New and Improved

Hey all!

Sorry I haven't updated. I've been too freaking busy updating my new webpage!

The link is here. Because of the ease of updating my journal there, please delete this bookmark and add the above one instead. You'll notice I've been updating on and off over the summer, and I'll probably update that one more often. In addition, so you don't have to run back and forth to reminisce, I'm in the process of moving ALL of these journal entries over to the new site.

You can still leave comments, although the protocol is slightly different. Just click on the "comment on this "Is it raining?". That will take you to the comment page where you can post anonmously (PLEASE leave your name) or, if you have a LiveJournal account, you can log in and leave it as your name!

If you have an LJ account, my username is jessis. Otherwise, bookmark me, and hope to hear from you all soon! And your comments on the webpage are much appreciated! It's not 100% up and running yet, but the journal is (pictures are on schedule next).

Love, Jess

Home Again, Home Again, Bliggity BLOG

Well, I made it home at last. I travelled by plane, train, and automobile, and man am I glad to be back in the hand state.

Nothing too exciting is going on. I took Ethel, Rachel, and Josie (Rachel's dog) for a walk today. Josie had eaten/lost/sold her leash, so I let Rachel borrow Fred's old one. The people seeing me walk home with Ethel on one leash and "Fred" on the other must be calling local psychologists for me at this point. I didn't realize how goofy it was until I was walking in the front yard and the leash swung and hit me in the leg. Nothing like a ghost dog.

Speaking of which, the dog is on the mantle. That's right, the mantle. Pretty soon his ashes will be spread across the lake and in all the other places he loves. It's hard not having him home, but I can't help but giggle when I give a "what's up Fred?" to the mantle everytime I walk upstairs. I like to think he's equally as amused.

Cedar Point with the family this weekend, and then I may be headed to Canada next! Woo hoo! Anna Nalick (one of my favorite singer/songwriters) is playing, and the whole trip will cost me about $150 Canadian (which is only ... $38 US, right?).

Hope all is well. If you're in Michigan, call me! I'll come see you! If you're in Oregon, know I miss you.

Love, Jess

P.S. I got straight A's this quarter! WOOT!

Last Week

I have never been so happy for a quarter to be over in my LIFE.

Next week I head home, and I am incredibly stoked. I miss my family and my friends so incredibly much. I can't wait to see all of you guys!

This summer constitutes a bunch of me trying to get my things in order. I'm taking integral calculus and multivariate/matrix calculus, working at the physical plant, bowling league, hanging with my friends and sister, and a bunch of other CRAZY stuff.

I want to see everyone when I get home, so let me know what your summer plans are. I just can't wait to get done with my finals (Tuesday and Friday ... the Tuesday one's going to rock me probably ... REAL hard) and COME HOME!

Lame update, I know. Just wanted to let you know I'm still alive. :-)

Love, Jess

Brother

I love my entire family, but sometimes they frustrate me a little bit.

Here my brother redeemed himself for every time he's ever made me want to beat him up. :-)

Jess: I really feel like I'm never going to see Fred again so I'm freaking out.
Jess: I didn't even say good-bye properly.
Ben: i explained to him very carefully that jess misses you
Ben: i even got a pic out
Jess: Really?
Ben: yeah definitely
Jess: I talked to him on the phone for a second.
Jess: Mom said he perked up.
Ben: he knows our voices
Jess: Yeah.
Jess: I'm just ridiculously sad and not dealing -- this has been a horrible month.
Ben: speaker phone sounds like crackles to me, but dogs recognize people by the inflections in their voice
Jess: Mom just put the phone up to his ear.
Jess: I could hear him panting.
Ben: haha

Sure he could be lying ... but at least he's a good liar. :-)

---

In other news, I decided I 100% support the homeless. Why you might ask?

Well, here in Corvallis, we have quite a few of them, probably because of the mild climate. When you see someone who is homeless, you'll notice that they always have dogs with them. And when they have food, they always make sure the dog eats first.

It's especially touching to know that those who don't have as much still take care of man's best friend.

Freddie (Hubbard) Sonday 

Having a hard Fred time today ... here's more. 

Fred

It's weird to write about Fred in the past tense. I kind of thought he'd always be around. Forgive me if I speak about him in the present.

No one knew we were getting Fred. My brother and I (maybe my sister ... I don't quite remember) had been begging for some sort of pet besides stupid fish for quite some time. When my Grandma's dog had a litter of puppies, we hung out with them non-stop. I distinctly remember there being two white girls, and a bunch of black and brown girls and boys. I wanted a white girl, but my Mom had a feeling about one of the black and brown ones ... and so we brought home the Fredster. He was part Chow, part St. Bernard, and part German Shepard. Because of the weird genetics, he usually had one ear up and one ear down, especially when he was intently listening.

