Why I am a music nerd...

As we all know, music plays a big part in my life.  While other people are keen to understand everything going on in a football game, I'm the one listening to the musical interludes.  I'm the girl in the restaurant who hears a good tune playing softly in the background and starts to dance... much to the embarrassment of my girlfriend:)  This all became even more clear last night as I heard a song on the radio and was like, "this song just makes me think of the Seahawks" and she was like, "what?"  I guess while I'm trying to pay attention to the plays at games, my head is automatically groovin when a song comes on... or alternately wincing in agonizing pain when the Sea Gals (Seahawks cheerleaders) dance to yet another awful white-rock song.

And now let's take a moment to address this issue...

Dear Sea Gals,

As much as I appreciate you trying to cater to those people in the audience who don't appreciate the various hip-hop tunes played during the game, dancing to awful white rock is not the solution. In the future, PLEASE select rock classics from the likes of Led Zeppelin or go for any 80's rock classics from the likes of Def Leppard.  (I think we would all love to see you dance to "Pour Some Sugar On Me")  Then at least we can actually enjoy your performance without plugging our ears.  Thanks.



So December ushered in the return of my favorite singing competition... the Sing-Off.  Now people may love American Idol or the Voice or all the other shows out there looking for singing talent but this show is the one with the musical chops.  As anyone who's ever sung with other people knows, it's hard to not only match pitch and tone but to also sing in harmony.  In a capella groups, that is all you do and since there are no instruments to keep you in tune, it is even more difficult as every flaw stands out.  After NBC cancelled the show after 2011, they decided to bring it back this past December.  While the harmonies and competition weren't as good as the third season (in my opinion) there were still amazing moments.  Here's my favorite song of the season (Colder Weather by the Zac Brown Band) being sung by the winner Home Free...

Awesome.

Season three had an amazing group called Afro-Blue from Howard University that had UH-MAZING jazzy tunes.  This was my favorite song of theirs from the season.  (Hint: if you want to skip over the intro discussing the group's journey to that week's tune, the song starts at 1:45)  

Impeccable... they were my second choice...


Season three's winner was Pentatonix.  (You can check out their YouTube channel here.)  After three seasons, they were the first to have such a complete sound, to do amazing pop effects, and they did it all with just five people!  Here is just one of my favs...

And here is another one I love...

And last but not least, this rendition that I find super sweet...

So... glad I had this opportunity to geek out... Thanks to NBC for bringing back a show with true musical grit ;)

Music for the season...

As usual, music helps me get into the mood for anything, especially to celebrate Christmas.  Aside from my perma-love of the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown's Christmas music, I have found a few great tunes for this season.

The first one is a work of love.  The World of Color Honor Choir was created this year to be a part of the Winter Dreams show in Disney's California Adventure Park.  This show has been around since 2010 but after seeing the work Eric Whitacre has done with his virtual choirs, they decided to bring that performance to their show.  So this past September, a call went out for singers to submit video for this choir.  The videos had to be submitted by early October and I'm proud to say I made the cut!  Out of the over 1,400 singers who submitted video, 703 singers were chosen.  As you look at the video, I have no idea where my image is amid all the snowflakes but I'm there!  It's just such an amazing piece of music, really just gets you into the holiday mood.  Here's the official video.  And here's what it looks like in the official show:

So cool.

And finally, one of my favorite songs that really snaps you back to the meaning of this holiday season is Francesca Battistelli's "You're Here".  What beautiful lyrics, and what a great message.  This is a video someone put together but it so perfectly shows the emotions captured in that first night.

Happy Holidays!

Getting there...

This month, heck, this year has been difficult.  Amid good things like getting through the quarter at school (with acceptable grades yay!) and an adoptiversary, it's still been difficult to do things like get into the holiday spirit... but we're getting there!  A little recap of the highs and lows...

Sink-gate 2013

This past week hit an all time low when our kitchen sink started to leak... and then after being "fixed" wouldn't drain.  To confess, I have a bit of OCD so to deal with three days of dishes and not being able to use your kitchen sink and all the clutter, it was very difficult.  And of course, my slumlord landlord doesn't care or in all honesty, know that I have this problem.  I mean, it's extremely emotionally upsetting and stressful.  Luckily, things are doing pretty well now as it's fixed with only minor draining issues and last night we actually made dinner... and I actually cleaned the kitchen.  While the crap is still all over the floor as they are coming back to patch up the hole, it's better than no sink.

Amidst all the difficulties of the quarter, I had to get my root canal redone... an ongoing saga that never should have happened.  While that was an incredibly money-bleeding and awful experience, let's pause to do a public service announcement here.

