I have to rehome my fur baby

I have to find a new home for Griffin.

A lot of thought, discussions, tears, and the conclusion is that I need to do what is best for my dog. Don't get me wrong I love him dearly though he is not getting the right amount of attention he needs and I cannot afford another dog to keep him company. I would love for him to go to a household that has at least one playful dog to help maintain his energy and someone that is consistent with training.

Here are some basic info: He is just over a year old, a lab/boxer mix on the medium-large side, mostly black with a white belly and white feet, super soft coat on the short side, current on all vaccinations, neutered, and will come with a lot of toys. He is not free, I will ask for a small payment, but I will be screening families to find the best fit for him. I will be candid about all of his personality quirks, what training we have done, his pluses and minuses. He is a love bug, but can be a jerk at times. Is good with children (loves to knock them over if there is food in their hand), good with other dogs, but absolutely cannot be in a house with cats/birds/etc. He has a high prey drive and thinks they are things to chase. Maybe with time he can be better around cats, but who knows.

I would prefer to give him a new home and not take him back to the shelter since I think he would regress and make future adoption difficult. If you know anyone that would like a great dog that needs a bit of work (he is crazy smart, but very stubborn), you can contact me, meet him, and decide for yourself if he will make your life a bit more fun. Please share this to anyone that is looking to add to their pack.

2015, please be good to me this year.

Wow, it's been a whole year since I have posted anything on this blog.  A lot has happened this past year both good and some not so great.  Some things on my goal list were checked off and some weren't, but overall I am making progress to be a better person.  Now I need to get into the habit of writing more, sharing some recent experiences, and open my heart up once again.

I will state once again that I do not like resolutions, I think they are silly and easily broken.  Goals and promises have such weight to them that you don't want to break them.  So to start the year below are my goals & promises for 2015.  

2015 Aspirations, Goals & Promises

• This is a constant in my life, but I want to be a mother soon so I need to start with a healthy mindset and subsequent body.  So my first goal is to lose a pound a week for all of 2015.  If I lose more, fantastic!  Though by the end of the year I should be 50 lighter and more comfortable in my skin again.
• Go to Seattle!  Yes, my dearies this is the year I go.  Summer sound good for you Erin and Katie?
• Get into a routine of walking daily, gym a couple of times a week, and dragging my dad and/or sister with me.  
• Get my dog a new home.  Long story with this guy, but I have concluded he needs someone that isn't me.  I will write more about this decision later.
• Be social; sounds kinda funny to make this a goal though I have been such a homebody for so long in part due to anxiety and depression.  Part of the reason I haven't been losing weight either.
• I want to be in a relationship that has the potential for more.  I'm done dating, it's exhausting in it's own right.  I want the chaos that comes with having my own family.
• Find a better career.  I really like doing hair, I really do.  Admittedly this industry is cut throat and I am not aggressive enough for it.  Something with stable hours and benefits would be nice.  

Some of this is a carry over from last year, but aren't we all a work in progress?  I do hope my friends and family help me keep accountable for my actions while supporting me in all I do.  Love you all and wishing you a great upcoming year.

It's a new year, so it will be a new me.

I've come to the conclusion that I am not terribly fond of resolutions.  Goals on the other hand are an amazing thing and have come up with several for this year including goals for health, companionship, and happiness.

My 2014 Goals

* To travel more: including seeing the Carter family in England, the Winters family in Seattle, the Lenox family in Puerto Rico, and more of my wonderful family in southern California.

* Reduce my credit card debt and pay off my balance monthly.

* Be on time, to anything.

* Break a sweat by working out at least 5 times a week.

* Start dating again

* Find a place I can call home.  Seriously I want to relocated from Sacramento to just about anywhere else.  I am preferring Seattle area or somewhere in New England.

* Start a project and finish it in a timely manner.

* Lose 50 pounds or more.

These are my goals so far this year.  I truly hope I can accomplish all of them and if I can find some supreme willpower I think I will.  Please dear friends make me accountable for my actions and show some support.

Steampunk Christmas

We (as in I) told mom and dad that we needed to change the theme this year for Christmas.  So I came up with Steampunk and they are fully behind it.  There were a couple of fun nights of family crafting to change up boring ornaments and make them more personal.  And the bonus is that I will keep them for my own tree for the future.  Muhahaha!  Oh, sorry did that get revealed?  Hope you enjoy some of our creations.

Awkward

Why are holidays so awkward?

I posted on Facebook that being in your 30's, single during the holidays sucks.  I got lots of "enjoy it while it lasts" or "someone will come along" and occasionally "ditto".  I should have been a bit more specific when I was posting that thought.  Out of all my siblings I am the only single one which at the dining table or family functions makes me the odd man out.  To top it off I am the eldest so it seems like a bit of a blow to the ego when all of my younger siblings have someone they can bother on a daily basis.

Don't get me wrong, I love my life!  I have some awesome friends, my family  absolutely rocks, and when needed I have pillows to cuddle up to at night.  There is just something about this time of year that when you are single that makes public events uncomfortable.  Guess I just need to embrace the awkward.

2011 Family Pics

Punishment

I try my best to stay positive, happy, and to a degree non-personal about what is going on around me though lately it feels like I am being punished for crimes against friendship that I am pretty sure I didn't violate.  I am talking about incidents that happened years ago, though I am still the one being punished.

I just don't get it.  

I am the constant, the one that is always there, the one that will do anything for my friends, but I am the one being ignored.  Maybe it's because I don't flatter people's egos, I probably give too much and get taken advantage of which I am aware of.  (Also, been fighting a huge bout of loneliness lately since ending a previous relationship that looking back on I wasn't quite ready for).  Maybe I am reading too much into the non-actions of friends or maybe not.  Facebook can be an awesome thing and sometimes it can be very cruel.  Great if you want to torture yourself with "that could have been me" mentality.  I guess what I am trying to state it that I feel like Colonel Branden in Sense & Sensibility; always well thought of, has high regard, though no one actually wants around.

I know I was going to try to be more positive, but you can only hold so much before it spills out.  I really should go see a therapist.

Privacy

I think I will be pulling back from talking about my love life.  Mostly because it seems to cause issue with the person I am currently seeing, but also since not everyone needs to know what is going on in my private life.  So from now on I will only post about hair, fashion, make up, projects and highlights of my family life.  Think that pulling back in general is a good idea and therapeutic in many ways. :)