I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it!

The time is finally here. After almost a year at Petsmart, I am finally an official pet groomer. I feel like it's taken me so long to finish my training and the 100 dogs you have to do after academy to become a groomer...but it's finally over. I think the thing i'm the most excited about is the fact that i'll actually be getting paid for all the work I do now. Of course I got paid before, but it was hourly...which just didn't cut it. But now, i'm on commission. I love that word :) I take in 50% of all the dogs I do a day. Today for example...I groomed 3 dogs and took in $105. I know it's not a lot...but its a start...the more dogs I groom a day, the more money I bring in. I have so many plans for the remainder of the year now. Hopefully within the next month or two i'll be in driving school. I can't wait to get a car....I so desperately want to go on a road trip. I really want to bring Andrew to Halifax. I want to show him all the places I used to go when I was younger, and meet the side of my family he's never seen before. I love Halifax, it's such an amazing city. I'd love to live there one day.

This blog is so poorly written, but i'm just way to excited to not ramble on and on. :)

I want to go on trips this year...proper trips. To places I've never been. I want to get a car and finally have that independence I've so desperately been seeking. I want to not have to rely on other people to go places during the Holidays this year. I want to come and go as I please.

Things finally seem to be going my way. Andrews doing great with his jobs, he's showing real initiative with one job and people are starting to notice! They've even asked him to take on another section of the site! I am so proud of him and everything he's accomplished. I'm so lucky to have been able to marry my best friend.

Anyways...my "best friend" made dinner for me and it's ready!!!! So i'm going to eat.

Peace out!

The world can be cruel

Since I know nobody reads this, I don't feel awkward posting something very personal on this blog.

I have never in my life, felt as helpless as I have the past two days. There is nothing as heartbreaking as watching a woman suffer through the loss of her soulmate. Especially when the woman is one of the sweetest, loving and most thoughtful people you have ever met. Watching her sitting there at the table, lost in her own thoughts, blind and deaf to anything that is going on around her and knowing that nothing you could possibly do or say will take away the hurt she's feeling. For 57 years she cared for this man, made sure he was fed well and ready to take on whatever the day had in store. No matter how many times they got on each others nerves, or how many fights they had, it only made them stronger. This, is true love.

You'd never think that something as simple as signing your name would one day become something you would dread doing. But watching this woman sign her husbands final arrangements becomes one of the most painful things you've ever had to watch. We all know that one day we die, but why does that not make it any easier to deal with when that time comes.

I hope that one day, she'll be able to think about him without hurting. There is nothing more that I want in this world at this very moment, then for the pain to be gone.

Its been so long!

Ok so this blog is going to be really short....but I felt I needed to blog since it's been SO long since I have. Its been a busy week...we're officially moved in but not that close to being unpacked. I never realized how much stuff we had in that tiny apartment. My mother-in-laws garage is stacked to the brim with all of our boxes. The animals are getting along the best that can be expected. Millie and Gippy (mother-in-laws German Shepherd) seem to just ignore each other....there's the occasional sniff, but they go their own way after that. As for Luna and Gippy....well thats a different story. Gip seems so interested in Luna and of course Luna being a cat, wants nothing to do with him. There are about 10 daily staring contests between the two of them.....I think it'll take some time but I'm sure they'll become the best of friends.

Well last night we got to see Nathan again (it was the second time for me)..and what a little TOOT! He was quite content with being passed from person to person and slept most of the time (much of the dismay to daddy since that meant he'd be up most of the night). Anyways....I've got to bounce..we have tickets to the Leaf Game tonight!!! Here are some pics of the handsome little guy!

And the countdown is on!

So its been 3 days since the little toot was born and I miss him so much already. I wish I could see him and hold him everyday! I can't wait to put up more pictures for you! I plan on being his own personal paparazzi for many years lol. Like I told his parents the day he was born, "You will never have to pay for baby pictures." I will always be more than willing to take his picture....a picture can capture the most beautiful moments, the most subtle looks, you can look at a picture and tell exactly what that person was feeling in that very moment. One thing I must say, Its so hard not to want a child of your own when you're surrounded by them. But I have to keep telling myself, now is not the time. I have too much life to live still before that kind of responsibility. Finishing school is my first priority.

