Lexis and Rossi

We knew it was close, yet it happened so fast. Lexis was 10 years old when Ken and I started dating. He thought she was on her last year then. However, Ruger brought her back to puppyhood. :) Those two were so good for each other. Ruger was 3 and had a lot of puppy in him still and was lonely. I didn't realize he was lonely until Ken and I were dating. Ruger never wanted to come home after he'd been out in the country. :) They were the best of buddies! They complimented each other so well. Lexis was so much bigger than Ruger, but Ruger could turn on a dime. They loved each other more than we ever knew. On March 19th, Lexis was acting really needy. Sadly, we were both kind of frustrated with her that morning as we were getting ready for work. She had really deteriorated since Christmas and we were already worried that she wouldn't make it through the summer. We put her in the garage for the day b/c she was acting like her stomach was upset.When I got home she wasn't in the garage and I thought that was good sign, until I walked in the house. Ken was on the floor with her and you could tell she was so uncomfortable. It was heartbreaking. Ken was upset b/c he knew something was different that morning. We both knew it was time to put her down, but I waited for Ken to make the decision. Its the hardest decision he's ever had to make, and he will tell you that himself. The dr couldn't get her in until the next morning. It was hard to watch her in so much pain. 24 hours earlier, she was fine. Ruger was good to her and left her alone. Lex wouldn't eat or drink. I finally hand-fed her so she could have something. When I realized that worked, I put some asprin in the food. The aspirin was amazing! It really calmed her labored breathing and made her comfortable enough to fall asleep. The next morning, I said my good-bye before I went to work. Ken's story is his to share. I will say that he was with her until the end. She has been a part of his life for 14 years. His constant. His first love. She was his best friend. Life was quiet around our house. It was very weird. We could tell Ruger was sad, but we didn't think anything of it. We were expecting it.

After a few weeks, Ruger was still going straight to the garage to check her crate. He was hoping she'd be there. When he realized she wasn't, he headed outside by himself. One day Ken pulled out Lexis' dog tag and Ruger went nuts! He was so excited!!! Ken let him smell it and Ruger started spinning and circles like he was going to get to see her (this is how he acts when he gets to see Papa, Grammie, Duke or Frasier). The rest of the day, he would just lay there...not sleeping...just pouting and being depressed. It was heartbreaking. We knew he had to do something.

Within 24 hours, Rossi became a part of our family. The two frenchies were instant friends! We are so thankful that they love each other and play well together. She definitely has A LOT of traits that Lexis had which cracks us up! But, Ruger now has a buddy again. Rossi also got to meet my parents, Frasier and Duke at Easter. She was a hit! THANKFULLY! I don't know what we would have done if they all didn't get along! :) The four of them had a great time together. The best was watching the 3 frenchies run side-by-side as fast as they could all around the backyard. It was hysterical! She definitely livens things up! No dog can replace Lexis. She will always be a part of our family! We will always remember our "Sweet Girl".

Our Kids :)

While today is day 7 in my relationships series, I'm also linking up to Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life: Your Pets! YAY!!! I definitely have a relationship with our pets. If you've been around my husband or I at all, you will know we are "those people". You know the one's that you have to sit and listen to every funny little thing (even if its only funny to us) that your kids do. We are those people. I always seem to catch us on our 3rd or 4th story about how "funny Ruger is" (REALLY, he is hysterical!) and end up apologizing to whoever we're talking to. Most people are very gracious...and if they know our animals, they actually might even enjoy a story or two. I know that not everyone is an animal person, but those of us who are know that our pets are also family...no matter what anyone thinks. They hold a special place in our hearts. We come home to tails wagging and huge smiles. They prance (or in Ruger's case, turns in circles) when they are excited. They have specific words that will get them excited, upset, make them speak, do tricks, or SING (your dog doesn't sing??? My friend has a chihuahua that sings on command. I LOVE IT! I wanted a dog that did that too. Well, God gave that dog to me. Ruger doesn't do on command, but every time I sing, he will join in.)! :) Pets are companionship for the lonely or broken-hearted. They can be someone's running buddy or cuddle-bunny. They love unconditionally. You, their master, can do no wrong (unless you have a cat...then they, of course, are right all the time). Pets bring joy the minute you pick it out and call it your own. And, they break hearts when they leave the family. If you have a pet, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I could go on and on about what I've learned from having pets. What they've taught me about life or myself. I can tell you stories about how my pets have affected peoples' lives. How they have been a "constant" in the good times and bad. But, most of you have your own. They are truly a blessing from the Lord. God gave us the authority to take good care of them and treat them with respect and to enjoy them. With that said, I would like to introduce you to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th loves of our life (my husband is of course #1).

