Happy 3rd birthday Oakley!

 We are those crazy people who know their dogs birthdays.

We love our dogs. End of Story.

I always wanted a dog, since I was a little girl.

I asked my mom and dad for one all the time, but was always told no.

Before Jeff and I got married there was no question we would be getting a dog.

Before we decided to buy a house and were looking at apartments.

I refused to look at anywhere that didn't allow dogs.

More specific... big dogs. {Jeff wanted a MAN dog}

Then it evolved to buying a townhome or house.

Much easier to have a dog in.

 We picked out Oakley a couple weeks before we got hitched and I was so excited.

He was the cutest little fluff ball and just really mellow.

We actually picked out two dogs, but during our honeymoon decided one was more than enough.

Isn't he so cute? The little black dog was the other puppy we had selected originally

Cute little fart! When he finally got to come home. He was 7 weeks old if I remember right.

 Oakley had his own personality right from the start.

He has always been really curious and loved to explore.

When we first met Oakley he was wondering through the tall flowers and bushes in the garden.

Little did we know he would NEVER grow out of that.

Just hanging out. He quickly discovered that bits of food on dishes went into the dishwasher

He loved to cuddle and be held in your lap.

Another trait he still loves. Big ole lap dog.

He was a handful from the beginning and always into stuff {especially if it was food oriented}

He loved to play with toys, but had a tendency to shred kill them.

He was extremely smart and was even potty trained before we were able to take him home.

He learned tricks extremely quickly... all he needs is a treat for motivation

He grew way to fast and didn't stay this cute little pup for more than a second.

We hadn't even moved in completely and look how big he already was

Shake

So food motivated he turned his bowl into a toy

He has always had a love for laundry baskets... not sure why

Oakley is a great dog, but has had some really naughty moments in the past

Most of them happened before we got Bailee

When he was a couple months old he ate an entire bag of dog food (10 lbs) while we were at work

I came home to an unbelievable mess from one overly full and sick dog.

On an entirely separate occasion he ate an entire pound of chocolate covered coffee beans.

He was fine, not even sick.

Just EXTREMELY hyper

Don't think we left these things out ... that dog will find food anywhere

Then there was the time he ate Jeff's homework entire semesters worth of work

binder and all

This is all that was left. It was on top of the kitchen table.. pushed back to where we didn't think he could get it



But then again... he could climb up on chairs...
{Bad picture it was taken from my phone}



One of the many other paper shredding moments courtesy of Oakley

His most famous naughty moment is when he TIE DYED my kitchen and himself.

I was making some almond bark popcorn and added color to be more festive

I had to get to class so I didn't have time to completely clean up the kitchen. so I pushed everything back to the edge of the stove and counters and left for class.

Now Jeff was on his way home from work when I left, which was a total of maybe 5 minutes away.

5 minutes is a lot of time to a little dog. BEWARE.

This is what Jeff came home to.

 

My little smurf dog

This is only a small... small part of it.

My entire kitchen was spotted in various splashes of green, blue, and purple

Jeff was nice enough to clean up Oakley while I was at school

But he thought it was sooo funny he waited for me to get home till we cleaned up the kitchen.

It took HOURS for us to get all the food coloring off the floor

To this day there is still a little blue stain on the seal on the door and a purple spot in the corner under the table.

All I can say is Oakley is lucky he is so dang cute and that we love him so much.

Oakley's favorite thing is to go for car rides, to go to the park, and to go swimming (though he didn't always think the last one)

Words like: go, park, ride, walk, and car are not allowed in our house, especially put together

He freaks out and cries until we are out the door and in the car.

If you stop at a stop sign too long he lets you know.

Only golden retriever I know who has his tail over his back all the time



Tongue is always hanging out

Not too sure about the water

One happy pup right there. I wish he would have stayed this little. Too cute

Head always out the window looking around

Oakley is the most expressive dog I know and has so many different facial expressions.

Good thing is you always know what he is thinking.

He is weird and keeps us in stitches all the time

My mom is his favorite person and the word grandma is not allowed in our house either

He loves people and I swear he thinks he is one sometimes

Loves to be on his back, especially for tummy rubs

What? This isn't normal dog behavior?

