This is our Sammy!  Yes, that's right.  We get to adopt him.  He will move into our home (he's already moved into our hearts) on Friday morning.

We had our home visit this morning and Sammy and Dufus got along well, so that was one hurdle we had to overcome.  The next was to raise the fence to at least 5 feet high.  Barbara said that Greyhounds don't normally jump, but it's best to err on the side of caution.  Fortunately we had already started that project by the time she came to visit. 

Sammy immediately came inside to inspect the premises - he had to make sure the couch and the hearth were to his liking.  He's a really mellow dog and I've been told that Greyhounds are bigger couch potatoes than we could ever be.  I guess he will fit right in.

Sammy was still on the racetrack until just a little over a week ago, so he needs our special love and attention.  They didn't starve him, but kept him down to "running weight" which means there's not a whole lot of meat on his bones.  We are anxious to continue the good diet that the rescue organizaiton has started for him. 

Andrea will be home from Camp on Friday as well, so she will get to be here for Sammy's first day in his new home.  I'm so excited!  Rob's even excited.  He's the macho man that goes around proclaiming, "We don't need a dog.  Whaddya want a dog for?" He's changed that tune now.  He loves Sammy.  He's acting like it was all his idea!  You know how that goes, huh?

So now the Perez family has grown to a comfortable 5 residents.  Not too much and plenty to love. 

Have a great evening, everyone!

Sunday Go to Meetin'

I've been getting ready for church and while doing so, my daughter Heather calls and we talk a bit.  She asked me why I wear a dress to church.  Why do people think that's important? 

Here's what I think:  no matter what I do, I want to give my best to God.  I can't afford to dress like a fashionplate, and the truth is, I don't want to detract from Him when I am in His house.  But, I wear the best that I have to show Him my respect.  If all I had was two pair of jeans, I'd wear the nicest one.  That's how it is.  I'm not criticizing how anyone else dresses for Him.  I just want to offer Him the best I have.  That means that I wear modest clothing so that others won't pay attention to me but to the Word.  A low cut top just doesn't work for me.  Not that I would, anyway, I'm too self-concious about my weight.

But here's the deal.  God deserves the best we have to offer and when we shortchange Him, we're short changing ourselves.  I love the Lord with all my heart, soul and strength and want to show Him that every day.

I guess I was back on the soapbox again, but this is what's important to me.  Like Popeye, I am who I am. 

Blessings to you all on the Lord's day.

 

Saturday Six - Late Again

I wasn't sure I'd play this week.  I blew off the Weekend Assignment, etc., although I might go try the Friday Five (late, of course).  Here are this week's questions and my answers ;

1. How many mirrors are there in your home?  If you could go for the rest of your life without ever looking in a mirror (but still know that you hadn't missed a button or that your hair was disarrayed, etc.) would you?  There are 2 mirrors in my home.  I could go forever without looking in the mirror - I know who I am.

2. What online abbreviation annoys you the most and why? You got me there - I don't know

3. What do you hate the most in this world? Apathy

4. You decide to go to your next high school reunion.  What do you anticipate would be the thing most people said about you behind your back?  Wow! Did she get fat!

5. You learn that because of some galactic mixup in fate itself, you must restart your life tomorrow in a new place.  You will emerge as a person with a unique past and won't seem out of the ordinary to those in the new place.  You will retain the experiences and memories of your past, but the people you are closest to will believe that you are dead and gone and you would be prohibited from contacting them.  Where would you go and why? I'd go to Yosemite because it's where God goes when He isn't somewhere else.

6. What are you most passionate about in this moment of your life and why? Christianity - because I believe and want others to share in my joy.

Dogs and a Soap Box

In less than a year, we've tried twice to get ourselves a dog or dogs.  Rob hasn't been extemely excited about this, but even with Dufus, the greatest and most magical conure in the world, I miss having a dog.  For years now, I have always had at least one dog around.  The house seems somehow incomplete without one.  Anyway, we are trying again.  We were on our way to Sears to pick up our washing machine when I saw that the Pet Barn had dog adoptions going on.  I told Rob I wanted to stop on the way back.  He said no.  I got my way. 

