ABC's of me

So, while I was doing my daily blog stalking reading I came across my friend Bradey's post... You can check it out over here. She is the lucky gal married to Cam's oldest brother Coby! She posted the ABC's of her and I thought it was fun reading it. Hopefully yall find it at least a little amusing and not a complete waste of your time to read the ABC's of myself... I also invite you to join in on this ABC thing!

Age: 20... almost 21

Bed: Twin. The same twin sized bunk bed I have had since before I was born.

Chore I hate: Dusting... There is ALWAYS dust EVERYWHERE. You can never dust enough for it to all go away. Annoying

Dogs: Jinx, Roxi, Marley, and Deuce... Deuce is actually Cam's, but I like think of him as mine. :)

Essential start to your day: eating cereal... I literally crave cereal the second my eyes open.

Favorite color: this changes on a daily basis... Today I am loving the many shades of orange I have been seeing on pinterest.

Gold or silver: Silver... although I do like gold. I just feel like I can not pull it off.

Height: 5 foot nothing.

Instruments I play or have played: I have a guitar with my name on it... does that count as playing? I once thought I was going to be a musician.

Job title: Nanny/Swim Coach/Student/Dog lover (I wish I got paid for this) 

Kids: I have three of the cutest little nieces and nephews in the world... They are technically Cam's I also claim them as my own as well :)

Live: Texas/Oklahoma

Mom's name: Sherri... mama... mom... the B**** is back... JUST KIDDING if only you knew her! 

Nickname: B, Bai, Noodles, and beans (long story about how I got those two names)

Overnight Hospital stays: Kidney stones... yuck!

Pet Peeves: um... smacking, leaving things in the sink, overflowing trash cans, and people who do not know how to drive.

Quote from a movie: "A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class, but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his." -- Marley and Me by John Grogan

Right or Left handed: Right

Siblings: One awesome younger sister by blood... many by heart :) 

Time I wake up: around 8... soon it will be 6:45 and I will be the wicked witch of the west...

Underwear: using Bradey's answer and saying noneya.

Vegetables I dislike: an easier answer to this question would be which vegetables I DO like.

What makes you run late: If I watch the news or Good Morning America for too long. Or if I simply can not get myself moving... I rarely run late though. Kind of a freak about that.

X-rays I have had done: teeth, jaw, shoulder, stomach, foot/ankle.

Yummy food I make: I like to think all the food I make is yummy... I really enjoy my mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and french toast. Cam might have a better answer to that question.

Zoo animal: I love the giraffes mostly because they are so tall and awkward, completely opposite of my... at least the tall part ;). I also love the elephants. 

Love Makes The World Go Round

    The other day I was reading my daily 1-minute devotional that I get from You Version on my i phone... The topic was "divorce prevention" and it provided a startling statistic. It stated that 1 in 2 marriages will fail... I knew the divorce rate was high and I have actually seen the new textbooks say the divorce rate is 50%, but seeing the numbers 1 in 2 really blew me away.

The devotional passage went on to state that there are 12 words that should be spoken and lived out daily.
     These words were:
       " I love you"
       " I admire you"
       " I was wrong"
       " Please forgive me"

The passage also stated that expressing love and admiration are the ingredients for divorce prevention. I could not agree more... If only we humans could love as God loved. If only we could look past all of the issues and the ugly stuff. This also got me thinking about the love dogs show us.

I have written about a dog's love before, but I do not think I expressed the need for this type of love. I just wish that we could all love as our dogs love us. A dog's love is always unconditional. A dog's love never comes with "ifs, ands, or buts". A dog's love is never untrusting. I was reminded of this excerpt from the movie and book "Marley and Me" and I think it explains the love we need to have quite perfectly.

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. 

A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. 

It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. 

As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."  ― John Grogan

I just wish that everyone in the whole world could have a love so pure, but I know that is near impossible. I also know that type of love is waiting for me in heaven and I could not be more grateful. I wish I could see more of it on a daily basis down here on Earth... Until then I will continue to cling to the people who do love me and hold tight to the many dogs that hold a huge place in my heart.