A Whirlwind.....

I feel hungover from all the holiday celebrations and I don't drink alcohol. The past 3 or 4 days have been so filled with love and joy that it may take a while to recuperate from it all.

It started on Thursday with a trip to New Orleans where we toured a lot of the city on foot, we parked on one end and walked for about 6 hours just enjoying the sites and taking it all in. This is definitely something we will be doing again.

Christmas Eve was spent with my family at my Grandmothers annual party, the food was great, it was a huge seafood gumbo and as usual it was awesome, there were lots of laughs and love and couldn't be better.

Christmas day was spent with my moms family. When we were young we went there a lot and about 4 years ago we started attending there annual celebration again. It is a good time and it brings back a lot of good memories as well. My cousins on that side of the family are great and it's good to see them with their own families and children.

We personally don't do a lot of gift exchanging, Everett and I might get a little something for each other and I am really into making gifts for people, this year I made a lot of them, I made a beautiful memory quilt and a bunch of other sewing gifts for a few others, I don't like to spend a lot of money on things but instead I much rather spending the time it takes to make something, putting in the work makes me feel good and I believe that is what the holidays are about, taking the time to do for others and then spending time with the ones we love. We've had a couple of families members battle cancer and win the fight this year so that puts things into perspective for us and reminds us that it could all be over tomorrow.

Whewwwww!!! It was a whirlwind of events and we loved every minute of it. Can't wait till next year.

I hope every one's holidays were as special and great as ours and that the New Year brings everything your heart desires, as for us, we'll keep working toward our goals and making our life as great as it can possibly be.

Where Has The Time Gone....

Who can actually believe the holidays are here already!!

Today Bo got to spend Thanksgiving with his granny, it was a very quiet, peaceful day and he had a blast. Riding in the truck is one of his favorite things to do and visiting someone is just frosting on top of that. I would have added a picture of him here but he has put himself to bed early tonight because todays events wore him out.

I love my family and my life and very thankful for the opportunities I have been given and the chance to spend time with the ones I love.

I found this posted on a friends facebook page and liked it so I thought I'd repost it here. I'm not a very religious person but this is nice for Thanksgiving.


We thank you, Lord, for food and friends
And for all of the joy this holiday lends;
It’s Thanksgiving Day and we can see
The blessings you’ve provided our family.
Thanks to you, Lord, for another good year;
When you watch over us, there’s nothing to fear....

A Pet's Ten Commandments....

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You, too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Summary Of Life....

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.


I got this in an email and thought it was cute and true....Enjoy

He's Living The Life....

Haven't posted in a while, we've been busy busy busy, but he is living the dream life, he is lizard hunting and bird watching every afternoon and he's loving every minute of it.

Happy Birthday To You, Happy Birthday To You....

Today is my mother’s birthday. Truly a day to celebrate, because lets face it, if she hadn’t been born and then decided to have children we would not be here to help celebrate her special day.

I think we are going to take her eat out some place special, maybe some place we haven’t tried yet, although we love our favorite places so much I won’t be surprised if we just go back to one of our usual spots.

There are very few things in life I would change if given the chance but one thing I would change in a heartbeat is the fact that her health has failed her. She was once such an active person, working and dancing and enjoying life every minute, if given the chance I would make her that way again. Watching her struggle with something so terrible is heartbreaking and truly makes me appreciate my own good health so much more and it makes us appreciate the days when she is feeling good and able to do normal activities again.

We may have our struggles but we are always there for each other.

We love you mom, we wish you many more birthdays to come, you deserve the best life has to offer!!

Bad Things....Good People....

The age old saying goes; Why do bad things happen to good people? In a perfect world bad things wouldn’t happen at all, but we don’t live in a perfect world so we must adjust and cope with whatever comes our way.

I am fortunate enough to work with a great group of people, and even more fortunate to work amongst some really great women. There is a lot to be said about liking the people you work with and even more so when you respect them.

I’ve met some, of what I consider to be, remarkable women. Women who are working hard to support their families, some mothers, some single, some empty nesters, all with the same goals. Some with obstacles in their lives that most of us cannot even imagine, it is these that I admire most. These are the ones that amaze me each and every day, these women are the kind that show up to work when they are sick and the same ones you see rushing out of work when the call comes that a loved one is in need, the ones that are volunteering to sit with someone’s sickly mother while she tends to her dieing father even though she herself is caretaker to her own sickly father and daughter.