So, we just got home from my parents house....we were there for dinner (and to do laundry) and I get home and pretty much as soon as i turn my computer on, I get a msg from my friend Jenn saying "OMG VALLEY GIRL is on channel 35". The first time I ever saw this movie was when I spent the night at her house....and I LOVED it. So of course....I'm watching it again right now. The way they talk in this movie is hilarious. I can't believe people talked like that. I'm sure that 20 years from now people will be saying the same thing about the way we talk today.

OK, so I figure I should explain the title of this blog. We're MOVING! This Saturday is the big day. We'll be staying in our apartment until the end of this month, but on Saturday my uncle is coming over with a truck and we're going to move about 90% of the stuff we have. Most people would think I'm crazy, but I absolutely LOVE moving. Its like starting from scratch. Its a fresh, blank pallet you get to decorate however you want to. We're moving in with the in-laws for about a year while I'm in school. Our plan is to save up enough money to put a down payment on our first house or a condo (most likely a condo). There are a lot of other little things we want to try and get done in that year as well (Like finally get my drivers licence).

Well, I should be signing off soon. I have class @ 8am tomorrow.

Animal fact #4 and #5: Irish Wolfhounds normally take home the prize of "Tallest Breed of Dog". They average 3 feet tall from ground to shoulder....but can be up to 1 meter tall. Not only is spaying or neutering your cat good for decreasing the cat population, but it also decreases their chances of getting testicular or ovarian cancer in the future.

I have a few small things you can do everyday that will decrease your carbon footprint:

1) Eat meat-free meals one day a week

2) Don't use pesticides

3) Walk, bike or take transit to regular destinations

And most importantly GET INVOLVED and STAY INFORMED!

I'M AN AUNTIE!!!!!

Yep, thats right. Today at 12:07pm Nathan Curtis Webster(natedawg) was born. He was a perfect 7lbs 12oz and he was beautiful. After waiting in the waiting room for around 6 hours we were FINALLY able to see him and it was well worth the wait. I've never known this kind of love before. I love my husband, I love my dogs, I love my family....but this is completely new. Its so excited thinking that I am going to be part of shaping this beautiful baby as he grows up. I can't wait until Andrew and I can take him to movies and hockey games and do all kinds of fun things with him. And believe it or not....I can't WAIT to babysit lol. He is coming into such an amazing family that I am so lucky to be apart of. He has an incredibly excited, loving grandma, a cool auntie that i'm sure will teach him all about cooking :), an uncle who will teach him how to play video games, and me....I'm hoping to teach him just how wonderful life can be and how he can do anything or be anything he wants to be. And i'm for sure going to teach him how his generation can do their part to sustain our wonderful mother earth! And he has a wonderful mommy(who i had the pleasure of meeting for the first time today) and daddy. He is one lucky ducky.

This past month I have had so many babies come into my life. One of my good friends had her second child on March 5th, My cousin had her first child on March 11th and my Brother-in-law had his first child March 18th.....and they have ALL been boys! I have to say....I have enough babies around me now to hold me off from wanting one of my own for AT LEAST another two years. Well this is going to be a short short blog because I have over 100 pictures of Nathan to go through and edit before I start emailing them out!

I'm skipping my tips this time....so i'll double up on them next time!

Later Dayz!

Education is FUN!

So my husband and I just got back from my grandparents house where I tested out my grooming skills on their 1 year old Dachshund(he was not to happy with me afterwards). I've gotta say, I'm getting much better and much more confident in my skills and with handling dogs. It was also a bonus that I got to see my two wonderful little cousins who were so excited to help me groom teddy(the dachshund), but when it came time to actually start doing the work...surprise surprise, they were nowhere to be found! They did get a little too excited when I said I was going to expel his anal glands (strange little girls) and had to come over to watch. I must say though, he turned out pretty good! Nice and fluffy! I also finally got to see a picture of my cousins newborn baby boy Caleb and I must say he is the cutest thing I have ever seen! He's absolutely perfect and I know my cousin is going to be a wonderful mother!! I can't wait to see him and take tons and tons of pictures!

