The Family Dogs

Meet the pack! We have had many dogs over the years but this little pack of pooches will always have a special place in my heart!

Maybe later I'll share each one of their special stories of how they came to be with us but this post is to share their unique pack or family unit.

We are now living in Florida. These pictures were from several years ago when we were living in Texas but they are favorites of mine so they serve the purpose of introducing my furry children to you. The oldest is a 60 lb Beagle mutt and yes she talks constantly like a beagle. The other two are mother and daughter. They don't look anything alike but the momma dog is a white 1/2 Yorkie and 1/2 Bichon Frise. The daughter is a mix from her and a 100% Yorkie. Of course each has their own special personality somewhat related to the breed and the rest came from them growing up in our crazy family.

Well behaved are not two words I would put together when describing our little pack.

Terrors, monsters, demons that are loud and nippy and overly excited by any little thing even members of the family walking into the living room can set them off into a barking frenzy. Don't get me wrong they are also sweet, cuddly, loving and extremely protective of everyone in the house even from each other. No one can hit anyone in the house even teasing playful hitting is not allowed in their presence.

So today I came home from work to hear the amazing story that the dogs were found laying in front of the open front door just laying there on the inside looking and watching intently out the door.

This was amazing to me because a few years back these same dogs would escape and be running down the road whenever we opened the door. Playing the I can't hear you calling while I'm sniffing and running away game.

The way this house is set up the living room has the seating positioned back to the front door. So today someone went outside and didn't quite get the front door closed when they came back inside. No one was sure how long the door was open but everyone was amazed at how the dogs were just quietly laying inside the doorway just staring out alert and on watch for possible intruders.

Not one of them stepped across the doorway and ran outside, there was no barking or whining, no outward warnings of any kind to alert the kids that the door was open. I can only guess at why they laid there so quietly just looking out the door.

My guess is that they were amazed that the door was open and afraid that if they made any noise someone might come and shut it which is what they eventually did.

What are your thoughts? Those of you who know my family and our little pack of beasts what are your thoughts?

Please feel free to comment and tell me your stories of how your dogs would act or things they have done.

Divided but not Broken by Anything

Strength comes in numbers but true strength is found within. 

Someone famous probably said that but today it is on my mind since today is the first day of my new life adventure. I was reminded of that last night and have been several times throughout the years. One is not always a lonely number sometimes it is just right. It is sometimes a choice and sometimes just a happenstance but there are times in all of our lives when we find ourselves alone.

 I have been traveling from MI to FL since early Sunday morning. The picture below was a stretch of road in southern Indiana. Driving for days definitely gives a person time to think, unless you drive like I do which is with the music as loud as it goes singing along at the top of your lungs. Yes, I was hoarse and could barely talk each night on my trip but it was worth it.

So for all those that are wondering what in the heck is going on with us and why we are "Divided but not Broken by Anything" I will elaborate and fill you in on all my recent craziness.

First I FINALLY did it! Took my last class and passed it, as if there was any doubt. So soon my very hard earned and greatly sacrificed for $30+ thousand dollar piece of paper will be arriving at my door. My BA in Professional and Technical Writing with a minor in Business Administration. That got me thinking...

Wondering if the degree could put me in a different or better position as the position I had been hired into two years ago shifted and changed and turned into something that I really wasn't happy with and even though I was supposedly working for myself from home, I had no control over it. So, I started searching and investigating. Ha, you know me got to research, investigate and way over think each idea. Many people think I am impulsive and just leap into things but they don't realize that I research and consider each move for months and sometimes years, I just don't tell anyone while I'm doing that.

Next move for me would mean taking advantage of a great opportunity and stepping out a bit from my comfort zone. My comfort zone is my very tight night family unit, as a family unit I mean my husband and children, they are my best friends and closest confidants. Taking this new job in FL would mean leaving everyone and dividing my family up a bit for a short time. So, we discussed it and tried to work it out differently but it seems as if God has some lessons for me to learn in growing out of my comfort zone. I am ready to learn them and then snuggle back to where I belong.

Jim my fabulous husband is completely supportive and also decided to make a career move at the same time so that our absences coincide and then we would be able to be together again. He obtained his CDL-A and has started driving for a company. He will be out on the road pretty much nonstop for the next 6 to 8 weeks. Hopefully we will have a great home in FL and all be together waiting for him when he gets to have time off. Well, all except Jake who is staying in MI for a while.

So, although we are divided we are actually growing stronger together and not broken at all. Ah this is where another old adage fits in "Absence makes the heart grow stronger".  I have always found it to be true.

I have been in constant contact with everyone. Really, I LOVE this DIGITAL age it makes distance not so bad or hard for those of us who have to leave our families for a time.  So today I'm starting my house hunt got to keep my promise to the girls to bring them down before Thanksgiving. I'm also meeting my new boss for the first time for lunch. I will write more soon especially about the emotions of leaving everyone behind and the strength they are giving me, even though we are not together with their love and constant encouragement.

