Dear Mr. President

Okay I haven't always been the biggest Pink fan, but I support this song.

Home

Well, I am back from Spain and here are my reflections.

When I went away to school at Calvin, I wrote a speech about my family. I talked about how my cousins are my best friends and how a piece of me dies every time I am away from them and then comes back alive when I am with them. I have never felt that way with anything else, until I went to Spain.

When I am in Spain there is a part of me that comes alive. I feel whole. I feel good. I feel like I belong. Not in a sense of "I fit in" but in a sense of "this is where I am supposed to be." Which is great when I am there, but really not so great when I come back. I fall into this semi-"i miss spain"-depression. It is so hard for me. Not that I don't love being around my friends and family here, but there is a small part of me that dies when I leave a place I love.

My brother, Christopher, told me that he thinks I need a change in my life and I know he is right. I have always had a sense that there was something greater out there and that is where I belong. I hated high school; hated it with a passion. I thought Calvin may have been the change that I needed, but it wasn't. I came back home and thought going to community college and living with my friends might be the change I needed but it wasn't. After going to Madrid this summer I thought moving there might be the change I needed but I didn't want to get my hopes up. When I went back again, I knew. I know that is where I am supposed to be. And not just because of the people.... but everything. The culture, the church, the friends.

Don't get my wrong, I love my friends here and I am so glad I did everything I did cause otherwise I wouldn't have met so many great people. But my heart is definitely in Spain and they say home is where the heart is. So now I am just concentrating on how I can go back home as quickly as possible.

For those of you who do not know... the reason why I haven't posted is because I am in Spain...

Lots to say but no time to say it in so check back in the next couple of days. There will be some good stuff.

In case you were curious... I am loving it here. It's good to be home.

More pics of Crocket

By request (ahem, Justin) here are some more pics of my puppy..



here he is yawning... awww

Here he is sleeping on Joel.

Ready to pounce...

Being super cute.

My little cuddler...

I am...

Heather did this on her blog. She told me I should to it too and since I do anything she tells me... here it is. If you want to do it, the format is here.

I am from refrigerator boxes that can keep everyone amused for hours, from maytag and caputo’s

I am from the smell of something cooking in the kitchen, the sound of small paws on the hardwood floors and pots and pans clanking at dawn

I am from the cheap flowers that decorate our kitchen to the apple trees and tulips and evergreens that decorate our backyard

I am from the family BBQs and loud parties where everyone competes to be heard, from Francesco and Fortunata and Grandma Lucy

I am from true competitiveness, family importance, and catholic guilt.

From your face will stay like that and stop touching each other and silences where bad words were thought but not spoken

I am from saying the rosary and praying to Mary, standing up and sitting down when told to, rehearsing words I never knew the meaning of.

I’m from Chicago and Italy and England and Ireland, from pasta with every meal and grams’ homemade zugu

From the Italian grandfather who didn’t like to talk about his childhood and the father who isn’t Italian

I am from dusty bookshelves and dirty cabinets containing photo albums that have since been forgotten

Confessions

I have a confession to make. This is really hard for me to admit, but I feel like I finally need to get it out into the world. I feel like maybe once I tell everyone my dark secret, a huge burden will be lifted...

So here it goes...

Celeste, one of my roommates, came home one afternoon with some DVDs. When I got home from my doctors appointment that day she was intently watching Desperate Housewives (for those of you who read this who aren't living in this country, it's a very highly talked about show... but just look at the title and imagine what it is like). I layed down and started watching it with her and slowly began taking an interest. I started asking questions.

Throughout this week Celeste and I have watched three of the six discs of season one. And we actually enjoy it. I find myself randomly thinking about it. Telling Ari stuff like, "we found out that the guy who was hitting on Mrs. Solis is actually gay and the guy that is gay with him is Andrew.... you know the redhead who is married to Rex? her son!"

It's funny because on the show there are four women who get together every so often and gossip about the street that they live on (where everyone knows everyone) and I feel like I am turning into one of them. It's really scary.

I guess I am not too ashamed because I was expecting the show to be very sex oriented and I was suprised by how wrong I was. It's actually not. And though it is very unrealistic, it isn't a bad show.

What is wrong with me? Why can't I stop watching??

Living with Celeste has turned me into a tv watcher. I am also now an advid watcher of Gilmore Girls (which actually is a great show). And Celeste and I are thinking about renting the lost dvds. The thing is, we are smart enough to not watch these shows when it's actually on tv. We watch the dvds. That way, we can always go to the next episode and there are no commercials and we can watch them whenever we want.

I'm pathetic.

CROCKET

This is my puppy, Crocket. We were going to get Boone, but then we talked to the shelter about hunting and they told us Crocket was a better hunting dog. He is much more obedient and independent than Boone. Anyway, I'm glad we got him because Crocket is the most adorable, well-behaved puppy I have ever seen in my life!!

He is super curious about everything but doesn't really nibble on anything (except our Nintendo 64 cords) and he has picked up on things very quickly!! He always listens when we say no and he is easily distractable, thus goes from chewing my toes to chewing his bone quickly.

He loves to sleep (as all good dogs should). The above picture is of a dog and his master, drooling together. He is not easily bothered, even when I put my face up to him while he is sleeping. He loves to burrow his nose in between things for warmth and even lets me put my head on him while he sleeps.

The best thing yet... he hasn't "gone potty" in the house yet. We were a little worried about house training him but he has been so good. Three times in a row we brought him outside did his business and went back in. Not to mention all the other times we stopped on the car ride home and walked him around a while and he went.

Right now he is in his Kennel and sound asleep. No whinning, no barking, nothing. He's so good.

You all should come over and see this dog!!!

Googleness

I found this on Heather's blog. Since I am a follower, I followed. Apparently you have to type your answers into google image search and then pic the picture that you like the best off the first page. So, read mine and then go do yours... Oh yeah.. and read the post before this to see pics of my new dog!!!! :)

First name: Monaca

Middle name: Marie

Last name: Thomas

Age on my next birthday:21

City I grew up in: West Chicago

Favorite color: blue

Favorite food: manicotti

Place I'd like to live: Madrid

Place I live now: Glen Ellyn

A habit I have: cracking my knuckles

Favorite animal: dog

Religion: Christ follower

Dream Job: Social worker

Grandmothers name: Fortunata LaMonaca

Favorite smell: homemade food cooking at my mom's house

Boone

IS THIS NOT THE CUTEST DOG EVER??????

HE'S MINE!!! (and Ari's!!)


His name is Boone and I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy!

thumbkin

So, I figured I would give a nice little update on my thumb. I got some x-rays on Monday and my thumb is broken. There is an edge of the bone that is chipped off and then a small crack in the the bone. They wrapped it up and gave me a molded splint whatever else. I go back to the doctor in two weeks and if the bone is not healing properly (which I have hope that it will heal properly) then I need to go in for surgery.

Quote from Ari:
"Just think, a few months ago you were.... much different" I think he was referring to running through sprinklers and bowling and playing soccer and stuff"