Insta-update

We've had a BUSY week.  

I sold a house (finally, praise the LORD) and bloomed an orchid. Ok, I can't really take credit for the orchid blooming, but I did give it alot of encouragement.

The Norman Man

Norman is about a month away from celebrating his first anniversary of having a dog daddy.  To say it gently - It has not been his favorite year. Not by a long shot. It took them both a while to come to grips with the fact that there are stuck with eachother.  But, they are working it out, and I have accepted that this is as good as it's going to get. ;)

Here is a taste of the past year...

On the weekends Whatahusband works in the garage, and makes many trips through the house to wash hands, say hi, and consult the auto manuals. I often hang out in the living room, and I normally call normy out of his room to join me. He might start out in the middle of the room...but ALWAYS eventually moves inbetween the couch and ottoman.  This way he does not have to see Whatahusband when he comes in and out of the house. If you can't see him, he's not really there, right?

When I was in NM for a week, Whatahusband was also gone for a few days on a canoe trip. Normy would be camping outside for the first few days while we were both gone, then Whatahusband  would be home, and they would be together for the last 3 days of my trip. This was their first time alone together for that length of time. When I came home from my trip, Norman excitedly greeted me, then RAN to his food bowl in the kitchen to gobble up inhale his crunchers. Whatahusband told me that Norman ate fine while we were both gone, but hadn't eaten a thing since he came home. That's 3 days of a hunger strike. Apparently my dog decided that starvation was a far better option than living with Whatahusband without me.

Normy is so sweet to lay in the entrance of our bedroom when I'm getting ready in the morning. This only happens on days that Whatahusband has already left for work, and after he has carefully walked around the room to confirm that it is in fact just the two of us.

I have to give norman alot of credit. He has always obeyed Whatahusband (even though he runs with his tail between his legs as he is obeying) and he is a very happy puppy. On the more difficult days, when they are on eachother's last nerve, he gives me these sad puppy dog eyes that say "I liked it better when it was just the two of us" and I feel guilty. 

For a second... 

Because even though he puffs his breathe as he's on his way back to his room... he lays down, and whatahusband gives him a cookie, and norman drifts off into a deep doggy sleep on the bed he loves and I know that he'll be ok.  :)

the fruits of my labor

Since I am not counting basil or mint as "fruits", my harvest has been incredibly small. One tomato. uno. But -  it was very pretty and tasty! I'm trying to stay positive and be thankful that the grasshoppers didn't kill every single solitary thing in my garden.  After all, I should be proud of what I grow whether it be large or small...or as whatahusband puts it "atleast you didn't plant anything upside-down this time!"

Plant something upside down one time and you never hear the end of it. ;)

oh the times they are a changin

One of the things that made the day we got engaged so incredible was what we talked about. Being on the A&M campus brought up so many memories for whatahusband and his college days, and likewise it caused me to remember my college days and what my life was like back in Kansas.  We talked for hours, reminiscing about days gone by, and we both remembered times we hadn't thought about in years...the day bonfire fell...the day my Grammy died. What an incredible way to spend the day with the one you love. Everything about our conversation that day was and is so very precious to me because, I must confess, I had always found it a little bittersweet that God didn't have us meet sooner.  Don't get me wrong, I know that He had a perfect plan that I am SO SO grateful for and I would never want any of it to change.  I also know that there are years of stories, inside jokes, family events, and life that I will only ever know in pictures and stories. For a woman who cherishes memories and sentiment, I hoard those stories and save every picture - burning the memory into my mind.  It seemed, at times, that we missed so much of eachother's lives that we'd never catch up. 

And that brings me to these gems.  We found them when we recently decided to organize our closet and combine all our photos into one big tub.  There were ALOT of years to see...so many photos of each of us by ourselves...in college, at our sisters weddings, at work functions, Christmas photos, birthdays - we were each always the party of 1.  As we sat there together and it was pretty neat to try and figure out what were were both doing at the same point in time, and amazing to see how God knew we would catch up to eachother one day.

This is whatahusband a little over 10 years ago standing in the trunk of the charger.  I would have been in my final year of college in 2002 at KState when this was taken.  In 2004 I moved from Kansas to Texas, about 10 miles from his house, and now I live here.

Me in my printmaking studio at UNT 5 years ago. This was taken about 3 months before whatahusbands accident.  I would have been teaching the Drawing 1 freshman course when he was in a coma.

Isn't it amazing how much can change in 10 years? (thank goodness my hair changed too.)

I thank Him, becuase "He has made everything beautiful in its time." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Doggie Water Fountain

Studio

I have loved having a studio again.  The perfect little room with all my arts and craft supplies - it's just a little slice of heaven.


The sweetest little guardian sleeps near the door and makes sure whatahusband doesn't store any car parts in here again.

Norms will turn 8 next month, and his gray muzzle reminds me he is well on his way to his golden years.