

Yes, this blog entry is only a list... but you can deal with it.  This is my rant list, pet peeves, things that make me angry, stuff I don't like, etc. (at least as of today, right?)

• Horrible customer service
• Red lights
• Commercials
• Selective hearing
• The smell of week old garbage
• Money; or the lack of money, which leads to...
• Budgets
• Pumping gas
• Hideous fake nails
• Pens without ink
• Chipped nail polish
• Holes in socks
• Dogs that bark non-stop for no apparent reason
• Crosswords that are too hard to solve
• Dull scissors
• Plumber's crack
• Diets
• Burnt out light bulbs
• Automated telephone services
• Candy bowls with yucky candy
• Crooked pictures/frames
• Pre-teen and teen PDA... okay, all PDA
• Bad spray tans
• Alarm clocks
• Junk mail
• The dentist... and all other medical professionals
• Bad movies, and even worse remakes
• Too hot weather
• Driver's who don't use their blinkers
• Dead batteries
• Ants, spiders, flies and wasps
• Shapeups
• Spoiled people who always want more
• People who never think they're wrong or won't admit it when they are
• Blowing dust... especially when it gets in your eyes
• 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner
• People with perfect hair and skin all the time
• 2nd hand smoke
• Organic everything
• Broken crayons
• Irresponsible or inattentive parents
• Dents
• Bedbugs
• Cursing
• People stuck in 1950's gender roles
• Traffic Jams
• Unfair fighters
• Tabloids
• Having poor or no cellular service and dropped calls
• Tofu
• People who walk slowly in the middle of a crowd (e.g. at the mall)
• Gift registries with 27 billion things, that nobody really needs
• Having to pee in the middle of a movie
• Tattoos with no meaning
• Know-it-alls
• Rude manners
• Expired coupons
• Too high expectations, being let down
• Rug burns
• Dirty dishes... and dirty laundry
• Locks without keys
• False advertising
• A perfect picture that turned out blurry
• Missed opportunities
• Spoiled milk
• Bills
• Muscle cramps and knots
• Skinny jeans
• People who can't make up their minds (yes, I'm included in this one)
• Hair legs when you want to wear shorts
• Being hungry, but not finding anything you want to eat
• Babbling
• Tiny, overpriced yard sales
• Wire hangers
• Long lines
• Lima beans
• Season finales (and the wait for a new season)... good tv shows should just never end
• Bad dreams... and waking up from the good dreams
• Yelling, when talking will work just fine
• Excuses
• Banana flavored candy
• Bad hair days
• Assumptions
• Mullets and Mohawks
• Cliff hangers
• When your foot falls asleep
• Slow internet
• Grown out roots
• People who wear clothes that are too small for them
• Polyester
• Realizing you don't have all the ingredients when you want to bake
• Grass stains
• Stretch marks
• Bump-its
• Whiners
• Finding a perfect product, only to find out it's been discontinued
• Bad Posture
• Paper cuts
• Candles that smell bad
• Expiration dates
• Ungrateful people... all you have to do is say thank you!
• Mosquitoes
• Educated people who still can't spell
• Disrespectful children
• Jeggings and 'pajama jeans'
• Cosmetic surgery
• Bridezillas
• Pimples and ingrown hairs
• Non-waterproof mascara
• Stepping in gum
• Bagpipes
• Waking up 5 minutes before the alarm goes off

Flashback from English 150

Writing has always been a passion of mine.  Even though I rarely take time to sit down and let my mind spill out onto the pages of a journal or flow through the keys into a document, it is still something that I would like to pursue more seriously some day.  I don't often feel the urge to write, or dream about writing, but it's days like today, having stumbled across writings from a college english course, that make me wish I were a writer.

Here are just a few things that I found...

-A Sestina-

She walked quickly down the sidewalk,
with each step her breath grew colder.
Fog danced out from her lips telling a story
of long winter nights spent together.
Each memory tempting yet another smile
to appear upon her rosy face.

In only moments she would face
her love at the end of the winding sidewalk.
She almost wished the night would grow colder,
so he would hold her close and tell the story
of their first romantic night together.
Her heart warmed just thinking of his smile.

His was an awkward smile
which only added to his rugged face.
Scars lined his cheeks like the cracks of the sidewalk,
suggesting there was a time this man was colder
than the warm-hearted gentleman who’s story
was quiet and simple. Putting together

both their stories was perfect. Once together
again he was calmed by her smile,
and his touch upon her face
made time stand still. Nearing the end of the sidewalk
she could see his silhouette. Colder
still the air became, but the story

was always the same. A love story
written across time to keep them together.
She came closer and could see his smile
as a tear ran down her face.
She reached his place where the sidewalk
ended, and entered his embrace. The colder

the night became, the colder
and more distant their past story
of loneliness. They were together
again at last. The moon with a smile
looked down shining upon their face,
as they stood at the end of the sidewalk.

The happy ending to their story
would forever live within her smile.
The love story that ended with the sidewalk.

---------------------------------------------------------

People always say
                                ‘time will tell’

But what
What will time tell?
Will it tell of good fortune
Memories past
Choices right or wrong?
Lost love or lust
Worth all the pain?

