Cuddles Remembered

"Thud. Thud. Thud." A constant banging noise awakened me, so I went out of my bedroom to investigate. "To my surprise, there was Cuddles grasping one of her new puppeis by the nape ot its neck, traveling up the stairs to be with me. Torn between laughter and concern, I brought Cuddles and all of her puppies up to my room to spend the night on my bed, Cuddles' usual spot. Let me tell you how this important dog first entered my life.
Cuddles came to me as a tiny fluffball with a red ribbon around her neck. She had been a Christmas gift from my parents when I was about 13 years old. She was so cute and cuddly, I knew here name had to be "Christmas Cuddles".
This adorable Shih-Tzu dog soon became my constant companion and faithful friend. We played tug of war with an old pair of socks. We went for walks down the street and- rides in the car. I shared my snacks with her as I watched tv. We were so inseparable, she even slept on my bed at night.
Her happy-go-lucky, playful nature was challenged for a short time when she was bred for puppies. It was quickly apparent that motherhood was not her calling. After a difficult delivery (one of her eyes actually popped out a little), Cuddles dutifully tended her puppies to the extent necessary, but yearned to return to life with just the two of us. Going to the trouble to carry her puppies up the stairs is a good illustration of this point.
Needless to say, Cuddles was not put through the rigors of pregnancy and birth again and she enjoyed many years of carefree living. She was a joy and comfort to me throughout my tumultuous teenage years and I will always remember her fondly.

My Nana

The approaching holidays has brought my nana to mind a lot recently. Nana was a petite, fragile-looking woman, but she had a lot of spunk. She always made me laugh with stories of the past where she showed herself to be a determined and independent woman. For example, if a boy would ask her on a date, she would only accept if he had a car. She walked almost everywhere she went otherwise, so she made sure her beaus provided her with royal treatment. She also had funny stories about being a waitress back in the 1930's. Some of the regular guys liked to pull pranks and one day they manage to upturn full water glasses without the water spilling out. The plan was for my grandmother to have to pick up the glasses and have the water spill out all over the table, but she was smarter than the average waitress. She calmly dragged the glasses to the edge without breaking the suction and drained them into a waiting dishpan. The guys left disappointed that their plan had foiled. With my nana's example, I grew up believing that I could do anything I set my mind to. I will treasure her love and support as long as I live.

My Nana

Cinquains

Thankful
For family
For friends I can count on
For support to follow my dreams
Thank you



Fall leaves
See the colors
Watch them blow all around
Hear them crackle under my feet
It's Fall

Christmas Cuddles

I'll never forget the Christmas that I got Cuddles. After I thought that all of the presents had been unwrapped, my parents brought out the cutest little dog with a red ribbon tied around her neck. She was so cute and cuddly that I instantly thought that she should be named Christmas Cuddles.

Cuddles soon became my constant companion. She sat with me while I watched tv and shared my snack. We went for walks down the street and rides in the car. She even slept on my bed at night. Cuddles was the perfect dog and a great friend. I'll always cherish my memories of her.

Just an ordinary day

As a mother of three children, life is very busy. Sometimes I sit down at the end of the day, for what seems like the first time that day, and wonder where all of the hours went.

Take last Saturday for example. Wake-up time is around 6:00, even on the weekends. My 18-month old hasn't heard about sleeping in yet. I get my older daughter up shortly afterward. She has a game to get to by 8:00 and it's a half hour away. Next my other daughter has a game at 10:00, this one right in town. Now that those are both done, we eat a quick lunch because my older daughter now has a horseback riding lesson at 1:30, for which we need to leave by 12:30. Thankfully, I also have my husband to help with all of this. How do single parents do it?

Exhausted as I am, I don't know if I would have it any other way. All of my kids are happy, healthy, and well-adjusted (as far as I can tell).

Here I go

Well, I never imagined I'd have my own blog. I created this blog in order to fulfill a course requirement. I was a little anxious about this at first, but I think it will be a fun learning experience. More to come...