The Missaroo

The Missaroo
Ready to Take on the World

Friday, December 31, 2010

A Year Has Come and Gone

I cannot believe today is the last day of 2010. I am ready and waiting for everything life has to throw at me in 2011. Bring it world! The Missaroo and I are ready.

I also cannot believe we've been blogging all year. It has been quite the experience. It is definitely the best therapy I've ever had and the best part is, it's free! I've also learned a lot of lessons about blogging, the power of words, and that one voice in the wilderness is still better than no voice at all. I can't wait to celebrate the blog's one year anniversary with all of you. And I can't believe how many of you read it!

So many people have come up and told me they read it everyday! EVERYDAY!?! Sorry I've left you hanging then most of the month. I always get a little blue around Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back to writing nearly everyday soon.

But most importantly, a year of blogging has really helped me grow as a dog mom. It has kept me accountable to the Missaroo and it has also helped me track her development. I would often times forget when the last time she puked was and what happened around that time. Then I would go back and read the blog. It was much easier to put it together the puking had a lot more to do with schedule changes then it did anything else.

So thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who reads this. Even those who I don't know about. You all make my life a little better. Here's to more Miss-Adventures of the Missaroo in 2011. Cheers!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

No Seriously, She Likes It

So I don't mean to brag buuuutttt....


While I sat at the computer, Missy went into her crate, ((you know where her new blanket is!?!)) and just chilled. She seriously loves the new comfy crate feel now that she has a fleece blanket made with love underneath her. OK I'm bragging A LOT. But I do have my own blog after all.

PS Do you like how Missy is the ONLY thing in the dinning room? Yep, that's how we roll.  

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Blanket Wars

Missaroo and I don't fight about a lot of things, but there seems to be a struggle over the big green monster blanket on occasion. I always lose because she's the one with the adorable face.

Here's how it works: I'm laying on the couch with the blanket covering me. Missy comes to snuggle ((which I love)) and lays on top of the blanket with me, but when I get up she doesn't. This results in me up from the couch and her still on top of the blanket... case in point:


So guess what I made Missy for her Birthday? A fleece tie blanket! So she can have her very own. Last night I put it on her half of the bed ((insert judgement here)) And no that's not her pillow, I just enjoy a well made bed.


Pretty snazzy huh?


But really this is the best part:


Happy early birthday Missy Mae!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Spoiled

The Missaroo is spoiled. Not only does she have a super dog mom but she also has some super relatives. Uncle Jeffrey and his girlfriend Jenneal didn't forget their favorite dog-niece.... like she needs more stuff :)


Merry Christmas Missaroo!

Monday, December 27, 2010

A Post Christmas Update

Missaroo and I made the best of our Christmas. I worked through the holiday but turned my desk into my own personal snow globe that included my Bears Santa hat, Christmas cards from my family, and of course I rocked the Christmas tunes.

I didn't cry this year, which is also a HUGE plus. And I was able to talk to my mom and dad after all. Missy hung out with my all day Saturday which of course was good for my heart and head too.

Still didn't get to go to church but I've asked off for a few Sundays in January so hopefully that will boost my spirits as well.

Thanks to everyone who wished us a Merry Christmas. Miss you all to pieces! :)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

So This is Christmas....

Missy and I are gearing up for the new year. I cannot wait to celebrate her birthday and our two years together. She truly has made these last couple of years the best of my life. She gives me a reason to get up in the morning, and a comforting peace to fall asleep to at night. Life would not be the same without my Missaroo.

So this Christmas, and I realized now, more than ever, it is time to stop doing everything else. I have spent the last four years trying to climb some ladder I'm pretty sure I imagined in my head. Work doesn't make me happy, in fact work makes me pretty darn miserable. I've told myself to "stick it out" and "follow your dreams." Well dreams change. I realized today mine sure have. Why am I chasing a dream that makes me so darn miserable? That doesn't let me go to church? Be with my dog? Be with my family? Or even provide me with people in my life who like me? That's no dream, that is a nightmare.

I was sitting in the car today on my way to volunteering and trying to be in the best spirits I could muster when "So This is Christmas" came on the radio. And in that moment it really hit me like a ton of bricks, I have done nothing differently, or at least for the better. I go to church way less ((the least I've ever gone in my whole life, including college)) I'm equally as unhappy at work, have the same amount of friends ((zero)) so why?

