Roxy - part 3

The dog's yelping brought my family running immediately. To my horror, it was true. I had backed the car over Roxy. The kids had put her in the house like I asked, but she had escaped out the back door. Just like the other times she was hit by a car, she didn't seem to have any broken bones, but she was obviously in pain. We followed the practical advice my veterinarian brother-in-law always gave us. "See how she does overnight and then take her to the vet tomorrow."  The vet couldn't tell us much and took a "wait and see" attitude, but I knew Roxy would be okay the following morning.  I was getting ready to head out for my morning walk.  As usual I grabbed her leash. Sure enough, she staggered to her feet and took a few steps. She wasn't really up to a walk yet, but we knew she was on the road to recovery.

Roxy put a lot of miles on those short little legs of hers.  Besides her daily walks, she loved to chase the kids around the yard or run back and forth in the hallway between two kids (one of them likely being John) who yelled encouragingly, "Come on, Roxy."

Roxy really did love our family. During vacation we always left her with friends or family so that she wouldn't be alone or cooped up in her kennel. She seemed to have a hard time while we were gone and my dad suggested we look into a "doggie anti-depressant" for her.

By the time Aaron left on his mission in 2011, Roxy was slowing down a bit. She was especially close to him, usually sleeping on his bed, and we hoped she would be here to welcome him home. First she welcomed Lavender to the family and she adjusted very well to having a little one around. In fact, she was always gentle with our granddaughters too. When they got to be too much, she usually left the room or climbed under the coffee table where they couldn't reach her.

In 2012, Roxy couldn't make it for the whole 3 mile walk. We usually looped by the house after a mile and she seemed satisfied. Eventually, even that became too much for her.  She could no longer climb the stairs and started sleeping downstairs. Her walks became shorter and shorter until finally she ventured just a few yards out the door onto the grass. When Aaron arrived home in late 2013, he was really sad to see her decline.

It seemed fitting that he was the one to find her the morning she died. He got up around 5:00 AM to let her outside and at first he thought she was just sleeping. We were in Chicago, but Ryan came over to help bury her and say goodbye.

I am grateful we had Roxy in our home for 11 years.  She was a sweet dog and we will always remember her and miss her.  John won't miss the vet bills, but you notice that in the end, Roxy left so peacefully that we didn't need to take a trip to the vet.  I guess that was her way of saying thank you.

Roxy - part two

Francie's small car looked like PetCo on wheels. The car was packed full with a kennel, dog bed, leash, dog toys, a brush, pet shampoo, a 50 pound bag of food, dishes and Roxy's up-to-date vet record. She explained to John that she knew owning a dog could be expensive and she didn't want us to have to spend any money for quite awhile.

By now the kids were begging us and we finally relented. We would try it out and see how things went. Of course, there was no turning back. Roxy loved running and playing with the kids. She loved to be held and petted and yes, she really did seem excited about family scripture study.

She certainly was loveable, but as the months passed we found that she frequently needed attention of another type--medical. Roxy was hit by a car two different time and had to have Foxtails surgically removed from various body parts on several occasions. She even had a glandular issue, but I will spare you the details. Then she developed epilepsy and had frequent seizures. John claimed she was the most expensive "free" dog ever!

One summer day I was getting ready to leave for a reunion with my girlfriends from high school. I was rushing around taking care of everything and I noticed that Roxy was snoozing in the shade of the care. I cut that dangerous habit short by asking one of the kids to take her inside. A few minutes later I hopped in the car and began slowly backing out of the driveway. Then I heard a terrific squeal from a dog. I immediately slammed on the brake, not sure what to do. What had happened? Was it possible I had backed over a dog?

Her Latest Talent

She started out tearfully clinging onto mommy, but in the space of fifteen minutes she was splashing around the pool saying, "don't touch me."

Roxy - part one

"Deliberate" and "Intentional" seem to be big buzzwords today. I like the principles behind them and I want to live my life purposefully. But some of the best things in life are surprises or accidents that happen with little or no planning.

In 2002 we had a busy home filled with four children and a bird inherited from Grandma. One day my sister asked me if we were interested in getting a dog. I told her that I had my hands full and there was no room at the inn. Her friend Francie called me anyway.

Francie explained that her daughter had a sweet little dog who needed lots of attention. They were all away from home much of the day and the poor little dog spent hours in her kennel. I told Francie we weren't interested, but she persisted. She explained that she was calling me because we were an LDS homeschooling family. She wasn't going to give the dog to just anyone. They wanted a family who spent lots of time at home so the dog would get plenty of attention. Her daughter insisted that the family be LDS because Roxy "loved family scripture study." That was the silliest thing I'd ever heard and I thanked Francie for thinking of us, but told her we really weren't interested.

Then Francie asked if we would be willing to meet the dog, just so we could see what she was like. Francie was so earnest that I finally agreed. They showed up at our house the next day. Of course the kids were excited to have a visit from this little white pup. She ran circles around them and showed us her tricks. She could even jump up into your arms from the ground.

