Guest Musings: Jane-Marie

One of the things I love about the blogs I follow is that every once and a while they feature a guest blogger.  In fact, I started following Rachel from “6512 and growing” after reading her guest post on Kelle’s “Enjoying the Small Things.” I love how you can be introduced to something new by a chance essay from another perspective.  So I’ve decided to add an occasional series of “Guest Musings” just to add a few different perspectives to my site with the hopes that you find something new that perhaps inspires you.

My first “Guest Musing” features my best friend, college roommate, and maid of honor Jane-Marie.  Jane-Marie, who is originally a Georgia peach like me, writes from her home in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she is a PhD student in Applied Psychology at Heriot Watt University and researches online social media engagement.  You can learn more about her research on her website, researchaboutsocialmedia.com/.  She is also the webmaster of Journey Towards Recovery, a blog that seeks “to provide an open and inviting space for individuals to speak out about mental illness, share their own personal stories, and in doing so help fight stigma and inform the public.”  Hope you enjoy her post below.

–Margaret

Hi all,  I’m Jane-Marie, Margaret’s former college roommate and BFF. I was elated when she asked me to guest post for her new blog and will try not to disappoint.

I miss my dog.  Seven years ago when I was straight out of college, living on my own with my first big girl job, I adopted Charlie Brown from a rescue shelter.

Jane-Marie and Charlie

Charlie and I became fast friends. He is the most affectionate, sweetest doggie and I love him to bits. Little did I know that my life was soon about to change. I got awarded a scholarship to study in England and before I knew it I was off to the motherland.

But what about Charlie? Well, my mom and dad gratefully said they would take care of Charlie for a year. But my year abroad turned into a postgraduate work visa which then turned into a PhD studentship in Scotland. Since my stay in the UK has become more permanent my mom and I talked about the possibility of me bringing Charlie over. But, the pet rules are strict and include a 6 month incubation period. That paired with the long plane ride is just too much for sensitive Charlie. Plus, Charlie has become best buds with Checkers (my parent’s dog).  I wouldn’t want to separate them. Not to mention that now my mom claims Charlie as her own. 😦

Charlie and Checkers

So, since Charlie is no longer an option, I’ve now started hassling my boyfriend Ian about getting a dog. Luckily, I think I have found a way in. He loves mountain biking and really wants a ‘trail dog.’ So, we’ve scoured the internet and found the perfect fit.

Jane-Marie and Ian’s dream dog– a vizsla!

A Hungarian Vizsla.  Aren’t they gorgeous! They love to run and be outdoors plus they are very affectionate and loving as well. Perfect! I’m so obsessed that I’ve even named our hopefully soon to be companion- Autumn. But, unfortunately Ian and I don’t live in the same city and sometimes he has to go out of town for his job so it doesn’t look like I am going to own a dog any time soon.

In the meantime I will just keep asking to pet cute dogs on the street and search the internet for my perfect match.

-Jane Marie