Adoption Day

 LILLY:
Lilly was brought to us by Animal Control.  She and her three sisters were found in the bottom of an empty pool with no food or water.  It was in the back yard of an empty house, so the fact that they were even found was a miracle.  They came to us half-starved.  Their ribs were showing and each of the precious puppies were so tiny and weak. 

Now, each of them are a tower of strength, though they love to be held and cuddled.  Lilly was the first of the four to get adopted this weekend.  (The other three are still available.)

 GEORGE COONEY:
George was brought to us by Animal Control as well.  He was a muddy mess, found running wild on the streets, searching constantly for his next meal.  When he first came in he was scared and shaking, not sure what to do.  He tried to hide in the back of his carrier, but every day we worked with him a little, and now he's a brave, sweet natured, mellow, gentle silver haired fox, just like his (almost) namesake.  George has a black band over his eyes, and we thought he looked like a Raccoon - hence the "Cooney" part of his name.  Look how happy he is!

 GIO:
Gio was brought to the Animal Rescue a couple of months ago.   People just thrust him into are arms and said "We can't keep him." Then they turned around and walked out of the store.  We've never seen them again.

He's been going to adoptions almost constantly since then, and though people often thought he was a cutie, it was always the younger, prettier puppies who got adopted rather than poor Gio. 

Today, Jen and I got to adoptions early and were set up a full hour before usual.  When this lady came by, we had only been set up for 20 minutes. She said she had moved out from the North West and had thought about getting a dog soon.  She said she didn't think she was quite ready yet, but she wanted to take a look at the dogs we had anyway.  When she saw Gio, her eyes welled up with tears and she fell madly in love with him. Right then and there, she started the adoption paperwork and took Gio home with her this afternoon.  Happily, Gio finally has a loving home.

COFFEE: 
Coffee and her sisters were born to a Chihuahua and a Shiba Inu couple.  The owners of the two adults couldn't keep the puppies, so they asked if we could help find them homes.  They're beautiful little dogs, about four months old now.

They were being kept as 'fosters' (more information on being a Foster parent for the rescue can be found on the website, GraceAnimalRescue.org) until we found homes for them.  Though they've been coming to adoptions for a while now, none of them had found homes.  Finally, today, a little girl took Coffee home.  Now she has a best friend forever.



DONNA: 
Who can forget January's story?  The poor little puppy from Taiwan who nearly became the next meal of some heartless poachers - she was saved in the nick of time by local villagers after they heard her screaming in pain and fear.

Donna was January's sister.  If it hadn't been for January's cries, Donna herself wouldn't be here today.  This young man and his sweet mother wouldn't have found the next love of their life.  This sweet, wonderful little dog now has a home for the rest of her life.

This beautiful little face below is the sister to Coffee.  Her name is Vanilla.  She misses her sister already, but she knows that we'll never give up on her.  We will never rest until she gets a home. 

G.R.A.C.E. Animal Rescue is a No-Kill rescue.  We will keep them ALL until the day comes that they find their forever home.  For each one adopted, we can save one more life.

To donate to G.R.A.C.E. Animal Rescue and help to save a life (every little bit helps!) please go to PayPal or visit the site and click "Donate" - or mail a check to the address below, made out to G.R.A.C.E. Animal Rescue.

Thanks for your love of critters!

GRACE Animal Rescue
531 Main Street #229
El Segundo CA 90245

Last Waltz

I got one more negative comment from the mystery person before I realized how easy it was to track down their IP address and block them from having their comments get through anymore.  Let's see how far they're willing to go just to insult someone like me...  


 Below is a comment they posted on one of my blogs found here, that I never felt the need to respond to until this morning.  My response is below.  :)

I couldn't help but notice you have come to realize...Your mother will never like you. As a parent myself, I can almost assure you that your mother loves you with all her heart. It is difficult to destroy the deep love between mother nad child. She may not like many of the things you have done but wouldn't that be understandable?

You have come to realize that your Dad honestly tried in the best way he knew how. Probably so, most parents do. Did you ever really bond or feel a connection with your own child? Did leaving him ever haunt you? Or is he better off with his father whom you have said keeps him safe? Would he have ever had a stable life with you? It doesn't sound like it from the things you have written about your life.

You have come to realize that your friends don't really know who you are. I would guess that to be true because you smile like everything is fine when it really isn't don't you? You hide who you really are because you fear not being accepted, the same way you must have felt in school.

You will never have inner peace until you try to right the people you have wronged in life. Do you ever fear growing old alone?

