Call me Old Fashioned...

I may be old fashioned, but I would like to think that I am not alone when I say "What the hell happened to personal respect and honor"? I know, I know, I sound like my grandparents. I guess maybe they were right after all!

When I was a kid, you could shake someone's hand while making a deal and you knew it was set in stone. For the more important things you could pinkie swear or if it was of utmost importance, the dreaded spit swear. I always hated that one. BLECH!

In today's world, people will lie boldly to your face. I will take care of that right away or don't worry, I will handle this or that. When you check back in, they act like they have no idea of what you are talking about. I would think that customer service would be at an all time high rather than a historic low. With as many places that offer the same services, wouldn't they want to do everything to keep your business?

Or, is it because customers have no loyalty any longer that businesses don't try to keep you coming back for more? Try posting an ad on Craigslist and see what you get. Yes, I am on my way right now - and they never show up nor do they call to say they aren't really on their way.

What happened to corrupt our moral centers so badly that businesses no longer care if we continue to shop there or use their services? Is it us? Is it them? Maybe a combination of the two?

The worst part is that it takes me more than one hand to count all of the horrible service experiences I have had THIS YEAR! I would average it to at least one per month. On top of poor service, you have to watch everything like a hawk to make sure you aren't getting ripped off as well. Hmmph...!!!

All for naught...

Last night's special delivery could not have gone better. Well, the only way it would have been better is if I didn't have to deliver one cute and very sweet boy to his new family, but that is what we were doing and for that, it went very well.

We got home pretty quickly, loaded up Peanut and off we went. We were blessed by the traffic gods and made it all of the way across the world in just about an hour. Peanut even managed to hold in his cookies the whole way. He tends to get car sick so we were a little worried. I think my daughter was a little more worried than I was because that end was in her lap the entire trip.

When we arrived, the new family had their dogs outside so they could meet Peanut in a calm environment. They immediately fell in love with him and he looked pretty happy to meet them as well. Then we brought in the first moose - I mean Golden Retriever. He was a great big boy, but relatively calm so that meeting went pretty well. After about 30 minutes we introduced the second Golden Retriever and that was touch and go. He was much younger and jumped up and down and all around. There was a lot of growling and baring of teeth. Nobody got bitten so it was all good.

After about an hour everyone calmed down and started to act like Peanut had always been there and was nothing new. Whew! The new owner called me today to report that everyone is friends now and Peanut seems pretty happy. He was looking for us out the door, but that is to be expected.

When I got up this morning, the first thing I noticed was the lack of his little, smiling face and his wagging tail waiting for me to pet him. This is hard, but I know in my heart it is the right thing for him and for us. I know it will be even harder the first time my daughter is with her dad and I come home to an empty house.

His new mom said she would call me on Sunday to give me an update and that anytime I wanted to call her and check on him I could. She also told me that Peanut is exactly what they was looking for and how thankful they are that we agreed to let them have him. Talk about a humbling experience!!

I am still very sad over the whole ordeal, but my guilt has been lessened. The love and care he will get in his new home will surpass anything I would be able to provide for him at this time. I could feel the love in the new home the moment I walked in the door and it brought peace to my heart. Thank you God for helping me to place Peanut with the right family!!

Peanut...

Now that I have managed to get over the guilt of finding Charlie a new home, I received a call from a family that wants Peanut. I left his listing out on Petfinder because I wasn't sure if finding a new home for Charlie would cure the constant marking issue or not. It was a wait and see type of scenario.

The first day, there was marking but after that it seemed like it stopped for a few weeks, UNTIL...I was laying on the floor doing sit ups in the living room. Yes, I really was. No, this wasn't a one time thing. I try to do my sit ups every night. Not that it really makes a difference. I guess I should try doing 1,000 instead of 100...LOL! Anyways, back to my story. I was laying on the floor doing sit ups (stop laughing!) and I smelled a very strong urine odor. The carpets had all been cleaned and the furniture had all been wiped off so I knew this was not old stuff from before. I followed the scent over to my love seat and it stunk to high heaven. Peanut was not marking on the walls anymore, but he was still marking my love seat. A LOT! I turned it over and it was so gross I almost gagged. Needless to say I decided that it was best to leave his listing up.

