It Is All About Today.....

I grabbed my camera yesterday to snap a picture of the brilliant colored crocus in my front yard. It looks like spring is here in the great valley of the Portland area. I have noticed the beginnings of buds on my "non-fruit bearing" apple blossom tree as well. I can hear the birds and the feel of the air is changing.

Mmmmmm.......Sigh......... I love God's versatile creativity.


With the changes all around us, I have felt motivated to get out and walk a mile or two every day with the dogs. My fuzzy boys are loving every second of it. I don't know what body signals I send out differently between putting my shoes on for errands and putting my shoes on for a walk. But they sure know the difference. Before I even say the words, "Would you like to go for a walk?", they are prancing and dancing around me. My question is met with a lavish amount of slobbery kisses and mumbling dog talk that gives way to their obvious praise that I am the best-est pet owner in the world.  haa haa

On our walks, Congito has a good case of little dog syndrome and he volleys for lead position at all times. Kekoa is content to observe and question every blade of grass. Once we get to the look out point that is our half way marker, Kekoa will look about as if he is surveying his kingdom. It is all quite funny to watch. At the same time, they remind me to savor each moment.

I have been thinking about moments lately. Moments of the past have struck me at the forefront of my mind. This time last year, every moment in every situation with every person in my life was surreal and impacting. I seemed to be in a continuous state of wanting to hold on to each moment and second of the day and nothing else mattered. I didn't look forward, but instead I held on to that single space of time for what it was completely worth.

I know that was because of my heightened awareness and emotions of giving almost a whole year to my dad until he passed.  But now that the rawness of that year is gone and I seem to be caught up in the every day things, I wonder if I need to remember some of that urgency.  I feel a little caught up in the every day things, the mundane, and making comments to myself of what tomorrow or next week holds.

Yet, as I sit here, I hear that still small voice say, "Today is a gift with a plan and a purpose. Examine today for all it is worth.."

And so I ponder and look to shift my thought parameters.

Before I sign off though, I want to share these pictures.
The ever dramatic and high energy Congito flops on the couch with a sigh after our walk. 

Congito makes me laugh. 

Doesn't he look like it is so hard to be a D-O-G?

 You can't really see Kekoa because his fur absorbs the bright reflective light of the sun. He is up on top of the couch "roosting" where he can view the passersby out the window. No matter how sleepy or comfortable, he is always on perimeter watch guarding his kingdom.





I pray you have a wonderfully blessed week, full of His joyful presence and love that bubbles from your middle and overflows with that goodness feeling that is undeniable.

Vegetarian Dogs

If you have been here as a reader for a while, you know that I am nuts for my dogs and that each one holds a special place of healing in my heart over difficult journeys. This particular post is about my westie named Kekoa. I try to tell my stories in a short manner but it never seems to work for me. I apologize. So the abridged version here is: Kekoa was very sick and now is much better.  If you'd like to know details, please keep reading.

Back in the end of September, Kekoa had a sudden  acute allergy attack. He ran around the house absolutely miserable. His eyes became so swollen and red. He kicked up his feet like a bucking horse while trying to dig his paws into the carpet with all his might. He would lean up against me and sigh for comfort and then jump like he was being poked in multiple places.  We had been on a walk that day so I thought maybe he walked in something. Giving him a bath proved useless and he acted like the water felt of fire. It took 3 separate doses of Benadryl* before he had relief enough for us all to be able to sleep the remaining hours of the night.

I was at the vet clinic when the doors opened the next morning. The vet agreed that maybe he walked in something, or maybe he swallowed a bee, or maybe it was sheet rock debris from the bathroom remodeling project we had going on, or maybe.......yeah maybe it could be anything because a 3 year old westie can show allergen aversions to anything under the sun. He gave Kekoa a steroid shot and orders for me to do Benadryl around the clock for 2 weeks to give his system time to sort itself out.

I followed orders and we made great progress. The kicking stopped, he slept and we were relieved.
It didn't last though. Every time I backed off the Benadryl he would begin to go after his paws with fevor and his eyes remained continuously red and swollen. 3 weeks later he broke out in hives and looked like he had measles from head to toe.  His demeanor changed as well. Going outside wasn't fun. He didn't want to bark and protect anymore.

Another vet trip and I was giving him a daily dose of steroid. The steroid helped but it seemed every day was a day for monitoring. No matter what, I couldn't seem to find a pattern to solve the mystery. The only thing I knew that gave him comfort for sure was that he wanted me to hold him ALL the time. It broke my heart to see him so miserable. In my arms with his head on my shoulder was his constant preferred position. I could see he was losing weight and his skin lost elasticity. His skin was so red that it glowed under his coat. We cut off all of his hair so we could gain a better knowledge of what was happening. Poor guy was so cold I had to get him a sweater.

Almost 2 weeks ago I began a desperate strategy (with the approval of our vet) and started Kekoa on a vegetarian diet.  After much research online I learned it to be quite the controversy but I didn't know what else to do for him that had hope of offering a solution.
Within 3 meals (a day and a half) I saw changes in him. Within 7 meals he was a new dog and so full of happiness. He had been sick for so long that I had forgotten what he was like well. He had been so ill over that period of time that I didn't realize just how sick he was getting and now I truly think his body was starting to shut down.

The change was so quick that I figure he developed a severe allergy to chicken. (Though chicken is good for us humans, it seems many dogs have an aversion to it.) One day on his road to recovery, I made his food with boiled eggs as the protein source. Bam! His health crashed again in a single day.  I had to really scramble to get him to a place of comfort.

