I just wanted to post a quick note since it's been a little while since my last post. Part of the reason why I haven't posted since the Monday before last is because I've been reading Inkheart (which I've been enjoying immensely!) whenever I have a moment to myself (e.g., car rides, Peanut Butter Cup's nap times, before bed, etc.), and the other part of the reason is because Peanut Butter Cup has been keeping me really busy while he is awake. Not that I mind. :-)
Peanut Butter Cup is currently going through a 'climb on everything humanly possible' phase -- oh and he likes to JUMP off of things, like: mommy or daddy's legs, a partially filled duffel bag that was on the floor for a little while, and he'd jump off the bed if we let him--as it is he always wants to stand up and run around on it now. . . not a good thing considering the fact that he is nearly able to climb up on the bed by himself. He proved to us tonight that he is big enough now to climb up onto the coffee table. Not a comforting thought. I wish he could understand why certain things aren't safe for him, but he is still too young to understand the concept of 'danger'.
Also, I would like to ask everyone to be praying for a friend of mine. . . she is 31 weeks pregnant and has just been put on bed rest (for the next 5 weeks) due to the possibility of her going into preterm labor (this is her second baby--the first was early as well). So, prayers would be appreciated that this new addition to their family will decide to just 'stay put' for a few more weeks at least! Thanks so much for your prayers!
I'll try to write a longer post in the near future. . . .
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sad News
Over this past weekend Copper wasn't feeling good: he stopped eating and drinking, was more lethargic than usual and had been vomiting up some foamy bile off and on. We thought it may have just been an upset stomach over something that he had eaten and were waiting for it to pass (he thrown up part of something that he'd eaten at one point, so that made us think even more that it was probably just something he'd eaten). Saturday night we brought him in the house for awhile and he was all perky and happy (just like his normal self!), we even got him to eat a bowl of chicken and brown rice that I'd made for him. So, it seemed like he was on the mend. However, Sunday morning he was back to his previous symptoms and wouldn't even eat any more of the chicken and rice. We talked about having me take him to the vet Monday morning to get him checked out (in case it was an impaction or something). We went out for a couple of hours in the afternoon to run some errands, and when we got home our worst fears had been confirmed that Copper had somehow contracted Parvo. I will spare you the details of how we knew because I don't want anyone to have to have that mental picture as it is too devastating finding your dog/puppy like that.
Anyhow, we rushed to take him to an emergency vet (we weren't willing to give up all hope on him just yet), but while we were there it became very evident to us that not only could we not afford the extensive vet care that would have been needed ($1800+ with no guarantee of Copper's survival--which anyone who has dealt with Parvo before can understand why that is), but that the Parvo had already done extensive damage VERY quickly after it first started showing signs. So, once again, we had to make the very difficult decision to have our other Baby put down.
The whole time we just kept thinking, "Not again!" and "We should have known--we should have recognized the symptoms!" For those of you who don't know, back during our first year in Alabama, we'd gone through this with our Weimeraner puppy, Hank. He beat the Parvo, but ended up passing away the next week from complications that stemmed from the Parvo while his immune system was weakened. Neither of us will ever take those symptoms lightly again and assume that they may be caused by a stomach ache. Parvo has a 10-14 day incubation period before symptoms start to appear, so the sooner it is caught and treatment begun, the better chance of survival the puppy/dog has. The Parvo virus can live for about a year (in practically everything: soil, toys, crate, etc.), and the only way to get rid of it is to bleach everything that an infected puppy may have come in contact with.
This was very unexpected, and just added insult to injury after having to put Quigley down such a short while ago as well. All in all, in the last 3 years we have lost 5 wonderful animals: first in January of '09 I received a call from my mom telling me that my beloved cat, Prince, had passed away--I'd had him since he was 8 weeks old...he was 17-18 years old. Next a couple of short weeks later, Hank came down with Parvo in February '09 and passed away about a week later. In January of 2010 my mom had to have our faithful Border Collie mix, Petie, down--we'd had him since I was about 4 years old as well, so he was 18 years old (he was the most loyal and the best dog anyone could ever have--there will never be another dog like Petie, he was simply incredible!). Then, as you all know, back in October we had to have our Quigley put down. And now, Copper as well. It's been a rough 3 years for us where animals have been concerned. I can only hope that in the future, things will be different.
We are relieved to know that Copper is no longer suffering, but are heartbroken at having lost him. However, we know that God is in control and that 'not a sparrow falls without His knowledge'. Though we may not understand 'why', we will continue to trust our Heavenly Father and lean on Him. We would appreciate your prayers during this difficult time. Thank you!
