I Am Not A Dog Person

This is likely a result of the demon of a dog my brother Richard had (Rudy) when I was just a tot. I have one distinct memory of being alone in the dark kitchen at night (the parents must have been gone) peering at the laundry room door rattling violently and hearing the possessed growls and claws scratching their way out...towards me! Or, my not being a dog person could be the result of witnessing the neighbor's giant, sandy lab shoving my sister Bethany flat into a ditch, clawing at her eye and blood gushing from it the next second. Perhaps it was a combination of these events and everyone always telling me not to be so afraid of dogs as they jumped on me with their toothy snarls (was it some sick joke everyone was in on but me?!) Anyway,

a couple Saturdays ago, upon leaving Wal-Mart, I saw this precious puppy, and combined with my husband's pleading puppy eyes, I found myself turning the car around "just to look."

Then I found myself agreeing, "Okay, a little puppy might be a fun addition at this juncture in life."

THEN, the lady selling them (in cahoots with James) was explaining how much better it is when a puppy has a friend... especially if we can't be home all the time. Next thing I know, we are the proud owners of the two cutest black labs. We named them Duke, from some hero in one of James' favorite book series, and Rivers, from the lead singer of one of our favorite bands: Weezer.

THEN, our landlord found out, and despite the man upstairs having two yappy wiener dogs of his own, we were forced to get rid of our precious puppies. So, we drove to Arizona and my sister EmmaLee graciously took them in until we move there at the end of April. It was so sad to leave them and I'm starting to understand all those animal lovers who treat their pets like children! Yup. I'm definitely a converted dog lover and can't wait to finish here at school and get home to them. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!

"A Good Grief"

This post is the result of blog-stocking. It is also an encouragement to blog-stock (see the following links). Mostly, though, it is for a friend who has forever impacted my life.

As someone who doesn't have her own children, let alone a son or daughter who has died, I don't have anything to say of myself (nothing of true significance anyway). BUT, THIS is the story of my friend who lost her adorable son, Daxton, in June 2008 and THIS is a friend she has made since then (whom I don't even know (outside of blog-stocking)) and THIS is the amazing benefit concert she is putting on for other families who have lost their children. SO, if you are in Utah (SLC area specifically) on March 17th (just a few weeks) then you are in for a pretty awesome night if you choose to come. Bring friends or make it a date!

**If you need more convincing, again, take a couple minutes to blog-stock. Everyone is doing it!

"Dear Kambria, We are please to offer you...

ADMISSION to our graduate program for fall and certainly hope you will choose to attend...

Lots of Love,
The University of Texas-Dallas

I was pleasantly surprised when they sent this email last month since I didn't think I even finished the application to UT-D, but they offered me a scholarship too! Suddenly, Texas is a definite option for us in August. It seems like a pretty cool place to live. Of course, most of what I know about Texas I saw on TLC's t.v. show "Toddlers and Tiaras." I wonder if I could pull off the whole "pageant mom" thing? As to the actual school I would be attending, they have a good program (ranked number 12 in the nation) but I can't make any real decisions until I hear back from ASU and Hawaii... hopefully in just a few weeks. Cross your fingers for me!

3 a.m. and bawling

I'm conscientious. I also LOVE sleep,  which means there isn't much that can keep me up until 3 a.m. when school starts at 8 o'clock that morning (yuck! cold!!!) Nonetheless, Suzanne Collins has created a masterpiece that I could not get enough of. They are really easy reads but also very well written. There is action, humor, love, death, family, suspense, fantasy, reality, depression, audacity, self-discovery, sacrifice, and they are absolutely thought-provoking. I don't think I have cried, been moved, or related to a book like that since I was ten and finished my first real novel: Where the Red Fern Grows.

But that's just me. Maybe you will love them too. READ THEM!

Our Name Is Fun.

Do you know them? Fun? The band? Well, if not...get on it already!

I was introduced to them while in Mexico and it was a match from day one. Fun and I. Now when I listen to them, the BEST most idyllic summer memories of walking the streets of Tehuacan, Mexico flood my senses. I love it! The lead singer of Fun used to be the lead singer for another of my favorite bands: The Format. Right out of AZ and they, of course, bring back hundreds of the best high school memories (okay, maybe "hundreds" is an exaggeration for the high school days.) But the music is just so original and...(cliche)...fun. The stuff that picks you up and makes you dance. Listen to it. Now!

OR:

OR, my absolute favorite

Isn't that the best song?

When The Medicine Goes Down, But Still Tastes Like Crap.

This is something I've heard a lot. Like, A LOT. And I truly do love it and believe it. But it still isn't easy to swallow. Thanks for sharing this, Mom. (From: Music and the Spoken Word, 1-16-11)

"We don’t always get
what we hope for—and that can be a
good thing. Our desires, even our prayers,
sometimes reveal a limited vision of what
we can become. Often, if we’re patient,
there’s a greater blessing in store for us.
Even our trials and setbacks can be stepping-stones to greater growth.

The key, as this anonymous prayer teaches us, is to learn to be grateful for the blessings we didn’t ask for.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be
happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for—but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly
blessed.1

1. in Suzy platt, ed., Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations (1993), 277.