Incident last night with my child that is allergic to oral hygiene:
Me: Josh, you look really down and discouraged. What's wrong?
Josh: I got distracted a few minutes ago and brushed my teeth way too long.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Welcome Home, Boy (pt.II)
A couple years ago, we found out we were moving to a new state. For financial and convenient reasons, we ended up having to sacrifice the outside space of our new home. We wondered how Kodiak would fare in his small backyard and it was obvious very quickly that this was not going to work. Barking at 5:30 am is not cool with new neighbors and neither is the fact that we had the ONLY big (AKA: real) dog anywhere around. What to do? Well, Greg's parents, who live in our vicinity, offered to take him for us. They had the open spaces we had left behind and it just made sense. The buzz of all things new kept us distracted from missing him, and we did visit often.
But....over the last several months we have noticed his pace slow a bit. Instead of having an incessant need to fetch a ball, he seemed more content to just lay at our feet. And though we fixed as posh a dog pad as we possibly could for him, the weather was getting noticeably tougher for him to handle.
Then one night, after watching 'Marley & Me', it occurred to us that, after all these years, Kodiak no longer wanted to be away from Joshua. He no longer needed acres to run and jump in. At almost 11 years old, he was ready to be our inside dog again -- he needed to come home! If a rotten dog like Marley was as treasured as he was then our faithful Kodiak certainly deserved all we could give him!
Welcome home, boy.
Now that he's back with us, we are enjoying what a great decision this was. And I can't tell you how happy Kodiak's "little brother" has been about all this! They love to go throw the ball around the yard - perfect solution for someone who has an uncontrollable need to throw and someone else with like need to catch....
And doesn't this say it all? What's a tent in the living room when you have a dog you can sleep next to? I'm not sure who's more content.
The only down-side is now someone ELSE is missing him!:( He made a really good grand-dog....
We are thankful for all the years of our life that we have had Kodiak. He has been an integral part of the twists and turns, the tears and the joys, that have ended up being our story. A story that, as a dog, you just take for granted. But I guess, sometimes, I do too.....until I start telling it.
But....over the last several months we have noticed his pace slow a bit. Instead of having an incessant need to fetch a ball, he seemed more content to just lay at our feet. And though we fixed as posh a dog pad as we possibly could for him, the weather was getting noticeably tougher for him to handle.
Then one night, after watching 'Marley & Me', it occurred to us that, after all these years, Kodiak no longer wanted to be away from Joshua. He no longer needed acres to run and jump in. At almost 11 years old, he was ready to be our inside dog again -- he needed to come home! If a rotten dog like Marley was as treasured as he was then our faithful Kodiak certainly deserved all we could give him!
Welcome home, boy.
Now that he's back with us, we are enjoying what a great decision this was. And I can't tell you how happy Kodiak's "little brother" has been about all this! They love to go throw the ball around the yard - perfect solution for someone who has an uncontrollable need to throw and someone else with like need to catch....
And doesn't this say it all? What's a tent in the living room when you have a dog you can sleep next to? I'm not sure who's more content.
The only down-side is now someone ELSE is missing him!:( He made a really good grand-dog....
We are thankful for all the years of our life that we have had Kodiak. He has been an integral part of the twists and turns, the tears and the joys, that have ended up being our story. A story that, as a dog, you just take for granted. But I guess, sometimes, I do too.....until I start telling it.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Welcome Home, Boy
This is our 'Marley & Me' story.
About a year after we got married, Greg & I, in our carefree days, decided to go look at puppies. We (well, he) had absolutely no intention of buying one - we were just filling our time, being spontaneous. It was a crisp, fall day and we crunched our way to look at a litter of eleven 5-week-old German Shepard puppies. Their poor mother was overwhelmed, as you would imagine, and she needed to be relieved a little early. At 5 weeks, Shepards are just a solid black ball of fluff. They looked like mini bear cubs to me but one frisky little guy had our attention immediately. While the others appeared a bit dazed and confused, this one was looking for an adventure! He wrestled his brothers and attacked his sisters and had a brightness in his eyes that was delightfully irresistable..... A few hours later he was in my lap in the car on his way home.
We named him 'Kodiak'.
We were foolish and unthinking, bringing a dog home like that but God knew we needed him. He was our "first child", an extremely fast learner and soon lived to just make his daddy happy. I joke that the dog salutes at attention every time Greg walks in. They became so tight I believe Kodiak could read his mind and respond without even a command. But over the years I was battling the realization that my dream of starting a family wasn't going to happen on my timetable, if at all, and Kodiak, though a constant during that time, was just not a replacement.