Dear dentists everywhere,

When you have things in your patients' mouths, please don't ask us questions that can't be answered with a grunt or shake of the head.  It's really just cruel!

We got to foster quite a few dogs and recently adopted out our last one for the year, Phayth.  We had some trying times, even having two dogs at a time for a bit which is very stressful, but it is all worth it when you 1) realize you're saving lives and 2) get a chance to see them like this:

Phayth visiting with Santa

What an angel.

And amid all the hemorrhaging of money as my car and teeth received much-needed repairs as well as the dogs, I think I did pretty well in my first drafting class...

This is my final project and I'm very proud.  To go from not knowing how to do any of this to creating a semblance of a planting plan, to be able to create this from my head, it is awesome.

And finally, we celebrated another milestone.  My little man Milo celebrated his four-year adoptiversary!  Aside from some tasty treats he received as well as a new sweater, he just received lots of love.  I can't believe it's been four years that we've had this little guy.  Although it can be difficult dealing with a senior dog... or two... as I know this day or year could always be his last, I cherish every moment with him.

Milo... trying to hide the fact that he's terrified of Santa

I'll write a little more later about getting into the Christmas spirit.  For now I'm looking forward to getting away for a little vacation as we head south to the mountains for Christmas.  I can't wait to see the snow and hang with the fam... Good times.

Obsession...

If there's one thing I love more than music, it's finding new music.  And thanks be to Jesus that technology has progressed to free "radio" stations that play a bunch of music that you may never hear otherwise.  If you listen to the typical radio stations, if it isn't an independent radio station, they play mostly the same popular music within that genre over and over.  It can get a little redundant and definitely kill a song you thought you were excited about.

So, per the usual, let me give you a little background on where I come from with music.  It's always defined me and been a huge part of my life.  I can relate, as I'm sure so many people do, certain songs to significant moments in my life.  Music is what I listen to throughout the day and it helps me to work, do chores, and focus on homework among other things.  And then there's moments, brought to you by music, that have been some of the most amazing experiences in my life.  A few of the greats?

Singing or playing in a dark church...

I think it is one of the most spiritual experiences to, for me,  play the piano or sing in a dark church.  One such time my friend and I were preparing to sing a duet while on a mission trip in Scotland and we were alone, in a mostly dark space with only a bit of light coming in from the windows, bare walls so lots of echo, and the harmonies just lifted and it was as close to heaven as one can get.  Amazing.

Another time I was singing with the Western Washington University Concert Choir.  I didn't know it until a year later as I compared experiences but we had one of the best collections of singers.  We were singing for a special function at Seattle First Presbyterian Church Eric Whitacre's song Cloudburst.  To hear those voices, singing this song, in this amazingly acoustic church was amazing...

Ah...

Now back to the present.  A look onto my Pandora radio page shows music for all different moods.  Thanks to a mom who worried about the smut being played on the radio when I was a kid, I have a vast knowledge of "oldies" music.  Thanks to my adolescent years being spent in the Tri-Cities, home of classic rock, I have a profound appreciation for bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.  And thanks to my grandmother for instilling in me a love for Paul Simon, classical music, and a wee band called the Irish Rovers who gave us this true gem...

And of course I picked up a love for everything else, especially R&B and jazz along the way.

So every once in a while, through listening to the radio at work, I find new fabulous music.  And apparently, the latest toe-tappers I've grown fond of are from the country genre.  So in honor of sharing the wealth of my love for music and in the spirit of discovery, here are a few of my new country favorites for your listening pleasure... enjoy!

Get ready mom, I think you're going to like these...

Light Me Up - Hunter Hayes

Cruise - Florida Georgia Line

Love the fall...

To keep in the spirit of the fall, I thought I would shed some light on my new re-discoveries.  Last year, at this time, I was taking a class called Broadleaf Plant Identification.  This class focused on plants that mostly stayed green and did not lose their leaves during the winter.  Because you are so focused on learning the plants, you tend to ignore all the other plants out there.  The broadleaf plants stand out, everything fades into the background.  So the fall colors were okay but they weren't important to me as I didn't know the trees and was focused on something else (a typical problem encountered each quarter with a new ID class).

And then we finally got to the deciduous plants in my spring ID class.  But they weren't changing colors then, just leafing out.  And while it was great to learn the plants and see their blossoms, we didn't see them in their truly colorful stage.  So now that I know these plants, the world has opened to me, much like it has with every new thing I learn.  And of course, because it's education about my outside world, it literally means the world around me is opening up.  It's a very cool experience and one that I enjoy sharing if you couldn't tell from my posts throughout the year :)

So, I would like to point out a few of the plants that I have been walking by lately that have made a great impression on me...

