Dog Watch '07

So, you may remember a few posts back I told what my Dad gave me for Christmas- a miniature schnauzer puppy. Now, you may also remember that I did not ask for this gift, nor expressed interest in it. (I have always loved dogs and always wanted one, but I don't have a fenced in back yard and I also have enough self-awareness to know I am selfish with my time and I like to sleep). ANYHOO- they (Dad and stepmom) picked up the puppy the day I left for Honduras and kept it while I was away, and then kept it another week while I slept and recovered from the trip.
All this to say: the inevitable happened and I got the dog Friday. Her name is Izzy (Isabel Bristow) because I love Grey's Anatomy and my favorite show of all time is Alias.......and I will admit she is pretty cute- sometimes.
Our bathroom tally for the first 24 hours was
Outside- 2 times
Inside- 8 times
The kid seriously peed or pooped in every room of my house. My boyfriend kept telling me she's just a baby, blah blah blah but I just kept thinking "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus" as I got out the mop and glow and mop to mop up urine again....and again....and again.

Coming Home.....

So, last week I was in Honduras. If you read the entry preceeding this you will remember I was SO NOT excited about this trip, but now that I am safely home I can tell you it was the BEST trip ever. Apparently I like third world countries.
But really it was just a life-changing experience. I have done this trip three times before, but for some reason this is the one where I "got it". Our group was working in a village of an indigenous Indian tribe. Ony a few of them had ever seen a white person! This was poverty like I've never seen it before. Our guide said that they literally die of starvation in the summer and most of the time they only have a quarter cup of coffee a day for any sort of food!
Their houses were mud huts- most smaller than my bedroom (which isn't that big) with up to 10 people living in each one. They have no beds, pillows, change of clothes, etc. Most of the houses don't have chimneys so they are filled with smoke from their fire/kitchen.
I won't bore you with all the details but it has been really hard coming back to a life where I'm not satisfied with what I have. I couldn't even get excited about my new stationery that had arrived while I was gone that I have been so looking forward to (initials in pink script). I have been having a hard time at work listen to people complain about things that are so insignificant when I think about the people I spent a week with who are starving. And what is so maddening is is how cheap it would be to feed them. Each person in our group gave $7 (there were 10 of us) and were able to give each family enough food to eat on for months- $7!! I spent that much on my Kroger sub today.
So, now I'm back trying to figure out what I can personally change to help these people, and how I can change the situations around me to help these people.
Here are some pictures of the trip!

This is the Kindergarten in the village!



This is a typical house in the village.



New friends!



Did I mention Honduras is gorgeous?

Ok, all for now. Thanks for indulging me.

OK, OK

Excellent work, Bossy giving us an idea of what to blog about. I too have found my life incredibly boring lately and thus un-blogworthy. So, here are things going on in my life/bugging me---
1) Tomorrow at 5:30 am I leave for a week long trip to Honduras. I think we are repairing a water line in some village? Before you ask, no- I don't know anything about water lines- but I do know I will be using the term agua a lot (I don't even think thats how you spell it). It will be good once I get there, but I am totally freaking out about my lack of food intake for the next 8 days and the LONG bus ride over non-paved roads in conjunction with my motion sickness. Should be a blast. Oh, did I mention I don't really know any of the other 9 people going? Ok, I'll stop complaining and get in my "third world country" work mode.

2)Beauty and the Geek- Ok, the reason this is bugging me is becuase I just happened upon the first episode last week and much to my horror I am TOTALLY obsessed with it. Those geeks are so cute I have a crush on three of them. I mean that Star Wars band guy- c'mon.

3) Trump- shut up. Seriously. It is never ok to call a woman a fat slob in public, no matter how much money you have.

4) Did I mention my Dad bought me a dog for Christmas? Yeah, they pick it up today. Apparently they heard me say I wantd it, but I don't remember saying that.

5) There is one thing you need to know about me and Bossy. The biggest difference (and really one of the only ones besides her love of peas and my hatred for them) is that she loves Brenday Walsh from 90210 and I hate her. I'm sorry, I think she is mean. Maybe I'm correlating her too much with Shannon Doherty, but I had to let everyone know.
I feel better.

Tagged.

Bossy Tagged me so here you go:

A-Available or single? Single

B-Best Friend? Bossy Bar Wife

C- Cake or Pie? Yellow Cake with chocolate icing

D-Drink of choice? Either Diet Coke, Bud Light, or red wine

E-Essential item I use every day: lipstick

F-Favorite color? pink

G-Gummy Bears or Gummy worms? Hmmmm....I love them both, but bear i think

H-Hometown? Atlanta

I-Indulgence: cheese dip and America's next top model

J-January or February? February- Bossy's birthday and january is such a let down after December

K-Kids and names: n/a

L-Life is incomplete without? naps

M-Marriage date: sometime in the future

N-Number of siblings: 2

O-Oranges or apples? Hmmm....I love fuji apples but I also love oranges....

P-Phobias or fears? THUNDERSTORMS

Q-Favorite quote? ??

R-Reasons to smile: Friends reruns, friends in general

S-Season: Fall for college football, summer for long days and drinking on restaurant patios, Spring for green and my birthday, Winter for hmmm....

T-Tag 3 or 4 people: I think Bossy tagged everyone I know..... Sew Sally?

U-Unknown fact about me: I am newly obsessed with 24. I have only seen the first 8 hours of Season One, but I am totally hooked.

V-Vegetable you don't like: brussel sprouts.

W-Worst habit: eating when i'm not hungry

Y-Your favorite food? anything potato

Z-Zodiac? Gemini