Happy Sunday! The sun is shining. The chores are done. The groceries are purchased. The calendar is clear. And our hearts are still heavy after this past week of bad news in the media and much, much closer to home.
A lot of people have been talking about the need for action regarding the general disregard for life and palpable feelings of hatred that permeates the air these days. I can only say that they are absolutely right. Stop praying and start doing. Stop waiting for the other side of the story and start making your voice heard. Stop perpetuating the hate and start spreading love. It is time to remember that #alllivesmatter regardless of skin color, religion, sexual preference, political party, etc. and help others remember the same.
As for the personal bad news, after months of knowing that it was going to happen soon, we made the decision on Friday to put down our beloved golden retriever of twelve years. We could no longer ignore the signs that she was in constant pain and had to face the fact that all of those “good days” we saw were her struggling to pretend otherwise to make us happy. She was our first dog as a family, and the kids do not remember a time without her. It was a heartbreaking decision, but I know that no matter how many tears we shed, it was for the best. She died at home, surrounded by her family and her favorite toys, and she is buried in the backyard where she will always be able to watch over us. She will be sorely missed.
On a happier note, the 2015-2016 dance season is officially over. The girls finished up their season at a national dance competition held at a resort at the Wisconsin Dells, a mere 90 minutes from our house. The convention center was just over a covered walkway from our hotel room, which made the entire week a breeze. We played in the water park, we played tourist and hit some of the tourist hot spots in the downtown area. We slept. We laughed. We cried. We saw a lot of dancing. We won some. We lost some. We had fun, and that is the most important thing. Plus, we had this whole past week after the Fourth of July free of dance. It was a little slice of heaven.
Connor took the driving test for his license on this past Tuesday and passed, so we officially have another driver in the family. This is a good thing too because his cross-country practices are now up to daily rather than the three-day-a-week schedule he had until now. He still needs to find a job, so we are hoping the fact that he can now drive will help him in that endeavor as well. He has a few weeks until marching band practices start back up again now that the parades are over, so that is his primary duty until then. That and helping with driving Holly to and from dance, of course.
Yes, after a week off, dance practice starts up again this Monday. The staff did a fantastic job putting the summer class schedule together because Holly only has classes two days a week. It means she gets to dance, and Jim and I get to experience summer evenings too. I almost cried when I saw that, and it still makes me leap for joy. I do think it is the best of both worlds, which is all we can hope to achieve these days.
Jim’s new job is going well. His role has shifted somewhat since he started, so he is putting in more hours than he initially thought. This shift in role comes with an entirely new set of challenges he must tackle, and while I can see the frustration some days, I do know that there is nothing Jim likes more than a good challenge. The going may be tough right now, but I know he will prevail.
My job is also going well. There has been a shift in priorities by upper management within the last month, which has meant some frustration of my own. The week off did me a world of good, and not having to rush out of work to take Holly to dance this past week was even better. This summer is going to be interesting in more ways than one at work, and I am strangely excited about it. I like a good challenge too, it seems.
On the site for the past few weeks, here is what I posted in case you missed them the first time:
- What Are You Reading? – 27 June 2016
- A Certain Age
- And I Darken
- The Bourbon Thief
- Driving Mr. Dead
- The Perfect Neighbors
- I’m Thinking of Ending Things
- Listen to Me
- Fabulous Friday
Now, it is time for me to go enjoy an entirely free day for the first time in months. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and wish you all a safe, happy and speedy work week!
I am so so so sorry about your pup. It’s tough to say goodbye and the house feels so empty (incidentally, my mom said goodbye to her 14 year old lab the same day). Sending you hugs!
And I had to LOL about Holly’s schedule. Does that mean that she’s starting the 2016-17 season now? Or is this just summer special? That girl is NONSTOP! 😛
Thanks, Trish. It’s a much more subdued house, but Tallulah is helping us through it.
This is just a summer special. She is insane. Or I am for letting her keep this schedule.
My utmost sympathies about your dog’s passing. Ugh. That’s always a heartbreaker. We have a four year old yellow Lab now and I can’t imagine life without her. Take a breather & time.
Thanks, Susan!
I know I’m a bit late here with a “real” comment, but I hope your entirely free day was just that: entirely free, and that your week is going well so far.
Thanks, Bryan!
Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3.
Didn’t work. Darn it.
My cat of nearly 18 years died in my arms and I felt the same way about him. He moved out with me when I moved out on my own, was there when I got married and had both of my kids. I never had to make the decision because he crawled into my arms and died on his own but it was on Valentine’s Day. Sigh. We have his ashes and years later, also on Valentine’s Day, we found our current fur baby. She is a dog but so much like my cat!
So sorry for your loss.
Thanks, Ti! We still have Tallulah, which has helped. It makes it a bit easier because T is such a cuddler. And she has not let us out of her sight since Friday. Still, Tallulah is not Gretchen, and there will always be a Gretchen-sized hole there.
I can’t believe the two of us managed to be in the same city at the same time and didn’t realize it! Talk about missed opportunity. Boo. Of course, there’s a good possibility I might be moving to Wisconsin in a year, so there should be more chances soon.
I’m sorry to hear about your poor dog. That’s such a hard thing. (hugs)
Thanks, Amanda. Yes, a hard thing but I don’t regret it in the least. The house is terribly quiet, but she is out of pain. She deserves that and so much more.
No kidding! Hopefully, if you do move, you are relatively close and we can get together often!
I’m so sorry to hear about your golden. We had to put ours down for the same reasons a few years back and it was incredibly tough, but the humane thing to do.
Yes. We have said for years that she was such a good dog and so loving that we would never make her suffer just because we are not willing to let her go. I take comfort in the fact that we did just that.
So sorry to hear about your fur baby. Such a hard decision to have to make. Sounds like your home lives might be easier the rest of the summer with Holly’s schedule and Connor driving!
Thanks, Lisa! It was so difficult but at the same time relatively easy. She is at peace now, and knowing that helps me more than anything.
So sorry about the loss of your dog. Know you guys are grieving. A tough week indeed in so, so many ways. I have no words. Only sadness and a resolve to be the person I profess to be – a loving, giving, accepting person. My aim.
Enjoy your weekend! Hope you read something that will perfectly suit.
Thanks, Kay!
In spite of everything, or maybe even because of it, we were able to have a quiet but perfectly lovely and peaceful weekend. It was exactly what we needed.