It is time for a change. My resolution for this coming year is to get out of this slump for good. I miss that human connection in my life. People to talk to who enjoy the same things that I do, who enjoy building others up, who are good in nature. That is my goal for 2011 to find those people and if that means finding another career then it is time to let go. Let go of a dream that turned out to be not so perfect. To let go and let God!

On a sidenote: Merry Christmas everyone! Because of the times I am working this year ((despite the fact I requested to work the late shift)) this will be the first time I didn't get to talk to my family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and the first time I haven't been to church on Christmas morning to boot. Please pray for my soul. Love, Brittany and the Missaroo.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Oh Joy!

I'm having trouble getting excited about anything these days and instead, I've just been frustrated. Really frustrated with work for more reasons than maybe I can even count at this point, and frustrated even as a volunteer. I miss going to class and can't wait for Christmas break to be over. I really enjoy talking with the people in my classes and they are often times the only real conversations I have with someone in person all week.

Someone recently wrote to me saying they hoped I would do something that brought me joy that afternoon. Hmm.... it really got me thinking and I took it up as a challenge. I asked my only friend here to go ice skating. That would certainly bring me joy. But his schedule didn't allow for it. I tried to set up a few other things, no go. So Miss and I visited poor little Willis at SpokAnimal instead.

And then last night I was organizing all of Missy's paperwork. I have every bill from every vet visit, every Petsmart training lesson, I even had a few of her first groom receipts. It was in order for the most part, but a few things needed to be shuffled around plus I wanted to see exactly when she is do for her yearly check up. In my organization I also came across Missy's original bio from Pet Over Population Prevention. Her little picture and sweet face are still the same, there's just less worry in her eyes nowadays. And she's still the same Missaroo she was two years ago. Her bio reads that she likes to be on the go, loves to cuddle, and chew toys. Yep that's my baby. The one thing that constantly brings me joy.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Skinny Mini

Earlier this year and last winter, I remember blogging about Missy putting on her winter weight. With a lot more snow on the ground and a whole heck of a lot more motivation ((remember why I started this blog at the end of February?), we don't seem to be having the same problems this time around....


Am I remembering to feed her?

Monday, December 13, 2010

Mean Girls

I've often said there isn't anything I wouldn't talk about on this blog, but that has been a lie. I've tried my darnest to steer clear of work, well not anymore. I am shunned at work by a group of girls that I affectionately call "the mean girls" like straight out of the freaking movie and I am Lindsay Lohan. They hate me because Tim did not. That is the worst reason in the world I can think of for a woman to hate another woman, because some dude likes ((now liked past tense)) her. It's the epitome of being a horrible woman and a you know what.

I was told shortly after I started at KREM that if I continued down the road I was heading ((hanging out with Tim)) head mean girl would be mad and hate me and then all the other little mean girls would follow suit. Well who needs enemies with friends like that huh? Tim was the greatest thing that ever happened to me ((or so I thought)). Before I knew what happened I was head over heels and shunned by a group of women I didn't even know very well. And to that I thought oh well!

You should have seen how unbelievably happy they were to see me cry when he broke my heart. You would have thought I had bought them all a new pair of Jimmy Choos or something! That's when they wanted to be my friend.... and once again I thought, who needs enemies then, right? So I declined.

Now this is the short, simple, and sweet version of this story. I will spare you all the horrible things they did and said. I never fought back, I didn't think I needed to because I was happy. And when I wasn't happy I just thought well what is the point of being mean back now? So I never have been.

But I can tell you what, I'm sick to my stomach. I can't tell you how horrible it is to walk in every Friday and hear about the clique fun being planned, and to hear every Monday how much fun that plan really was. It is horrible to be shunned when you did nothing to deserve it, EVER. And it is much, much worse and gut wrenching when you have ONE person to talk to about it. To say, "it really sucks that they are horrible to me and I don't think I can take not having girlfriends to hang out with one more day" just to find out that ONE person was there. And never bothered to mention it, to prepare you for the blow, to just let you drown right there in the middle of the newsroom. This person who said horrible things about every one of them to me. Went down the list and even used words like "crazy" to describe them. Not how I would desribe my friends, how about you? And to think if that's what you have to say about them, then what do you have to say about me? Do you join in with them? Because you certainly don't stand up for me. Once again, who needs enemies these days? I have officially hit rock bottom in Spokane.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

What's Left?

