Attacked! By a Dog! Yup.

…..THE ATTACK….. 

So it was around 8:20 on a Monday night, and I was just finishing up a 5k run in the midst of townhouses, when a spawn of Satan comes out of now where and starts to pursue me.  Yes, I was attacked by a mixed Pitbull breed.  It was awful.

I pin myself against a light-post, and the dog comes beside me and lunges at my leg.  I feel pain.  But mostly I feel terrified.  In the corner of my eye I see a young teenage boy on his knees--crying and pleading for his dog to STOP!  But instead of stopping, the dog continues to try and attack.  Circling behind, jumping on my back.  I try my best to defend myself, trying to get space between us as I continually spin to face the dog.
The dog lunges a few more time, and a few more times I feel pain.
The young teenage boy is still screaming and crying.

Finally, me and the dog circle and face each other one last time with enough space between us in order for the boy to get his dog.  No, correction, I'm able to back up, and while doing so I yell, "GET. YOUR. DOG!!"
The boy responds, "I can't!"
I yell, "YES. YOU. CAN."
And he does.  Almost laying on top of him.   That ends one of the most terrifying 10 seconds of my life.

I back away, and look down seeing blood down my leg.  I say a few swear words, including a big, "SH*T!"  and lastly, "GOD-DAMN-ALL-HELL!"  (Because I read a lot of 19th century novels, therefore I swear as if I'm in one, apparently.)

Two men from two different townhouses notice I'm there, and ask if I'm okay.  I reply yes, and then look up to see the boy struggling with his dog, and crying.  I asked, "Is he up on his shots?" and the boy replies with a strangled, "Yes."

I start to limp home, and one of the men ask if I need a ride.  I say, "No, I really just live around the corner."  He wants to walk me home, but I insist that I'm okay.  I might have even said, "I think I'm probably is shock."

I get out my phone and call Matt.  He answers with a lovely, "Yyyyess?"  And then I burst into tears, "I got attacked!  By a dog!"
Matt rushes out to the mailboxes to help me limp home.  He is ticked, and I'm a complete mess.  Any composure I had 5 seconds before is completely gone.  Just tears and snot and hysterical breathing.

Once I get settled in the house, Matt gets the first aid kit and begins to work his magic.  Being a combat veteran has its benefits, like working with injury under pressure.  I finally get my breathing and self under control, and call a friend asking what I should do.  I don't know about dogs and bites, but I figured this friend would.  And she does, and has a few suggestions on how to deal with it.

I then call my dad, since he can handle anything under any distress.  I'm not sure I've ever seen him freak out.  (There was this one time when a tornado was practically on top of us, and he was like, "Hmmm… Maybe we should go to the shelter?")  He suggests going to see my doctor the following day, and at the same time my friend arrives to give support.

We end up calling the police to file a report, and the officer comes over promptly.  My testimony is given, and pictures are taken.

My wounds are as such:
a nice bite on my left leg, about my left knee, to the left.  3 deep puncture wounds.
a bruised bite on my back.
scratches down my bum (pictures not taken of those, haha)

….. THE NEXT DAY….. 

I don't sleep well that night.  I wake up reliving it over and over again.  In the morning there's dried blood all over the sheets, and I'm slightly terrified to go outside.

So. I'm able to get an early doctor's appointment, and Matt is even able to come with me.  The nurse and doctor both agree that I should have gone to the ER the night before.  She doesn't close the wounds, since it had been over 8 hours since the incident.

Heavy duty antibiotics are prescribed, and I get my tetanus booster shot.
I then head onto the military base to go to the Urgent Care of the ER to get my first round of rabies shots.
In all, I get 9 shots in one day.  Owie.

I decide that I need to go on another run that evening.  I need to get outdoors so that the fear I was feeling earlier in the day won't set a pattern for the rest of my days.  So I do it.  I run.  And it hurts.  Kind of emotionally and physically.  I was actually surprised how earth shattering that attack was.  So getting out and running did a lot of my personal morale.  VICTORY!

At the end of the run the officer from the night before calls me and says, "I found the owner, and he's really cooperative." (I was actually really surprised to get the call 1), figuring it wasn't that big of deal to the police department, and 2) that the owners would be cooperative… I guess I thought they would be in hiding, haha.)  We discuss the case, that I don't want to press charges, but what preventative measures the owner has agreed to.  Muzzle, no child ever walking the dog again, etc.   Sounds so good!

That evening, when I'm bringing in groceries and Matt's rounding up the kids and neighborhood kids, a truck meanders towards us.  It stops, and the people driving ask if I'm Shannon.
They are the owners, and we talk about everything that happened, and how their son is doing.  Because seriously, I worry and worry about that boy.  He witnessed something hard, and I know he felt a lot of responsibility.  That's a heavy weight to hold on those young shoulders.  They say he's doing fine, just worried about being in trouble.  And I hope that's true…. He didn't seem well that night.