Spoiled much? Look at all those toys and his very own swimming pool

 



My favorite picture of these two. He loved her from the very beginning



He even let her sleep on top of him

 

Best buddies, though she does annoy him sometimes
That's what little sisters are for right?

Always up for a good treat.

He is a wonderful dog and we love him so much

Happy 3rd birthday buddy!



Another OVERDUE Update!

I feel like the only time I'm on here is updating the past couple months at a time.

Maybe I just need to schedule time to blog into my schedule.

I have a feeling I'll have time to now- details to follow

  

Now for the updating part- bare with me this will be lengthy once again.

As far as my ACL recovery its definitely slowed down progress wise.

I guess that's to be expected seeing as there aren't as many big moments at this point.

My focus is strengthening and just general flexibility again.

I stopped having regular physical therapy appointments back in May.

What a relief on my time, body, and most of all pocket book.

Who knew surgery wasn't the expensive part?

 I can walk and go up and down stairs fine- slow but fine.

No running or jumping right now.

The biggest thing for me is it gets stiff if its not moving and it really hurts to kneel.

Anyone else who have had knee surgery experience this?

I was told by my surgeon that I probably will need to do a scar tissue scope in the future.

More surgery is not good news in any shape or form.

I'm happy that I can be back to my daily activities and don't think about it constantly.

I figure they said its a 9-12 month recovery and I'm only on month 4.

 

Big news with Jeffrey! He started a new job!

He is working as a Youth Counselor at the Juvenile Detention Center here.

Its an awesome opportunity that will give him great experience in his career field.

Not to mention he is loving it and learning lots.

Working 2 jobs, both graveyard shifts, makes our time together limited to say the least.

I feel like I never see him and if I do its figuring out dinner and kissing good bye.

Its hard, but its temporary and part of life.

We will just learn to schedule time together whenever we can.

He is such a hard worker and an amazing person.
I am so beyond proud of him in everything that he does.

He is truly an amazing person and I am the luckiest to be his wife.

I love you forever, babe!

My handsome boys.

 

That's the biggest things right now I can think of.

We need more excitement in our lives I guess.

Maybe some bigger things will be in our near future.

You'll just have to wait and see....

 

And just because they are just so gosh darn cute.
Here's a picture of a rare moment of them both asleep.
Oakley is asleep most of the time... Bailee not so much.



 

 

 

ACL Post Surgery: Week 2

Quick update for everyone who has asked how I'm doing.

I really appreciate everyone's concern and sending me healing thoughts.

My life pretty much consists of putting ice and heat on my knee and going to physical therapy.

My pain levels have dropped, which I couldn't be more thankful for.

I have a low pain tolerance.

I finally got to take my bandages from surgery off and can take showers like a normal person.

HALLELUJAH!!!

My doctor said one of my incisions needs to be watched and I can't take baths, because it could reopen.

Not happy news, since its the large one at the base of my knee

Today (24th of February) was the first day I was able to do a full rotation on the bike at physical therapy.

Small step, but means things are improving.

 

In other good news....

Jeff and I finally had ventured out on our first date night post surgery!

I can't tell you how nice it felt to get dressed up and have a wonderful night out.

What did we do?

First a little background story.

When Jeff asked me what I wanted for Christmas I honestly had no idea.

I didn't need anything major and the things I wanted were way out of budget.

My idea was a special planned out date night.

Jeff and I don't get major date nights out with school and our opposite work schedules much.

We try to do a dinner date night once a week.

Jeff planned out a date night from start to finish and gave me clues to what it was on Christmas morning.

 

The Plan.

Brunch at Little America

Early Dinner at Melting Pot (Our favorite, but expensive)



He even surprised me with a long stem rose at our table when we arrived

Tickets to go see Hale Center Theatre's Les Miserables.

I am obsessed with the music and the movie, so I was super excited.

I have never been to a Hale play and I was so impressed.

It was incredibly done and the cast was beyond amazing.

If you haven't seen it. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Play goes through middle of April.

 

Obviously, the date was planned before I planned my surgery

Because of my leg and giant brace sitting in normal seats weren't an option.

Fortunately, my uncle let me borrow his wheelchair and we were able to change our seats.

It was interesting trying to maneuver around hordes of people in a wheelchair, but glad we were able to borrow it.

More thankful I don't have to use it all the time.

