Just Another Day in Paradise

"Just Another Day in Paradise" is a relatively lame country song with a relatively un-lame point: even considering the mundane, everyday aspects of life, life is still pretty great, and there is no place better than home, with your loved ones. So that's my title for today, which is just an ordinary day surrounded by a lot of other ordinary days.

Sometimes I definitely feel like I am living in paradise. Moving to the lake was definitely a wonderful decision... I can't imagine now not being able to walk down a trail and find myself at the water. I've seen in morning, noon and night, and in a variety of seasons, and I can never decide which time of the day and year I prefer it. It's always gorgeous. I captured this picture recently as Bailey and I enjoyed an evening walk:

My cell phone camera doesn't pay it nearly enough justice. I hope that all of you who haven't had a chance to drop by the house yet will be able to come and check it out sometime. We love having guests and showing off our place!

Mom and Dad dropped off Luke yeterday evening. They left for vacation this morning and will be in Lake Cumberland and the Smokies until Sunday, so Gearry and I are dog-sitting. Bailey and Luke get along well, except that Bailey has about 10 times more energy (seeing as he is almost 7 years younger and 70 pounds smaller!) and sometimes wants to play when Luke is more than done. But Luke is such a sweet boy that he tolerates all the nibbles on his ears and his legs, and even when Bailey jumps off the couch and dive bombs him.

For all my far away friends who read the blog, I miss you! I just wrote another letter to Hillsley in Zambia yesterday, read Kath's blog from Poland, and have been thinking a lot about Colleen in Maryland and, of course, Stebby & Hill over in Ohio. It's really hard to have so many amazing friends and have them all so far away. But this is a "hello" and "I love you" to all of you!

A Fantastic Weekend: In Review

This past weekend was the best I've had in awhile... albeit most definitely the busiest I've had in awhile. It was pretty much non-stop, but -- most importantly -- quite enjoyable.

On Friday I left work around 3:30 to head to Columbus, Ohio, for Hillary's birthday! The best part: Hillary had NO clue I was coming. I'd been planning the surprise all week with the help of Stebby and Chris, so I was pumped that the day had finally arrived. Hillary had arranged for a night out on the town, and Stebby made plans to meet up with her at the first bar. When she arrived I was waiting with a cupcake, some candles and a lot of excitement! I have a hard time pulling off surprises, so it was nice that it all went as planned. Hill was super surprised, and we had a great night in the Short North/Arena District in downtown Columbus, hitting up Adobe Gilas, Mynt, and a short-stop at Brother's to close out the night.

The next morning I felt... HORRIBLE. Apparently I did not drink enough water the night before. Blah. But I had to get back to Indiana pretty early, so I found the strength to drag myself out of bed, grab some quick breakfast at Northstar with Stebby, and make the four hour drive back home just 17 hours after I'd arrived. A long roundtrip for a short amount of time, but completely worth it.

Saturday night, Gearry and I had plans with my friend Andy (from work), his wife Becky, and our other friend Elizabeth (also from work.) We all met up for dinner at Trojan Horse, then attended a play at the John Waldron Arts Center that was written and directed by another person who works at AuthorHouse. The play got over around 10:30, and our group headed to the Irish Lion for drinks and snacks and good conversation. It was a great night.

Sunday, I INSISTED on sleeping in. Mom called and woke me up at noon (Gearry was already at work) and I was not a happy girl. But I had hoped to be up by then, so I quickly showered and headed down to Mitchell to hang out with Mom, Dad, and Josh (who is home from Purdue for fall break). We watched the Colts game (we won, of course) and Mom made some homemade lasagna. Mom and Dad had also been watching Bailey all weekend since Gearry and I were so busy, so we were reunited and spent a lot of time playing and cuddling on the couch. Not to mention napping.

I definitely couldn't be on the go like that every weekend, but it is nice every once in awhile. Lots of stuff going on in my life right now. Nothing particularly exciting, but lots of little things. Kind of a good break from the doldrums of the predictible work-home-sleep schedule.

Tonight, I have to go to the Bloomington Animal Shelter for a quick dog-handling tutorial, as I officially start volunteering this Saturday. Afterwards, it's La Charreada for dinner with Mom and then we have tickets to see Annie at IU Auditorium! This was one of my favorite musicals growing up (probably my only favorite, as I'm not typically a big musical person) and I am excited to see it on stage for the first time.

Have a great one, everyone!