First off... Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' or dwarf winged euonymus

Uh yeah, let's just look at that color.  This is not photo-shopped and, like all these other photos, is taken by my phone!  This plant can seem rather boring all other times of the year but in the fall, it stands out in this hot pink color.  And when I say hot pink, I mean it!  It is one of the more vivid fall colors out there.  This bush is just cool and although most of its leaves are gone, it's had quite a run!

Next we have Cornus kousa or the Kousa dogwood

Close-up of leaves

Kousa dogwood in front of a red maple

Although the Kousa dogwood is in the shade in front of the red maple in this picture, you can see from the picture of the leaves above it, it has a very rich coral color.  The leaves are also unique and it provides such a nice pop of color in this smaller-growing tree.  And of course, let's not ignore the red maple (Acer rubrum)... stunning as well.

And last but not least... the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Colors from beautiful gold to...

Hot oranges and corals

This tree has such a stunning array of colors!  It is best when the light catches it... so beautiful.  And now I put it all together... this is a dominant tree on the east coast and probably one of the reasons the fall colors there are so beautiful...

Conway, Massachusetts

I'm not sure if these trees are sugar maples, but this is the beautiful scenery that greeted us when we visited a friend going to school near this spot in 2010.  And, on a side note, it just so happens the same college is the top contender for my next scholastic school move... Conway School of Landscape Design.


But back to here... just a few more... here are the kids enjoying their afternoon stroll...

Milo in his new hoody

Fynn checkin out the scene

Happy fall everyone!


PS.  If you get a chance, go see a fabulous fall-themed show the Seattle Women's Chorus is presenting.  This weekend is the last weekend for Hallows in the Cathedral.  Truly a VERY cool show... I mean just look at the scenery...

So spooky!  Enjoy... we sure did!

To everything (turn turn turn), there is a season (turn turn turn)...

Ah let's set the stage... because I love me some music from the Forrest Gump soundtrack and we need a little background music, please...

It's definitely a new season... Fall, back to school and all that it brings with it.  This weekend I took a break in studying (read procrastinated on school work) and we went to a nearby pumpkin patch.  It was gorgeous weather and so much fun albeit we were the only people there without kids.

Doesn't that look like fun?  There were lots of activities and it was fun to get lost in all the pumpkins.  I was a little saddened by the fact that I didn't find too many imperfect pumpkins.  I always enjoy picking the "Charlie Brown"s of trees or pumpkins... the ones that aren't as attractive.  But alas, mostly perfection.  So I had to make up for it with some mini gourds, warts and all.

And here they are displayed proudly around our doorstep...

And I must say, even though it was unintended, they go very well with our hold-out flowers that grace the stoop...

Diggin the orange...

I always love the fall.  The chance to get back into things like squash and sweaters.  And drink fun drinks like pumpkin spice lattes.  On that note... I'm not one to plug a product but I must say, Starbuck's ad campaign this year for their version of the pumpkin spice latte is very funny... I'll even go so far as whitty.  This is my favorite commercial...

Oh my lord, too funny.  I just envision doing that myself... opening up the door in the morning and yelling "Pumpkin spice!"  Never gets old.

This quarter I have now embarked on the more serious horticulture classes: drafting, business management and weeds.  I am putting in the building blocks for grad school and will hopefully be heading that direction next year.  While I ponder the differences between Landscape Design and Landscape Architecture and how that will influence my future career, I would like to share a recent experience in my weeds class.  But first let's take a trip down memory lane.

In college I was a youth group leader at a local church which was so much fun.  Every fall we would take the kids on a rock climbing/camping weekend at Mt. Erie.  Each year I would be the good leader and let all the kids get up on the rock and I would support from below.  But in my final year, I decided to take the plunge.  Surprisingly, it wasn't that difficult.  Picture it...

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-erie/153999

I'm not sure what the name of the face we were climbing was called but it did look like this.  Anyway, when I got to the top, it was one of the coolest feelings... you truly felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Titanic where he says "I'm the king of the world!"

On a side note, heading to Mt. Erie (which you can drive up) is defintiely worth it as you have some of the most amazing views...

So, back to the current situation.  In my weeds class, we are supposed to bring in samples of weeds with ID cards we make.  Don't worry, there is a connection to these two stories.  Well I didn't know quite a few weeds in my yard so I took pictures and then asked my teacher.  She gave me hints to help me figure out what they could be.  While that was frustrating at first, it turned out to be a good thing.  With the clue, I was able to figure out what weeds I had which was so exciting, a true feeling of triumph!  It turns out I have wall lettuce and nipplewort growing in my backyard.  If you're worried, these are very common weeds in this area.  Anyway, it was a very exciting accomplishment indeed.

