Hello 2010!

Well, 2010 should certainly be an interesting year if the first day was any indication of what's ahead. We started the year with getting lost in the desert, adopting a puppy, and learning that I might become a Grandmother!

Where to begin? I went hiking yesterday, as the tour guide for my brother Lee, niece Jessica, and my niece's visiting boyfriend Josh, I was in charge of picking the trails in a familiar mountain preserve. Sadly, I was not as familiar as I had imagined because I got us lost. One wrong turn after another, hiking across raw desert in the hopes of getting back to the main trails, and packs of wild animals was NOT what I had in mind when I suggested the outing! Lee and Josh were fine, with the exception of losing Jessica and I repeatedly, but Jessica, who is far from the avid outdoors person, was ragged by the time we finally found our way back to the parking lot. Inside of the two and half hours we spent hiking, we almost ran out of light and got stranded in the dark, my brother's dog fell into some cactus, our party got separated, and Jessica and I had a bunch of coyotes circling us. I think everyone was relieved to make it out alive!

On our way into the reserve, there was a woman with a basket of puppies. One in particular really caught my eye so I decided he should be mine. I decided to name him Jasper. Jasper's six weeks old and is a lab/pit bull mix. It was an impulsive decision but with Lee living with me now it'll be great. He has a pit bull puppy that is about three or four months old. His dog is too big to play with my ShiTzus, Dinky and Dolly, and needs a companion. I've also always wanted a big dog and with my brother here, it'll be easier to have one. Our first night was spent waking up every two or three hours to go outside and lots of whimpering. I hope he gets adjusted more by the time I have to start my new job on Monday.

After driving Jessica and Josh back to my Mom's we picked up my son, Stefan. Stefan's nineteen and a Marine. He's going to be deployed (likely) in February to Afghanistan. I'm so torn when he's here. I have to maintain boundaries as his Mom but I also want to see him and want him to be happy. That was part of a mini drama New Year's eve. He wanted to take my car out and I wouldn't let him. As a result he ended up staying with his girlfriend, Camille. After we got home last night, he dropped a bomb in that Camille's worried that she's pregnant. Great. I'm 38 and possibly going to be a Grandmother? Not something I'd relish right now. Neither of them have their own vehicles, Camille's still in high school, she doesn't have a job, and they have no clue what it would take to raise a child. They're not capable of taking care of themselves right now let alone take care of a baby. My most fervent hope is that the only baby in our immediate future is Jasper!