On a lighter note, have you ever come to realize you look better in your photos with a lighter shade of lipstick? Red is fine for evening or special occasions but damn, that stuff makes you appear older than your years. It is way too much and looks caked on.
I saw some photos of you with a lighter color and it loked much better on you. Red lipstick and dyed red hair.... not a good combo!

The red hair however, is beautiful on you and goes well with your lighter skin tone. I saw the pictures you posted of your mother and you favor her a lot. The two of you are also built just alike, with nice wide hips, full thighs and a smaller waist. NICE!!!!!

I didn't say my mother would never love me. I said she would never LIKE me and I do still believe that. I know she loves me, because as she puts it, she "Must, without choice" because I'm her daughter. LOVE and LIKE are two different things completely.


As for my own life, you have no position in this world to comment about my son unless you know the whole story - and I don't care who you are, that will never happen.  LOL!  I do notice you never once commented on the post about him and what happens when I visit him. You're a negative, lying piece of garbage who wants the whole world to hate me. And why, I ask? Is it because you're jealous? I can't imagine why. Yes, I'm pretty (with my hips, waist, red lipstick, red hair and all!) but my life has been a trade off for the looks. I've had my share of hardships, occasionally actually brought on BY the looks. Do not be jealous of me. Jealousy has no reason or purpose in life. Jealousy is actually a sin.


I do not fear growing old alone. Unlike others out there, I'm content in being alone and free. In fact, most of the time I crave it. I don't want to be smothered.  I do want to be loved, but that's a basic human instinct.  Who doesn't?  I don't fear being alone.  I don't fear being WITH someone.  The future is a mystery.  I'm good with that.


I've heard it said that "Strong people will smile through the tears and tell you everything is fine, even when it's not," so in that regard, YES. That's EXACTLY what I do. I'm a positive, strong, independent, confident young woman. That will NEVER change. I am myself, but I am reclusive. Very few of my friends will ever know who I am, but that's because they don't in general spend enough time with me to know. We all have our secrets. YOU are no exception.



In fact, your biggest secret at this point in time would be who you are. I know exactly who you are, but you live in FEAR of anyone else knowing. You live in FEAR of ME knowing.  You live in FEAR that your ex will know.  You don't want people to know how insecure you are, how jealous you've become.  You don't want anyone to know who YOU really are.  You wouldn't ever tell your life through a blog as I have done, for the things you've done in your life haven't been half as exciting, half as adventurous, half as interesting as what I've done.  You shouldn't feel bad or jealous for that.  You don't want me to know who you are...   But you don't realize I already do. IP Addresses give a lot of information away. 


Next comment you feel like writing, take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself if it's me or YOU that you've written it about.  Thanks (but no thanks) for your negative, foul, useless attempt at being cruel to me on my own blog. It's pathetic, and doesn't actually work.  I scoff and LAUGH at you.  In fact, you know a few of the people I know.  Ask them - I do laugh so heartily at your failed attempts to insult me.  But I've grown tired of your petty game. 


This will be the end of you and I thank you for fading away into the nothing abyss.

New Hair, New Me

I spent most of my day today being pampered completely in what I would call a well deserved day off. 

After a lavish breakfast with a good friend, we enjoyed a cigar, a long chat, a coffee at Starbucks and more conversation.  It was an amazingly relaxing morning, and something I haven't known in far too long. 

Afterwards, I ended up finding my way to a nail salon in my old neighborhood where I spent the next two and a half hours being thoroughly pampered, massaged and relaxed even more. 

Right after that I found my way to the hair salon, only a few doors down, where once more I spent a little money on myself and got what I feel is the best hair style I've had in quite a long time.  It's so cute!  Then again, that's just my opinion.  :)

I seriously needed this day off and I have to remember to thank my boss when I see him tomorrow.  I feel like a new person!

I must have the greatest job in the world. 

After all, I was paid to take all these photos!

Better Days Ahead

Last night I wanted a beer. It's a craving I rarely ever have. I remembered that I had a 6 pack of beer from New Years Eve in my fridge still so I made my way through the living room gauntlet of my roommates friends to the kitchen. I opened the fridge, very much looking forward to that first taste.

I was shocked when I didn't see those dark bottles staring me in the face the way they had for a month. Slightly disgruntled, I asked rather loudly where MY beers were. I was greeted with a sheepish response.

"your beer? You had beer in the fridge? I've never seen you drink. I thought those were for anyone."

"Well I'm taking one of yours then."

"Take as many as you like. I'm sorry, I didnt know you drank beer."

I grinned, popped the cap off, held my bottle out for all to see, and slugged the whole thing back right there in front of them. That just happens to be something I've never done before. I knew I ha wanted a beer but I really didn't know how badly.

