Puppy, puppy, puppy, other stuff, puppy.

Okay, so I am realizing that for the next few weeks this blog is going to be much less about me than it is going to be about Naavah and how freaking adorable she is. I feel the need to warn those of you who have been reading that there will be nothing substantial going on here. I'm just going to update constantly about her hic-ups, her relationship with Wilco, her house training, etc. Feel free to tune me out.

Naavah sleeps most of the time, which I don't think will last very long. We got Wilco when he was about 6 weeks older than her, and he was wildly energetic, displaying symptoms of ADHD and/or demon possession. I hope that her cuddly nature will last into adulthood, though. She loves to snuggle more than anyone I've ever met. She loves being held, and if there's no one to cuddle with, she will burrow under a pillow or between the couch cushions. Today, she and Wilco cuddled for the first time, and I felt like my wildest dreams had come true. I want them to be good friends, and so far it's looking like we can expect just that. They've been playing so well together- he's been so patient, and she has learned quickly that she can trust him not to chomp her head off, even though he is 10 times her size.

With Babs, Naavah is having no such luck. I'm not planning to leave those two in a room unsupervised, since I keep catching Babs assuming hunter's stance while staring crazily at Naavah and swishing her tail. Sorry Babs... it's not gonna happen.

For the most part, however, everyone is living in harmony. Daniel and I have noticed that if we stay in the same room for a substantial period of time, all three of our pets will join us. Today, we brought Naavah with us to take a nap and left the door open. Wilco wandered in looking pitiful, so we invited him to get in the bed, which never happens. He was too excited to sleep at first, and kept turning in circles, lying down, standing back up, turning the other direction, etc. Babs wasn't far behind, and hopped up on the footboard to observe the chaos. Eventually, everyone in the house was asleep in the same full sized bed. It was a bonding experience.

Meanwhile, I'm afraid I will never complete another productive task. I try to wash the dishes, but then I "take a break," pick Navaah up, and don't set her down for several days... rinse, repeat.

Yesterday we took Naavah to Petsmart, and after finding the only collar that fit her, we went to check out. The cashier pointed to Naavah and asked, "this for that dog?" When we answered yes, she responded, "You know this a cat collah, right?" "No, we didn't," I answered, "But that explains the bell. We'll take it."

In other, more newsworthy news, the Meigs came through town last night and we enjoyed a short but sweet visit with them. Mary and Joe are on spring break this week, and so they were heading down to Gulf Shores for the first trip in their new pop-up camper. When they got to town, Daniel, Nate, the Meigs and I all went to The Family Wash. We enjoyed good food, good conversation, and, in little Hannah's case, a very refreshing nap in Daniel's lap. Since they were delayed by a flat tire, they camped in our driveway overnight.This morning, we got up and had coffee with them before they got back on the road. This was the first time for them to see our house since we've been married, and we were really happy to have family in our home.

Speaking of people in our home, I have a strong desire for everyone to see Naavah before she gets any bigger. If you're planning on coming to Nashville soon, or just crossing town for a visit, you are more than welcome to- the sooner, the better. I want to share the joy of a pocket sized puppy while she's still so tiny.

Can you imagine how absurd I will be when I have an actual baby? Food for thought...

Meet Naavah

Today, we were hoping to find some time to go look at a few litters of huskies we'd found online. We didn't plan on making any purchases just yet, we just wanted to shop around. We realized the folly of this plan only after it was too late, and we were on our way home with the first puppy some stranger put in my arms. I don't know what we thought was going to happen. Like we were going to casually and conscientiously sort through all the reasonably priced puppies in the greater Nashville area, then go home to sleep on it, saying, "I don't know... none of those puppies were as cute as I'd hoped." Right.
We weren't even sure we were getting a puppy. A little piece of advice: if you ever want a puppy but are not sure you should get one, don't go look at puppies to help you make your decision. Because as strong as you are, you cannot resist the cuteness of a puppy. Any puppy. Even if you hate dogs... you love puppies. You are putty in their tiny paws. They'll look at you with these adorable (blue!) eyes that say, "take me home with you! I'll be good, I promise!" and then you'll melt and take them to your house, where they will promptly poop on your brand new carpet.
I am so in love with this little girl, (it's a girl,) and so is Daniel. Her name is Naavah. Here are some pictures, lest you judge our rash decision. Could you resist this face?
Her first bath. She was not a fan, but she smells awesome now.


Wilco loves his baby sister, and tries not to scare her.

