Oddly Familiar Meme

Diane at Faith In Community tagged me for an "oddly familiar" (or as she says, is it strangely familiar?) meme. She blogged that she was procrastinating on other writing projects right now, and so it seems am I. And parts of my answers also seem to bear a resemblance as well.


Rules:
The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.
At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
Yadayadayada


Ten years ago:
Ten years ago at this time of year, I was leaving my job as a custody conference officer for the Court to begin a law firm with a friend and some of his friends. We were sure that we would not make the mistakes of other firms. We had just bought an old house that was now in commercially zoned land, and I was in charge of the renovation project while I ramped up my private practice. My friend was the first to leave in a blaze of glory two years later. I stayed longer than I should until last year when I left to get ready to begin seminary. I could not know that in my time there one of them would ask me to handle his divorce; another thankfully did not. Ten years ago there were none of the arguments, staff meltdowns or other family crises that would come. Just the smell of fresh paint and lots of grilling while we moved things in and had grand visions as thirty-somethings. The Lutheran Chicks were headed into 1st and 3rd grades. I still have the cute artwork and pictures to prove it. And in a couple weeks we would be headed to Stone Harbor to the great little house across from the tennis courts and only a block from the beach- with the big tub of beachtoys and tiny bikes, and the blender for the adults after the beach.

Five things on today's "to do" list: (here is tomorrow's)
Set up the screen porch ( optimistic that the weather will change and I can actually sit out there)
Drop off a CD of Prayers for Healing I recorded for a friend getting ready for stem cell transplant.
Lunch with a friend
Feed the dog his new liver disease food and hope he will drink enough water and eat his antibiotic ( hiding it in Wonder Bread "ball" seems to be working)
Work on endorsement essay.

Things I'd do if I was a billionaire:
-Finance micro-credit projects around the world to address potable drinking water, sustainable agriculture, alternative energy and fair trade
-Establish a fund to alleviate the overwhelming debt of our denomination's seminarians while they are in school
-Create a culturally and linguistically appropriate parenting education program for Hispanic parents that could be reduplicated so that they have the same ability to learn parenting skills as others ( especially when they are court-ordered to do so)
- Go solar
- Take cool trips with the family from time to time
( But one thing I would not do is "stop working")

Three bad habits:
Starting piles of things that need to be done
Not putting my shoes away
Not finishing home improvement projects


Five places I've lived:
Muncie, IN
Bristol, TN
Pittsburgh, PA
York, PA
Elizabethtown, PA

Five jobs I've had:
Cashier and Ladies Wear clerk
Ice Cream Store owner
Waitress
Attorney
Borough Council person


Five people I'm tagging: Eric at Heart of A Pastor; Brian at Prepare Ye; Ivy; Unlikely Conversation; and Gannett Girl

Six Random things

I have been tagged by Eric Heart of a Pastor and ,Unlikely Conversation for this meme...so here it goes...thanks guys!

The rules for the meme are:
--Link to the person who tagged you.
--Post the rules on your blog.
--Share six non important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
--Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
--Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

So here are the six non important things/habits/quirks about me:

1. I am a piler. I am generally an organized person, but my system involves piles for each thing. As a result my Beloved has given me a place for my piles, so that there are not piles here or there throughout the house. Interestingly, he too is a piler.

2. I cannot go a day without chocolate. This probably means I need some vitamin or nutrient found in chocolate. It could also mean I am a kid at heart. I like the second option.

3. Music is a part of every day. It is how I get motivated, how I pray and how I unwind.

4. Mexican food is my comfort food.

5. I have never gotten rid of my kids' art work. It is all living in two cedar chests in the attic. I dream of some day giving each of them one of the chests for their home and they can open up the chest and find their art from preschool.

6. I wish I could play guitar. I have small hands and I am not eye hand coordinated enough. Maybe electric guitar- the bass player always looks like the guy in the band who has the most fun and expends the least energy.

SO there you have it, I am not very interesting. I tag Prepare Ye, Faith in Community, Grace Notes, Questing Parson, Dogblogger, and Lutheran Zephyr to come out and play!

Quincy's Meme

Dave over at Here I Stand posted on a sad note, that they had to put Quincy, the family dog, to sleep. Certainly, we pray for Dave and the family because we all know that pets are people too. Their stories are our stories. One thing that can guarantee good conversation is a sharing of the antics of our animals. So, in honor of Quincy and all of our animal companions past and present, I thought I would post a couple pet antics form our house and create a new meme.
1. What is an amusing anecdote about a pet friend in your life (past or present)?
My Beloved and I have had two great dogs, Stirling, who was a wonderful shorthaired pointer, and Buddy the beagle, the current Resident. When we owned Stirling, we were newlyweds, before children, in a new house- in other words we were pretty clueless. Our house was a bi-level with a deck off of the back of the upper level that had stairs down to the back yard. I usually was the one to let the dog out the back to the yard when we got home from work for the "do your business, eat, play" evening routine, which required keeping her on a lead because she wanted to hunt everything. However, when it was time to come in, which usually meant dinner or a treat or toy, no lead was required. She would bound up that set of stairs, a couple at a time,ahead of the human, setting new world speed records. My Beloved is a very structured person, and all things happen in a routinized way. When putting out the dog, you open the sliding door, step out onto the deck, close the door firmly, walk the dog down, come back up, open the door, step in, close the door, put the leash on the counter, wait for the dog to bark that she wants in and repeat. I, on the other hand, open the door, take the dog out, come back up through the open door, andn repeat at the end.
This meant the dog would bound up the stairs, through the open door and to the food bowl with glee.
So one day, my Beloved does the evening routine, and at the end, the dog comes bounding up the stairs in the sprint to the food bowl, and..BAM, right into the CLOSED glass door. Who changed the routine? She sat there for a moment, a little dazed, shook it off and came in. After that for some time she would look at the door as if to try and figure out what had happened.
This year, our beagle, Buddy is becoming a senior citizen for sure. He cannot hear well, he cannot see well, he sometimes gets confused. This year, when we put up the Christmas tree, I came downstairs the next day, and the tree skirt was wet. I assumed it had gotten caught in the water, and it would dry. But for several days we were noticing a similar problem. Which turned out to be that Buddy thought the tree was a tree that needed to be marked. If there was a new Dr Seuss book, it would be Pee on Tree. See tree. See tree pee. No, no you must not pee on tree.
2. What is a gift a pet gave to you when you really needed it?
At the end of a really hard day, Buddy will always come over, tail wagging, and climbs up into my lap, nuzzles in and snuggles. He is so loving and content that whatever has gone awry, you just feel embraced.
3. Share a picture of one or more of your pets- extra points for amusing photos.
I am working on a photo to post.
Gracious God, we thank you for all of your creation. We especially thank you for the animals that grace our lives. May we learn the unquestioning love they share with us. Bless all of our pets, and those who care for them. Amen
So, now for the three questions, I tag Diane at Faith in Community , Dave, of course at Here I Stand and Dogblogger .