andy ~ April 23, 1997 - July 6, 2010

oh sweet andy ... sweet 'doo doo'

how my heart aches today...

i keep thinking i hear your little feet, clip, clopping on the wood floor.

i woke up and instantly felt for you at the foot of the bed...

as i have done every morning for so long.

but you are gone....

13 years ago you leaped out in front of the rest of the litter and barked at me.

and i knew you were the perfect dog for us.

despite what i was told...'don't pick the aggressive one in the litter'

it did not matter..

i felt as though ... you picked us that day.

you loved each of us unconditionally.

you wanted nothing more than happiness for all of us.

i'm so glad you were with us thru the storms andy.

your comforting gaze or hug, your wagging tail...

you never judged or scolded or said mean things.

you just listened.

you were such a crazy puppy. 

and oh my gosh, you could run, and we could not catch you.

your energy was beyond anything we could have anticipated.

and right to the end you still loved your walks.

you and me..... 

it will never be the same sweet boy.

you took a piece of my heart with you.

i love you to the moon....forever and always.

i don't know what i will do without you here andy.

we have been side by side for 13 years.

barely a day were we apart.

you had such personality.

and although some may not have believed me....

you understood every word i said.

you were so much more human than canine.

you loved your spot on the couch....

it allowed you to see both doorways and keep track of the comings and goings.

i loved the way you insisted on that spot...

the way you could talk us right into giving it up for you.

and when we had company you would sit on the floor looking at them in 'your spot'

and i know you were thinking....

'so, when are you leaving?'

i'm so glad we spent this last winter traveling the country side taking pics. 

you in the front seat with daddy. 

oh how you loved those adventures.

jumping out of the car and sniffing about was such a highlight to you.

and despite your achy bones you would bound your way thru the snow....

determined to get the most out of our adventure.

heck your pic even made it into a national magazine.....

not all dogs can say that. :)

this moment of you looking back at me..... captured what we had.

we were just a pair...never far apart.

i miss you so very much....

i pray my heart will heal.

but for now it feels broken and lonely

and so very sad.

love to you 'doo doo'....

thank you for holding on and being with us for 13 beautiful years. 

such a trooper you have been.

forever yours..... mommy..... 

g r a t i t u d e

hey there friends

how are you, this monday morning?

i hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend and you are ready to face the exciting possibilities of a new week.

:)

i wanted to make this post about a few things. 

i hope you don't mind if i jump around a little from here to there.

let's see, where do i begin?

.....

i have to tell you about a new eCourse i'm enrolled in.

tracey clark's picture summer.

you can find out more about it here.

i love waking up to an email from tracey every morning.

i mean, what could be better?  i heart tracey clark.

she's my hero.

 :)

my blueberry pie image above was part of yesterday's prompt.

an image that encapsulated our day.

basically the main theme of the day was saskatoon berries.

if you are not familiar with saskatoon berries....

they are similar to blueberries.  they grow wild along the trail i walk.

my mom, john and i went picking the berries yesterday.

i wanted to freeze them for whole grain muffins.

anyhow, john had a different idea...  saskatoon pie.

soooo, here's the thing... i don't make pie.

i am sure i could, if i wanted to....

but my mom and aunt totally rock the pie making.....

so i figure, why?  would i?

:)

but a few weeks ago, john brought home some rhubarb.

he took some over to my mom and asked her if she would show him how to make a pie.

huh?  he wants to make pies? i thought?

like what doesn't this man do?

sigh....

so he had his lesson, my mom and him made a rhubarb pie.

it was yummy.

so back to the saskatoon berries

we came home from the berry picking yesterday,

washed the berries and john set out to making the pastry.

wow....impressive.

he did need to call my mom over for a little assistance with the rolling of the dough.

(good thing she lives across the street)

but honestly his pie was delicious.

he made 3 pies and we had lots of berries left over to freeze.

so this story leads me to my next subject....

g r a t i t u d e

i'm truly overflowing with

g r a t i t u d e

i wanted to share a few of the many things i am truly grateful for.

besides saskatoon pie and my pastry making hubby....

:)

 

.....

over the past few months i have been honored to be awarded 2 'beautiful blog' awards, 1 'sunshine' award and an 'inspirational blogger photography' award.

my heart is full of

g r a t i t u d e

thank you Rebecca for the sunshine award. 

and thank you so much tammy and sheila for the 'beautiful blog' award. 

and sweet christina, thank you so much for this inspirational blogger award.

i'm sorry i took FOREVER to thank you here.

i am truly grateful.

part of receiving the 'beautiful blog' award is to share 10 things you may not know about me...

and to share 5 of my favorite blogs

......

so let me begin.

10 things

i am 42 years old

i have been married for almost 21 years

i live in the same town i grew up in

we live in the house i always said i wanted when i was a teenager

i have 2 boys and a beagle named andy.

i fell in love with my camera last fall and i haven't looked back.

i'm messy, but i work hard at trying not to be.

i just recently started a clearing ritual that i'm really excited about.

pretty much the only way i remember to do anything is by using my blackberry calender.

i work best under pressure.  deadlines - get things done.

5 inspiring blogs i would like to share

the magpie's fancy

all things heart & home

be yourself, everyone else is taken

prairiegirl studio

the blue muse

 5 already.... i must share just a few more.

red or gray

bloom

ramblins

constantly evolving

lenoirrr

t does wool

CRESCENDOoh

oh dear, i will stop for now... 

note to self: share my blog crushes more often.

well, this has turned out to be a rather lengthy post.

but as i said i wanted to share a few things i am grateful for.....

next is my andy.

we could not have asked for a more amazing dog!

i want to leave you with a pic of him.

he hates the camera....and honestly will turn away if at all possible.

i snapped this quick pic of him yesterday.

excuse the quality...and just look at that face.

'sigh'

i'm afraid my boy is tired out.  his hind end no longer wants to cooperate.

we have been carrying him around the house and outside to go to the bathroom.

it's time for me to let him go.

please pray that i will find the strength to do this.

he holds my heart....

we have spent almost everyday together for 13 years.

i don't want to end on a sad note... but we really need all the prayers and good thoughts we can get.

love to you all....

xxo,