He's his what????

My husband and I went to Costco, a place where it is truly best if we stay together.  Unfortunately, I was immediately distracted by this.

Two televisions playing both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back simultaneously?  There is no way I could resist watching them.  They even ended at the same time.

My husband was very happy about this development, not only did it mean he would know where I was the entire time, but that he could shop without restraint.

Which reminds me, anyone want some spicy pickle chips?  We have a tub of them...

Do I look like I work here?

Not long ago I was in Portland, Oregon for a family wedding.  I don't know about you, but sometimes, while I find family wonderful, I want to be off on my own and away from good meaning, if sometimes overly protective eyes.

On this trip I was the lone member of my immediate family, my parents, brother and husband having stayed in San Diego due to prior commitments and responsibilities.  This left me alone with my aunts, uncles and cousins.  I come form a large, loud family and everyone has an opinion and isn't afraid to share it.  I'm sure people love it when we role into town. 

It doesn't help that I am the only girl in a family of boys and therefore am sometimes subject to loving, if unnecessary, over protective instincts.  I have gone to Europe by myself, am married and own a home, but when with my family, I am 12.  So you can see how this could get a little cloying and claustrophobic.

It was one of the hottest days of the summer in Portland, well over 95 degrees, and our little family group had been wandering all over downtown in a large, loud bickering group.  Knowing that I had an appointment in 2 hours in the same area, I told them to explore the city without me, so that I wasn't late for my appointment (appointment was an adventure unto itself and will be posted about later).  Liberated, I used this as a chance to explore Portlands downtown and Chinatown area.

I wandered the blocks, happily ducking into little shops and chatting with people in coffee shops.  I crossed the street looking for a famous donut shop in the area and decided that I needed a break in the shade and I would call my Mom to fill her in on the day.  Finding a big block of shade on the block while looking down at my phone, I leaned against the wall under the awning and chatted with my Mom.

This block was packed as the line from this shop grew and grew.  I am a fan of donuts, but waiting in the hot sun for over an hour for a donut is just not something that I could bring myself to do.  I was telling my mom about this massive line when a gentleman walked up to me and handed me his drivers license.

Startled, and thinking "why is this guy handing this to me?' I looked up, smiled and gave it back, all the while never stopping the phone conversation.  A moment later another guy gave me his license and I said, "Cool, you're from Washington" and handed it back to him.

"What?", my Mom asked, because Washington was in no way the correct response to our conversation.

"Sorry Mom, its just that 2 guys have handed me their drivers licenses for no reason, so I handed them back.  The last one was from Washington."

"Why would they hand you their licenses?", she asked.

"No, idea", I replied, looking back down at the sidewalk.  I propped one foot up against the wall and noticed that the area near my foot had been painted like a castle or a wall.

"Huh, ok...tell me about whats happening with your aunt", my mom continued, unfazed by the odd conversational turn.

I started talking again when another guy walked by and handed me his license.  I looked at him, gave it back and then said,"Mom, I have to go. This keeps happening and I don't know why."

"Does the donut shop serve alcohol?", she asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," I replied as another guy handed me his license," I've got to go".

I handed the guy back his license, hung up with my Mom and looked to my left and my right.  Nothing looked odd and the donut line was still long, but the guys who had given me their licenses were not in the line. Disappearing into thin air seemed unlikely so, where did they go?

Remembering the castle like paint near my foot, I slowly walked out to the street to look at the awning I was standing under.  As the words came into view I slowly see an anime, Sailor Moon-like girl in a thong on a huge banner.  I realize that I am standing at an adult entertainment store!

Apparently I was standing directly in between these two landmarks

Apparently, I was being mistaken for the ID checker for this establishment.  I started giggling, because how in the world had I missed all this?  It was an old movie theatre converted into a an adult entertainment venue and I was completely oblivious. 

Maybe I need that family supervision after all.

The Fuzzy Adventure of a Lifetime

Adventures and escapades come in all shapes and sizes, and this one is no different.  Did you know that October is Adopt a Shelter Dog month?

While this may not seem overly adventurous, but I promise you, the addition of any animal into your life is the fuzzy adventure of a lifetime.  Meet my dogs Charlie and Wilson.

Both are shelter dogs, both had horrible backstories and both had us at "woof".  Charlie was abandoned in a locked yard of an abandoned house, he was under fed, covered in foxtails and many had infected sores from the foxtails.  He was so sick when he was picked up that he had to have surgery in multiple areas to remove the foxtails, including having his front paws split to get them out (ouch!). He was shaved short when we got him but now he looks like this.

He is fat and happy and spoiled and has the sweetest personality.  He loves everyone and has an inordinate love of squeaky toys (the squeakier the better).

This is Wilson, he was hit by a car in front of our house and was running around the neighborhood, scared, hurt and starving.  After catching him (the plan was courtesy of Willie E Coyote and the Roadrunner cartoons) we took him to the vet and fixed him up.  We took him to the shelter in case he was someones, and when it was determined that he was not, we brought him back home.

Wilson follows my husband like he hung the moon, is always willing to cuddle and likes to burrow under the blankets.

Both of these dogs have brought my husband and I a lot of joy and happiness.  They are happy, we are happy and while they sometimes steal the bed and track mud on the floors, they are a part of our family.

The only ones not as happy about their introduction to the household?

These two:

This is Duke, his hobbies include hiding my Nook, any kind of remote and all small electronics by laying on them and cuddling you within an inch of your life.

This is Nicole.  Her hobbies are telling everyone, including us, what to do, sleeping in the sun and graciously allowing us to use the bed at night.

These two are our shelter rescue cats.  They have been with us for 12 years and they completely rule the household.  They also were abused and starved and when we brought them home we didn't see them for a year.  They hid and we'd hear them eating under the cover of darkness.  Now, they boss around everyone in the house, including the dogs.

Is my house over run with animals?  Absolutely.  Is it worth it?  Indubitably 

So this October, if you can, go out and add a member to your family.  I prefer to call it, Adopt a Shelter Animal month, because while you may not be able to save a dog, you could save a cat, a bunny or whatever else you may find.  :)  So join me in this adventure, I promise you that while sometimes it can seem crazy, it is definitely worth it.

If you can't adopt, you can always help out your local shelter by donating time, food and supplies!