Life with Shiloh

Motherhood is a joy.  The most precious gift was given to me on February 12, 2014.  My sisters had adopted a stray puppy from the Humane Society for me as a gift for going through the implant surgery and for Valentine's Day.  It was the best gift I've ever gotten in my life aside from Peanut, Max, and Lacey. I debated on a name for her.  Immediately when I saw her something in me was whispering Sh... Sh... and I was leaning towards Shadow.
I was at the doctor's for my follow up and it immediately hits me in the waiting room.  Shiloh!  I researched the name and the definition and texted my sisters and father for approval.  Dad and Carli loved it.  Becky, not so much.  She didn't like people name for dogs.  She later came to love it and saw that Shiloh definitely suited the cute puppy.  Poor Shiloh.  She was in the kennel for a month before my sisters found her and adopted her.  She automatically became a part of the family and was loved. Never did I think I would own a puppy.  I did talk about getting one and investing in one but never found the time or the money to.  I like to believe Shiloh became my companion at the perfect time.

It's amazing for some one who doesn't talk to you can speak and understand you in thousands of words through their characteristics.

So here's to our second year of being each other's companions!  I am celebrating this day as the day you came into my life Shiloh!

Shiloh understands so many things and has the intelligence of a lab.  She knows to sit, lay down, shake, go to bed, go outside, and many other commands.  One of our favorite commands is telling her to go find Pinky, Jack, Mistletoe, Cow, Reindeer, Ball-Ba, Wubba, and all those other toys that have unique names.  She knows them all and can find them in no time!  She is that smart. I'm a proud mommy.

Her favorite hobby and mission each day is to play fetch!  She loves to go outside and play fetch.

She loves to cuddle and to sleep on mommy's lap and her Grandpa's lap too!  Much to the chagrin of Grandma.  She loves to bury herself under the covers at bed time and inches her way up to the pillow by morning.

She is very protective of her mommy and does get into fights when mommy pets other dogs or invites other dogs to come to her.  That's my sweet girl but she is learning to share mommy and to be friendlier to other furry companions too.

She loves being around new people everyday and is always ready to jump and greet them.
She does not have a bad bone in her body and I am so proud of her patience and behavior towards others.

Shiloh, I am forever grateful you are my most loyal companion and you have been there for me so many times,  You are there to dry my tears and to make me laugh, You are always there to give kisses to me and give me so much love.  Everyday with you never feels like there's enough love or time to give.  Thank you my sweet puppy for being just you!

Happy 2nd Get-Together Day!  I love you sweet thing!  Here's to many more!!!!

Super Bowl 50 Biggest Fail

If you haven't' read this article please do!

Someone Owes Marlee Matlin and the Deaf People a Huge Apology

Frustrated from not being able to watch Marlee sign America the Beautiful or the Star Spangled Banner, I am fuming and looking for who to blame and cause a ruckus about this.  I am in shock and awe that the CBS broadcasting company chose to introduce her but only show flashes of her signing twice.  Of course, you may tell me it'd show up on the internet somewhere eventually.  Well that's not right for someone like me or others who are deaf or hard of hearing.  I saw on the internet pictures of the jumbo-tron at the stadium that they had Lady Gaga singing and Marlee in the little box on the lower right hand corner signing.  Why didn't they consider that same thing on national television?  Sign Language is visual, not heard.  We were watching Gaga sing.  We could hear her sing if we were watching Marlee and it wouldn't have made any difference.

When you say you will accommodate the hard of hearing/deaf, please open your minds to the best possible availability to do so.

I am a deaf person with a cochlear implant and I am working on my ASL (American Sign Language) and Marlee is my role model for it.  Shame on the network, shame on those who decided to introduce her.  Did you know she has signed for the Super Bowl three times?  I didn't know till I saw her post. That means she was there signing for two years and I didn't even know it. Please, please I beg you please provide a small screen on the left, right corners of the large screen  next time so we, the deaf and hard of hearing, can see the emotions of the song in sign.  It's a beautiful thing I tell you.

