Blury Vision December 21, 2007

I have been thinking a lot about perspective ever since Monkey decorated the Christmas tree and only decorated the bottom half. I offered several times to pick her up so she could reach higher, but really she wanted it decorated just for her line of sight.

Travis and I research most things. We are very internet savvy, and we don’t purchase anything without a lot of studying and prayer. Typically due to our personalities, Travis more does more of the research, and I more of the prayer, but both of us try to do what we feel God is leading us to do.

The same theory applied when we purchased a puppy from lobopuppies. However, this was something I had done most of the research on, and I felt like I convinced Travis to follow my lead. Then the dog was sick. Nothing life threatening, and nothing that makes us love him any less, but sick nonetheless. The following day I found the online articles about epuppypro and lobopuppies. I kept trying to tell myself there are always two sides to every story, and to focus on my situation. But, I was embarrassed since I pretty much told Travis ‘don’t worry, I’ve got this one’. I felt like I had let the family down, and I felt I trusted a stranger after just a few phone calls to do the right thing, and in my perspective that trust was misplaced.

After several conversations it occurred to me that Melody at lobopuppies was doing the right thing in her eyes. She had shipped the dog the day after we purchased him, and had followed the contract with regard to what she would and would not cover as far as the health guarantee. She has been running ragged due to the holiday season, and she has a family member who is very ill and in the hospital. Once she realized how I viewed the situation, she did offer to pay for our vet bills and she did order the pedigree with no charge to us. As I mentioned in a previous post, the money for the vet bills are not important to us. We just want the dog to be healthy, and care and upkeep of any pet is to be expected. We are not going to send her the bills, but it restored my faith that she offered, and it instantly changed my view of the situation.

Bluto Health Update December 20, 2007

We heard back from the vet today regarding Blutos fecal exam. He has giardia and worms in addition to the other problems mentioned previously (very dry skin and possibly no testicles). The giardia and worms are the cause of the loose stools (hopefully). The good news is these are very treatable things, but the fact that they were never treated is a reflection on the poor conditions it can be assumed he was living in. The vet said it was impossible he got these things while in our care since we have only had him since Monday night.

Therefore we have paid over $100 in vet care for a dog we have had less than 72 hours (and that was after the vet gave us a free sample of the first prescribed medication)… so it begins.

Melody at lobopuppies did email me back after the prior post and indicated she has been very busy. She agreed to accept our vet records even though they were not faxed within 24 hours since we were waiting for a complete set of tests. So, that is good news.

However, as most of you know my spiritual gift of discernment is sometimes a gift, and sometimes a curse. In this case I really have started to feel as though all of the information available was not provided to us. I really want things to work out, but in my heart I still feel as though something is not right.

Big ol’ Puppy Dog Tears December 20, 2007

After we purchased Bluto, I looked online and discovered Melody’s sister is the owner of epuppypro.com She sells French and English Bulldogs and is also based in TX. I had looked at her website prior to purchasing Bluto, therefore I was not surprised to learn they were related since there are links to each others pages from their home pages. However, I was surprised to learn epuppypro.com has claims against them from unhappy customers. People commented the dogs were sick upon arrival, and one had even died, however according to the claimant, the dog was not replaced.

There was also a claim against lobopuppies.com, indicating the claimant was upset the dog was tattooed (which was a surprise for us too when he arrived) and the dog had worms and parvo. Since these are not life threatening, no guarantee was honored.

As I said pretty clearly, these are claims made online, therefore I have no way of knowing how valid the claims are, nor do I know what both sides of the story is. The owner of epuppypro.com was questioned by the local news and said she had no way of knowing the dog was sick, and the guarantee was not honored because the family did not have a vet complete the paperwork indicating the dog was sick within 72 hours, as stated in the contract.

I do know that we were surprised to see the tattoo upon arrival, as that was not disclosed to us prior to purchasing. But what is more disturbing is the vet told us yesterday he cannot feel his testicles. The vet said it could be an indication the dog is younger than listed on his paperwork, or he may not have any. Additionally, his paperwork claims he had shots at six weeks, which our vet stated is too young for shots therefore they are not effective and will need to be repeated in about a month. This is now a cost I have to incur. The dog also has loose stools, which could be a result of the changes he has gone through – or it may not be.