It was a wonderful date planned by my amazing husband.

I don't know what I would do without him and there is no doubt I am the luckiest girl in the world.

 

Things are slowly getting better and I know I still have a long way to go.

 

There is one thing that I need help on. Scar Cream.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

 

 



ACL Post Surgery: Days 3-4

I haven't been updating Facebook or the blog or even responding to text messages the last couple days.

Sorry, I have been trapped in the worst days of my life. No joke.

Looking back those first 24 hours after surgery were a cake walk.

After the nerve block wore off my pain levels went up and any movement made me want to scream and cry.

Which I have spent many hours doing

On top of the pain, the pain pills made me EXTREMELY nauseous and spent hours hurling until I had nothing left.

Worst thing was if I tried to just drink enough to take a nausea pill and pain pills I'd just throw it up again.

I'm not one who throws up easily, I think its from growing up with acid reflex your body learns to keep it at bay.

Lowest point of my existence was waking up, not being able to even move in time, and throwing up all over myself, my pillow, blankets, everything.

 Not only that I can't shower or just get up and move.

I was in my own private hell.

Oh and did I mention another fun side effect of the medication: extreme itchiness!!

Could be used to torture someone.

It got so bad that I woke Jeff up in the middle of the night to help. I was going mad from the itchiness.

Jeff had to work that night and my mom was spending the night.

Bless her heart. I don't know what I would have done without her.

I was so sick and she was so worried she spent the night in a chair next to the couch where I was laying.

She can't have slept more than 10 minutes at a time and then she went to work the next morning.

She's over here when she's not at work helping with laundry and taking care of the dogs.

 

This may have been the worst valentine's day of my life, it was the one that showed the most love.

I don't know what I would have done if Jeff and my mom hadn't been there to help me.

It takes a lot of love for someone to help them the way I have needed help the last couple days.

I can't stand and get to the bathroom without help, or getting dressed, or getting food

Basically anything that isn't within reach of the couch I need help.

Jeff sleeps in that same uncomfortable chair so he can be near me.

He wakes up every couple hours to check on me and make sure I'm on top of my pain pills.

He probably got 5 hours of sleep total from Wednesday to Saturday.

He never complains and if I even shift positions he asks how he can help me.

No doubt he wins the husband of the year award.

 

On the bright side, things are getting better.

I finally got to wash my hair today, which felt like heaven.

My new pain pills don't make me nauseous and my pain in back under control.

I have a sore throat still from throwing up, but its much better than the alternative.

I finally am getting into a routine and that helps keeping the pain down.

Tomorrow is my first day of physical therapy so fingers crossed that its not a horrific experience.

 

Thank you for everyone who has been worried about me and calls to check up on me.

I'm sorry I'm not the best at keeping in touch.

I try to sleep as much as I can.

I love you all and appreciate the support more than you know!

 

 

ACL Surgery: First 24 hours Post OP

Since I tore my injured my knee back in July and was on crutches till the middle of September

I wasn't all that excited or anxious to get back on crutches.

Then we moved and I got my new job....

Plus other events interfered, like holidays ;)

Anyways, I finally made the appointment to have my reconstruction surgery.

That dreaded day has now passed and its officially day 1 post surgery.

 

I'm not going to lie I was terrified of having surgery.

I have never had any big surgeries and only had anesthetic when with my wisdom teeth and during a handful of endoscopies.

Part of the reason this scared me is I have a high risk for MH {malignant hyperthermia}

Its a syndrome that is highly passed through family lines and if given the certain anesthetic can cause a reaction that if not caught or prevented is highly fatal. Scary? Just a little.

My uncle had a reaction years ago in surgery and it almost killed him if one of the doctors hadn't recognized the signs right away.

It is also why my family does not due well in heat and can have heat strokes very easily.

Anyways, besides being afraid of a reaction and dying...

 

I am also a wimp. I don't handle pain well. Very, very low pain tolerance.

My mom, being my loving mom, was also nervous and I didn't want to make her worry more.

So I tried to put on a brave face leading up to the surgery.

I think I did a pretty good job up until I was in my hospital bear gown (ones that blow warm air) and getting ready to have the IV in my arm.

Now one thing to know is I have difficult veins. They are small, deep, and tend to roll when you finally find one.