I can honestly say that some of these women have gone through more things in their lifetime than a single person should have to go through and more than anyone else I know. It is when I see these particular women always smiling and giving to others that I realize all the petty things in my life are just that, petty.


We have a sort of sisterhood in the workplace, most of the women there have worked together for upwards of twenty years, so you can imagine there is a bond between them like no other and I am glad they welcomed me into their group.

As a group we are watching a member of our work family grieve the loss of her husband way too soon. Although I have never met her husband, I know he was a great human being, and I know this because I know her and she loved him more than life itself, for she is one of the women who inspires me on a daily basis.

We all know there are no words to erase her pain but maybe our presence and support will help her walk through it. We love you my Sista Judy and we will be there waiting for you when you come through the other side.

I guess the question will never really be answered. Why do bad things happen to good people?

Let's Just Say....

That any holiday that gives us a 3 day weekend is loved.

I can't believe it is the 4th of July already. The year is just flying by. So far it hasn't been half bad, no major problems to report, for the most part everyone is doing fine and it's been business as usual for our family.

The 4th of July is great, our little town has one of the best celebrations around and has even been featured on the World News. The fireworks display is one of the best as well and the best part about that is we can watch it from the front porch or through the window if the bugs and heat are too bad.

Although we don't go to the festival any longer I do enjoy riding by to see the crowd and hear the music. Everyone having a great time with family and friends makes me smile.

Happy Independence Day!!

And Yet Another....

Another holiday is upon us. Father's day is around the corner and since Everett is working I'll be spending it with my mother. I guess it is fitting since she was sometimes both mother and father to some of her children.

I wish Everett were in so he and Ryan could spend the day together. I'm sure they'll make up for it when he comes home. He's a good father, he's sacrificed a lot for his family and although he and Ryan had the typical struggles a father and son usually have their relationship is solid today. Every once in awhile they get together and do lunch and most importantly he knows his father loves him.

So Happy Father's Day Everett and Happy Father's Day Mom.

We love you both....

The Real Secret....

To A Successful Life....


A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.

She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." "Is the man of the house home?" they asked. "No," she replied. "He's out." "Then we cannot come in," they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in.

"We do not go into a house together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love."

Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said.

Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!" he said.

"Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.

She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the three old men,

"Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him.

Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!

His Amusement....

Although it has been raining some we are still enjoying the back deck a lot, it is covered and if the wind isn't blowing the rain sideways you can sit out there without getting wet. Saturday was hot and muggy but that didn't keep Bo from finding some fun. On one of his trips out he discovered a turtle just on the outside of the fence, he spent quiet a bit of time out there sitting and waiting for it to get close enough for him to reach under the fence and try to grab it, that didn't work out quiet the way he planned it, what he wound up doing is reaching under the fence and punching it and pushing it farther from where he wanted it, and he had to start over again. He followed it all along the fence until it disappeared under the house, then I rescued it and brought it to the front ditch and set it free. His next adventure for the day was a baby lizard running around the deck driving him crazy, I don't know which one was more nervous, Bo or the lizard. It was too young to know he had to stay hidden and kept coming out and running right between his legs, I imagine if they could talk they both would have been screaming.



A nice peaceful day is always nice, no drama, although, our lives are usually drama free since we decided not to sweat the small stuff, we are enjoying life more because of it. I try to keep my blogs positive and fun and I try to keep it about Life As We Know It....

The End....

of another beautiful weekend. This weekend was especially great because it was not only a long one and a Holiday but as I wrote previously it was my birthday weekend as well and it was definitely one of the best ones yet. Every year I'm just grateful for having made it another year, I'm thankful for every thing I've been blessed with throughout the year. My family is great and I'm so lucky to have them. Sometimes when I stop and take a step back and look at my life today and compare it to the way it was when we first started out I am truly amazed at what we've accomplished, we have been given such great opportunities in life and we have made the absolute best of them.



You know we celebrate New Years Day every year but sometimes I think that our birthdays are our personal New Years to celebrate and my goal is to get there feeling the best I can, and I don't mean just physically but emotionally as well, I try to stay positive and remain strong.