What do you get the dog that has everything? That was went through my head as Missy and I walked up and down every aisle of Petsmart yesterday. I really wanted to get her something nice for Christmas, or find something to save up for when her birthday rolls around next month. No go. There are exactly two things I could think of that she doesn't have, a dad and a yard. Neither one I can really do anything about. Other than that she pretty much has everything. Sure, we picked up a few new chewies, and new toy, that sorta thing. But really, she had a crate, a bed, nice dishes, a nice leash, a coat, a backpack, a life jacket... I could go on.

As far as Christmas goes, that little girl is set. I do have something in mind for her birthday though. A fleece blanket. I have a very old throw underneath her crate bed right now. It's one she's thrown up on a million times, and did I mention it's old? I think a nice comfy blanket would be a pretty nice gift. And then if she ever stays at doggie hotel again she can take it with her, her safety blanket!

So, this dog mommy has a new pet project! ((get it? a project for my pet?)) It's the only thing left that I can think of to get her, well that I have absolute control over anyway. Any ideas for the Missaroo? What do you think she is missing? We'd love to hear from you!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Going to the Dogs

I've been volunteering at SpokAnimal this entire quarter, so that's about 10 weeks or so. I was getting pretty frustrated with it and as selfish as it sounds, I felt like I could just be doing something more productive with my time. My main volunteer project included putting in all the new volunteer information into a data base. I would go through the paper applications and fill out the electronic ones. Once a month, I go through all of the sign up sheets for that month and add up all the volunteer hours. And trust me, all of this was as exciting as it sounds. I felt like I might as well be at work sitting in front of a computer screen doing the things my heart was no longer a part of. Then an opportunity arose.

I was just about ready to throw in the towel and volunteer at another animal shelter when I was told she didn't have any work for me this week and wanted to know if I would just come in next week instead. I told her I would love to come this week and do something other than paperwork and data base entry. When I arrived, I went over to the shelter building ((the volunteer paperwork is done in another building)) and she asked if I'd like to work with the dogs. My face lit up! And before I knew it I was walking dogs.

Wow! It was the best volunteer day so far. I walked four dogs, Rowdy, Laser, Willis, and Max. There were a lot of boy dogs. All of them ran on the small to medium size, and in fact I think all of them were smaller than the Missaroo. Of course, I fell in love with little Rowdy who clung to me like a a child. Walking those doggies and giving them lots of love just made me want to run home and walk the Miss and give her lots of love too.

The one BIG difference between walking those dogs and the Missaroo was the way in which they walked. Rowdy and Max walked like they've never been walked before! They were so incredibly happy to be outside. Laser, a puppy, didn't want to walk as much as he wanted to lay in the snow. And poor Willis was a tiny Chihuahua dog just off the plane from Dallas, Texas. Not only was he shaking because of his new home, but the sight of snow pretty much made him not want to be in Spokane. I gave him lots of praise and told him what a brave boy he was and soon he was also trotting along. I even found a tiny bit of grass, picked him, and trudged him through the snow so he would go potty. So how does the Missaroo walk? Like she's loved. Like she has a forever home. Like, yep look at me and my mommy and my snazzy jacket. She walks with confidence that she can do no wrong. It was something I definitely saw missing from those four other dogs.

Yesterday touched my heart. I hope I'm allowed to walk more dogs in the future. It even made me think, OK I'll do some paperwork now. I just needed that connection, that reason for volunteering at an animal shelter of all places. And it gave me new found energy as a dog mom too. I wanted to make sure that if I was walking other doggies, Missaroo was getting twice as much time in with me as they were.  Yesterday was a pretty great day for her too and we both slept like babies.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Conspiracy Theory

So I'm normally not much a of a conspiracy theorist, but this morning my mind wandered a little bit when I couldn't find Missy. Normally as I type away, she stares out the window or chills in her favorite chair in the living room waiting for her walk. Today I turned around and didn't see her. Hmm.... where is she? I can tell if she's in the bathroom eating because I can hear that from here too. So I walked into the bedroom to check on her.....

