LONG awaited surprise.

For those of you who know me pretty well you know about my history and the fact that i can't have children of my own. You will also know that this is a very upsetting fact i still struggle with accepting. I fought so hard to beat my cancer because i was told i still had a chance to be a mother of my own children. I have only dreamed of that since i could speak. What little girl doesn't dream of being a mom someday? After my treatments i learned a cool fact. First off though i must tell you i had a fascination with turtles and liked them a lot. Now that i have learned these myths of turtles and the meanings that they have in some cultures i have a greater appreciation for them and i feel like i have a bond with them that they can understand me and i can feel peace and comfort in them. So one day i was looking online to find the origin of turtles and where they came from, this is a site i came across that i loved because of the story on it.

http://www.greatdreams.com/lessons/turtle.htm

TURTLE SYMBOLISM

Thousands of years ago, in many different cultures in different places on our planet, the Turtle was seen as a "medicine" for Fertility, associated with the power to heal female diseases.

In the Greco myth, Europe, as the feminine power of the waters, the Turtle was an emblem of Aphrodite - Fertility Goddess and the primal Mother of all on-going creation.

For American natives the thirteen patterns on the Turtle's shell are the thirteen cycles of the thirteen moons, the natural rhythms of the planet, the Fertility periods of females.

In Asia, according to the Hindu, the land on which they lived was the back of a huge "Mother Turtle", floating in a vast primal sea.

In W. Africa's tribes the Turtle originated ju-ju and appears in Fertility rites, representing the feminine to the serpent's masculine power.

Turtle symbolism: "Eternal Mother", "Divine Mother", "Womb of all", "Protector of Mature Wombs that turn into Life". Fertility mythological Goddesses were sitting on a Turtle in a childbirth position.

Turtle represents the feminine Energy of water. The magical spawn of sea Turtle is a mystery to science. Female sea Turtle returns to her birthplace after 15 years of wandering the seas.

The fertile Turtle (almost Turtle the Fertle by Dr. Seuss LOL) is also an image of determinedness, patience and ability to navigate through life. Turtle shell protects you like the protection of Mother Earth.

On the equinoxes, the Sun crosses a center point and makes an exact 90-degree angle directly over the Pyramid of Ku'Kulkan (El Castillo) at the sacred site of Chichen Itza on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula (a place that represents the turtle's head on the continent known as Turtle Island or North America).

The Zuni, as most Native Americans, know almost all regions of the earth as "Turtle Island". Therefore the turtle fetish is considered to represent the living spirit of Mother Earth herself. Legend has it that the turtle navigates in the water and on land through its psychic connections with Mother Earth. Symbolism: Longevity, Loyalty, Peace.

Turtles even today has a strong symbolism meaning longevity and strength. In the Hindu mythology the tortoise supports on its back an elephant which, in turn, supports the world.

Mohawk people say that the earth lies on a turtle's back, this is a symbol for the continent of North America, a continent that was at one time inhabited solely by native people.

So now you know the origin in some cultures of the turtle and why i love them so much. I have wanted a turtle for so long and have started my own little collection of turtle items...

The ceramic turtle on the top left, i had made that in a ceramics class in high school before i even got sick. I made it just for fun and little did i know that this would happen.

Every morning i get up and head to the bathroom, i pass the shelves that has this collection sitting on it and i get to see my little babies every time.

I have more turtle items that aren't pictured here and most of them i have gotten from my mother and Daniel.

So two nights ago i was searching online for a couch for our apartment because we are still with out a couch in our perfect little place. I was on the school bulletin board and while i was scrolling through the pages of junk that was being sold i came across a posting that caught my eye. This guy had a turtle he was wanting to pass to someone else because he couldn't handle taking care of it while he was doing his 18 credits of classes. He had gotten the turtle a few months ago as a help to a friend who was moving and couldn't take the turtle with him. This man who had the posting (Mitch) was willing to give the turtle, tank, food, and everything he had to take care of the turtle, for free. You just had to call and pick it up. Right there i knew i wanted it so i asked Daniel. He knew as well that there was no way he was going to win by not getting it. He kept asking me questions like "how will you take care of it? Do you know anything about turtles? Have you ever taken care of reptiles? Will you feed it? Will you clean the tank? Will you be the one doing all the work for this creature?" I kept assuring him i did and i would take care of it. Reminding him that i had taken care of animals most of my childhood.

I caught a lizard when i was 17 in grandma and grandpa's back yard and my sister Brylee and i named it ZoeJoe. We named it that because we didn't know if it was a boy or girl and we both wanted to give it a name. The two of us took care of it. Cleaned it's tank, fed it, played with it. We did what it needed to be taken care of.

I then started to use the price factor. The turtle i had seen at the pet store last semester when i went was over $100 and i told him that we were getting this one totally free. He couldn't argue. So i text Mitch back and asked when the best time to get the turtle was. I asked different questions like the name that was given, how often he fed the turtle, and so on... The next day after i dropped Daniel off at school i went over and picked up the material and the turtle! I drove home so slow in hopes as to not upset the water much and create splashing in the back seat. I got to the apartment and realized i had to walk up to the third floor with this tank that weighed probably 30-40lbs. It's a huge tank and so i called my neighbor and had her come out in the cold to help me carry this up to the place. I got the turtle all settled in and cleaned the water, filled it with warm water and fed it. This is our family's new addition. World, meet Chives (given name before me and i liked it), Chives meet the world!

Chives is feisty, i had tried to take her out of the tank yesterday so i could clean it and she kept attacking me with her claws and tried biting me (unable to reach granted). Then later once she was in the tank with warm water she would look at Daniel and swim around when he was around, sticking her head up over the water and looking at him. When i would come around she would turn away and hid in her shell in the corner. Now she has warmed up to me and is sitting on the floor staring at me right now in hopes that i will feed her again.

The night i found the posting i was so happy! Jumping up and down in my seat while i was trying to do my homework, singing "i'm getting a turtle, i'm getting a turtle..." I was soooo happy and just like a little kid in a candy store all excited!

The next morning excitement was in the air for everyone. The weather here has been just perfect fall weather and this last week we have had rain everyday. Yesterday after i dropped Chives off at home and had headed back to school, i was walking to my class and realized it was snowing! SNOW!!!! I haven't seen snow fall since i was living in Utah when i was 14. So the whole day was filled with snow and now today it looks like another day of snow. Nothing yet, but soon. The sky is dark and no sun is poking out. I have turned the heater on in the apartment to keep me and Chives warm for the day while i am home doing chores and homework. It is what i think Christmas is supposed to feel like and i have been fighting lately from singing Christmas songs. Yesterday when walking to a class i have with Daniel, he started singing Christmas songs... GREAT! Now i have my favorite holiday coming sooner and sooner and i can't enjoy the holidays before it like i want to because i'm in the Christmas spirit. That means no scary horror films this Halloween like i wanted...

Anyway i have spent too much time sleeping in :) and doing other things than homework and i want to get on top of it so i can have next week to play around. So i will leave you all with this update and hope all is well with you! Things are going fine and dandy here, enjoying the fact that today is Friday and we get to go to the Temple after Daniel gets off work, and after that date night!!!!!!! Tomorrow after we work and Daniel has his Frisbee game, we are going to do some shopping and then have a bunch of friends come over to play games for "game night" at our place. We love game nights every weekend! Best wishes and ENJOY!

Love the Longs!


issue 45 10-7-2011