-No-
            
Time tells lies
With every single tick
Keeping track of the secondsMinutes upon hours
Counting down to our very last
Unyielding breath

But if time tells lies
What truths have we left?
Those of love
Compassion
Friendship and hope? -or simply-
That we must continue on
Knowing time may never tell

---------------------------------------------------------

$2.00 Milky Way

     At the same time every day, the same people walk by. Books in hand, packs on back, flurried emotions running wild across faces. But today is different. Rather than enjoying my afternoon break between chemistry and English by watching the chaos unfold in the student union building, I am distracted by Professor Hinks. He is the most unusual little man. No doubt all those chemicals and gone-wrong experiments over the years have had some beating on him. Today, however, he is not having his usual problems with confused, immature freshman, but instead the vending machine.
     “Blast you, you stupid contraption!” Blared Hinks, with a little twist of his face that nearly forced the spectacles off the tip of his nose.
     The machine took no offense to this, and stood still, with a small ‘beep’ informing Hinks that he owed $.75 for his selection.
     “Seventy-five cents? Baloney… I already gave you a dollar!” said Hinks, angrily poking at the change return button, to which the machine responded only with a scrolling message of ‘Thank you, come again!’ Looking around for any witnesses, Hinks cursed under his breath as he quickly consulted his watch and withdrew his wallet from the back of his worn khaki pants.
     “Happy now?” Shoving the crisp new bill into the machine. - $1.00 Credit – Stepping back to assure himself of his choice, Hinks’ beady blue eyes scrolled across the rows of overpriced snacks. A1 Snickers, C8 Doritos, D3 Chocolate Chip Cookies… Finally, coming to a conclusion Hinks carefully pushed B, then glancing back to be sure, firmly pressed five. The machine, taunting Hinks, seemed to take a lifetime as it processed the dollar bill and then began to dispense the Milky Way… then stopped. With a look of disbelief Hinks dropped down closer to the machine, only inches from his precious candy trapped on the opposite side of the plexi-glass. Again, as if knowing the perfect timing, the machine proudly displayed ‘Thank you, come again!’ Rising up to his full, and not incredibly impressive height, Professor Hinks challenged the machine, cursing all the while. It almost appeared as if Hinks was expecting the machine to uproot and step outside to handle the situation.
     With a final grunt of defeat Hinks kicked his small worn loafer into the front of machine, which still held captive his now $2.00 candy bar, then turned sharply on his heel and hurried off to his afternoon Chemistry lecture. Moments after his dramatic exit the machine with a slight thud dropped the candy, and a shiny quarter with it.



The Thoughts and Sayings of Preschoolers ~ Volume I

I've always loved children and working with them.  While there are definitely trying times, paint and glue filled hair, migraine inducing shrieks and stressful situations... I usually think of my job as fun rather than work.  Working with kids also has it's perks, mostly in the joy that just oozes out of them.  Their smiles are contagious, their laughter is healing and their creativeness is limitless.  From this creativeness and imagination comes some of the greatest quotes that I've ever heard.  I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have!


As a little boy walks past a girl building a tower of blocks, the tower falls down. "Thanks a LOT" - girl
"You're welcome!" - boy
"I didn't really mean it.  I was being sarcasmical, gosh." - girl

On April Fool's Day, preschoolers are out in force!
"Good morning, ______" - me
"I wet my pants!!! [.5 second pause] Just kidding!  April Fools!!!" - girl
"Oh, you almost got me!" - me
"Hey teacher..." - girl
"Yes, ______?" - me
"You wet your pants!!! [.5 second pause] Just kidding!  April Fools!!!" - girl

Frantically running into the classroom from the bathroom...
"TEACHER!!!!  Somebody forgot their poop in the bathroom!" - boy
[seeing, after being pulled into the bathroom to investigate, that someone had simply forgotten to flush the toilet] "Oh, it's okay.  We'll just flush it and you can go then." - me
"But Teacher, somebody FORGOT their poop!" - boy

Preschoolers aren't always as discrete with personal information as parents might hope.
"Mommy's new boyfriend had to go to jail!  But he's okay, because they have tv and chips." - girl

After hearing another girl talking about jail...
"At Wal-Mart I saw these boys going to jail with the police" - Girl 2
"Well, sometimes people do things they're not supposed to and they have to go take care of things" - Other Teacher
"Ya, like going across the street or talking to strangers!  OR going to a friend's house without asking!" - girl 2

During our daily craft project, making a monkey.
"Okay, next you're going to draw a big smiley face!" - me
"No....... I'm going to draw a sad face." - boy
"Why is he sad?" - me
"Because he has to eat bananas, and bananas are gross!" - boy

During another craft project.
"Teacher Rene' are you going to do this project with your kids at home?" - girl
"Well, I don't have kids" - me
"But you're married." - girl
"Yes, I'm married, but I don't have any kids." - me
"You don't like kids?!?" - girl
"I like kids.  I love all of you!  I just don't have any of my own." - me
"You should go home and get kissed so you'll have kids.  That's what my mommy did." - girl

...When my dad is 'just thinking out loud'

I have a running joke that when my dad says the phrase "I'm just thinking out loud" it more often than not has a direct impact on my life.  I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but definitely something you have to prepare for.