Weeks have gone by since then and I was actually wondering a few days ago if anyone would ever ask for him. Well, Tuesday I got an e-mail. We want Peanut, is he still available? I was really glad it was an e-mail and not a call because I had to decide all over again if I was still willing to give Peanut to another family. My daughter is still a little upset about Charlie. She mentions him from time to time and tears up if she looks at his pictures. I began wondering if this would be the right thing to do or not. Would she be okay losing both of the dogs? So I asked her. She said she would miss Peanut but she understood why he needed to go to another family and asked again if we could revisit the idea of a puppy when summer was over.

Again, part of me feels like a rat-fink for adopting these dogs only to find them new homes later. I understand that they become emotionally attached to their people and to be taken to a new home with new owners and never see their previous people again isn't fair to them. I also know that coming home to marking on the furniture (Oh and on my daughter's toys - guessing there is more than a little resentment there) is not going to work for me and my family. This is NOT a potty training issue. I know how to potty train a dog. This is an instinctual issue that can't be over come without being home 100% of the time and even then, he will wait until you are in the shower.

I have read books, I have consulted professionals and have searched for hours on the Internet for some magical solution but have yet to find something that doesn't require a diaper. I can't leave him in a urine soaked diaper for 11 hours each day while I am at work either. This is why Charlie went to a home with a SAHM and the new situation for Peanut will turn out to be very similar. An older lady that works part time and is home a lot. She has other dogs so Peanut will have some friends to play with, but he is to be HER dog and she has always wanted a smaller lap dog. You provide the lap, Peanut will be in it before you are done sitting down. It is a perfect situation for both of them.

As you can tell I have already decided we will be taking Peanut to his new home tonight. I am also taking my daughter with me so this time she can say goodbye. I fully expect tears and devastation on the way home. They won't all be from my daughter either. I really do love Peanut, but not enough to continue the madness.

I know I am going on and on here but I am attempting to get it all out of me so I won't keep rolling it around in my brain. Peanut deserves a better owner than I am capable of being for him. I don't know that his new person will do any better of a job than I am doing, but I am going to have to go with the assumption that she will. She will be home more, he won't be competing with any children for attention and he will have a person that WANTS him to sit in her lap constantly.

I have gotten a couple of updates on Charlie and his new people keep saying how wonderful he is and how well he is doing there. It helps me to believe that maybe these boys weren't meant to be with me forever, just for awhile. Peanut was very food agressive and didn't do well with anyone in his face when I got him. Now he just stops eating and stands still if you come by his bowl. You can even pet him while he is eating and the neighbor kid put their face right up to his and Peanut licked him instead of growling.

Now I am not trying to say that I am the Dog Whisperer or anything like that. I am just saying that by being with me, both of these dogs were able to overcome some of the poor treatment they had received in the past. I love them both and always will. Now it is time for Peanut to go to his new person and get all of the love he deserves.

The world of conversion...

I haven't posted anything lately because I have been up to my armpits in a data conversion at work. I know, I know..B-O-R-I-N-G!!! That being said, I am trying to decide how many of my coworkers truly do not have a single brain cell in their head. What? You want the prices to convert with the item numbers at the same time? We didn't realize you wanted us to do that FOR you... Come on people.

Other than that drama, my life has been relatively simple. Pulled off my party without any issues. Everyone appeared to have a good time and nobody cried for 5 hours. Can you imagine a kid party without crying? I count that as a complete success. We didn't even break anything.

B.F. has finally gotten the ball rolling on his custody paperwork for his daughter (YEA) and everything seems to be going smoothly there as well.

My darling daughter has started Summer school at the church and she is a completely different kid. People just don't understand why this school is the one I would be willing to pay for. What's wrong with public school? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, except they took God out. The teachers can't hug the kids, they can't pray with them, they can't fellowship with them. All they are allowed to teach is their brains. I think I may resort to selling a kidney to get her in this fall.

When I went to pick her up on her last day of day care I asked her if she was going to miss her teachers and she said "nope". Was she going to miss anything about the school, "nope". She said she would be glad to not have to see her teacher anymore because her teacher is angry all of the time. UGH! Sounds like someone shouldn't have signed up to teach preschool...

I talked to her after her first day of Summer school and she was ecstatic. Her dad told me she bounced out of bed and was even happy when he woke her up. Of course, that was after just the first day but she went to the same Summer school last year and was that way all Summer. She loved school. She wanted to go every day. After three weeks at preschool, she said she hated school and didn't want to go anymore.

