Wait for Me

This was the little project I was working on, along with a small amount of photographs of me and him and me for Joshua's little care package. Filled with Reeces Peanut Butter Cups and  a little note.

I also found the ring we lost in his room while he was in the shower last night. (He looked really hard for it. ... It was in the first pile of clothes I looked in.) He doesn't know I found it, I think I'ma put it on tonight and see when he notices. I'm also gonna tease him for me finding it so easily. While he's packing I'm spending time with my tyrant of a kitty. I figured I'd blog and take care of myself.

Man does it ever feel good to see your digital work in print! I've already packaged up a few things so I can't really take pictures of the package as it's at the boy's apartment.

Ugh, I'm gonna miss that boy. But atleast this time we'll  be able to talk to eachother with cellphones. Hopefully it works out. Last time he left I didn't hear form him for well over a week! I didn't know if he got there okay or anything
Although I'm not exactly a Navy Wife, as I am not married to Josh, the feelings are pretty much the same. I still slump around my apartment, I still don't wanna get out of bed some mornings and I still miss and love him all the same.

He doesn't know about this one. It's smaller and in the care package I banned him from.
It's got the Lyrics to our song, I guess.

Now the song Wait For Me by Theory of a Deadman has pretty much become our theme. He sang it to me the night before he was gonna come home over webcam. Ugh, I'm gonna miss him so much.

I just wanted to share my art with you.

And, on another note, I am open for commission. ;)

In 29 Days.

It's been 29 days since I've been able to hug and hold my boyfriend. Now; I know there's vast amounts of people that have gone through a long distance relationship. There's a vast amount of girls or guys that won't even get involved with a military member because they know they're going to go away eventually. But;

I'll tell you; I full out knew that Joshua was going to leave when I was dating him. He had a date set for April 19th when we started dating, even. Then he had his accident with his hand, and that took away all chances of a contract for a while. Me and Joshua even think that they were trying to make him step down because they can't afford to pay somebody that can't do their full job while he was recovering with two surgeries and rehabilitation and healing.
So things between us blossomed, and I wasn't really expecting him to leave until Summer of 2011. We are best friends, really, He's my best friend. Nobody gets me like he does.

Blanket Forting, March 2010
:) This was right after his 2nd surgery, what a grumpy old man he was.

Now; Joshua found out he was getting this contract two weeks before he left. We had just gone through a rough patch, so we decided to patch things up before he left for the health of our relationship. I did it with the Vow to try and better myself.

I was starting to go to the LDS church; and let me tell you, without Elder Norton and Elder Garcia, I don't think I would have changed anything. I'm so grateful with their help in guiding me and teaching me and just keeping me company through this all. They were so supportive and I'm thankful for that. :)

The day rolled around that Joshua left; I spent the night at his place; he kissed the grumpy/sleepy/sad Sarah a goodbye and that was it for a week or two. I packed up a few things from his apartment; like his camera and his blanket to take and barrow till he gets back. Well, he might not get this blanket back from me. :P

The first night; was by far the loniest I've ever felt in my life.

I found out one of my best friends passed away the day before. To add into the confusion and pain and lonliness; this was a friend over the internet. In a community of people online that I had pretty much grown up with. Me and Tyler had known each other for about five or six years. We had even e-dated when we were younger, lol! My support system with all of our friends was only over the internet. No hugs, no wiping away tears, no shoulders to cry on. We only had words. Words and pictures. And boy, there was a lot of art that came up. I wrote a Memorial of sorts for those that didn't know.

These two events; my boyfriend leaving that morning and losing a great friend, left me feeling like I was lost and lonely and I couldn't make myself feel better.
And I stayed like that for a few days, but as I began to talk about it, cry about it, draw about it, pray about it, and read about it, I was able to come out of it. And I don't think I could have gone about it in any better way, given the circumstances.

I played with horses; I worked, quite willingly on really really cold nights to help my friend Sydney with Horse and Carriage rides. A lot of these I just rode up front with people and helped with little things. Eventually I'll get better with working with the horses. But I'll never get over the odd people we'll bump into that are interested in horses. Or the terrible children that have equally poor parents. Do they not realize the dangers of a horse when they let their kids run and scream all about them?

Grampa's Birthday.
First time I ever ate a Red Velvet Cupcake.
mmmmmm

I hung out with family. I really do appreciate everything they do for me. I can't describe how much I appreciate it. I really took it for granted when I lived with them. I guess that's a part of moving out and growing up.

I hung out with friends. Now; I'm a big hermit. I really don't like to go out to friend's places. I couldn't tell you why, it's likely got to do with being anxious about it or something. I donno. But I hung out with whoever showed up. I also went to see two Movies; the Chronicles of Narnia, and the new Harry Potter.
I wasn't really that into either series, Harry Potter was good, but the Narnia film was really a waste of $10. The dialogue in Narnia was pretty much like if I wrote it; it wasn't very good, really plain and dull stuff.