The main nurse tried to get stick me where the bone is on the side of your hand by your thumb.

Random place? I thought so.

After much digging around in my arm he finally gave up. Thank Goodness!!!

It took every bit of effort not to scream and cry.

Another nurse in the unit was shocked he wasn't able to do it, as he was being called to help other nurses put in ivs.

 

After George (the nurse) left I thought he'd be back to try again, but instead he came back with a pill and a little cup thing to take the pill with.

Not a cup of water, it was sealed and looked like those little ranch or jam packs you get at restaurants.

I guess the pill is to help with nausea after surgery? Still not sure.

However, that little cup was filled with this absolutely NASTY... disgusting ... no words to describe its taste.

Seriously, if you needed information from terrorists or assassins they would spill the beans to avoid this stuff.

So gross and bitter. Cruel punishment there.

 

I digress....

Then I got the low down on what was going to happen and that they were going to do a nerve block in addition to the anesthetic.

{Something I was not advised about prior and was not too thrilled about, but appreciated later}

Hearing this unexpected news put my brave face over the edge.

One I actually am afraid of needles and I knew it was going to hurt and I'd have to be awake.

They kept telling me it was because they needed to know when they hit a nerve.

I lost it and the tears came. I told you wimp.

 

After a little waiting the anesthesiologist came in and put in my iv in my hand.

Then it was time for the nerve block....

They stick it into your hip bone/groin area.

It hurts. That's all I can say.

One thing about this nerve block is it only effects the top of your leg.

The other set of nerves for the underneath your knee aren't effected.

Now that I'm out of surgery. I wish they'd have done two for both sides. Why don't they?

 

I was ready to go and took a few deep breaths said goodbye to Jeff and my mom and left with a few tears.

After getting into the actual surgery room and got my iv anesthetic (which burns by the way like a b...)

Why all the torture? Can't they work around all this with all the medical advances? Just saying...

 

Next thing I know I'm awake in a different room and extremely groggy and dizzy.

I woke up bawling. The back of my knee was in excruciating pain.

{Again nerve block needs to be on both sides}

I can't even describe the pain at this point.

I can't remember who was in the room, not my mom or Jeff, still have no idea.

All I can remember is closing my eyes and trying to not scream.

Finally got some pain killers and after some time passed they took effect.

All the while this nurse kept making me drink water and force feeding me crackers.

{Confession: I almost seriously thought about biting her. Katie did NOT want a cracker. I'm not a parrot}

I had to be put back on oxygen since my oxygen levels had dropped. Probably because of the crying...

Plus I kept moving it, because it was making my nose itchy and I was out of it.

My other fear was I would wake up and say something stupid or embarrassing like you see in the movies.

I am proud to say that to my knowledge I did not say anything embarrassing.

{other than the crying}

 

I spent the next hour or two hours maybe in and out of consciousness.

I was either really awake or when I closed my eyes it was like a heavy weight pushing me to sleep.

It was a weird sensation.

Then when I finally woke up I was ready to escape that torture zone.

The nurse came in wanting me to walk around and see how I was doing.
However, I was NOT going to walk around in that thin hospital gown. No way.

She let me get dressed and tried to walk around with the crutches.

Fortunately, my months of living on them paid off at this point.

She was amazed how easily I could use them. Not sure if that's a good thing. Ha.

I basically walked down the hall and half way back.

Jeff knew I just wanted to go home and brought a wheelchair so I could leave.

I guess the nurse thought I was going to go get back in the hospital bed, because she said she still needed to take my vitals again.

So I stuck my arm out in the middle of the hallway so they could do it there and I could be leaving as soon as possible.

 

My sweet husband had the car all prepped with pillows (including the ones from the back of our couch) and my favorite blanket. He was all prepared.

Since I had surgery at Utah Valley Hospital my Grandma Nanny (Dad's mom) was going to come see me after I woke up from surgery.

Since I got out of there sooner than I would have we drove to her house.

She was so sweet and so worried about me. She came out crying.

Must be a family thing. lol

It was great to see her again since I don't see her much since I moved back to Bountiful.

 

On our way home I had to have a smoothie and piece of bread, because I hadn't eaten and it was making me nauseous.

Then I slept the entire way home.

Jeff being the incredible husband he is went and ran errands for me after I got home and situated.

