Comfort... drink?

I was going through my extensive stash of k-cups for my Keurig and I just couldnt decide on anything that I wanted this morning. But I came across a special winter treat that a co-worker made for me when we were in Kansas. She gave us all a jar of Spiced Tea. And her mix is my favorite by far! There are a million spiced tea recipes out there. I posted one on my BLOG a while back. But it's not as good as this one.

Here's her recipe with a few of my own tweaks.

1 1/2 cups instand tea powder
2 cups Tang
1/3 cup powdered Country Time Lemonade mix
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Her recipe calls for a whole teaspoon of clove and 3/4 of a teaspoon of ginger. So if you're into those spices, add more.

And just an FYI, I had the HARDEST time finding Tang in our local grocery stores. I found it in the commissary on post, a big DUH right? :)

Anyway, this is what I'm having this morning, even though it's July 24th and it's not something I would be having in Arkansas because it would be 100 degrees outside already. But here in Colorado, it's 75 with a breeze. Yeah, you know you're jealous. I dont know how I am supposed to move away from here. I love this place!!

Dog groomers

No, I have never been a dog groomer. But I have had Rigel for almost 4 years now. And as a yorkie in a puppy cut, he needs a hair cut about every 4 months. I have one BIG problem with most dog groomers.

It does not take 4 hours to clip and bathe a 6lb yorkie.

Rigel has been to many different dog groomers, in my attempt to find a good one. And we had a GREAT one, but I will tell you about her in a sec.

As it has been explained to me by many groomers, they work on many dogs at once. So while one is drying from a bath, another is being clipped. Plus many groomers I have tried do the dog drop off before the groomer even gets to work. So if I drop Rigel off at 8:30, and the groomer doesnt show up until 9am (which, lets face it, she doesnt come in and get right to work. She needs coffee and to chat with her co-workers, then she gets the first dog), Rigel could be in a cage for a good 45 minutes. Rigel is not a cage dog. He doesnt have a kennel with bars at home. He has a soft sided mesh box and he's usually left in a room when I'm gone. Sure, I'm a snob when it comes to Rigel, I'd be the first one to tell you that. But I'm paying for a service and I should get what I pay for. There have been many times I pick up a terrified anxious dog 4 hours later. And that just doesnt cut it folks.

So my parents have a neighbor that is a former dog groomer. She is a single mother and my parents help her out a lot, fixing her sons' bikes, mowing her lawn, etc. So she would clip Rigel for free. I would take him over and while we chatted, she would cut Rigel and bathe him. Even while talking and laughing, tending to her sons, and answering her home phone, she would STILL have Rigel done in about an hour.

So Rigel goes to the groomer next Wednesday. He has been to this place before. They did an okay job with his actual hair cut, but we're going back to them because he came out of the back room acting like my Rigel, not the tail-tucked scared pup I usually get back. I'll let you know how it ends.

Somewhere out there

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary. I'm going to stay positive today, and not dwell on the fact that Joe isnt here. We've had two great anniversaries together, not bad for a military marriage. And I know he's somewhere thinking of me.

I've been thinking about this song a lot lately. I havent seen An American Tale in years, decades even.

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight

Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there if love can see us through
Then we'll be together somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

Fuck Hawaii

This is just a small excerpt of the post entitled Sanctity of Marriage, I urge you to go read the whole thing. I'm reposting it in response to the shameful veto that happened in Hawaii today. SHAMEFUL!! We can once again be embarrassed and ashamed of America, once again denying equality to all of it's citizens.

Remember reading in your history books a time where a whole bunch of stuffy white men had to decide whether or not black men were humans and could have EQUAL rights? Whether or not they could vote and own property? Same with females. Do you remember reading about these brave women fighting for YOUR right to vote and have EQUAL rights to men?

Now you have to tell me how homosexuals fighting for EQUAL rights is any different than that. And you can keep your religious nonsense to yourself. I don't care to hear it. None of it is a good excuse to deny rights to any human being. Your religious shit is just an excuse for you to be a bigot and then hide behind some stupid book.

Now I would like to post a quote from the Governor Bigot of Hawaii:

"It would be a mistake to allow a decision of this magnitude be made by one individual or a small group of elected officials," Lingle said.

Seems fairly hypocritical to me since ONE woman vetoed the bill.

And since when do we allow the majority to vote about the minority? Isn't that what our government was set up for, to protect the minority, to allow everyone to have a voice? Again, like the post says, what do you think the majority voted about when it came to segregation and suffrage? There wouldn't have been the struggle if there hadn't been so many people standing in the way. I cant imagine living in a world where I couldn't vote or own property or marry whomever I loved. Voting for equality is an archaic practice. I cant believe this is even an issue in 2010. Grow the fuck up, America!! Heard today: *There's a reason why God created Adam and Eve - not Adam and Steve.* Very mature, don't you think?? Don't you think we should be allowing these amazingly bright rhyming bigots to vote about the happiness of others?? Would you want them voting on something that meant the world to you??

A Forever One

"You know how you can just tell that some friends will be your friends forever and some will fade away after you move away? I can tell you are a forever one, so thanks." ~Lucy

4th of Julys, revisited

Missing Joe a lot this weekend. The 4th of July is his favorite holiday. We made some awesome memories in the last two years in Kansas. We could shoot of fireworks in the backyard! It was so much fun. So I'm going to think about those great memories this weekend.

July 4th 2008

July 4th 2009

*no dogs were harmed in the 4th of July celebrations

Too many Vampires?

I had the strangest dream last night. I cant get it out of my head.

I was a vampire, the old school kind; mean, only out for blood, only at night.

I was licking bright red blood off of someone's warm neck. I can still see the color. It was so vivid.

Someone else walked up and asked me if I was going to turn "that one" or just kill it. I looked down.

It was Joe.

Nuts, right? So I wake up at 3am and turn to Rigel, who is standing in my face, and tell him I would most definitely turn Joe into a vampire. And as a wannabe psychologist, how am I supposed to interpret this particular dream??? :)