Dog Daze

These are two of the loves of my life. I am touched by every moment they share with me. When I'm away from home, I long for them. They have changed me.

Today I read a book that was written by a dog. Well, not actually by the dog, but she was the inspiration. I purchased the book 2 years ago, and as I am currently unpacking my office, I sat for a moment to re-read it.

Author Dean Koontz had a golden retriever named Trixie. She was a retired service dog, and she was quite a girl. In 2004 he published a book all about her. It's made up of lovely photos and silly "dog speak" and it's touching, especially to people familiar with goldens. After reading it today I thought I'd look them up, to see how Trixie was doing. Sadly I found that Trixie was laid to rest on June 30, euthanized due to a catastrophic battle with cancer, at the age of 11. Reading her "words" and seeing her lovely face, made me think of my own golden girl, just five years old, and I was moved to tears. How do they do that to us? They're only dogs. And if I'm this attached to a furry friend I was given as a gift, what will I be like when I actually give birth to a human? I'm excited and anxious.

If you'd like to read about Dean and Trixie Koontz

If you'd like to read about Canine Companions for Independence

Names

Some people may think otherwise, but I don't see any harm in choosing names for unborn children years in advance. Coming up with just the right name is a difficult thing to do, and I believe it deserves a great deal of attention and consideration. I myself have gone through many names. I've let some of them go due to lack of approval (my mother for the name of my father's 1st girlfriend after their divorce), and changes in trends and fads - as I constantly try to be as un-trendy as possible. I believe I (my husband has yet to hear them) have finally come up with the perfect set of names that will allow us to be relaxed and comfortable in naming the child as soon as he or she makes his or her first appearance. I do not anticipate learning the sex of our child until the big day, so I plan to keep the names a secret from my family and friends. I have not divulged the existence of this blog to them as of yet, and therefore feel quite comfortable sharing the names here, in complete anonymity.

The first names were chosen for their sophistication as well as nickname-ability. My children will be well-mannered and intelligent, but they will also enjoy as much fun as my husband and I can muster up for them. I love names with many syllables, and prefer nicknames with more than one syllable as well. My husband has only mentioned one name to me in 4 years, and as it came out on a particularly memorable night (New Year's Eve 2005), it has remained in my mind ever since. I don't think he knows I remember, but I hope he still likes the name! Middle names are quite a different story. A few of the middle names are significant to our families and others are still open for debate. We plan to have just 2 children, so I've come up with 2 boys and 2 girls names, and the order in which they will be used. Here they are:

If we have a boy first, his name will be ******** Spiers.

Our first daughter will be named ****** Grace.

If the second child is a boy, his name will be ****** [ ].

If we have two daughters, the second will be named Caroline [ ].

For boy middle names I prefer Charles or Raymond, but my husband has never approved of them. Without them, I truly am at a loss. For Caroline, I really love Elaine, but I'm afraid Caroline Elaine might be weird, though beautiful. Maybe Caroline Rose? But I fear that combination is just too Southern. I guess I'm not ready to have a second child yet!

If for some reason we decide to have three, I suppose we'll have to come up with more names!

Edited 10/19/07: As this blog is near to going public the names of the innocent have been removed to protect their identities. And mommy-name-stealing.

We're In!

You wouldn't believe me if I told you how crazy this week has been. The buyers for our home were insane, inconsiderate, a**holes. It was unreal. In fact, though we signed the paperwork Tuesday and have actually moved in to our new home, their loan still has not been funded!!! I don't know what that means for us, as far as liability, but my husband says were in the clear so I'm just going to forget about them and focus on our new home!

It's an amazing house; two stories, 3/4 acre yard (fenced in back), with a gourmet kitchen and fantastic screened-in porch, as well as many other exciting features. We moved to this town a little over 2 years ago, and began looking for a home in October of 2004. We were forced to buy a home that needed lots of work in a neighborhood we didn't like, because pickin's were slim. But we've never stopped looking, so when this house came along we literally jumped at it! My husband contacted the sellers immediately and we began negotiating even before we'd secured the sale of our own home. Our crazy buyers finally signed an offer and we were off and running. Now we're in our new home and couldn't be happier! The dogs are a little sad because our yard is almost 1/3 what it used to be, but were on a safer street, and much closer to both of our jobs. I am certain they will grow to love it as much as we do.

I guess the only thing left to do is unpack and get pregnant! I have already started making plans for the baby's room, setting it up now as a guest room that will be easy to convert to a bedroom next year. I'm much more excited about having a baby than I thought I would be. I thought I would be scared, or nervous, but honestly I'm ecstatic. I haven't really talked with anyone in my family about our baby plans, but a few friends have commented that they too are excited about the idea of a little "neice" or "nephew," so it's all starting to become real.

On to more substantial topics. I have a grave concern for the welfare and safety of our country regarding the infiltration of Islamic idealists. Ibrahim Hooper, the head spokesperson of CAIR (Council on America-Islamic Relations), has said, "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future...But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education." Education? As far as I've seen, the only so-called "education" that CAIR has had any part in has been LITIGATION. Suing those folks, and that place, for not having Muslim-friendly this or that. CAIR, and other Islam-pushing groups, have used "separate but equal" to the point of forcing our government (primarily state, which is of course, funded by YOU and ME) to construct foot baths, change classroom schedules and cafeteria menus in order to prevent a Muslim from being offended. Excuse me, but whatever happened to the First Amendment?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Don't misunderstand me, I am not one of the many mis-informed who believes the First Amendment equals the "separation of church and state." That, if you'll read it again, is not what the First Amendment states. It says the government will not ESTABLISH a state religion. The thing is, when the government pays for things for a specific religious group, that's EXACTLY what it's doing. Allowing a courthouse to display a Christian sculpture that was donated by a church, or allowing high school kids to meet after class for Bible study is not the same thing as using tax-payer money to establish Muslim-only areas, Muslim-friendly menus and other Sharia law-based regulations. Creating a prayer room at a manufacturing plant is one thing, creating a separate Muslim-only prayer room is unacceptable.

If you don't think CAIR and others are trying every day, little by little, to push and push their way into our legal system, than you are dangerously mistaken. Believe me, if such a thing were to happen at my workplace, or my child's school, I'd be gone in a heartbeat. It is not acceptable and should be watched more carefully. For our Country's sake.