Just keep swimming!

When I was 16 I worked at a pet store. Aside from being a Mormon, my pet store life was just "who I was!" I loved every inch of that place. I would go there on my days off because I couldn't get enough of it. My co-workers, the pets, the costumers, the gigantic amount of pet supplies, I loved it all. I know it seems weird. I felt often misunderstood and a bit alone for being kind of "weird". But I loved caring for those animals. I got great satisfaction from giving them clean homes. I still feel that satisfaction when I change my kids sheets and get their beds all clean and tucked in for them. I don't know why but I love knowing they are going to bed in a clean environment. And I loved knowing my little pet store pets had clean homes.

When I was working at the pet store, I never did much with the fish but I loved them just as well. I had a tank at home full of Tiger Barbs. They are just nasty enough to keep the tank constantly full of action. But they never kill each other. Just feisty, pretty, fun, little fish.

I was able to get a tank as an adult by trading babysitting. Not big enough for my tastes. Only a 29 gal. I had it for years until, OF COURSE, some kid put a crack in it. I have gone probably 8 years without an aquarium and I have sorely missed it.

Justine and I were breeding rabbits and trading with a pet store for credit to earn another tank. We had 100 dollars when the pet store went out of business and wasn't able to give me my credit. Made me super sad.

Happily, thanks to friends , Eric and Sandy, I inherited one a few months ago that they were taking down. A 39 gallon. Eww, Ahhh. I was so happy.

The kids were so happy when they saw it filled with water! After you fill it with water you should wait a week before adding fish. The kids thought it was torture waiting. I was really happy because both Rhett and Justine were super genuine when they said they couldn't wait to get fish.

One reason it took me a bit to put the tank up was because I wanted to do something different about the stand. It was an oak veneer tall stand. I really wanted a stand that put the tank at eye level for the little kids. I was so excited! I just took the stand, chopped about 10 inches off it, lowered the frame edge down, glued it back on and repainted the whole stand. Then because I had so many painting errors, I rubbed the whole thing with dark paint and then rubbed it off and it made it look old. Then I sanded the edges. I think it turned out okay. Doesn't deserve to be on pinterest or anything but I really like the height of it. Why do I never take a before picture?

Here are our first fish. "The boys". I thought we had a boy and girl but after we got home they weren't. That's okay. Boy fish are prettier than girl fish. Doesn't it figure? Just like men look better than women as they age? That totally gets under my skin! Sheesh!

Love all the little peering eyes peeking into our boys. Super cute.