Peanut Butter Cup is napping right now, so I should really be trying to find something to eat for lunch, but I haven't really had much of an appetite since last night. Whenever I am downstairs, I find myself looking out into the yard looking for Copper. I need to do laundry, but I haven't been able to bring myself to go into the laundry room (where his crate was) since yesterday. I just feel so sad and alone right now (in the human/friend sense)! I wish it wasn't a Monday so I could at least be with my husband! Please pray for me, it's hitting me really hard right now.
(Sorry if this has been a morbid post and if it has been kind of 'dis-jointed'! My thoughts are all over the place right now, and I just had to get this all off my chest! I still don't really have any friends here, so I don't have anyone to talk to--this blog is my only outlet for the most part. Thanks for 'listening' to my heart, it truly means a lot to me.)
Anyhow, we rushed to take him to an emergency vet (we weren't willing to give up all hope on him just yet), but while we were there it became very evident to us that not only could we not afford the extensive vet care that would have been needed ($1800+ with no guarantee of Copper's survival--which anyone who has dealt with Parvo before can understand why that is), but that the Parvo had already done extensive damage VERY quickly after it first started showing signs. So, once again, we had to make the very difficult decision to have our other Baby put down.
The whole time we just kept thinking, "Not again!" and "We should have known--we should have recognized the symptoms!" For those of you who don't know, back during our first year in Alabama, we'd gone through this with our Weimeraner puppy, Hank. He beat the Parvo, but ended up passing away the next week from complications that stemmed from the Parvo while his immune system was weakened. Neither of us will ever take those symptoms lightly again and assume that they may be caused by a stomach ache. Parvo has a 10-14 day incubation period before symptoms start to appear, so the sooner it is caught and treatment begun, the better chance of survival the puppy/dog has. The Parvo virus can live for about a year (in practically everything: soil, toys, crate, etc.), and the only way to get rid of it is to bleach everything that an infected puppy may have come in contact with.
This was very unexpected, and just added insult to injury after having to put Quigley down such a short while ago as well. All in all, in the last 3 years we have lost 5 wonderful animals: first in January of '09 I received a call from my mom telling me that my beloved cat, Prince, had passed away--I'd had him since he was 8 weeks old...he was 17-18 years old. Next a couple of short weeks later, Hank came down with Parvo in February '09 and passed away about a week later. In January of 2010 my mom had to have our faithful Border Collie mix, Petie, down--we'd had him since I was about 4 years old as well, so he was 18 years old (he was the most loyal and the best dog anyone could ever have--there will never be another dog like Petie, he was simply incredible!). Then, as you all know, back in October we had to have our Quigley put down. And now, Copper as well. It's been a rough 3 years for us where animals have been concerned. I can only hope that in the future, things will be different.
We are relieved to know that Copper is no longer suffering, but are heartbroken at having lost him. However, we know that God is in control and that 'not a sparrow falls without His knowledge'. Though we may not understand 'why', we will continue to trust our Heavenly Father and lean on Him. We would appreciate your prayers during this difficult time. Thank you!
Peanut Butter Cup is napping right now, so I should really be trying to find something to eat for lunch, but I haven't really had much of an appetite since last night. Whenever I am downstairs, I find myself looking out into the yard looking for Copper. I need to do laundry, but I haven't been able to bring myself to go into the laundry room (where his crate was) since yesterday. I just feel so sad and alone right now (in the human/friend sense)! I wish it wasn't a Monday so I could at least be with my husband! Please pray for me, it's hitting me really hard right now.
(Sorry if this has been a morbid post and if it has been kind of 'dis-jointed'! My thoughts are all over the place right now, and I just had to get this all off my chest! I still don't really have any friends here, so I don't have anyone to talk to--this blog is my only outlet for the most part. Thanks for 'listening' to my heart, it truly means a lot to me.)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
An Amazing Husband
Yesterday morning I came downstairs to find a the most adorable little vase of beautiful flowers from my husband along with a beautiful card sitting on the stove. Needless to say, I felt very special and appreciated! It's was a lovely surprise to come down to!
My husband is AMAZING! I just wanted to share that with everyone. :-)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Deck the Halls (and Refrigerators)--With Cards from Shutterfly
I know this isn’t like my usual blog posts, but in case you haven’t heard, Shutterfly is offering Bloggers (of any size, following, genre, etc.) 50--yes, you read that correctly: 50--free Christmas Cards! When another blogger I follow posted about this offer I was thrilled and immediately thought, “So, what’s the catch?” Well, after looking into it I discovered that there really isn’t a catch. You do have to write a blog post (a.k.a. this one, ha ha), but hey, 50 FREE cards are definitely worth it!
