Another Stage, Another Phase

Why is it when you seem to think you have everything going the way you want it, you suddenly start thinking about what the hell you are doing with your life?

I am a giant flounder, floundering. Trying to figure out where to go to next. Call it a mid-life crisis, call it my Bubba-Love turning 2 next week, but I'm starting to feel at a loss.

Who am I really? What is it I really want or need to be doing in this life?

I know what makes me happy and what motivates me. It's just finding a way to use those things to feel as if I contribute to this world.

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?

Beautiful Boy

Tuesdays are wonderful for me. Bubba-Love is at the garderie, Mini-Husband and The Princess are at school and I'm home all by myself! I get to clean in peace and actually go play with the dogs.

Today, the three of us headed out on some of the backroads around the village. It's cold, but not bitter, and the dogs were in a great mood. They are really starting to work wonderfully together.

It's been an incredible experience with Typhon in our lives. He's a whacking great big old ninny when it comes right down to it, but his sweetness and simpleness are a joy.

It's so hard to know what a rescue dog will really be like once they move in with you. You don't know their past, their 'issues', or how they behave in the simplest of situations. When Typhon first came to live with us, he couldn't handle being anywhere near cows. Now, he's able to run right on past a whole field of them without a flick of his ear.

I enjoy having the two dogs in our lives. They add to our family and give me added stress that I can't seem to live without.

Just imagine how happy and insane I'll really be if I get my way and we have 6! I figure Hubster would be happier having more pups rather than bubbas. That way, we won't need to buy a bigger car, just a truck!

There's beautiful chaos in the fur.

Team Vache

Here's the latest from a training run with Anouk. Musher Boy took this video on Saturday and it's given us ideas. If only we can find harnesses big enough for the cows!

Thoughts on the Hamstermill

"And I rannnn, I ran right into a wallll..."

Nothing like 45 minutes running on a treadmill that faces a wall. A very nice wall it is too, but it doesn't inspire much.

While I ran there staring at the orangeness of the wallpaper I got to thinking:

I miss my college roommates.

Did I really interview at one point for a master's program at NYU?

Is taking two Ibuprofen a day considered an addiction problem?

Boy, this wall is really orange.

Must remember to shower at some point.

Wonder whatever happened to my friend Roc? And Jill-O?

If I take apart Mini-Husband's old bike, could I build a three-wheeled dog cart from it?

Why has Anouk taken all her bedding out of her dog house AGAIN?

I miss my sisters.

I'll never finish reading, "The Golden Bough."

This wall paper is bordering on 1970s organge.

45 minutes. Thank GOD that's done.

I really need to get outside more often.

Ok, Who Farted?

Miss Tennessee 1975 modeling the latest fad in nappy changing gear.

Poopy nappy supplied by Miss Tennessee/Auvergne 2007.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

It's nice that we've finally sorted out ways to get rid of the kids so we can enjoy ourselves! Who know that there was a babysitting club at the ski area! (Well, obviously LOTS of other people, but we know about it NOW!)

We celebrated Mini-Husband's birthday weekend by heading off to the local area on Sunday. Mini-Husband took his first ski school lesson and Hubster got to work on his rope-tow form.

After Mini-Husband went off with his class, Hubster and I finally got a chance to reach the top of the ski area. We've lived here 5 years and it's the first time we've seen the summit in winter.

The sky was brilliant blue and clear and as I looked down across the mountain, I followed the fall line down to the valley around Besse. The hills gently rise up on the other side of the town and then fall away to the deeper valley where the city of Clermont-Ferrand sits. I could see the hills even farther over, chateaus and rocky ruins sit perched on almost every peak.

Way off in the distance, past the peaks and hills where we live, I could see these tall, white icebergs looming on the horizon. At first, I was convinced they were clouds, but as looked harder I realized that I was actually seeing the Alps.

The skyline of France is breathtaking.

The Bad

I had my practice exman for my grammar final. Oh, MON DIEU! By looking at my results, it would seem like I never went to class! I spoke to the professor after the test and asked what would happen if I didn't take the final. She told me that if I don't take the test, I won't be able to move on to the next level.

I think that might be a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

The Ugly

I haven't cleaned up after the dogs since Friday. Our own miniature relief of the skyline of France is now on display in the yard. Of course, in shades of brown and not at all skiable.

His Last Day as a 5 Year Old

Tomorrow is Mini-Husband's 6th birthday.

I can't believe we've reached this milestone already.

I remember being at the hospital, holding that little baby, trying to figure out how I was going to sleep with him next to me. Now, it's just so natural to wrap my arms around him when he comes into our room and squeezes in under the covers.

He is an amazing person. I am so proud of who he is becoming and how he sees things in his life. With his beautiful big brown eyes, he takes it all in. When he laughs, I can't help but join in. He's so intense and serious with a twinkle in his eye that I adore.

He wants an airport for his birthday. A real one. And he wants it built in our back garden. In Mini-Husband's world, anything is possible.

Ah, to be almost 6...