I thank everyone for all the wonderful Birthday wishes, without my family and friends it would be just another day....

Happy Birthday To Me....

My birthday, May 28th wasn’t always a joyous day for me. Not a lot of people know this but today is also the day my dad died. It was my third birthday and for a long time that affected me negatively. I often felt guilty for being the slightest bit happy on that day because of it. For years I felt that my birthday was just a reminder of a really bad time for a lot of people. It took me a lot of years to get over that and now I have the ability to look past it and realize that my dad would not want me to let that impede my success in any way, he certainly would not want me to carry that with me for the rest of my life and let it stop me from having true happiness.



Sometime ago I choose to move on with my life and although I do wonder about him on occasion I no longer dwell on it, I have too much to be happy about and if anything, it has made me realize just how quickly someone I love could be taken away from me.



So Happy Birthday ME…. I feel great, I have great health which equals great wealth, and I have an awesome family and a great job with great friends and couldn’t possibly ask for more. All the things that are important are laid out before me every day and I love my life.



So with our glasses lifted and no hate in my heart, here’s to another great year ahead with many more to follow….


"Difficulties in life are intended to make us better not bitter."

Weekend Road Trip....

It's nice to be at a point in our lives where if we want to pick up on the weekend and go we can just go. That's what we've worked towards our whole lives.

Everett has an old friend in the Shreveport area that ran into some health problems lately so we decided to pay him a visit. We left Friday afternoon when I got off work and drove the 4 hours to Shreveport. We thought while we were there we would also go back to the American Rose Society Garden and also take in the Boardwalk area.

It was such a nice day and very relaxing, we had a really good time and a great visit.











Making Memories on a Weekend Road Trip....

Memories On Mother's Day....

For me succeeding as a mother was to raise a loving, polite, respectable, hard working child, I believe I have done that. I was a very young mother, a teenage mother and we all know that doesn’t always work out best for the child.

We both sacrificed a lot for our child, but he never knew that growing up because we made sure he was never without. We always focused on doing what we had to do to provide for our little family, for us that meant working hard, we've both worked since our teenage years to make sure he never had to do without. When we were younger times were hard and it took it's toll on us but we have persevered.

My memories of my sons’ childhood include fishing trips at Toledo bend, lots and lots of trips to Astroworld, that was his favorite place when he was a kid. I never really liked being on the water and I certainly was never a fan of roller coasters but those trips weren't about me they were for him and his enjoyment. Because he is an only child we usually let him bring a friend along to pal around with, later when he got to be closer to graduating high school his girlfriend usually tagged along with us.

His High School years brought a new sporting event for us to attend and we really enjoyed his pole vaulting years and we even loved hauling him to where ever the Meets happen to be, the best feeling was when he would ride the team bus to Meets and we would drive to meet them after I got off work because you could see him scanning the crowd looking for us. I could always tell when he spotted us because of the smile on his face, he would quickly regain his cool and try not to wave, but after a really good jump he would look to us for the thumbs-up and then he couldn't hide his smile anymore.

I miss those days but am so proud of him. He has become a hard working, loving young man. I wouldn’t change him for the world. I would do it all again and I have no regrets.

It’s Just Another Day….

I do not need it to be Mother’s Day to express my love for my mother.
We almost lost her for good a few years ago and I was thankful that I had decided to start doing what I needed to do to make sure my mother, and only living parent, knew that she was loved.


My mother hasn’t had an easy life; she has gone through things that I don’t know if I could go through. For the most part she raised her 5 children alone with whatever resources she had available.


Always there when we were sick, always up to get us on the school bus in the mornings and there to welcome us home from school in the afternoon, bringing some of us to and from practices or any other after school events that we may have been attending, the constant thing in all of our lives was the fact that she was there.


If we were sick in the middle of the night or having nightmares she was the one we ran to. Being a loving parent doesn't just mean giving us whatever we wanted but instead making sure we had everything we needed. As I grew up and had a child of my own I realized that what we thought were strict and hard to follow rules of a mean mother was in fact just what a responsible parent is suppose to do. Because of the rules and discipline in our home I learned right from wrong and the consequences of choosing to do the wrong instead of the right. I’m not saying things were great all the time or anywhere near perfect, but to dwell on those times does nothing but make me forget about all the good times, which we had lots of and I refuse to do that.