It included... safety pins from his mom, soup from Kneaders, bread from Great Harvest, lunch for him and my mom, and picking up some pills.

Plus he remember that days before I wanted a certain brand of yogurt so he stopped at another store and brought that home too.

Seriously Husband of the year award right there.

My mom stayed the day and let me lay in her lap like I did as a kid while she played with my hair.

 

Now many people were concerned about my dogs.

Honestly, so were we

I love them to death and wasn't going to send them anywhere like some suggested.

When I'm in pain cuddling up to them makes it better, like right now Bailee is snuggled up next to me.

However, when we got home and I got situated on the couch Oakley came out more wild than he normally is.

He loves my mom more than anyone and gets extra excited when she comes over.

He was jumping up and down and running around the room, despite us telling him no.

It was really out of the ordinary for him to be that crazy.

Well he jumped on top of my leg (the bad one) and instantly my pain scale went from 4-5 to 11 or higher!

I know he didn't mean to and he instantly calmed down. This time I couldn't hold back the scream.

Worst moment so far.

He made up for it though. While I was sleeping I guess he'd come over and give me a kiss.

They both have come and cuddled with me.

Dogs are so smart and know when you just need to snuggle. Love my babies.

 

I pretty much spent the rest of the day taking naps.

My bestie Dani and Stephen brought us dinner and to come visit.

It made my day for her to come visit, because she's the busiest person I know.

She is greatest friend and I could ask for. Thanks Dani and Stephen!

 

I can't believe how many people were worried about me and wanted to know how I was doing.

I have the best friends and family a girl could ask for.

Thank you for all your love and support it makes the pain more bearable.

I love you all so much!!

 

I'll keep posted as my recovery continues. If you read all of this I'm amazed.

Now I'm off to sleep some more.

 

 



Thanksgiving 2013

This year has been a year of full of wonderful and some not-so wonderful times.

Thinking back to when I first started dating Jeff ... almost 9 years ago. 

I remember thinking about life after high school and being an adult and dreaming about how I thought it would be to be married and an adult. 

No one told me life as an adult can really bite you in the behind. 

Okay... maybe they did, but I wasn't listening or didn't believe them. 

Anyways, when we were engaged everyone warned us that the first year of marriage was the hardest.

They all lied. not on purpose I'm sure.

Maybe we were just lucky or maybe all those years of dating made helped; but no matter the reason, our first year of marriage was bliss. 

I think that has made this last year more difficult. 

We had so many challenges arise this past year, we just seemed to be hit from all directions.

However, I can honestly say it strengthened our marriage and we have grown closer as a couple. 

That is why this Thanksgiving I am most thankful for our struggles

I am a firm believer that without the lows of life we cannot fully appreciate the highs.

The ugly moments make the beautiful ones more special.

I have learned so much this past year about myself, our marriage, my family, and about the important things in life.

I have the tendency to get wrapped up in the little things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. 

I fight the perfectionist inside me and often feel like I have failed if something is not perfect. 

I need to be proud of my imperfections, because they are what make me unique.

Thanksgiving is a time when people express what they are thankful for.

However, it shouldn't be something that happens once a year or when something bad happens.

I want to make it a goal to wake up every morning and find something new to be thankful for.

It doesn't have to always be something big or life changing. We should be thankful for the small things.

Seeing as it is Thanksgiving I'm going to list the things I am most thankful for. 

That way if I'm having a difficult moment or day I can look back and remember.

I am thankful for my incredible, kind, caring, passionate, loving, and {of course} handsome husband. 

He works so hard at everything that he does. 

He works graves so he can focus on school during the day.

Everyone at work loves him and he really excels in his field.

I know its because he cares about people and genuinely wants to help and be their friends.

He is friends with the patients at the hospital and not just there to work. 

When we moved after we got married when we came back to the area, he would always try to drop by for a visit. 

He works so hard in school and is 2 weeks away from getting a 4.0 in college. 

Someone who really hates school and often works over 40 hours a week. That's pretty impressive.

He amazes me every day.

He makes me laugh constantly.

He took care of me and helped me soooo much when I was injured and couldn't do basic things for myself.
Not to mention he would work 60-70 hour weeks to help pick up the slack from me not being able to work.

