MarMar Madness

The other day I was mowing the lawn.  The grass was green and lush and needing some serious attention.  As I mowed, I came to the realization that there were no little shits to pick up.  There was no little shitter to leave her gifts of fertilizer in my yard and my heart ached.  Not that I miss picking up dog poo, but I sure do miss my beautiful Charlie.  Charlie had to be put down this summer when her hips finally decided that working just wasn't an option any more.  She was also going blind and deaf and was turning sweetly loopy sometimes. Charlie was my first born. My baby.  She was my introduction to mommy-hood.  I adored this dog.  And she, in turn, adored me.  My sister and I were talking about Charlie the other day and how the whole event of putting her down went and figured I should document the story.  So...here is my story of my dogs last moments with me..... Charlie couldn't go the washroom.  She couldn't walk or...

You ever have a day when you are at the end of it and you just have to pinch yourself?  A day where you promised yourself to have no expectations and that was the healthiest thing you ever did?  I am the queen of expectations.  I have them in all facets of my life.  I put expectations on people, on things, on ovens, on schools, on hair, on weight, you name it....my thinking is often laced with expectations and they truly are my worst enemy. I used to have great expectations of my brother.  I have great expectations of my sister and friends.  They often come through for me, but there are times when I am let down.  And when I say let down, I am sometimes just crushed with the failure of it all.  My sister, Kara, has been my biggest coach in the "have no expectations" camp.  She has drilled this motto into me for years as she has seen me struggle with constantly being hurt when things didn't go my way, especially in relationships or events. ...