I'm very excited about the time this new position will allow me to write and do other things as it will not require me to work 24/7 as I have in the past. I already have titles and outlines for my next few posts so the plan is to get back to a regular posting schedule but this is me and irregularity usually wins over plans so although I am going to try and get a regular thing going, no promises yet but I'm putting it in my calendar. LOL

Bittersweet - Last Class at SVSU

I'm both excited and sad to be taking my last class at SVSU.

I have decided not to participate/walk in the graduation ceremonies for many reasons, the two biggest being...

1. Most my friends are already graduated and gone. 
2. It is a very large school and I have a bit of crowd and speaker phobia, so walking across the stage to get the diploma I might just pass out LOL 

Now if I could only get over this huge case of senioritis and get my bottom in gear get into a groove so I can pass this class, GRADUATE finally and move on with my life. I'll do it just hard to get out of working 24/7 mindset and into study and write papers mindset.

I want to take a moment and thank each of my RPW (cough, when I started it was PTW way back in the old days LOL) professors and mentors who never let me give up. Especially Dr. Jorgensen and Dr. Williamson but all the professors are tops for sure!

Okay so now I will get back to the applications I'm filling out instead of writing my one page double spaced paper. I know it will only take me a few minutes to do something like that which is probably why I am procrastinating.

Have a great day everyone and I'll try to write again soon!

Spring Break 2014 - Family and Car & Truck Museum Hopping in Indiana

Spring Break 2014 was probably the best spring break we have had in some time. Took the girls in my new little 2009 Cube car...

Went to the fabulous destination of Indiana for the week. Now I know many people wouldn't say "Wow! Can't wait to go to Indiana for spring break!" LOL Neither did we. But we had a great time and the weather was GREAT all week.

I have family there in Indiana that we hadn't seen in a couple years and so we decided it was time to test the gas mileage in our new vehicle and see what she could do. The cube lived up to the test left home on a full tank put $20 in when we stopped in Toledo then didn't put any more in till our last day in Indiana and added another $20 then stopped in Port Huron, MI and added another $20 I still have 3/4 of a tank and we went back to Port Huron yesterday. My trip mileage was on a bit over 800 miles! I see many more trips in that car coming soon!

Our fabulous time was mostly going to the park, putting together puzzles, cooking together and we went thrift store shopping! We ate at a Chinese Buffet restaurant for the first time and then walked along the river in Bluffton, IN.

Finally we made plans to get up early on Friday and go to the zoo on the way home to Michigan. Ha getting up early was not in the cards for my teenage girls on that morning. Then we had some issues with the bike rack that slowed us down so we made a last minute decision to stop in Auburn, Indiana to check out the museums. We visited the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States and the Hoosier Air Museum. I have a ton of pics on my Google + and my facebook page from the museums https://www.facebook.com/arvillahowe 

I never would have guessed how much fun we had at the museums it helped that we were about the only ones in there so we could cut up and be silly plus the information was interesting and just being together made it great! Alannah did start to get a little bored and tired by the last museum but I promised her dinner with ice cream for desert and she was back on track LOL. Below are a few of the many pics. 

 
 

So what exotic location did you visit for spring break 2014? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Super Quick Crazy Life Update

Things are absolutely crazy busy! I got a great job in January working for a great company Raytrans Trucking out of a little hub in Port Sanilac. My boss was awesome and I worked with the greatest bunch of people anyone could ever ask for but after only 6 months she is pushing me out of the nest!

LOL okay I volunteered to leap! Anyone who knows me, knows I did LOL! I am now becoming an Independent Trucker Advocate for fastport.com a really great site built by a truly brilliant man whom I have also been working with for the last six months.

What do I do? That is easy I help people! I am placing truck drivers with companies. I use fastport.com to do it. Someday it will be bigger than craigslist, in the trucking industry anyway! Big things are coming I am excited and school starts for our household (college and lower) again in a couple of weeks! I am taking Instruction Writing and yes I'm EXCITED!

Oh yeah and we moved again! A beautiful little house right near the lake in a fabulous little town that no doubt is going to give me plenty to write about... as soon as I have a second or two to write. There are still boxes to put away, things to organize and tons of things to do!

So, check out my twitter or my facebook and let me know if you know any great truckers or any great trucking companies that might need a bit of help growing.

Have a blessed day and do like I do... just put one foot in front of the other and trust that God is leading your way and clearing your path to the life that he wants you to have. Every adventure on the way is full of blessed and wonderful moments!

Milestone Birthdays

Wow this weekend was crazy! November is a crazy month for us here we have three of our four kids with birthdays in November. They line up very nicely for my horrible memory the oldest first and so on. Since the boys are first and only 7 days apart we celebrated both their birthdays this weekend.