….. IN CONCLUSION….. 

I get the shot record of the dog, but I still continue to get the rabies shots.  Just for my own peace of mind.

There has been a filed record of the dog attack and bite with the military base.
Also, an old man from Georgia's Animal Control came over, took my testimony, and had me fill out some paper work.   It's now in the State of Georgia's hands.  Phew!

I have been having feelings of anger towards the incident, which surprises me.  Those are stages of grief and acceptance, I guess.  I really need to get the anger out of my system.  THIS IS NOT HOW I WANT MY DECEMBER TO START!

I remember a talk from President Gordon B. Hinckley from like 2005.  I listen to it once.  Then once more.  (click HERE to take a listen.  He's so wonderful.  Miss that man.)
And then I make cookies and take them over to the people with the dog.   We're able to talk everything over once more, and I'm able to meet the young man for the first time.  He was able to say, "I'm sorry," and I was able to say, "You know, it's really okay!"  It brings a lot of closure.  And I hope it does for him, too.

I'm still on antibiotics, and will be for another 4 days.  10 days total.   I'm still taking lots of ibuprofen, cause it's a nice big bruise where the tissue is used a lot.  And I'm still running.  Have a total of 23 miles this week!

My Secret: My No Like Autumn

I know, it's weird.  But it's true.  I really don't like the season fall.  I actually got really mad about it the other day and was in a big bad mood!  

I can try to explain, but I still don't think people get it.  

I just don't like how I KNOW it will get cold for months, and everything will turn brown, and everything dies.  It's stupid.  I KNOW the heat in the south is oppressive, but I feel like I can do so much more with the boys during the spring and summer than the fall and winter.  

So there it is.  I hates autumn.  

I've been trying to be in a better mood about it, and since the weather hasn't been so hot we've been doing a lot of bike riding and walks.  I've also picked up running again.  

And who doesn't love restocking her pantry with baking goods?  I've been trying perfect my pie making abilities.  I've tried a few different crust recipes and ideas.  Most have failed, so I am really grateful for my mother-in-law's "no fail pie crust".  It truly is!  Yay!  

Deanne's Never Fail Pie Crust

One 8or9in pie crust 

1/3 cup +1T crisco 

1 cup flour 

1/2t salt 

3T cold water

Preheat oven 475 

Blend crisco, flour, salt together with pie blender till crumbly.   Add 3T of cold water.  Roll out in-between two sheets of parchment paper.  

Before baking fork sides and bottom of pie crust so it will not shrink.  

Bake for 8-10 min. 

for two 8or9in pie crust, double each above ingredient expect for cold water.  Increase the water amount to 5T cold water.  

I've Gained 20 Lbs, and it's OK

If you've been one to follow this blog, or you've seen me periodically in the last 10 months, or I've spoken to you about it, you have probably deduced that I have gained weight.   And that logical train of thought is correct.  I have gained weight.  A whole whopping 20 pounds. 

What I weigh now is what I weigh when I'm full term in my pregnancies with any of my boys.  

What I weigh now is the heaviest I've ever weighed. 

What I weigh now is still a healthy BMI for my age and height. 

And I'm okay.  

I wasn't into daily exercise routines till after Eli was born--summer 2009.  As one may imagine, having a little "heart" baby was really stressful, and I found a great release in running a few miles everyday.  It was also that summer when I began to watch what I ate more carefully.   I had had my gallbladder removed a month after Isaac was born (October 2006), and it slowly occurred to me that I felt better with less fat is in my diet.  No gallbladder + heavy/fatty food = awful feeling Shannon when she ate those beautiful greasy things. 

The summer of 2010, after Titus was born, saw a Shannon obsessed with eating well and running more than 2 miles.  I incorperated muscle building work-outs, I started P90x in Jan of '11, and once I stopped breast-feeding Titus I began to cut more and more calories out of my diet.  

The year of 2011 was one major stress bomb.  I just can't even begin to put into words how uptight, tired, worried, quick to tears I was.   A few things contributed to this, including:

- having 3 kids, within 3 and a half years--the lack of sleep for consecutive years was extremely hard to bare 

- one child needed his 3rd and (hopefully) final open surgery in Aug 2011

- Matt was pretty much MIA from Aug of 2010 to May of 2012; for his 18 credit a semester MBA, ROTC trainings, and National Guard obligations ate up all his time

- and hardly a penny to our name didn't help either 

I found control and relief is running, working out, and "keeping a thumb" on my eating.  I got REALLY skinny.  

The stress of life abated a little after Matt graduated and commissioned in the Army in May of 2012, but do to military trainings he was not with us from July thru November.  We saw him every 2 weeks, which was awesome, but I was still (in all intents and purposes) a single parent with 3 small boys to look after.   Stress induced "Skinny Shannon" continued.

