Bella & Me

I just doesn't have the same ring to it...I went to see the movie Marley & Me yesterday. I thought it was a really good movie, even though I spent the last 20 minutes crying uncontrollably. For those of you that haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled, STOP READING HERE...
Foolishly, I forgot my Kleenex, even though I cried uncontrollably during the latter part of the book when I read it 3 years ago just after having to put my dog Ember down - reading about them putting Marley down was like reliving putting my own dog down.
Ember was a 12 year old pure breed Dalmatian with more spots that I've ever seen on a Dal. I had gotten her just before my 15th birthday when she had just been weaned. I was away from her the years I was in college, but as soon as I could find a place that would allow big dogs, I brought her up here with me. At 12, she had become arthritic and cranky. One day she got in a fight with Paisley, my friend Emily's dog. Needless to say, she didn't win. Based on her age, her changing temperament and her injuries, I decided to put her down. It was like losing one of my best friends. She was a good dog. Ember
However, it wasn't just the end of the movie that I related to. I enjoyed the movie more because I could relate to the destructiveness of Marley as well - though on a much smaller scale. About a month and a half after putting Ember down, I got a new dog. It was just too lonely all by myself. I wanted another Dalmatian so I started looking online and I finally found a Dal mix at the Humane Society of North Texas. She was about 8 weeks old when I brought her home. The shelter said she was 3 months so they could go ahead and spay her but they don't loose their puppy teeth until about 4 - 5 months and she didn't lose her until June. Anyway, I brought her home and called her Bella. She was all white with a few brown speckles and hazel eyes!

Bella on her second day at home.

This cute little puppy turned out to be full of mischief. Thankfully, it was all covered by the pet deposit...here is a list of some of the things she did:
1. She chewed through the supply line of the toilet and flooded 3 apartments.
2. She ate all the windowsills in my apartment, parts of the door frames and baseboards and pulled paint off the doors and walls.

Do you see where the paint is peeled off the door? Doesn't she look proud of herself?

3. She dug a hole in my carpet down to the concrete slab.

The hole was in my guest bedroom - through the carpet, she ate the padding, down to the slab.

4. She dug a hole in the crash pad (a big 7 foot long pillow you could sleep on) and pulled the stuffing out so she could fit inside.

The crash pad used to reside at my grandparents house and we grandkids would fight over who got to sleep on it...nobody sleeps on it anymore.

5. She ate a green pen at Emily's apartment and got it on the couch cover (which Emily later gave to me) and on her paws.

Bella's green thumb.

I think those were the major things. I tried using baby gates to keep her in the part of the house where I wanted her but she quickly learned how to climb one, and when I bought a second she could scale them both. She continued with her destructive tendencies until we moved into a new apartment. She hasn't damaged anything in the year and a half we've been here. So unlike Marley, Bella grew out of her destructiveness.

A dog is one of the family and in that I can certainly identify with the Grogan's. No matter what destructiveness she caused as a puppy or what heartbreak awaits when the time comes to let her go (hopefully many years down the road), Bella adds to my life and I can't imagine my life without her.

At my parents house over the summer wearing the pink bandanna her Granny got her.

Looking Back

A Look Back at 2008...