My mother was and is not a perfect parent but then again we were not perfect kids. I have grown past faulting her for what I thought was her faults and learned to appreciate her for who she is and what she has gone through in her life.


I know one day she will leave this earth and all I will have left are my memories so during the times when she is sick and needs a little help, I take care of her not out of obligation but out of love and respect, because she deserves it.


Today we spent the afternoon together, we had an early dinner/late lunch and did some shopping while she was feeling up to it. Making memories is what it's all about, living it so we have no regrets is what we do.


Happy Mother’s Day Mom!!

I'm Sure....

Things could be better but I don't know how.
The weather is great today and we are enjoying it on the shaded back deck. My mom and I are spending the weekend together and Bo is loving having his granny being here to follow around.

Sitting here taking it all in makes me truly appreciate just how good life is. If life is what you make it then we've done a great job, we have truly been blessed with good family and friends, good health, and a son who has a beautiful girlfriend and a great job.

For two kids who started out struggling to make ends meet with a baby we have done alright for ourselves and our family, we've worked hard so that we can not only take care of ourselves but so that we can take care of our families as well.

We have some new tenants nesting under the deck roof and this morning we got our first peak at what they've been sitting on.

I Am Sick and Tired....

Of being in the house....

Bo has been asking all weekend to go for a ride, somewhere, anywhere, he doesn't care where. So this afternoon I put him in his harness grabbed his pooper scooper bags and loaded him in the truck. He was so excited he could hardly stand it, saying he loves riding in the truck is an understatement. I brought him for a walk in the park and he and I enjoyed all the sights and sounds and smells the world has to offer. He enjoyed all the squirrels and all the kids playing in the park got him excited and at one point he almost chased their baseball but was able to restrain himself, I was so proud of him because I know he really wanted to race them to that ball and steal it from them but he didn't.

His training paid off because he walked really well on leash, he doesn't drag me around at all even when a squirrel ran across the sidewalk in front of us.

We really enjoyed the day, the wonderful weather just made things even better. Our life is wonderful and I couldn't imagine anything that could make it better.

He is totally worn out and I imagine he will certainly snore tonight.

His New Favorite Thing....

A chew stick....He loves it so much he even takes it to bed with him.

We Did It....

The Komen Race For The Cure 5k was today and we not only did it but we completed it in a really good time. This is for such a good cause that we loved participating in it. Acadiana has the highest mortality rate in the nation when it comes to breast cancer, seeing all the survivors walking the course was amazing and very motivational. We are looking forward to next years race and beating our time.

Every Dog Has There Day....

And Bo's day is every day....

He misses Prissy terribly and at first he seemed to be alright but about after a week he really began looking for her and crying and whining. He was so pitiful and it was heart wrenching, I didn't know what to do for him because I was missing her just as much. That poor boy would climb onto my lap and just look at me as if to say "OK she's been gone long enough now bring her home", and he is really too big to be on my lap.

So we decided to make every day his day. We bring him for rides around town and I bought him a new toy and we even visited Pet Smart and to visit my mom at her house. He is so excited when I get home from work that we play chase for a while and he gets lots of hugs and kisses and he is loving all the attention.

I hope his good health lasts and he is around for a long time. I can promise him that he will never spend a night outside, he will never experience extreme cold or heat and he will have more than enough to eat and drink because I believe that these are the things we do when we love them.

So every dog day is a good day in our house....

Heavenly Pet Memorials....

Thank you Dayna Perry for handling our babies for us and providing us a way to have them with us forever.


We appreciate the work you do and your love for our pets.


Rock's Urn is beautiful and having Prissy and him together for eternity means so much to us, we can't thank you enough.


http://heavenlypetmemorials.com

And Life Goes On....

Today was Bo's first day home totally alone and he had free run of the house. He did great, he probably slept all day. I was glad to see him when I got home but it was sure different without my Prissy here. I miss tending to her and Rock, I'm a caretaker by nature, whether it's my child, our dogs, my mom or whomever else requires tending to, it doesn't matter, it's what I do.

It was nice to have him meet me at the door and it was nice to know that he was glad to meet me at the door.