Matt deployed in March of 2013 to Afghanistan.  And you guessed it: stress induced "Skinny Shannon" continued.  

But then me and the boys moved to a new home (in the same town) Sept '13, two months before Matt came home.  I had lost another 5 pounds during the move, and I was so exhausted from the move and all that happened that year, that I hit a wall and just started to sit. 

And sit.  

And sit.  Oh, and eat fries.  

I slept a lot in October 2013, and me and the boys ate a lot of fast food.  Which is totally disgusting, I know, but in a lot of ways it was a therapy.  Feed the feelings of exhaustedness.  

During that 6 weeks of sitting and eating and waiting for Matt to come home, I gained 20 pounds.  I've been actively trying to lose the weight since Jan of this year, but nothing has really budged.  BUT, it's okay. 

Really, it is.  

I look back at those photos of me being super skinny, and I have no warm feelings.  If I have to be super stressed to be that skinny, then it's not worth it.  NOT WORTH IT.  

A few things have been annoying since gaining weight, obviously.   My clothes are tight, a lot of things don't fit, and I hate how "large" I look in photos.  

But my mental state is finally level, which is amazing.  Truly, it is.  I think the last time I've felt this well was summer of 2008.  

I'm not saying this extra 20 pounds is good for me, and I have a plan to help lose it, but a happy mind is so much better than a crazy mind.  

I like exercise, and I love to eat well--it's not toucher.  But I will NOT obsess about 1.5 hour work-outs.

 I will NOT obsess over each calorie.  That may mean I only lose 10 to 15, and that will be fine.  Being a happy and whole person means so much more than being a size 2.  

I want my boys to have good memories of me, and not think of me as a "functioning anorexic" (which I'm afraid I was at one point).  

So this is me.  In all my curvy glory!  

(You know what?  I'm was still a size D even when I was lighter.  I come from a line of big chested women, and that's where I'll stay…  So my life long dream of having Kate Hudson's "boy body" is not going to be realized.)

I Need this Said at 3:24 in the Morning:

I haven't had any headaches for the last three days.  And it's been magical!  

For a while now, every afternoon I'm hit with a headache that I just can't shake.  No matter how much water I drink, no matter what kind of pain medicine.  

I attribute this pain free days to the following:  

- Maybe I've been dealing with allergies, and I just didn't realize?  So maybe the crazy pollen that's been bothering me has subsided?

- The boys have been taking naps in the afternoon, which allows me to rest my head for 30 min or so.  Awesomeness!

- I found me reading glasses, and have been wearing them for a bit every morning.  Helps A LOT!

Just wanted to the world to know!  I've been feeling like a new, happy mom/wife/person.  

Spring Break Ocean Visit + My "Guest Post"

Spring Break, baby!  

I wish I could say my boys were sleeping in and getting plenty of rest--but the opposite is happening.  7am wake ups with 9pm bedtimes and lots of play in between.  

Yesterday we took our first beach trip of the year and checked out an island near us called Jykell.  The parking and restrooms and showers were awesome, and the beach was nice and calm and not over crowded. 

The boys LOVED it.  Seriously LOVED.  Wave jumping, tidal pool playing, friends making kind of beach trip.  

Also, I was asked by my dear friend Paige to write a guest post on her blog about motherhood and my experience of becoming a mommy for a third time.  

Wanna walk down memory lane with me? Click HERE :: http://goo.gl/0HBtdk

Eli Turned 5, Nobody Cried

There are a few things that are actually a pretty big deal.
1)  Eli, the heart child, has turned 5 years old and is amazingly healthy.
2)  Niether him nor I cried before, during, or after his birthday.

Eli can become really emotional when it comes to his birthday.   He gets really torn about which present he wants, what kind of cake he'd like, and what theme he wants it to be.  MONTHS before his birthday (I'm talking 11 months before) he starts trying to figure out what he's like… Then he changes his mind.  And then he changes his mind again.  And then he's in tears whenever he thinks about it.

Well that's how his 4th birthday went down, and I was preparing myself for his 5th birthday to be the same.  All the tells were there for tears:  can't decide on the present, can't decide who he wants to come to his party, can't decide what theme it should be.   But it all came together the last week before his big day.

He (me) decided that he'd have two parties; one "friends" birthday at a park during lunchtime on a weekday, and the other at Grammie and Gramps' home during our visit Easter weekend (which is to come), and the theme will be IronMan with the cake chocolate with a vanilla buttercream.
And he said, "Yes," and didn't cry.

-So a few days before his actual birthday we celebrated at the park and it went awesome.  Pizza, cupcakes, play with friends, and presents.

-During his baseball game on Saturday we brought some mini cupcakes and handed them out to the team and then they sang him happy birthday.