Ruger - I got Ruger in 2005. He walked into my life and my heart was gone. PRECIOUS!!! He is completely hysterical and has the best personality. He is definitely the life of our house. He makes all of us laugh and smile and even feel young! And, his favorite game is basketball-soccer. He plays soccer with a full-size basketball. Don't judge...he's AMAZING at it! My nephew says he's got mad defense skills. :) Lexis - Lexis was my husband's first love. When we got together, she would bark at us every time we hugged or kissed, actually she still does. Not out of jealousy, but b/c she is so protective of me, she doesn't want him touching me. She is 13 years old. She has her days where she isn't feeling at her best, but there are many days that she prances around with Ruger making the best of her elderly life. She is definitely the protector of our home. Flip - Flip came with the house. I know that sounds weird, but he really does go with our house. We are at least his 3rd owner...if not his 4th. He's a GREAT mouser!!! And, he loves our family. He loves being with all of us when we're outside and will paw at our door when he wants attention. I fell in love with him immediately b/c he's orange. :) I do have other loves that live at my parents' house. They hold a special place in my heart, each for different reasons. I can't write this post without mentioning them.

Duke - Duke was my first, very own dog. I got him from a friend of mine in college whose lab had puppies. He is 13 years old and lives with my parents now. I kept him for 2 years before I had to move into an apartment. He was too big to move with me, so my parents graciously adopted him. He is completely OCD with fetching and LOVES to talk when you're outside with him. Frasier - Frasier is my parents Frenchie. They loved Ruger so much that they wanted one too. Fray has a completely different personality, but incredibly loveable. He is much more gentle-spirited than Ruger, but not quite as playful...however, he does have his moments. Fray was adopted and came through major back surgery. He's a great addition to our family! Enjoy your pets today! Love on them! They bring so much joy to your life!

***click here to see all 31 days of relationships posts***

Around Our Home

I'm working on a post for our girls' trip that my best friend and I took to Eureka Springs, but in the meantime, I figured I'd post a few things that have been happening around here.

We've had beautiful, rainy evenings (if you look really close, you'll see the rainbow)...More garden growth...especially the corn! In these pictures , you can see a baby jalapeno, bell pepper, zucchini, and asparagus. :)And, we celebrated a birthday!!!! Ruger turned 6!!! For his birthday, he opened cards from mommy and daddy and from The C Family - Devin, Michelle, Finley, Jude...and from their furry-children, Jenny and Pete! Got a new toyHe and Lex had a big spoonful of peanut butter for their "cake"
Loving all the LIFE around our place! Stay tuned for the girls' trip post and other happenings in May!

6th

Happy 6th Birthday to my most favorite EVER, next to my sweet husband (of course)!!!!!I can't believe he's 6!!!! Do I sound like I have a real kid or what??? Well, to me he is family. He changed my life the day he came into my home.He was a present from my parents. He was adorable and fatty when he came. his little ears were flapped down b/c he was "stressed". Thankfully they popped back up later. He thought Michelle and I were crazy for a few days until he got used to us. I remember feeling like a parent....putting him in his kennel and letting him "cry it out" and I couldn't WAIT for 9pm when it was his bed-time b/c he was just so full of energy!!!!I couldn't believe how attached I was to him after only having him for a few weeks when I learned he had hemivertabrae and there was a chance he could have been paralyzed by the time he was one-year-old. I tried so hard not to cry in front of the vet. We've had some other medical ups and downs that left him in the hospital overnight and I had to trust their care for him. Thankfully, God has given me 6 years with this little guy!He is so fun! Not only do I love him, but I am SO thankful that God blessed me with a husband that is absolutely in love with him too. Not only did Ruger and I find a home with Ken, Lexis took to us quite nicely as well. Ruger is best friends with Lexis. He is like the little brother she probably didn't want. He is a pest...stealing bones from her and pouncing on her when she doesn't want to play. He loves walks! We have to spell the work out in our house if we aren't sure we have time for one. He gets so excited lifting up on of his front paws and staring at you just waiting for the the right words, "Do you want to go on a walk?". He has mastered pouting and can keep his head perfectly still on the ground and look at you out of the corner of his pouty eyes if you aren't doing what he wants. His favorite toy is a full size basketball! He can kick it around, nudge it with his head, get it out of corners, and bring to you. He can entertain himself forever with that thing! However, he's not so fun to have around when you're actually trying to PLAY basketball b/c he WILL steal it from you. In the words of my nephew, Caleb, "Man, Ruger has mad defense skills!"I have three favorites. One is watching him play with Ken. They get on the floor and wrestle!!! Ruger knows he's playing with his daddy b/c he will bite Ken, but not me. Its so cute to see them ran around together. Two is what we call "filet-o-fish". I think we call it that b/c he looks like a catfish and sometimes acts like a seal. He sits in front of you and walks his front legs toward you until his back legs are straight out. Then I pull him as close as I can and give him a massage and scratch his back. We usually do this at least once a day (and on Saturdays, he definitely pouts until it happens). Third is how excited he is to see me walk in that door after work. He spins in circles and runs around and jumps on me...anything to get some love and attention. Its awesome!Well, if you made it through this post, then you obviously know Ruger....otherwise, you probably think I'm ridiculous unless you have a dog yourself. :)

