At 3:22 this morning, we lost our little Bichon. We knew things weren't looking good for him because he had been refusing food for a couple of days and drinking a lot of water and then throwing up. He lost weight in that short amount of time and got so weak he couldn't stand. Monday night he moaned all night and I didn't get much sleep, but I wanted to be there for him if he needed me. I made an appt. yesterday to take him the vet today and I had a feeling he wouldn't be coming home with me. Last night Chris slept on the couch holding him in his arms. While Chris was loving on him, he stopped breathing and then his heartbeat slowed down until it was gone. I was asleep upstairs and Chris called my cell to get me to come downstairs. He didn't want to wake Gracie and he didn't want to get up because he wanted me to see where Bo was when he died. He looked very content laying next Chris on the pillow. :-) It was my best case scenario...we didn't have to make the decision to put him down.
Chris and I refer to ourselves as Mommy and Daddy to our furry children because like Gracie, they need us to care for them and are totally reliant on us for their well-being. The thought that comes to mind is that Bo was content because he was in the arms of his father and felt no fear...only love.
Someday, hopefully not for a long, long time...I'll feel the arms of my Father around me as I pass from this life into the next. I hope I have the same "smile" on my face that Bo did.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Not yet...
Today was supposed to be the day we said goodbye to our sweet dog, Bo. Strangely, a couple of days after I made his appointment he started acting different. He decided to explore the house and the backyard and not sleep quite as much. Chris and I talked about it and decided that maybe now was not the time. We know it's inevitable, but we agreed to wait. Wed. I called to cancel the appointment and the vet tech who answered the phone was so happy...he's a pretty popular little guy. I don't know how much longer we have with Bo, but I know that we are cherishing the time we have.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wow!!!
I have just spent Friday night and Saturday in the most wonderful, worshipful atmosphere! I attended a Beth Moore simulcast at Vineyard Community Church in Tri-County with my friends Janice and Tonni, some friends of Tonni and about 90,000 other sisters in Christ. I love Beth Moore Bible studies and have attended a retreat called "Loving Well", but this was my first simulcast. Basically, Beth was in Green Bay, WI but there were 516 satellite locations around world and we were all connected via satellite. Technology is awesome!!
More later....
More later....
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Saying goodbye
On Friday, Sept. 4th we will say goodbye to our beloved Bichon Frise, Bo. He is 15 years old, blind, and very frail. He can barely walk and is shaky when he stands still. It's time. Chris and I have been through this before...first with Rosie, then with Woody. It's been 3 1/2 years since we've had to make this decision and it never gets easier. This sweet little dog has been an important member of our family for 11 years and he will be greatly missed.
Gracie is extremely upset. Yesterday, unbeknownst to me, she overheard me making the appointment with vet to euthanize Bo. She screamed, "I can't take it anymore!". I've seen temper tantrums, but I've never seen this kind of heart break. She was unconsolable and wouldn't even come near me. As far as she was concerned, it was my fault. She ended up laying on the couch cuddling Bo and cried herself to sleep. Today things are much calmer, but my sensitive little princess is very sad and "wishes Bo didn't have to die".
Mommy wishes it too.
Gracie is extremely upset. Yesterday, unbeknownst to me, she overheard me making the appointment with vet to euthanize Bo. She screamed, "I can't take it anymore!". I've seen temper tantrums, but I've never seen this kind of heart break. She was unconsolable and wouldn't even come near me. As far as she was concerned, it was my fault. She ended up laying on the couch cuddling Bo and cried herself to sleep. Today things are much calmer, but my sensitive little princess is very sad and "wishes Bo didn't have to die".
Mommy wishes it too.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sisters
This past weekend we made a trek to Paducah, KY to spend some time with one of the families we were in China with. Stevie and Gracie are "Hunan Sisters", but you'd swear they were blood sisters and spent every day together!
When Dana, Stevie, and Ellie were here in July, the girls renewed their bond of sisterhood and became so very close. Stevie slept on the trundle in Gracie's room and I don't think either of them got more than 3 hours sleep the 2 nights they were here! The sound of giggles and shared secrets went on long into the night and when the time came on Sunday for the Collins ladies to leave for home...there was weeping and sobbing such as you never heard before!