This is an excerpt from a story about someone discussing why dogs have such short life spans. I think it hits the nail on the head....

'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Our Final Goodbye....

Jr.'s Little Miss Prissy (Prissy)....
4/15/97 - 2/19/10




My sweet Prissy left us to join our sweet Rock at the Rainbow Bridge, where she can see and hear and run and play. I know he was waiting for her and it was a grand reunion....We will miss you dearly my sweet angel....

She fought as long as she could and probably longer than she should have, I think she was hanging on for us, trying to give us time to be ready to let her go. That time would have never come, we're never ready to let go but she certainly didn't deserve to suffer and she was.

I took the afternoon off and spent it cuddling with her on the couch, just the two of us, she laid in my arms and we napped.

Everett and I absolutely hate this part of loving our babies, loving them enough to end their suffering, making that decision is the hardest thing we'll have to do. Once it's been made there's no turning back, the decision to hold them in my arms when they pass away is not as difficult as the actual decision to have it done. As hard as it is for me to hold them I know it comforts them immensely.

Rain, Sleet or Snow....

It's off to work we go!! It was actually sleeting at 4 this morning and I don't think Bo's feet barely hit the ground when he went out. Some people have Snow Days, I think we should have "It's too cold days"! You can call in sick, take a vacation day or call in with "It's too cold!!".

Yesterday we put Prissy on a prescription food for her Kidneys and thankfully it's a canned wet food, and thankfully she seems to like it, since yesterday she ate a complete can, not all at one time and mostly out of my hand but at least she at it. I feed her a little at a time so as not to give her a stomach ache. I spoke to the vet and he agrees that she is nearing the end of her journey and at this point I'm just doing everything I can to make her comfortable and make sure she feels the love we have in our hearts for her. The Cocker Forum has been a great support for me when my babies are sick, they are a great group of people.

Having gone through this with Rock hasn't made it easier because when you love someone the thought of loosing them is painful no matter how many times you go through it. You can't prepare for it that's for sure. You always hear people say when someone who has been sick for a long time and finally passes away that at least the family had time to prepare for it, it wasn't a shock. Well believe me you can't prepare for it. The entire time my mom was in the hospital on a respirator I kept trying to prepare myself for the worse but that wasn't possible.

Speaking of my mom, I think this weekend will be a girls weekend. I think I will spend it with her and my aunt. Taking care of others that have been sick, whether it's my mom or my dogs has taught me that the small petty things don't matter, the time we spend together is what matters. Life is Grand, I've said it before, We Work Hard but we Love Harder. Working hard has afforded us the ability to be able to enjoy what life has to offer without as much worry. We are truly fortunate.

Well we had a great day Saturday, I took my mom and aunt to lunch and for some minor shopping and then just hung out for a while. It was the last day of my aunts vacation, she came in for a couple of weeks and she and my mom visited some of their relatives and hung out alot. She took that long drive home on Sunday, I don't know how she drives all that way alone but she does.

More Winter Weather....Brrr

Always fashionable....Her new coat was a bit snug when we first got it but since she's lost some weight it fits great, she loves it because she hates the cold weather.


These steps are getting harder and harder to travel, most times I carry her.










Can't you see I'm trying to sleep...He takes my side of the bed when I get up for work, I guess it's already warm and someone should get some use out of it....

Well What Do You Know....She's Out Of Bed....

Kidney Failure and What to Watch For:

Increased thirst
Excessive drinking
Increased urination
Lethargy
Vomiting
Bad breath
Anorexia
Weakness
Lack of coordination when walking
Depression

I spoke to the vet to ask which of these is the final stages of Kidney Failure, since she is experiencing all of these except for vomiting and the fact that she is still able to urinate and he says that if she stops urinating and starts vomiting then you know her kidneys have stopped functioning all together.

My Prissy is so loved by everyone, especially Bo, he was glad to see her out of bed and takes every opportunity he can to try and snuggle up to her.

Yet Another Beautiful Day....

How much more beautiful can it get??

The weather has been absolutely wonderful and if it holds out through the weekend I believe I will take my mom shopping, if she feels well enough.

If the weather doesn't cooperate maybe we'll stay in and watch movies or something.

Stayed tuned....

Not looking good for that shopping spree....Oh well, we'll probably just stay in.