At this point, I don't know if he is allergic to meat proteins in general or if it is a chicken/chicken product allergy. I don't want to test him out on anything for a while. He is doing good with lentils, cottage cheese and soy beans/tofu being his protein source. Our vet is helping me research supplements. There are so many on the market and they all boast of being just what is needed.   I want to make sure though that we are doing all that is possible. A diet lacking important nutrients will lead to cardiac issues down the road.

Now Kekoa has energy, wants to play, Conguito plays with him (that had stopped as well because dogs know), his eyes are no longer swollen and red, he is putting weight on, I can't see his ribs anymore, his skin bounces back, the fire red glow has been replaced by soft flesh colored skin and the hives are gone. He bounces, prances and teases. And even his output has increased with a desire to go out in the yard. He still has times of paw licking but it isn't with the intensity he had before.

I don't think that he is completely better yet but I am so very grateful for the progress that he has made. There is no denying that going vegetarian has made a huge difference in him. I think maybe now we are dealing with his body doing waves of purging all of the toxins out of his system as he intakes the healthy vegetable protein and loses the meat proteins that have been stored in his body.

It is simply crazy all that has happened. Remember those "nevers"? When I first started making dog food for 'my boys', I never imagined I would be graduating them to a vegetarian lifestyle. It is certainly interesting. There are some commercialized dog food brands that make vegetarian but making it myself is much more cost effective.
I have been spending much of my free time online researching recipes and daily nutritional health for dogs. I found some long term studies last night that show dogs to live longer on vegetarian foods and even longer on a vegan life style.  For now I am following a basic recipe and supplementing with a multivitamin, omega 3 and brewers yeast. If you are on a health journey for your fuzzy friends and would like recipe guidance, I'd be happy to share what I have found so far.

Here are the boys this morning in their favorite spot. They love to look out the widow and be our protective surveillance. Conguito bounces between perches in the window like he is here and curling up on the sofa while Kekoa uses the arm rest to full advantage.

Thank You God for the joys, comforts and health of my dogs.

*You'd think that because my dog is only 20 lbs he would get an infant dose of histamine blocker. However, according to my vet, because a canine's metabolism is so high, they sometimes need as much medication as we do.

A Week in Review...

Just before Christmas I began to care for our Angel-girl full time while my brother and sister-in-law are at work. I am having too much fun with her but also am acutely reminded that chasing a 16 month old around my house is not as easy as it used to be. I want to post an updated picture of her but she keeps me just busy enough that I don't think about snapping a picture until she is gone for the evening. Having a toddler around makes me laugh and I remember the joys in the simple things like.....taking a shower, nap time and praises go to the person who thought up the idea of a child play area corral. She is an adorable treasure.

My days are suddenly fast paced and it amazes me how I used to do this all the time and never thought a thing about it...because that is just what moms do.

5:30am My alarm is set for me to jump up each morning but in actuality I am awake at 4am when hubby has to roll out of bed to begin his day behind the wheel. I get up that early to get Puddin' set for school. I know at 17 years old she can technically get herself up and ready but I think it is so much more comforting to have a mom hug and warm breakfast waiting at the table while the world is still waking in the dark.

7:30am This is when I pull in the driveway from taking Puddin' to school and my brother is waiting in his truck for me to take Angel-girl.
The day is filled with play, breakfast, play, nap, lunch, play. Her little legs run her all over the house as she squeals in the delight of adventure until 2:30pm when her mom picks her up.

3pm till 4pm I rush around picking up things and throwing together dinner. Then grab Puddin' from school and start all of the evening things. With having young adult girls in the house that need to talk, download their days and get my opinion on things (which I am so grateful they all desire my input) it seems no matter how hard I try, I can't get into bed before midnight.
Then Hubby's alarm goes off at 4am......

I will adjust. I am a bit tired but I know things will balance out.

~~~~~

So how was the rest of my week beyond the basic schedule?
Here was a highlight...
Last Wednesday just before youth group I received a call from Icca-Chou. Her car was out of gas and she was stranded on the freeway. Poor thing. She tries so hard to keep gas in her tank but her gauge is broken and she doesn't always guess right. I picked her up and took her to youth so she could unwind and after the festivities we then borrowed a gas can and headed back.

There we were at 10pm at night on an unlit area of I-205 trying to stay far away from traffic while attempting to balance and pour a 5 gallon can of gas. A truck pulled up behind us and we all had a slight moment of panic. But the driver ended up being an angel for us. He was driving a tow truck and was on his way to cover his usual route when he saw us long the side of the road. He turned on his big lights and then took over pouring the gas can for us. He refused any compensation but a "God bless you" and a hand shake. Then he sat in his truck with lights shining and waited for both of us to safely pull back into traffic before heading on his way.
I have to say that even though I knew I could have been a big girl and take care of myself and the 5 girls with me.....I sure was grateful for 'entertaining angels'.

Here is a recent picture of Pippin, Puddin' and Icca-Chou. I love their joyful smiles here.

Friday morning the 3 girls set out for an adventure to a special youth conference 8 hours from here in Redding, California. That in itself was a stretch for me.....waving goodbye to two 19 year olds and a 17 year old as they set off on a road trip for 3 days in another state. They had an amazing time and are already anxious for more.
Pippin started her very own blog this last week so if you would like to visit her and hear about their trip please click here at Pippin's Mind.

~~~~~

I had a strange moment on Friday. I was walking through Walmart and checking off my list of needs and wants. Have you ever noticed that all Walmarts are set up basically the same? I learned that acutely that day. I was enjoying myself and browsing when I rounded a corner and all of a sudden I thought I was in Texas. (Walmart happened to be the place I did all my shopping while caring for Daddy because it was convenient in items and location.) There I was standing at the end of the soda isle holding my cart and I had this huge emotional wave of intense panic. My brain switched into "gotta hurry up and get back before Daddy wakes up and hurts himself. Think think think.....did I write down everything I need? Who cares. I have to get back."