Fast forward to this weekend...We departed at 8:30 in the morning for the long drive to Paducah, first stopping so I could get a caramel macchiato at Grinders. I'd only had 2 hours of sleep the night before, so coffee was a NEED! We stopped for lunch in Glendale, KY to visit with a sweet friend we know from YMX and had a wonderful meal at The Whistlestop. This is definitely a place I want to visit again...wonderful home cooked meals with tea so sweet it makes your teeth hurt! On the road again! Gracie slept for a little while, but the anticipation of seeing Stevie again was more than her sweet little self could stand! The lack of sleep made Mommy more than a little grumpy, so I was rather perturbed that every time I managed to doze, Gracie started talking. Doesn't make for a great trip.
The minute we got to the Collins abode, Gracie was out of the car and she and Stevie were in each others arms. The next thing we know, they'd disappeared upstairs not to be seen again for a long time...they had a lot to catch up on!! Our evening was spent in the company of Dana's parents, Bobby and Sherry who are 2 of the sweetest people I've ever met, as well as Suzanne Murphy and her daughter Gracee and her mom, whose name is escaping me right now I'm embarrassed to admit. Suzanne traveled to China with Dana because Steve needed to stay at home with Will who was just a little guy at the time. Dana, Suzanne, Chris, and I spent most of our time together while we were there and we became family. Anyway, after grilling burgers and dogs and eating dinner, the rest of our evening was spent just visiting and having a great relaxing night.
Sat. started out a lazy day, which was good because I was still a little tired even though I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow! I don't know what time the girls went to sleep because they were still going strong around midnight! Dana and Suzanne had videotaped our Gotcha Day and we spent the morning reliving the most exciting day of our lives...the day our Hunan princesses were placed in our arms and thus becoming a family. I remember feeling so sick that day...my nerves were stretched to the breaking point! What I didn't realize is that my feelings were plain to everyone because my face is an open book. I looked scared to death!! I was also crying almost immediately upon entering the room where the babies were waiting. I didn't know that Gracie's nanny walked right by several times while she was pacing trying to get Gracie to stop crying...I just didn't know which one she was! I think I cried as much Sat. morning watching that video as I did that day in Changsha...such a beautiful memory.
Sat. night was spent at Will's baseball game and then off to a grand re-opening of a Paducah landmark, Parkers Drive-in. Apparently it caught fire during last winter's ice storm and burned to the ground. Well, now it's rebuilt and open for business and Sat. night they had a band called Classic Waxx (Dana's brother is the drummer) come and play to celebrate. CW plays '50's and '60's tunes and it was so much fun to watch the kids dance. They wore themselves out!!
Sunday we attended church at Olivet Baptist where Steve and Dana and the kids are members and then we went to Chong's Chinese Restaurant for lunch. We hung out there as long as we could...putting off the inevitable. We hugged and said goodbye in the parking lot while Gracie and Stevie clung to each other. Then the tears started. The sound of their sorrow broke our hearts! We finally got Gracie in the car and she sobbed (loudly) for about the first 50 miles of our trip home. I'm not exaggerating!! According to Mapquest, it was about 50 til we got to the Western KY Parkway and that's when Gracie finally cried herself to sleep. She slept for another 140 miles....when we got on the Bluegrass Parkway. After that she was sad, but no more tears.
We're planning another visit soon...not sure if Stevie's coming here or if Gracie's going to Paducah, but soon the sisters will be together for another weekend of giggles, secrets, and tears.
When Dana, Stevie, and Ellie were here in July, the girls renewed their bond of sisterhood and became so very close. Stevie slept on the trundle in Gracie's room and I don't think either of them got more than 3 hours sleep the 2 nights they were here! The sound of giggles and shared secrets went on long into the night and when the time came on Sunday for the Collins ladies to leave for home...there was weeping and sobbing such as you never heard before!
Fast forward to this weekend...We departed at 8:30 in the morning for the long drive to Paducah, first stopping so I could get a caramel macchiato at Grinders. I'd only had 2 hours of sleep the night before, so coffee was a NEED! We stopped for lunch in Glendale, KY to visit with a sweet friend we know from YMX and had a wonderful meal at The Whistlestop. This is definitely a place I want to visit again...wonderful home cooked meals with tea so sweet it makes your teeth hurt! On the road again! Gracie slept for a little while, but the anticipation of seeing Stevie again was more than her sweet little self could stand! The lack of sleep made Mommy more than a little grumpy, so I was rather perturbed that every time I managed to doze, Gracie started talking. Doesn't make for a great trip.