Crying Over Spilled Milk

Today, my friend Kirsten pointed out a hilarious theme in my marriage thus far.
First, she reminded me of how Daniel and I argued during our engagement over what kind of milk we were going to buy: regular milk, or Hatcher Nectar of Life. Produced right here in Middle Tennessee, Hatcher Dairy's non homogenized milk is clearly what God had in mind when he made cows. Its flavor is sweet, rich, and deliciously creamy. So what if it has a few chunks in it? I enjoy few things more than a cold glass of Hatcher Dairy milk, and don't mind drinking around a little cream. However, since the mere thought of finding a "fat plug," as he affectionately calls it, at the top of a carton makes Daniel nauseous, this is a luxury I sacrificed when I entered the bonds of matrimony. It was for the well being of our marriage, and though it was worth it, every day I feel the sting of life without Hatcher.

She then recounted how, after our first couple of months of marriage, I almost wept for joy when Daniel finally brought home salted butter from the store. Prior to this gesture, we had kind of a silent war going on- whoever made it to Kroger first got to choose whether the butter was salted or unsalted. "What", I asked on a semi daily basis, "is the point of unsalted butter? You're just spreading a layer of tasteless fat on your toast!" The day I opened the refrigerator door and realized that Daniel had sacrificed whatever affinity he had for that bland stuff for the sake of my happiness, I knew he must really love me. It was the most romantic thing he's ever done. To his credit, he's done many more conventionally romantic things, but somehow, this meant more.

This afternoon, I showed up on Kirsten's doorstep, my cheeks stained with tears. As she let me in, I explained, "I'm having a meltdown over butter!"
"I know it's silly," I laughed. "But I used the last of our butter in that stupid cake last night. Now I'm about to make french bread with dinner and I really want butter, but we're out of money. I'm always a good sport when money is low, so I don't know why this is getting to me! I know it's not a big deal, but I think the fact that it's such a small thing is what makes it easy to feel sorry for myself. 'We can't even have butter'...you know? That kind of thing."
"I understand," she answered. "It's totally natural for you to feel defeated, and the fact that you haven't let it get you down before probably means that all the stress is concentrated in this one thing, and you feel like it's all about the butter, but really, it's more than that." (after a brief pause,) "have you noticed, though, that you are kind of emotional about dairy products?"
Being the sweet friend that Kirsten is, she empathized, made me some chai tea, lent me some butter and sent me on my way feeling more than refreshed.

After I left, I got a text from Sarah Emily asking if I'd like to hang out. Earlier, Daniel had suggested inviting Nate for dinner, so I decided since we'd have plenty of food we should make a little party out of spaghetti night. I called Kirsten, and soon, the five of us were hanging out at our house, laughing and breaking bread together. Bread with precious butter.

I learned a few things today. First of all, I learned that money matters to me more than I like to think it does. I didn't used to think of myself as someone who cared about money because I'd never really had to go without. Over the past few months, we've seen our ups and downs financially, and Daniel has commended me for how well I've adjusted to our new lifestyle thus far. But I realized today that I need to be vigilant about those feelings of discontent that will creep in during times when we have to sacrifice luxuries. I also realized that the things that are going to get me down are almost always going to be small, but Daniel and I don't have to look very far to realize that we're extremely blessed. Tonight, we were surrounded by friends who love us like we're family, and that is no small thing. In fact, it's one of the most valuable things we'll ever attain.

My Hero

When I was four years old, I absentmindedly jumped into the deep end of a pool without floaties. Not sure how I managed to forget this vital detail, but the important thing is that my seven year old brother, Aaron, came to my rescue. After he pulled me out of the pool and I finished choking up water, I declared him "Myyy hero!" I would like to share one of many reasons Aaron still deserves this title.
Yesterday was the five year anniversary of Aaron's survival after being injured by a road side bomb in Iraq. He was flown to Germany where his left leg was amputated below the knee. I remember the 4 days before Aaron woke up from sedation as some of the longest I've ever experienced. We were all so worried, and didn't know if he'd been conscious during the explosion and its aftermath. When he woke up in Bethesda Naval hospital where our parents and his new wife Kelly were waiting for him, he told my dad that he'd woken up while being transported to the States and someone had told him about his leg. He later recounted his experience of the blast. He was awake when a comrade tied the tourniquet and he'd known as soon as he saw his leg that he wouldn't keep it.
We had always know what a strong and determined person Aaron was, but during the months following the attack, we witnessed super-human strength we couldn't have known to expect. We watched as Aaron pushed himself through rehabilitation with a confident attitude and a cheerful spirit. I know there were days when rehab was excruciatingly painful and discouraging, and while Aaron didn't deny this, he was never resentful and never let himself sink. I saw him comfort others instead of pitying himself. I will never forget the first time I saw Aaron in the hospital after he was injured. Audrey and I had spent the silent plane ride to Maryland nervously wondering what we could say that would be any comfort to him. When we saw him, he pulled himself upright in his bed, stretched out his arms to us, kissed our faces and immediately began explaining why he would be fine. He told us that they made prosthetics so advanced now that he would be able to swim better and run faster than he ever could with his old leg. He'd always been so persuasive, and here he was in a hospital bed, trying to debate us out of our worry. We laid our heads on either of his shoulders and cried as he comforted us. This was March 25, one week after the explosion.
This year, on January 6th, Clark Randall Rice, Aaron and Kelly's first son was born. Aaron is such a proud, doting father, and I'm so thankful for his life and the precious new life he and Kelly have brought into our world.