It hit so strong. My heart rate and breathing picked up so fast that when I realized what I was doing, I really had to talk myself through staying calm and lot bolting out the door without my desired purchases.
It was all very strange. I have never lost track like that before.

*****

Another interesting thing for the week was that Hubby and I decided to take a road trip at the last minute. It is easier to travel when it is just the two of us so we loaded up an overnight bag, packed up the pups and headed 6 hours away to Spokane to surprise all of the kids. They were definitely surprised.

Little Miss Abbigial has grown so much. She is now 14 months old.

I packed ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies so that the 3 oldest grand kids and I could have fun doing a kitchen project. Brynn stayed by my side the whole time proclaiming dramatically how making cookies was such hard work as she sighed and wiped her hair out of her 5 year old face. The boys tired quickly of baking but were in sheer torture as I made them wait for cookies to cool before they could sample the finished product.

Later I tousled on the couch with Renner and tickled him until he flopped in my arms and sighed contentedly. Folded up in my arms he leaned back with chubby cheeks and sparkled eyes to say, "Grandma....you sure do like kids don'tcha?"


Here is a shot of the whole family. Kobe is on the left. He is a sweet boy that loves to sit with me and build things with Lego's and train sets as we discuss whatever important matter that pops into his head. Then there is Renner sitting in our son's lap. Abbigail is in our daughter-in-law's lap and Brynn is all the way on the right. You can't tell in this photo but Baby Isabel is there as well. She just won't be officially born until February 22nd.

Here is our eldest daughter.
We surprised her by walking in on her 31st birthday party.

The dogs traveled and weathered the weekend well.
I am very pleased that Conguito is calming down and becoming
very emotionally stable in transition to being here.
He slept in the car instead of pacing and whining.
He played with the kids and never had any accidents
out of behavior or otherwise.
Here he is taking a well deserved snooze after playing with the kids.

Kekoa enjoyed the trip too and adapted well to a house full of energetic children.
He learned quick that if he followed Abbigail around she would gladly
share her bottle with him.
Here he is in his favorite spot in the car...my lap.

Thank you for letting me ramble on.
Have a blessed and wonderful week!

Mirror Lake ...take 2

Saturday the kids and I decided

that it was way past time for a hike;

an excursion of enjoying the beauty that God made all around us.

All of the other "stuff" beckoning for our time would still be here

when we got back and there was no harm in stopping for a few hours.

So up we drove to mile marker 51 on Hwy 26.

It marked the beginning of a fun hike to Mirror Lake.

Hubby and I had done this hike a couple of years ago and I really wanted

to share the secret find with the girls.

Even Kekoa was ready for an adventure.

We had so much fun laughing and talking along the way

with the friends that we brought with us.

We stopped to take pictures at bridges and rocks and

thought it was funny to find a patch of snow on the ground in mid May.

When we found a larger patch, Kekoa thought it was way "cool".

I guess he had gotten himself over heated from all the

hiking and climbing in the 72 degree weather.

We were all grateful that we had summer type clothing on and

I think we secretly wished we could all slide and romp

in our own patch of snow to cool off.

Here is Pippin enjoying her lunch and giving me

her perfectly contented cheesy smile.

And a shot of Puddin' overlooking an old rock slide area that had been

cleared out for a hiking path.

When we finally reached our goal 3 miles later,

Mt. Hood did not disappoint us with it's spectacular view.

It was breath taking.......in more ways than one.

It simply never occurred to me that we would be walking in snow

that was at times waist high as we circled the lake.

I know, you'd of thought I had more foresight in my planning and logic.

See the lake? It is slush filled.

In another month people will be swimming in it

and scooping crawdads out by the bucket load.

It was such a great day.

The kids had snow ball fights and laughed

until their sides hurt.

I am so grateful for the break, the breath, and the beauty.

God You are amazing!

Contentment Comes in Many Ways....

This is a picture Pippin took for me yesterday after Angel-girl gave in to sleep.

This is what happens when I give in and fulfill Kekoa's desire to play

in the backyard while Hubby is mowing the grass.

Both pictures show contentment.

Coughing and Hacking......

Don't get too close to your computer screen. I wouldn't want to breathe my cold germs on you. It has been a week and a half now and I am so ready for it to be gone. Last week Sunday I felt that faint familiar tickle in my throat. It is that torturous warning that comes right before I lose my voice. I do this twice a year and you'd think 'd be a pro at it by now. I always say, or whisper actually, that it must just be allergies from the seasons changing because my sinuses are fine, nose is fine, head is fine, no fever. I just lose my voice and everyone finds great sport in asking complicated questions so that they can hear my Chip and Dale answer.

I ended up seeing the doctor yesterday when the blisters became too much to bear. I didn't even know I had a fever but the clinic thermometer read 101 degrees. A strep test came back negative and the doctor proclaimed that is it just a strong virus to ride out. She gave me a huge bottle of cough syrup with codeine in it which brings me great relief. I just wish it tasted more like something decent instead of the lingering old rotten plastic taste that waifs around my mouth long after I swallow.

Funny how tastes can bring up pictures. It really does taste like that. Though why in the world my brain would associate it with decomposing plastic.....like I even know what that tastes like?

I am so grateful for my girls. They all have been pitching in around the house with chores and giving walks to lil' Kekoa boy. Last night they made a great batch of chicken noodle soup with occasional directions from me. Pippin and Rixxi have been driving Puddin' to and from school so that I don't have to be out in the weather. I am spoiled.

In the midst of all that, there are two events that I want to share here that happened recently to leave an indelible mark on my memory.