The black wire cage we got was WAY too big for him, so my parents stuffed it with boxes so he'd feel more comfortable. Not that he needed the cage. My brother and I slept downstairs on the couch, and as soon as the parents hit the bed, Freddie was on the couch sleeping with us. The man probably never did used to that stupid cage, which is why he dreaded it so much. :-)

Fred had a very distinct voice, which only Ben, Becca, and I could emulate very well. My Mom tried sometimes, but she just never was good at voices. He also had a very distinct haircut, as my Mom thought she was being helpful and sometimes shaved all his fur off if he was too "hot." Never have I seen a dog more embarrassed (we weren't allowed to mention the haircut in front of him ... it was always SO bad)!

Fred would join us on various adventures, including riding under the car all the way to Niagara Falls (we just missed him, so we pretended he was there hanging on ... we never let him "off" the bottom of the car). He also took several REAL trips to Fort Wayne with us to visit my Dad's parents. My Grandpa (and Grandma) really took to him, and he became another grandkid.

When we'd come back from long trips, my brother, sister, and I would lie in the front yard on our knees and cover our heads. My Mom would let Fred out of the house and he'd go nuts, trying to get to our faces to lick them and say "hello." Finally we'd hug him and say "hi." He was always so happy to see us.

We'd also run around the house. Back before I could drive, my brother and I would put him into a blanket and run him around the upstairs of my parents house, dragging him behind like some sort of sled. He really hated hitting the linoleum and tile, but he played along. He'd also do this great pounce thing that Ethel (the yellow dog) really could never get down.

Mom and I or Ben and I would play monkey in the middle with him. He had a favorite blue ball that we claimed he could see (dogs are apparently colorblind). I haven't seen that ball in years ... I wonder if he remembered it right when he was going down.

Back when we still had a speedboat, he was boat dog. It was really funny when someone was skiing off the back. The skier would yell "READY." Guess who thought his name was getting called? One ear would go up and that tail would start to thump, and it was one of the funniest things in the world.

He wasn't without his faults. I remember one Easter, he was walking around the block and apparently knocked some lady over with his big dopey tail. He was probably just happy to see her, but she didn't take it that way, and said if we ever let him out again, she'd call the police. I was SO mad at him. After I cooled off, I came back and hugged him and realized I'd never stop loving him. He was such a great dog.

When I finally got my license, Fred became my partner in crime. I still took Ethel on a lot of road trips, but something about a big brown and black dog in the front seat on long trips was comforting.

When I came home at Christmas, Fred couldn't hear as well as he used to. Spring break was especially bad. The boy wasn't running around like he used to, and if I jumped on the floor and slapped my knees, he wouldn't pounce like he used to. He still rode in the car with me, but he spent a lot of time laying in the back instead of riding shotgun, his face out the window, swallowing bugs. We knew he was getting old. I rubbed his snout an extra time before I left, but I never thought I wouldn't see him again.

We were so lucky to get such a great dog and friend in our life. When things weren't going right or I wasn't getting along with my family or a boyfriend dumped me, Fred was the only one who really understood. Ethel's too damn hyperactive to sit still to listen, but Fred would be there with his patient brown eyes and seemingly infinite wisdom. He didn't even have to say a word.

I love you Fred, and I'll miss you forever. Thank you for being such a great dog and listening, one ear up and one ear down. I'll never be able to look at another dog again without wishing they were your eyes.

Love, Jess

Freddie (Hubbard) Sonday

Freddie (Hubbard) Sonday

May 6, 1995 – May 26, 2005

Freddie passed on this afternoon, following a short illness. He went to a place of tick-free grass and always swimmable waters, surrounded by ice cream.

He was born in 1995 at Corey Lake Orchards and moved to Schoolcraft as a puppy. Soon he was “the man-dog”; he spent his life with parents Tom and Charlotte and siblings, Jessica, Benjamin and ReBecca. Over the years he was joined by Rudy, Ethel, Melvin, Snortles and Sundae, but he was always the favorite and undisputed head pet.

Freddie pretty much defined the word “loyalty”, especially in his relationship with Charlotte (he still thinks she’s the queen). He went wherever she did, moving from room to room with her, even swimming in the lake for miles.

Freddie was not without his fears. For example, he didn’t like seeing empty suitcases and would usually stop eating for a couple days when Charlotte traveled. Also, he didn’t like thunder and would become a 100-pound lap dog during storms.

Freddie enjoyed having fun and had one of the best grins ever. Often noted amongst the neighbors as that dog who rides the raft, he caused many a Sugarloaf boater to take a hard second look. We’ll never forget him licking peanut butter from Ben’s face, riding in the sailboat or canoe or car (riding shotgun with Jessica as she took him to visit Grandparents.) He also had a mischievous side which led to his “relaxed silhouette”, because of his interest in a couple pounds of ostrich from the kitchen counter, the extinction of all the Rice Krispie treats that Grandma sent home from Christmas dinner, Charlotte’s birthday cake, a box of truffles, and cat food whenever possible. Fun memories are ample, as are the friends – human, canine and feline – left behind.