Where did you begin 2008? Apparently nothing exciting because I don't even remember. I think I spent New Year's Eve day driving back from my parents in Houston. What I did that evening...no clue.
Were you in school this year? Did I take classes myself, no. But since I'm a teacher, I went to school almost every single day.
Where did you go on vacation? I went up to Pennsylvania for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend and took a scenic drive back with my parents. I went tubing in New Braunfels with a group from my singles group and went to Texarkana to see my friend Kim.
Favorite Books from 2008? I reread a couple books from high school and found that I enjoyed them more the second time around, such as: Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye. I always read a lot in the summer - something like 40 books this past summer. I don't remember half of them.
Did you know anybody who got married? I knew people that got married, but I didn't go to any weddings this year. I have several coming up in the first few months of 2009.
Did you move anywhere? Thank goodness, no.
What sporting events did you attend? I went to my first Mavericks game in April and my first Stars game on December 29th - I had so much fun!
Describe your birthday: Emily took me shopping at Sam Moon, we went to eat lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then we drove around taking pictures of me with random letters and number to spell out "Melanie is 29". See the post from April for the pictures. We had fun and get got the 9 at one the of the Irving Fire Stations - they were really cool.
What's something you learned about yourself? I learned and admitted to myself that for the time being, getting out of debt is more important than focusing on meeting someone to spend my life with.
Any new additions to your family? My older brother Chris and his wife Amanda had a baby boy. My nephew Pierce was born in April.
Favorite Night out? It was very recent, when Emily and I went to the West End for dinner at Gators and then to the Stars game is ranking pretty high (that was last Monday - Dec 29th).
What do you want to change in 2009? I spend way too much time at home by myself. I need to get out and be more social.
What would you change about 2008? I don’t think I would change much. Parts of this year were really fantastic…and even the parts that weren’t a lot helped me to grow and mature. Everything that happened helped me learn a more about myself and what I want from life and want I want to do with my life.
What random cool things happened in 2008? I'm sure there were some, I'm just having trouble remembering them...
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Probably work...not exciting, but I don't do much other than go to work, go work out and come home and spend time with the dog (what a boring life).
Do you have a New Year's resolution? I haven't decided what my New Year's Resolution will be - other than to be more social.
Do anything embarrassing? I try really hard not to do anything that will cause me embarrassment because I don't like drawing attention to myself. I'm sure I did do something, but I've mentally blocked it out and refuse to remember it. What was your favorite purchase? I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! And I bought a Dyson vacuum - the purple one for animal hair. It was a floor model so it was scratched up, but I got it at a great discount and it does a great job of sucking up the dog hair out of my carpet.
Did you get sick this year? I get sick a lot - mostly just with sinus infections, but during the spring I battled pneumonia.
Start a new hobby? I started making jewelry and selling it. http://www.melodesigns.etsy.com/
Are you happy to see 2008 go? Absolutely. I'm always ready to see a year go and a new one come - you never know what it will hold.
What are you wishing for in 2009? I turn 30 in April - I'm hoping to take a trip to celebrate. I'm still working on paying off debt. I've come a long way and paying off my car was a big step - I'll keep on plugging away at it until it's gone.

Reviewing this, I've determined that my life is pretty BORING. I definitely need to take steps to make it more exciting. If you have any suggestions that won't cost me a lot of money, send them my way!
Now, my blogging friends, it’s your turn. Tell me about your year in review… I can’t wait to read it!

Pink Eye

Bella and I posing for our Christmas card picture.

Last week I took Bella to the vet because her right eye had a gross green discharge and was pink. Lo and behold, my dog had conjunctivitis, otherwise known in the people world as pink eye. The vet gave me some ointment to put in her eyes several times a day for the next 10 days to get rid of the infection. He told me to be especially conscious about washing my hands after messing with her eyes, and I have been.

However, I didn't think about where she sleeps when I'm gone at work all day, which is usually on my bed, either on my pillows or on my pajamas if they are laying on the bed. Yesterday, I woke up with a red left eye. It itched and had some gunk in it, but most of the redness went away when I used my allergy eye drops. Throughout the day, my eye continued to bother me. The nurse at school said it could be allergies or it could be pink eye - she told me to wait and see what happened overnight and if it was sealed shut when I woke up. It sure was. So off to the doctor I headed first thing this morning.

I ruined my perfect attendance record for the school year because I got pink eye from my dog! Who would have thought. I guess I need to start shutting her out of my bedroom when I'm gone.

58 years...