Event #1

Some dear friends of ours are expecting their second baby in a few months. Everything seemed to be going quite smooth and normal until a recent ultrasound brought up red flags for the doctors. During a routine ultrasound, it is always very easy to see a baby swallowing, filling his stomach with fluid and then emptying it. It is an important 24 hour cycle that happens during the pregnancy. The problem for our friends was that after several ultrasounds and specialists......their baby's tummy was not filling and barely functioning. The doctors said it was due to possibly a twist in the baby's throat or a blockage, both of which could be fixed with post delivery surgery. The other option was that of chromosomal default and that meant the possibility of their baby being born with severe handicaps.

As a church we began to pray hard for the healing of this little baby. He had already been given the name Micah which means "Who is like our God". We prayed for his tiny little cells and every ounce of his body to line up in perfect function and design. We prayed for him to be a proclamation of God's hand and purpose, to be a living testimony before he even breathes air.

A few days ago, the parents went in for another scheduled ultrasound and subsequent appointment with yet another specialist. But that appointment got canceled. It got canceled because the ultrasound showed little Micah swallowing happily and FILLING up his belly just like any other normal baby!

They have now been told that they can see regular doctors for the rest of the pregnancy and no more special appointments are needed.

God is so amazing!

Event #2

My second story is about lil' Kekoa, or as I sometimes refer to him....Mr. Fuzzy Butt.

He is now 9 months old. He brings us all so much joy on a daily basis. He lavishes everyone with kisses and makes sure that everyone has the same amount of ball throwing time. The goofball always has to have a chew toy close by to torment and interrogate. that is where this story begins.

Amongst his many toys that fill his personal basket, he has some knotted yarn ropes. One is large and measures about 12" while the other one was a left over from his baby puppy days and measured about 4". On Saturday he was having fun with the small one. He had it laying in the middle of the floor in perfect position so that he could do a GI Joe Commando recon on it and throw it up in the air in complete ambush over and over again. He was having so much fun and I smiled at his banter from my recliner. But then all of a sudden he stopped his play and looked at me with panic and fear on his little face. I didn't see the yarn toy anywhere. He had thrown the toy into the air and caught it perfectly to lodge down his throat.

Kekoa started pacing and moving his neck to and fro in odd gestures. He repeatedly climbed into my lap for comfort and then would get back down when it didn't help. I kept trying to pry open his jaws to see if I could pull out the toy but his muscles were locked. (Even though he is quite strong, I never knew that I couldn't over power him when necessary.)

All the things that I know to do intellectually went out the window. I couldn't think. My hubby had him outside hoping that walking around would stimulate his gag reflex while I started looking online for 24 hour vet services (like that would really help with his choking). We were both so scared.

Hubby was right though. The walking around was what he needed. It wasn't too long until they came in the house with that evil toy expelled from Kekoa's throat. Kekoa jumped into my arms and did his signature hug around my neck that first drew us together when he was 9 weeks old. He held onto me for well over an hour before I was able to put him down.

That same day I went thru all of his toys throwing out everything from his puppy days. It never occurred to me that they could cause trouble and be dangerous. Boy did I learn a lesson.

Praying you have a blessed and wonderful day.

I Can't Think of a Title ;-) ........

(I took this picture of Kekoa a few weeks ago after one of our walks. He loves to find treasures on our walks and carry them home. This particular pine cone he carried for a half mile just so he could interrogate it in our front yard.)

Good morning! Thank you so much for your well wishes and prayers. You make me smile.
It has now been a week and I am doing well. I have started a bit of walking to get this body moving again. The doctor says that is good to do so I will obey. Monday morning I shuffled my way around our block (2/10 of a mile) and felt so good that I did it again in the evening. Okay so now is when you shake your head from side to side and say "tisk tisk". Yes, I did feel good doing it but soon realized I pushed myself too hard and regretted it. So yesterday I laid around all day and didn't walk around the block until Hubby came home. That seemed to be the right amount because I slept better and feel pretty good this morning.

Having surgery on one's stomach area is a strange thing. It is an interesting numb feeling on the outside while at the same time also feeling like I have done something like a bazillion stomach crunches on the inside. I can bend down now and lay on my side. My walk is getting more natural and not so much of a shuffle. I have learned that if I crouch by the bedside I can let Kekoa go from the bed to my legs to the floor without picking him up. (Small potatoes to one person is great progress to another.)

Puddin' is doing a great job of taking care of me and doing all the things around the house that I normally do. It is an adjustment for her. I tend to be of the mindset that I don't have the girls do much around the house on a regular basis simply because they are busy with growing up and having something always on their calendars. I know that is really not the right way to think and they need to learn more....but that is where I am at right now. All the same, she is doing it all right now since I can't lift anything for the next month that weighs more than 10 lbs. That means our laundry as well as hers, all the dishes, and all the cleaning that never ends. She is doing it all with a smile and that blesses me.

Right now our friends are rotating through with meals for us and that is a delight. I had put a bunch of freezer things together for us before surgery but nothing beats having a warm meal brought to the doorstep around 5pm. I am getting quite spoiled.

I have tried to visit you, my blogger friends, but have found my comments to be a bit loopy with the oxicodone I am taking. Thank goodness for the spell checker on Firefox. Boy I really thought my comments were more coherent than what the browser has proved to me.

Pippin is doing great at the beach. She is full on busy with work now and isn't able to call as much as she used to. When she can, she sends us cellular pictures of things around town. Her favorite thing to do is to grab a picture of the daily sunset for us to see. I love the beach!

Ok, I think it is time to go lay back down now.

Thank you again for your support! I treasure you.

Back At The Beach.....

Last weekend we took the youth group to visit Pippin at the coast. We had such a great time. The weather was perfect with a bit of clouds and breeze. There were only a few sprinkles throughout the day so everyone enjoyed the sand, beach combing, and shop browsing.

