Elizabeth Faith Bond, born 03/25/2010

Congratulations to my sweet friend Lauren (and Justin) on the birth of Elizabeth. I can't wait to meet her and I absolutely hate living so far away at times like this! Lizzie is going to grow up so loved by such wonderful parents.

The Dog Park

Oh, glorious sunshine-y weather. I love you.

It was back up in the 50s today, and on a mid-evening break from working I decided to take the dogs to our local dog park. During our previous bit of sunshine a week ago the park was closed due to muddy conditions from melting snow. I was so disappointed that sunshine+free time did not equal dog park time. But alas, today we were in luck! It was open!

Jake is a seasoned dog park veteran and a favorite among other patrons and dogs if I do say so myself. But this was to be Tucker's first time. I don't think I've told you the details of my little hot mess I call Tucker...another time, another blog entry. Needless to say, I was worried about Tucker. The poor guy is so awkward that I didn't know how well he would handle the park. Upon entry I immediately apologized to the other patrons in advance for his inevitable poor behavior, citing his "first time."

But Tucker really surprised me. He played with the other dogs. He wasn't insecure or aggressive (which is a result of his insecurity). He didn't growl or bark. He sought pats and scratches from other owners. He smiled and ran and leaped and fetched a tennis ball. All in all, quite the well-adjusted dog I'd always hoped but never dreamed he could be.

So proud of you, Tucks! We'll be back to the dog park again soon.

TRUE CONFESSION: I’m a “piler” too.

I recently read a friend’s blog where she admitted to being a “piler.” You know, having PPSD. Pathetic Piling & Stuffing Disorder.

I must admit that I’m a piler too. I have piles of school papers. Piles of scientific journal articles I have yet to read. Piles of mail I have yet to trash. Piles of coupons I have yet to use. Piles of clean clothes I have yet to fold. Piles of craft projects I have yet to finish. Piles of…well, I can pile just about anything. In fact I’ve written the word “pile” so many times in this blog entry that it is starting to look wrong. How do you spell pile? Is it P-I-L-E? At any rate, it’s defined as a heap ‘o’ stuff. You know what I mean. And I can heap just about anything, much to the dismay of my husband. I think it's genetic and also known as PRD. Pack rat disorder. I got it from family members I won't mention here. But you know who you are. And if you're in my family, you know who I'm talking about. :)

One of my favorite websites is a comic website called “Piled Higher and Deeper” (http://www.phdcomics.com/). It is a comic strip about grad school, in particular getting your PhD. Get it? Piled Higher and Deeper? P.H.D.? PhD? Harhar.

But it’s usually the way I feel: piled higher and deeper. Of [fill in the blank] I have yet to [corresponding verb].