Coolest Dog Ever

Bella- 1 yr old

December 18, 2012

This is the dog that makes my Husband jealous. Back when we got her as a puppy, I was too paranoid that the landlord would find out about her to really enjoy her and seal the memories in my head. She was a hellion like most puppies. But we've come a long way- she and I.

My husband surprised me with an early Valentine's Day Canine Present in 2012. I figured he wanted to wait until his elderly dog died. But, being the pleaser and dream bringer, he found and gave me my most wanted kind of dog. I wanted a Great Pyrenees dog since I was first introduced to them in my early twenties. I worked in a flower shop and these two GP's walked in with their majestic fur and didn't break a thing despite their size.

Bella is actually half Great Pyrenees and half Saint Bernard which is why she has dark patches. My beloved Italian uncle had a Saint Bernard named Dominic while I was growing up. He was a great dog that warmed me up to the breed. Bella is the best of both breeds and is absolutely gorgeous (despite the horrible angle of this picture, wink). When I brush her, she has the loveliest patches and her fur feels like hair with an undercoat. Her tail has very course hairs that are as long as my finger span in some places.

Since we got Falkor (our newest dog), Bella is displaying some new behaviors that I never saw in her before. She is turning out to be a sweetly jealous dog and rightly claims me by laying over me. I've had a lot of fun sharing my sweet potatoes with her. She gets to lick my dinner plates clean and has enough manners to not breathe on the table.

She sleeps in our spa style bath tub which seems to be "her size." that is the one place where younger Falkor won't bother her. She sleeps very soundly in there. On hot summer days I'll spritz her with water to help her cool down. Otherwise, she'll lay down on the bricks in front of the unused fireplace.

I hope you like the photo story about my favorite dog! Is this the first time you've heard of the Great Pyrenees breed? She is amazing with the kids. She calmed down a lot around 18 months of age. I guess that's pretty normal for all dogs. Do you have a post about your dog that you want to link to mine? Add it to my comments section after your comment. =)

Best wishes to you and your family canine(s)!

#furryfriends #besthusbandever #extralargeextragentle #fourleggedlove

What Does an Adopted Person Look Like?

Do I look adopted?

I hope you're shaking your head. I've even recently gotten back in touch with a person from my hometown who is Caucasian and adopted by a Caucasian couple. I also know a Korean adopted woman who has a Korean mother who adopted her and an African American father. My own biological mother domestically adopted a son. My son in the picture with me is my virtually adopted son. He has a mother, but she is missing in action. I am the only female guardian in his every day life.

And you know what? It doesn't feel any different, at least to me, than any other family I've had or even in comparison to my biological daughter and son. They equally drive me nuts. (tongue in cheek). They get the same imperfect parent- they have equal opportunity to my failures. (weak laugh) But they also get my unique flair to this important role called parenting.

Being adopted is complex BECAUSE it's hard to fathom, for one, and because it's hard to recognize without comparison. Alone, no one could tell that I was abandoned and adopted. But, stand me next to my Caucasian family, and you could see "the one that doesn't belong." You know, that one remedial test for budding students? Except, I do belong- that's what the adoption papers say.

It is so hard to shift so fluidly from being me without the family and being adopted when I'm with the family. I can only imagine how complicated my sons feel around me. But it's that complication that I am so familiar with. If they feel that way, I chalk it up to the fact that it's pretty darn normal... for an adopted person.

It's also hard to be adopted, because usually when people find out- they shift their behavior towards you. Many times they will act sad for you; but what if you're not sad? Or they'll act awkward; but what if you have come to terms with how awkward it can be with parents that were found for you like couples on Match.com?

The tricky part of being adopted is that we only look "that way" when we share it with others. But I just want to assure you, readers- I don't "see" myself as adopted. I see myself as a person who would have had any other issue in life except that it just happens to be adoption/abandonment for me. I have as much or potential as the next person. I can weather life's storms hopefully better than some people who weren't adopted. I am who I am today not because of what happened to me but because of what I made happen in my life, with God helping me.

I wish you all the level of self love and contentment as I have. This life is so fleeting. I have my eyes set on eternity in Heaven. Hopefully, I'll see you there.

Here is my growing playlist offering adoption support to you all, 

parents and children:

Words with Friends (WWF) Prompt [2] 4/2/14

I've decided that I've been too serious and so now, I'm doing a series of posts based on my Words with Friends high score words.  #WWF from now on. 

I will write something fairly short and hopefully humorous about the word. If you'd like to play with me, invite me to play "Meredith Suh". 

My Korean family name is "Suh" and since "Meredith Elizabeth" was already spoken for, I just went with it. There- you know a little more about me with still a lot of mystery left.

 

[KE]TONE, J[E]T, [K]I: K, E tiles, 29pts

I know 29 points is not so impressive, but I also helped my husband play the word "zygote" for 46pts! Pat on my own back for helping a guy out. (wink)

 

To be honest, I never really heard of ketones until I noticed "Raspberry Ketones" on sale as one of the newest diet supplement out there. According to WebMd, ketones can be very bad for our health, especially those who have diabetes. I am glad I was not too lured by the claims on those bottles. Now, green coffee beans... that peaked my curiosity because I love my coffee!

I did lose a bunch of weight (about 55lbs in 5 months) due to pregnancy. I didn't take any metabolism supplements. I did mostly intermittent fasting. I did it very strictly for a while. And these days, back in my skinny jeans (ok, you can hate me) I have loosened up on my eating parameters. I feel lean to the touch- not skin and bones. My husband has never been so happy with my appearance. Phew, I was pretty worried there after gaining so much during pregnancy for Gabriel!

Here is the video that shows what I did other than intermittent fasting:

Here are all of my WWF posts...

#WordsWithFriends #WWFPrompt