Dog Days Are Just Beginning

Remember that overly dramatic post about how bad I wanted a dog? Well as many of you know, my wish finally came true. Jax joined the family in March, a few weeks after Dad's bike wreck.

Jax on the first day I got him.

When we first brought him home he was pretty shy. It took him a little longer than I expected for him to get settled in. When he was left home alone with dad, he would act scared and depressed for some reason, but none of us could quite figure him out. Jax is a schnauzer, a breed known for it's hyperactive tendencies and yappy barking, but Jax does not possess either of these traits. How this happened, I don't know, but I am NOT complaining. He is a very well behaved little guy. I found him on Craigslist, and I always joke that a Craigslist dog could have gone a lot of ways, but we got really lucky.

I absolutley LOVE having a dog. My parents always used to tell me that if I couldn't clean the litterbox for the cats (It obviously doesn't bother them because the cat count around here just keeps increasing), then I wouldn't ever want to take a dog to go potty, but even that doesn't bother me at all (...well sometimes at 7:00 a.m. it does)! It is nice to have someone to follow me around the house when I am home alone all day, and it makes me feel a tiny bit less crazy when talking to him and not just myself. It is also wonderful to have someone super excited to greet you at the door when you get home. I can't understand how people don't like dogs!!

Speaking of not liking dogs, we have to remember that I am not the only one in this house. Like I said, Jax wasn't too fond of Dad in the first month or so, but I came home from riding horses last night and Jax had been invited to lay in Dad's bed with him, and Jax was more than happy to accept! I think Dad likes him more than he lets on. They are pretty much best buds. Mom doesn't really interact with him, though she did comment that she didn't smell him the other day (a big step for her!!). Stefanie doesn't have a problem with him, but he still stays restrained when they are here. Stefanie and I agree that he does not need to be around Elin until she is big enough to decide whether she wants him around her or not. Olivia is not fond of him at all, but we all expected that ;).

Jax and I have our little daily rituals, we wake up and have some cuddle time in the recliner while watching Spongebob (mature, I know.). Every Tuesday, we join Sam, and her two dogs, Rascal and Delilah at the dog park in Sedalia, followed by a Redbox movie at Sam's apartment. All in all, dog ownership is everything I hoped it would be, and I never regret it.

Our first time at the dog park!

It's a rawhide stick, but you have to laugh!

Looking very sophisticated (and angry) with our new hair cut!

Being adorable as always!

Now that I am done acting like my dog a is a child and probably boring you to death, I am going to bed!

The Ground is Always Harder on the Other Side of the Gravel Pile

For those of you that have not heard the news or story, I thought I would do a little blog to sum it up, and also to reflect on the events of my night alone in Warsaw.

On my way home from school on Thursday, I recieved a call from my mom telling me that dad had a bicycle wreck and needed to go to the hospital to get stitches and because his back hurt. She told me that she was on a walk and trying to get back home, and that I would need to stop by the funeral home where Barry Edwards had him waiting. I promptly called my sisters to tell them the news.

Turns out that Dad was trying to jump a pile of gravel along the trail and had misjudged the height and steepness of the pile. His front tire hit the ground and he went flying over the handlebars, landing on his head. He said that he jumped right up and then realized that he was hurt so he layed back down. A couple walking on the trail happened to come by and help him to the end of the trail with his bike, where Barry would pick him up.

Mom finally arrived, we switched Dad to a different vehicle, and I went to get my stuff out of the car. In reaction to this my mom scrunched up her face and said "Well we aren't both going are we?" I took this as a hint and got in my car to head home.

My first update was that they were doing a cat scan on his neck, and were going to staple the head wound. This worried me a little, but I assured myself that he would be fine.

My next update came as a little bit more of a shock to everyone involved. Dad had fractured 2 vertebre, his C6 and C7. He would be transfered to Columbia so a specialist could look at him. Mom told me to pack our things and head that direction. Shortly after this, I was told that I would not be going to Columbia, but just bringing Mom's stuff to Sedalia and going back home. Olivia wanted me to come stay with her in Warrensburg, but Mom wanted me home just in case she needed anything else.