I've been thinking a lot lately about my future and where I see myself going. For so long I told myself that I was never a school person. I think I was trying to convince myself of that to justify not going to college after high school. I kept telling myself that I was one of those people that was meant to go straight into the working world after graduating. Now that I'm in school doing something I love I see how wrong I was. It wasn't school I hated really, It was learning things that didn't interest me. I LOVE this program. I love working with animals and learning everything I can about them. Today we learned how to bandage a wound and we got to practice on stuffed animals. Millie and Luna don't know it yet....but I plan on practicing on them very very soon. :) Anyways, now that I'm in school...I don't know if I want to leave. There's so much to learn and so many different things that interest me. I think once I'm finished the courses I'm taking now I'm going to continue to further my education. There's a wildlife and Forestry Conservation course that's caught my eye(another online course). I don't think I will ever stop learning!

Well thats it for now.

Animal fact # 3: Coprophagy is a behavior in rabbits where they eat their own fecal matter. It is usually done in the early morning and is completely normal. It is not frowned upon as it increases nutrient utilization and absorption within the rabbit's body

Environmental tip # 3: Don't buy stuff that you don't need. Out of the three R's - Reduce is by far the most important. It is obvious that the planet cannot sustain 6.6 billion people consuming at the rate of North Americans or Australians, let alone the 9 billion people expected to be here by 2050.

Something new for this post....if you eat fish the following options are products that are fished or farmed in an environmentally responsible way:

Catfish(U.S farmed)

Clams(farmed)

Halibut(Wild or Pacific)

Pollock(wild or Alaskan)

Rainbow trout(Farmed)

Tilapia(U.S Farmed)

As Ronald Wright says "Now is our last chance to get the future right"

Thanks for reading

My journey to the dog show!

Well, if you read my last post you'll know that yesterday my husband and I went to the Purina dog show. It was NOT easy getting there. Since neither of us drive we had to take good old local transit. When we left the house it was spitting, by the time we got on our second bus it was lightly raining, and by the time we got off the last bus it was pouring. It wouldn't have been so bad if we didn't have to walk another 10 minutes to get there. By the time we got inside I looked like a wet dog (luckily I didn't smell like one). The first thing I did when we got inside was find a washroom...after attempting to dry myself off I realized it was useless. I was in a foul mood but one foot inside and my mood did a 180. SO MANY DOGGIES! I was so excited. We stood at the front for a while and watched the dancing dogs before walking around and collecting as many free samples as we could! Looks like we wont have to buy dog food for a while :)
When we got to the area where they sell products I was like a kid in a candy store. I want to set up my own grooming business once I'm done school and if Andrew weren't with me I probably would have spent far too much money. I was good though and ended up leaving with only a shampoo bottle thats good for diluting shampoo's with water.(I would have bought more but a week prior at Petsmart I bought shampoo and spray conditioner and a few other things). We spent about an hour and a half at the dog show, most of that was spent just walking around looking at all the cute doggies. Some of the breeds we saw were Afghan hounds,Siberian Huskies, Chihuahua's, German Shepherds, Shih Tzu's, Bearded Collies, Basset hounds and many many more. On our way out...we saw this MASSIVE dog...I wasn't sure what breed it was so I asked the owner. It was an English Mastiff (which Andrew though was called the English Massive lol). Apparently this is the dog Andrew wants. We'll have to have a bigger house and a lot of money to be able to feed that dog each month. He was HUGE! So timid....but so big!

Well, this will be a short blog but it's dinner time now and I'm getting far to into this episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! (I haven't watched this show in years!)

