And then there was 3....

It's with a heavy heart that I type this out as tomorrow afternoon we are surrendering our beloved pitbull mix Wilson back to the SPCA where we got him over eight months ago.

I'll back up to 4 days ago when Liam and I were skipping around about our new Carriage home that we had moved into a mere 2 days prior. By chance we had found this amazing old carriage house on a 8 acre estate that was nestled into a crevice of the old main line along picturesque Sugartown Road. (Go to my Facebook pix to view our new digs)!

Our new landlords (the Estate owners) seemed like the perfect couple to have as new neighbors, she an artist and he a writer, an older couple who's children were grown and in college, they had Ponies on the property, in addition to egg producing chickens, a flowing stream along their back property which was flanked by a pool and a fun and bouncy trampoline. Our own Club Med Countryside! Additionally, they also have a very cute and sweet Shebu-Enu pooch named Kobe; who is known to drag home dead foxes in his mouth; which he gladly disposes of on the front stoop!(which I have to surmise he's caught). Needless to say we loved Kobe and his tail wagged happily at us when we drove up the long driveway to our new house. We knew we'd have to introduce Lucy and Wilson to Kobe soon after we moved in and Liam was successful in doing that two days later. Mind you, we had our dogs electric fenced, as is Kobe. However, Kobe has closer access to our area than we do to his - needless to say the electric fences were not a deterrent or a factor in the upcoming quarrel that would ensue.

On Monday afternoon, our dogwalker came over to walk our pups, and all went well. She walked them both through our yard to the other side of the neighborhood - an area we dubbed "The McMansions" I am sure I don't need to further explain what kind of folk live over there? OK, here goes - for the two couples that we met, they are nouveau riche Main Line housewives who carry around their yappy little dogs in their Louis Vuitton handbags and shop and lunch during the day while their husbands are out making the real coin. There I said it. Those are also our new neighbors - oh joy!

Anyways..Susan, a/k/a dogwalker, came back with both dogs and decided that since it was such a nice day out and our dogs really love to run free that she'd let them run around a bit in of the horse corralls - that we were told by our new landlords our pups could run around in - hence, Lucy and Wilson started frollicking around..... when out of the blue, Kobe came strolling over to join them....all was good ... for about 2 minutes..... Kobe and Lucy started scrapping and then Wilson pounced in (to protect his sister Lucy!) and fought and fought with Kobe like there was no tomorrow, and sadly, there almost wasn't for Kobe. Apparently Wilson had his grip around Kobe's neck so tight a few of the McMansion neighbors came running over to help and one of them had to smash Wilson with a large fence post stick to get him to let loose of Kobe. Of course this all happened so fast, that no one really knows exactly who started what, who's bark was louder, and which dog should really be in the dog house. Of course having a pitbull mix doesn't help our case, esp with the recent pitbull dog fighting ring that was busted in the City earlier this week!

End result; Kobe is lucky to be alive. The Vet said if Kobe didn't have such a thick coat of fur or wasn't wearing collar, he'd be dead for sure. Needless to say I received the frantic call at my office downtown only to have to call Liam to rush home and assess the damage. Major damage. Kobe needed to be rushed to his Vet, while Wilson had to be cleaned up and bathed to wash off all the blood and assess any damage on him. Wilson has a few minor cuts and scrapes on his head; nothing as bad as Kobe's damage. Kobe had to stay overight at the Vet hospital and was released 16 hours later with a bag full of medication, tubes sticking out of his neck and a freshly shaved look.

Liam and I (and our dogwalker Susan) are paralyzed by this. We have spent the past couple days discussing, speaking, thinking and praying on what the right thing to do here is. Clearly, we can't have anything like this happen again. We contemplated putting Wilson down, but that thought didn't last too long; and in the end, for the sake of our new landlords and the McMansion neighbors, as well as Liam's young girls and our own piece of mind, we decided its best that we take Wilson back to the SPCA we rescued him from. Only to realize that he needs to be rescued -- again.

I personally wish we could keep him; but we feel our hands are tied. What if what if what if...keeps playing in our heads. If this freak attack had occurred at a dog park or elsewhere with strangers that were involved, then our decision may not have come to this. However, if we feel that we have to worry anytime Wilson is out of our sight and to maintain the respect of our new neighbors and landlord, then we feel we have to do the right thing and find Wilson a new home. We have been nerve wracked since this happened and even Lucy seems a little askew. I can't even think of sweet tail wagging Wilson without getting emotional. He just wants to be loved and saved! Don't we all?

Its back to the 3 of us....for now. Godspeed Wilson. xoxoxo

New Year, New Blog!

