McKenzie Elizabeth

McKenzie Elizabeth came into our lives on a hot late June day. She had been taken from her mom at a very young age.  We took her home at 6 weeks of age. None of the pups had fresh water or food available. We took Kenzie and my sisters friend took in the rest of the pups and found them good homes.

 

This sweet lil girl was born on May 24, 2001..which was also the hunky hubbys golden birthday.

At a couple years of age she was diagnosed with hip diplasia.  She never ever let it slow her own. She traveled the 48 continental United States and several Providences in Canada. She sure enjoyed being a trucking pup.

Within the past year we had to finally put her on medication for her hips. Her health was going downhill and she was hurting...I am devestated to report that on October 9th, 2015 we took McKenzie to the veterinarian and held her as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I'm at loss for words. We lost three of our furbabies this year...Arizona on 2/18/15 from cancer, Brayden on 7/18/15 from old age and his body just shut down & now Kenzie...It's hard to wrap my head and heart around this. It hurts.

Rest in sweet peace my baby girl.

Brayden Michael

On November 12, 2000 our sweet boy Brayden Michael was born. On July 18, 2015 he crossed the rainbow bridge. Brayden came to us at about 8 weeks old. He was a bloated fluff ball. He had some health issue which we got taken care of right away and he never had any other issues until this year when he came down with a vestibular issue. He bounced back from that for the most part and remained his active lovable self. To some, he was just a dog. He was my best friend, my son, my baby boy. Both Ken and I held him in our arms in our den until he breathed his last breath and then we held him more. Brayden changed us and made us better. He lit up the room with his silly spunk and his adorable pearly white doggy smile. He would jump in my arms and loved to be held like a baby. My heart is broken and our house is empty without him but I am ever thankful for the almost 15yrs he gave us. RIP Brayden Michael

I see a wish

 

 

This is where I am at in life. 

Some see a weed,

Some see a wish.

 

  A dandelion makes it's way through the most difficult places.  It doesn't always have room to grow, but it does. So, in life, I choose to be a dandelion.  Rather, I should say, I am trying my darndest.

I am learning to slow down, to allow the changes and to be patient.

It's not always easy.  In fact, it's hard as hell. 

But, I will get through this particular season in life.

Nothing is impossible.

 

 

Times, they are a changin'

 

In December 2013 we went to our local animal shelter and adopted this senior sweetie that we named Isabella Jewels.  She showed up in a persons back yard during an ice storm.  She was frostbitten and very thin and scared.  She showed us more love in the almost 3 months we had her than one could ever imagine.  She crossed the Rainbow Bridge on February 27th, 2014.

 

 

 

Also, On February 27th , 2014 we had to say goodbye to our sweet Allison Jeanne.  She crossed the Rainbow Bridge minutes before Isabella.  She was 12yrs old.  Twelve years was not enough time with our lil silly girl.

 

 

 

 

 On the same day that we said goodbye to our Isabella and Allison, we were contacted by my cousin about a doggy that needed a home.  We knew it was too soon...but, all weekend long we couldn't stop thinking of this little 1yr old pup that needed us.  We loaded Brayden, McKenzie & Arizona into the Yukon and headed to the local animal shelter to meet miss Zoey Marie.  Within minutes, we had ourselves a sweet little girl.  Our hearts were filled with joy.  However, Zoey became very aggressive toward the other pups as time went on and we had to rehome her. She left our home December 2014. She is doing absolutely amazing and is spoiled rotten.  The lil stinker just needs one on one attention.

 

Our house was far too quiet and the morbid part in us knew we needed to plan for the future.  Our oldest pup Brayden is turning 15 in November and McKenzie will be 14 in May & Arizona would be turning 7 in April.  We knew statistically speaking that our time with the Bray & Kenzie would be limited.  Arizona being an Alaskan Husky and the youngest of the pack has only known other animals.  We opted to look into adopting a puppy to keep her company. 

 

Wellllllllll......we went to get one puppy and came back with two 10 week old little girls.  We couldn't see separating them so Penny Marie and Jazmine Joy came home with us mid December.

 

 

 

Time went on and we knew our home was complete again.  Arizona, McKenzie, & Brayden were adjusting well and loved their little sisters.  I had an appointment set up for Jazmine and Penny to get the last round of their booster shots and opted to have Arizona checked out as well.  She didn't seem to be eating very well. 