Keep up the fantastic work Marlee!  Do come back next year and hopefully they will put you on TV signing the whole time!!!!

Sure, I'm Screwed Up But Who Isn't? Life Goes on Right?: To the Lady in the Blue Scrubs With the Two Boys a...

Sure, I'm Screwed Up But Who Isn't? Life Goes on Right?: To the Lady in the Blue Scrubs With the Two Boys a...: To the lady in the blue scrubs with the two boys at Whataburger, I recognized you.  I didn't think I would but I did.  It wasn't a...

To the Lady in the Blue Scrubs With the Two Boys at Whataburger,

To the lady in the blue scrubs with the two boys at Whataburger,

I recognized you.  I didn't think I would but I did.  It wasn't a good recognition.  But you know what popped into my head the moment I saw your face?  You were that person.  You were the person who laughed at me, made fun of me, chided me, told me I would never be good enough, cool enough, spread rumors about me, made the class laugh at me and so on.  You bullied me when we were younger.

I was shocked at how I recognized you and all these negative thoughts of you popped in my head.  It was like re-living those moments in mere seconds when I saw you.  No, I wasn't scared.  No, I did not coward in fear of you coming over to greet me or laugh at me.  No, I was shocked more than anything.  I was shocked at how I remembered you.  I'm sure that's not the kind of reputation you wanted to be remembered by. The last time I saw you, we were teenagers.

I remembered you as the girl who made fun of me.  That's how I knew you and that's how I'd remember you for the rest of my life.  I don't know how or if you remember me.  I don't know if you think nothing happened between us or if you remember me as the weak, nerdy, four-eyed, overweight, permed hair girl. All in all, I don't know the kind of life you had or your perspective.  But I'll let you know something.  A person like you stays in a person like me (aka the bully and the bullied)'s mind for life.  Your name is a name I'd remember.  When I hear your name in reference to anything else beside you, I think of you.  Your face, your voice, your name.  It's something that someone like me never forgets.  I don't even remember all the names of my classmates or what grade they all were in with me but I remember you.  It was years ago.  I'm 32 now.  This was middle school I was referring to.  You are plastered in my mind forever as the girl who made fun of me.  Why?

Well, you caused pain, you caused hurt, you caused my self-esteem to go down. You made me doubt everything.  I was a weak, insecure teenager and I let you in to hurt me.  It's the kind of thing that stays with you for the rest of your life, like a scar.

When I saw you, there was a urge of putting on a show in front of you to show you that I am better than you and you cannot get to me anymore.  I wanted to taunt you and show you that I was single, living the best life ever, traveling, living a luxury compared to yo.... (sure, there's always that evil inkling somewhere which I cannot deny.)

No... no... I refuse to step in your shoes like you were when we were younger.  No, I refuse to act like a child.  No, I will not bring myself to the lowest, shallowest level.  No, I am better than this.  I pushed all of that evil urge out of my mind and what did I do?  I looked at you quickly and admired your kids.  I silently praised you for being a mother to those two kids who looked well behaved and did not cause any scenes or ruckus in the restaurant.  They were young gentlemen.  I praised you for making ends meet by working in the medical field.  Those are not easy jobs to have and I am in awe of you.  As soon as I saw you, I smiled and looked away.  I finally saw you as my equal.  You weren't the person I remembered.  You were something else. Something I long to be, a mother.  But I admired you for doing the impossible and I would cheer at your side whenever you were feeling low.

Now, I should have approached you and talked to you.  But I wasn't sure if you'd remember me.  So, next time, I'd better approach you and ease you in a conversation.  Maybe we'd be friends.  But if I had talked to you, I would have sang your praises on motherhood, your young gentlemen, and working.  Maybe I'd get to know you better. But today changed how I would remember you from now on.

So, to the mother in the blue scrubs of the two young gentlemen at Whataburger,  I wish you luck in the near future and I'll do better next time to approach you and introduce myself. Keep it up, you are doing wonderfully.

Thank you for all you do in the medical field.

Your former middle school classmate

P.S.  I've seen these kind of stories with pictures but I respect yours and your kids' privacy so I did not include nor take one.