The shopping didn't happen but we did spend some time together anyway, we just hung out, which is just as good as shopping anyway.

Like I said "Yet Another Beautiful Day"....

Brrrrrr....

If we thought it was cold before, well get ready cause we haven't seen anything yet.

My babies are gonna freeze, they need boots for their little feet.

Well Everett got both of our trucks and my moms truck ready for the cold weather, he went by today and checked on her, she's snug as a bug in a rug and should be fine. He then spent the rest of the day getting things around our house ready for the freeze with the help of Bo. Well he didn't actually help, but he does run around looking for him when he can't see him out the window, he will go from room to room trying to see out of every window until he comes inside.

And little Prissy, well she is curled up next to me on the couch and will probably be there until it is time for bed.

I guess we don't have it so bad, I've seen pictures on Zimm's website of snow filled yards with pathways shoveled in the snow so the dogs have a place to go and do their business.

It could be worse, a lot worse....

Back To The Grindstone....

Dare I say it?

Back to work today, ugh! Lots of us actually took the last week off so it wasn’t just my first day back. If you use your vacation days wisely you only have to use 4 vacation days and you get 10 days off, how much do you love that!

Well I’m not the only one loving it, seems Bo and Prissy love it as well. You know they’re spoiled, Everett was home on vacation for 3 weeks and I was home for a week after he left so my babies were in heaven. I felt bad leaving them this morning to come to work but they’ll be happy tomorrow when their daddy comes home.

I almost had enough time off to forget what it was like to get up at 4:00 am, but not quiet, it is just as I remember, dark, very very dark. It was, however, enough time for Prissy and Bo to forget what it was like to get up so early. He doesn’t like too but he will get up when you do and poor Prissy is at the stage in her life where sleeping in, is the greatest thing ever. I actually have to go in and wake her up and even then she won’t get out off bed, I have to carry her and put her outside for her to do her business then it is right back to bed she goes.

Her less frequent bathroom trips are telling us that her kidneys are not doing well, the last Vet visit we found out that they were on the decline, which is to be expected in a dog her age but, nonetheless it is sad. That baby girl never complains she is such a sweetheart.

Oh well like I said, Back to the Grindstone it is. No matter how much I miss my babies while I’m gone no use complaining about going to work, we have goals for this year so work it is, work it is.

So far the New Year is right on track and going great, all 4 days of it….

What Will The New Year Hold...

The first day of the new year was very busy. I spent the day moving our son into his first townhouse. I wish him all the happiness in the world, he is truly a great son.

I started my blog quiet some time ago, back in 2007 and it was appropriately named "Life As We Know It" "Our Life Has Gone to the Dogs...". I started it to document my Rock's battle with cancer, he was diagnosed with Oral Squamous Carcinoma and eventually it took his life. I started it after joining the Cocker Spaniel Forum and have focused most of my posts on our fur babies but every once in a while I include a post about my family but mostly about the fur babies.

A few years ago we watched my mom almost die due to an incurable illness that she still struggles with today, and that forever changed our relationship and our lives. It forced me to think about the fact that one day I will lose her whether to this illness or not remains to be seen but in the meantime I need to make sure that she knows I love her.

Last year in late June came Rock's diagnosis and we were devastated, it was a death sentence and again we were faced with the fact that we were, not possibly but definitely, going to lose him. I know some people might say, big deal he's just a dog but to us he was family and as with my mom I needed to make sure he knew that we loved him dearly. When the end came I held him tight and I could feel his last breath leave his body. I wasn't sure if I could even be in the room when he passed but when the time came I didn't have it in me to leave him alone or with strangers so I stayed and held him.

You know before that a lot of other "stuff" be it problems or issues seemed important but after that everything else seems so minor. Every day we are forced to accept the fact that a few of our loved ones are not as young as they once were nor or they as healthy as they once were so meantime we make sure they know how much we love them.

Our lives will continue to focus on the positive because life is too short not to. My blog will continue to be focused on our fur babies and our family because they are what means the most to us.

I can't wait to see what the New Year has in store for us...

Nothing like a good stretch....









If you like to read about us loving our dogs keep reading and if you want to read about other cocker lovers check out one of my favorite sites, http://www.zimfamilycockers.com