12 Thanks: V. 4

I am writing this post with a very heavy heart, and continually crying as I do so. This month I am thankful for the best dog in the entire world. Unfortunately, we had to put her to sleep yesterday. She was only 7 years old.

We do not know what entirely happened with her. She had been acting really strange this month. She would get into moods and just sit and stare. She wouldn’t respond and she didn’t have the excitement and energy she once had. Last Tuesday morning I had to stop by my house (I was pet sitting next door) to get something before I went to sub. I looked all over the house for Macy because usually I give her a hug and a kiss in the morning. I couldn’t find her then I happened to look by out garage door and she was just laying there. She didn’t wag her tail or anything. It was really strange because she NEVER lays there. I wanted to get her up and get her to my parent’s room. She got up and took a few steps then collapsed on the floor. I rushed to my mom’s room and woke her up and told her what happened. We tried to get her up again but then she collapsed before getting to my parents room. Eventually she made it and we let her be.

After subbing I went back home. She seemed to be slightly better, but her back legs were still giving out. We were so confused because she was so young and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. My mom tried to bring her to the emergency vet, but they were closed. We decided to just see if it would just wear off and she would be fine in a few days. The next few days she appeared to be getting better. She was still collapsing when she would try to walk up stairs, but she gave no other indication she was sick because she was still eating and drinking. She just seemed to have less energy and didn’t have the same excitement when she saw new people.

This will haunt me forever, but on Saturday evening I was sitting on my neighbor’s back porch with their dog and Macy was on the leash next door. Macy was whining and staring at us because she wanted to join. I wasn’t wearing shoes, so I didn’t want to go across the yard to get her. It kills me that I didn’t. I just thought, “I’ll be home tomorrow then I can spend time with her.” As I walked inside Macy was looking our direction until she was sure we weren’t coming back. Then she went around the corner and towards our back door.

Yesterday, I went back home to bring my stuff back and change for work. Again, I looked for Macy. She was down in our family room. My mom tried to help her up the two stairs onto the main level and it was so hard to watch because she could barely do it. A little bit later Macy was laying down in front of her water bowl, which was weird. I realized she didn’t have a lot of water so I got her some more. She started drinking it while she was laying down. She couldn’t even stand up. When she was done she just laid there. It was an effort to get her to get up and go in my parents room. Then I left for work.

My mom decided that it was time to bring her to the emergency vet. I was at work when my mom told me she brought her. She texted me that Macy was very anemic and they think she was bleeding internally, but she was still waiting on the test results. I didn’t hear anything else. Right before I got off I got a text from my next door neighbor saying she was really sorry about Macy. I knew that my mom had Macy put to sleep and I started crying right there. When I came home I ran straight to my mom and asked and she said she had to be put down. I was devastated.

We don’t know what really happened to her. She was filled with so much fluid that the vets couldn’t even do an ultrasound. She would have needed surgery just to figure out what was wrong, which could have shown she had a tumor or something anyways. It is terrible, but it’s for the best. She was suffering so much. I just can’t believe she is gone.

I could barely get out of bed this morning because I knew when I opened the door she wouldn’t be there. Every morning I gave her a hug and kiss and this would be the first I wouldn’t. This is also going to be my last post labeled “dog.”

I am so thankful for her. She was my best friend when I didn’t have many friends. She went on so many car rides and photo adventures with me. I couldn’t wait for the weather to get better because I wanted her to take her on so many walks this summer. I lost one of my best friends. She was a great dog and will be missed so much by my family. I’ll definitely miss her Macy-isms and her patience when she would let me take pictures.

RIP Macy 4.28.13

Cocktail Cart DIY

This is my absolute favorite DIY project that I have ever done, and I’m sure it will take a lot to top it. I am in no way an alcoholic, I just enjoy having a glass or two every so often. I’m also really interested in learning about mixed drinks. I have been wanting to create a cocktail cart for a while, especially since moving back home and not having anywhere to keep my wine.

I have been keeping my eye out for a cart every time I was at a thrift or antique store. One day, in January, I was going out to my car after work. I spotted the cart (pictured below) randomly in the parking lot behind the restaurant. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My adrenaline started pumping through my body. It was dark out, but it’s still a busy area so I didn’t want to look creepy putting it in my car so I had the carver help me do it! Luckily, he’s a nice guy and was glad to do so.

Unfortunately, I realized I accidentally deleted the before and during pictures. I am so mad at myself, but luckily I was able to scrounge up this Instagram picture. It’s horrible quality, but as you can see it was really dusty and rusty. Plus, it was an ugly color and the surface wasn’t even.