Freddie had a stellar career, working as Director of Security for Prima Communications, Inc. He steered the growing company through the increased security risks of this age, and leaves with a spotless record of no break-ins or leftovers in the trash cans at HQ. (He also worked on the side as a part-time dishwasher.)

We like to think we gave Freddie a good life, he certainly made ours far better.

Good dog, buddy, rest in peace.

PICTURES OF MY BOY BELOW!

Fred and Ethel ... 

Sleepy Boy 

Classic Fred Pose 

Fred 

Dogs! 

Fred and Ethel the Protector 

Fred and Ethel 

Vegging 

The Ethel 

Blurry Fred (ha ha, nice Mom). :-) 

Fred 

Fred 

Fred 

Fred (I love this one) 

Fred 

Fred 

Love you pal ... and I'll miss you terribly. 

My Students

I know I've spent a lot of time talking about this, but I think it's important.

Yesterday, I went through thefacebook.com (a college community you can join if you're in college) and added as many of my old students as I could find. I also changed my profile to read something along the lines of "and if you're one of my old students, know I have your back."

It's really important to me that all of my students know how much I care about them. Like I have said here, I can't believe Gina killed herself. It's absolutely tragic. I wish I would've taken the time to let her know how much she mattered to me as a person. I see her pictures strewn across the Internet, and they're all of her and friends, smiling and happy. She HAD to know someone cared about her personally. But maybe that wasn't enough.

I want to be able to tell her that after I read she fought fires, I strongly considered doing it for the summer. When I got the Fire Corps job (stupid training limited me from being able to do it) doing urban-wilderness interaction mapping, I thought of how cool she'd think it was. It's not often that a student enters my mind when I'm looking at job opportunities -- in fact, she was the only one. I always wanted to thank her for all of that, but never did, and now it's too late.

I think that's part of the reason I added all my students in thefacebook. All of the ones who have added me back (about 24 or 25 at this point) were ones who impacted my life. A lot of them have sent emails since then. I got an especially nice one from my old student Sonny and my current student Tiffeny. I also got one with the subject of "The Hottest T.A. on Campus" or something to that effect. It's nice to know they're thinking about me.

My Mom's correct when she says I'm motherly. Even though a lot of my students were my age or older, I still want to take care of them. I hate when I hear that I'm the only (or one of a very few) T.A. they've ever gotten that from. I know I'm just the T.A., but I feel like that's more of a reason to care about them -- it's not like the professor's paying attention. Often I'm the only link they have to their grades or anything related to the class.

Okay, I'm done venting about this now. What it comes down to is, if you're Gina, know I loved you as my student and admired you as a person. If you're one of my students, know that you have touched my life in more ways than you can ever imagine. If you're one of my friends or a member of my family, realize how incredibly happy I am that I have had these people touch my life and how much I love doing what I do.

Hope you're all doing well. My Mom and brother are in town tomorrow!

Love, Jess

Hey

All right, so here we go.

I want to spend about two seconds on the Gina subject, first of all.

My Dad had the crappy job of informing me she'd killed herself. I shook for about 10 good minutes. I'm still not sure what to think. She was absolutely beautiful, intelligent, and had everything going for her. It doesn't make sense. I don't want to dwell on it, but I do want to make it abundantly clear that no matter who you are or if I know you or if you stumbled upon this by accident, YOU MATTER TO SOMEBODY. Here I am, her T.A. We're barely related in the grand scheme of life. But this has shooken me up more than I actually thought possible. I'm beyond shocked. I just hope she didn't suffer more than was necessary, because she didn't deserve it. Keep her family in your thoughts and prayers, and keep her boyfriend there as well -- I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through.

In other news, my Mom and brother are coming into town this weekend, and I'm psyched! We're going up to the McDonald-Dunn Forest on Friday (where I take my kids on their field trips). Saturday sees us hanging around Corvallis. Sunday we're headed to the beach (it's supposed to be nice weather!). For all you Oregonians, don't laugh at my title of "the beach." I understand you people don't call it that ... it's just an actual BEACH where I come from, not the coast. :-)

I fell a little bit behind in work the past few days because of what's been happening, but am mostly caught up. Want to send a special thanks out to all my friends and family who have supported me as I fell apart. I love my students, I hate that Gina had to suffer.

I'm sure I'll update more ... at some point. Hope you're all doing well, and I can't WAIT to see (half) of my family this weekend!! :-D

Love, Jess

P.S. The pictures below are from the Disco Party a few weeks ago and my trip to Silver Falls with Josh and his family.