I got my root canal. And then I got an infection for the cyst that caused me to get the root canal. I should really get a picture of the cysts that form. They're so painful. I don't know why they're not just taking out the cyst... It could easily form into a problem that they could regret not removing, in my opinion. But I'm no doctor and I often worry.

Giving up coffee all week; has made me crave brownies. I could NOT tell you why in the world I crave brownies more than coffee; but I think it's the richness I want to replace the crazy strong coffee I used to make. At least if I cheat and eat a brownie, I won't reaaally be breaking the Word of Wisdom. I just can't afford it, nor do I want to really eat sweets and make my acne get bad. I have self control over this!

Last night; Josh came online and we went on webcams, he sang me a Song. And I cried. I really just wanted to hug the laptop and cuddle it non-stop. I grabbed his blanket and I cuddled in it while we spoke. he didn't have a mic. But he could mouth words and I understood. He could also type; but that isn't as fun. I sang to him before he left.
By far; it was the best night I've had in so long. I love my Navy boy, with all my heart. And He knows it.
Tomorrow; he'll be home. Within the next day or so; I'll have my boy back. And he's not going to be able to move for a good hour because I will be stuck to him like glue at the doorway. He knows it, and expects it.
Gosh, I love him.

The Navy may have my sailor; but I've got his heart.

Taken by Sydney

Owning pets.

After something happened recently involving really irresponsible owners, and a missing cat, and a replacement cat. I wanna just talk about how much of a responsibility it is to own even something like a cat or a dog.

Now, I'm not the most knowledgeable with animals, I'm not stating I am, but when it comes to caring for an animal it's a matter of common sense and putting yourself in their shoes.

Let's start off with Ferrets (Only cause they're my faves).
Everybody loves them, but can you really handle them? I tell people it's like eight to seven years of owning a small, hyper puppy that's hard to train.
It took me months and months of looking up ferrets and convincing my mother that this ferret at the petshop was THE animal I needed in my life. And she most certainly was. After begging and trying to prove to her that ferrets are not what they seem, I got Rikki, as a very early birthday present.

Right off the bat, I was prepared, I knew what to get her, and what she needed, and how to prepare my room. Ferret proofing your room/house is still an ongoing battle after owning Rikki for three years.
She wasn't a biter, she was already 4 months when I got her, so she was already litter trained and not nippy. That was one hurdle I didn't have to leap.
Ferrets get into EVERYTHING! If there's something on the floor, like a hair brush, it's GONE. The cup of water on the night stand? Knocked over and all over the place. The plate of food on the night stand? Well if it's something they want, it's all going to the stash spot. Potted plants? FORGET IT!

Me and Rikki on a walk at the river.

Did you know that ferrets are Obligate Carnivores? They only eat meat. I bet you thought they ate berries or something if you classified them as a rodent. They are Weasels. Naturally ferrets would eat bugs, eggs and mice and other things they could catch or stumble upon. They have a very high prey drive.
Most people feed ferrets things with lots of filler. Ultimately the best diet to feed them is a mixture of oils and meats and bones and eggs and so on and so fourth. I personally feed holistic kibble because it is easier on my budget, and with just one ferret, a lot of it would go to waste.
Rikki will get things like pureed turkey and chicken dinners, (Baby food) as a treat.
Vet bills for ferrets are very high. They're exotic animals, and vets don't always know the most about them. So not only does it take time and effort to FIND a local Ferret friendly vet.  Luckily Rikki hasn't needed to go to the vet other than for shots and the likes, thank god. But I've got a Visa for just in case for a vet bill. One swallowed elastic band could ultimately mean $300+ or death. It's really really sad, but some owners have no choice but the later.
I always try to discourage most people that want to own a ferret. It's tough, but it's so rewarding to hear those dookdookdooks! and seeing the ferret war dance. Or see how big their coats and necks get in the winter.
It is a worth while pet to own when you have the time and money and effort to put into them.
If you're interested; check out this group of people, that taught me everything there is to know about ferrets.
Ferret Harmony

Dogs;
As a kid, I really wasn't a responsible pet owner. I don't know why the hell my mom wouldn't just give the dog back that I snuck home some how or another. We went through a lot of dogs that would eventually be re-homed cause a nine year old couldn't handle the responsibilities of owning it.
Now that I've grown up a lot, I still snuck my dog home, but I have a much healthier, happy house with a canine.I am going to say I got incredibly lucky to have such a loyal, loving dog in my house like I do. There's been no training needed really. Anything I've taught her has been taught in a day.
All I can really say about dogs is you need TIME. TIMETIMETIME to spend with them. You can't just keep them in a crate and take them out when YOU want to interact with them. You can't just toss them a bowl of food and water and stick them outside on a chain.
What I often see is people getting these crazy energetic mutts that they only got for their name or breed or mix, not really looking into the pros and cons of their traits. These guys usually find new homes

King the Alaskan Malamute; Adopted after the original owner could not handle him anymore.
This is very common for this breed.
After a bit of love, King has turned into a great family dog.