What you need:

• Cart
• Sandpaper, possibly a scraper for tougher spots
• Killz Odorless Interior Based Primer (Wal-Mart)
• Rust-oleum Spray Paint in Night Tide (Wal-Mart)

I wasn't sure what color I wanted to paint it. I'm obsessed with neutral colors and pops of color. I knew I wanted the cart neutral because then I could just put colorful accessories and containers on it. I really wanted a gray color, but Wal-Mart didn't have what I wanted (or thought I wanted). I couldn't decide between the Fern or Night Tide, but in the end I chose the dark blue. I'm glad I did because I feel like it is more neutral and it looks really great on the cart.

Instructions:

1. First, I spent several days scraping off paint and sanding down the surface. This was a long tedious project because the person before me had done a really bad job of painting the surface, unless it was used to hold paint cans. There were drips and some parts were yellow and the other parts were white. I am usually really impatient, so I forced myself to take my time. Still, I could have spent more time, but my hands were really not taking it, plus it was January and cold.
2. I wiped down the surfaces for any extra dirt, spider webs, and rust that was still on the surface.
3. I used the Killz Odorless Interior based primer on the entire surface and let it dry.
4. Then I used the Rust-oleum spray paint and painted several coats. I ended up using two spray paint cans. (Note: really listen to the can and don't paint under the temperature recommended. Being impatient I did, and ended up have the paint bubble up multiple times. I had to sand those spots down and repaint them. It was a mess.)

I had the cart painted for several months before I did anything. I would buy accessories here and there, but I didn't supply the cart until recently. Like I said earlier, I am not into alcohol at all. Whenever I go out I usually ask what other people are buying. I ended up asking people what they like because I had no idea where to start when stocking my cart. I also asked what kind of accessories I needed. I then made a list that I would take with me so that I could keep my eyes open when I went to stores.

I would suggest supplying the cart with things YOU like. Although I don't really know anything about mixed drinks I do know I hate Tequila, so I won't put it on my cart. I still need a lot of accessories, like bottle opener, cocktail shaker, etc. But I'm so happy with what I do have so far!

I love that my friends are so supportive of my DIY-ing! My friend, Mackenzie, sent me bitters, drink markers, and a muddle for my cart!

My aunt sent me a ton of win glasses that people left at the vacation home in Napa as well as the book Retro Cocktails! There were so many glasses I couldn't even fit them on my cart!

I already made my first drink, and I'm so excited for many more to come! I love this cart so much. It really is my pride and joy. The day I finally finished it I texted my friend telling him I couldn't stop staring at it. I really couldn't. I love it so much!

What do you think? Any suggestions for your favorite drinks or must have cocktail cart items?

Cleveland International Film Festival Pt. 2

Here are some of the photos from the photo adventure I blogged about yesterday!







When they were building the new stadium years ago bricks were being sold which you could buy and have personalized. My dad bought one and had my and my siblings names engraved on it. Every time I'm there I try to stop by and see it. It definitely brings back memories of growing up going to games! I love my Tribe.



I love the juxtaposition of this photo with the large menacing "new" stadium in the background with the old cemetery in the foreground.

Random pennies left on the rock.

Cleveland International Film Festival Pt. 1

Last Tuesday (April 9th) Rosendo and I headed downtown. We wanted to check out the Cleveland International  Film Festival, but we also enjoy taking pictures. He’s in a photography class, and I will always take an opportunity to brush up on my skills. He had the day off, and I decided to take the day off from subbing so we could have an adventure downtown. It was the perfect time day to do a bit of movie watching and photo taking!

I’ve been wanting to go to the CIFF for years! I never knew about it years ago, but only learned about it while I was in school in Cincinnati, so I was never able to make it. A few months ago I looked online for when the festival would take place. But at the time I didn’t really have anyone to go with, and it was still too early to know what films would be shown! Luckily, Rosendo loves movies so it wasn’t hard convincing him to go with me!

When we got downtown (and survived my panic attack trying to find parking) we ate and hung out a bit. Then we used our college id’s to get us into a movie for free! The first movie we saw was called, “Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth.” It was a documentary film in Spanish and Maya. In a nutshell, the film was about how the Mayans today believe humans are destroying the Earth because we aren’t living in harmony with it. I’m terrible at describing things, so I’ll stop there! :)

After the movie we spent several hours walking around downtown and taking pictures. We only walked around a small fraction of Cleveland, but it felt like we saw so much! There were some really funny moments. I don’t think people are used to seeing two people walking around with SLR cameras just taking pictures. The first moment was right when we started taking pictures. Rosendo started taking pictures inside Terminal Tower, so then I decided to do it too. A girl comes up to us and says, “What’s going on here? What is this?” We tried to explain that we were just taking pictures, and she asked if we took family portraits. I let Rosendo do the talking and he tried telling her he didn’t take pictures of people. In the end he ended up giving her his number. It was pretty funny.

