Katie's Misadventure & an Anonymous Gift

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Hahaha! I've been seeing this little poster everywhere.

I couldn't find the original source, so I just added "Owl" to one of them. It sounds like something he'd say.





The sweet furkid pictured above is my aunt's dog, Katie, and she had quite the little scare this past week.

So my aunt and her family were at Disney World this week, and after they said their sad farewell's to Mickey and Company, they drove down to their last vacation stop at the beach in Tampa. When they arrived, they whetted their appetites with some yummy seafood, and before my aunt even had time to stick one toe into Florida's waters.... she got a distressing call.

Katie-lass had run away. The pet sitter couldn't find the poor dog anywhere.

Frantic, and with the whole family in tears, they immediately changed their flight home. Finding Katie was more important than enjoying their last day of vacation.

So they fly home early, petrified of what might be happening to their little girl. When they get home, they find her! They didn't find her on the streets, but instead in one of the bedrooms.

Insert a chorus of and huge sighs of relief.

I don't know the details, but for whatever reason I guess the pet sitter never thought of looking under the beds. She had been inside that room, and Katie must have followed her in without her knowing it. When she shut the door, she had no clue little Katie was in there.

So for close to 2 days that poor dog was locked inside that bedroom with no food or water. When my aunt and her family got home, and was so shocked when they found her, that dog was sure happy to see them... and vice versa, naturally.

Another happy ending!





I never did tell this story. I simply HAVE to share it because it's so incredibly bizarre.

A few weeks ago, when my Mom was in New Braunfels with my sister and niece, they stopped in Gruene for some ice cream. While they sat on a bench outside, with ice cream running down their arms before they even reached said-bench, my sister got a call from her hubby. She was told that Luke (their son/my nephew) kept getting these rude calls on his cell phone from a guitar center. They told him he had a guitar there that simply had to be paid for and picked up. They told him it'd been sitting there for repairs for 20 years!

20 years, they said. My nephew told them that they're terribly mistaken. He's only 17 years old, and he's never even been to their shop. Still, they insisted he come. They asked if his name was Luke _____, did he live at _______ address, and wasn't ______ his phone number?

Um.... yes. All that is correct, but again... he's only 17 years old so how on earth could he have visited that shop 20 years ago?! As far as we know, time travel is science fiction so erhm... stop calling!

Well, they would not let it drop. They told him he had no choice but to come into the store, pay for the guitar, and take it home. Tired of being harassed, either he or his Dad asked how much they were asking for this guitar which is NOT theirs. They answered that it was something like $31 dollars.

They go to this shop, and once my nephew sees this guitar that's been causing so much trouble, his mouth probably dropped down to his feet. My nephew has a rather large collection of guitars at home, but staring back at him is only THE guitar he's always wanted. It's an antique that's selling for $2,000 these days. It's from the 1980's, and with the guitar was a playlist of all the songs this band has played for all those years.

A $2,000 guitar... one he's always dreamed of owning.... and fate/what-have-you handed it to him for the meager price of just 3 ten dollar bills.

But wait, because there's more.

As my mother, back in New Braunfels with my sister and niece, was paying for their ice cream cones.... there, on a stool next to her and the cash register... is a guitar pick. Not just any guitar pic, but the ONLY brand of guitar pick that my nephew uses.

Strange, huh?

How can this be mere coincidence? What are the odds of everything coming into play like that? Actually, this seems more like synchronicity to me. They got all this correct: his first name, last name, address, cell phone number... and then it's for a guitar he's only been dreaming of owning his whole life. (And no one else knew about it, save his parents). And then, several miles away and right after my sister received the call about the guitar, my mother finds that guitar pick just sitting there on a stool right next to her.

Anyway, here are a couple videos I took of my nephew a couple years ago:

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We finally received rain this weekend, and the birds seemed to really enjoy it. They feasted like kings and queens.

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I think it's so cute how that one baby cardinal hops around with it's wings spread out, ready to fly at a moment's notice. Adorable!

In that last video, it looks like those birds are meditating. I think I envy them.




(Artwork by Angela Staehling)

Just a couple vids of Abby from a few weeks ago. The vids are short of course, since the camera batteries croaked on me again.

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Are my eyes deceiving me?

Are those HALLOWEEN decorations on sale already?









These pics I found on Thad's Facebook page. This is hands down my favorite store in Old Town Spring, and Halloween is my favorite holiday, but come on.... it's only July!

Mayonnaise Jar & 2 Cups of Coffee

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(Via)



I am so in love with these little pearls of wisdom. Enjoy!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee:

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a
unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and
poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty
space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things--- your family, your children, your health, your
friends and your favorite passions. And if everything else was lost and
only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your
house and your car."

"The sand is everything else--- the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no
room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you
spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have
room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play
with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with your
grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out
to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the
house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set
your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked."

"The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."