That's it for now, just thought it was time for an update.

New Lease on Life

On July 31, 2013, I started my day as usual around 7:30 AM, letting the dogs outside and then bringing them in to feed them.  Right after their breakfast, I noticed that Fynn's disposition was a little off - she didn't seem comfortable.  She wouldn't take her morning pill and looked uneasy... like she needed to go outside.  So I let her out and immediately noticed her tummy was slightly enlarged.  Normally, I keep her fairly lean.  Now some people may think she is underweight but due to her legs having problems, it is best to keep her that lean and it's actually healthier.  So it was really easy to spot that her tummy was slightly more round than usual.  I woke Shane up to get her opinion and she confirmed Fynn looked a bit odd and that I should call the vet.  Fifteen minutes later I was at the vet and Fynn's stomach had swollen to the size of a very large medicine ball.  My poor baby could barely walk and was crying out in pain.  And then the vet confirmed my worst fear... Fynn had bloat.

Now my family has had fila brasileiros for a while now and I am well aware of the health issues that plague not only this breed but all giant breeds, bloat being one of them.  That said though, I still never though this  could happen to my kid!  And when talking to my friends and extended family about her situation, I came to realize that most people are actually unaware of the risk of bloat.  So I write this partly to share Fynn's story but to also spread the word so that maybe more canine lives can be saved.

Bloat is a condition where the stomach distends with gas and fluid and then twists.  This traps the gas within the stomach preventing the dog from vomiting.  As the food within the stomach ferments, it creates more gas and eventually the stomach wall begins to die.  According to the vet, it looked like Fynn hadn't digested her last two meals.  And all of this happens VERY fast.  It took about half an hour from when I noticed her not being herself to me being at the vet with a very sick dog.  Bloat is very dangerous.

Dog with bloat

Bloat occurs mainly in large dogs with deep chests but can also occur in small dogs with deep chests like dachshunds.  Other symptoms besides the ones I already mentioned include pale gums and pacing.  It is extremely important to catch this early on.  Luckily, we did so with Fynn and not much tissue had died.  You  can read more about bloat here.

Right when I brought Fynn in, the vet techs rushed her in to get x-rays of her belly to see what they were dealing with.  They were unsure of the image results as there was so much gas in her belly so they intubated her to get a lot of the gas out, then re-did the x-rays and sure enough her stomach and spleen had twisted.  The vet then told me that there was a 70% chance of survival with this surgery.  That was a hard pill to swallow.  You see, once they un-twisted the organs, that would release a lot of toxins into the body and some dogs are unable to recover from that shock.  As usual, I asked the vet if she thought it was worth it and she said yes.  I felt that I owed it to my dear Fynn to at least try to save her.  This was all so sudden, I wasn't ready to let her go.  Even with such a big risk, I decided to move forward with the surgery.  It's a good thing I did... Fynn pulled through just fine.  She was very lucky though... lucky to have this happen when I was home and lucky that she was healthy enough to pull through such a difficult life-threatening situation.  You see, all the bloat cases I have ever heard of never ended this well.   I was truly amazed that she lived.

After the surgery, Fynn had to deal with a new set of problems.  I decided (on the vet's recommendation) that she should go to an overnight vet to be monitored as there were possible unseen issues that could occur.  That facility sent her home with a pain medication.  My personal vet had only prescribed an anti-inflammatory.  Not only that, but during the surgery, my vet had not emptied her stomach.  I'm assuming this was to be as minimally invasive as possible.  The overnight facility's indicator on whether a dog is well enough to go home is if they are able to eat.  So regardless of the records that were sent over by my vet showing this, they fed her and gave her pain medication that slowed her elimination.  None of these things helped the food that was still in her stomach to move through her system.  All of this was completely counterproductive (and really frustrating).  Finally, after two days of no solid waste, minimal food, no pain meds and walking, Fynn showed that her system was digesting and getting back to normal.  I was the happiest mama in the world! 

Now it has been a month and thankfully she is doing just fine.  While her hair is growing back very slowly, her energy level and appetite for not only food but life was practically back to normal the moment she left the hospital.  I have a pretty amazing and resilient dog!

Fynn in Neah Bay, 3 weeks post-surgery

My hope is that we can save more lives if we get the word out there.  I count my blessings every day with Fynn.  I don't believe that it was her time to go.  But every day she is here is a day that I almost didn't have so I am extremely thankful for the miracle that her existence is.  And to commemorate her new lease on life, I have started a mini-journal of her life... tweeting pictures.  You can follow me on either instagram or twitter and see all the pictures.

Thanks for reading.  Mama loves you, Fynn.