A Year without a Dear Friend

Yesterday, May 13, marked one year since my family had to put down our dog, Diesel. 

Diesel was the best dog. He was calm, well-mannered, and the quintessential idea of what a dog should be. He was the first dog that we owned for a really long period of time. We got him from a friend of a friend in 2003. When we got Diesel, I already had Hercules, so Diesel was truly my sister's dog. But he was such a sweet boy, and we were both young, so he was also regarded as another family dog. 

Brian and Diesel, one the road, when my family moved to a new home in 2011

Our family had never had a dog put down before. We usually would re-home them when we were moving and couldn't have a pet, or when they truly were not a good fit for our family situation. But we have never been through the death of a pet as a family. 

I remember so many of the details of that day. Only Daddy and I were home; Momma and my sister were still on their commute home from school. 

Diesel's health had been declining for quite some time now. The vet told us months before his death that he had liver cancer, but was happy and not in any pain. His happy demeanor and his joyful trot did not change one bit. He was always bee-bopping around the house, happy to see you. But he was rail thin, barely eating, and having accidents all the time. 

We had never really known just how old he was, but his nose and eyes had greyed rather rapidly over the last year.  

On this day, Daddy and I noticed Diesel trying to drink water from his bowl in the kitchen but he couldn't stand up. He kept pushing his nose into the wall and sliding down it. It was the most horrible thing I had ever seen. 

Daddy called our family vet to tell him the symptoms. He stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room, and then left the dining room for solitude on the front porch. When he returned to the kitchen, his eyes were filled with tears and he took several deep breaths before he spoke. After his pause, he told me that the vet told him to bring him in, that his time was coming. He took Diesel in his arms, hugged him, and quietly cried. 

Daddy called my momma and sister to have them meet him at the vet's office. I was getting ready to go to my second job, so I could not go with him. He left, with Diesel in his arms, through the garage door. 

My dog, Hercules, Diesel's lifelong playmate and friend, 

laid at the back door for days after that, whining and crying, 

wondering why his friend never came back through the garage door. 

It was just as hard to reconcile Diesel being gone as it was to see my little pup mourn the loss of his best friend. When he finally moved away from the door, he only moved to the living room, still keeping his eye on the the last place he saw Diesel. 

Diesel lived a full, great life. He got to run on the beach and swim in the ocean, he got lots of wet food from my momma, and he slept in the bed with my sister most every night. But that doesn't make things easier, because I am a human and I am selfish. I miss him. We miss him.

Animal-human bonds are strong. Research has shown that the death of a companion animal can be equally as devastating as the loss of a human significant other. 

Anyone who has lost a pet knows that the worst thing in the entire world that a person can say to to another who has just lost a pet is "Well it's just a dog", usually followed by "now you can get a new puppy!". 

That's when you have to resist the urge to punch people right in the face. 

Many people feel like the loss of a pet is not as worthy of acknowledgement as the death of a human. This can lead the person dealing with the loss to repress their sorrow and cause them to never fully grieve the loss of the pet. That's why it always still stings a little when you talk about losing your family pet. 

Animals, especially dogs, are so unlike humans. They are constant companions. They are non-judgmental, great listeners, and always happy to see you. A dog does not care how many days you've been without showering, how sick you are with the flu, or how many episodes of your favorite show you watch on Netflix in one sitting. A dog loves unconditionally. A dog is always there for you when you need him or her the most.  

We still miss you every day, sweet boy. 

To close, here's a great story I'm sure you've all read before. 

Children always just "get it", don't they? 

Much of the information about losing a pet in this blog post  can be found in this Washington Post article.

Thoughts on a Tuesday

Mondays are the first day of the week. 

Wednesdays are "hump day", when you know you've made it half way through the week. 

Thursday is one more day until Friday. 

Friday is...well we all know how fantastic Friday is. 

Saturday is the day off for many of us. 

Sunday is church day for some and a second Saturday for others. 

But...what is Tuesday? 

Tuesday was named after the the Norse god of single combat, victory, and glory.

Tuesday has the lowest percent of absenteeism at work and school at 11%.