Well I figured I had to start out the blog with a photo; and this one seems to be getting the most press, since it was our xmas card, along with Wilson and Lucy dressed up with reindeer ears and xmas decor! However, I can't find that photo, so you'll have to just imagine them - or if you were lucky enough to actually receive one of the 60 xmas cards we ordered, then yes, you are truly lucky!



I feel so out of the blogging world since I haven't blogged too much since last summer; but feel like I need to make a strong effort in at least blogging a couple times a month; if not for me to hone on my writing abilities, at least to keep my out of state pals in the loop! Facebook doesn't do all!



My 2011 started out with Liam and I at the ER with the doggies! Oy f'g vey! We had a bit of a snafu in that we kinda lost the doggies while letting them run off leash in our normal neighborhood school yard, but with the snow and us being out of shape, the doggies out ran us and we misplaced them in the woods. After 20 minutes, they both emerged bloody and beat up; and the Vet thinks they met a racoon who wasn't in the New Year's spirit! Afther they both padded around the home wearing cones for a few days, we are grateful that they are both healthy and happy again. However, between overspending at Xmas, having to re-fill our oil heating tank and this most recent Vet bill, we almost had to sell a kidney to remain fiscally sound!


Careerwise Korn/Ferry has been good to me; and I really can't complain at all. I am lucky to work with a good group of people and able to bring home a steady paycheck which was a rarity for me during the past two years! I'm glad to be a worker among workers again! My big excitement right now is a long weekend get away to see my BFFs in San Diego in a few weeks! I was going to wait until May when Meredtih and Don get hitched, but after the recent cold spell and snow here, I said, F it, I'm coming as soon as I can get an airfare that won't cost more than a Kooba bag!

Where ya been????

Finally....some uninterrupted time on a train and I'm able to BLOG! It's been a few 24 hours since my last blog and life has clearly been on the Daytona 500 of career, meetings, service, connecting with old friends, while meeting new, spending time with my family, i.e., moving Mom into an Assisted Living home last month, hence having me move as well.... In with my boyfriend Liam :) and to make things even more harried, we added a new doggie to the mix! I think Hurricane Hugo could be another analogy to describe my life of late. And am I complaining? Not at all! I'm loving my life and couldn't be any more satisfied and content...dare I say the word...Happy? Oh no, I can barely type it, let alone say it out loud for fear that it will all be taken away from me like dignity from Lindsey Lohan. We all know how that works, don't we? As soon as it's good, some f&*$ comes along and snatches it away from you and then we find ourselves bemoaning life for ever trying to actually enjoy it in the first place! Be careful what you wish for, is the only anecdote that comes to mind right now....

So the career is humming along at a steady pace, successfully I might add too, as Korn/Ferry International is finally going to make me a real employee and add me to the company roster! Yay! I've been contracting with them since March, and currently am in the process of moving forward with signing me on as a Senior Associate; a process in itself. I have to get approved by two Senior Client Partners, one in NYC (hence me swaying on the train right now, banging on my keyboard and choo-chooing into Penn Station), performing a thorough background check (don't even get me started on the angst with that!) and I have to meet with an informal selection committee. Informal? All this to have first class bene's, a paid Blackberry, a measly Holiday party - where the wrong people drink too much - and everyone complains about having to attend, and the joy of earning a bi-weekly paycheck with a semi-annual bonus payout! And to think a mere nine months ago I was managing a sober living home in San Diego; reading the daily prayer in the morning and dispensing urine test dipsticks in the afternoon, who'd thunk? I couldn't have crafted a better life for me right now. And yes, of course, its not always rainbows and unicorns; take our new dog for example. Wilson (named after the higher powered volleyball in the Tom Hanks' classic Cast Away) hasn't been the easiest to potty train. Granted they said he was a year old when we got him, and was house trained, but of course they are going to tell you that, they want you to adopt him!

I walk around my house barefoot most of the time and stepping in urine and poop is becoming as normal and routine to me as Paris Hilton getting arrested. Hence, this morning I stepped in a wet spot and cleaned up two poopie presents, while trying to make a 6:15 am train. But if this is one of my life's biggest complaints - then shit, (literally!) I have Cadillac problems today.

I get to wake up every morning next to an amazing man who makes me feel loved and secure. He makes my coffee for me each morning, let's me pick the movies from Blockbuster and does our laundry, where he even folds my panties! This morning, he is taking my annoying, let's be honest - she can be, Mother to Wegman's for her weekly ration of dark chocolate, cashews and gum. In the words of my sister, "Oh, you have to blow him; he's a keeper!" Not to keep bragging about him, but its like living with Bob Vila/Martha Stewart morphed into one. Since we moved in together, he has done everything that needs to be done when you move...and especially moreso since when you move into an old home that needs a lot of work and repair. Then, add the melding of two people's furniture, personal effects, and pasts into one home; its alotta work, So - yeah, he's a keeper. And please, don't ask me if I blew him.