That little sneak! She wakes me up every morning. She IS the reason I get up in the morning. I wake up when she won't let me sleep any longer. So I get up, take care of her, and then start my day. Now I'm starting to think she's not so much waking me up as kicking me out of bed to make more room for the Missaroo!

And I Thought Yellow Snow Was Bad

WARNING: If you are grossed out by all this dog pee talk, prob not the blog post for you. If you are a dog parent, this is just another day in the life....

I've been complaining about taking Miss out to pee in the frozen tundra lately because there really isn't any place for her to pee. Well last night she had to go poop, not pee, and it was awful. Missy in general is super picky about where she goes. She'll even squat a few times, sniff, and move on before she finds that perfect spot. Well in the snow those perfect spots seem to be in shoe prints of anything else that makes a hole in the snow.

Now you might be thinking that's pretty darn smart of here. I mean as a person, if you were out in the wilderness and forced to go outside you might look for a spot to go somewhere similar right? Well I have news for you, Missy is not a person and the goal is not to bury it. The goal is to go somewhere that I can easily scoop up with a mitten on and a plastic grocery bag turned inside out. Trying to dig my hand into these little holes and actually pull her poop out just made me smush it all over. It was gross and unsuccessful. I should have just left it. I made a bigger mess trying to clean up after her. Did I mention it was also dark out? Yeah. Good times to be had by all.

The most disappointing thing is I was really in the mood to take Miss for an evening stroll. But three minutes in I'm holding a plastic bag of smeared doggie poop and decided I didn't want to carry that around for the next twenty minutes. At this point, the nearest poop drop off point was right outside our apartment. We headed back the way we came and called it a night. I love the snow, but it sure seems to bring out my inabilities as a dog mommy.  Poor Shmooie.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Time Flies When You're Getting Old

Missy's 3rd birthday is just under 7 weeks away. That might seem very random that I know that, BUT a week ago Monday she got groomed and I noticed her next appointment was on her birthday, 8 weeks away. So, that's how I know. And on Missy's 3rd birthday it will be exactly two years since she came into my life and made it a much better, brighter place.

So I've had that thought on my brain a lot lately, how have the last two years been so incredibly different than the rest of my life? And am I OK with the difference? On the first point, EVERYTHING and NOTHING feels different about my life journey. I think the biggest difference now is I feel like I'm actually living my life instead of waiting for it to start. When I was at home and in college, it was like I waiting for my career to start, waiting to move out on my own, waiting for life to happen to me. Now with Missy, every single day is an adventure. Good or bad we are living life to the fullest. We're hiking hills, driving hours away to explore new places, traveling Washington State, furthering our education, and realizing life is this thing we find ourselves in everyday. I've truly never felt so ALIVE. Another HUGE difference is just the sheer joy the Missaroo brings. I cannot tell you how much I love loving her, taking care of her, having someone else in my life even if right now that someone is just a dog.

There are downfalls from the last two years. I've been away from my family and I've missed out on a lot of family moments. Those I wish I had back. I wish I could be there to celebrate with my family every joyous occasion, but I can't. I don't get to see them on the holidays. I don't get to see them on their birthdays. I wish I wasn't so darn far away working crappy shifts so I can't take the time to go home. Also, I had my heart broken in a way that makes me doubt myself, in a way that took a huge chunk of my self-esteem and positive outlook about myself away. This not good enough for feeling creeps up inside me everytime I look in the mirror. It still hurts everyday, but I go on.

So you take the good with the bad and it all equals this: I wouldn't trade my life for the world. I wouldn't trade Missy for the world. I wouldn't trade a single adventure of ours for anything in the world. I'm truly blessed and I've truly grown. I'm not the same person I was when I moved out here three years ago. And I never want to go back to that other person again. This is my home, this is where my heart is, and this is where I want to be, right here with the Missaroo.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Walking on a Winter Wonderland

Snow is one of the coolest things ever created  because it is never the same two days in a row. And one of the reason why I actually kind of like winter is because to me, the weather seems to change a bit more than in the Spring time for example. In the Spring, it rains, in the summer it's hot, and some might say in the winter its cold. Which is true, but there's so much more to it than that.