Prior to going to the vet, I emailed Melody at lobopuppies and requested the vet contact information (name, address, phone) in case our vet had questions. We had also been emailing about his registration, however she charges $200 to register the dog to us and stated the paperwork can take a very long time to come in. I asked her to forward me the paperwork since we are still undecided about registration and if we decide to do it, we can send in the papers and fees.

I have had no response from the email.

Puppy Love December 17, 2007

We did it.

For Christmas, Travis bought me a puppy online from Lobo Puppies and we received our little baby today. We just purchased him yesterday, so we were very happy with the quick turn around. As I was standing in line at the airport behind all of the grumpy people who had lost luggage, I noticed a small kennel with his name on it, but the door was open and there was no puppy inside.

I pointed the kennel out to Travis, and the lady behind the counter heard me and asked if I was there to pick up a puppy. I said I was, and she said she could help me so I wouldn’t have to stand in line. She asked who I was there for, and I told her Stewart – a bulldog. She said ‘ahhh… the little whining baby… we have him back here.’ I followed her to a small room where the tables had been pushed together to make a little pen. She picked him up and said ‘here’s your mommy!’ and I almost cried. He is so perfect.

I have to admit we were skeptical buying something like this online (you wouldn’t believe what I have seen Travis do in Photoshop) but Melody at LoBo Puppies was a pleasure to work with and the photos of the dogs are very accurate.

We decided to name him Bluto. For those of you who aren’t sure where that name came from, Bluto is Popeye’s original nemesis. In 1957 Blutos name was changed to Brutus because the studio thought there was a copywright issue with the name Bluto. However in 1960 the studio realized there was no issue, and changed his name back to Bluto.

Bluto slept all of the way to PetSmart and awoke to a store full of cooing employees. Everyone thought he was so cute and the groomer said he was one of the most beautiful bullies she has ever seen, and even commented that he had a very nicely cropped tail.

He came home and was a ball of energy… for about ten minutes. He rolled around on the floor, climbed all over Monkey and threw his bone to show how tough he was. He snarfed some food, then he fell asleep – standing up! I moved him to his bed, in which he slept for a little while. He then rolled out of his bed, scooted up to the fire place and fell back asleep.

Yep, he’s a Chillemi already.

One for you, Two for me December 16, 2007

Almost six years ago Travis and I were married. As the unity candles were lit, I had no idea that our old lives would wither and new growth would replace the only life I had ever known.

Then Monkey was born.

We had been married about three years and we had settled into a routine. We were both working and making pretty good money. We ate out, went dancing and actually saw movies in the movie theater. All of that changed. Again, a new life replaced the old.

Travis and I were baptized almost three years ago. Our lives were symbolically and literally washed away by the water and our new lives were born. We quickly learned living in Christ was simple, but not easy.

A Messy Reflection December 13, 2007

Quoting The Brothers Four:

Where are you going my little one, little one
Where are you going my baby my own
Turn around and you’re two
Turn around and you’re four
Turn around and you’re a young girl
Going out of the door

My mother wrote these words in my high school yearbook my senior year. At the time the words meant so much to me, but looking back I didn’t really understand them the way my mom did at the time.

Hidden Behind the Trees December 12, 2007

As most of you know, we had a miscarriage about three weeks ago. I have always believed when tragedy strikes, God has the greatest opportunity to do something great in my life.

I delivered food for my fellow MOPS mommy last night and I felt really blessed to have had the chance to put a smile on that young womans face. As I also mentioned before, I have decided to check out volunteer opportunities at The Rock in the youth ministry (called Illuminate) and I am looking forward to working with that group tonight. All in all I am basking in the sunlight of the Lord.

