Charity

Tony and I have always tried ("tried" being a very accurate description) to remember others in the world who are not as fortunate as we are; whether in financial, health, or educational ways. Last Christmas all the gifts we gave to family included a charitable attribute, from my dad's fancy desk clock, the proceeds of which supported Dress for Success, to the goat we bought in my brother's name -- anyone with a younger brother can understand why a goat is such an appropriate gift for a brother. We're also huge fans (I would say "supporters" but I don't really think we can claim to be "huge supporters") of Kiva, the online site that facilitates the loaning of money to individuals in poorer countries who are looking to better their situation. As the loan is re-paid you can then re-donate it, adding more if you wish, to another individual. A continual cycle of giving and a nod to the all-American, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps philosophy of life. Plus you only have to donate in $25 increments and, especially these days, that's very often all we have to give!

But recently several of our friends have gone further than just donating money, they are truly giving of themselves to raise money. My friend Stephanie is riding 175 MILES on her BICYCLE over the course of two days to help find a cure for MS. You can donate to her here. Another friend, Megan, is participating in a TRIATHLON in Washington, D.C. in honor of a special woman who passed away earlier this year. You can read that story and donate here. And there are several others who NEED TO GET WEBSITES so people can DONATE ONLINE because some of us CANNOT FIND OUR CHECKBOOKS RIGHT NOW. But they're not getting shot-outs. No website, no shout-out. (Incidentally, please do not tell my husband and/or father and/or father-in-law that I cannot find my checkbook. Men always seem to think stuff like that's a "reallybigdeal!" I still haven't told Tony about the time I lost my credit card for FOUR DAYS only to find it under my car seat when I took my car to the car wash. Who knows how long I would have gone without it had we not decided to wash the cars that week? Of course you don't really need it that often since so many things can be purchased from ONLINE WEBSITES using your husband's card.)

All this good-doing among those close to me has made me feel somewhat guilty that I do not do more. So much has been given to me, so many opportunities, experiences, gifts, and support. But no matter which way I look at it, I can't really see a way to be as wholly giving as my friends are without expending a lot of energy on something that sounds exhausting and, to be completely honest, like not a lot of fun.

I think I could handle the one-day event aspect of it, but all that training leading up to it...I just don't have the will-power. So isn't there something I could do to raise money that would fall into a more my-idea-of-a-good-time category? Maybe I could Sleep for Eight Hours to raise money to fight insomnia? Or Drink Wine for the Cure for alcoholism? I will not post here what my ever-clever husband proposed we should do for eight hours to help find a cure for genophobia because 1) my mother will read this and 2) I don't want to attract weirdos or the dreaded INTERNET PREDATOR (dun, dun, dun) to my lil' ol' blog.

So many good options! I'll still have to decide which will be my official charity and, of course, GET A WEBSITE FOR ONLINE DONATIONS, but soon I too shall give back in a more real way. Probably. So please donate when I do. A full 25-50% (depending on how much you give) will go to fight whatever cause I end up fighting. The rest will go to me because I could use the money and, hey, I'm doin' all the freakin' work!

This weekend, while Tony was at work, I...

Worked on my new recipe book. It's a collection of our favorite recipes, organized according to season. The recipes were assigned a season based on the ingredients available that time of year, what the final dish tasted like (my thick, hearty vegetable soup just tastes better when it's chilly outside), and how we like to spend our cooking time (as soon as the weather warms up, I dare you to try to keep us from grilling on the patio).

The book was supposed to be an exhibition of my artistic flair as well, as I plan to keep and update it forever, but I forgot my total lack of any such talent. For example, when I showed Tony my first completed page, written in sparkly, various-sized sticker letters, (and without telling him what it was) he responded, "Oh that looks nice! It's...a, um... ransom note?"

Sigh... at least I'm a good cook.

Faithful Tess was a huge help. In addition to providing hours of the above documented moral support she also ate all the sticker bits I dropped on the floor so I didn't have to vacuum.

Kitties Revenge

When I last took Tessie to the vet I told him about a cough that was concerning me. He listened to her symptoms and ruled out anything serious, "just allergies," he told me, "like people get."

Well today, as I changed the sheets on my guest bed (i.e. the cats favorite hangout) and tossed them on the ground, Tess started jumping around and playing in my laundry pile. Almost immediately she went into a fit of coughing, hacking, and sneezing. I picked up the phone and called my vet.

"Is there any chance my dog is allergic to my cats?"
"Sure! Dogs can be allergic to anything!! Just like people!!!"
"Really? Should I get her something for it?"
"Nope! Dogs just deal with it!!!!"
"You're really freakin' perky, what are you on?"

Okay, I didn't really say that last part. But I was thinking it.

So in the end, Milo and Sadie have won. Tess may still be able to pester them over the baby gates protecting various rooms of our house. Or force them off the sunny spots on the floors and up onto the couch. But at least they have an escape from her. She, on the other hand, will never escape the dander and fur that torments her.

*Note: photo not of my pets. Sadie would never get this close to Tess.

The Brickyard

Last weekend the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted the "Brickyard." The Brickyard is an "event" a lot like the Indianapolis 500 in that it causes

1) my church not to hold Mass on Sunday and

2) police officers to, inconveniently, block any traffic attempting to drive in any direction except directly to the track.

In celebration of this great annual event, Tony and I...went to watch tennis.

Yes folks, despite having resided in Indiana for four years, we are not NASCAR fans. As Tony points out, the only thing that would make those races interesting would be if a driver decided to turn right.

Summer time...and the livin' is easy

There are baseball games...


...and days spent reading and sunning in the park...

...and a darling puppy to play with...

...and an amazing husband to share it all with.

This is a happy summer indeed.

Do all dogs go to Heaven?

This is literally a church signs debate, being played out in a Southern US town, between Our Lady of Martyrs Catholic Church, and Cumberland Presbyterian, a fundamentalist church. From top to bottom shows you the response and counter-response over time.

Meet Tessie!

Tessie is a ten week old Puggle who joined our family on May 23rd. Her mom, Ginger, is a Beagle and her dad, Chomper, is a Pug (hence, "Puggle"). Tony and I have wanted to add a canine member to our family since last September - well, really for the past four years - but between passing the Bar, finding a job, saving up for puppy expenses, and taking the MCAT, this was the first time we were able to make the commitment of our finances and time.

Tony named her after a song. Or a Red Sox player? Or maybe it was a song about a Red Sox player... I'm not really sure, I was too busy squishing all the rolly skin around her face while he explained her name to pay attention. But in any event she's definitely Tess.



She's a little resistant to loose-lease walking.
Really lease-walking in general.







And a relationship with the cats is still...

...evolving.

But she's playful and sweet and always wants to be wherever we are. We couldn't be happier to add her to our little family. Welcome Tessie!