- Stacey

Saturdays are Changing...

Last night I had orientation at the Bloomington Animal Shelter for their volunteer program. It went well and I will be volunteering on Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., for at least the next six months. Sacrificing my one morning to sleep in was a bit of a bummer, but with my schedule that is simply the best time for both me and the shelter, since they are closed most evenings. So, I will be dragging my booty out of bed on these crisp and cold fall/winter Saturdays, but I know it will be worth it.

I have wanted to volunteer at the shelter for awhile now, but everytime I started to fill out the volunteer application, one thing or another stopped me. Usually it was an emotional thing... I would start thinking about how hard it would be to be around all the dogs, knowing that some of them were probably going to be put to sleep. Now that I have dealt with euthanasia on a very, very personal level, my feelings towards it have changed a bit, and I know I can handle the fact that sometimes it just has to be done. Plus, Bloomington does a great job of almost always euthanizing for behaviorial/temperament issues (aggressive, unsafe dogs) and health issues. If a dog is reasonably healthy and friendly, or at least not vicious, chances are that it is going to get a good home.

The people there are all very concerned about animal welfare, and I like that. It is nice to be surrounded by a group of people who love and care for animals as much as I do.

I will be a dog walker, so I will mostly be either walking (duh) or playing with the dogs, just to give them some time to be out of their kennels and be social with a human. There are a TON of dogs (if you've ever been to the shelter, the room of dogs that you can visit and adopt is only about a quarter of the dogs on the grounds... the rest are either strays waiting for to see if anyone claims them, special needs dogs (sick, aggressive), and dogs awaiting their temperament tests or just waiting for room in the main room. I can't wait to play with all of them!

- Stacey

There's No Question... We're in Love!

Bailey has been with us for about five days now, and Gearry and I have fallen... hard! He is such a sweetheart and so ridiculously cute (I mean, look at this picture). Although I was very happy to get him, I didn't feel much of a personal connection at first. I remembered feeling the same way with Colby in the beginning, so I wasn't worried. But after Bailey fell asleep in my lap Friday night after an hour-long walk, he started to get to me. And after a great weekend with him, I am completely and totally in love.

Let's see... fun Bailey facts? He's about a year and half old, but that is at best guess by the vet. He is probably more towards the year side of things. He's a terrier mix, but he has a bushy, curly tail... that must be the "mix" part because we have no idea where that might come from! He is very, very fast... last night Gearry and I played with him on the golf course and he had a blast chasing a golf ball that we threw for him. For such a little guy, I could not believe how quickly he could go after it. He loves all kinds of treats, but of course we try to give him only the healthiest if possible. On special occasions he gets a "snausage" or a beggin' strip, but generally his favorite treat is baby carrots. I've never met a dog who liked carrots, but he loves them.

Today I am, of course, working all day (probably 7:30-4:00), but Gearry is off so he is taking Bailey to the dog park later, which should make for an entertaining afternoon. Bailey really enjoys meeting (aka "sniffing") other dogs and rough-housing, so hopefully there will be some fun friends for him at the dog park.

In non-dog-related news... oh wait, there is NO non-dog-related news. The only other thing of particular interest at the moment is that I have orientation and start volunteering tomorrow with the Bloomington Animal Shelter. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time and am finally taking the opportunity. I wanted to volunteer with rowing this fall, but I'm finally realizing that my schedule really isn't conducive to it. I'll be working at the shelter a few hours a week, which is manageable, either dog-walking or doing special events which take the dogs out into the community. Volunteering is very important in my life... I've always done it, and it's been hard missing that over the last year or so. If everyone would volunteer just a couple hours a week to a good cause, I can't imagine how much better this world would be. So, this is my contribution, for now, and I am excited to get started tomorrow!

- Stacey

Proud New Parents

Meet Bailey, the newest addition to the Young-Caudell household:

Gearry and I met Bailey and his foster mom yesterday in Nashville. It was definitely love at first sight. He is super cute, and -- being a terrier and only a little over a year old -- super crazy. He never gets tired of playing, loves squeaky toys and bones, and loves rough-housing. He can jump like a frog (he jumped on the back of the chaise with one tiny leap) and he can also "dance" on his hind legs for a long time. He loves to dance for treats. And sit for treats. And do anything for treats. Luckily, he thinks a single piece of dry dog food qualifies as a treat, so training him is fun. He's a little rough around the edges, like most terriers and a lot of rescue dogs, but he is overall a very sweet and smart boy! He can sit and is housebroken, so the most important things are covered. If we can get him not to jump on people (yeah, right) then we'll be all set.

