Happy Birthday Sydney!

Today Sydney is 2 years old! She got a bath outside on the deck to celebrate. Probably not the best birthday present in her opinion, but much needed nonetheless.

Sydney came into our lives in September 2006. My husband got a speeding ticket on his way to work and ended up with 19 hours of community service as punishment. I agreed to do the community service along with him. One of my friends at work who is active with the Franklin County Humane Society suggested we work an adopt-a-thon at a Petsmart one weekend. So we did.

We volunteered on a Saturday and Sunday, handing out pamphlets to shoppers. A litter of puppies was "on display" during the weekend - seven lab mixes. The mom was rescued from the animal shelter and gave birth to her litter a week later. We noticed the cute pups on Saturday, but on Sunday we couldn't keep our eyes off the little ones. I was done in when I first held a curious little pup with a white chest - she looked like she was wearing a tuxedo. In the pin with her brothers and sisters, this one seemed to be the most alert, the most inquisitive.

The next thing we knew we were filling out the adoption paper work and were trying to think of a name for a new little daughter. We bought a leash, a harness, a toy and some food and made our way back to Cary. And our lives have never been the same since (you may think I'm exaggerating but dog owners get this feeling). We came home with our little bundle of joy and Jason turned to the Internet so we could begin brainstorming dog names. When Jason said the name "Sydney" I knew we had discovered the perfect name. And so Sydney it was. While Jason had grown up with dogs, Sydney was my first one, and she certainly has taught me a lot. She has so much personality, so much love for people and other dogs. She's still very curious, and mischievous, but I wouldn't have it any other way. She's one of my best friends, and I love being her dog mom.

Sydney, I love you so much! Happy 2nd Birthday! Love, your Momma


Always ready for a picture.


Sydney and her cousin Tucker.


Sydney and her big sister River.


Sydney is so sleepy!


Sydney is pooped after a game of soccer.


Sydney and her Momma.

Happy Birthday America!

Today is a day to celebrate our nation with friends and family. Today is a day to remember those who have died to ensure and protect our freedom. Today is a day to think about all the many blessing we have, simply because we are Americans. Our life in America is easy to take for granted. These stories remind me that we are truly blessed, and that we should never take anything for granted.

In Honor of Jesse Helms

Lopez Lomong

A deserving gift to animals

Final Salute

Coffee, Cars and the Consumer

Your morning cup of joe may be a little harder to find now.

Starbucks announced to day that it is closing 500 stores nationwide, a sign of the times of the current economic turn down. This seemingly unstoppable company that couldn't open new stores fast enough ten years ago, is now realizing that people have come to their breaking point. Gas prices are now edging out the coffee drinks that made Starbucks so popular. No longer does a $4 latte taste as good when it takes $4 in gas to go get it.

It's estimated that about 12,000 people, or 7% of the Starbucks workforce, will be out of a job. That's a whole hec of a lot of barristas roaming the streets trying to find another job. And they're just one more group to join the masses faced with unemployment or a serious threat in their industry - mortgage brokers and loan officers are basically all unemployed, automobile workers and car dealers are seeing fewer sales and slower manufacturing output, restaurants are seeing almost a 25% drop in patronage and the list goes on. It seems that our economy has switched over to decaf during the past six months, and there's no caffeine in sight.

The consumer faces tough choices these days. No longer can we be flippant about extraneous items we use to purchase without much thought (think Frappacinos). When it takes almost $80 to fill up my car, I think twice about the places I really need to go. I'm much more price sensitive at the grocery store than I use to be. A year ago, a ten cent price difference between coffee creamer brands wouldn't even catch my eye. Now, I reach for the cheapest item on the shelf. My brother's company is cutting back on the air conditioning circulated in the office (no kidding - he actually said it's warmer in the office)! And he works at a billion dollar company in Research Triangle Park!

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so. But I fear this economy is going to get much worse before it gets better. I fear more jobs will be lost. I fear the wrong person will win the presidency in November. I fear that gas prices will be $5 per gallon by the end of the summer. Everything is going up (except our salaries) and I fear that it's only going to get worse before it gets better. And more companies like Starbucks will start to close stores and lay off people just to survive, as consumers are forced to adapt to the new, decaffeinated economic climate.

A Fourth To Remember

At the end of this week, Americans across the country will gather with friends and family to celebrate our nation's birthday. The Fourth of July is America at it's best - I love this time of year. It's the time when we come together for backyard cookouts, pool parties with the neighbors, local parades featuring the fire department and high school band and to wave sparklers back and forth once the sun has gone down. Sure it's hot and humid, and there are bugs everywhere, but the outdoors and the 4th just seem to go together. Whether you watch fireworks at the local park or from the cooler comforts of your TV in the living room, there's just something about celebrating our country once a year that reminds you how proud you are to be an American.

