Thankful

One of the things I'm thankful for is my dog. I want to share a story that happened exactly a year ago today, and it works perfectly with Thanksgiving being tomorrow.

It was November 21, 2011 and I wasn't on Thanksgiving break yet. My brother, who was a freshman at University of Southern Indiana at the time, was heading home on his break. He came home right about the time that the following events occurred.

We have a golden retriever named Champ, who was 11 at the time, and a miniature dachshund, named Peanut, who was 4. My parents, for whatever reason, let Peanut outside by himself on that cold November night. We have to keep Peanut on a chain in our backyard because he can get under the fence. He's rarely outside for that long anyway, so it's not that big of a deal. That chain was the first thing that saved his life.

My parents heard a strange noise and let Peanut back in the house. When he got inside, they noticed that there was blood dripping on the kitchen floor. Because we didn't actually see what happened, the vet (by his wounds) hypothesized what happened. Peanut was outside when a coyote grabbed him, shook him violently, the chain kept the coyote from just running off with him, and the noise of my parents opening our back door scared the coyote off.

My parents didn't tell me that all this was happening because I was at school and they didn't want me to worry and forget about the project I had due the next day. They let him sleep in their bed that night and he had multiple seizures, which the vet thinks was brought on by the shaking that the coyote did. They weren't sure that he would made it through the night, but miraculously, he did. They took him straight to the vet the next morning as soon as they opened at 7am. He spent the entire day there. I came home from school that day and I remember walking in the house, walking to the kitchen, and seeing Peanut's collar on the counter. I heard my dad in the backyard with our other dog and went out there, thinking Peanut just got a new collar. When I got out there, I didn't see my little guy. Seeing that I was confused, my dad told me everything and I just broke down crying.

It was also conveniently my brother's birthday the day before, so we were going out to dinner that night. We went to eat with my other brother and my grandma, but we could hardly eat anything because we were going to pick Peanut up from the vet that night around the time they closed. He had surgeries and the vet couldn't even tell us for sure if he would make it or not. He was concerned about the damage that may have happened to his brain, and even told my dad that further surgeries may be required at Purdue. I can't remember exactly where, but they specialized in this certain brain surgery that Peanut may or may not need depending on his progress.

One of my favorite things about Peanut is seeing his pure joy and happiness when he sees me or anyone in our family. I think one of the most devastating things about picking him up at the vet was seeing his lethargy and pain killers not allow him to be excited when we picked him up. He also HATES car rides with a passion and whines and cries the whole time, but he didn't do that when we took him home. Things like this make it obvious that he wasn't himself.

 That night, and many nights after, I slept on the floor with Peanut. We had to give him antibiotics to heal the wounds around the clock. Peanut also loves to eat. Nothing can prevent this guy from eating, but he had no interest in eating that night. Another sign that he wasn't himself. The next day we had to take him back to the vet to make sure the wounds weren't getting infected. We came home that day and he actually tried to eat. I took this picture of him because I was so happy that he was eating.

 The whole time this was occurring, Peanut just wanted to be held or be on someones lap constantly. As you can see from the pictures, his wounds were kind of gross so we always had to have him wrapped in a towel so that we wouldn't get blood on us. The next day was Thanksgiving and we brought him to our grandma's house with us because we obviously couldn't leave him at home. My mom and I have gone Black Friday shopping for the last 4 or 5 years, and I was torn because I didn't want to leave my little guy. My dad convinced me to go, saying that he would watch him the whole time. My youngest brother also kept an eye on him.

The vet couldn't believe that such a little guy was able to survive an attack like this. I completely credit his stubbornness. He is the most stubborn dog ever, which I guess is a characteristic of his breed. I never thought I would say this, but I am so thankful that he is stubborn. He wasn't ready to leave this earth, and there was nothing that could stop him. It's absolutely a miracle that he's still here with us. He's experienced so much in his short 5 years, but I'm thankful that he gets more time. He's as spunky as ever, and there don't seem to be any long-term affects. I remember the vet comparing his brain to that of a baby that had been shaken (aka Shaken Baby Syndrome).

Now Peanut is a happy 5 year old. He loves his big brother Champ, loves peanut butter to the point of obsession, and loves to burrow under blankets. We also have a puppy, who is 7 months old. Her name is Ava and she is a Miniature Australian Shepherd.  He's not so sure about his baby sister because he thinks she is too hyper, but we're thankful that he is around to even be annoyed by her. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Peanut, as well as one of Miss Ava.

Peanut will definitely get lots of extra hugs today! Hoping that nothing like this ever happens to anyone's pets because it is the scariest experience ever.

What are you thankful for?

xx Anna & Peanut

Best Banana Bread EVER

I warned that this blog would be random. Even though I already posted today, this beauty just came out of the oven and I had to share the recipe with you.

Preheat your oven to 350 and spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (I use light)
2 eggs
3-4 ripened bananas. The longer you let them ripen/brown, the better it will be!
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
First, in a large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla and beat until well combined.

Next, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Then add the flour mixture into the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake 55-60 minutes. I typically have to bake it about 65 minutes, but it really depends on your oven. Just take a peek and stick a tooth pick in near the end time to be sure.

I love this recipe because it is almost cake like instead of the typical banana bread. Most banana breads just taste like bananas, but the cinnamon and nutmeg make this recipe different. If you don't like nutmeg, you don't have to add it. I usually don't even use a full 1/4 tsp. I'd say I use close to an 1/8 tsp just because I don't love nutmeg. I try to let it cool for 15-30 minutes, depending on how long I can hold off. If you're not going to eat it right away, or are planning to let it cool completely or give it to someone, I would let it cool as long as possible before wrapping it up. Otherwise, the steam will just collect and make the bread soggy.