The minute we got to the Collins abode, Gracie was out of the car and she and Stevie were in each others arms. The next thing we know, they'd disappeared upstairs not to be seen again for a long time...they had a lot to catch up on!! Our evening was spent in the company of Dana's parents, Bobby and Sherry who are 2 of the sweetest people I've ever met, as well as Suzanne Murphy and her daughter Gracee and her mom, whose name is escaping me right now I'm embarrassed to admit. Suzanne traveled to China with Dana because Steve needed to stay at home with Will who was just a little guy at the time. Dana, Suzanne, Chris, and I spent most of our time together while we were there and we became family. Anyway, after grilling burgers and dogs and eating dinner, the rest of our evening was spent just visiting and having a great relaxing night.
Sat. started out a lazy day, which was good because I was still a little tired even though I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow! I don't know what time the girls went to sleep because they were still going strong around midnight! Dana and Suzanne had videotaped our Gotcha Day and we spent the morning reliving the most exciting day of our lives...the day our Hunan princesses were placed in our arms and thus becoming a family. I remember feeling so sick that day...my nerves were stretched to the breaking point! What I didn't realize is that my feelings were plain to everyone because my face is an open book. I looked scared to death!! I was also crying almost immediately upon entering the room where the babies were waiting. I didn't know that Gracie's nanny walked right by several times while she was pacing trying to get Gracie to stop crying...I just didn't know which one she was! I think I cried as much Sat. morning watching that video as I did that day in Changsha...such a beautiful memory.
Sat. night was spent at Will's baseball game and then off to a grand re-opening of a Paducah landmark, Parkers Drive-in. Apparently it caught fire during last winter's ice storm and burned to the ground. Well, now it's rebuilt and open for business and Sat. night they had a band called Classic Waxx (Dana's brother is the drummer) come and play to celebrate. CW plays '50's and '60's tunes and it was so much fun to watch the kids dance. They wore themselves out!!
Sunday we attended church at Olivet Baptist where Steve and Dana and the kids are members and then we went to Chong's Chinese Restaurant for lunch. We hung out there as long as we could...putting off the inevitable. We hugged and said goodbye in the parking lot while Gracie and Stevie clung to each other. Then the tears started. The sound of their sorrow broke our hearts! We finally got Gracie in the car and she sobbed (loudly) for about the first 50 miles of our trip home. I'm not exaggerating!! According to Mapquest, it was about 50 til we got to the Western KY Parkway and that's when Gracie finally cried herself to sleep. She slept for another 140 miles....when we got on the Bluegrass Parkway. After that she was sad, but no more tears.
We're planning another visit soon...not sure if Stevie's coming here or if Gracie's going to Paducah, but soon the sisters will be together for another weekend of giggles, secrets, and tears.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Blowing the dust off
I guess I need to blow the dust off of my blog and start posting again, since it's been since Thanksgiving! Lots of time has passed but a new school year seems like a good time to get it going again. Hopefully this time I can be more faithful.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving
I have so much to be thankful for today. First being my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't even want to think about where I'd be without Him. Next, my amazing husband...I love him more every day and I am so blessed to have him in my life. I look forward to growing old with him...someday! LOL And then there's Gracie. I can't even describe how much I love our daughter. Then there are my sisters...I love them so much! And I wish I could've been with them today...but more about that in a minute. I have the most wonderful friends and I'm so thankful for them. Some I've known for a very long time, others are only for a short while, but all of them are such a blessing to me. I'm very thankful for our pastor and the church family we've come to love. We have a beautiful home, Chris has a good job and a great boss. We have our health. So many things to be thankful for today.
This morning, I called my sister Carol to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving. And found out that the lump in her breast that we were so afraid of was only a cyst. Breast cancer is a very real fear for us, so this news brought happy tears and gave new meaning to the word "thanksgiving".
This afternoon, my sister Kristie called me to let me know that she's getting married. I'm so very happy for her! She's been through so much crap in her personal life and she definitely deserves to be happy. I wish her and Chuck the best and can't wait to see her walk down the aisle.
These are just a few of the people and things that I find myself thankful for today. How about you? Have you counted your blessings lately?
This morning, I called my sister Carol to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving. And found out that the lump in her breast that we were so afraid of was only a cyst. Breast cancer is a very real fear for us, so this news brought happy tears and gave new meaning to the word "thanksgiving".
This afternoon, my sister Kristie called me to let me know that she's getting married. I'm so very happy for her! She's been through so much crap in her personal life and she definitely deserves to be happy. I wish her and Chuck the best and can't wait to see her walk down the aisle.
These are just a few of the people and things that I find myself thankful for today. How about you? Have you counted your blessings lately?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
