The Dash

my mom is so cute, and everyday she sends me an email titled "moms daily tid bits". they are all different. sometimes they have 'this day in history' events, quotes, or just random interesting facts. today i got to the office and checked my email, and of course i found the daily tid bit for today. it was a poem, "the dash" by linda ellis. i had never heard it before, and i loved it. it really made me think, and i made a personal commitment to try and be more patient and appreciative toward the people in my life. we only have such a short time here, and what is it worth if we arnt constantly trying to better ourselves and make the best of everything we are given? so enjoy! the following link is the video of the poem with music in the background:

http://www.thedashmovie.com/

for those of you that dont have speakers here are the words too, if you can though watch the movie bc i think its better. have a good day yall!

The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the Beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.

Are there things you'd like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what's true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read

With your life's actions to rehash

would you be proud of the things they say

And how you spend your dash?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRGINIA!!!!

Yesterday was virginias birthday!! she is officially 19! woot! enjoy 19, and here are 19 reasons why i love you virgy smirgy!!!!!


1. i laugh with her in a way that few come close to. that 'feel it in your heart and stomach' laugh that you cant stop once you get going.
2. she is one of the most genuine people i have ever met
3. she is a hard worker
4. she is unbelievably funny (see #1)
5. she has a badonkadonk that i am jealous of.
6. she is always honest, no matter what the circumstance. ex: the other day i told her of my butt envy i have toward her, and she suggested that maybe some lunges would help mine "perk up". well, okay. i wasnt aware that mine needed perking up, but its good to know.
7. she has the most tender heart, and will tear up hearing a sad story that involves a loved one.
8. she would never judge anyone.
9. she loves food as much as i do :)
10. we have always stuck together. jonathan jokes that when virginia was born she stole me away. we have been inseparable since i can remember.
11. she is always true to who she is.
12. shes SO fun!!! she is always down to do anything at anytime.
13. she rode the bus/bike everywhere her first year at UVSC, and didnt care at all.
14. she is a great sport about everything, and can laugh at herself.
15. she is tough. she can beat up half of the boys i know. haha. seriously.
16. when we were younger and played "house", i always wanted to "cook" something, so she willing ate croutons drenched in syrup, over and over again. but im pretty sure she enjoyed it at the time.
17. things that other people would find strange, she just doesnt. ex: she has been here about two weeks and is staying at our apt until her roommate gets here. for the first 5 days she slept on a pallet in our bedroom, right next to our bed...because she was scared. and thought nothing of it. i didnt mind too much, but bj has since put a stop to that. haha.
18. she is very level headed.
19. she knows no stranger.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIRG! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

busy week!

this past week and a half have been crazy. with moving, setting up the office, starting the selling season, along with it being the last two weeks of school, i have hardly had time to shower. i really cannot express how happy i am that i take my last finals tomorrow. i knew being the office manager for northstar would be time consuming, but trying to go to class, finish projects and study for finals while doing it has been ridiculous. so HALLELUJAH that tomorrow is my last double dose of school and northstar. im all for a busy summer, but this girl does require the occasional shower ;)

we are moved into the new apt, and for the most part the rain held out on us, thank goodness :) however, i did discover something about moving. NEVER TURN DOWN HELP. you would think that would be an obvious thing, but no, it was not. haha. we really did not have very much to move, so i figured bj and i could handle it easy enough. wrong. moving sucks, no matter how much stuff you do not own. So the first day when my mother in law offered to come help with two of bjs little brothers, i told her thank you but that i thought we would be fine. wrong again. it took us two days, a trailer, and three full car fulls to move. now, im not saying that it was a TON of stuff, or that two days to move is a long time. BUT, in comparison to how easy it could be been with help from my mother-in-laws who has fabulous organizing and cleaning skills, along with two sets of extra hands that belong to a 12 and 9 year old, it could be been a heck of a lot easier. Thus, my lesson is learned: i will never again turn down help when moving. ever.

i really like our new apartments! they have a little river in the back with a dock, an outdoor tennis court and basketball court, this little jogging trail in the back and then all of the regular stuff apts have. i really like the outdoor tennis court! its not in use that often, so bj and i have taken the dogs in there, and since it is fenced we can let them off the leases and just play while they run around. its pretty exciting. haha. speaking of dogs, does anyone have any good advice on training dogs??? i really dont want to have to send them both to dog school, but lately thats looking like the best option. moose is not as bad as dakota. dakota on the other hand...holy cow. i honestly HATE taking her on walks. how sad is that. she thinks she is dora the explorer and has to check out EVERYTHING outside, and will pull as hard as she can in the direction she wants to go, making it very difficult for my not-so-strong arm muscles to keep her on the trail. and trying to walk them both is just a joke. for example: the other morning i decided to take both of them on a walk. so we are just walking along and we go past the tennis court. there were some guys playing tennis and they asked about the dogs and what not. as im walking away i hear one of them say something along the lines of "how nice she is walking both dogs....well, actually both dogs are walking her". cool. haha. but you can kinda get the picture of what walkng them is like. so the other day i bought this book hoping it would help:



haha. seriously. haha. and yea it has helped a little, but not really. i mean, there was some interesting information that i would have never known about labs, but as far as training and what not, the advice in it is not working. all it talks about it positive this and that, never ever spank or hit your dog, just praise them for the good they do, and they will learn. well my doggies are not learning. granted, it has only been like a week and half, but they seem to get the general idea a lot quicker if i smack them (hhmm, do i sound abusive to anyone else? haha). so if you have dogs give me your advice!

the selling season is going good though! we are still waiting on about half of the guys that are moving in this next week, but the ones who are here are great. my little sister virginia is out here selling for the summer, and it is SO fun having her here!!!!!!! there is something really special about the bond sisters have, and im so excited that she will be here all summer with me. virginias roommate doesnt get here until next week, so she has been staying with us. this morning she even fed and took our dogs for a walk so we could slept in. it was awesome.

well thats it for right now, ill be better about updating this week and hopefully ill have some new pictures!