Friday, February 26, 2016

February 26, 2016 - What An Emotional Week!

My goodness, this past week has been a roller coaster ride of emotions that has left us all exhausted!

Saying good-bye to Dozer on Monday was harder than any of us anticipated. We all miss him so very much, and now the entire center level of the house feels empty.  We all took for granted that Dozer would always be here.  His death has left a huge hole in our hearts, that is for certain.
I was so touched by Garrett's girlfriend Genevieve.  She rushed right over with a hug, and a lovely garden stone to remember our Dozer by. Genevieve is the most amazing, loving and kind person I have ever met.  <3

The next day, on Tuesday, Garrett decided that Blake and I needed an impromptu adventure.  He drove us to Bogus Basin mountain to chase the sunset and celebrate Dozer.  Supra came with us, and we had a lovely time.  The mountain and sunset were stunning, and it was great to see Blake smile again.  The view was breathtaking, and we all decided that Dozer must have a pretty awesome view from the rainbow bridge.  Garrett loves this family so very much, and he will do anything for us.  I was reminded of this on Tuesday and feel so very blessed to have such a remarkable son.

Wednesday, Casey and Brianna got married, and they did not tell anyone they were going to!  Their plan is to have a wedding ceremony after the baby is born, so they figured that getting their wedding license would just be a formality and there was no need to bother anyone.  They soon figured out that was not the case.  I cried, Brianna's mom cried too.  But we forgive them for not letting us be there with them because we love them so darn much.  :)

Congratulations Casey and Brianna!
Today I also realized that February 24, the day Casey and Brianna got married, is also the anniversary of the day mom died.  February 24, 2007, we lost the most precious spirit in our life.  Casey loved his grandmother, and just the other day he told me he had a conversation with a lady that reminded him SO much of mom. Then to realize that he got married on the anniversary of her death is such an amazing coincidence.  Mom is blessing their union from above.  "Thank you, mom." Casey was born on February 6th, which is also the anniversary of the day that Brianna's grandmother died.  Brianna loved her grandmother very much. Then to marry Brianna on the anniversary of the day his own beloved grandmother died is really remarkable to me.  A union blessed from their guardian angels above. <3 

Thursday, Brianna and Casey invited me to their 3-D ultrasound.  Baby Axel is growing healthy and strong, and he is beautiful!!  He had his face pointed towards Brianna's back, but the technician somehow managed to get some pretty clear images of his beautiful face.  My precious grandson has a perfect little button nose, big, full, pouty "Robertson" lips, and is absolutely adorable.  He is the perfect combination of Brianna and Casey.  It was a very cool experience seeing him for the first time.  Brianna's mom and grandmother were there too.  It was a lovely moment for all of us.  We can not wait to meet our sweet baby Turbo.  :)
Finally, I realized last night, that yesterday was the 5th anniversary of the day I held my first grandchild in my arms.  One of the most amazing experiences of my life!  It was the day that I met my precious Cooper.  My first experience as a grandmother, Jack's first experience as a grandfather, and Garrett, Casey and Blake's first experience as uncles.  It was such an emotional day.  One that I will never forget.

February 25, 2011. :)
This all brings to mind how blessed we are.  Sure, there are days we can not stand each other! Days I would like to invite them to take a long walk off of a short bridge.  However, I will always be there to toss them a life ring, pull them back to safety, to hug them hard and never let go.  Once the dust settles, I see, and I hope we can all remember, that we are a beautiful family and we have so much to be thankful for.  And above all, I love ALL my children and extended family, through thick and thin. Always and forever times infinity. <3

Some photos from our adventure with Garrett and Supra the Wonder Dog...
Life is a blessing of epic proportions.  Life is also a circle of amazing events, and if we pay attention to the little details, we can truly experience the magic of every single second.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

February 22, 2016 - It Is Hard To Say Good-Bye

February 22, 2016, at 2:22 PM this afternoon, our sweet Dozer crossed over the rainbow bridge.  :(

He woke us up early this morning with a very sad, barely audible bark.  Dozer had not barked in over a week, and this bark was like nothing I had ever heard before.  I rushed downstairs to check on him, and he looked so sick.  Jack carried him outside to take care of business, and after he did, poor pup collapsed right into the mess.  I was devastated.  We cleaned him up and brought him inside, and I knew right then and there that it was time to let him go.  The paralysis was spreading to his front legs. Thankfully, Jack was off from work, Garrett was just around the corner, and ironically, Blake had stayed home from school today.

It was such a beautiful day too.  We sat outside with him for a few moments to say goodbye before the boys took him to the vet.  It was like he knew, and he was completely calm about it.  The vet was very surprised that Dozer lived past 12 years of age as that is very rare for his breed.  That did not makes us feel much better. I could not be with him when he was put down, but thankfully, Jack, Garrett, and Blake were at his side.  Garrett said Dozer looked at each one of them one last time as if to say "all is well," and within 30 seconds, he was gone.

We were all very worried about Blake.  Dozer has been Blake's best friend for the last 12 years, 1 month and 6 days.  Blake has cried a lot, we all have, but I am very proud of Blake.  He did not leave his buddy's side.

Blake and I enjoyed some amazing adventures with Dozer in the past two months.  We are very thankful for every single one of them.


Garrett was pretty devastated too.  :(
And the sky tonight was stunning.  As if Dozer hung the moon and stars for us on his way over the rainbow bridge.
Tonight I have avoided going downstairs.  Dozer was always laying at the foot of the stairs, and I was always fussing at him to move as it was hard to step over him.  Tonight we have all said we wish we could fuss at that big old bag of fluff just one more time.

We will miss him...