It was 3 years after we brought our puppy home that we brought home our baby. With the addition of Joshua, we were finally the family I had hoped for. Kodiak was a proud big brother!
Everything was fine for the first several months. That new baby just stayed where he was put, had interesting smells, and something good to lick off his face every once in awhile. Seemed like we would all be fine -- until the combination of curiosity and mobility made Joshua not so fun anymore. Pretty soon, Kodiak would be let out and wouldn't want to come in anymore. It wasn't all bad. I appreciated losing the dog hair (and smell), and it just made my life easier. Better yet, we eventually moved to a new house with 2 blessed acres - dog and toddler heaven! They were best buds all over again and some of the sweetest moments of life were made there in our little corner of Eden.
Then one day Kodiak, always protective of his pack, risked his life for us. Day after day, two unrestrained dogs would come into our yard, barking and nipping at us. Kodiak ignored them and only kept his eye on me, waiting, begging, for the opportunity to take care of business. Knowing the consequences I would pay if I let him, I tolerated it for a ridiculously long time. Then one day while Greg was out of town I'd had it! A look straight into his eye and a quiet "Sic 'em" was all it took and he couldn't get traction fast enough! In 2 split seconds he had those dogs tearing out across the street right in front of a van but Kodiak didn't stop and he was hit. He yelped as he rolled fully up under the car. The sight of that....the sound of the bump and his yelp....it sent me to my knees screaming. I knew he wasn't alive. He would never go in the street, but I made him - ordered him - to do it! I ran in the house to keep Josh from coming out and left my Mom to pick up the pieces. A short time later she came in the house to tell me he was rattled -- but he literally walked away from it. I cried all night.
He never did high-jumping frisbee catches again after that, but we were amazed - and so thankful - that God spared him. The second half of his life has led a different kind of adventure but I will save that, and our recent reunion with him, for my next post. Until then, go give your dog a hug....:)
About a year after we got married, Greg & I, in our carefree days, decided to go look at puppies. We (well, he) had absolutely no intention of buying one - we were just filling our time, being spontaneous. It was a crisp, fall day and we crunched our way to look at a litter of eleven 5-week-old German Shepard puppies. Their poor mother was overwhelmed, as you would imagine, and she needed to be relieved a little early. At 5 weeks, Shepards are just a solid black ball of fluff. They looked like mini bear cubs to me but one frisky little guy had our attention immediately. While the others appeared a bit dazed and confused, this one was looking for an adventure! He wrestled his brothers and attacked his sisters and had a brightness in his eyes that was delightfully irresistable..... A few hours later he was in my lap in the car on his way home.
We named him 'Kodiak'.
We were foolish and unthinking, bringing a dog home like that but God knew we needed him. He was our "first child", an extremely fast learner and soon lived to just make his daddy happy. I joke that the dog salutes at attention every time Greg walks in. They became so tight I believe Kodiak could read his mind and respond without even a command. But over the years I was battling the realization that my dream of starting a family wasn't going to happen on my timetable, if at all, and Kodiak, though a constant during that time, was just not a replacement.
It was 3 years after we brought our puppy home that we brought home our baby. With the addition of Joshua, we were finally the family I had hoped for. Kodiak was a proud big brother!
Everything was fine for the first several months. That new baby just stayed where he was put, had interesting smells, and something good to lick off his face every once in awhile. Seemed like we would all be fine -- until the combination of curiosity and mobility made Joshua not so fun anymore. Pretty soon, Kodiak would be let out and wouldn't want to come in anymore. It wasn't all bad. I appreciated losing the dog hair (and smell), and it just made my life easier. Better yet, we eventually moved to a new house with 2 blessed acres - dog and toddler heaven! They were best buds all over again and some of the sweetest moments of life were made there in our little corner of Eden.
Then one day Kodiak, always protective of his pack, risked his life for us. Day after day, two unrestrained dogs would come into our yard, barking and nipping at us. Kodiak ignored them and only kept his eye on me, waiting, begging, for the opportunity to take care of business. Knowing the consequences I would pay if I let him, I tolerated it for a ridiculously long time. Then one day while Greg was out of town I'd had it! A look straight into his eye and a quiet "Sic 'em" was all it took and he couldn't get traction fast enough! In 2 split seconds he had those dogs tearing out across the street right in front of a van but Kodiak didn't stop and he was hit. He yelped as he rolled fully up under the car. The sight of that....the sound of the bump and his yelp....it sent me to my knees screaming. I knew he wasn't alive. He would never go in the street, but I made him - ordered him - to do it! I ran in the house to keep Josh from coming out and left my Mom to pick up the pieces. A short time later she came in the house to tell me he was rattled -- but he literally walked away from it. I cried all night.