There is definitely a difference in the atmosphere. We will see how the rest of the Summer goes and the continued world of conversion for my darling daughter as well.

Ahhh...quiet

Spent the weekend preparing for, hosting and cleaning up after a summer splash party for a few of my neighbors and daughter's friends from school. Everyone had a great time and it was well worth all the trouble. My mother even said that she thought my party was very welled planned out and she had a great time. To which I will just have to say - I told ya so!

The darling daughter has just left for her Dad's for the next two days and the house is so quiet I can hear the dog breathing. Ahhhh...

Today is the one year anniversary of me and BF's first date. We are going to dinner - AFTER I am forced to sit in the blazing sun for an hour to watch his daughter's soccer game. I would love to skip it, but as a parent we all do things we don't want to. I am sure there will be some "thing" of my daughter's that he will be forced to go to in the future so I am paying it forward. LOL!

Now, onto some needed Zzzzzzzzzzz's...

White pants...

When you get up in the morning and decide - "I think I will wear my white pants today", think twice. No matter how careful you are, the pants will not be white by the end of the day.

Got to work this morning, put my water crack (Crystal Light) in my water and shook it up. Took off the cap, had a drink and put it down. Somehow, in less than 10 seconds, I forgot that I did all of these things, picked up the bottle a second time and attempted to shake it up sans lid. Pink water everywhere and especially on my "white" pants... (The good news about messing your white pants up first thing in the morning is that it takes the pressure off of you for the rest of the day!)

Growing up, I had a friend whose dad would come home from the dealership after buying a new car and immediately take a hammer and lightly ding one of the doors. At first I thought he was a lunatic until he explained to me that he knew the dings would happen eventually, this way any new dings weren't going to upset him.

How many days have I considered ruined after something like a stain on my white pants? Quite a few I am sorry to say. NO MORE!!

Nothing is perfect. No matter how hard I try to make each event the best I can, there will always be something that doesn't turn out as I had planned. It is MY choice as to whether or not I allow that something to change my mood from good to bad. Sounds like it is time for me to start choosing more wisely!

That and never buy another pair of white pants. LOL!

P.S. Had to share this lovely Art Fail from my daughter. This is supposed to be a tree and not something that requires a trip to the doctor for some penicillin.

Evidently I have YET to learn this lesson...

About a month ago, my daughter asked if she could have a party with a few of her friends from school. I thought 'hey, wouldn't that be a great idea'. Welcome to summer, end of school, a few kids, a casual event, easy-peezey-lemon-squeezy...

Boy was I wrong!!

The first problem is that no matter what I do, people in this day and age do not respond to the invitation to say 'yes we can make it' or 'sorry we won't be there'. Were you people born in a country devoid of etiquette? Just asking....

After 41 years, I should know better than to ask my dear, sweet Mother to help me with any type of party or event that I am hosting. Yet, I keep asking her. I don't know if that means I am a glutton for punishment or if I truly have lost my mind and should be committed. Evidently a back yard BBQ for 5 year olds is supposed to be hosted as if I were Martha "Freakin" Stewart.

Today she asks me if I plan to post an agenda for the party so people know what to expect. I just about fell out of my chair. An agenda?!! Um, let's see...there will be a splash pool, a sprinkler and some food. I think people will figure this out. If I throw an extra game in there for the kids, it might make someone freak out and leave, but I am okay with those consequences. An agenda, really? For 5 year olds? Might as well try my hand at herding cats.


Then we are on to 'What am I serving, how am I going to arrange the food, am I getting enough food for everyone, what are they going to drink" and on and on and on.... To which I politely responded that I have all of that under control and what I really needed her help with was to replenish supplies when they run low and help keep an eye on the splashers.

I can see her in my mind, hands on her hips, foot tapping, thinking to herself - this girl has no idea what it takes to host a party. Evidently the success of any party is in the details, or so I have been told.

Then comes the next round of questions, "What will you do if extra guests show up, who did you invite, why did you invite that person, did you think to invite this person, what about the people that haven't responded, you should leave another note at the school and ask the teachers to have the parents call you and will you make enough food in case they show up..."

I politely responded again, I have the party arrangements pretty much handled, all I need you to do is help replenish supplies and keep an eye on the splashers. "But are you sure you thought of everything?" Nope, you're right, I must have completely forgotten how to throw a party because evidently none of my parties have ever been successful and no, I didn't know the President was coming to the party because he didn't freakin' RSVP...