There is no way I could have made it through those 3 months without him.
I hope you realize how much you mean to me.
You are my world.

I truly am the luckiest girl in the world to have such an unbelievable husband for all eternity.

They are best friends

Next, I am thankful for my darling, energetic, fur babies.

I always dreamed of having a dog and now that I have two I couldn't be happier.

I know I'm one of those crazy ladies who think of their dogs, like their children. Deal with it. I AM.

I love coming home and opening the door to two wet noses.

They are so excited to see us, even if we've only been gone for 15 minutes.

I will take them with me whenever I can, even just for a drive to the bank. They LOVE car rides.

"Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day."- John Grogan, Marley and Me

I know my dogs might not be the best behaved dogs and get excited when you come to visit.

I wouldn't trade them for anything.

They have such different personalities and are constantly making us smile and laugh.

Bailee is so extremely sweet and loves nothing more than to give kisses.

She will play for hours and hours and never get tired, especially if a stick is involved.

Oakley is the calmer of the two and spends most of his days trying to find someone to rub his belly.

He has the funniest facial expressions and you can always tell what he wants.

They both love treats, especially if it involves peanut butter, pumpkin, or cheese.

They are so extremely smart and amaze me constantly with what they understand. 

I love them like they are my children and I don't think that'll ever change even when we have a child of our own. 

I am so thankful to have such an amazing mother.

As cheesy as it sounds, she really is my best friend and I don't know what I would do without her.

I am thankful for everything she has sacrificed and that she still does for me each and every day.

She is the strongest, most kind hearted, and hardest working person I know. 

She puts the needs of others way before those of her own, especially when it has come to me.

She is just beautiful on the inside and out.

I would not be the person I am today without her teachings, her spirit, her support, or her encouragement.

I hope that I can be an ounce of the mother that she has been to me to my children someday.

They will be the luckiest to have her as a grandmother.

After All, my dogs already love her more than they love me.

I love you, Mom! Thanks for being the greatest mom!

I am so blessed to have married into such a wonderful family.
I have always wanted siblings I could be close to and since I don't. I love that I feel so close to Jeff's.
I really wish that they could be near this holiday and not on the other side of the planet.
I hope they know, even with the distance, how much we love them and appreciate all the support and love they have given us.
PLEASE COME BACK!!! QUICK!!!
My in-laws are such a great example and support to us.
They always are their to lend some helpful advice, support, comfort, or just to listen when we have concerns.
I can't thank them enough for all that they have done for us and that it has meant the world to us.
Thank you for making me part of your family and I truly love each and one of you as if we were blood.

Of course I haven't forgotten the rest of my giant extended family! I love you all!!
These past couple years have been filled with sorrow and lost, but I feel like our family has grown so much closer.
I think its rare for such a large family to be so close to one another and even through different generation lines.
I know that I can always count on my family and can lean on them in times of need and in times of joy.
Though we have had to say goodbye to loved ones, I know they are watching over each and every one of us.
They will forever be in our hearts and in our thoughts.
I have the greatest family. NO arguments.

As part of my family are our friends.
We love you like family and are an irreplaceable part of our lives.
Even though we don't get to see you as much as we would like you are never far from our thoughts.
Thank you for being such a great support system and for all the love that you give us.
We love you all!

We really have so much to be thankful for; here are a few more thing we are grateful of and are worth mention.
We both have jobs that we both love and that more than help provide for our needs.
Thankful for the abilities god has given us: to walk, to see, to hear, to generally be healthy.
Jeff's job has really opened to our eyes to just how blessed we are to have our health.
The opportunities we have to go to school and get a wonderful education
That we have two vehicles that can get us from point a to b and back again regularly.
The freedoms that are granted by our amazing country.
Even if people complain about the government and programs we could be a lot worse off and have it pretty easy.
I'm grateful for the modern conveniences that are my daily part of life: cell phones, computers, pluming, clean running water, etc.
We are thankful that we have a belief system and that we know that the trials and hard times are for a purpose and that there is something grand after this life.
Did I mention my puppies? Still grateful for them :) and the hubby.

If you made it through all of this. Congratulations. I'm grateful to for your patience.

Pictures taken from pinterest.