You can view Aaron and Kelly's blog here.

I would like to leave you with some facebook status updates from yesterday.

Kelly Anne Rice: Today is Aaron's 5th Survivor Day. I, personally, am very glad he is alive and am grateful for everything he did for us.

Audrey Rice: Five years ago today, God saved my brother Aaron's life. Praise God for this and his many other blessings he has shown my family.

Haley Rice Wachdorf: thankful for my brother Aaron, his wife Kelly and their awesome baby Clark on Aaron's 5th Survivor Day.

And finally, Aaron Rice: Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin alive, stayin alive. Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin alive.

Happy Survivor Day, Aaron, and thanks for making sure I survived my preoccupied childhood. If natural selection had it's way, I'd be a goner.

Hiya, buddy!

This is my first blog post in over three years. I haven't felt up to keeping a blog until yesterday, when, out of nowhere, I decided it was an excellent idea... so here I am! When I talked to my sister Haley today, she attributed my disinterest in writing for pleasure to my being forced to write academically for four years straight as an English major. This makes sense to me. As I near graduation, though, maybe I sense that I will need this outlet soon to keep me writing something...anything. We'll see.
Remember when you were seven and you would fill up one diary, so you'd get a new one and feel the need to re-introduce yourself to.. yourself? "Hi, I'm Hannah. I am seven yeers Old. I live in Yazoo City and I have two Cats and no dogs. my favorit color is purpel or lime green." I kind of feel the need to do that here, though I don't imagine that anyone reading this doesn't already know the basics. Just for good measure, here they are:
I hail from Hattiesburg, MS and I am the fourth of five children. My family is very close, and full of personality. I got married last October to my best friend, Daniel Meigs. We live in Nashville, TN with our dog Wilco and our cat Babs (short for Whore of Babylon). Daniel is a photographer, and a very talented one at that. (Am I allowed to say that? I promise I take no personal credit whatsoever for this.) You can view his work here. I am currently an undergrad student, but will soon graduate and be launched into the shadowy abyss that is job hunting. I am no fool- I am well aware that my Liberal Arts diploma would serve me better as a napkin than it will in my career. But alas... when I was but a sophomore, I came to realize that there was a major whose requirements I could meet by taking a course solely on the novels of Jane Austen... who could resist? (Okay... I can maybe think of a few people.)
I am an INFP personality. In short, I am intuitive, idealistic, empathetic, nurturing, and can be very driven and motivated when working at something I believe in. Though I tend to avoid conflicts and am generally a very gentle person, if one of my values (something or someone I care about) is threatened, I can become fierce.
I have recently been able to admit to slightly more people with slightly less embarrassment that I am an aspiring, albeit amateur fiction writer. I am taking a fiction workshop this semester, and after my professor talked to us about different ways to make a living writing fiction without necessarily being widely known or having a "big break," I now feel a little less like I'm announcing that I want to be a rock star when I grow up. I don't need recognition, but if I can write something that moves even one person, that will be so rewarding. I really take heart in knowing that hard work can pay off, even if you're never immortalized in the world of literature. My short-term goal is to get at least one short story published by the end of this year in a literary journal or online magazine. I may be posting drafts here for feedback.
As a hobby, I also enjoy songwriting. I'm not well-versed an any instruments but I am familiarizing myself with the guitar at the moment. I took lessons in High School so I know some basics, but I'm in a one hour course right now where we're learning to sight read, and I'm improving. Daniel plays mandolin and violin, so we've been having fun trying to play along with Patty Griffin and Denison Witmer lately. My friend Sarah Emily is a staff engineer at a studio in town, and we've recorded a couple of electronica/pop songs together. It's always fun to write lyrics for the music she programs and I am increasingly impressed by how talented she is.
I guess there's not much left to say about my life... tune in for more as things develop!