My Day

Wow... what a day! But before I go there I need to back-up a few weeks to New Years. You know how it is right? Every year we make a New Year's Resolution ... and without a doubt about mid-January that resolution is swept under the rug, edited, forgotten, or kicked out the door...literally! Well not this year! My resolution has been to become more of a morning person, without becoming more of a coffee person!

So let's fast forward to today, this morning actually. This morning I had the great opportunity to not sleep in, as much as I dearly wanted to, but to get up at 7:30, get ready and volunteer for the Whitman County Animal Shelter who was moving locations. Now this morning was not one of those Pullman mornings that I have come to know and love, where the sun is shinning, welcoming the golden hills into existence... No this morning was cold, dull, grey, and ...raining. This was not my idea of the perfect morning mood! But none the less I did get ready, and make my way down to the shelter.

As I approached the shelter with Jamie my wonderful accomplice who helped to keep me motivated through the rain, (that wasn't really rain it was that drizzle that is barely enough to get you wet but just enough to be annoying) the mud, and the cold that was slowly sinking in. Once we got settled in we found ourselves moving equipment, toys, bowls, food, etc. into nearby trucks. When we were sought out... we were the lucky winners that got to clean the transport kennels, and the litter boxes... yes ...I said it ....the litter boxes.

But you know what I came to realize as we were shuffled into the back kennel to scrub away? I found that no matter how unglamorous a job, it still needs to be done. This was a job that had to be completed and I was not going to let the team down. But I think the best part of this job was that in this back kennel was 2 small puppies. Probably black lab puppies, who were probably the cutest things on the planet!

Now as I found myself looking down at these two puppies all I could think was, "This is for them, to make their lives better." These animals didn't choose to be here, they didn't do anything wrong. What I later found out was that these 2 puppies were apart of a 4 puppy litter that had been dropped off. All four are not social and that explained why they wouldn't walk up to the front of the kennel. The woman began to explain that because they are not social they are not adoptable and that's why they need volunteers.

After about a 45 minute wash session, walking back and forth in front of this kennel I watched something that was not expected. I had knelt down and just talked to the two of them and I watched as one got up and walked to me. There it was... Hope... hope that there was a future, that this was not the end of their journey, that this was not going to be their home but just someplace they were passing through. It was at that moment that I didn't care anymore. I didn't care that it was barely 40 degrees outside and I was soaked, I didn't care that my hair was a mess, and that my make-up was gone. It wasn't about me... this was never about me.

My day was one that involved soul searching, and re-assessing my values. But one thing that I will never forget is that we have to believe that nothing is set in stone, there is always something better. We have to believe that we can make a difference.

Im Coming Back!!

I know, I know it has been a month... but better late than never right? Well lets recap the interesting things that have gone on in the last month...

First, Christmas Break. This was AMAZING as i was able to let my hair down and relax. However let me teach you a lesson... never and I mean NEVER tell someone that you can wait to use the bathroom until you get home, everytime bad things happen. I totally did that, and well we (my mom and I) were almost killed by a drunk driver... Twice! Long story short the drunk hit the poor car in front of us and then tried to run before he drove into a ditch and was tazed. Go po-po! But I do have to say, Mr. Policeman next time you are chasing a car, don't follow as close... we can't afford to have you flipping patrol cars into ditches as you follow the drunk driver off the side of the road anymore. mmk? =) In the end we had to wait a good hour before the police could get to us to take our statements, needless to say I really had to go once we got home! This was not the only driving inccident that occured druing break... Over the three weeks that I was home I was almost killed by a drunk driver, was with my aunt as she drove the wrong way down a one way street, and was with my mom as she drove on the wrong side of the barrier after she turned too wide... I think that I might be bad luck...?

Now fast forward to coming back to school. May I add that I was SO excited to come back to the golden hills of Pullman being covered in a beautiful blanket of white snow. But with my luck... there is no snow... none... not even a speck! But yes in pullman i do reside. However, I am begining to think that no snow is probably good... because well less chances for me to fall. I have been doing SO well! Haven't fallen once! *knocking on wood* I have moved rooms and now I have a question for you.... the first day of school and you go open the mailbox and what do you see?? But a letter for the roommate that you dont have? What? I know, so then what do you do? Yea I had no idea either. But I was a good roommate and even though I could have really used the extra space, closets and shelves I contained myself for a few more hours. And good thing because SHE HAS ARRIVED! She is a very nice international student from China that is very quite, which is something that I am not used to. All of my friends back home are very outspoken and my last roommate is the same way... but she is definatly not. So this should be interesting.