-On Sunday we handed out mini cupcakes to his Primary Class, then that night we watched home videos.  Once again: HE DIDN'T CRY.  (The last time he tried to watch the home videos he cried and cried and cried.  Just couldn't take looking at himself all hooked up to machines and recovering from open-heart surgery.)

IronMan-esque cupcakes.
I'm gonna try and do an IronMan cake this weekend. 

Titus and his girl.
They love each other, therefore they fight with each other all the time. 

Eli patrolled the party making sure everyone had a good time!

I made those candy necklaces for the party favors.
They were IronMan colored candy (red and yellow) and had IronMan stickers attached around.
Eli didn't want to wear his, nor a hat. 

I found that "birthday boy" pin.  He loved wearing it!
He also wore it on Sunday. 

And I didn't cry during the whole week.
It's kind of a big deal.  I'm usually such a mess when his birthday starts coming around.  All those memories flood back, and the emotions that come with it:  fear, happiness, anxiety, joy, sorrow.  Having a sick newborn is the pits, man.
But I'm okay, I think I'm doing well.  Honestly, the 3rd birthday was the hardest for me.  To get to 3 years old was such a big mile stone.  We knew he'd do all three of his surgeries before his 3rd birthday, and you just gotta hope he'll survive till then.  And he did!

Eli is awesome, and wonderful, and healthy.  Yay!

A Year Ago…

…. A year ago Matt left for his Afghanistan deployment (OEF XIV).

It's crazy.



I had a lot of hope and gumption in the beginning.  It lasted about two days.  Then survival kicked in full swing, and just hoped that somehow me and the boys would have a good day.   And we mostly did.  I kind of over bought with toys, and over invested ice cream.

I tired not to think about what we were missing out with Matt being out of the picture.  It really didn't help when I went out West for the summer and everyone was asking me, "How are you doing?  Is it so hard with Matt gone?" and "I don't know how I could do it."  Umm… yeah… I really didn't want to think about all of that.  Just wanted to talk about bad tv and fashion trends.  Something besides about "how I was feeling," cause I really didn't know how I was "feeling" and I really didn't want to examine those emotions.
I think I got so many of those questions because that area of Idaho isn't inherently military, so it's maybe shocking to know of someone deployed… ???

But once I got back to this area of GA there were no longer questions.  So many people have gone through deployments, and I had many friends' whose spouses were deployed.  We just knew it was hard.  A knowing hug was all that was needed.

The last three months of the deployment I was just tired.  The boys were doing well, but getting ready for Matt to come home.  Sometimes they'd see me cry and say, "Mom misses Dad," then I'd buy them a toy or two… or three and have cinnamon toast crunch cereal for dinner.  Kind of fabulous in it's own special way!  There were days where I'd put the boys in the bath, read them their bedtime stories while they were bathing , brush their teeth while they were bathing, and say their prayers while they were bathing.  All that was left was drying off, new PJs, and easy bedtime!

In the last month of the deployment I started looking at the calendar daily.  It helped to visualize the last few weeks we'd go through.  (I "calendar gazed" A LOT during Matt's Iraq deployment (OIF III), and it would eat at me, so I made a very conscious effort not to do that this time around.)  
But I'd look at the calendar to the months when I KNEW Matt would be home, and think about the simple things that we could do together.  Of course Christmas was a big one, but really it was the like "watch the Olympics in February as a family" and "ride bikes together" that were foremost on my mind.

And Matt, in short, was really busy during the deployment--like, so very, very busy.  When he came home in November it basically took him a full month to recover and catch up on rest.




Matt's now been home 4 months.  We adjusted well, I think.  Thanksgiving and Christmas came with no real stressors, Matt isn't near as 'jumpy' as he was after Iraq, and we really are enjoying our family time.

We haven't had that much of it--the family time--in the last few years.  Matt was taking 18 credits a semester while in his MBA program at Boise State, so that meant very full days with a few hours sprinkled throughout the week for down time (but with homework and studying always on the mind).  So even though Matt doesn't get home till 6 or 6:30 at night, and sometimes 7pm, the fact that he's able to eat dinner with us and then help me put the kids down = WOW!   It's basically been 3 and a half years since we've had that.

There's a good chance that Matt will be gone a month or so this summer, then a month in the fall.  But we're not to worried about it.  Just enjoy then "now".  Cause the "now" is actually pretty great!


… And now a photo dump :)

Family bike ride.
Titus is on the bike trailer, and the boys are training-wheeless. 

Practicing their fishing casting in the living room.  Safe. 

FSU twins!  Watching the last bit of the Olympics.

Matt took the boys to the LEGO movie.  Loved! 

There's a pizza place with a giant IronMan!  

Took the boys to the Mighty Eight Air Force museum.  Pretty cool stuff, man. 

We had an epic play time at the "soft play area" in the mall.
The boys pretty much were the only one's there, and of course Matt recorded the wrestling…
They were all very sweaty afterwards.