By the end of the night I put away a 6 pack myself and finally found my way to bed about 1am. I was thoroughly drunk. Part of me feared I wouldn't wake up in the morning in time for work, but a large percentage of me didn't care. That's also extremely uncharacteristic of me.

Somehow I woke up this morning with a spring in my step a full half hour before my alarm went off. I got ready for work, picked out some rather cute outfit, did something new with my hair and left a full hour before I usually do. I feel light and refreshed, ready to face the day with brand new eyes.

Nothing is going to bother me today. I have my swing music, I have my friends, I have my itemized list of things to accomplish today and I have finally gotten enough sleep.

It's amazing what a 6 pack can do for a girl who "never" drinks.

Hard Days

Bad days.

They happen.

I try to constantly rise above the idiotic nonsense of others and their petty, selfish remarks meant purposefully to wound and hurt others.  For the most part, it's water off a ducks back to me.  I can deal with it really quite well.  I'm good at it.  I haven't always been, but in the last few years I've figured out a few personal tricks on how to deal with all the BS people seem to sling at others almost daily. 

I don't do well with someone I care about being insulted though, and I know a few who are the same way.  They don't deal well with others who do the same to me.  I had a sarcastic remark or two thrown my way today, and one really good friend of mine was up in arms when they heard about it.  I suppose I can't blame them.  I would have been the same way if the comment had been made about them.

It was a day of stress, drama and headache today.  It was a day I just wanted to hide from the world and go to bed.  I go through that once in a while, where I feel uncomfortable in my own skin.  I call it the Deafening Silence, or my internal isolation, but it's all the same.  It's the Blues, I guess.  Perhaps I just need a bit of Doug MacLeod or Ben Powell to get me through.

Meanwhile, I've made a massive mess with the computer at work that my poor Boss is having to fix, and I couldn't feel worse about it.  Sure, bad days happen - but being distracted by a bad day can sometimes make things far worse, like today.  :(



I think I need a visit from an out of State friend of mine.  Roll On February!

The Rumor Mill

"What fuels rumors is the desire to believe we've been let in on a piece of secret knowledge - our delight in sharing it with others often blinds us to the falsity of the gleaned information.  Few can resist the lure of a deliciously wicked tidbit, thus few stop to check their facts before spreading the falsehood further."

Quote borrowed from here.




Rumors are damaging to many people - not just those involved in the rumors, be they true or false, but to the people who spread and share them in whatever ways they deem it worth their time  Rumors are manipulative. They destroy lives and dreams, hopes, friendships, marriages, families and even jobs.  The quickest way to demolish someone's life is to spread a rumor about them.  That's why I don't participate in such stupid activities.

"The quickest way to stay in the gutter is to surround yourself with trash. The best way to stay in the ghetto is to thrive on gossip, rumor and drama."

And yet that's how so many people live their lives.  If there isn't some sort of drama, they create it.  If there isn't some wicked rumor about some good person, they create one.  If there isn't a reason to dislike a person, they find one and tell everyone they know about it. 

I heard a few rumors about a person today that broke my heart.  They weren't true and I know that first hand.  They were evil, mean, nasty rumors that this person clearly doesn't deserve.  Today, I shed tears for another person because of the things said about them.  This is a GOOD person, a GREAT person, one of the best people I have been lucky enough to get to know. 

Rumors are poison - they are a cancer.  They spread like a disease, and once started, nothing in the world can stop them. 

Think about this....
The rumors I heard today were about one of the people in one of the photos below.  There is a common theme in the photos below, and that would be that each of them are my friends, someone I would defend with my last breath - and that's why I'm in every one of the pictures.

Imagine - it could be anyone.  It could be you.  At one time, it probably WAS you.  Everyone has had rumors spread about them.  It didn't feel good when it was about you, so before you go out and start talking about someone else, playing mean and nasty High School games, remember what that felt like.  Remember that each of us has a heart and soul. 

Nobody knows the whole story on any end of any story.  Even my own blogs are all told from my own point of view and many have come back to me saying they don't remember things going the way I did.  I admit, each of us have our own memories and opinions, including me.  With that in mind, what truth is there in a rumor?  True or not, the whole story is NEVER told. 

Each of us have families, friends, coworkers, lives and dreams that could easily be destroyed by a rumor.  Next time one comes your way, let it pass right by.  Better yet, tell the person spreading it to remember what it was like to be the victim of such viciousness.  STOP the rumors before they start.  Don't participate.  Let it go.  Let them be.  Let them have happiness and peace.