 

The vet did xrays and blood work on Zona and found a large mass in her abdomen.  We opted to do whatever it took to save our lil girl. I had a terrible pit in my stomach about what they found.  We opted to take a run in the semi with the pups.  I had a hunch this would be Zona's last ride.

 

 We brought her for surgery two days after her appointment which was Wednesday,  February 17th.  I had to sign a waiver that if the mass in Zona's abdomen was not operable that she would not wake up from surgery.  About two hours after we dropped her off at the vet we were called....Zona didn't make it.  The mass was attached to everything.  We hopped in the Yukon and headed to the vets office to say our last goodbye.  Arizona Claire, just shy of her 8th birthday crossed the Rainbow Bridge on February 17th, 2015.

To say this past year has been rough is an utter understatement.  We continue to miss our pups and at the same time, we continue to enjoy every minute we have with our Brayden Michael, McKenzie Elizabeth, Jazmine Joy & Penny Marie

 
Brayden Michael continues to love big riggin even though he suffers from a vestibular condition.

 
McKenzie Elizabeth still hops on the couch and barks at every possible thing that moves.

Last Week I took Jazmine Joy and Penny Marie for a walk (the older pups can't make it farther than a couple blocks at most these days). We ended up at my dad and step moms.  My little sisters and brother wore the puppies right out.  For hecklets I put the pups in the kiddy swing.  Oh my goodness they loved it!  Especially Penny!   Call me crazy, but, I am seriously contemplating on putting a swing like this up for our girls.

 

 

Times have and continue to change in the Woodbury casa.  Love remains and each day is an adventure.

Not your "typical" girl

Tomorrow is going to be so super exciting!! We are going on a lil road trip to Green Bay, Wi. It's the Green Bay Packer family night celebration. Both the hunky hubby and I are avid Packer fans. In fact, we may even bleed green and gold. 

We will be meeting up with two of our other friends and two of our nieces for lunch. That's sure to be an excellent time. We've been mighty blessed with amazing friends and family.

I'm looking forward to trying out a new BBQ place in the city before we head to Cabellas. I'm not the "typical" gal. I don't fancy big malls and fine jewelry, etc. Tomorrow will be filled to the brim with friends, family, BBQ, swimming, football and Cabellas. We are in the market for a Dutch oven...and that has me flip flippan stoked!!!

 Enjoy your weekend peeps and be blessed. I'll have a post in the near future of our dutch oven investment. 

In the meantime, feel free to share any Dutch oven cooking recipes with me. I'd be superly duperly appreciative. 

Gardeny Goodness

Today I rode my bike to our big garden.  The sun was shining.  It was a perfect day to be in the garden.  Wait, who am I kidding, any day in the garden is a perfect day!!

Last winter was harsh and we even had a snow storm in May.  That, combined with my surgery on May 27th put a slow start on the garden.  Thank goodness for my green eyed geek and lil brother.  They got the garden fence up and then they, along with our neighbor and a bit of myself, got it all planted. 

The beans and peas are finally flowering and in a week or two I should be picking some gorgeous delicious produce.  We have 56 tomato plants, green peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, acorn squash, butternut squash, buttercup squash, onions, carrots, green beans, yellow beans, corn, peas, pumpkins, zucchini, broccoli & purple cabbage planted. Growing food is so extremely fun and rewarding.  I don't mind the labor and work one bit. 

Life...

I titled this  entry "Life."  It's what happens when days turn into weeks, weeks into months...so on and so forth. So many things and events...events that seemed to take away my writing mojo.  It is my hope to get back to writing as my life has started to come back together. So what has gone on in my life for the past several months?  Let me kinda sorta fill you all in. 

I continued to be unwell physically and emotionally.  Hormones will do that to you.  I finally had a full hysterectomy/ bilateral oophorectomy in May.  I haven't felt this good in years! It's no wonder as I found out after surgery that my left ovary was tangled in my colon and intestines.  Also, my other "lady guts" as I refer to them were filled with endometriosis and some other type of "osis." The dr said those organs were all stuck to other things.  So I was a mess.  I have no regrets at all about having everything removed.  It's a real celebration and such a relief to have the junk gone.  I am currently working with some natural hormone replacement therapy.

We adopted a senior doggy from our local shelter in December.  We named her Isabella.  She came to us frostbitten and thin.  We celebrated Christmas with her and gave her the best we were able to.  She even went big riggin with us.  Unfortunately she got very ill and she crossed the rainbow bridge on February 27th, 2014. 

