ch...ch...ch...changes

How do you respond to change? Do you love it or loathe it? For me it depends on what it is and when -- sound familiar?

All it takes for me to be okay with change is for me to be prepared - I like to wrap my mind around it, chew on it for awhile, see how it will impact my family, and in the end understand it. I know this is not possible in all cases of change but in some it is.

For instance there are many things that I do not make quick decisions about such as:

• buying a dog
• getting a job
• spending large amounts of money

It seems to me that I take my time with things that will have a major impact on my family - whether that be positive or negative. I want to see how to make it work, and understand it. Let's walk through how we finally made the decision to get a dog so you can see inside this process for our family.

When Don and I were dating we thought greyhounds were neat animals and talked about having one someday (realize I have never been a dog lover or owner). When we got married we talked about them some more and then got pregnant and realize they want you to wait until your kids are 4 or so. So every year we looked at them in the Maple Syrup Festival Parade and checked them out. Then our son became allergic to dogs so we put it on the back burner. Then he tested negative last October and he was 7 and Nina 5. We went to a Meet and Greet for greyhounds in April and Nina was not afraid at all and Noah was in love - he stayed for an hour and did not want to leave. We started researching greyhounds. Three books and numerous websites later we felt like a greyhound was the dog for us. We went to another Meet and Greet and turned in an application. We installed a fence. We had a home visit with the All Star Greyhound Adoption Agency and as of Friday July 11th we are the proud owners of Silvester. I would say this process took us (or me)about 6 months - Don and the kids would have brought one home from the meet and greet - not me I needed to know these things:

• where is it going to sleep
• what does it eat
• what do I do when I am out during the day
• who is going to clean up the poop in the yard - I can't stand poop in peoples yards!!!
• how are the kids going to manage
• what about it's dirty feet on the carpet
• will there be hair everywhere
• can I handle the responsibility
• do I want to handle the responsibility
• is it wise to spend money on a fence
• is it wise to spend money on dog food
• can the kids be alone with the dog
• how is he going to handle the stairs
• what about the vet
• dog treats for his teeth are 2$ a day??????

That is just a partial list of the thoughts that have been processed in my head and out loud over the past few days, weeks and months. But once I get a grasp I am all for it -- and in me it is like a light switch being flipped i go from being "off" for a long time while I research and analyze to what seems like all of a sudden "on" - ready to go get a dog! For some people I am hard to understand because when I am ready and say okay - they then question it -- why now - I thought you didn't want one - how come the change, etc.... they just did not see the process!

Now all this to say the idea of getting a dog is now a reality and the kids are doing ok - there are battles that need to be fought and sometimes I just don't want to - everybody is trying to find where they fit again. Don is the dog's best friend - his leader no doubt - Noah wants that role - Nina just loves him - I have no idea what I am doing and Don is patient and Noah is NOT - he is telling me everything I am doing is wrong and ordering me around - he has become a dog expert overnight - it has not been fun!

So I like the dog - just not really into transitions :(

So what about when God wants to change things in me or around me? Well he knows my personality doesn't he -I feel like he provides me with opportunities to see that it is him orchestrating the change so that I will go through the analysis at lightening speed.

I am so thankful that my God made me and knows me!