And thank you so much for the lovely gift Genevieve!  It is perfect, and we appreciate it so much. We love you, honey.


Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





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Saturday, February 20, 2016

February 20, 2016 - My Sweet Friend

My sweet Dozer is losing mobility.  He can no longer stand or walk without assistance.  It truly breaks my heart. :'(

The boys, specifically Garrett, is not ready to say goodbye.  He feels like Dozer is just having a few rough days after too much exercise.  I hope that is the case, but my heart knows better.  The average life expectancy for a Great Pyrenees is 12 years.  Dozer turned 12 in January, so it is no surprise that he has slowed down so much.

We use a towel around his lower legs to lift him and help him into the yard to take care of business.  His appetite is still good, he gets lots of soft foods and yummy treats.  He especially loves cheesy fresh eggs from the hens.

We will continue to do all we can to pamper him and keep him comfortable.  My prayer is that when it is time, I know so that I can sit with him.  I just don't want him to suffer. He is not in any pain, but is experiencing a slow paralysis that is creeping slowly forward from his hind quarters.

Here are some photos from the last two days.

I helped Dozer out onto the patio to enjoy some breakfast and a beautiful sunrise.



An afternoon in the garden with friends,
 Annabelle got a little too close to Dozer, and Miss Lilly did not approve.
 Miss Lilly is always watching out for her Dozer.
 My sweet boy enjoying some water.

A beautiful moon this evening for my Dozer. We love you Doz Doz.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

February 17, 2016 - Happy Almost Spring!

Is it Spring yet?  Honestly, I can't believe I am uttering those words from my lips being that...next to Autumn...winter is my second favorite season.  However, I am really excited about so many things.

In no particular order...

1.  My grandson Axel is due in May, and we are all very excited to meet him!  I am particularly excited to witness what an amazing father I know Casey  is going to be.  He is already so incredibly protective and sentimental that it makes my heart melt. <3  He is very blessed to have Brianna in his life.  They make the perfect little family, and we love them so much.

2.  My bike is calling me!  I really miss riding my bike.  I was telling Blake the other day that I am worried that now that we have a car, no one is going to want to cycle with me anymore.  He said..."Yes, probably."  Noooooo!  Cycling must still be mama's primary mode of transportation. Well, at the very least my primary mode of fun!

3.  Gardening is also calling to me.  I miss my garden, and can not wait to start planning my Spring garden.  It is going to be amazing!  I am a little worried about the hens though.  They have had free reign over the entire back yard this winter, so keeping them out of my garden this spring is going to be tricky at best.

4.  Photography adventures.  It is always possible to have photography adventures any time of the year, and Lord knows I have plenty of things to photograph, but I am looking forward to seeing some Spring colors. Now that Blake is taking his photography more seriously, we will have lots of fun taking photos.

The year has started out on a great note.  I do miss my Cooper and Penny, though.  That still bums me out on a daily basis, but as long as they are healthy and happy then I need not worry. And I have the occasional Facebook chat with Brandon, so I know everything is well.  I do love them so much. Another thing that really bums me out is Dozer.  A few days ago I was sure it might be time to have him put down.  He could not stand at all, and needed help walking.  Garrett told me to wait.  He just knows that Dozer is not ready and has a few good months left in him.  Sure enough, Dozer was back up and walking 24 hours later.  He still has his moments, and some days are pretty slow, but I think Garrett might be right.  Goodness, I can not even begin to fathom a life without our Dozer.  :(

I am feeling very positive about the year ahead.  Garrett is finally starting his Youtube channel which I know will be amazing.  He has a new Macbook Pro, the new GoPro Hero Black which shoots in 4k video, and a new camera lens, so no more excuses!  He is feeling motivated and has great ideas for content. Blake wants to get started on his channel too, so I bought him a new computer.  Up to now, Blake usually gets every one's hand-me-down computers, so he is very excited to have a new one to call his own. Casey and Brianna will be getting married and starting their perfect little family.  They moved home last month to save some money for the baby and a new house.  Jack and I don't ever want them to leave!  I love having them here with us.  But Brianna would like to be settled in her own home by the time the baby comes, and I don't blame her.  I do remind them daily that there is no hurry, though. :)  Jack and I are better than we have ever been. Going into our 33rd year together, and 32nd year of marriage, life is good.  Retirement for him comes in October of 2017, so it is time to start planning where to buy our retirement home.  I am still hoping for rural, like Cascade, McCall or Gardnerville.

2016 is going to be an EPIC year of greatness!!

Random photos from the past few weeks...

Happy Valentine's Day!  Jack got me a lovely card, and some chocolate covered strawberries.


 Miss Lilly's Valentine greeting.  She only has eyes for you. :)
Blake enjoying some down time with Miss Lilly.  Poor kid missed an entire week of school due to a nasty throat infection, then he got the flu, and now he has a terrible cold!  Hopefully, he is just getting a full year of sickness out of the way early.  He has been miserable!!
A sweet gift from Gen. Garrett's girlfriend brought me this lovely rooster mug for no reason at all. I love it!  Garrett is so blessed to have such an amazing lady in his life.  Gen is funny and kind and we all love her to pieces!
My beautiful chickens, Rosie, and Annabelle, have survived a pretty cold winter.  They are amazing little hens and are still both laying a perfect egg each, every single day.

The beautiful Miss Annabelle.
The lovely, sassy, Rosie. :)

I decided to take inventory of what I carry in my camera bag.  The conclusion...I carry way too much! 
 But it does all fit snugly in my new Lowepro bag.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Welcome to Mommy plus Five

I am a work from home mom of five amazing children, and five beautiful grandchildren. Enjoying my 50's and all that life has to offer.

Time to start a new 365.

Thank you for stopping by! :)


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