February 27th, 2014 also brought us a sad farewell to our little Allison Jeanne.  Allison brought us so much love and joy in the 12 years we had her.

Losing Zander in August, Macey in October, and Isabella and Allison in February was incredibly hard and very emotional for us.  I still miss them so much.  On March 1st I got a tattoo on the inside of my right wrist of three pawprints in memory of my girls.

Winter was not only hard on our emotions, but it was also a rough winter weather-wise of record setting low temps and plenty of snow.  We haven't had a big winter like this past one in years.

Summer is going by so fast.  The garden is growing and soon I will be up to my eyeballs in gorgeous, delicious produce.  I am thankful I am getting my health back on track and am looking forward to getting myself back in shape and running races.  I am also quite excited to begin writing again.  I have oodles to share.  Canning, domesticness, gardening, cooking, the crazy Woodbury fur babies, big riggin with my babe, crocheting projects, and you know, all the crazy, ridiculous, scatterbrained thoughts that pop into my head.

Hope you all are doing super awesome!! 

It's never goodbye, it's, see you later

 

 

It is with a completely heavy heart that I inform you, that our beloved Macey Jewels crossed the rainbow bridge at 3:49pm on October 2, 2013 at the wise age of 13. 

 

Macey was our first pup and she taught us more than we could imagine. We adopted her from our local Animal shelter as a weee pup.  She was splattered with white paint and she fit in my jacket.  She was the original Woodbury trucking pup.  Having traveled to the 48 continental United States and four Providences in Canada.  She was a well traveled girl.  Everybody that met Macey Jewels loved her, and she loved them also.  Our home is not the same without her and our hearts are broken.

 

 

 

Macey Jewels

11-22-99 to 10-2-13

17th Anniversary

March 23rd, 2013 the green eyed geek and I celebrated our 17th anniversary.  We had his works award banquet that night so we rented a room...actually, it was a fancy suite!  We have never ever done that before ever so this was a real treat!  I am so completely blessed to have found my soulmate at such a young age.  He completes me. 

2013 Aspirations

How I begin every New year is with a random list of aspirations.  This year I've got a lot on my mind to try to accomplish.  I don't necessarily plan out when I will tackle these aspirations.  I take them as they come...and sometimes they don't come and are rolled over to the next year to work on.  Life is all about creating new experiences, and moving on.  These are just a fraction of the things I am hoping to work on in my life in 2013.

~Ride a Mechanical Bull
~Knit
~Make myself a sweater, preferably out of non scratchy wool
~Learn something new
~visit the dentist (I am a huge sally)
~Exercise
~Try a new food...not octopus!
~Have a veggie and successful flower garden
~Plant a tree
~Make bread
~Pick wild fruits
~Camp at least 4 times
~host game nights
~hug more
~swear less
~write more
~Save $
~use my treadle sewing machine to make something dandy
~volunteer
~witness a miracle
~pay for a strangers meal
~make candles
~drive across the mighty Mac. This is HUGE!!!
~Declutter Oh boy, have I got my work cut out for me with that one
~Try a turnip
~watch more sunrises and sunsets
~Picnic in the park
~Wear a bathing suit in public and not be all skiddish
~learn to make sausage
~take bikerides
~adopt better sleeping habits
~borrow books from the library
~eat breakfast
~make gifts for giving
~read more books
~less time on facebook
~have more real conversations...less on the computer. That means ~more phone calls, in person lunches, visits, etc. Time to disconnect a bit to reconnect
~Call an old friend
~forgive someone
~stress less
~ride my bike or walk to places more
~say no. No to if I don't want to do something. I always say yes, even when I know it's too much on my already filled agenda
~say yes. At times I refrain from doing things for fear of a mm attack.

~and the biggest thing I am going to try to overcome is the feeling I have that I failed as a possible parent when we let Joy go. It has been two years and I think about her everyday and the day she left our home goes through my mind play by play often. I remember handing her over to a remarkable loving woman who I knew would love Joy and give her everything I knew I couldn't. I have never ever regretted the decision we made to let her go...but the feeling of being a failure and letting our family and my husband down still lingers. I need to start believing I had a part in giving Joy the best home that she deserves & put away her blanket that I'd snuggle her in night after night that still smells like her that sits in the laundry room. It's time to let go of the negative feelings I have about myself, and know that when I see Joy, it won't remind me of being a failure. Instead I will be reminded of the gift I helped to give Joy and her beautiful, loving family.