So today I was apparently so excited to go to acupuncture that I showed up an hour early. I guess that is better than an hour late since those that know me know I hate to be late. Still I was a bit embarrassed lol.
Olympic Opening Ceremonies were/are tonight. We decided to record them and hopefully watch them tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to them and the Olympics in general. I love the gymnastics, but am still a bit sad that I won't get to see Shawn Johnson one more time. There is just something magical about her. Not just in her gymnastics but about her in general. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and I know it must have been hard to make the decision to retire. I think it was a smart one though as she is still young and has her whole future to consider.
Project Life finally has some product back in stock and some new things as well. Very excited about this! Core kits and some new plastics arrived at Amazon last night. You can find a link to my store here on my blog, Seester's Place. It is a store in Amazon and products ordered through there will be added to your inbox so they can be combined with things I don't have listed. If you haven't checked out Project Life yet, I also have a link on the right to that web page. This is an awesome alternative or addition to traditional layout scrapbooking. It can be anything you want it to be. It started out as a photo a day project, but people use it for weekly pictures, monthly pictures and I personally use it as a year in review to go along with my 12x12 layouts. It's perfect for those pictures and memories you want to capture but don't necessarily want to do a full layout of.  You can find inspiration all over the web on how people are using this product. Becky Higgins, the creator of this amazing product is constantly coming out with new products to enhance and make it more flexible for everyone. At the same time it can still be as simple as putting your pictures in, 4x6 slots so no cropping required, adding a few quick words to the journal cards that are included in the core kits and you are done. I am patiently waiting, not really lol, for the pre-cut Bazzill card stock that will match each core kit. They will be pre-cut to size to fit into the page protector slots. Easy Peasy! She is also releasing two new styles this fall. I can't wait to see what they look like!

On Friday July 20th at approximately 12:38 Colorado time, a gunman wearing protective gear walked into the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, set off a tear gas grenades and opened fire on the audience killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. The sole suspect is James Eagan Holes, 24.
We were having really bad storms at our house that night. Our AC had broken so we had all the windows and sliders open and all the fans going. We had just checked the radar on our phones to see how long the latest round of storms would last when the alert came through about the shooting. We, like everyone else as they found out, were shocked. A part of me still is. You would think that after things like 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing, that we wouldn't be as shocked or surprised when people do things like this and yet each one has the same impact. That crushing blow. The wondering of how can anyone be so evil, so cruel. You pray. You pray for all of those affected and as hard as it is, you pray for the shooter. Because surely he needs prayer the most. The fear starts. You hear about how people aren't going to go to the movies anymore. The gun debate starts, again..."we need stricter gun laws"..."if only someone had been carrying that night". People do as they always do in a crisis, they lash out, they look for answers. And yet at the same time, we all come together as we always do. How can we help those who have been affected by this. Already the victims from the Columbine shooting have reached out to those who survived. To let them know you can survive this. It won't go away, but it doesn't have to be the end of everything.
This one man has managed to have a million arms reaching and touching so many people. Those he shot and didn't survive. Their families and loved ones. The survivors. Their families and loved ones. The doctors and nurses and other staff who had to work on the survivors. The workers at the theatre. The first responders...firemen, paramedics, policemen. Those who had to work the crime scene. Those officers, crime scene investigators, medical examiner, forensic people and many more. Then there is his apartment. It was booby-traped. Set to kill anyone who dared enter. They had to evacuate everyone who lived there. There was no guarantee they would ever get to return and collect their belongings. It all depended if they could safely detonate everything or if they would have to destroy the building. More lives affected just by living in the same building. The firemen and bomb squad that responded and worked that scene. All the prosecution lawyers and staff, public defender that he was assigned, judge, jury, that will now have to be a part of his trial. All of this because of one man.

Can you say hot? I thought you could. Our AC died. It is officially hotter in my office and upstairs than it is outside. yes I know, you want to come party at my house. We have someone working on it, hoping parts are here and what is being replaced tonight will take care of it. I feel so bad for the dogs. They don't move. I had to bring water into the kitchen because Maggie won't leave that area. We have an all over house fan in the stairway and it's on to try and draw in air just to have air movement. She is terrified of it. So much so that she won't leave the kitchen and walk down the hall. The fan is upstairs not down but she hates it that much. I was worried she was becoming dehydrated! We had some wicked storms last night. I haven't seen a light show like that in a lot of years. Kept me awake. I have developed this rather unhealthy irrational fear of large lightening storms. I don't imagine it has anything to do with all the stores lately of houses and such being struck by lightening and burning down. geez. Okay as I'm typing we have a helicopter going in circles around our house. What the heck is going on? I can't tell if it's lifelight or a news station or what. No definite markings and it doen't specifically look like the Vanderbilt Lifelight. Hmm I just also suddenly remembered a bank was robbed today in Cool Springs. Really hope that isn't a police helicopter and they have had a tip on the suspect. My house is wide open with a flashing neon sign that says come on in.

Wow, it's been over a year. You would think with as much as I can talk I would have been on here sooner! The end of last year was a bit rough but I think we are getting into a groove finally. My dad's dog Mindy was really sick recently. Turns out she had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It was very serious and scary before the diagnosis, but she is thankfully on the road to recovery. I got to see her and my parents last weekend and got some sweet Mindy kisses.
Most of you have by now heard the story of Lennox. The dog from Ireland who was kidnapped from his family and held for two years before finally being killed this week. Why? All because he looked like a Pit Bull. I know there are those that will argue that Pit Bulls are dangerous and I'm not posting to start an argument over the breed of dog. Lennox who had had no history of violence,. No complaints against him, was taken from his owners. From a loving safe home. For two years they were not allowed to see him. Even leading up to his death and after. They were not allowed to take his body for burial and at last call they weren't even allowed to have his collar for rememberance. How cold can a group of people be. Regardless of how you feel about a breed surely you can see that this dog deserved better. That his family deserved better. I read a quote today that I thought was perfect. "Animals are not our children and they are not human, but they are definitely entitled to be treated humanely”.  We have domesticated these sweet creatures and yet our laws don't protect them. They allow things like this to happen. Regardless of how you feel about this breed, think of the situation and that sweet baby. How would you feel if something you loved was suddenly taken from you and left all alone before being killed. There are still so many unanswered questions surrounding this whole thing. Why wouldn't they let anyone see him? Why wouldn't they talk to anyone, including professional animal trainers etc. who offered to take him and pay for everything to relocate him to another country and take full responsiblity? Was he actually abused during those two years and the end result premature death? Many many more. It breaks my heart to think of him sitting all alone wondering why he is there. Where his family is. Wondering why he's being treated this way and what he did wrong. We need everyone to help us change the laws out there and get new ones on the books to help protect not just the ones like Lennox but all our animals. Let's speak for those who have no voice.