family time

we went to austin tx for a few days to celebrate christmas and see family and laugh and cry. it was a wonderful trip. i love austin. it is a fun place to visit and i love the overall vibe of this city. if i thought that i could drive around in it without freaking out, i would really try to move there! really really.

the grand prize for making the trek to texas is a tiny athletic, artistic, comedic powerhouse named kathie. yep. she is someone easy to look up to and doesn't have a condescending bone in her body. i am sure her day is filled with many "hey kathie, can i ask you a quick question, i figured you're the one that would know this." she is full of valuable information and offers it up in a warm natural way. we talk about fear and sadness but in the same conversation we are very much like middle school aged nerds laughing at farts and such. my random break out in ghetto soul singing doesn't bother her and she seems to appreciate my attempts at hip-hop shaking of the booty. she even let me meet some of her homies. rad homies. super rad welcoming homies.


i really hit the gift jackpot this year. i got some big stuff, but there are a few little things that all equally had me smiling and fighting back some tears. little simple things like measuring spoons, a sifter, perfectly dainty earrings, a peewee herman sweatshirt, a book oprah told me to read. these unexpected perfect for me things really got to me. but there is always that one present that stands out each year. this one easily stands out. it came in the form of a calm, helpful, thoughtful, assertive, beardy brother-in-law. it's weird, i know. but easy to explain.

something happens when you are visiting family and trying to get 10 people to the same location at the same time. there is always someone holding up the flow and having a struggle. this time around it was me. it is never me. i don't like people waiting for me even though i am married to a wonderful guy that usually excels at that particular role. i was slow moving, and sluggish. and cloudy from not enough sleep because of a very uncharacteristically grumpy needy 2 year old. she was super clingy to me and i sort of always wanted to take the easy way out and just stay home. taking care of this 2 year old is my full time job that wears me down and gets me flustered esp when people are waiting. this time around the usually least patient family member turned out to be the relaxed helpful one. keeping a breakdown at bay and literally swooping in in a flash and fixing the cranky 2 year old in an instant. sort of taking her by surprise and being patient with her. taking her and letting her be a 2 year old. without me having a second to say "oh no, that's ok i got her" it started our 2nd night there when we ran out to get donuts and left her with uncle matt ("uncle-ma") and i wondered if she was being a handful. when we got home she was asleep on his lap. the rest of our stay he just sort of fixed her with calm uncleness. and that means a lot to a mom that is constantly around her kids. constantly. it is weird to sort of channel matt's baby-whispering now that we are home. esp since matt is one of my favorite people to dish shit out to. who dishes it back quite easily.



other wonderful things happened on our trip that had me reminiscing about funny things that happened in my childhood. thanks to a few talks with my niece and nephew. but that gets its own post.

Best Show In Branson for Families, Kids, Teens, Young Adults, and...Old Adults: BUCKETS N BOARDS!!!

hands down. i went to their show last thursday and i realized that i was actually LAUGHING OUT LOUD for most of the show. and as i looked around, everyone else was too. the whole audience was a mixture of every age. the kids love it! and it is not often that something is actually entertaining enough to get kids to be glued to their seats and watch something with excitement. parents, teens, and grandparents were sitting there with same excitement. i was thinking that this is perfect for family reunions or church groups or any get together. i looked on branson ticket websites and BUCKETS N BOARDS is literally the most reasonable priced show in town! there is a family price that is less than $50!! compared to other shows this is way less! i couldn't believe it.

this show is good clean fun which as a mom is great so i don't have to try to explain anything questionable later. also, you don't have to sit there and try to keep your kids to be silent since this is a rhythm and tap show and you are encouraged to get into the act! you actually don't want the show to end, but you get to meet these funny/cute guys as you leave the theater and they'll chat and sign the t shirt or drum sticks you buy!

they have day time shows either 10am or 2pm throughout the week. go see the show if you make a trip to branson and you will be so happy you did!!

check out the show:

www.bucketsnboards.com

Sam the Great

my story with Sam starts with a friend that adopted him from an adoption event at petsmart. she brought him in to the vet clinic i used to work at as soon as she got him. he was sweet and shy and would stay close to everyone by sitting on their feet. he was 2 years old. a few months later, he was hit by car. he had a pin put in his leg and half of his tail removed. he spent a lot of time at the clinic and we all loved him. he was just so mild and calm but didn't want to get off your feet. my friend moved to california around this time and we were taking care of her house and animals. one night i went to visit sam. (this is my favorite story) when i went to leave, he followed me to my car. i told him to get back inside. i drove down the road through the gate of the neighborhood and onto the busier street. i stopped at the stoplight that is maybe a third of a mile from their house. and heard a scratching at my car door! Sam! i let him in the car and the rest is history. he really loved me from the beginning. i loved him too.

7 years later, i am reminding myself of a promise i made. the main lesson i learned from years of work at a vet clinic, is knowing when to say good-bye. i promised myself that i wouldn't let my dogs suffer. so many animals that we euthanized should have been put to sleep months or even years earlier. but now i am struggling with this same situation. now i know that it's just not as easy as you think.

Sam has a fast growing tumor on his neck that is inoperable. other than yelping when the left side of his neck is touched, he is completely fine. his bloodwork is great, he eats and drinks fine, he is just as sweet as ever. but one day soon, the tumor will make it impossible for him to breath. we have meds that will help for now but basically we are just buying time. so this is tough. he is perfect right now. but is this a blessing that we have a couple weeks to show him how much we love him? of course!

We have 2 dogs. He is 9 and Dixie is at least 13. it's weird because i have sort of been preparing myself for when Dixie passes away. she's an old lady. Sam makes up for the fact that Dixie is crazy and kinda smells like poop a lot. He is so kind and calm. very calm. like, use him as a pillow calm. the girls actually use him as a chair. if i get up to go to a different room, he follows. he is always right there. a constant. he needs no leash (but we still put him on one when we leave the house...#1 rule in my book) he stays up in bed with Sanoii when i get up in the morning. we know when she is awake when he comes downstairs. this came in super handy when she was a tiny baby. i could go on and on about Sam. (his full name i gave him: samuel l. jackson)

Although this is a sad time for us, i urge everyone to have a dog. esp families with kids. i know everyone thinks of the cleaning up and the commitment they take. but that is a tiny price to pay. there is a special bond between animals and people. i am so lucky to have Sam in my life. i learn from him daily. he loves to go outside and catch a breeze on his face. now i do, too. he is patient and i am learning his ways. he is loyal and calm. if you know me, i am not calm. but working on it.

So we have some extra days with our Sam. we've spent everyday since friday (the day we went to the dr.) outside, enjoying the sun. treats are aplenty. we're taking him to Wendy's later. he loves junior bacon cheeseburgers. i am using this time with him to say thank you. and i will learn everything he has to teach.

Sam, thanks for making my family complete.