Constant Smile and Wagging Behind

17 years ago this cute little fur ball came into my family's life. She was a puppy from our next door neighbor's dog and my grandma decided to buy her for my grandpa. I was only 7 at the time and spent A LOT of my time with my grandparents and was so excited to have a puppy to play with. I always wanted a dog of my own, so this was the next best thing. Mitzi was the best dog right from the start. She loved to play in the water and my grandparents got her a kiddy pool to put in the backyard. Even before she was big enough to jump in that dog was in and out of the water. I spent hours in the backyard throwing the tennis ball and playing with that pup.

Pictures I took last summer of Oakley and Mitzi playing in the backyard.

 Since my mom worked my grandpa picked me up from school every day, from kindergarten till my junior year of high school. Who came with every single day? Good ole Mitzi. She was always there to greet me with a big smile and her whole back end wagging back and forth. When I wasn't in school my grandpa picked up my cousin Dan and I and took us to walk the dogs every day up Muller Park canyon. When he came to pick me up he'd let Mitzi out and she'd come meet me at the door ready to go. Everyone knew Mitzi and loved her. She would go in and out of the water and wonder off to see every person we happened to walk by. She greeted every single one with her same big smile and the wag of her entire back end. I remember one time she was sitting in the back seat of the car and had an apple she found somewhere along the walk and my grandpa threw the apple out the window. There goes Mitzi straight out the window of the moving car to get the apple.

Mitzi was a tease, she would make you think she'd give you the stick. Then she'd turn at the last second. 

Mitzi was really a neighborhood dog than a household dog. She never had a collar, she refused to wear it even when she was a puppy. She wouldn't take a leash and would just carry it in her mouth instead. It didn't ever matter, because everyone in the neighborhood knew Mitzi and loved her. Many kids and families in the neighborhood considered her their dog. She stopped to see everyone whenever she saw them. The neighbor kids would come over and knock on the door to play with Mitzi. Anyone who came to visit my grandparents house were greeted in the driveway by Mitzi and she would walk them to their car when she left. When we moved into my grandma's house it was my favorite part of the day was coming home to that sweet dog. When I'd shovel the driveway in the winter Mitzi was always right by my side and ready to play in the snow, her favorite thing. She truly was a puppy at heart to the very end.

Mitzi was the smartest dog I have ever met. My grandpa used to joke that she was smarter than George Bush. You may not believe me if you never met her, but she really understood you when you talked to her. For a while my grandparents had another lab dog named Sage. When they first brought Sage home my grandma told Mitzi that this dish is Sage and that Mitzi couldn't eat out of it. She only told her once and Mitzi (who loved food more than anything) never touched that food dish, even after Sage wasn't there anymore. My grandpa taught Mitzi one day to go get the newspaper out of the driveway when she was a puppy and that when she brought it up in the morning she would get a treat. So a couple days later Mitzi thought if she got a treat for one newspaper that if she got every newspaper in the neighborhood she'd get a whole bunch of treats, so that's what she did.  After my grandpa died my mom walked Mitzi every night after work. Mitzi, again not on a leash, would walk along side and when they got to an intersection my mom would say stop and they'd look both ways and off they'd go.

Mitzi was a stubborn dog, especially the last couple of years, she would only come inside when she wanted to and if she didn't there was nothing you could do to get her inside. Last winter Jeff and his brother, David, tried to get her to go inside one night (remember she weighed about 120 plus pounds of solid lab) and they'd push on her but and try and pick her up and there she stood firmly planted. She wanted to be outside so that's what she did.

She really was the best dog and everyone loved her. Yesterday when my mom called me and said that Mitzi was dying it broke my heart. We dropped what we were doing to go up and see her. We got there within 10 minutes of my mom's call and when we got there all the neighbors had gathered and everyone was crying and loving on Mitzi. It was the hardest thing for me to say goodbye to her and I will miss her every day. My mom, Jeff, and the two guys next door went to the vets. Mitzi didn't have the strength to stand up anymore, but she would lift her head and look at each of us with her big smile and her tail was wagging like it always had right up to the end. She knew she was surrounded by those who loved her and she got to be with her best friend again, my grandpa.

Oakley is really going to miss his friend

I can't tell you how much everyone is going to miss that sweet dog. I know Oakley really will miss her. He loved to play and chase her around the yard. He always greeted her with a kiss. We love you Mitzi.