After everyone was thoroughly smitten, Francie asked if we wanted to keep the dog for a few days. Her daughter Lauren began to cry and told us how much she wanted Roxy to have a good home. Then Francie took us out to her car. We couldn't believe what we saw . . .

Captured

I've spent the past week going through our family videos. We have quite a collection of tapes from our camcorder, but most of them are not labelled. So every tape is a surprise--and an opportunity to learn something.

Many of the tapes show me covering my face or asking my husband to turn off the camera. Fortunately, he persevered and captured me on tape many times despite my protests. I complained that I didn't have my makeup on or my hair wasn't done, but you know what? I loved seeing the woman I was 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. I didn't see a single video where I looked so bad that I regretted John filming me. Sure I laughed at some of my clothes and haircuts. Yes, I cringed at how chubby I looked in certain years. But I am so grateful to have some of our memories preserved for the future. I was (and still am) an imperfect wife and mother. But I was there to kiss my babies and celebrate birthdays with little children who are now grown up. I am grateful for the many hours we spent together and that a few of them were recorded by their loving father.

I am grateful for a husband who tells me I am beautiful without makeup and keeps taking videos even if I complain. Here's a picture of the two of us at the beach today. If you look carefully, you'll notice that my hair isn't done and I'm not wearing any makeup. But I hope that what really shines through is the happiness and peace I feel when we're together.

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I believe in CS Lewis, good writing, story telling and sisters

One of my favorite quotes from CS Lewis  reads:

“For in Calormen, story-telling (whether the stories are true or made up) is a thing you're taught, just as English boys and girls are taught essay-writing. The difference is that people want to hear the stories, whereas I never heard of anyone who wanted to read the essays.”

The pictures I posted yesterday reminded me of an essay, but not the boring kind that CS Lewis wrote about.  Instead, I present to you an essay story written by Marianne earlier this year.  I think you'll enjoy reading it--even if you're not her mother.

I Believe in Little Sisters

The summer I turned 16, I received quite a shock. I remember the evening my life changed forever. My mom called me and my two brothers downstairs for a family meeting. My stomach sickened at the thought, because I knew that one of only two things could have happened.  Either my great grandma had died, or my mom was pregnant.  I was hoping with all my heart that my dear sweet great grandma, who was in her 90’s had made the journey to heaven.  But in a few short months, I would learn an important lesson:  I believe in little sisters.

I believe in little sisters because they make you happy. Brigham Young University professor Laura Padilla-Walker stated the results of a recent study which showed that “having a sister protected adolescents from feeling lonely, unloved, guilty, self-conscious and fearful.”[i] Lavender Jane is my two year old little sister. She makes me laugh at least 24 times a day.  She opens my eyes to the simple things in life. She helps me see the joy that comes from roaring like a dinosaur, or singing opera in your loudest voice. She gets way too excited about eating breakfast, and is still smiling as she is carried up to bed. She makes every day fun and she knows how to giggle her heart out.  She makes me happy in every way.

I believe in little sisters because they provide you opportunities to teach. I get to teach my sister so many things, every single day. I can teach her right from wrong, I can teach her new words, and I can even teach her how to eat a whole In N Out hamburger. Little sisters love to learn! At the same time, as I am teaching my sister to learn about the world, I am also getting good practice teaching. One day I will have my own children, so I like to think of Lavender as my trial run for my future family.

I believe in little sisters because you learn patience. Life might look perfect with a little sister, but let’s be honest; it’s not. It is wonderful in every way you could imagine, but it can be hard sometimes. That brings me to my last point: I get to practice being patient with my little sister. Today Lavender dumped dog food all over the floor, screamed in my face at me, tried to chew my computer cord, and almost hit me in the face with a tin bucket she decided to fling in the air. Whew! I have only been home from school for a few hours, and already I have been given many opportunities to be patient and loving with my sister.  Let’s just say I get a lot of practice time.

In all my years, I never wanted a sister. I never once wished that I had a little sister. You may not have a little sister, or a little brother, or any other siblings, and that is okay. You might not even like kids! One nugget of gold I have found through this whole experience is that God likes to surprise us. If you have not noticed already, He will throw some crazy surprises into our lives.  My little sister was that kind of a surprise for me.  Maybe it’s not a new sister that surprises you. Maybe it’s a new friend you make, a talent you discover, an awareness about something, or even something that may seem to be a trial or a burden. Whatever it is, it is important to remember that with everything in life, God’s timing is perfect. It may seem like the worst time to us, but God knows more than we do. When my sister was born, I had to embrace God’s timing. It wasn’t always easy, but it all worked out. Embrace it, let it in, and let that surprise of yours bring you joy.

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[i] Padilla-Walker, Laura. "Sisters give siblings better mental health, study shows." Brigham Young University News. Brigham Young University, 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.

Two Happy Kids #3

These girls take the best selfies ever.