Today my grandparents celebrated their 58 anniversary. I think that's an incredible accomplishment. One I'm not likely to ever match - especially if I don't get married in the next few years.
My grandparents married in their very early 20's, in the year 1950, like a lot of couples did at that time. In 58 years, they have accumulated 3 kids, sons and daughter-in-law, 13 grandkids (several of whom have spouses) and 10 great-grandkids; they worked until they couldn't work any longer (though it was easier to get Grandma to retire than Pap Pap) and they now live in a basement apartment at my aunt's house outside Altoona, Pa. They have had their challenges, their ups and downs, but overall, they have been and continue to be very happily married.
I aspire to have what they have and have had for the last 58 years. Again, as I approach 30, I'm not sure 58 years will be feasible, especially seeing as I have no potentials currently. But it's not the years that I aspire to, it's the love; it's the way they cherish each other.
Pap Pap has been suffering from mild strokes and some other health problems since this time last year. The strokes have really been affecting his personality. I saw it for myself firsthand over the summer when I went up to visit for few days. He was very easily agitated by the great-grandkids noise and rambunctiousness and that hasn't ever bothered him before. He got angry and yelled at Grandma and it just broke her heart. My grandma still loves him with all of her heart, but she sees the man she loves slowly slipping from her. After he yelled at her that day, she just sat and cried, not out of anger, but out of fear of losing him and because it was something he never would have done before.
I want the good and the bad - the forever, however long God's forever is for me - I want my chance to experience the love my grandparents have for each other.


Pap Pap, Grandma, my cousin Blake w/ his son Mason, my Pop

It's Finally Done

Back in August, I started working on my first quilt. It's not my first quilt ever, but it is the first one I've made that I'm keeping for myself!


I've made baby quilts for friends and siblings when they have had babies; I've given one as a wedding gift; and one as a Christmas/birthday present to my mom. I try to make one with my students each year - I guess you could consider those mine, but I keep them on display in my classroom and on occasion on display in the hallways.



Quilt for one of the Woods twins



Quilt for my nephew Pierce


2007 - 08 Class Quilt "Walking My Way to the Future..."


This quilt was made completely for me. I picked the colors for me. I picked the pattern for me. I bled for it, and it's finally done. It's only a lap quilt, but I can curl up in my chair and watch a movie or read a book beneath it. I look forward to it - the colors are just right for this time of year!



My whole quilt - Autumn Day


A close up of my initials and year


Now I can begin work on my next quilting project - I'm seeing black, white and red...

First Sale

I sold my first piece of jewelry today! It was one of my favorites that was for sale and I'm glad someone bought it and will enjoy wearing it. I really enjoy making jewelry and wearing my own creations. Hopefully, more people will find my designs attractive and will find joy in them as well. Here is Black Rain, the one that found a new home today...

There are many other pieces listed on my website www.MELodesigns.etsy.com. Go check them out! Here's a sneak peek...

Blue Moon

Break Out of Your Shell

Pilgrims and Indians

I know I'm a week late, but think back to Halloween...
For Halloween, my Principal wanted the teachers to dress up. For the last several years we have taken our students on a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum to the Texas Pioneer Adventure and we are doing the same thing this year. Prior to the field trip we take a couple of weeks to study the Pioneers so the kids will be able to impress the docent with their extensive knowledge. We typically do our field trip around Thanksgiving so we can study the Pilgrims as well and do a comparison of the Pilgrims and the Pioneers. If you don't know the difference, those we typically call the Pilgrims are those that came over on the Mayflower in 1620 and settled at Plymouth and had the first "Thanksgiving," which they called a Harvest Feast, with the Indians, to celebrate a successful first harvest. By comparison, the Pioneers were people that were part of westward expansion - think of those traveling west to California and Oregon to find gold in the early to mid 1800's.
Anyway, we were getting ready to start our Pilgrims and Pioneer unit as soon as the Election was over, so our 2nd grade team decided to dress up as Pilgrims/Pioneers and Indians. Mr. Watts was a Pilgrim, I was a Pioneer and our two bilingual teachers, Mrs. McAfee and Ms. Cordero were the Indians. We had our own little "Thanksgiving" feast in the teachers lounge at lunch.
The kids were really excited about our costumes and are looking forward to the next couple weeks as we study Pilgrims and Pioneers and get ready for our December 2nd field trip.
Ms. Cordero, Mrs. McAfee, Me, Mr. Watts


Me - in the school library