Thankful for ...

As some of you may know, I work as a Property Manager here in Los Angeles.  The job is usually pretty easy.  Yes, I do sometimes have to deal with angry tenants, leaky pipes or other catastrophes...but, for the most part, my job is pretty great.  The job definitely has its bad days though...and yesterday was one of them.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from a co-worker of one of my tenants.  My tenant had not shown up for work, and the co-worker was worried about her.  The co-worker had called my tenant multiple times and knocked on her apartment door with no response.  Worried for the safety of my tenant, I went to the building to open her apartment door and found her dead in her bed.

...

I feel at a loss for words.  I have written and re-written what happened next a million times, but the words don't seem to do the situation justice.  I don't know how to explain the fear I felt standing in her room talking to the paramedics.  Or what it was like to answer the same questions over and over again by each fireman, police officer or the coroner.  I know I can't even begin to feel the loss that her family and friends are experiencing now, yet I still feel sad.

In all the chaos of yesterday, I couldn't help but think about all the wonderful friends and family I have in my life.  I am extremely grateful for each and every one of them and the great examples they are to me each and every day.

LENT

I know, I am not Catholic...nor have I ever been. But, ever since I worked for the McBob's, I have always enjoyed taking part in Lent. Now, I don't participate as a normal devoted Catholic would...instead, I just choose something to change in my life and see if I can really do it.

In past years, I have given up biting my nails, chocolate, Pepsi, etc. This year, I have chosen to add something to my normal routine instead of taking it away. I have decided to start doing one active thing 5 days a week. I know this sounds super easy, but for me it will be a challenge. I have found myself in a little bit of a rut lately, and I think this is just the thing to get me out of it.

So, today I will go for a walk when I get home from work instead of plopping down on the couch to watch my stories. Tomorrow I have signed up for a Pure Barre class and I have Hot Yoga on Friday. Next week I just might try a Zumba class! I can definitely do this until Easter, right? Wish me luck!

Decisions

One of our friends got me hooked on The Bachelor last season when Brad was the bachelor. Brad was a spitting image of the trainer at Brett's work, and the similarities made it so I couldn't stop watching. Well, that and all of his awesome one liners. Ah, the drama...Anyway, since then, we have formed a little group that meets every Monday to watch last season with Ashely, and now this season with Ben.

Tonight we are casting our votes to see who we think Ben will choose in the end. I don't know if any of you watch this show, but I think Ben will go with Kacie B or Jennifer...depending on how tonight's episode goes.

Wish me luck! I don't think there is a prize for being right, but I sure would like to win!

This year, my soft New Year’s resolution is to update my blog more often. Sometimes I get caught up in thinking that my everyday life isn’t interesting to others, but I am trying to wipe that thought out of my head. So, I apologize in advance for whatever posts the future may hold. Now to the real post…



Meet Nacho: a Chihuahua dog that belongs to one of our friends. Nacho’s owners were going out of town for the holidays and she needed a place to stay. I, of course, volunteered to watch Nacho for them. I had been raised with dogs my entire life, and missed having them around. I missed having a sweet dog to come home to, and to take walks with and to play with. Having Nacho for a few days would definitely be fun…or so I thought.

Before Nacho was dropped off, I was told that she gets a bad case of separation anxiety and usually refuses to move, eat or drink for numerous days at a time. She is extremely afraid of all people because she was a rescue dog, and she barks like crazy. On top of all that, Nacho will refuse to go to the bathroom…Except for when it comes to your house… then, she pees on anything soft that is on the floor…including carpet. Oh, and she is extremely aggressive with other dogs.
Great. My dreams of having a fun dog to play with were suddenly a thing of the past, but it was too late to back out. I picked up Nacho and prepared for the worst.

For the first few days, Nacho was pretty immobile, but she didn’t have any problem eating or going on walks. As the days progressed, and she became more familiar with us, her behavior improved drastically. She became almost playful, snuggled up with Brett and I on the couch, only barked when someone knocked and also became friends with the other dogs in our building. I was shocked! I don’t know why my friend described her dog as an absolute terror, but Nacho is nothing like her description.

Today is our last day with Nacho, and I am sad to see her go. Yes, she had really bad breath…and somehow always forced her way in-between Brett and I wherever we sat, (Brett isn’t her biggest fan) but I will miss her. I guess we will just have to get our own dog now!