As soon as we got there and set up camp, everyone ran to the shoreline to get full of sand. A couple of people in the group are avid sand sculptors so they showed off their talents with these creations......

What day at the beach would be complete without burying your friends in the sand? These two guys were in a hole deep enough that they were standing in it! Then they had a race to see who could get out first....unassisted!

It was a group effort to dig this hole. These 6 people are sitting down in a hole that was shaped like the seating of a hot tub. See the cutie second in from the left? That is my Puddin'.

We were able to spend a full day with Pippin because she had the fortune of being off work that day. How perfect! When it was time to leave, it was so hard to say goodbye. Up until that point her stay there had felt not real because she knew we would be visiting with the youth group. But now, I don't have a projected return visit on the calendar.

Praise God we live in the 21st century with cell phone technology. I talk to her at least twice a day (usually she initiates the call) and we text back and forth throughout the day with comments and pictures of stuff in general.

*******

What else has been keeping me busy?

Well, it is that time of year where I am preparing all of the lesson plans for children's ministry. I just went to the copy store day before yesterday and ran off some 704 copies of things needed for my faithful teachers. That covers all the lesson between now and the end of December. Now everything is organized and filed, schedule assignments are ready for the next two months and I will pass out all of the new lesson plans this weekend.

I am desperately trying to really think things through and make sure all is in place because this time next week I will be returning home from a surgery and I am told it will take me a while to recuperate. It is not that no one else can do what I do. It is just that I tend to multi-task quite a bit and I wouldn't dare ask any one person to take over all of those things single handed. (I know...not very fair the way I threw the surgery thing in there. Sorry about that.)

Is it major surgery....yes. Is it life threatening.......no. Will I be better off once I have re-couped....definitely.

I am told that I will be in the hospital overnight and then I will want to sleep a lot the first couple of weeks. Re-coup time is projected to be 4-6 weeks. I have a hard time wrapping my brain around that because I am not one for sitting still or letting others do things that I am capable of doing myself.

So I wanted you to know that because....

a) your prayers are always coveted

b) if I am not in the writing world for a bit you know why


*********

There has been tons of boy stuff going on here lately and I am getting quite skilled at sitting these young men down and firmly saying, "What are your intentions for my daughter?"

But after sharing that little tidbit, I will have to save the details for another time. Again not fair I know.

**********

I just had to share these with you.

Usually when I return from the grocery store, I come bearing some sort of toy for little Kekoa.....because he obviously doesn't have enough toys.

The quality of the videos are not great because it is just my cell phone but I think you will get the idea of how this goofy little fuzz ball keeps me smiling.

Pippin Is Set Up and Kekoa Loves the Beach.....

Puddin' and I got home from the beach last night after getting Pippin all set up. It felt very strange and not real to leave her there. We will be taking the youth group out this weekend to play in the sand so it only feels like I have left her for a few days of friendly visiting.

Our friends have set up a wonderful place for her to live in their home. She has been lavished with so much care and affection in their preparations. I know it will be a memorable summer for her. Pippin's orientation begins today and then she is on the work schedule after that. I think she is looking forward to getting busy.

While Pippin was getting introduced to some of her co-workers, I decided to introduce Kekoa to the sand and surf of the Oregon coast. Oh my goodness that little boy got busy. He chased the sand that his paws kicked up, tormented the seagulls, and made friends with every dog and person on the beach. The waves were slightly intimidating to him but he went nuts running around in the waters of the inlet.

He was so covered in sand and seaweed by the time I said we needed to take a rest. I washed him down in our friend's front yard with the water hose and he loved every second of that too.

As if I don't spoil him enough, he loved walking around town and visiting with everyone we met. Cannon Beach is one of the most dog friendly places I have ever been to. Just about every store owner has a special water dish or doggie treat set up for the furry visitors. Children tackle dogs on the sidewalk in big bear hugs and grown ups ooh and aah at one another's fuzzy friends.

I guess he likes the beach as much as I do now.

Before we left, Hubby surprised me with buying a 24' retractable leash for Kekoa. I was so grateful for it. I think Kekoa was too. Once he felt that strange new feeling of sand in between his toes he just couldn't help himself.

Moments In My Day.....

Little baby Kekoa is running out of his dog food and my membership at Costco is currently expired. So I thought, "Lord what should I do? I don't want to change his food." In my head I heard, "Call Rose".

So I sent my friend a text message 'r u going 2 b going 2 costco in the next few days?'

She called me a minute later. "I am here right now. What can I get you?"

That is called a God kiss. It is those little moments that we can so easily chalk up to coincidence.

******

I went up to the big town hospital today to visit a dear friend. We went to high school together and were such chummy friends that people were shocked when we happily married other people.

He phoned last week. We touch base every 6 months to 2 years. "Hey Julie. It's me. I just wanted to let you know I have cancer."

Wow that was a shock. For a second I thought it was his fun quirky sense of humor. But no he was serious.

But things are going great! His doctor is amazed at his rapid recovery after an 8 hour procedure to take out the right side of his jaw bone and replace it with part of his fibula.

How in the world could he be talking and walking so quickly? It is all because of God.

*****

ok this is not a testimony but it happened to me none the less and I am in shock.

Living in Portland is an interesting thing. I love the beauty, the mountain range, the green all around, the elbow room....because I don't live downtown. Downtown has its unique flair and I usually purpose to avoid it whenever possible. But going to the big hospital meant that I came face to face with it today.

As I was leaving the hospital and pulled out onto the main road (at 3pm with the daylight as bright as can be) my car became surrounded by no less than 50 bicyclists. Portland is know for being progressive about outdoor recreation but these bikers were different.

