MerrinDonahue.com

That’s right: In exactly three weeks, I’ll be headed to Florida (FINALLY!!!). I’m confirming with the movers tomorrow, picking up a change of address form, and packing the rest of our stuff. I’d love to be able to go sooner, but it just doesn’t fit into either of our schedules The upside is that it’s going to take me the full three weeks to get ready to get out of here. I can’t wait!!!!

St. Joseph arrived in my mailbox today, and I just buried him out front. We’ll see how he does this weekend! And yes, Camille, I can hear you snickering all the way up here.

I had totally forgotten that you’re supposed to bury a statue of St. Joseph in your yard when you’re trying to sell your house, so I ordered one today. I should get it this week, and then we’ll see if he works!

Let’s face it: Kevin and I have been through one crazy year. An everlasting wait for our daughter, a huge job change, the loss of one of our dogs, impending relocation, a miscarriage, a new nephew….The list goes on. I’ve always said that nothing ever really changes with us, and at the core, that’s true. We have one another, and that one constant is enough for both of us. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, what with Kevin being in Orlando and all, and I’ve been trying to use it to organize my touchstones.

Of course, Kevin is my primary touchstone. He is my rock. But I don’t have to worry about lining that particular stone up with the others. He’s already there. Then there are the Coopers, and that’s pretty much the same deal. I know I can pick up the phone and either one of them will be there, so they’re already in the line-up, too. Then there’s family: Mom, Dad, Dana, etc. Right there with the others. Further down the line, though, the stones get a little disorganized. So I’ve been doing my best to get them in order.

I know this sounds a little confusing, so I’ll try my hardest to explain: I believe that the people you surround yourself with are the people who help define you. You learn from them, for better or for worse. You share heartbreaks and triumphs, deep truths and fanciful dreams. The people who knew you when you were 14 are the people who will help you remember your youth when your 44. I am firm in my conviction that those relationships are important to nurture, even though I don’t do it enough. I do like, however, that the girls that were in my wedding standing by my side are the girls I still keep in contact with. These girls (ladies, now) were there the first time I…..Well, for a lot of firsts. For the past {{{gulp}}} 18 years, we have kept up with one another, albeit not as much as we should. This small group of women are the people who helped define me, who changed my outlook, and who challenged me to become a broader thinker. I think that when you hit adolescence, you tend to listen to your girlfriends more than your mom, and these ladies definitely gave me lots to think about.

I’ve said before that if you’re really lucky, you have one or two REALLY good friends in your lifetime. I know I’m blessed to have the Coopers. But I’m also fortunate enough to have my old friends. The ones who knew me when. Who were there before Kevin (although they were the first ones there at three in the morning when I finally brought him to Texas). We’ve all grown up, which none of us ever thought we’d do. One of us is a mother of three. One of us is doing her own thing in Fort Worth with her dogs and her man. And one of us is doing her part to save the world, one photograph at a time. Me? I’m doing my best to be a good wife, and getting ready to be a mom. We’ve all come a long way from all-night parties and general debauchery, and I sure do hope that my daughter learns the magic of long-forged friendships. I may not talk to these girls very often, but I know that we do keep in touch. Just as I know that when I’m 44, I’ll be able to call any one of them and have them tell me stories about when we were young and stupid. And right now? With all the transition going on, it sure is nice to have my touchstones in order.

My husband is coming home on Thursday!!!!