The resucuers there today were those that rescue Greyhounds from the race tracks.  A couple of years ago, I read about this on the internet, but being in Mexico, it didn't seem to feasible for us to try.  As we walked up, this golden dog looked up at me and it was all over but the shouting.  He has the most beautiful face!  It looks like he's wearing eye make-up.  He's very gentle and loving.  Just what we need for Andrea.  He really took to her.  We got some information and filled out an adoption request for him.  His name is Sammy.  The lady will call us tomorrow and set up an appointment for a home visit and if all goes well, he will be ours.  I've had my hopes up twice now and it hasn't come to pass.  Maybe the 3rd time is the charm.

I've been silent this week about the goings on in the world.  It's hard for me to talk about it.  I've been praying steadily for the victims in London and their families .  Truth is, I'm angry about it.  Why do we let these people hurt us in this way?  Terrorists attack the two strongest powers in the world and we are supposed to treat those idiots with kid gloves!  What about the rights of those who were attacked?  Who is standing up for them?  There are people running around complaining about our president and their prime minister interfering in Iraq or Afghanistan and yet they aren't willing to put their money and strength where their loud mouths are and protect the rights of people in their own country.  I'm sick of it.  I think we should go after the terrorists and blow their butts off the face of the earth!  I am a peace loving woman, but I'm fed up with babying these criminals.  I don't want us to be a doormat for crazies anymore.  Give back to them what they are giving out and take back our countriesbefore its too late.

OK - off that soap box and on to one more.  About 20 years ago, I worked for a woman who took me to a business seminar.  The things they taught seemed solid and workable and they offered me more classes.  Well, I knew I couldn't afford it, so I said this was enough, but they said my boss had already paid for it.  I went again and again, both with my boss and without her.  Soon enough, things got "different"  They were giving us "counselling" that they called auditing. They gave us books written by a man named L.Ron Hubbard.  I kind of freaked.  When did the business course cross over the line into this cult?  I don't know, but I will tell you, I wanted no more.  I went to my boss and told her she could fire me if she wanted to, but I wanted out of Scientology then and there.  Let me tell you - they were ticked!  They called me, they called her - she had decided to quit as well.  They called me at work and at home.  They tried to convince me that they cared for me and didn't want to lose my friendship (count that - potential money).  I moved and got an unlisted number.  I changed jobs and got ready to get married again.  Then one night, the scientologist called. He had my unlisted number.  I gotta tell you I was a little scared.  My friend Citte's husband said that he had counseled people who had left scientology and many never were able to get out.  He said I was lucky.  Luck had not all that much to do with it . . .I belong to Jesus.

The reason I bring all this up is because of all the talk by Tom Cruise and others.  Those guys are flat dangerous. I spent nearly a year of my life drawn bit by bit into the spider's web and I know.  I spent nearly 3 years trying to get away from those creeps.  Those of us who know the truth about scientology need to stand up and be counted.  I am and will always be a Christian.  I don't say that you have to be, but for heaven's sake watch out for the crazies out there.  They are looking for easy marks.  Scientology isn't the only group out there targeting your brains, but they are out to suck the life out of you and make you "clear" of emotion - the very thing that makes us human.

My favorite saying:  If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.  Stand UP!

Immigration Woes

This morning Andrea had to have her immigration physical.  We set the appointment up for 7:45 am (thir ONLY time slot for this).  They called on Friday to confirm.  She told us to be early, have cash only to pay for the exam and have all paperwork done properly.  If not done properly, they would re-schedule us for another week.  I thought she was treating me like a kindergartner when she called.  I know how to fill out a form, for heaven's sake!

