Jada our Foster ‘Child’

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Jada our Foster 'Child'

Meet Jada. (My Miss Mia is the black blob she is laying on) Little Jada is 6 months old and came to us from a friend who’s daughter lost her place to live and so cannot care for her puppy. We have no idea if she will ever be able to take care for her again, but in the meantime we can provide a healthy, safe and disciplined environment for her.

I have always had humane society ‘adopted’ lab-shepherd mixes, Miss Mia is my 3rd This is my first experience training a different breed, let alone a pure bred pitbull. I am sad that pits have such a bad rap, and I am horrified at the culture of dog fighting that has taken a wonderful family dog and created a sense of fear over this breed. As a dog lover, I can’t bear to think of what people do in the name of making a buck. In my opinion, the two-legged animals that participate in that aren’t fit to be breathing air.

On the positive side: SHE IS SO SWEET!

She makes us laugh daily with her pogo stick legs. She literally springs straight up and down when excited, her little body just a-quivering with excitement. She has a tiny tongue that is just itching at every opportunity to roam free on anyone or thing in the vicinity. (we are working on that). She is smart as a whip, which is good for training, but also means she can outsmart me at times! She is loving and already devoted to my family. Unlike labs, who tend to bond to one member of the family, she is an equal opportunity lover.

I was worried that my 4 year old Mia might get a little jealous sharing attention. But our other lab-shepherd mix (who was 15) had to be put down this summer and I think she has been a little lonely. She seems to be fully enjoying the playful company of the puppy, as our older dog was more than a little grumpy in her old age and didn’t really want to ‘play’.

On a final note what I find just hilarious is that Miss Mia has a full sized bed she can sleep on, but it is this teeny tiny pink puppy bed that she is drawn to! Miss Mia is 75 lbs, but somehow she manages to curl up in to a small enough ball to squeeze on that to it!

A Tabletop of Memories

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A Tabletop of Memories

This afternoon the last remnants of Christmas were boxed up and put away.

I love setting up the tree every year and enjoying the ornaments all season long. Some people like their tree to match their decorations. Some people have concerns about little children, or pets. Some like a live tree, some an artificial. Some are attracted to tall spindly trees, some like them squat and fat. I enjoy them all, since each tree reflects the personality and character of both the individual, family and business.

In our home, we have a ‘family’ tree. (see Christmas Past) A few ornaments from my childhood, a few from my parents, one or two from a great grandmother, and a myriad collection from every year of our marriage and parenthood. It is part of a tradition I started on the first year of our marriage, an ornament to reflect the passing year.

One year we took the family on a Disney Cruise (highly recommended), so the ornament was a medallion from the ship. One year was a gold 3D City of Portland cityscape, in remembrance of my hometown which we had moved from that year. One of my favorites is the Christopher Radko ‘baby’ I found with my mother (top center) when were celebrating the birth of my oldest. One year, we had a giant ornament making part for my daughters and their friends. (the ’09 cinnamon ornament you see) A more recent collection included a clay miniature Army hat for my college freshman who had enrolled in ROTC, an angel for my youngest ‘angel’, a mini cigar box for hubby and a roll of sushi for me. This year, to honor our trip to the Hawaiian Islands, you see the snorkel gear and fins in the foreground.

Grandpa Bill adds to the collection, sending an ornament to the girls every single year. And every year, I pack away the ornaments for the girls to a special box designated ‘Girls Ornaments’. That way, when my daughters finally fledge the nest, they will have a Tree of Memories all their own.

This is just one of our family traditions. What traditions do you have? Ones that you will pass on to your kids? Try to find ones that last beyond the moment, ones that are part of an annual event. Ones that will hopefully cause your own children, and grandchildren, to pause and think about family and the memories you have created along the road of life.

 

Gluten Free Travel: Introduction

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I’m no spring chicken as I have 2 girls (now 17 & 19) who I had in my 30’s. Therefore, I was blessed with the opportunity to do some traveling before settling down after marriage. As memories come forth, inspired by current life, I’ll share some of those great adventures, but the ones that come to mind right now are from my childhood growing up on the west coast and visiting the Hawaiian Islands. 

My friends in the mid-west can understand the context of Hawaii, in that they ‘do’ Mexico. On the west coast, you ‘do’ Hawaii if you are able. Acapulco has gotten rather unsavory for families and Cabo San Lucas is expensive. Disneyland is not for everyone, Arizona is freakishly hot and dry. So, if you are able, you go to Hawaii. 

In the mid-west, the popular destination is Mexico, primarily Le Rivera Maya. Having lived in the mid-west now for over a dozen years, we have had fun planning Disney Cruises out of Florida to the Virgin Islands (when the kids were very little), Mexico multiple times in various locations, and the inevitable family visits to relatives in Arizona.(I swear, all old people retire in AZ) 

So, time came to plan our yearly winter get-a-way. You see, I have to get away from the frozen tundra mid-winter or I would perish, or be committed. Winters in the northern Mid-West are not only brutal, but obscenely long. Cabin crazy long. 

Hawaii was not my first thought, but I have a couple of friends on Facebook who live on the islands. Their constant posting of photos, the food they shared and the culture all reminded me of my trips as a youth and inspired me to seriously chat with hubby about a trip to the islands. You see, while as a native from the West Coast, I had grown up going to the islands, none of my family has ever been. So beginning back in the early summer negotiation talks went on with the family and hubby. Hawaii is no breeze to get to from the Mid-West. It’s expensive to fly, it’s a brutally long trip, and it’s expensive once you are there.  However, we had a secret card to play. My hubby has been flying extensively for going on 16+ years, and fortunately a majority has been with one airline. So accrued miles were plentiful enough to get us 4 first class tickets to Hawaii. Oh yes, we burned them ALL up baby!

I have a friend who is a travel agent, and she foubnd us up with some very reasonable (and CLEAN) condos and the plans were set. This however, is the first time since my daughter was diagnosed as gluten intolerant (and we have discovered recently dairy protein or dairy fat sensitive). I can think of worse issues to have, but I will confess, the islands are a challenge. You see, soy and breading are a big part of the food culture here. Many things that are not breaded have soy. Fish dishes you’d expect to be ok, have soy or contain flour.

So this is the introduction to our families journey, gluten free traveling. I hope others can benefit from it. 

 (part 1: coming shortly)