That was the date that The Coopahues were born. It’s Kevin’s last day in Texas, and I think that all of this “moving stuff” is finally starting to sink in. If we’re lucky, we get to have one true friend in our lives. If we’re REALLY lucky, we get two. Some of you may know the kind of person I’m about to describe. If you do, please call them and tell them how much they mean to you.
I’ve always made friends fairly easily. I like to think I’m a nice and a thoughtful person. So, a few years ago, when Kevin and Camille decided that the four of us should hang out, I thought it was a pretty good idea. You see, we had been “blog buddies” for a while, and Camille and Kevin found each other through the magic of the internets. One thing led to another, and after many beers and several “Will and Grace” game nights, the Coopers moved in next door. At first, there was “fence mail”, but we decided that wasn’t good enough. So, one hot summer day, Kevin and Josh pulled a “Kool-Aid” and tore out part of the fence and put in a gate. Our house was their house, and their house was ours. I knew my way around Camille’s kitchen as well as I did my own. I was there the day G-Man was born. I was there for birthdays, bumps, and bruises. My family grew, not only by those three wonderful people, but by their families, too. Camille’s mom adopted us. Josh’s parents never fail to welcome us with open arms. But it all started with the Redhead.
Camille is the glue who holds us all together. She was the one who was so insistent that we all get together that first night. Who knew that one night of bowling would launch us into the best friendship of my life? You have to understand (even though I’m pretty sure that’s impossible unless you’re one of the four of us): We’ve shared monumental highs and lows. When one of us is hurting, there is nothing, NOTHING the others won’t do to try to ease the pain. When one of us is happy, we all are. For four years, we’ve moved as a unit. Family vacations take on a whole new meaning when it’s family that you actually want to spend time with. After our first week-long vacation together, we all came home and, instead of saying “See ya later. I’m sick of you”, we all ordered pizza and hung out some more.
Two weeks ago, we called the Coopers to tell them that we were moving. Her first response? “When do you need me to come up and help you pack?” No hesitation. And, of course, she did come up. She spent a week of her life helping me organize mine. I guess the point of all of this is to try to begin to say “Thank You”. But that really doesn’t seem like enough. If the Coopers still lived next door, we would have turned down this opportunity. It wouldn’t have been worth it. But, times change, and where we are is really just geography. No matter how far away we are, we’ll still be right next door in our hearts and minds.
So to Camille and Josh, and in the name of all things Coopahue, we love you. There could never be better friends than you both have been to us. And while we won’t see each other quite as often, we’ll need to remember that distance is just a number, and you’re with us every day in our hearts. Our lives are richer, and I know I’m a better person, because I know you.

It’s finally official. Kevin and I are moving to Florida (yep, you read it right). It’s extremely hard for me to leave Texas (because, let’s face it: it’s TEXAS), but we have an amazing opportunity, and we both feel like we have to take it. So. In a week, I’ll put my house on the market, and in a few days, I’ll start packing up. We’ll be in the Orlando area, so you better believe I’ll be purchasing an annual pass to the House of Mouse! And we’ll only be one quick flight away from the beach house, so maybe we can get down there more than we’re able to now.
All in all, we’re both pretty excited about it (except for the fact that it’s not, you know, Texas), but we have a busy few weeks ahead of us!

After last week’s drama with Chloe, Rigley decided that she, too, needed some attention. She refused to eat for two days (flu bug), and then the tumor on her toe started to really give her some trouble, so she was off to the vet today. She has been a couple of times before to have her tumors aspirated, but I was really worried about this one. Thankfully, the pathology came back negative for cancer (yet again). I know I stress way too much over all her lumps and bumps, but even the vet told me to stop it. I am finally coming to terms with the fact that my spry and active dog is, in fact, an old lady. She IS 12 & 1/2 after all, and her tumors are like my gray hairs: They’re just a sign of age. She’s pretty pissed at me now, though, since she had to have a 3 inch needle stuck in her foot, but at least I know that she’s perfectly healthy, if a little bit bumpy.

My dog has super-powers. Her secret identity is “Anaphylactic Shock Dog”. Chloe has always been prone to severe allergic reactions, and today was a little worse than usual. I have no idea what got her (and remember, this is a dog who once licked a toad and got all crazy high from it), so I took her in for an emergency vet visit (something she HATES), after I gave her a benadryl and it didn’t seem to do any good. A *huge* dose of benadryl and steroids later, she’s now conked out on the floor, and I’ll have to wake her up soon for some more drugs. I’m just really glad that it happened when I was here to catch it, and not over this past weekend when we were out of town. I don’t quite know what the vet thought when I mentioned the “Toad-Licking Incident of 2004″ and the litany of other problems she’s had; to us, she’s totally normal, and we’re used to her little idiosyncrasies. Ever since the first time it happened, we’ve known what to do, but she needed a little more than just the antihistamine today. She’s not so red anymore, and the swelling appears to be going down, so I’m going to keep an eye on her for the next couple of days, but she should be back to normal in no time.