We printed the government forms from the USCIS website (used to be INS) and picked up a packet of forms from the doctor's office.  The government dosn't charge us to send in the form, but the doctor charges a whopping $225 in cash.  I had to go to the ATM and get the cash and get up at 6 am this morning to get Andrea ready to go.  It's about a 20 minute ride from from the house.  I chose this one because it's right near work.  We arrived at 7:20 and there was one other car in the parking lot.  By 7:45, when the nurse arrived to open the door, there were 4 cars and 15 people waiting for the exam . . . all scheduled for 7:45.  I sure am glad we were the 3rd in line!

We were charged a little less because kids under 15 don't need to have their blood drawn for STD's.  Unfortunately, when I got Andrea's passport in Mexico, they took her vaccination card and did not return it and she was given all her vaccines this morning.  She was one unhappy kiddo!  They did a TB skin test and 2 shots in each arm. Poor little girl.  She tightened up, she cried . . .she looked at me with the saddest eyes you've ever seen.  I felt so bad.  She had most of her vaccinations when she was just a little tyke and wasn't due for anything but tetanus this year, so she didn't even remember needles coming at her. 

When we got into the exam area and were waiting for the doctor, she apologized for crying out.  I told it didn't matter, that I knew it hurt her.  When she saw the doctor, she cringed, but he gave her a warm smile and said only those nasty nurses did the "hurty" stuff and she could relax.  The exam was quick and throrough and we left to go eat breakfast at McDonald's.  Then we went to K-Mart to get some things for her to take to church camp.  She seemed a little more content when daddy picked her up at my office around noon.

It's not over, though.  We have several more forms to fill out and send to immigration.  Each of them has a fee connected with it and we have just enough income that we don't qualify for the fee waiver.  It's going to be a very tight month for us.  Any play money that we thought we'd have is going to USCIS with forms to make our precious girl a citizen of the greatest country in the world. 

She's worth it, and then some.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

If I knew how to put in graphics and backgrounds, my journal would be filled with American Flags today.  Every day of my life, I celebrate that I am an American citizen and entitled to all the rights and privileges thereof.

I know that may sound hokey to say, but the news alone will show you how other countries treat their citizens.  Most of you know that I lived in Mexico for 15 years.  I got used to the culture there and conformed to their way of doing things, but there was such injustice. 

Like Chicago (for example) in the '30's, men paid higher officials to get jobs as police officers, even to get a job as a trash collector.  Politics is corrupt, though they hold what they call free elections.  The guy with the most toys usually wins.  Education is mandatory but not free.  Birth certificates are not automatically filed - you must pay to do that.  Without a birth certificate, you can't go to school or get a job outside of the migrant camps. It's against the law to have a traffic accident.  There's no health care for people who have no money.  I could go on forever.

We often take for granted our hard-won freedom in the United States.  We get angry at public officials who let us down.  We demonstrate for fairness in government and we truly have free elections.  We won't be shot for speaking out.  Sure, things are expensive and it seems so hard to make ends meet, but our government is the best in the world.  There are others who have democracy, but we Americans are spoiled.  We have the best.

Our men and women of the armed forces are fighting now to maintain that freedom.  Whether you agree with the war or not, please give them their due.  Show your loyalty to the country by reaching out to them, sending letters or packages or offering help to their families at home.  They are the life's blood of America and I am so proud of them.  If I were young again, I would enlist and encourage my friends to do so. Apathy is not an option here.  We owe all our freedoms to them, past present and future. 

Hang your flags proudly this weekend and remember while watching the fireworks, having the barbecue or campout - you can do these things because you are free citizens of the United States of America.

It's Happened

Boy! Am I glad we had that talk!  Thanks to joolsinwa, she's also got a cool book about how her body works.

We went shopping tonite to buy a barbecue grill for Monday's 4th-fest and little one ran to the restroom.  I was stolling around in the wallpaper section when she came up to me and said, "Mom! I have to tell you something important."  Never guess what that was, huh?

Of course everything had to be a secret from daddy, who was with us.  UGH!  I am definitely not ready for this!  I'm too old to do this again.  She's my baby! 

Wow, do I feel ancient . . .