According to a study done in 2005, Tuesday is the most productive day of the work week. I wonder if that's because they're aren't thinking about how terrible the day is like they are on Monday, or how antsy they are to get out of the office on Thursday and Friday. 

Me? Well I despise Tuesdays, for the very reasons listed above. It's just usually a "blah" day for me. Not good, not bad, just a day. 

Today, I'm headed home from work to whip up some cookie bars for the bake sale our school is having to raise money for a child who has liver cancer and is in need of a transplant. The school has been holding several fundraisers and have raised over $3,000! It's so amazing to see our school rally together to raise money for such a sweet child who is in such dire straits. Cancer {and anything or anyone else that could attack a child} is such an ugly, evil thing. 

Cancer is sad. So here's some sunny citrus fruit...

Here is a random, unrelated photo of oranges, taken at Jennings Citrus Stand in Florida. That orange juice is what they serve for breakfast in heaven. ALWAYS stop for citrus in Florida.

It's a full moon this week. In a school system, that means you're just trying to make it through the week. Kids are horribly effected by a full moon. The best children in the class who are usually calm and quiet are even wild and crazy. I'm really glad we did this craft the week before the full moon.  

This was our Mother's Day craft. So cute, and pretty easy to do! I always love hand crafts. I could imagine as a mother, it would be so precious to have their little tiny hands preserved forever!

I really love having such little kids in my class. I love Pre-K. If  I am able to stay in education when I move to Kansas, I would really like to find a place in Pre-K. They're so much fun, so innocent, and just so loving. I try to remind myself daily to see the beauty and the love in their faces. I'm not always good at it, sometimes my patience wears thin. But I love their little souls.

Sometimes I feel as if my lead teacher and I are the only ones who see the beauty in Pre-K. It seems like we are either an afterthought at our school, or we are despised. I hate that, because I think this is such an incredibly valuable program. It would be fantastic for every one of them to be able to stay home with their mommies until Kindergarten but that's not always realistic. In fact, it usually isn't. But also hate that people "don't get" Pre-K because these are my babies! I want everyone in our school to see their light the same way that I am able to see it everyday.
Here is a little thought on that for Tuesday.

 

Well there's a short, random post for you. I'm thinking tomorrow or Thursday, I will continue with my recommendations for beauty products. Comment and tell me if you would rather hear about my makeup and face faves or body & misc beauty faves!

Wedding Update!

Hello & Happy Monday! 

I couldn't quite figure out what exactly to blog about today. I have a few posts lined up but I have to gather photos and a few technicalities with those so of course the easiest and most fun thing to do is to update every one on the wedding plans! 

Brian & I are getting married in October in South Georgia. Whenever I tell anyone that, the first words out of their mouth is usually something along the lines of 
"WHEW!...that's gonna be hot!" 
Well...It might be. But it will be at the end of October, 
so hopefully once the sun goes down, it will be bearable. 

The venue we found is a DREAM! 
It's a little pecan grove, virtually in the middle of nowhere. 

Since I was a little girl, I've always told my parents I wanted to get married in a pecan orchard. If that's not the most southern wedding venue, then I don't know what is. It is gorgeous, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the owners of the venue.

We've chosen a relatively small wedding party. I will have three bridesmaids, a junior bridesmaid, and four "princess flower girls". My second cousin, Berkeley will be one of them, and she only accepted the position under the condition that she be a "princess flower girl", so that's where that title came from. Brian will have five attendants on his side, and his youngest nephew will be the ring bearer. 
Choosing attendants was an interesting task for us. We never how mush the wedding price goes up with each bridesmaid or groomsman you add. We would have loved to have all of our friends and loved ones up there with us but then there would be no one sitting in the congregation! So we decided to keep it small. 

We are going for a good ole southern wedding, no real "theme" or decorating style. Food wise-we're going with a backyard BBQ feel. Our colors are moss & lavender, with navy and chocolate as accent colors. Our two must haves were a photo booth and a live band. We chose the amazing Blues Factor Band. 

