Her Name Was Sarah

He took her because her family didn't want her. She was a nuisance. She was still fairly young and full of energy, and when she came into his home, she never left his side. She went with him everywhere, and if she couldn't go with him, she'd loyally and patiently stay put and wait for him.

He loved her dearly. The decision to bring her to grandma and grandpa's to enjoy retirement was a tough one for him, but it was important. She was old, didn't have the patience for little hands and knees getting in her way, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he'd have to say goodbye to her forever.

She will be truly missed. She whined all day long if she stayed home with me, she was terribly frightened of thunderstorms (just as much as me!) I remember her jumping into bed one night with us- the thunder scared her. *Her* spot in the truck was the bunk behind the front seats; in the pick up, it was the back seat. Her breath stank, and she was getting bumps all over her body from old age. She was black and white. She wore a hot pink coller around her neck. She was a border collie. Her name was Sarah.

He found out tonight that she had breathed her last. I don't know if it was today or yesterday, but when I discovered he was crying on the phone with someone, I began listening a little more closely to the converation. I heard him say he got her in 1998. I heard him say her family hadn't wanted her anymore because she was making a mess of the yard. I heard him say he found an ad for her in the paper, but she hadn't been with him when he lived in Provost. The rest is history.

Sarah, we loved you and your daddy misses you terribly. I know it kills him that he couldn't say bye before you had to go, but its probably better this way. I hope you're happy up in doggy heaven, and I know you're no longer in pain. Thank you for loving your daddy and for happily trotting alongside him for so many years. You were his first true love and his best friend.

So long, girl.

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~ 189 ~ the fun filled afternoon shopping with a dear friend, her daughter and mother in law (and my girls)

~ 190 ~ an unexpected visit from the first person we met in town

~ 191 ~ the sweet house warming gift she gave- even for the girls, too!

~ 192 ~ green works household cleaners

~ 193 ~ pet spray- it works wonders even if your pets aren't the ones making messes!!!

~ 194 ~ warm vanilla sugar hand lotion

~ 195 ~ Bath and Body Works

~ 196 ~ ADDISON IS WALKING!!!!

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I just can't not sign off on such a low blogger key, so I'm sharing our other big news, too!

Yes, I know I just blogged yesterday about how I'm concerned she isn't walking on her own, and she just proved me wrong. That girl has a tendency to make a liar out of her mother- on a regular basis!! Its always good, though. It just makes me chuckle and shake my head.

All four of us were hanging out in the basement after supper, watching whatever was on Treehouse tv, and without even realizing it (at first), Addison began standing between husband and I, *without holding onto anything, OR leaning onto something*. Suddenly, he asks me if I see what she's doing; and yes, I do. Not long after that, her sister gets a bite on the face from kitty (it was bound to happen...and, now it has- and, of course, the world ended when he gave her that warning. She cried and cried and cried.) The only thing that pulled her out of her over-tired reverie was *bath time*- the most magical hour of the day for my girls.

Daddy came upstairs a few minutes later with Miss Addison, and he told me she was going to walk. 'Yeah right', I thought, but once again was proven wrong. From the doorway to the bathroom, she walked to me, at the edge of the bath tub (the half bath isn't very big, either, though it is bigger than our ensuite). HOKEY DINAH!!! No fingers, no crawling involved. I gave her a huge hug and kiss and told her how proud I was of her, then turned her around and watched her walk back to daddy at the bathroom door. He spun her around, and she walked back to me at the bath tub.

My girl. SO AMAZING!

Her reward was getting to play in the bath. LOL

She even walked a little more for us after she was all clean and dressed for bed.

I can't wait for tomorrow! She has an entire day to astonish us- AND her grandparents, AND her friends at the pool when we go swimming in the morning. She's going to WOW the world!!!