Shelby's Life and Whatnot

You've Got Questions, I've Got (Thorough) Answers

Hooray, I've got some questions! I'll continue to update this thread as the questions pour in (hint, hint), but for now, here goes.

Three questions from Annastazia:
1. What made you decide on owning a beagle?
I've always wanted a dog, and always thought I wanted a big dog like a lab. My senior year at Albion College I decided I was going to get a dog come hell or high water. Unfortunately I was living in the dorm, so that had to wait until I got to graduate school. When I got to Missouri I specifically got an apartment (my first one) that allowed dogs. However, they had a weight limit of 20 pounds. I didn't think it was fair to keep a very large dog in a small apartment so I started looking at small dog breeds. I've never really liked most small dogs because of the hyperactivity and the high-pitched barking (two things my in-law's otherwise cute Maltese Harry does in excess whenever I see him--Kevin claims to have seen him sleeping but I don't believe it) so I was looking for that "big dog in a small body" thing. I became interested in beagles because they're so darn cute, and if you get a little one they don't grow much bigger than 20 pounds (or so I thought). I got Scout through an ad in the paper for beagle puppies. There was also an ad for Rat Terriers and I almost got one of them, but beagles are just so cute! So that was how I got Scout. As it turns out, I have been able to keep her weight to just around 20 pounds but have since learned that she's really slight for a beagle and most are larger than that. We're considering getting another dog and I want to get another beagle. So that's the short answer :D.

2. How did you know that Kevin was the one you were going to marry?
That's a good question! I can't really say that there was one particular moment when I knew I was going to marry Kevin, it just sort of grew gradually. If you haven't read How We Met, go do that first. After Kevin returned from Germany in 2000 and moved in with me, I realized how much I'd grown to love him. Once I realized that, I knew that he was the person I wanted to share the rest of my life with. Marriage was an easy decision, really. After a certain point we both became really committed to the relationship and I just knew it was right.

3. What's your guilty pleasure love ballad that you know every word to and secretly love to sing along with?
Well it's embarrassing, and this isn't going to come as any surprise to my old roommate Mary, but it's definitely Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart. I can't hit all of the notes, but that's never stopped me from belting it out. For me, the song just encapsulates all that was cheesy about 80s love ballads. It's so good because it's so bad!