I'm just so excited about all of the planning that's already been done and the planning that is coming up! I recently met with our officiant, Dr. Vivia Fowler. She was the Dean of Wesleyan College in my time there as a student and has since been elevated to the Provost of the college. I also had the privilege of being in a few of her classes. She is a wonderful woman whom I admire and respect immensely. She also has this amazing speaking voice that is so calming, but also makes you want to listen closely so you never miss a word she says. I'm really thrilled to work with her and to get to work with Brian on our wedding ceremony liturgy. I'm still on the fence about readings and inserting songs in the ceremony, but I'm looking forward to getting that all worked out. We've got about six months to hammer out the details but I'm a planner so of course it is already on my mind. 

Today, with the help of our church's secretary, I printed our save the dates. It was the first tangible piece of the wedding puzzle, so I was thrilled to get my hands on them. I printed them on this great speckled paper that I'm completely in love with. I plan to address them this week/weekend and send them out next Monday! Can't believe we are already at this point in the game.  

We also worked on the details of getting my phone plan switched over to Brian's, which is super exciting because it means a new phone for me! 

I'm thinking a gold iPhone 5s-really excited about that! 

My dearest friend {and my bridesmaid}, Cheyenne, is coming in this weekend from DC, where she works as a scheduler for Representative Tom Price. We saw each other last month at Alumnae Weekend, but before that visit, it had been a year since we last saw each other. I can't wait for her to get here! She's taking the midnight train from DC to JAX, where we will spend some time with my matron of honor and one of my flower girls for lunch and some shopping in Jacksonville. I'm excited for Cheyenne to meet my matron of honor, Nikki, since they're both such cherished friends in my life. 

Saturday, it's off to take my dress for alterations. I'm so excited to have a reason to wear the dress again. Even though trying it on is a bit of work, I love wearing it and I love the way it fits me. I'm also excited for Cheyenne to see it and to get her input on it. 

Well that about sums up all of the things that come to mind when asked about or thinking about the process of planning the most exciting day of our lives! Please leaves comments if there's something you want to know that wasn't mentioned here. 

See you tomorrow!

{Weekend Post} Skin Cancer Awareness Month

Today's post is about something very close to my heart. 

About 20 years ago, my maternal grandmother had a melanoma on her leg that she let go and did not have checked. She thought it was just a mole. After finally going to the doctor, she found it was malignant. The doctor suggested she have her lymph nodes removed. Years later, she still feels the results of this each day. With no lymph nodes in her legs, combined with her poor circulation, walking, getting dressed, and just general household tasks are painful for her and cause her legs to swell up. She also has trouble finding shoes to fit. Lately she's been dying for a pair of cowboy boots but can't find any to fit around the swelling in her leg.

My Uncle Larry had a melanoma on his arm and let it go too long without seeing a skin doctor. When he finally visited the doctor, the PA didn't cut the mole correctly when trying to collect it for a biopsy and the cancerous cells flooded his blood stream. 

He passed away in February of 2004. 

May is Skin Cancer Awareness month. 

About two million people each year are diagnosed with sin cancer. 

It is the most common form of cancer in the United States, effecting one in five Americans. 

I think that this is a result of two things: Misinformation & obsession with tanning/being tan.

To address the issue of misinformation about skin cancer, lets talk facts:

• Over the past three decades, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined. 
• Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer; an estimated 2.8 million are diagnosed annually in the US. BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring.
• Melanomas are less common than BCCs but usually fatal.
• One person dies of melanoma every hour. 
• Risk for melanoma is doubled with five or more sunburns.
• One or more blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence more than double a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life.
• Just one indoor tanning session increases users’ chances of developing melanoma by 20 percent.
• While melanoma is uncommon in African Americans, Latinos, and Asians, it is frequently fatal for these populations.

Skin cancer can affect anyone. 

It doesn't matter if you're a ginger like me, and get sunburned really easily, or if you have very dark skin and never get sunburned. Skin cancer doesn't care it you're young or old, rich or poor, Caucasian or African American, etc.

Even celebrities can be affected. Hugh Jackman just had a BCC removed for the second time. He posted this photo to his Instagram, along with this plea to his followers "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! WEAR SUNSCREEN!" Even a band-aid can't bring down that gorgeous face. He's a total, skin cancer activist BABE who adores his wife more than any thing on the planet. Okay...gushing done.