As I was getting out of the shower today, the phone rang. It was my ministry leader for The Care ministries at The Rock. She asked me to go to The Childrens Hospital to pray over a family in need. The child was a 2 1/2 month old little boy who had a brain infection. They doctors didn’t know what was causing it, thus didn’t have the cure. They had told the parents to take their son home and enjoy the time they had left with him. I cannot imagine how overwhelming it must feel to be standing in the middle of a forest of unanswered questions with no idea how to return home.

Calling All Actors December 11, 2007

I read a post on CafeMom that shocked me today. The woman was upset because she was walking through a parking lot with her daughter and husband when a car, driving too fast, narrowly missed hitting her daughter. The woman proceeded to yell “F—-ing slow down” at which time the driver said “F— you and your n—er husband” (racial slur). Apparently this woman was more upset about the racial comment made than the fact the woman almost hit her daughter.

I was a claims adjuster for Travelers Insurance in the auto department for about 2 years, and I was a manager for them for a couple of years after that, so believe me I have seen some of the strangest things happen involving cars and people. However, the most damaging things that happened relating to a car accidents was usually the reaction to the accident – not the accident itself. The reality of the situation is the cars are just hunks of metal and electricity. They will be repaired to their original condition and go on to other owners, other towns, and perhaps even other countries and no one will ever be able to tell the damage that has been done.

However, the people involved in the accident are not so lucky. They will most likely never forget what happened in the blink of an eye. If there are injuries, perhaps you will never walk or talk the same for the rest of your life. If someone died, it is only natural to wonder why. If you are the responsible party, most likely you will never look at your children and loved ones the same knowing that it could have been them.

Seconds Anyone? December 10, 2007

I joined MOPS in September and I completely love the program. The table I am assigned to is made up of wonderful moms, all of which have children close to Monkeys age. My table leader is so sweet, and our mentor mom couldn’t be a nicer lady. We meet every other week at The Rock.

So far we have made a meal for our family, made tooth fairy boxes, learned how to decorate a cake from the owner of The Makery, and (my favorite) we had an interior designer from HGTV come in and give us design tips. All in all, the entire blessing has been such a great experience.

At the last meeting a young mommy (I say young, but she was about my age) stood up in tears and told the entire group she found out she has breast cancer and will be having a double masectemy right before Christmas. This really rocked my world because I have always had a little bit of the ‘invincible teen syndrome’ in me… meaning no real tragedy could ever happen to me. But this woman whom I had never met before could have been me. She has a little one that is younger than Monkey. She is a wife and a mommy and I am sure she is just trying to hold it all together, not unlike the rest of us.

Disney On Ice: The Meltdown December 9, 2007

As part of our new Christmas traditions, we decided to take Monkey to Disney’s on Ice – Princess Show. We went with my step mother, her daughter and her daughters children. We met for breakfast at IHOP and made the long drive in the snow together. Monkey had been out late the night before due to “Parents Night Out” at the church, so I was a little worried about “Grumpy” showing up for the act.

It was snowing so hard that Travis decided to drop us off at the door. My step sister jumped out the car to make sure we could bring our camera in, and we were headed inside. We took pictures with Cinderella and paid for overpriced parting gifts, then found our seats. As we were sitting down, Travis finally joined us.

When I asked him what the hold up was, he told me the people at the door wouldn’t let him bring our camera in, claiming it was against Disneys policy to bring in a camera with interchangable lenses. The idea of running the camera back out in the snow didn’t sit well with Travis, plus we had borrowed some lenses from his sister so we could try them out so he explained that we had asked prior to bringing it in and we were told it would be fine. Still, the supervisor would not budge, explaining no professional cameras were allowed in – only point and shoot per Disney. Travis explained that our camera is an entry level digital SLR, and we purchased it at Circuit City, and it simply was not a professional camera. Still the answer was no. Travis explained he was trying to do the honest thing here, and he could have hidden the camera in his coat or in my diaper bag, which they didn’t look in, if he was trying to do something against the policy. Still the answer was no. He then went on to explain there are point and shoot cameras that have better zoom and video on them, and Travis asked to see the policy and they said they could provide it to him after the show. (HUH?)