Live life ✔, Write ✔

 ...and 8 lessons learned there. And 8 lessons learned there… When my oldest was 5 years old I made the mistake of checking an “Angelina Ballerina” DVD out from the greatest library in the world (as demonstrated in this post) and accidentally embarking on a very expensive and time consuming dance adventure for the next 3 ½ years.  What started with a preschooler in raptures over a pirouetting mouse ended with about $2000.00 of expenses, a closet full of sequins and tutus, and countless hours invested in lessons, rehearsals, performances and recitals from the summer before Kindergarten through second grade.   After at least 130 hours spent in instruction, many more in driving time and practice, and a half-dozen holiday performances, what did she have to show for it?  She had three very intense recitals, for which she worked her little behind off for a year in order to spend four terrifying minutes on a stage in a painfully uncomfortable costume, only to get hand...

By now you’ve read a good deal about me, gotten acquainted with my kids (in several posts such as this one), “met” my husband, and have enjoyed the entire life-story of Phelps, the frog (found here ).  There remains only one member of this household that I haven’t properly introduced yet, and that is our goofy, adorable, 60-pounds-of-black-sass giant schnauzer, Piper.   In honor of her “gotcha day” when we brought her home five years ago next Friday, I’ll dedicate this post to her. A little backstory first: Both my husband and I love dogs.  He grew up with a chocolate lab.  You’ve already received the rundown on my menagerie of pets (found in this post).  We knew we wanted a family dog as soon as our kids were old enough.  Once our littlest was on her feet (and less likely to crawl through puppy puddles, and able to defend herself and understand the need to be gentle) we began casually looking for a boxer mix to adopt.  I’d been perusing shelte...