I'm so excited... it's hard to be here at work knowing he and Gearry are at home playing!

Last night at bedtime, Bailey gave me some "kisses" and then walked down to the end of the bed and plopped down and fell asleep in the bottom lefthand corner, the exact spot where Colby always slept. It made me a little sad, but also brought a little smile to my face. It was kind of like a little message "hello" from Colby, and I didn't mind it at all.

Many more pictures to come in the future, I'm sure.

Along Came the Rain

It's amazing... I look outside the windows here at the office (yes, yes, I am blogging on the job, but it is only because I need a little break from creativity before I get back to writing) and I see: rain! The weather is calling for rain and thunderstorms for the rest of today and tomorrow. After the driest summer I can remember, we definitely need the rain, and it is a nice change of pace. Rainy days -- as long as they don't happen too often -- always seem to be cozy and relaxing. I enjoy the occasional summer thunderstorm, so I was sad that this summer surmounted to maybe two piddly rain showers. Elsewhere it may have been flooding, but here a rain drop seemed like too much to ask for.

Rain does tend to make me a little lazy, however, so instead of thinking about going for a run when I get home, I find myself thinking about curling up in the chaise for a nice nap... which I do almost every night anyway. Dinner, nap, run, shower, laziness, bed. That's pretty much how my evenings seem to work anymore. Kind of a crazy order, but it works for me.

Tomorrow we are going to meet Bailey and Gearry is very, very excited. I am too, don't get me wrong, but Gearry is like little-kid excited. I have to admit, it will be nice to have little paws running around the house again. I hope that everything goes well when we meet him and that it feels like a good match. If so, we may be bringing him home with us tomorrow, so long as we pass the background inspection (which, duh, we will, because they pretty much just look to see if you have a history of cruelty to animals). Hopefully I will have good news and pictures tomorrow.

Gearry talked to his business advisor and let him know we'll be picking up Charlie in another week or so, so there may be many little paws tapping on the floors soon.

- Stacey

Getting On With Life... Or At Least Trying...

I still can't believe all of the horrible/crazy/surprising/surreal events Gearry and I have had to deal with lately, but things are starting to get a little easier. A little. We appreciate all the well-wishes we've received, as well as the time we needed to ourselves to kind of figure some things out. Basically, it is to the point where we can talk about Colby again and have gotten a kick out of recounting all the funny memories we have of him. We've accepted the fact that he's gone, but we still find ourselves looking at the end of our bed for him in the morning... and we can't get over the feeling of emptiness in our otherwise wonderful house.

For those of you who love your dogs and cats (and horses and guinea pigs and whatever the heck else you consider your pets), give them a big hug after you read this. And don't take any time with them for granted. Even if they wake you up to go out to the bathroom in the freezing cold at four o'clock in the morning... just go with it. You'll be glad you did.

Knowing very well that Colby was special to us, and that he is irreplaceable, Gearry and I realized pretty quickly that we are dog people, and dog people should have dogs. We both feel very strongly about animal rescue efforts, and we knew within a few days of our sadness that we wanted to open our home and our hearts again to another rescue. And it appears it may be two... we have the room, both physically and emotionally, and we want to share what we have. Plus, we like the idea of two dogs because they always have each other, even when we can't be there. They have a little buddy to play with and fight with and cuddle with and get into trouble with.

Charlie is a Peekapom (half Pekingese, half Pomeranian) but doesn't look or act much like either of those breeds, which I would normally say are "prissy." Gearry has played with him and said he's really chill and friendly. He's cute, too. A family bought him for their kids and then just decided they didn't really want to take care of him anymore. He ended up with Gearry's business advisor, who has been keeping him until he can find him a good home. We had actually planned on getting him as a buddy for Colby. Since things have obviously changed, I was reluctant for the first few days, but am now happy about the idea of taking him in. We will probably get him in the next few weeks.