The most recent occurance was at the beginning of this year.  It was about a month after my grandmother's stroke and we were dealing with the aftermath; rehab, sorting through belongings, finding the right new home for her, and my dad working out all of the details with bills, insurance and the works.

After speaking with the representative for my grandmother's home owner's insurance company one day my dad and I were talking about everything and 'the words' came out of his mouth (dun dun dunnnnn) "Now, I'm just thinking out loud"... and it was then suggested that Dustin and I move into my grandmother's old house.  The suggestion came because under the requirements for my grandmother's insurance the house couldn't sit vacant or the insurance would be lifted significantly.  Dad's thought process?  Grandma's house with no tennant, grandma can't move back in, insurance deadline, Dustin and Rene' living in apartment, Dustin and Rene' could live in house instead, house no longer would be empty, insurance fine again!  Easy right?  Not so fast....

There was a lot of work that needed to be done to the house before Dustin and I could move in, or even consider it.  My grandmother was a smoker for many years which had saturated the house.  That combined with the age of the home made our to-do list pretty lengthy.  Long story short, we replaced and/or updated just about every room in the house, put in new flooring throughout and painted every ceiling and wall (several times)!

So, here is a small preview of the updates to the house... before and after  : )



Living Room



Bathroom

Guest Bedroom

Our Bedroom

Kitchen

There's still a lot of work to be done... but the big things are out of the way!  So for now, we are enjoying our new home, all the extra space, and ability to host get togethers and weekend guests!  : )

Mister Porter Man

After many many months of sighing at cute pictures of fuzzy little puppies on tv and pouting during drives past the pet store, Dustin 'gave in' and agreed to let me look for a puppy.

Things had finally fallen into place enough for us to look for a new member of our family.  We were no longer in an apartment that required us to pay a $400 deposit; which also limited the size of the puppy we could get.  We had moved and settled most of our things into the house, and only had limited painting left to do.  AND being in Burbank meant having less things to entertain me, and working half days gave me lots of time.  I also was on a 2 week break from work, which would give the puppy time to become familiar with us and the house before having to be left alone for a few hours a day.

The search began!  I'm not sure if Dustin knew quite what he was getting into!  I would search craigslist, the paper, and local shelter websites daily... multiple times a day!  We had always talked about what breeds we liked, but we hadn't decided what we were definitely looking for.  Although, I had decided that whatever puppy we were looking for, it had to be adorable and give us the warm fuzzies.

After almost a week of looking, I stumbled across a posting by a local woman on Craigslist.  Her story broke my heart.  Her husband worked with a man who lived just outside city limits on a farm.  Because he lives in a fairly remote area that is not well traveled it made a good place for horrible people to abandon their unwanted pets or new puppies.  This is what had happened.  A full litter of puppies had been dumped on his property.  He tried taking them to a local no-kill shelter to be adopted out, but was told that he didn't live in city limits so they "didn't service his area" and wouldn't take the puppies.  When the woman found out what had happened she took in all 7 of the puppies and took care of them until she could find them good homes to go to.

When I responded to the ad she said that there were two puppies left.  Based on the coloring of the puppies in the litter, she believed that they were a Boxer/Rotty mix.  There was a boy that was mostly black with a lightening bolt of white on his chest, and a girl that was mostly black with some brown coloring as eyebrows and on her chin and feet.  We arranged a time to go see the puppies, intending to pick up the little boy!

Once we got to the home, we were told that there were actually three puppies available and were introduced to the third puppy.  He was the most adorable little thing!  He was also mostly black, but had much more rotty coloring than the other two puppies that were available.  He was also such a mellow little thing and just wanted to lick you head to toe and sit in your lap.  I couldn't walk away without him!  We took him back to the house and introduced 'Porter' to his new home!

Our first night was not as easy and painless as we'd hoped!  (You know how tv shows just show a little girl walking into her bedroom with a brand new puppy and then moments later they fall asleep snuggling close together........ lies!  All lies!) -- Porter wanted nothing to do with sleeping.  He quickly made friends with the puppy food and new bed that we bought for him, but was too anxious to sleep for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time.  After hours of me getting in and out of bed to lay by him and get him back to sleep Dustin grabbed a sleeping back and camped out on the floor next to Porter's bed for the rest of the night.  And did I mention that Porter snores?  He and Dustin get along together so well!  Although if they both fall asleep before me, I have a symphony of snores to lull me to sleep.

We've now had Porter for about a month and a half and can't believe how fast it's gone, how much he's grown and how much we love him!  He truly is the best puppy in the world!  Since we've had him he's only made 2 messes in the house, both because we weren't paying enough attention when he stood at the door waiting for us to let him out.  He has been wonderful to train, too!  He can even do a few tricks!

We couldn't be happier with the new addition to our little family and can't wait to see what other adventures we get ourselves into!