Literally. One half of my face is completely numb. I just got a cavity filled. That's what I get for not going to the dentist for 2.5 years. But I sure am grateful for dental insurance! Thank you Brookwood for providing for us!
Wow. Two posts in two days. It must be my loyal readers' lucky day. :) Here are some pics from my recent trip to Brasstown Valley for a conference. It was my first attempt at shooting waterfalls with a slow shutter speed. Probably not as sharp as they could be, but I didn't have a tripod (why is it that you always need a tripod when it's most inconvenient to use one- like on a hiking trip?) Enjoy!
(by the way, you can click on any of the pictures and it will take you to my flickr page- sometimes my pictures get cut off with my blog format.)
We've had an exciting week over here. After some feedback after a home inspection, we decided to bite the bullet and put a new roof on the home. I think it looks pretty good, don't you? It's amazing how much money you can spend in one day. And those poor roofers, working in triple digits in Macon, GA...
In other news, here are some pictures from the last several weeks. First some home photos...
Basil from my garden
Hydrangeas from my garden
Dogs at the dog park...
In other news, I have lots of friends that are living in cities that are rated the "Best places to live" (i.e. Huntsville, AL, Auburn, AL) Well, Macon was recently selected as having the BEST tasting water in America. So there.
Probably not to you, but this little dog has some demons living inside her. They tend to rear their ugly heads when a) the neighbors are shooting their guns (yes, we live in middle Georgia) b) Scott is on the lawn mower c) we go to the dog park d) when we leave her and she doesn't want to be left. She will shake, drool, pant and run on doors or generally try to escape from where she is. She has some serious "separation anxiety."
First of all, we've been dealing with a lot of crazy scenarios lately. LONG story, but hopefully we can update you on what's going on in our lives soon. Well, we've been noticing that Anna (our lab mix) has been gaining weight, been more aggressive/moody and her hair has been falling out. I told Scott that I felt like she was insecure because he's been gone so much and she's basically his dog. Being a concerned owner, Scott self-diagnosed her online with a thyroid problem. We decided to take her to the vet and we brought Lexie with us (because we are afraid of what she will do to the house if we leave her alone-she's that crazy and destructive.)
Scott obviously should have been a vet because he was right about Anna's diagnosis. Now she is on a thyroid medicine AND some supplemental fatty acids. We love our dogs. :) While at the vet, I decided to ask her about Lexie and her separation anxiety. Did you know they make anti-anxiety pills for dogs? I didn't! The vet gave us a month's supply of Reconcile, a separation anxiety drug for dogs. The funniest part was when the vet brought us the literature for the drug and there's a sad looking beagle on the front next to a chewed up rug and torn up door. We laughed with the vet and said that most of our doors look just like that!
I'm excited to see what the results will be with Lexie! And with all the stuff going on with us, I may have to sneak a couple of those chewable, beef-flavored pills for myself.
So we've been showing the house a lot more lately...the market is really picking up (at least in Macon..) Here's how a typical house showing goes:
1) I get a phone call from a real estate agent or ours asking if they can show my house at a certain time
2) I rush home from work to do a quick clean of the house
3) I load ALL the animals up in my car and go for a "joyride" while the potential buyers look at the house
Luckily I have a gate in the back of my car that separates me from the dogs. It's funny, the dogs have really become conditioned to this life. As soon as I run through the house with room spray, they run to the garage door knowing full well that I'm about to let them in my car! (They also go nuts when I put on tennis shoes- it means they are going for a walk. Scott makes fun of me for this because this is the only time I put on my tennis shoes!) Dogs are so perceptive...
Anyway, lately we've added another element to the mix: Rasputin, the new kitty. I have been taking him with me on these joyrides because I'm afraid he'll get outside during the showing.
Here's a picture of my laid back kitty just chilling with me in the front seat this afternoon. How many cats would do this?
I thought I would share a snapshot from one of my crazy days!
Today at church, Scott and I sang this great song by Lady Antebellum, an up and coming country group. The song is called "One day you will"... a great song about dealing with and overcoming adversity. Since this was our last Sunday in a series on Job, it seemed like an appropriate song. I thought I would share it with you guys...some of you could use a "pick me up" I'm sure.
One Day You Will...Lady Antebellum
You feel like you're falling backwards Like you're slippin' through the cracks Like no one would even notice If you left this town and never came back You walk outside and all you see is rain You look inside and all you feel is pain And you can't see it now
[Chorus] But down the road the sun is shining In every cloud there's a silver lining Just keep holding on (just keep holding on) And every heartache makes you stronger But it won't be much longer You'll find love, you'll find peace And the you you're meant to be I know right now that's not the way you feel But one day you will
You wake up every morning and ask yourself What am I doing here anyway With the weight of all those disappointments Whispering in your ear You're just barely hanging by a thread You wanna scream but you're down to your last breath And you don't know it yet
[Repeat Chorus]
Find the strength to rise above You will Find just what you're made of, you're made of
[Repeat Chorus] One day you will Oh one day you will
I hope you enjoy. By the way, I give Lady Antebellum 5 stars in the Carmen rating system. Every song on their album is amazing. Get a copy!
It has been a bad year for the Ledbetters/Copelands in terms of animals. First, my childhood dog, Belle (a beautiful golden retriever named for Belle from Beauty and the Beast) got to the point where my parents had to decide to put her down. Then my cat, Gorbachev, was killed by a coyote in my back yard. A couple of weeks ago, the dog that my sister and I adopted from a sorority sister at Auburn also had to be put to sleep. Gracie was a mutt in all sense of the word, but it was if she KNEW she was given a second chance at life and she never gave us or my parents a moment's trouble. She was only 9 years old, but we think she had cancer.
My sister Megan called me on Saturday and told me that my parents had put our childhood cat, Mada, to sleep that morning. Mada was given to my sister on her 15th birthday (June 10, 1995) by her boyfriend, Adam (Mada is Adam spelled backward.) Mada quickly established herself as my mother's cat. Whenever my mom sat down, Mada was in her lap, contentedly purring. She brought my mother (and all of us) much joy throughout the years. She was 14 years old and was in full kidney failure. (side note: I'm sure glad they don't put people down when they are in full kidney failure!) :)
After Gracie died, my mother and I were commiserating on the phone and tearfully my mom says, "Why do we put ourselves through this?" At the time, I couldn't agree with her more. I had just lost Gorby and was grieving him and Gracie. But the thought of life without domestic animals doesn't appeal to me. When I've had a horrible day at work with humans, I know that my animal family will love me unconditionally and cheer me up. There's nothing like being the greeted at the door by slobbering tongues and wagging tales... they always bring a smile to my face. With all the problems that animals bring,(i.e. immobility, unclean house, "accidents", vet bills, and short lives to name a few) they also bring a pure and simple joy. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.