Now to address the obsession side of this...

Be forewarned, the rest of this post is mostly my opinion. I hope it doesn't offend, but it is my opinion. You don't have to listen, or take this advice with anything more than a grain of salt. You do whatever works for your life. I do some not-so-healthy things too {kripsy kreme doughnuts, not working out, drinking alcohol, etc.}
 

I used to hate my fair skin. I was always picked on for being so pale. I lived on a island for six years of my life, where laying out on the beach with friends was just what you did. I would, of course go and lay out, and burn to a crisp every time. When high school rolled around, not only were my friends laying out on the beach, but they began going to tanning beds. Thank goodness peer pressure never grabbed hold of me and I never went to a tanning bed. But I still wanted to be tan. I was obsessed with it. I envied people who were naturally dark or who could actually build a tan. I was either white or red. 

I'm really happy to see our society beginning to accept all shades of beauty. I do remember the tanning obsession with my friends, but I also remember seeing it in all of the beauty magazines and I remember the golden skin all of the celebrities. 

I've since learned to love my fair skin and freckles. But I'm still obsessed with bronzed skin. My fiance has the most perfect cappuccino skin. It only takes a few minutes in the sun for him to have a tan line. He never gets sunburned. I'm literally fuming with jealousy just thinking about it. I guess the best I can hope for it that my children will have perfect golden skin and I can just live vicariously through them. 

If I could go back, I would have been so much more careful with my skin. I would have lathered up with every beach trip. But unfortunately, there is no going back. We can only move forward...

Protect Yourself!

To quote a favorite blogger of mine, Esthetician Babe, "skin cancer is largely a lifestyle disease". You can do something to decrease your chances of getting skin cancer.

-Wear sunscreen EVERYDAY!...not just when you go to the beach or the pool. Everyday, y'all.  Put some on your face underneath your makeup ladies, and if you're wearing shorts or a short sleeve shirt, put sunscreen on exposed areas. For everyday use, find a good SPF 15 or higher. I like the ones made for babies because they usually contain less harsh chemicals and I have really sensitive skin. Just use it as, or mix it with, your daily lotion. Click here for a list of the brands endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation. 

This 69 year old truck driver is a great example of why one should wear SPF every day. He has severe aging on the side of his face that was exposed to the sun through the window of his delivery truck. The same can happen with your arms.

-Please, I beg of you, don't go to the tanning bed. That's so Jersey Shore 2009. I really hate those things. Studies have shown that they can literally be addictive, and it can weaken your immune system. Your eyes can suffer too, you can contract pink eye from tanning beds, and the UV rays can cause cataracts. Plus think of all the GERMS in those things-can you say staph infection?? Even one visit can increase your chances of getting skin cancer. 
Don't slowly kill yourself in a ultra-violet coffin. Just don't, please. Please. 

There are alternatives to tanning beds and/or laying out. There are plenty of good sunless tanners out there. I love the Jergens Natural Glow. They've recently put one out that also has skin firming elements so it pulls double duty. But there are tons of good brands. St. Tropez is a little higher priced but I've heard great things about it. Also, spray tans have been around long enough that they're really working out the kinks and they're getting really good at making you look natural and not like you rolled in Cheetos dust.

-No gel manicures! I have recently read some research, and confirmed with my dermatologist that gel manicures may give you skin cancer. BUMMER! That was my special bi-monthly treat, especially after I got engaged. But I have since sworn off. Even one time can have the same effects as repeated use. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will probably get one more for my wedding, but then I'll be done forever. One of those little things I really miss but it is not worth jeopardizing my health and my life for pretty nails all the time. For now, I'm trying to enjoy DIY manis as often as I deem necessary. It's easier on my wallet too.

-This summer, while you're on the beach or at the pool, don't let yourself burn. Reapply every time you get in the water and/or every hour or so.  For days like this, where you're in the sun for extended periods of time, use an SPF of 30 or higher. Cover up! I love to wear oxfords at the beach. They're cool and light, so you don't overheat, and super classic. And a big ole hat and big ole sunglasses-Your eyes need protecting too. 