Huskies. How many well trained huskies do you know?(And just because your dog knows how to 'sit' and 'shake paw' doesn't mean it's trained when it eats your couch or takes off out the door when it's open) I  can only count... one. The rest are all terribly trained dogs, because nobody wanted to claim alpha over a cute little puppy. And Huskies will take that and run and never look back. These dogs NEED to run, it's in their blood. Keeping these dogs on a chain is terrible. These dogs need to work on a daily basis to be happy. Other breeds like Border Collies and German Shorthaired pointers and hounds and spaniels all need to work!  They were bred for a job, and not house life. They need something to keep them busy, otherwise they will take it out on you, or your house, for that matter.


Cats;
Everybody thinks cats are easy pets to own. I know from owning one, it's really not rocket science. You put food and water in a dish, you scoop kitty litter at least once a week, and you pet it and play with it when it wants to. (And with some cats, You just LEAVE THEM ALONE OR FACE CLAWS!)
Every single cat is different. I've never met any cat with the same personality. Every single cat has their quirks. FatCat for example; He flings litter and poop about everywhere around his litter box. We're going to try to solve this problem by buying, somehow, a bigger litter box. He won't go in something with a lid.

Did you know that Cats are ALSO Obligate Carnivores?
 Cats are just like ferrets in a dietary sense, except cats can catch big game like rabbits and chickens and birds and stuff. The best food to get them is Holistic kibble if you're not going to feed them raw. I know the price of holistic foods, but when you're feeding your cat things with grains and so on, it's going to take a toll on their body eventually. I would rather pay $18 a bag of cat food than $150 for a vet bill because I wasn't feeding my cat the right food.

Although, I had a cat live to be 21, she ate the junkiest food forever, lived outside untill she was 16, and was declawed and spayed. She ate canned food around the end of it. She smelled like death and so on and so fourth. We were expecting her to die when she hit about 16. But she still played with you sometimes. And she really was a grouch if you pet anywhere but her head. What a scary cat she was..

Cats are resilient animals, but they shouldn't have to be because we know that.

Rodents;
Everybody thinks rodents are a great starter pet for their kid. In my personal view, hamsters are terrible pets. The only lesson your kid learns from it is that if it dies it goes in a shoebox in the ground and then goes to hamster heaven. Or it ran away to the circus. Often they'll be miss-treated, neglected and over-loved by some child mauling it. The best starter pet is something the entire family takes care of as a group and team.
Many people think that that cheap pine bedding is good enough for their little pet. Pine bedding ultimately kills them in the end. It causes respiratory problems after living in it for long periods of time.

I own rats. Rats are my favourite small pet to own. Tied with Ferrets. They are OMNIVORES! They need things with protein. The great thing about rats is they can eat pretty much everything you can. If I'm having carrot snack, they get a carrot. If I am having berries, they get berries, if I am feeding rikki, they get some of her food. ... You get the point.
Rats are charged as exotics at the Vets office. So you should still think twice about how you care for them or what you feed them or what not.

Now; I know I didn't cover fish or birds, or other exotics. But that's cause I really don't know that much about them. But here's some points that apply to all pets;

All of our pets are much smarter than what we give credit to. (minus hamsters. e_e) All animals feel pain.
If it's cheap and says "GREAT COLOURS!" ; it's probably not good for them. (just like Cheap food for us all the time is terrible for our bodies)
When you notice your pet is acting funny, or puking, or there's a putrid smell from the litter box or yard. (What your animal's poop looks and smells like is a GREAT indicator of their health) There's obviously something wrong. Call the vet and ask some questions
If you think you should call a vet. You probably should, doesn't hurt to get some phone advice.
Get a network of friends that own the same animal you do. It helps out so much to learn from a friend. But a friend is not a Vet.
If you can't handle owning your animal anymore; do the right thing and find a new, responsible, owner for it. Atleast for the temporary time.
If you're looking for a pet; ADOPT! There's SO many animals looking for homes right now it's not even funny. When I look for pets, I try to look for some to adopt first and then resort to getting them young.
STUDY what your animal and the breed will be like when you bring it home. This won't leave you stunned when Sparky barks a lot, because that's what Yorkies commonly do.
 And unless you've got the money, DON'T take home animals that are sick just cause you feel bad for them. Call the SPCA if you think they're being mistreated. It's really the best thing you can do for it.