Every night I watch the news, and I see all the terrible things that happen at home and abroad. But I still say to myself every night, "I'm so blessed to live in this country." We have our problems, we have our fears and we have our shortcomings. But we have freedom. We have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have family and friends to share out lives with. And this is something we have every day, not just on the Fourth of July. So, break open that cold beer this Friday, and roast up another hot dog while the kids and the dogs run around in the back yard. And as you take a drink to cool off from the heat of summer, remember that nothing tastes as good as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Happy Birthday America!

Race for the Cure

Today I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. A group from the office gathered for the race, and we had a great time.

Race for the Cure is an event I look forward to every year. This is my fifth time walking in the 5K.

We had a great time (it's always a little hot though) and it's neat to see all the people that come out to race and volunteer their time to help find a cure for breast cancer. And, as I saw written on racer's T-shirt: "A breast is a terrible thing to waste."

:)

One Hour Away

We're on vacation.

A much needed break from the daily routine of work, taking care of the house, the dogs, and chores.

We're a million miles away, except that we are only one hour away.

We're at the O.Henry Hotel in Greensboro, NC for a long weekend. And I'm loving every minute. A much needed break, during a much needed time, should help restore the sanity of my husband and I.

In fact, we're off to dinner in just a few minutes. I'm dressed up (well, a little)! I went shopping today! I went to the pool this morning! Last night, we had the best pizza and went for ice cream. And we thoroughly enjoyed our cable TV and 65 degree air conditioning in the room. Hello, relaxation. I have forgotten what you looked like, but I do love you so very much.

Tomorrow's agenda: breakfast, pool, nap, lunch, movie, dinner, TV, sleep.

If only EVERY day had such an agenda...

Redemption

I hate people. Pretty strong statement, right?

"Melanie, how could you hate people? I mean, you have family, right? A husband? Friends? How could you say that? You're so mean, so thoughtless - maybe you say that you hate people because people really hate YOU!"

OK. I don't really hate people, but I do get really frustrated with the general public from time to time. You know what I'm talking about - you're driving to the mall and some teen cuts you off in her Lexis (I'm sure it is her parent's Lexis and yes, this did happen to me yesterday). You're in the check-out line at PetSmart and some woman puts all her items on the counter while you're still trying to finish your transaction (yes, this happened to me a couple weeks ago - she even backed into me and didn't even realize it). You walk into the common kitchen at work and realize that someone left the counter a complete mess-napkins and crumbs everywhere (I have witnessed this several times). I could go on and on with countless other incidents that happen on an almost daily basis that make me say to myself "I hate people."

But yesterday, I found myself reconsidering this phrase that I say to myself so often lately. After I finished loading my car with my groceries in the grocery store parking lot, I turned to walk the cart back to the front of the store (I was parked closer to the store than to one of the parking lot cart returns). As I was walking with my cart, a nice man smiled to me and said "I'll take that from you, I need one anyway." I smiled and said "thanks!" There was something about the nice way he offered to take my cart that made me smile and think, "gee, that was nice. He was pretty friendly." By taking my cart, he not only saved me the time from wheeling it to the front, but he of course got the cart for himself.

Later in the afternoon, I was at another grocery store (another story all together). All I wanted was ice cream (my downfall). I picked out two cartons (caramel for my husband, chocolate for me). Of course there were only two lines open (despite a lot of people in each line - I hate when stores don't open up more lines!) and I got behind a couple that had a week's worth of groceries in their cart. The woman happened to look back at me and said, "oh, you should go in front of us since you only have a couple of things. Your hands will freeze if you hold that ice cream for too long!" How nice of her! I thanked her twice and moved ahead in line. I had forgotten my very important customer card, and asked the cashier if she could look it up by my phone number. The same couple behind me overheard me asking this of the cashier and offered their very important customer card to me so that I could use it. How nice again! I thanked them again, paid for my ice cream and left the store.

"Redemption" I thought to myself as I drove home. Of all the jerks in the world, all the selfish people I run into on a daily basis that make me cringe, groan, yell and shake my head, I had two very pleasant interactions today with complete strangers.

If only it was like this ALL the time. If people actually came out of their bubble and cared about their neighbor, the stranger at the grocery store, the driver next to them or their co-worker. What if people actually...gasp!...were not rude, but kind to one another? I think you'd find a lot more happy people in the world, and I think you'd find a much better world altogether. The daily routine of life just might not be so bad. And you wouldn't find me uttering the phrase, "I hate people" at all. Forget going green - I know how you can change the world: be nice to one another.