Because I’ve been so excited about this for the past week I’ve been going through Shutterfly’s Christmas card selection trying to narrow down the ones I like so that making the ‘big decision’ wouldn’t be quite as difficult. I was very happy to see that they have a big selection of cards that actually say “Merry Christmas” instead of the politically correct “Happy Holidays”, and focused on choosing a card from out of those particular cards. Here are pictures of our favorites:
Thank you Shutterfly for the opportunity to take part in your free card promotion! My family and I are truly grateful! Merry Christmas!
For anyone wondering how to get involved and take part in Shutterfly's Free Christmas Cards, go here for details. You have until December 31st, 2010, so head on over there and check it out! :-)
Because I’ve been so excited about this for the past week I’ve been going through Shutterfly’s Christmas card selection trying to narrow down the ones I like so that making the ‘big decision’ wouldn’t be quite as difficult. I was very happy to see that they have a big selection of cards that actually say “Merry Christmas” instead of the politically correct “Happy Holidays”, and focused on choosing a card from out of those particular cards. Here are pictures of our favorites:
I like this one because it is simple, multiple photo, says "Merry Christmas" AND "O Holy Night", and it has stars on it. I have an obsession with stars. Does that make me shallow?
This one I like because it is simple, elegant, brown, and covers both Christmas AND New Year's. :-)
This one is a bit more 'involved' than the previous two, still elegant, multiple photo, and I agree with what it says (that Christmas IS the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"). Why? Because Mankind was given the Most Wonderful Gift we have ever been given--in the form of our Savior, Jesus Christ, which is what Christmas is truly all about.
This one is my husband's and my favorite currently. It is simply lovely and really conveys our true desire for our friends and loved one's--that Christ would be at the center of all they do this Christmas season. I love the fact that we can put more than one picture on this particular card as well!
Thank you Shutterfly for the opportunity to take part in your free card promotion! My family and I are truly grateful! Merry Christmas!
For anyone wondering how to get involved and take part in Shutterfly's Free Christmas Cards, go here for details. You have until December 31st, 2010, so head on over there and check it out! :-)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Titan & Penny
Just a quick update on two of my 'fur-babies' . . . . My friend Jess, was kind enough to send me a few updated pictures of them recently that I wanted to share with everyone. = )
Penny should be crossing the Pacific Ocean sometime soon. I have yet to coordinate the details with my amazing friends who are caring for her, but after the ball starts rolling it shouldn't be too long after that! In the meantime though, she is loving life on my friend, Jess's bed. = ) And has also been making friends with my friend, Siobhan's cat (Sadie), and Jess and Siobhan's new dog (but longtime pal), Reagan.
Titan has been doing really well with his training and is progressing quickly! My lovely friend, Courtney, said a couple of weeks ago that she was probably going to be introducing a bridle to him in the very near future (which is probably now the past, I don't know for sure since I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her again yet) and that he would possibly be ready to be broken soon. Woo-hoo! My baby is growing up and getting a job! = ) I just wish I could be there to participate in his training (or to at least be able to see him as he progresses! Oh well, c'est la vie!)
Typical Penny!! = )
Penny should be crossing the Pacific Ocean sometime soon. I have yet to coordinate the details with my amazing friends who are caring for her, but after the ball starts rolling it shouldn't be too long after that! In the meantime though, she is loving life on my friend, Jess's bed. = ) And has also been making friends with my friend, Siobhan's cat (Sadie), and Jess and Siobhan's new dog (but longtime pal), Reagan.
Titan has been doing really well with his training and is progressing quickly! My lovely friend, Courtney, said a couple of weeks ago that she was probably going to be introducing a bridle to him in the very near future (which is probably now the past, I don't know for sure since I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her again yet) and that he would possibly be ready to be broken soon. Woo-hoo! My baby is growing up and getting a job! = ) I just wish I could be there to participate in his training (or to at least be able to see him as he progresses! Oh well, c'est la vie!)
Titan in the round pen with Courtney.
Following.
Aaaaahhhh!! I miss fall!! Look at the beautiful trees in the background!
Round-penning in progress.
Handsome boy. Awesome friend. Ha ha! = )
I miss them!
For those of you who don't know, Titan is a Percheron/Thoroughbred Cross. I am a big fan of that particular cross--and not just because that is what the colts that we were training (or learning to train in my case!) back at school were--but because generally with that Cross you will get the athleticism of the Thoroughbred with the level-headedness of the big draft horse, which is pretty awesome if you ask me. = ) Anyhow, I'm so glad that we found Titan back in March of 2009. And I'm also glad that I have been blessed with amazing friends who are willing to take care of (and train!) my boy for me while I am gone. There was a period of time where I wasn't so sure I would be able to keep him, and I have been so thankful that everything worked out so perfectly in the end! Thanks be to God!!!
So, there you have it, the update on Penny and Titan! = )
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