I looked in my mirror at the leader and thought, "He doesn't have a shirt on.....wait I don't think he has pants on. Oh Lord please tell me that is a speedo!"

As if he could hear my thoughts.......that biker stood up on his pedals.......giving me the revelation to me that he AND his 50 friends were stark naked!

Men and women were clustered together casually riding their bikes and enjoying the group bike ride.

Where were the police?

Isn't that against the law?

Good golly I have no idea. I was in shock.....and I think I still am.

I don't think I am going down town anymore.

Sunny Weekend......

It has been a busy week and I am rolling into the weekend with even more things to do. But I wanted to check in here and make note of and share a few things with you.

The sun was out so beautifully yesterday. I was able to open my windows and enjoy the fresh air. Kekoa rather enjoyed sitting outside with me soaking up the morning rays on his belly. I think he was trying to get an even tan.


I had the joy of spending a few days with my mother-in-law before they left today. I showed her the marvels of shopping and eating at Ikea. She was amazed. I love that store. It is not all my style of decorating but I love the clean and crisp practicality of it all. Boy wouldn't it be fun to walk in with a blank check and decorate completely with their ideas?

My car was in the shop for a majority of this week to fix the damage from that silly little accident. I loved my rental car. Actually I loved the bells and whistles of my rental car. I normally drive a 1998 Ford Explorer so having a 2009 Camry was quite a change. The mileage was a definite plus and it was fun to know the outside temperature and have the stereo controls on the steering wheel. But, I very much prefer being higher up off the ground with my rig.

I have had so many people stop me this past week for 2 reasons. One is to comment on my little puppy. People have actually stopped their cars to come over to the yard and visit with him. Over and over I hear their stories of how they had a westie when they were kids or their friends had a westie or they saw a westie in the news or.....this list goes on. But every time the story ends with how perfect westies are and how blessed I am to have him. Being without a dog for a while, I had forgotten how much a pet can start up conversations with people and be a blessing to strangers.
The second reason people have been stopping me is because of my girls. I have had so many people this week ask me about being a parent to teens. The questions run like these....
"How do you do it?"
"I have preschoolers, will they still be cute in their teen years?"
"I am ready to kill my teen, how about you?"
With each conversation, I have talked about my girls being such a blessing to me. It has all been very interesting.
Pippin and Puddin' were telling me the other day that they were sitting in the counselor's office for a bit and the counselor couldn't get over how nice they were to each other. She wanted to know why the look out for one another and don't fight but instead giggle and finish each other's sentences.
Thank you God for being so soft on their hearts and affecting their lives.

So, I mentioned the weekend being busy. Would you like to know what is up? Nothing big, just the usual living with teen girls stuff. We are going to see a movie tonight with a boat load of friends. Tomorrow morning Puddin' is heading out to work at Father's Heart. Tomorrow night they and Rixxi, who is visiting from the beach for the weekend, are going to see a play while I attend a meeting. Sunday is church and an evening wedding downtown at the Benson Hotel. Oh and Hubby is gone for the weekend to run the Bloomsday in Spokane with the older kids. No, I don't mind. I am glad he can have that fun with them.
See just usual teen busy stuff.

I have a blogger question for you.......
When it comes to commenting, if I leave comments to your comments, do you come back to read them? If you say no...don't worry I won't be offended. I used to answer my comments all the time. But then when blogger stopped sending me notification it got hard for me to know when someone dropped by to say hi. Now that I have changed emails I have thought about starting that up again but wondered if it would even bless you to do so.

Below is a short 40 second video of Kekoa. He is now 14 weeks old and becoming quite a permanent part of our family. I started training him a couple of weeks ago and I am amazed at how quickly he is learning. He rather enjoys doing "school" with me and has fun with the challenges. He is house broken now but I decided to make an amendment to his routine and we are back tracking just slightly. I found that he would go to the door to want out but didn't know how to tell me so. So I had Hubby hang a bell by the door and I am now teaching Kekoa to ring it when he wants out. I worried that he would play with it all the time just for the novelty but for some reason he knows only to touch it when it is leash time.

Have a blessed weekend.
Jules~

Passing By .......

I miss writing and visiting! But I assure you I have not been sitting around eating bon-bons.
Let me share with you a bit of the happenings around here before I set off to finish the weekend.

Last weekend was my little brother's birthday. He made 34 years old. We had a great celebration with lots of friends around. When it was time to do the cake, I transposed the candle numbers to say 43. He is still young enough that it didn't fool him for an instant.
He decided to make a huge fun ordeal with his cake and.........
well you can see the results for yourself.



I am just about finished with the messy business of canceling our land line and moving our Internet over to the cable company. The 4 of us have cell phones and the only people that call our land line are the bill collectors. (Praise and glory! 9 more months and we will be finished with them!) Canceling the land line saved a small amount of money with the bills and it will add up over time. I hear more and more people are doing their phones that way. So maybe the day will come in a few short years that land line telephones will be on the obsolete list.

Little Kekoa keeps me very busy. He has transitioned now into being secure with his environment. The imaginary tether cord between us is slowly getting longer. He can sleep without me now if he absolutely has to. House training is going well. There are accidents every now and again but I think we are making great progress.
I can't believe how much he has grown in such a short amount of time. Look at his ears standing up now!

He likes to help me around the house. He grabs the colored socks from the laundry basket when I am loading the washer so that I don't accidentally mix up the colored with the whites. He takes the spoons out of the dish washer when I am loading it because he knows I don't like food to dry on them.

Yes he does keep me on my toes. But I love every second of it. Next week I am going to start some simple training with him while he is still young enough to soak it up like a sponge. All I have read says that before they are 20 weeks old they learn like crazy because their hormones haven't kicked in yet.