Happy Birthday, Ruger! You've brought joy to the life of our entire family!!! I love you with all my heart!!!

Time Again

Its that time of year again.... Spring time brings the annual shave! :) Lexis loves it!!!! However, this day, temperatures dropped to the 30's...she got a little cold and decided to snuggle up on the couch (she's NEVER gotten on our couch) with Ruger's fleece blanket! haha! And, he was willing to share. Ruger was at the other end snuggled up in another blanket too. :) Its so nice to look out the door and see GREEN! Sadly, when you walk across the grass, all you can hear is "crunch". We need rain so very badly! I love seeing the change in seasons. This Spring has brought beautiful days and cool nights...but also 30 degree weather one day and 90 degree weather two days later. I appreciate that we are still having some beautiful 70 degree days with cool nights. I will keep Spring as long as God allows it. A new thing I have added to my "favorites" list since I've been married is gardening!!! Our neighbor has a FABULOUS garden!!! He has 20 acres that he gardens at his home...he also has 2 green houses and a bee-hive for honey. Its incredible! He's a retired PhD professor and still has interns help with the gardening. Its very impressive! Anyway...when I see him out on the 10 acres that backs up to our house getting things ready, I know its that time of year again!!!! We buy plants from him and plant them. Last year was our first little garden....this year, its gonna grow!!! I'm super excited to start planting!!! We are going to do some now, again in June and again in the fall. If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT a gardening girl! This is the first time I've ever been excited about it. Last year, Ken did all the work to get the garden together, but I fell in love with it as I watched the harvest. It was such a joy to go to the garden everyday and gather the cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, and basil. This year, not only did I get excited about the garden, I was finally ready to try my hand at flowers!!!! My mom about fell over! haha! Its just never been an interest to me....but I really wanted something pretty on my porches and the flower bed right outside our front door. I set out to find something pretty. I learned from my mom and a high school friend (that now lives across the street from my best friend) that each plant has little "tags" that show what kind of sunlight they need and any other info you need to know. I looked for plants that would do well on our east facing porch...and one for the west facing porch. I still have no idea what one of the plants is called. My mom has told me numerous times, but still can't remember. I have lilies on the west side. I only bought one plant, but I'm going to get another one so that it will be symetrical.Here is my other plant. I think they look like mini-hydrangeas, but that is not what they are. I love this plant and bought it at our local farmers market. I would LOVE to get another one of these too. I bought a new pot and re-potted it so it had room to grow. Thankfully, my neighbor came over b/c I would have potted it incorrectly. She even gave me a bag of miracle-grow. So far, I haven't killed either one. Love seeing all the new growth and color!!! What does Spring look like at your house???

I Love Fall!

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Fall!!! Its my favorite!!!! :) I love the decorations, the food (soups, stews, pot roast, etc), the weather, the colors, boots, sweaters, the leaves changing colors, Thanksgiving, family, football....and I could go on and on! Its my favorite season!!!!!

I LOVE being outside!!!!! I love that firewood is being collected for the winter! Can't wait to use our wood stove! :) I love my hair in the fall b/c I go really dark and lose the highlights! I love that Ruger roots in the leaves and enjoys being outside with getting over-heated or freezing!!! Its perfect bulldog weather! :)