It hardly seems possible that Christmas is here already…it seems like just a short time ago we were enjoying some sunshine and summer warmth…what happened to the past six months? I must say, this time of year tends to sneak up on me, but oh, the joy of spending time with family and good friends during the holiday season is truly the highlight. Dinner with friends, baking of goodies, decorating, listening to Christmas music, watching some of the classic Christmas movies…oh, it doesn’t get much better than this!
One thing that is tough is getting together with everyone at the same time…with family spread around the area, it’s nearly impossible to be with all of them at the same time. I’m sure that most of you can relate to this dilemma. This year we celebrated Christmas a week early with our kids and their families – and what a wonderful evening it was, just hanging out, catching up on what’s been happening and sharing a great meal!! Of course, there were some gifts to exchange and unwrap…and I must say that our granddaughter, Jayden, made out quite well!! And next year…we will have two granddaughters as our daughter and her husband are expecting a girl in the spring…and let me tell you, we couldn’t be more excited – oh, we can’t wait!!! Our meal…oh my, it was delicious…with the highlight being prime rib…and I must say, we cooked it nearly perfectly this year…yum!! Dessert consisted of some homemade molasses cookies (family tradition) as well as some homemade caramels…another family favorite!
Here’s a highlight of our Christmas…I wish for all of you, a Christmas filled with love, joy and lots of wonderful memories to last a lifetime! My husband and I will be with my family and good friends over the weekend…how lucky am I that I get to spend more of the holiday with more family and friends!!
Jess and Sean…both showing off their cocoas they got…I foresee some evenings enjoying hot cocoa in the next few weeks!
Jayden sure loves her new pillow pet,which she quickly named “Pink!”
Oh, we couldn’t resist…little “Miss Perry’s” first Carhartt outfit…almost as much as for her as her daddy!
Josh got his girlfriend, Amanda, a new coffee mug, in honor of a Facebook page that she follows!
When you are six years old…something like this is about the best thing in the world you can open!!
Our daughter, Jessalyn, is a teacher…with a frog themed classroom….I couldn’t resist!!
Okay, maybe the Justin Bieber doll is a tad step above the princess dolls!!!!! She LOVED this!
My wonderful husband, Rick…some new clothes for a near year!
Josh’s favorite wine…and a cheese tray made out of the bottle to serve when they have some of the wine!
Is it Rudolph…or maybe Dasher…or maybe it’s just Sean…he’s looking pretty good with those antlers!
Aren’t they a GREAT looking couple!!!
And, here, is the newest member of our family…with an ETA of May 2012…we are all anxious to meet her!
Oh, Jayden sure loves playing with her Uncle Sean…they have so much fun together! And, sweet Maddie loves her Jayden…they are pretty darn cute together!
Josh, Amanda and Jayden…they look quite stylish and could work as models!!
We couldn’t leave out Maddie…she loves being in family photos!!
Oh, the LOVE of my life…can’t imagine how my life would have been without him…nearly 30 years of marriage!!
Our beautiful children…all grown up…we are very proud and blessed!
Merry Christmas…from all of us…to each and everyone one of you! I hope that Santa is good to you!
It is with great joy and great sadness that I’m typing this post, about our beloved dog, Aussie, who we lost 3 weeks ago. If you have had a pet for any length of time, you know how they become a family member and part of your lives and are a companion and friend, no matter what! Our sweet Aussie was with us for almost 16 years and yes, I know that is a very long time, but selfishly, it wasn’t long enough and we wanted more time, more memories and more wags and licks from her. It had been about 2 1/2 years since Aussie first had some sort of problem, whether it was a seizure or stroke and we feared our time with her was coming to an end. I well remember the day after that episode when I took her to the vet and cried the whole way there and back and not knowing just how long we’d have, it was scary! But, she amazed us and bounced back and seemed to be back to normal most of the time. Sure, there were some times she had a problem or two, but mostly she was her old self, full of life and enthusiasm for whatever she encountered each day.
It was 16 years ago this coming October when our family took a trip to visit my parents at their cabin on Hayden Lake…we had moved from Tennessee the summer before and had lost our other dog of 13 years before the move and the kids were continually asking when could we get another dog! The day we “found” Aussie, my husband and dad were golfing and my mom and I took the kids into town and stopped by the humane society “just to look” and guess what a litter of pups had come in an hour before! We drove to the golf course so the kids could ask their dad if it was okay to get a puppy, saying we’d found the perfect one! Well, my dad instantly said, “YEP and I’ll pay for it!” My dad LOVED dogs and with his answer we had no choice, but to get the puppy…and it was truly love at first sight! She was the runt of the litter and just under 3 pounds…oh, I can see that sweet face and smell that puppy breath as I think of it! The rest is history…and in the years with her, we created so many memories and have some wonderful photos of her.
Aussie was a GREAT dog…and I know, I’m biased, but if you ask a lot of our friends, neighbors and even some strangers, they’d agree with me! Aussie was very well behaved (other than the begging at meals, which I full take the blame for since I would feed her my last bite from a meal) and loved people, though she would bark and some occasional solicitors who she didn’t like (which I tend to think there was a reason why…I think she knew they didn’t need to be around!) and made so many friends from people just walking by our home. When we first got Aussie, we put in the electric fence in the yard and trained her to stay in the yard. It wasn’t a couple of years before that was cut with landscaping and yet, to the day she passed away, she still stayed in the yard (well, maybe with the occasional wandering to say hello to a neighbor on either side!). People would walk by with dogs and she’d go to the end of the driveway and stand right there and just watch or a cat would wander through the yard, she’d run after it until the property line and then stop…and when people would walk by and we were outside, they’d comment how friendly and well behaved she was. There was a couple who the past couple of years walked by nearly ever day ( with their dog) and would always stop and give her a treat after making her sit or shake, or rollover (which was harder for her the past year)….they were so good to her! Aussie would literally go to the end of driveway and check the curbing EVERY time she’d go out to see if she missed them…which she would find a treat, if she wasn’t out when they would leave a treat for her. She never forgot and if she saw them a couple of blocks down the street, she’d stand and wait for them, almost at attention! Oh, and I can’t forget to share the story of the UPS driver. When we first got Aussie, the UPS driver would come and bring her a treat with a package and then she began to recognize the connection and whenever she saw the truck, she stood on the end of the driveway, waiting for the treat! The driver was awesome…he stopped every day and gave her a treat and said he would even stop at the store to by more, if he knew he would be in our neighborhood! After a few years, the driver was given a new route, but came by to say “goodbye” to Aussie and told us that if we ever needed to find a new home for her, to call him, that he’d take her in a heartbeat! Obviously, that never happened, but the funny part, we had to “train” all the new UPS drivers to be sure to bring treats, otherwise, she’d be sniffing their pockets all the way to and from the door if they didn’t bring something! Fed Ex drivers never fell into the same category and some wouldn’t even deliver because she was “scary!” Yeah, right! Oh well, their loss in getting to meet a great and friendly dog!
Playing with the kids, chasing balls or frisbees, swimming, playing tug of war or lounging in the sunshine were Aussie’s favorite activities and I’m so thankful that most of her life she was able to do that and she truly loved each day. I think the routine is one of the things I miss the most…seeing her sweet face each morning and getting the wags and licks when I’d say good morning…or the hug and kiss I gave her each night just before I’d crawl into bed. Of course, there were days when she wanted to go in and out ALL the time you know I’d give anything for that to return to our lives!! Oh, I miss her so much and I know it’s been just a few weeks and that the sadness of missing her will get easier to bear all the time, but I sure miss her!
The kisses were often, wet and slimy….and Jayden never tired of them (nor did I!).