This weekend is super busy. My step-daughter and her beau are in town so I did her favorite dinner last night...teri-yaki chicken. My mother-in-law also just arrived and will be here for the next three weeks. Tomorrow we are doing it up big at my folks house with lots of food and games for the kids. Wait till you see THOSE pictures.

For now I must go. the girls and I need to do some food shopping as well as clothing for tomorrow. Here is a small quick video of Kekoa for you to enjoy (if you want) with his latest toy.

Tears Dripped Onto My French Fries....

The girls are on Spring Break this week and having fun with their friends. The whole Gaggle Squad had gotten together at Harper's house so hubby and I had the evening to ourselves and decided to go and split a burger at Red Robin's.

We were sitting there enjoying the hub-bub of the atmosphere, good burgers and fries, along with our tower of onion rings when hubby looked at me and said with a big grin, "Well are you ever so happy with your new little baby boy?"

It was an honest and simple question, a question that deserved a fun and smiling answer. So you can imagine the shock on hubby's face when I welled up with tears and refused to speak for fear of blubbering all over the table. Poor hubby.

It surprised me too as my mind fought through the racing thoughts.....don't make a scene, it's is just a dog, get control of yourself, you are being way too emotional, come on now you pride yourself on being a steady and strong person, yeah and pride come before the fall.......

At the same time I worked through what words I would choose to try and explain myself as my memories passed through mental images stored in my heart of 1993 to 2001.

Bear with me please, because though many would say 'it's only a dog' my heart was forever tied......and then broken. I have to do this because it is part of healing.

His name was Samson. He was a Golden Retriever given to us in Okinawa by some friends of ours. We weren't shopping for a dog at the time. I had a toddler and a new baby at home and felt my plate was pretty full. But Jim and Barbie came to us with this little pup.

"He was the runt in a litter of 9", they said. "We felt so sad for him because there was just no room for him to grow properly in such a big litter and he is missing his front leg. We felt it only humane to put him down but our son Chris refused to let us. He is now three months old and has proven to be the strongest of all his brothers and sisters. Wouldn't you know he is now the biggest of all of them even though he is the last to hobble to his food bowl. We asked God what family could give him the attention he needs and you kept coming to our minds."

Hubby let it be my choice. Though he fell instantly in love, he knew I would be the one doing all the 'taking care of' since I was at home with the babies. One look at that little rolly polly guy and my heart melted. He was strong and sure of himself and had learned very well how to get around without a front leg. He even used his stub (He had a shoulder and part of a leg that extended a couple of inches down and ended with a tiny little paw pad.) for balance whenever he knelt down to smell the ground.

Samson was ever so smart and so quick to train. He became house broken after only 3 accidents. Leash or no leash was never a problem for him because he appointed himself the mighty protector to the girls and I. As a matter of fact, when he was only 8 months old he proved himself to be something of the movie famed Lassie. Our front yard was on a hillside slopping downward to the main street running through the base. As quick as quick can be, our toddler got up from our play area and started running down the hill....quickly losing her footing and control. Before I could even get completely on my feet, Samson ran passed her and stopped sideways. He had made himself to become something of a wall and caught her in his belly so that she bounced off him and fell to the ground. Then he nudged her with his nose to right herself up and waddle back to us.

Really, I promise it is a true store and no fabrication or truth stretching at all.

He went everywhere we went and did everything we did. It is hard to believe without seeing it but even with his missing front leg he loved to swim and did it with excellence. I could go on and on with so many stories but I fear of boring you.

When he was 8 years old, Samson started to slow down. He started to propel himself around the house by walking his hind feet and pushing his one good front leg in front of him, looking something like a wheel barrow I suppose. He was sore all the time but he never complained. He dutifully followed me everywhere around the house, always at my feet so that he could second guess whatever I needed. Eventually it became hard for him to even go outside to do his daily business, a fact that I could tell humiliated him. He would try so hard and then end up hurting himself with cuts and bruises from falling.

His front shoulder could no longer take the pressure of his 70 pound frame anymore. Surgery was not an option because there was no other leg to compensate during recovery. My husband and I did the only thing we could do for Samson. We held him and hugged him at the clinic as the vet helped him go to sleep one last time.

Oh Father God this still hurts so much. Please help me get through this and heal.

We did have a couple more dogs after that but it just wasn't the same for me. I tried to love them. I had compassion for them, I cared for them, but something was missing. I don't know if it was because my life was busy or if I was comparing or if I was just broken. I would often ask inside my heart....what is wrong with me? I didn't even want to be around friends pets and that confused me even more because I had always been something sort of an animal whisperer type of person. I began to think that maybe I just wasn't supposed to have animals anymore....

Until I started thinking about this little guy. When this thought started to grow in my head and heart almost a year ago to research Westies, things began to change in me. It took time to heal and change. God let it become a yearning for me because that is what I needed to clear away the emptiness that was in my heart.

Gosh I am so in love with this little fuzzball. It is only a week that he has been mine and he has completely changed my life. I am so grateful.

I had better stop writing for now and go clean the tears off my face. Thank you for listening and understanding. Thank you for letting me get it all out.

I Can Help Too.....

This reminds me of when the girls were little and they would want to help me do the chores.

I was at the local dollar store a couple of days ago and found this little white squeaker toy that he is nuts over. It is funny because all of his other little squeaky toys he jumps on and baby growls at. This little "pup" friend gets a friendly sniff, lick, and then an alpha bite.


I am getting ready to leave for youth group. It is the first time I have to leave him at home. No that isn't true. I have run to the grocery store for fast things. But tonight I will be gone for 4 hours. Hubby will be home giving him undivided attention. So why do I feel so silly worried and guilty?

