Beautiful Girl

My cutie patootie got glasses yesterday! When we went for our appointment last Sunday I expected to hear that she would need them at least for reading, but by the time she got to the 4th line & the optomitrist looked at me and asked, "She does know her letters, right?" I knew she'd need them full time.

She's nearsighted, just like me. Poor girl. But she's excited--I don't think she realizes what a lifetime sentence it is, she's just happy to be "like mom & dad" finally. I just can't believe how quickly the inevitable sneaked up on us.

I let her pick her own frames, just told her they had to be plastic, and she wanted "blue" of course. So she found the bluest ones she could. I think she's utterly adorable, but I am a bit biased.

I'm just glad that the time of the huge-bug-eye frames that I came up with is past. (No, I will not post pictures. If you were there, you remember; if not, I want you to think of how I look NOW, not then. Please not then.)

Oh, and I was fitted for a new pair too. It's so nice to be able to see all the little things, like the bobbles in the afghan my friend Meg made for a wedding present. I just wish that with that didn't come the sight of all the cat hair that Annie has shed on it.

Off to do laundry....

Resigned.

I turned this letter, along with my scrubs, into the clinic today.

****

Dear [various personnel],

After much internal debate, it is with regret that I tender my resignation from the position of Licensed Veterinary Technician at X Clinic, effective as soon as you deem reasonable. I have enjoyed working for XC and have no ill will in my departure. I thank you so much for the opportunities offered at the practice over the last three months, and I hope that we are able to work together sometime in the future.

Sincerely...

****

I thought I would feel horrible and guilty, but honestly, all I feel is peace. It's what I needed to do emotionally. It's what I should have done months ago. I've been thinking and praying for days, and it's what I think God wanted me to do. Otherwise, I don't think I'd feel this much peace about it.

I have my reasons, many of them, and some people have heard them. But in the end it's where I need to be right now, for myself and for my family.

ETA: I loved the clinic, I loved the people and clients, I loved everything about that. I just wasn't a good fit for what they needed. I want to clarify that--it's important for those who knew which clinic I was at to know that they are still amazing in my book, and there is really no ill will on either of our parts. They're great. My resignation was personal, not because of them.

Failed

I failed miserably at photoblogging. Sorry, folks. It just doesn't seem to be my forte, following along with a daily ritual outside of the essential, "must be dones."

I'm sure my 9 readers are tired of the subject, but in looking at the most recent unemployment statistics, Jackson's had a 68% increase in unemployment from May 2008 to May 2009. Fan-damn-tastic.

Have had a nice independence day. We had a picnic lunch in the park with some friends, and Tessa came home the grub-monster. She's having a quick bath before we head off to my grandparents' house. I made my diabetic grandpa some sugar-free dessert--it's good for the rest of us too. We were going to go to fireworks but I just found out Brooklyn held theirs last night. Oh, well, it's cold out today anyway. ETA: we got to see Brooklyn's fireworks after all, it was Lake Columbia Grandma had heard going off. They were pretty.

I had a really bad 90 day review at the vet clinic. Nothing against me personally, just a lack of skill that hasn't come up as quickly as any of us thought it would. I've got another 30 days there, then we'll reassess and decide whether I should stay on. Part of me doesn't want to, but I feel as though I must--that's what my degree is in and that is what is helping pay the bills right now, if I don't give it everything I've got then I've really failed. I think that if I left now it would be less stressful for me but that I'd always hate myself a little for not putting it all out there and giving it everything I got. I figure if I still suck in 30 days and they let me go, at least it wouldn't be because I left. Again, going with what people expect of me. So much for being a risk-taker.

Catching Up

Playing catch up for the past few days. Here we have:



Love--my 18-year-old Annie loves a foot. I was modelling this sock for a Rav Notebooks upload, and she couldn't help but head-butt it for attention. I love this cat with every fiber of my being and will be heartbroken when her time is come.



Joy--this stray came into work #2 and needs a home. She is such an affectionate, happy pup that getting a picture of her is next to impossible, because she vibrates with joy whenever anyone pays attention to her. I hope she finds her perfect place very soon!



Home--RTH is about reclaiming the gentle arts in the home, such as knitting. Tessa has been resisting learning to knit, it being something "mom does" and therefore something she won't. But today she actually acquiesed to really work on it. She's learned before, of course, but today she's really sitting down and concentrating on it. And she's doing really, really well.

Heart

Jeremy's hand

My husband is a prince. He wouldn't actually want anyone to know that, of course. He wants to give off a batsh*t crazy, gonna-snap-at-any-moment, mad and dangerous vibe that will frighten away everyone. But in reality, he's a softy.

Jeremy's a man who will do anything for a friend or a loved one. Today was a rough day--as in, I probably shouldn't have gotten out of bed if I knew what was good for me. I won't relive it for you, suffice it to say I am killing myself by inches, culminating in the spectacular hitting-of-the-broiler insides which resulted in a really painful burn on my left hand.

Without missing a beat or thinking twice, Jeremy drove to Walgreens and picked up burn ointment and chocolate. He helped me wash my hair and started the dishwasher. He let me relax. And while visiting on the porch with friends, he glanced in and flashed me the above symbol--our little aside to one another--an ASL sign meaning "I love you."

I love you too, honey. Thank you for showing me in so many ways.

Trying for it

I'm attempting photojournaling this month as part of a Reclaiming the Home project. The idea is to photojournal 30 words in 30 days, beginning June 1. I can't promise I'll post daily, but I'm sure going to try.

Before I begin, I would like to add the caveat that I have a very ill-behaved camera. We're trying to work through these issues, but it doesn't like bright light. Therefore my shots will be much less spontaneous than I would like. I'm hoping some day to be able to afford a much better camera. There may be days when video happens, rather than photos, because my camera hates sunlight.

That said, this is our word list.

heart
love
joy
home
happiness
serenity
hope inspire
create
illusion
strength
comfort
peace
unity
beuty
ancestry
silence
technology
sustenance
crafted
persistence
light
contentment
purpose
full-circle
small
natural
history
relaxation
handmade
solitude

Check this space often for what I can come up with.

Memorial Weekend (so far)

We had a good weekend here. Yesterday, my friend Chad and ClaireElaine drove up from Ft. Wayne, about 2 hours south of here. We had a picnic in the park and then came home to socialize. Tessa really had fun with their sons, Topher and Xander, although Xander got tired and cranky by the time it was time to go and tried to lock himself in Jack's crate. :-)

Path of destruction

Done with his day--going to bed?

My friend Vicki's daughter Noel won passes to Allskate, the local skating center, and invited us and many of our friends. This is Tessa with her "twin" TJ, trying to help him skate:

Ow! Falling hurts!

And with Coley, her friend and Noel's brother, discussing how rude some of the other skaters were!

Sk8tr Grrl

After Allskate, we went to Jeremy's sister Jessica (& her husband Justin)'s new house. My camera is having issues with pictures in bright light, so here's a video of the Davis "clan"--I think everyone is in there but the videographer (me).