I like to cover up y'all. This is how I beach. Gingers gotta do what gingers gotta do.

Lastly, open your ears and listen really well... 

GO TO THE DERMATOLOGIST. 

My uncle, of whom I spoke earlier, thought dermatologists were quacks. Some of them are. But you need to keep an eye on your skin and you need to see a dermatologist once a year {or more often, if you have a history of skin cancer in your family}. Just like with breast cancer, self-check and pay attention to your body. If you have moles, keep sunscreen on them and watch them for any changes. If you see changes in the mole, go to a doctor. They will know if it needs a biopsy or if it's something to watch, or if there's nothing at all to worry about. Peace of mind is worth the trip.

Tanned skin is beautiful, I will not argue with you about that. But there's nothing sexy about skin cancer. Sun exposure speeds up the aging process. In fact, more than 90% of the visible changes commonly attributed to skin aging are caused by the sun. So if you're using anti-aging creams but not a daily SPF, you're just wasting your time and money {for real, those things are expensive}. 

I haven't always loved my fair skin, but I really do now. My fiance also really loves my fair skin and freckles {which is a big part of why I'm choosing not to tan for my wedding}.
There are even a few celebrities for us pale people to look up to nowadays.

My soul sister, Zooey Deschanel, just owning that gorgeous porcelain skin.

This is yet another opportunity for us to be fantastic beauty role models for the younger women {or even women older than us} in our lives. It's really important, above all, to take care of ourselves. Your body is a temple, and lathering up and making choices to protect your skin, though it may not always be the "in" thing, is one of many ways to cherish it.


 Love the skin you're in. 

Information from this post found on The Skin Cancer Foundation website. 

Follow @SkinCancerOrg on Twitter

Follow Friday!

Happy Friday people who only work weekdays! 

Friday is simultaneously the best and worst day in Pre-K. It's great because its a fun day, we sometimes have two recesses, and we pretty much let the kids dictate what we do for the day. It can be the worst day of the week though, because the kids know they're about to have two whole days of momma and daddy time. Either way, a Friday where I don't have to work my second job all weekend is a great day to me. 

The Teacher Appreciation Week treats just keep on coming! Yesterday, I was given a flower vase with flowers in it for my desk, with a note that says "Thanks for helping me BLOOM this year". How precious! The school gave us a gift card to Chick-fil-a and PTO gave us a tumbler with our initials on it. It really is the little things sometimes. 

Just knowing that your school and the parents of your students appreciate how hard we work with the children each day really means the world to me.

 I have also really been enjoying the warm {okay...let's call it what it is..HOT} weather this week. We've been going outside in the mornings, so that our poor kiddos won't completely fry outside. I'm really excited for the busy summer ahead. 

Anyway, I want to use this post and nifty alliteration as a way to suggest to you a few of my favorite accounts on my two preferred social media sites: Twitter & Instagram. 

 @joshgroban

Josh Groban is by far the best, and most underrated celebrity twitter account. He is hysterical. 

One of my favorite tweets of his reads: 

"Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. Let's do it, let's jump of plannnnnts". {insert my snorting laughter here}

Honorable Mention

@ReactKardashian - a hilarious parody account of ridiculous Kardashian moments & faces, applied to real life situations. 

viewfromthetopp - photos from the same angle everytime, looking down at the subject's feet. Very cool. 

thiswildidea - this photographer takes pictures of his beautiful hound in all sorts of precarious situations. 

and if you're looking for a daily dash of BAT CRAP CRAZY...

jamesfrancotv - join me in watching this celebrity slowly soil his reputation of being a well educated, diverse actor and watch him descend in to the world of hot mess train wrecks. Seriously...WHAT is he doing?! I have a theory that he is trolling the world as some sort of research for a thesis or doctorate or something. 

So there are some favorites for now. I follow a ton of people on each of these platforms, so I'm sure there will be more in the future. Perhaps some about blogs I love or something fun like that. Anyhow, this is somewhat of a lazy post on my part but I'm keeping up with this so help me! Have a sunny weekend, dahlings!