Ahhhhh.........Sunday afternoon and I'm finally relaxing after a much harried weekend. The routine errands to the drycleaner, food store, car wash, then throw in the meetings, long dog walks, dinner and movie with a friend and then Liam and I doing our bi-monthly Costco run; which you know ends up taking twice as long because the $25 item you went in for, turns into a $250 shopping trip saddled with two shopping carts and full bellies upon exit. Ending of course, this afternoon with taking my Mom to my Ryan's baseball game; which is just a sitcom in itself. Between me, my sister, her ex-husband, my Mother, the twins, and a fully loaded snackbar...enough said.

Now.....alone, on my computer, updating Facebook, listening to the doggies chew on their Nylabones, and eating a lean cuisine while eagerly awaiting for 60 Minutes to start....Yes, I think I've arrived!

Train kept a rolling....

I never in a zillion years thought I'd be a Septa commuter. Especially, when six months ago I was living in San Diego, managing a women's sober living home, and happily attending a daily Bikram practice. My oh my how things have changed. 360 degrees.

Since I've landed my corporate headhunting gig in Center City Philadelphia, I have become one of the throes of commuters who purchases a monthly rail pass and wearily awaits for the arrival of the 7:10 R5. Walking onto the train each morning I survey who looks like the least likeliest to strike up a morning conversation. The last thing I want to do is converse with someone that I don't know first thing in the morning. Ironic, I call people daily that I don't know to recruit them for executive posts, but this is different. This is actually having a human connection with a stranger that most likely I won't derive any real benefit from. Yes, I am self-centered to the extreme. One of the wondrous benefits of being a Septa commuter is that you don't have to talk to anyone, let alone look at them, and you don't feel guilty. Perfect. The City of Brotherly Love is alive and kicking. Now don't get me wrong, its not like everyone sneers and rolls their eyes at each other, its just that its understood. Its understood that you don't need to make nice nice to your fellow commuters and you feel okay about it.

Often when I'm sitting on the train and watching the morning rush stampede on board, I like to purvey my peers on their style and fashion sense. I get tips, see what works, what looks awful and also get to realize that my own fashion style isn't too shabby. Considering, I've turned into the flat shoed walker to and from the station to the office and then back again to the station. A pair of high fashion heels await me in my lower drawered filing cabinet. I justify my lack of daily Bikram to the fact that I exercise my walk of six city blocks round trip and that burning calories that way is the best I can do. My daily 10-12 hour work days exhaust me and Bikram is now a weekly Saturday ritual where I can revert back to my Zen ways of a lost Southern California lifestyle and I remember that the grass is always greener.

New beginnings

Springtime always makes me think of new beginnings; Everything is fresh and full of promise. The flowers are in bloom, everyone is outside enjoying the sunshine, and the anticipation of summer is just around the corner.

For me lately I've been amazingly blessed to realize how - dare I even type this - wonderful my life has been the past few weeks. I am one of those people who thinks that when life is going swimmingly well, the other shoe is about to drop and I can only hope that I'm prepared for the havoc that will ensue. I'm trying to work on manifesting how great everything is and that it will stay like this for a while, or for as long as I can keep convincing myself of that. I'm working in a career I love, with a top-notch firm, and making the money I so deserve after being on a financial starvation for the past 18 months. It's nice to know that I can now afford gas and not have to take my change to CoinStar and scrounge up enough to fill 1/2 my tank. Ahh...capitalism has returned! Well, okay, I shant get too carried away, but I am lucky that my industry seems to have bounced back quite well.

I'm also skipping joyfully around in bliss with my new boyfriend who just seems to have me seeing stars and hearts all the time. I couldn't have asked for a more solid, sweet, genuine, caring, thoughtful and romantic guy -- ever -- and I can feel secure with us and know that he's definitely a keeper and one that I think may stick. around. for a while....

With all that being mentioned, I'm also glad that my family isn't driving me too batty and that I'm genuinely happy to be around them, 90% of the time, which is a good thing!

So, besides it being a season of fresh and new beginnings, its also a season to start anew and to make life even more sweeter for me, Lucy seems to be the happiest I've seen her in a while. It's been nice to glance outside the window and see the birds and rodents scurrying in the flower beds while Lucy chases them effortlessly burning enough calories to resemble a malnourished canine. One of these days I know she will catch one and my glee of the day will be seeing the dead rodent dropped door side and her tail wagging. That is a vision I'm hoping won't happen anytime too soon, but you just never know.