Making Lists is Easier

• A few weeks ago, Rick woke me up at 5 one morning and said "Go pack, we are going to Utah today." He is the coolest. Because things have been changing at his work, he suddenly had a week off, and I still didn't have a job so it was the perfect time to go. It was the longest 12 hour drive of my life and when I finally saw the Y on the mountain I cried tears of joy. I rolled down the window to smell the beautiful smell of Utah and instead I got hit in the face by a lot of bugs, so that euphoric feeling was short lived (I think I swallowed either a very large fly or a very small bird.)
• While in Utah I ate a lot of cupcakes, spent a lot of time with friends and family, and spent a lot of time barfing my face off. It was everything I've ever dreamed of.
• While in Utah we made the very sad and very hard decision of giving Meeko away. We thought long and hard about it and we decided that with Rick's crazy work schedule, and with me knowing (hoping and praying) that I would get a full time job sometime, we felt guilty about the thought of having to leave him home alone in his kennel for long hours. We were able to find a family for him to go to that has another dog of his exact breed, 5 kids at home, and a big yard. The youngest child is new to the wonderful family and is their foster/soon to be adopted son, and he needed a buddy to bond with. They played really well together when they came over to meet Meeko, and as they were leaving the sweet boy looked up at me and said "Thank you so much for giving me your puppy, he is so cute and I promise I will take very good care of him for you" and I totally cried.
• I cried for most of the drive home. I was sad to leave my family, friends, and Meeko. When we got back, Rick immediately started working graves and I was home alone every night, and jobless during the day. Seriously, so depressing. I was sad and lonely and wondering if we had made the right decision when...
• I got a job. I'm a nanny for the most amazing family with 3 little boys. The oldest boy calls me Miss Jodi and says "yes, ma'am" and he's only 6. The two youngest boys think I am the coolest thing ever and when I give them their bottles and put them in bed they go right to sleep. Amazing. The best part is that we found each other on CRAIGSLIST after I watched an episode of Law and Order that was about a nanny named Jodi from Utah who was a Mormon. Not even kidding. Yesterday was my first day and I was gone for about 12 hours and Rick has been working up in Phoenix, and I knew then that we had made the right decision about Meeko and I felt 100 times better knowing he was in a home with another dog and kids instead of stuck in his kennel in our apartment for 12 hours.
• I've already learned so much from these kids, and I've also learned so much about myself, mostly because of this book. Changed my life.

• Rick was bumped (someone with more seniority than him took his job) from the Tucson yard and has been working in Phoenix. He will stay there as long as he can work. He came home last night because he has 2 days off and 3 times last night he woke up giggling so hard he was wheezing, I had to wake him up from sleep paralysis twice, and he talked all.night.long. I guess I'll just sleep when he's not here.
• I walked into my bathroom a few days ago and saw something scurry into a hole in the floor. Turns out a gecko has been living there. He's quick and I was never able to catch him. Yesterday he had made his way into the kitchen. I caught him and released him outside. He's been trying to get back inside ever since. If he makes it back, he is welcome to stay. Anything that tries that hard to get into my house is welcome.