Apollo 11

Originally uploaded by merrindonahue.

I can’t help but think of Ferris Bueller and the whole “here’s to a young man who thinks he hasn’t seen anything good today”. We have seen sooo much stuff that it just boggles the mind. From the Hope Diamond to Apollo 11 (can you believe that thing actually landed on the moon?!?!? And yes, it’s the real one), we have seen just about everything under the sun. Tomorrow we’re headed to Arlington National Cemetery and maybe the National Gallery of Art. Check out the pictures over at Flickr.

Mom at the Vietnam Memorial

Originally uploaded by merrindonahue.

So we had originally planned to take it kind of easy today, but that’s not quite how it worked out. Instead, we hit the ground running and got the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, The WWII Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial out of the way. The Vietnam Memorial is as moving as always, and it’s always fun to watch a first-timer at the Lincoln Memorial. As you can see, I have already Flickr’d some of the pictures, and I’ll try to Flickr a little bit each day.

Tomorrow, we’re headed to the Washington Monument and the Holocaust Museum.

And I still haven’t packed, which I totally meant to do yesterday. Tomorrow Mom and I are off to DC for a week of, well, touristy stuff and eating. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Washington, and Mom has never been, so I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. My big plans include eating my way through the city, which is a favorite past-time of mine when I travel (side note: I’m SO excited that we’re headed back to San Francisco in a few months…Talk about a foodie town). We’re going to do all the usual stuff like the monuments and the museums, but I’m gonna try to drag her over to Georgetown for a little shopping and more eating. I really don’t think you should miss Georgetown on your first visit, so, even though she’s not that excited about it, I think she’ll have a good time over there.
Other than that, we’re just gonna play it by ear (except for the stuff that I already have advance tickets for. I really didn’t want to wait in line at the Holocaust Museum, so I already got those along with a couple of other things). Most of all? Even though it’s going to be around 100 degrees, I’m REALLY looking forward to a week without rain. We’ve had rain for the last 32 days, and I am desperate to see the sun for a while.

Kevin ordered me a new computer a couple of weeks ago, so I finally made the upgrade from iBook to MacBook. So far, it *rocks*, but I’m still getting used to the raised keys on the keyboard. I keep making typing mistakes, so I have to go a little slower than I’m used to, but other than that, this thing is awesome. I knew my old one was slow, but I don’t think I realized exactly how slow until I started using the new one. I also finally moved my old PC out into the garage, since I haven’t turned it on in over a year. Like Camille said, once you go Mac, you never go back.
In other news, it’s supposed to rain today. Really? No shit. I also got my hair cut (I am adorable), and I bought the second cutest dress known to man (Angela beat me to number 1). I’m getting ready to head to D.C. with my mom for a week (more on that later), and Kevin weeded the front flower bed, which now looks AWESOME. We saw Live Free or Die Hard yesterday, which rocked. Pretty much a typical Donahue Family weekend.

It’s raining. Last night the water was running up over the curb in front of our house. We have a creek across the street, and I’ve been keeping a close eye on it, because, you know, I’m a little worried about flooding. The news guys keep warning everybody that ALL creeks are over-running their banks, so it’s a little unnerving. It’s also weird to turn on the national news and see pictures taken not far from our house. We’ve gotten 8 inches of rain in 36 hours (5.5 inches yesterday). Lake Lewsiville went from being 14 feet below normal in January to 6 feet above today.
There is an upside, though. It’s almost July, and I have the windows open. That’s right. July in Texas, and it’s currently 75 degrees outside. I can’t ever remember a time in 32 years living here that it’s been under 90 degrees this time of year, so at least my electric bill will be lower.