Follow me here. We went from no snow, to a TON of snow in about a week. Then the snow stopped, it rained, and then got really, really cold. What's on the ground right now isn't so much snow anymore as it is large blocks of ice and frozen ground. I went from needing snow boots to walk through the snow, to rain boots to walk in the slush, to my gym shoes for traction on the ice.

And Missy has had to change her approach to the outside elements as well. She's not so much trying to pee in the snow anymore as she is trying to pee on it. She's not running through the white fluffy stuff, she's running on top of it. She is literally walking on a winter wonderland.

Now, I wish I had a picture or two to show you what I'm talking about, but remember that cold part I mentioned? I'm not really in the mood to slip my gloves/mitten ((yes I wear a combo of the two)) in order to snap a few pics. AND I' also trying to get Miss to do her business at all time records so we can be out and back in ASAP.

I hope all of you are also enjoying the weather wherever you live. And don't forget to make every day your very own adventure, especially when nothing goes right! :)

Friday, December 3, 2010

One Great Week

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving was only last week! It feels like a lifetime ago, and part of the reason for that is the jam packed great week Miss and I have had since then.

Thanksgiving was a blast! From football to free turkey, you really couldn't ask for a better day. Then Saturday was pretty much the best day ever with Christmas tree extravaganza. Then Sunday I went to church and watched the Bears win. That's really all you can ask for on Sundays.

But I think the real topper for this week, No throw up! Like AT ALL. None. Missy hasn't thrown up since last Wednesday! Now I'm sure it helps I've been home a lot more thanks to my mini vaca of two days off. But I'm also off the random morning shift then day shift switch aroo. I have a half-way normal schedule during the week now, even if I do still have to survive the dreaded weekend shifts. But, at least it is a step in the right direction for now, at least for the Missaroo.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

I'm Bored Mom

In case you haven't already seen it, this is Missy's "I'm bored mom" face.....


This a direct result of me writing my law term paper for the last couple of hours. I think we both need a break. 

Don't Eat Yellow Snow

I thought taking Missy potty in the middle of a blizzard was challenging. I thought taking her potty in three degrees was challenging. But the biggest challenge of all has been trying to take her potty when the snow off the sidewalks has turned to slush and the snow piled high on the grass is taller than she is. Then where do you go? That's been the question we've been asking ourselves over the last few days.

There were a few times she braved it and jumped right into a pile of snow. I wish I had my camera as she tried to climb her way back out. She's also gotten a bit creative with finding snow drifts and shorter piles, but then that causes her to lift her leg to peepee as if she's a boy dog. I'm not too thrilled with the idea of an identity crisis in my precious girl doggie.

The beautiful snow turned nasty slush has also kept our walks short. Instead of about two 30 minute plus walks, we've been doing more like 3 15 minute walks. It's tough to walk up and over snow piles and slush. My feet feel like they are always wet! Missy's too of course, so I make sure to wipe her down when we come inside.

I really don't mind the winter being a Midwest girl myself. This is what I'm used to. I feel bad for poor shmooie though and the trek she has to make three times a day just to go to the bathroom. She takes it all in stride though. She's never one to complain about the elements or conditions of her life. As long as she's still loved at the end of the day, everything turns out A-OK in her book. Another lesson we can steal from the Missaroo.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Snovember

For those of you who are out there judging me for me last post showing Missaroo and her new red "cape" did you know this was the snowiest November in Spokane's history!?!? So I'm not talking a little snow and a little cold here. I literally took Miss out to pee when it was 3 degrees outside. 3 DEGREES! It might have only take a couple of minutes but it felt like a lifetime. It takes me five minutes to layer up before we head out the door for the slush and snow. And I would look at the little Missaroo with nothing on, getting wet and gross, and just thought we have to do something about this.

So I bought her that little red cape. Its actually from the Martha Stewart collection at Petsmart ((OK you can judge me for that one)) but the things I like about it are 1) It keeps the snow off of her as we walk so she's not as wet. 2) It's easy to put on her and 3) Of all the things I've put on that dog for practical purposes over the last two years, this one is at least a little on the stylish side. She even looks a little festive if I do say so myself.

Now don't get me wrong, being a Midwest girl I love the snow. I just never expected this much so soon. But now that we are into December I guess it will all work out. The only way I could be depressed about this snow is if it melts by Christmas. Snow for Thanksgiving and NOT for Christmas!?! ... So not cool.