He never did high-jumping frisbee catches again after that, but we were amazed - and so thankful - that God spared him. The second half of his life has led a different kind of adventure but I will save that, and our recent reunion with him, for my next post. Until then, go give your dog a hug....:)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Grampa & Gram
My Dad and Step-Mom visited this last weekend on their way from Orlando to Durango. They're traveling the old-fashioned, fun way - taking the backroads and stopping at whatever interests them. Thankfully, we qualified and, hopefully, we beat things like the worlds biggest ball of yarn! We had such a great time and were thoroughly spoiled by them. Gram had her ear out for any little thing that Josh might be hurting for - like the Pokemon card that would beat all the neighbor kids' - and became a hero at Target with him. She also had lots of insightful, encouraging words on motherhood that I was very grateful for.
Do you see a similar expression in my Dad and his grandson? Those likenesses go deeper. Of the hand-me-down qualities, a very silly sense of humor and a deep-thinking spirituality are two of them. What a combination, huh? I love it. There's an intangible legacy I am being blessed with in my Dad. Have been all my life and now it's being passed along. Since we don't see them that often, this weekend was a curious and very warming reminder of that. Reminds me of all the verses (I looked them up - there are too many to cite) that promise faithfulness to the Lord from one generation to the next. The fact that it is playing out before me is, well, amazing.
We love you Grampa & Gram!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
What Facebook Is Good For
In college I had some good friends that I did practically everything with for awhile. Kelly and I went to nursing school together, she helped me get my first real job, I was a part of her and Cameron's wedding, I even attended the birth of their first child. Then they moved away and, as the nature of things go, we eventually lost touch. I have thought of them so often over the years, wondering about them and their family and how they're doing. Recently, thanks to facebook, not only have I found them, but, even though they live hundreds of miles away, we actually had the opportunity to get together for a day! Interesting how things change over the course of 15 years. For example, that baby they had has become the oldest of.....
Seven!
It's a blessing to re-connect with old friends that have become an even stronger, more Christ-exemplifying family over the course of time -- and yet are still so much fun. Thanks for making the drive, y'all, and we're looking forward to next year.....:)
Seven!
It's a blessing to re-connect with old friends that have become an even stronger, more Christ-exemplifying family over the course of time -- and yet are still so much fun. Thanks for making the drive, y'all, and we're looking forward to next year.....:)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A Rite of Passage
We had a really enjoyable 4th. The evening started with some of those famous Thompson ribs and coleslaw made from their own garden, a little potato salad, and some true, American blueberry pie & icecream -- oh, the freedom! But since that was all gross to Joshua, the highlight for him was being handed over the keys to the fireworks. Dad and Uncle David gave all the manly instructions and example and then he was on his own (very closely supervised).
Earlier in the day we had a long, cool, pleasant downpour. It's one of my favorite kinds of day! We spent it out on the back patio and went from pondering deep thoughts.....
.....to playing baseball in the rain. Why not?
I hope your day was special too, and full of all the meaning and blessings of the foundation that was laid for us 225 years ago -- and is still being fought for today.
And I hope you had some blueberry pie!
Earlier in the day we had a long, cool, pleasant downpour. It's one of my favorite kinds of day! We spent it out on the back patio and went from pondering deep thoughts.....
.....to playing baseball in the rain. Why not?
I hope your day was special too, and full of all the meaning and blessings of the foundation that was laid for us 225 years ago -- and is still being fought for today.
And I hope you had some blueberry pie!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Random Thoughts
As I was walking through my neighborhood this morning I had two thoughts. One: there is one cove where every house seems to have rabbit lawn ornaments. Why the theme? Are they having problems with volunteer lettuce growth that they want to scare off? I don't know. The other thought was: why does no one ever remember meeting me? Seriously. Through the years (and even Greg has started to notice) people will introduce themselves to me over and over again. Yesterday was just another example of a woman "meeting" me for the 3rd time. Like all other previous occasions like this, I already know her name, the place we met the first (and second) time, the conversations we've had, and even where she lives - because she has even given me her phone number and address before. And yet, yesterday I could tell that a 3rd time might turn into a 4th. So what do I do? I just go along with it. Greg wants to know why I don't try to discreetly jog their memory and I liken it to once upon a time when I would stand in the grocery line with my baby, and the sweet old lady behind me would comment on what a beautiful little girl I had.....even though he was a little husky and dressed all in blue. Is it really worth embarassing the other person with their mistake? Instead I would just answer, "Yes, we think she's pretty special". And so it goes. On the upside, it might be that I have a hidden super-power of invisibility - which would enable me to stake out that cove and figure out the rabbit situation.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)