Let me know if you try it!

xx Anna

Marine Ball 2012

My husband and I had so much fun at the ball last Friday. It was great to see everyone again and be able to enjoy a night surrounded by such great people. The ball is a celebration of the birth of the Marine Corps that takes place all over the country every year. This was our second ball in Seattle, but our first ball as a married couple. When we arrived, and found our table, we spent majority of the night socializing. After the "social hour" there is a lot of ceremonial stuff and speakers. There is always a guest of honor that makes a speech before everyone eats dinner. After everyone eats, the party actually begins. There is dancing for the rest of the evening, and though my husband and I aren't really into dancing, it is EXTREMELY entertaining to watch everyone. There were two stand-out things that occurred during this time.

I witnessed:

1. A Colonel dance to "Gangnam Style"

2. Third Platoon gather on the dance floor and sing "Don't Stop Believin" 

Needless to say, it was an entertaining night. The ball isn't really about having "fun", but sometimes people don't really remember that. It is supposed to be a night where the guys, and the women in their lives, can celebrate together, but there are always those people that don't take it seriously. I'm glad they had fun, don't get me wrong, but this wasn't really the event for that type of fun. 

Being to two balls, I have learned a lot. The guys notice, and make fun of, the girls that dress in a less appropriate manner.  They call that girl "Snooki" and everyone knows who she is. For this event, where such important men are present, it is best to go for a more sophisticated look. Some girls clearly look at it as another prom, which it is not. It's about the guys, and an inappropriate dress shouldn't take the attention off of them. The thing is, it's always obvious who is married/dating/engaged and who isn't. The women that are apart of a couple usually dress in a more modest/sophisticated manner. This is most likely because their husband/boyfriend/fiance had some feedback in the dress they chose. The guys that bring random dates tend to bring girls that wear inappropriate things, but that's obviously because that person has no idea how they should look at a Marine Ball.

Anyway, I'll be looking forward to the next Marine Ball because it'll be our first in a new state! 

Until next time,

xx Anna

Wheels Up!

I've got about 7 hours until my flight leaves and 5 until I have to head to the airport. I fly all the time; usually once every few months, so I'm a fairly seasoned traveler. I'm more excited this time, though because I have a straight through flight with only one stop. Translated: I don't have to get off the plane at all! I'm excited because I hate the process of getting on the plane and trying to find a seat because I fly Southwest and they do not assign seats. The only downside would be that I can't get off the plane for anything I might need. However, that's why I stashed a few protein bars in my carry-on bag. I'm also hoping that the flight may seem to be faster than it really is because we have a stop, but are really in the air for majority of the time.

As much as I fly, I truly do not like it. I think it's just about being in a cramped space for so long. I also don't like waiting in line to get through security, but maybe it won't be that busy at the airport since it's a weekday. We'll see! I also kind of struggle with the time difference. I arrive at around 6:30, which is 9:30 at home, and after a day of flying I'm pretty exhausted. I wake up earlier but then I want to fall asleep earlier too. Then by the time I get semi-used to it, I'm on a plane back home! Oh well. We don't have much longer to fly back and forth. The "6-month mark" just passed a few days ago on the graduation countdown. He'll be home for Christmas (yay) and then I'll try to go out there on spring break if his work schedule permits....or if we can afford it if I'll be out there a month later. Speaking of that, I said in a previous post that he would be transferred to a new unit around the time of my graduation. Apparently that has been moved back to June, which means I'll move out to Seattle for a month and then we'll move again....ugh. I truly do hate moving. I've only done it a few times. Once when we moved when I was 11, and then the moving in and out of college dorms the past 3 years. I just can't seem to organize things because I'm so fed up and everything is just a mess. I think I'm more organized when I move in, but not organized at all when I move out. On top of the stress we'll have on moving, we'll also have to take our 2 cats, Luna & Lily, with us. My husband thought he wanted to drive across the country with our stuff and the girls....crazy, right? So I think we'll attempt to fly with them. This also means we have to buy another carrying thing for them because they must be in separate things according to the airlines, which is unfortunate because they're sisters so they've never been apart. Oh well, maybe if they're next to each other then it won't be so bad.

That was quite a lot of rambling. I decided to post something as I wait for a professor to post a quiz that was SUPPOSED to be up yesterday afternoon. Luckily, if he doesn't post it until later I can always take the quiz when we get to our place. I was just hoping that I would have all this stuff done beforehand, but I can't really control my professor putting things online when he's supposed to!

I've only been up for about 30 minutes. I haven't even had coffee yet and I'm starting to get that mini-headache from it....pathetic, I know. I better get ready and finish the last minute packing!

Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

xx Anna

Seattle Bound

In three days I'll be in Seattle with my husband and our 2 cats. But until then I have one paper, discussion forum, and a quiz standing between me and the airport! I feel like my professors all got together and decided to have everything due on the same day....sigh.

Anyway, this post will be short and sweet. Tomorrow is election day and I vividly remember the last election day. I was a senior in high school, sitting in a math class, and watching history being made. Though I've already voted, I want to encourage anyone that reads this to VOTE tomorrow and make your voice heard. I don't care who you vote for, just make sure you are an informed voter and make your choice based on the facts. Voting is a right we have as Americans, and therefore shouldn't be taken lightly. Don't think that your voice won't be heard. As close as the polls are, it makes it that much more important.


Enough of the politics. The commercials and constant phone calls are getting super annoying and I'll be looking forward to the election being over! This is a crazy, hectic week and I'll be looking forward to relaxing in Seattle for a few days. I've been writing so many things today so I think this will be the end of the blog for today. More later.

xx Anna

(Good news, Monday is almost over!)