Bailey is a terrier mix that pretty much looks like a black version of Colby. Some have asked me if it will be hard having a dog that reminds us of Colby so much... but we love terriers. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a terrier from here until the end. We love the look, the attitude, the little cuddle-bug tendencies. We found Bailey online (looking at all the dogs on petfinder.org actually helped us cope quite a bit) at a dog & cat rescue based out of Columbus. He is an absolute cutie. He is staying with a foster family, and Gearry talked to his foster mom for awhile yesterday. She sounds super friendly and said we sound like a great match for Bailey. She said he is very friendly and pretty active, and that when he is not playing he loves to snuggle with his human. Gearry and I are meeting her in Nashville on Wednesday evening to meet him for the first time and see if we all "hit it off." Haha... somehow, I don't see that being a problem.

So... big changes in our family. Bad changes, good changes, ones I'm still not sure about but ready to test. Life is so weird. I'm trying to stop attempting to understand it, because that is apparently kind of pointless.

Outside of the sadness we've had to deal with, things are going well. I love my new role at AuthorHouse... even though I am still learning to deal with being inside for eight hours a day, I love writing and I love applying all the creativity tumbling around inside my head to paper. Gearry's business deal is getting closer and closer to being finished (thank goodness!) and we are estimating that he is about three weeks from closing. Fortunately, for now, he has started helping his friend Matt, who owns several restaurants in the Bloomington area. This is great because he is: 1) Making money! (More than me, actually... on a temporary job... how is that fair??) ; 2) Not going crazy being a househusband stuck at home all day... especially since it is different without Colbs around; 3) Getting to work on some neat stuff... he's doing some cooking, but he's also helping do some menu-planning and other details for the opening of Matt's new restaurant.

So... yay! We can once again pay bills and *gasp* go out for dinner on occasion. And, in a few weeks when the business closing is official, we'll have plenty of play money and it is going to be so gooooooooood.

Goodbye to a Dear Friend

Colby

On Friday we found out that Colby was very sick. In lieu of an emergency blood transfusion, possible surgery, and a lot of potential suffering, Gearry and I had to make the choice to put him to sleep. It has been a horrible, horrible weekend and we're not ready to talk about it, but we just wanted to let everyone know.

Beginning of the End

Labor Day never feels like the end of summer to me. There are tons of boats on the lake, everyone is grilling and playing golf and enjoying the outdoors. It's just like any other summer day. Today, though... well, today felt like the end of summer. Gearry and I slept in, made breakfast and then headed down to the water. Although it was still warm enough to swim for a little while, I spent the rest of the rest of the time wrapped up in a towel, laying in the hammock and just noticing the changes. It was overcast, and the water had that dark, choppy look that it starts to take on in the fall. The leaves are changing, too, and instead of the usual Saturday boating crowd there was only a handful of boats and jet skis.

Summer is by far my favorite season, but fall isn't so bad. It's just... different. There are definitely some things to look forward to, though: the first fire in our fireplace, the beautiful colors, football games and tailgates, hot coffee and cool evening runs. Yeah, when you put it in writing, I guess the end of summer doesn't sound so bad. But I know I will miss swimming almost everyday. So that I can hopefully stay on track for next year's triathlon season, I'm hoping to get a wetsuit and be able to swim starting around March or April. But, nevertheless, training in a wetsuit and chilling in the water in your bikini are two totally different worlds.

Gearry and I had a great day Thursday as I he picked me up early from work and we headed up to Indianapolis for the absolute Colts craziness as the Colts took on the Saints in the opening game of the NFL season. We somehow managed to land great seats at the Ram Brewery right in front of the theater-sized screen and had a great night cheering like crazy along with everyone else in the packed bar (well, except for the like 5 Saints fans). Of course, we won!! 41-10 is a great way to start the season. Go Colts!!

Long Weekend

On Friday after work I hopped in the taxi and headed to Columbus, Ohio, for Hillary's wedding shower! It was a great start to a great weekend, minus the horrible holiday traffic. The wedding shower was held at Hillary's parents' house on Saturday afternoon. I think I was more nervous than I was at my own wedding shower! Being Maid of Honor is scarier than being the bride for me because I want to do everything I can to help. Hillary was an amazing Maid of Honor and I just want to be as good to her as she was to me. Nevertheless, the shower was beautiful and a good time.

I got back to Bloomington on Sunday afternoon and Gearry and I proceeded to spend the rest of Sunday and all day Monday being as lazy as possible. Other than watching television and movies and playing in the lake, we pretty much did nothing. It was fabulous.

Today I started my new position at AuthorHouse. It is such a wonderful feeling to be putting my degree to use and to be writing again! Plus in this position I have flex hours, so I pretty much set my own work schedule. Needless to say, I am a happy girl.

- Stacey