Animal fact # 2 - Orange(or red) cats are almost always male.

Environment tip # 2: Grow your own fruits and vegetables - Dramatically reduces your foods carbon footprint.

They don't make cartoons like they used to.

Alright, so I was actually planning on posting last night....but since I seem to no longer be able to stay up past 11:30pm....I'm posting this morning. It is 9am....and I'm tres tres excited because we're going to the dog show today. Unfortunately, it looks a little scary outside! It's incredibly windy and it looks pretty gloomy, like torrential downpour could start any minute........that won't stop me though. My first task this morning, however, is to try to get my husband out of bed. Not an easy feat. I've turned on Saturday morning cartoons, turned on a few lights and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will wake him up.

Speaking of Saturday morning cartoons.........they just don't make them like they used to. I remember being so excited on Sat and Sun morning. Whatever happened to Eureka's Castle, Today's Special, Groundling Marsh, Mr. Dressup and the original Polka Dot Door! Today it's all about Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly place (which I have to admit I watch sometimes hehe) and That's So Raven. WHERE ARE THE GOOD CARTOONS???

On a side note, I've decided that with each post I'm going to give you one random fact that I've recently learned about animals and one thing you can do to help save the environment that i've gotten from David Suzuki's "Green Guide".

Fact # 1: Cheetah's are the only cats that cannot retract their claws

Environmental tip # 1: Choose Local food: China is now the second leading source of Canadian food imports after the U.S. A study was done comparing 7 foods found at a local Farmers market to 7 similar items purchased at a Supermarket. The local foods traveled an average of 101 km(63 miles) while the supermarket foods traveled an average of 5,364km(3,326 miles). The imported foods caused up to 1000 times more greenhouse gas emissions than the local food.

Well, thats all for now.....I will definitely be posting again tomorrow to tell you all about the dog show(if Andrew ever wakes up)

And So It Begins!

So.....I've decided to enter the wonderful world of blogging. It seems to be the popular thing to do now...not that I've been one to constantly follow new trends. But I was thinking to myself.."I have thoughts, I have ideas...I can create a blog!" So it was decided....I was going to create a blog.....but what in the world would I blog about....my life isn't incredibly exciting....I'm an ordinary girl from a small city. But then my aunt mentioned that I should write about dogs! Hmmmm......I could do that.

For those of you that don't know me...here's a bit of background. I graduated high school in 2004 and made the decision to take a year off before heading to college. Well, after that year was up I was definitely feeling the pressure from my parents to do something with my life. The pressure was on. I looked into a few courses and eventually ended up getting into Journalism without really knowing to much about it. BIG MISTAKE....I hated it.....so I ended up dropping out.....several years later I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I did know, however, that I wasn't going to jump into just anything this time. I'm married now to a wonderful man and we have two amazing babies (Our dog Millie and cat Luna). I couldn't just waste our money on something I wasn't going to continue. It took a while but It finally hit me.....I love animals...everything about them. They don't judge you....they're great listeners and they're always excited to see you. So......to try and make this shorter...I found a program at Sheridan college...applied for it...and 3 months into the program.....i'm in love. I was never one to stick to anything. Piano..I quit, soccer...I quit, Gymnastics...I quit, Swimming...I quit. So I don't think people really expected me to stick with this....but i'm determined to prove them wrong.

So.....my attempt to make this shorter failed...but I feel to truly understand me you need to know a bit about my background and where i'm coming from.

I'm at the point in my life where I'm eager to learn new things. My brain craves new information daily. Not only am I in school for Animal care but I'm also taking an online course in photography. People have always told me I have talent with the camera and I've always been far to modest to believe them.....but I'm starting to become more confident in my talent. I'm not going to stop there though.....once i'm finished with these courses I plan on continuing my education........there are always new things to learn.

Anyways...This blog will be daily(at least i'll try to make it daily) ramblings of my day to day life....My experience with animals in school and outside of it...and anything else that I may happen across in the journey that is life.