Adventures in going back to work...if only for a short time

So for everyone who knows anything about my sweet Maverick you know that he hates his cage.  We have tried metal crates, plastic crates...nothing works! He is so calm until he goes into that crate then he is a completely different dog.  

Now I've been saying that his anxiety was getting worse but no one was taking me too seriously until we finally went back to school after having 3 weeks off for winter break.

It all started when the big grey crate we had was finally chewed through so since I was going out of town for the weekend I had to go out and buy a replacement crate.  Well Maverick had the crate door disabled in less than one day.  We, Michelle and I, decided to put the new crate in the old crate as the old crate still has a functioning door.  Seemed like a great idea...

So it was only a matter of days before he chewed through the small inner crate to make a matching window for the hole in the outer crate.  No big deal we thought it didn't look too big.  We figured we could use all socks or something to tie off the hole.  However Maverick didn't like that plan and the next day he made the whole just a little bit bigger...

I came home in the middle of the day the very next day to this.  I called this picture..."But Mom, I just wanted a window!"  Don't worry it wasn't stuck he could free his head as he wished but he apparently liked the view from the side of the cage.  I couldn't however let him stay in cage the rest of the day.  I decided that since we had been slowly getting him conditioned to stay out for long periods of time that 5 hours was completely doable.  

The next day, still unwilling to let him out all 8+ hours I figured that I could just fix the cage for the day to slow down the destruction of the cage.  So I took what was left of the cage door of the smaller crate and taped it to the holes on the side.  Now keep in mind that I was well aware that it wasn't going to hold him forever but I thought it would at least slow him down!

My wonderful mom offered to stop by to help check on Maverick and let him out.  I got a phone call from her saying that Maverick met her at the door.  I couldn't wrap my mind around how on earth he escaped his cage.  I thought for a minute that maybe I forgot to close the crate door or something weird like that.  Mom sent me a picture to show me how my sweet pup shimmied his way out the "side exit" of the crate.

Yes, he made the hole bigger so that he could escape out the side and roam free. So after a week long ordeal I finally caved.  Prince Maverick wins.  He gets the house during the day and as Michelle and I suspected he sleeps in my bed all day.  And yes I have proof of that as well...

See I make my bed in the morning.  I put the pretty pillows in front of the black and orange pillows which started out in a line mind you.  Well I came home on Monday to this site.  

I guess as long as my pup is happy then I am happy...now if I can just teach him not to mess with my pillows all will be good!

With Love Always,

Alex

Snowpocalypse 2014

As a child I remember there was nothing more exciting in the world than that ever so special SNOW DAY!  As we get older and move onto college, you may get the occasional professor who cancels class because of the snow and on a super rare occasion you get an actual snow day (sometimes it's an Ice Day!).  For the average adult it stops there, in the real world you don't get snow days its either a work day or a weekend day not much in between.  Now there are those people who were crazy enough to go back to school for the rest of their lives...their reward for being awesome you ask...summer vacation, spring break, two weeks at Christmas and yes...the ever so real possibility of a snow day!

Well this storm was so "great" that even normal adults got to experience the joys of a snow day on Monday and Tuesday.  This storm was not something to be taken lightly.

Sunday: Michelle and I were all excited that we were all prepared for the storm.  We got up and made breakfast, got the soup in the crock pot.  We watched movies, played with Mav!  Michelle braved the storm to shovel the driveway so that we could get out the next day for work.  Then those magical phone calls happened...my school cancelled their teacher work day and Chelle's school cancelled school (which is strange and crazy rare!)  So we made hot chocolate, watched more movies and talked about what we would do the next day!

Monday: It was way too cold to do anything!  We started the Snowpocalypse Chick Flick Marathon while I answered emails and phone calls, ate more soup (we forgot to cut the recipe in half so we have a lot of soup) and lounged around all day.  At one point, while we were still under a travel advisory, we sat on my bed and watched the guy across the street try and get out of his driveway...for a good 20 minutes.  He never left.  Needless to say our streets hadn't been plowed.  Michelle got the phone call that she was canceled before I was officially off...that was so crazy all things considered.  Then our rescheduled teacher day was officially canceled for today.  So we ate dinner, watched Blue Crush, Head Over Heels and then Michelle watched another movie after I went to bed and we called it a night.

Tuesday: I'm over it! We tried to dig out today...I pulled something trying to dig us out from being plowed in...at least they plowed the streets, Michelle had to finish the drive way...we were both convinced we were going to work tomorrow.  I was nursing my pulled/tweaked back when I got the news and Michelle was digging us out from the snow when she got the news.  Cabin Fever has hit!  Today's TV theme is...let's watched reality tv that makes us feel better about ourselves!  Vanderpump Rules and 16 and Pregnant!

I have no idea what tomorrow brings but enough is enough...Mr. White I do not need another phone call from you unless it's to tell me to get my but to work on Thursday!  Please I am begging you...I need to work!

With Love Always,

Alex

A year in review and a year to look forward to

I have been reading everyone's Facebook status about 2013 and their hopes for 2014 and it really got me thinking about everything that happened this year and how it important it is to see how far I came this year and where I still want to go in this next year.

I became involved in Younglife in 2012 but feel like I really started hitting my stride in 2013.  When I think about all of the relationships I have created with the other leaders and students through Younglife and Wyldlife I feel so blessed to have something so healing and so wonderful in my life.

Come spring I was able to coach what ended up being my last season of track at the Junior High. While I can't wait to start this new adventure at the high school there is a part of me that will miss the craziness of junior high track.  I will always cherish the memories and the lessons that coaching junior high has taught me; as well as the mantra that my fellow coaches always told me (usually because I am more high strung than they were...a hazard to being the only female on staff), "It's just junior high track."  I feel like its a mantra that I can apply to many other things in life...especially when I am over reacting....which happens more times than not!

Come summer I went on the craziest adventure of them all...Vegas!  And while I will spare you the details I can say that I did create some long lasting friendships and a lifelong memories!

The rest of the year flew by when in what seemed like a blink of my eye Michelle and I found a great house to rent...and I moved in almost right away, Mom and Dad got another puppy and then school started.  

I went to see a professional soccer game with Andrew, Rachel, and Dad.  I tried (and sort of failed) at water skiing while visiting Michelle's parents are their new house.  And I adopted the love of my life Maverick!  I can't believe all the crazy and excited things that have happened in 2013...all the friendships I've made, grown, and some of the new experiences that I never thought would happen!

Looking forward to 2014...my resolution is the same as it is every year...to do better, be better and to live better.  I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!

With Love Always,

Alex