Tonight...

• I went for a run, even though I had sliced my finger while trying to rescue my phone from the "Barbie" iPhone case (I ended up using two keys to pry the phone from its multi-colored protective case)
• I got home later than I wanted to and was searching for the perfect excuse to be lazy
• I was searching for any excuse NOT to exercise
• I could have walked
• I made a decision
• I went for a run
• My running partner had four legs and required several pit stops along the route
• My running partner was motivated by the phrase, "Let's go find some bunnies" (for the record, we didn't find any) instead of by music
• I was grateful because my almost five year old dog could run with me
• I didn't beat myself up because I had to walk for a little bit
• I remembered that I wasn't afraid or intimidated by this sport any longer
• I wasn't worried about my mileage or my pace
• I breathed in and out and my legs did the rest
• I ran because I wanted to, not because I was in training
• I took one step closer to legitimately calling myself a runner
• I ran and I liked it

The middle of a new beginning

A photo from a friend's bridal shower:  Lots of presents, lots of friends and family and lots of sweet, personal touches.

Screaming

He's obviously inconvenienced by the fact that its was a Saturday, which meant that he had to share the couch with me on a rainy afternoon.  The entire process of this yawn was long enough for me to grab my phone, click the camera button and snap, while still catching him with his mouth open and tongue curled.  His flair for the dramatic never ceases to amaze me.

There is a chandelier in my closet

Yes, a chandelier.  Why?  Because I wanted to put one in the bathroom but Nick claimed that he couldn't wire it, but said that I could get one for the closet instead.  He was lying about not being able to wire it for the bathroom, of course.  Since he doesn't ask for much, and if he doesn't want a chandelier (or two) in the bathroom, then who am I to demand otherwise? (Mom, Dad, if you're reading this...stop laughing)

So last weekend, I went to IKEA with my parents, essentially unsupervised, and found the chandelier of my dreams.  My mom and I saw it from across the room, a vision of gaudiness.  It was perfect.  Beads, bling, and bobbles EVERYWHERE in multiple colors.

Fast forward to this weekend, when Nick had to install it.  Turns out, it was a little bit too long for the space, which was upsetting.  However,  Mr. I Can't Wire the Chandelier for the Bathroom ended up cutting the cord, shortening it, changing the hangy thing and making it work for the space.  Hmmm.  Amazing how things like that work, right?  Right. 

Death of a turtle

I know that the title of this blog is all about my life, Nick's life and Chino's life.  What I've neglected to write about are two little lives that have been a part of mine for about ten years.  I kind of feel bad that I didn't title this blog; "My life, his life, our life, two turtles and a dog named Chino."  I guess its because that turtles don't really DO much besides eat, poop, dig in their rocks, knock down their filter, sun themselves and eat and poop.  It doesn't seem THAT exciting, right?  They're quirky pets, for sure, but have become more of a decoration in our lives, overshadowed by the big yellow mutt with no manners and a love for ice cream.

However, these two little guys have been a part of my life since before Nick and WAY before Chino.  Larry was from a souvenir store (tourist trap) in North Carolina called Wings.  He was teeny tiny, only about the size of a silver dollar.  His small size made him illegal to purchase, so what I bought was a turtle tank, which came with a free turtle.  Shady, right?  Anyway, Larry was named after a Jr. high teacher who looked like a turtle and because my sister declared that all turtles should be named Larry for that very reason.  Seemed random enough, but I was fine with it.  The tank that Larry came in was really meant for a hermit crab.  I kept him in there until I got home and realized that he'd die unless I got a little bit more serious with his set-up.   

Serious meant that he needed a place to get out of the water, a basking lamp, a UV light, a filter and a bigger tank.  After I revealed this information to my dad, it became immediately apparent as to why the two little turtles that he had as a kid had died so suddenly.  Thank goodness for the Internet.  So, after a quick trip to the pet store, Larry's new set up was complete.  He spent the summer in Pittsburgh before making the trip to Columbus in the fall before my junior year of college and becoming our pet in my first off-campus apartment.

Soon after getting back to school, a friend and I made an impromptu excursion to Petland (before I knew about the puppy mill issue), where I found a friend for Larry.  I'm not sure how I was able to buy him, because he was very tiny as well, but I did.  I named him Tommy after the Olympic swimmer, Tom Malchow (it was during or right after the summer games).  Tommy joined Larry in aquatic bliss, on top of our entertainment center throughout college and into my first apartment after graduation.

When I moved in with Nick, the turtles moved with me and became a centerpiece in the dining room, much to his mother's dismay.  At this point, they were in a 40 gallon reptile tank, which took up most of the wall in the dining room.  When we  moved to our house, they received an upgrade to the living room, on a table that we built, especially for them.  We took an old door, reinforced it with a floor board and added a Plexiglas top and voila...turtle tank stand and desk, all in one.

Nick always joked about his "step pets" and claimed to not want anything to do with them, even as he was cutting wood and assisting me with cleaning the tank.  Nick was the one who discovered that Larry had a bit of en eye irritation a couple of weeks ago and helped to build a new platform so that I could add more water to keep the tank clean and to give them more room to swim.  Sadly, it was also Nick who took poor little Larry out of the tank last night and buried him in the garden in the front yard.  I was looking for a toy for Chino and noticed that Larry was at the bottom of the tank.  I knew immediately that he was gone, called Nick and then sat on the stairs to wait for him to come home.  I didn't want him to be dead, but also didn't want him to be alive in his current state.  It wasn't pretty.  I hope that he didn't suffer.  

Despite being dirty and stinky, and sometimes a pain to take care of, Larry was mine and a fixture in my life (our lives) for so long.  It sounds corny, being sad about a turtle, but I can't help myself.  So now its just Tommy, holding down the fort, by himself for the first time in a long time. I hope that if there is a turtle Heaven, that Larry is there, swimming frantically, eating constantly and soaking up the sun.