A few moments later, right when we walked out the door, another lady starts yelling at us. I finally realized she was asking what kind of cameras we had. We walked over, and she asked about our photography. She then asked if we took pictures of each other (like what?) and offered to take a picture of us. We politely declined; she probably wouldn’t even know how to use them! When we walked away Rosendo said that we should probably not talk to anymore strangers. Luckily, that was the end of the crazy conversations.

After our photo adventure we ate at Hard Rock Café. Can you believe that was my first time there? Afterwards, I got a milkshake at McDonalds, and unfortunately their sundae machine was down so Rosendo didn’t get anything. I’m a sucker for ice cream.

We finished our day with the 8:20 showing of “White Tiger.” It was a Russian film about a mysterious German tank on the Russian Front and a Russian soldier who couldn’t die and could talk to tanks. Sounds weird but it was actually a really good movie! I like war movies so I might be a bit biased, but it was my favorite of the two movies. I wish we could have seen more, but tickets were pretty expensive. Thank goodness we got one for free!

It was an overall fun day being able to explore downtown.

Haley’s Baby Shower: Instagram Edition

1. Painting I made for Cora. Inspired by another Instagram picture I saw and my love of fairy tales and imagination as a child.
2. Picked up some of my favorite childhood books for Cora’s (hopefully) growing library!
3. Clove being all sweet and innocent.
4. Happy hour drinks galore!

Haley’s Baby Shower Pt. 2

Saturday, April 6, 2013:  Haley and I woke up and ended up taking Clove to the dog park. I love dogs so much, but I unfortunately wore the outfit I was going to wear to the shower so I ended up avoiding the dogs. For lunch we hit up Skyline. You have to experience all the Cincinnati hot spots when you visit!

Around 1 we headed to her parents’ house for the shower. When we got there Celia, Colleen, and Margaret were all decorating and setting up. Margaret’s poms were so cute! They made Mimosas and non-alcoholic strawberry lemonade. There was also a lot of delicious finger foods and Margaret made the best carrot cake cupcakes!

Everyone started arriving around 2. We talked and eventually Haley started opening up gifts. She got a lot of cute clothes and supplies for Baby Cora.











Later that evening Haley, Margaret, Celia, Colleen, Haley’s mom and aunts, and I just hung out. We had drinks and took pictures. We ended up making a trip up to Kroger to get more wine and pick up some Graeter’s ice cream! That ice cream is the absolute best. Haley’s mom made a crawfish pasta dish (I don’t remember what it was called!) but it was absolutely delicious! We ended the night with a sleep over!
By the way, if you check out the pictures below you’ll see a really awkward picture of me. I have a fear of pregnant people! I know it’s a weird thing to admit, but I don’t like to touch their stomachs. It’s weirds me out. Maybe if I have a child one day that will change, but for now I’d like to keep my distance!









Sunday, April 7, 2013: I headed back home on Sunday. Before I left I met my friend Karina for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. No road trip is complete without a stop to Cracker Barrel! It was nice to catch up with her because I didn’t get to see her much before I left since we both worked.

The trip was definitely bittersweet. It was nice to be back home, but it really made me miss my life down there. I miss having a social life and just being able to hang out with people and do crafts. Haley and I would always hang out and craft. I definitely missed that. It’s so true that you don’t know a good thing until it is gone!

Haley’s Baby Shower Pt. 1

Last week I trekked down to Cincinnati for Haley’s baby shower.

Thursday, April 4, 2013: I drove down to Cincinnati. I wanted to meet up with friends, but I was already exhausted from the drive, and I left later than I had hoped. Haley, Ben, and I just hung out and got some Indian food. Cincinnati has the best Indian food. I have yet to find a place as good up here in Cleveland. Since I arrived pretty late we didn’t do much.

Friday, April 5, 2013: Haley, Ben, and I headed to breakfast at iHop. It was pretty good except the waitress forgot my coffee cup and didn’t put my order in by the time Haley and Ben got their food. :( After breakfast Haley and I went to Target where I got a new iPhone case!

Then Haley and I headed to Ault Park. I had only been to that park once when I was living down there, so I wanted to go back. There were some really pretty views. My camera didn’t do them justice!








Afterwards we picked up some cookies from Busken for Haley’s aunts. If you ever visit Cincinnati stop by Busken! When I worked at the nursing home they would always get donations, and I definitely had my fair share of cookies and donuts!




Later, we went to Haley’s parents’ house where we had '”happy hour” with drinks and ended up having a delicious Salmon dinner!