I've always wanted to be the kind of parent that could give a car for a kid's 16th birthday or a new computer for their 18th you know the type of person who has a money tree in the back yard. Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, that's not me LOL.

I invited the boys to come home from college for a birthday celebration but made it clear to them since neither has found a job yet in this economy and we are paying all their bills that their birthday presents would be gas & grocery money to survive another week.

My baby boy turned 21 last week so the first conversation we had after hugs for everyone and time to settle the dogs down was about how he celebrated. He was so cute, I knew he didn't have money to go to the bar or anything because I give them the money they need and there is only enough to survive, I figure if they want to have fun they need jobs ;-)

He said his friends all pitched in so he could join them at a bowling fundraiser for their school and it was on the evening of his birthday. Being a guy he didn't say anything like us women do about it being his birthday, thankfully a young lady he knows told him Happy Birthday at the bowling alley and then a friend bought him his first beer. I've always said beer is nasty, I don't like it at all never have, sorry if that offends any beer lovers out there. My son said it wasn't near as bad as I make it sound LOL.

What makes me feel good though was that we had a great conversation about him turning 21 and how so many people thought he should have been obsessed with the idea of getting drunk. He wasn't, isn't and I'd like to think that our open honest conversations about drinking and the effects of having drunk to much alcohol are part of the reason why. I'm not a prude, but I have always wanted to share my thoughts honestly with him and shared that if he wanted to drink more than a drink he should do it somewhere that he could stay the night such as a friends house or at his own home, he agrees with that concept.

My younger son turned 19 not such a landmark event as 21 but equally as celebratory in my mind so we had a great dinner with cake and ice cream for desert. The entire family laughed and chatted at the dinner table The boys stayed until late in the evening (when their laundry was finally done lol) and went back to their home in Saginaw.

All this is making me a little nostalgic, remembering his first birthday but I guess that is what happens when you have a child turn 21 that "one" just brings those things to mind. My boys are growing up and I feel privileged that I am not just mom but also a friend and confidant to them. They are great MEN, I'll try hard not to call them boys any more. Whoa, I never thought I'd have three MEN that I love so completely in my life.

My 19 year old comfy in his trailer he shares with his brother in Saginaw. :-) They are still waiting for an oven but at least they got a fridge. It is a nice trailer and as Jake the 21 yr old says much better than living in the dorms with strangers that don't clean up after themselves. Since the younger sibling doesn't cook he cleans up from the meal and they share household chores.

   The oldest 21 with his baby sister and her friend at camp this summer - couldn't find anything more recent, he seems to disappear when the camera is out lately.

Have you recently celebrated a "milestone" birthday with your children? Are you feeling as nostalgic as I am or am I just a sentimental momma? Please comment & let me know. I enjoy reading them.                                                            

Strange Sitters to New Friends

Over the years I've held several different full or part-time jobs. It was difficult to keep a job when the boys were young because Jim's working construction meant he worked long hours till the job was done and then had time off in between jobs. Sitters want the kids there on a regular schedule which made it nearly impossible to keep a regular sitter for long. I had heard of a lady who babysat through a friend and she was great for a while but then I realized from talking to the boys that she was trying to get the boys to call her and her husband mom and dad.  So, I  put an add in the paper and met with a couple of people.

The lady that I decided to hire was great and we became good friends chatting before I left for work and after I got home. We even had her and her boyfriend over a few times for dinner and a game of cards. I felt much better knowing that she was at my home with my boys when I left for work. I learned that she was married but the marriage wasn't working out she had left him and her two teenage children before I met her.

It wasn't long before Jim's job was done and he was home for a few weeks. During this time she decided to go back to her family which left me without a sitter once again. She was still my good friend and since I was a stay-at-home mom again she invited me to come visit her and her family which lived a couple of hours away.

My fabulous husband has a knack for knowing when I need some time off from being mom. He suggested I go for the weekend and enjoy myself. I went for the weekend and had a great time it was the start of a great friendship and I went back several more weekends. We would rent sappy movies and drink wine coolers, relax together and talk. I needed those times when I wasn't mom for a day when I could just relax.

Eventually her teenage daughter came back with me and stayed for the week during the summer. We had lots of fun together. Our closeness brought joy to both families. We remained that way for some time, till they moved away.

Why do I share this story? God has blessed me with so many people in my life sometimes they were there to provide what I needed like in this story when I needed a friend and a break. Without family to provide these things I've had to rely on friends. Other times I have had people come into my life so that I can help them. This was a time that was a little of both.

Please leave a comment have you had a strange sitter? Have you met a stranger and instantly connected knowing that you were going to be great friends? Has your life been blessed by someone or have you been used to bless another? Please share or leave me a link to your story.