Day 2 of Normal Living ......

This is Kekoa playing with a Nylabone. Isn't he the fearsome hunter? I find myself buying more toys every day for him....partly because he is in such a teething mode and partly because I just want to spoil him rotten.

Am I driving you nuts yet with talking about my little guy? I have to laugh at myself because I know I have gone off the deep end. I am so in love already. He has fun playing with hubby and the girls. But when he realizes I am not in the room he will stop playing to go look for me and then jump up and down in scattered puppy excitement when his mission succeeds. I don't really mind getting up with him in the middle of the night for a potty run either because he hugs my face and kisses me like I was lost for a long time.

Potty training is going well I think. We have had just a few piddle accidents. I praise him like crazy when we succeed. Everything I have read says that Westies are so smart that if the owner is diligent....even a 9 week old baby can learn the ropes of house training in a week or so. I do hope that is true.

The vet visit went well. He is a whopping 5.4 pounds right now and half way through getting all of his shots. I will be so glad for that last round of shots. Then we can go for walks without worrying about catching bad sick germs.

Okay my time is up for now. The "baby" needs me.

Blessings to you!

Say Awe......

Seriously, is there anyone who could even try to resist that face?

Saturday was of course all new for Kekoa and us both with the long distance driving and learning all the new things in this big new world. Car noises, giant people walking everywhere, taking a bath, being without his brothers and sisters...it was all a shock.

Yesterday I had him in the car all day long. After church we went up to visit my folks and Kekoa met Lani and my brother's beautiful golden retriever.....another first for him to see a dog so big.

So that is why today is Day 1 of 'normal home living'. It is now 11am and we have played, eaten, done business several times, slept, played, and slept again. It is like having a baby in the house. He has to know where I am at all times and really prefers touching me when possible. House training has gone well and so far I have gotten him outside every time.

I think I will take him to the vet today to get an update on his baby shots. I know....you are thinking "more trauma".

Blogger note....For some weird reason, only half of my comment notifications end up in my email box. I am having to make it a point to go to my blog and see if anyone has commented because many of them I don't see otherwise. And if someone comments on an older post I wonder if I will ever know........
Do you have any idea how I can fix this? I have tried to reset my email address in my preferences but that didn't do any good. It's frustrating. I don't want to miss anyone.

In Which I Pick Out A Puppy......

We were up and out the door at 8am this morning so that we could make the 3 hour drive to the breeder's home before lunch. As the miles clicked away I found myself getting excited and then nervous with anticipation. Everything I have read and researched was circling around in my mind as if my random thoughts were playing tag with each other in a jumbled taunting sort of way.

I've never had a puppy this young before. Will I do things right?

Do I really want to use the crate?

Do I want to breed him later on or get things taken care of early on?

Did I buy the right food?

Do I have enough toys?

On and on it went until we pulled into her driveway. Then my mind went blank. There were 4 puppies in the cage begging to be held and given attention. One of them was a girl and she was sold already. The other three were boys and all were available for my picking. Me....the person who has always had dogs since before I could walk and has done all the proper 'research' said out loud, "Oh my I don't know what to do. How do I pick one?"

Sybil, the puppy breeder, just smiled at me and said, "hold this one first and see what happens." It seems that the first one she put into my arms did the deciding for me. He flattened himself out on my chest, wrapped his little paws around my neck, and nuzzled his head into my ear. Then he leaned back and with both paws on each side of my cheeks, he held my head in place while giving me proper hello kisses.

I tried to take turns holding the other two. Hubby really liked the runt and so I tried to hold him a few times to see if 'anything special' would grab me but in the end my Romeo won out. Hubby graciously let me make the decision and told me it was completely my choice.

Officially, Kekoa will be 9 weeks old on Monday. Sybil said he was a whopping 8 oz. at birth and one of 8 babies to be born in this litter.

River Poet asked me to explain a bit about the Westie breed and why I chose him.

West Highland White Terriers originally came about when the Cairn Terriers would whelp white pups. It is said that back in the 1800's that Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm was responsible for bringing the breed about for aiding in his hunting preferences. Apparently one day as he was hunting foxes, he mistook his prized reddish brown hunting dog for a fox and shot him by accident. The Colonel then decided that having a hunting dog that was a striking color difference would be helpful in avoiding tragedy.

The above information is legend sprinkled with truth. Now for some real facts.....

Westies are a hardy and energetic breed. They stand roughly 11 inches at the shoulders and weigh between 16 and 20 pounds in adulthood. They love to go walking and hiking without being typically dainty like more smaller breed dogs. Their stamina lasts well into their senior years and it is not uncommon to find a 16 year old Westie who still enjoys a good hike. At the same time, they are very versatile and are just as happy in a smaller environment like an apartment as long as they get to expend a bit of energy every now and again.

Westies are known for being very intelligent and eager to please so it makes training very easy. You will often see Westies as circus type show dogs because of the tricks they can learn and their obvious cuteness factor.

Also unlike most small breed dogs, Westies love all people and enjoy the whole family instead of choosing to love only one person and ignoring the rest of the home. Another perk is that while many small dogs tend to be yappers, the Westie will listen and stop when trained correctly.

The Westie coat is soft and coarse. Because of this they do not have the typical doggie type smell as they age and their coats repel dirt. This also makes them a great pet for people with allergies because their shedding and dander is very minimal.

Wow I guess I really did do my homework huh?

Here is a short 30 second video clip I took with my cell phone of Kekoa....because watching little pups trip around is just too cute.

Enjoy!

(I am reading my post over again right now and it sounds like I might be slamming other little type dogs. Really that isn't the case. They are cute in their own right too and if you have a little dog I know you are just as happy as can be.)