Alice in Wonderland

I can not post this without giving away something very important about myself. I am a dork. Ok, you probably already know that. I believe I am the last known person in the free world who is not on face book.

Unfortunately, I am also in marketing, and the "old school" marketing I practice needs a facelift. So, tasked with getting my organization into the 21st Century, I put myself on Facebook today for the first time.

I have to confess, I am not up for this task. They make it so easy to get an account, you just reveal a few pieces of information. And then suddenly you are hit with a barrage of information about all the people you know. Ok, technically, I only have 14 friends, but that means I am completely overwhelmed by info from just 14 (and I realize that many many people have 'friends' numbering in the thousands). How do you keep up?

First things first, I asked my boss. She explained that the barrage was a news feed, and that what I had to concern myself with was the wall. Wall, ok, I can find a wall. Unfortunately, people can change my wall. I got a note from Celina, hurray, I found it. I actually think I successfully posted back to her wall. So far so good.

Then I got too ambitious. I wanted to upload a picture. While I was doing that, this little red number in the corner of my screen kept going up. Curious, I hovered my mouse over the number, up popped a list of notifications, all demanding my attention. I don't know how to attend to these things. Seriously, I am out of my element. This is bad, I am just clicking things now.

So, if you see me on Facebook, feel free to drop a note. Or not. Chances are, I am pretty far away from actually being able to reliably do anything about it. Do you know there are people who actually hold down full time jobs AND are on facebook? That is my hero list.

ChickBits

As we were driving home the other day:

Elspeth: Mommy, can we make bad people good?

Me: We can try, Honey.

Elspeth: Mommy, whose job is it to make bad people good?

Me: Hmmmm (vaguely, wondering if the car in front of me was going to turn left, and if I should switch lanes and only half paying attention to Ella).

Elspeth: (firmly)Jesus

Me: What?

Elspeth: It is Jesus' job to make bad people good. God's too.

Me: Well, yes Honey I think you are right.

Elspeth: (as an afterthought) Although I don't think he is doing his job because he is in our walls

Nina the Wonder Dog

It has taken me nearly a week to be able to post about Nina.

It is a very hard thing, to choose to end another living beings life. I think it is harder with a dog like Nina, who never did anything but love our family.

Before we had kids, she was my great protector. More than one strange man backed away slowly when Nina let him know that he was not welcome within leash range. I will never forget the Jehovah's witnesses who tried to concentrate on our conversation, but could only nervously stare at my chocolate dog, who was barely listening to my command of "down." Noticeably they watched her entire body twitch with anticipation of the second I freed them. She seemed to be calculating the distance to their jugulars.

When I was pregnant and cold, she spent countless hours cuddled with me on the couch. When I brought home my first born, she considered Elspeth her first born too. Howling at me whenever the baby cried, at one point standing over Elspeth in the bathroom doorway and barking at me to take care of this child. NOW!

She patiently let all children manhandle her ears, her tail, her nose. Letting the fascination all children have with dogs, work itself out as she endured countless pokes and tugs. More than one parent misinterpreted my anxiety when their child was around Nina as fear for their child. Really, I feared for Nina around children because she would never defend herself, she would not even get up and leave the room as our older, crankier dog will do.

In the end, I know the truth. That Nina would have laid her life down for mine. That she is the dog that would jump in front of a bullet, tackle a robber, deal with evil if it crossed the path of our family. Some dogs bark a lot, but Nina quietly stalked you. She sent a shiver up any unwanted visitor's spine, being simultaneously complete patience with us and absolutely a predator to outsiders.

She has been very sick for a very long time. We have known that the disease she had would eventually claim her life. We knew this, but making the call was more difficult that I expected. When do you know it is time.

In typical Nina fashion, she even made the call for us, giving up in the end so that it would be easier on us to say goodbye. Her final night, as we realized what we must do, we took turns sitting vigil by our amazing chocolate wonder dog.

It will be a long time before Jeremy and I won't miss the constant activity. Even with two children under 5, it feels calmer at our house without Nina. I wonder if the neighbors have noticed she is gone. She spent hour after hour stalking their house, staring at them with unblinking eyes in a menacing way. Just so she could howl the minute he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette, our own self-appointed anti-smoking coalition.

How do you say goodbye to such a dog?

One quieter day at a time.

Nina "Dingo Dog" August, 2000 - April, 2009

Easter Surprise!

Instead of eggs, we found family on our doorstep arriving home from church Easter morning. We got to spend some precious time with our niece and nephews, and watch our children bond with other Henn chicks too.

Where will we live?

Many weeks ago Elspeth insisted that we would live in our house, just in Arizona. When we told her someone else would live in our house, she got troubled.

"Where will we live?"

"In a different house, in Arizona, with all our stuff, especially your toys."

"Is someone building a house for us in California?"(our child is convinced we are going to California, not Arizona)

"I hope so Honey."

Elspeth thought for a moment.

"Jesus is building a house for us in California. So he can live in the walls there." 4-year-old logic, if we can't see him, but he is in our house, he must be in the walls.

John 14:1-3 (NIV)
John 14
1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God;trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Spring Parties!!!

Pretty Women

What else should they do with Mommy's birthday card?

Two adults, two children, two dogs Free to Good Home

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it. --Rabindranath Tagore

I laugh when my house annoys me. Soon it will be someone else' problem. Now we move on to phase 2, subletting a place for the summer . . .

Life is an adventure after all.