a hard, hard good-bye

so i'm still not sure what i want to put in this post. it's still a little fresh and it cut deeper than i thought it would.

but we had to put katie to sleep last sunday. my mom actually took her to the vet; my dad dug the grave. becca and andrew came over to say good-bye.

katie was our family dog of 15 years. she was an amazing part of our family. excellent with anything that came her way--i can honestly say that she was the best dog we have ever had.

she loved swimming. she would launch herself off the pier at the cottage and swim out to the raft where she would circle it until we could sink a corner and let her up. she loved to ride on the ski boat with us and stick her nose in the air and not put it down until we got back.



she was the first dog we had who would catch a tennis ball in the air. and she'd get so excited about that tennis ball that she ended up scraping her nose on the sidewalk as she'd chase it down. (check out the pink stripe on her nose)

she loved it when we'd have bonfires. in fact, there was one time, she was sitting too close to the fireplace in the house and her tail caught on fire. she put it out with her nose when she went back there to check out what was burning. not the smartest move:).

she loved car rides. and walks. and lying on the couch. she'd dig holes in the yard by the bushes, so she could sunbathe and still be cool as she laid in the dirt.

sammy (our cat) loved katie more than she loved us at first. and the two of them looked out for each other.

but most of all, katie loved her family. she wasn't happy unless she was with us and she delighted in being in the center of it all. she was daddy's little girl and she helped him fix many a car and find many a golfball:).

i'm sorry this is long--i still don't know what i want to put in this post.

just that i love her. and i miss her. and i will continue to miss her. she was such a big part of our family and it's hard for me to realize that she's gone. she had such a personality and she never complained about anything. she protected us. she made us laugh. she will forever be a part of my life. and i know we were a huge part of her's.

mabel's gone to car heaven

in other news, i celebrated our long weekend (for martin luther king day) by totalling mabel, my car. it's true--my beloved saturn is no more. in my defense, i wasn't being stupid or aggressive. i turned left onto the main road and didn't see a blue taurus passing a 15 passenger van. who knows if he was speeding or what, but since i was a greenie at the whole thing, i told them it was my fault and there will be no investigation:(.

meaning, the ticket goes on my license when in nc, if it's not 100% someone's fault, no ticket is issued. so i took the blame when actually it was him who hit me.... and i think that he could have avoided me. way to go me:(.

and i know it was my fault too, but it would have been nice to not have the ticket on my license....

and adding insult to injury....the above photo is of the car AFTER it was hit! doesn't look like it was totalled at all; however, he hit it between the two doors so the doors wouldn't open. with it already being a salvage title with 150,000 miles, nationwide said 'not gonna fix it'.

close up on the door:



it was a sad, sad good-bye to the dear friend who carried me around the united states. i will miss her.... it was a long drawn out process of saying good-bye or not knowing if that was what i was doing. and now i must search for a substitute with the thoughtful funding of my parents and the nc taxpayers (financial aid:)). not what i was planning to do with my money this semester!

the newlyweds

so there are a few things i can think of that deserve their own post right now. first of all, my sister, becca and andrew got married in january of this year!



also, thanks to becca and andrew for providing the excuse to get friends and relatives together too:). i really enjoyed seeing everyone and hearing to what great lengths everyone went to so that they could be here. i truly am appreciative and i loved the chance to see all those that i love!

as far as becca and andrew go, i know that they're doing well and that i couldn't think of a better match for becca.

they're local to both their parents now. becca is looking for a job in hickory (difficult job market for what she needs methinks) while andrew is working at corning. they have a townhouse type thing in the area and they are happily married:). becca says she "highly recommends it".

obviously, the most important pic is becca and andy, but i couldn't leave out the other one:). i wanted to put up pix of the people who came too, but i don't have all the ones i want...so just know that you're all special and it wouldn't have been the same (to becca or any of us) without you.



congratulations to roof and droop:).

your favorite and mine

so with regard to my previous post, there have been multiple things that have been keeping me busy....and thus, i've been a slacker with keeping you informed.

i know you love these lists:)

here are a couple random details:
1) i cut my hair and was finally able to donate it after chickening out so many times for so many ears. they cut 13 inches off by the time it was all said and done.
2) i'm back in school
3) i picked up a second job....both are extremely part-time though. sorta on a fill-in basis. i'm staying at glenwood animal hospital and now this 2nd job is at an emergency animal clinic near my house
4) i'm hoping to go to uruguay this summer for 2 weeks to do a veterinary service trip. (unfortunately, it's not a missions trip like the trip to navajo nation was, but i'm sure it'll be a good experience and teach me alot)
5) stephanie and i are still roomies and live in the same house that we moved into last august
6) dustin moved a little further away, but i still get to see him alot more than i thought, so that's cool

think that'll cover it for the smaller side-stories.... stay tuned for more.

a word of explanation

so webster says margins are: 1) the part of a page outside the main body of printed matter 2) a spare amount allowed for contingencies or special situations

my dad says that margins are buffer. if webster and dad were to get together and agree....they might decide on using defn #2.

dad says i have no margins in my life. dad has not met vet school:).

dad now minimizes his use of 'margins' and reminds me to stay busy but balanced.

i try. i really do.

so to make sense of this post, i'm sorta explaining the title of this blog. that maybe i don't get real margins like most people right now. but this stage of my life will pass at some point. and for now, i'll have to put margins inside the margins that aren't really there at all:).

sometimes that overwhelms me..... most likely when the 'contigencies or special situations' arise. but for the most part, the reason i have no margins is because i'm trying to make time for the really important things in life amidst my school schedule. and as my friend scott (fellow vet-school-goer) says, "if you're not busy, maybe you're not doing enough with the abilities you have."