I arrived back home about midnight, took a shower and got into bed. I didn't fall asleep until about 1, and update texts from mom kept me between being awake and in a light sleep for the next hour or so.

At about 2:30, I recieved a weather alert text from KY3 stating that Benton County was in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. To anyone that knows me well, you see why this presented a problem. I am very scared of storms, not to mention in the middle of the night when I am by myself. I told myself if I could just fall asleep before it started that I would be fine. Of course, ten minutes later I started to hear the hail on the skylight in the bathroom. I got up, putting a hoodie on with my PJ's and moved to Mom and Dad's bed to watch the weather, but of course, the TV wouldn't work because of the storm. Right at this point, my somewhat maternal instinct kicked in when I realized my cats were outside.

At first, I told myself they would be okay. Bob had been through much worse before, and Gilbert was probably hanging around with him, so he would be alright too, but as I listened to the thunder and hail, I climbed back out of bed and plopped out to the garage. I opened the storm door and Gilbert appeared almost instantly, literally soaked to the bone and dripping water. Bob, however, did not come up. I poked my head out and called him, but nothing changed. I called a few more times and then closed the door, getting Gibbs some food and talking to him in complete human scentences as if he were going to reply in the same fashion. I decided that Bob would be alright, and started to go back inside. Guilt washed over me as I turned one more time and saw Gibbs trying to dry his soaking wet coat off, so I walked over to the door one more time to yell for Bob, and there he was. He rushed inside, dripping cold water just like Gilbert had been.

Now that I knew they were safe, I went back inside and crawled into my bed. Sleep did not decide to grace me until about 4:30, where I fell into a deep slumber from my long night. Mom then texted me at about 7, telling me the good news that dad would not have to have surgery. About 8 hours later, they were home safe and sound, both knocked out sleeping.

Dad has to wear a neck brace 24/7 for 6 weeks and got three staples in his head, but generally is doing well. He has been awake most of the day so far, and is talking to Stefaine now. At times like this, you really think about the blessings in life. Our family was lucky that dad was sent home without surgery, and we all realized that we have the best friends in the world. Of course we want to offer a special thanks to Barry Edwards and family, Chris and the Riley family for being ready to go at any minute and bringing dinner last night, the Million's who contributed to dinner and brought dad a recliner, and Bill and Cynthia Wood for the food and good company today. These people have been wonderful, and we appreciate it more than you will ever know. Thanks to everyone for the prayers, and I will try to keep you all updated!

No Good Very Bad Day:(

I know that I have not blogged in FOREVER, but I truly have had nothing to blog about. When all your life consists of is going from bed to school to bed to work, not a lot of exciting things happen. Today, however, I have had bad luck that I deem blog worthy. My day went as follows:

I woke up early, but left my house late. I got to school on time, but just barely. My Music Appreciation class was quite dry, and I was fighting that urge to just close my eyes for a minute. That is not close to the worst part.

My Music App class got out late, leaving me 10 minutes to get to my car, get to the Ag building and re-park. I did this fairly quickly, leaving myself just enough time to use the restroom. I climbed out of my car, shoving the keys in my hoodie pocket and slinging my 30 pound backpack onto my shoulders.

I went inside and did my business, and as I was trying to lug my huge backpack on, my keys fell out of my pocket. My eyes grew wide as I evaluated the possibility of my keys dropping into the flushing toilet. I wheeled around and sighed in relief as I saw my keys laying on the floor. I bent over to pick them up thinking about how lucky I was when I heard it. Rrrrriiiiiiiip. That's right. I ripped my pants.

Luckily, it was not my crotch or crack that ripped, but more in the inner/upper thigh. I assessed the damage and decided that I could make it to my next two classes without running to get new pants as long as I walked like a duck and sat very still.

Ag and Public Speaking were uneventful, and as soon as I was let out I sped over to JC Penny (I figured it was better to try on pants before I ate rather than after) to purchase a new pair of jeans. After trying on what felt like 82 pair (too small, mom jeans, legs too straight, ugly pockets, mom jeans, too big, mom jeans), I finally found a pair of semi cute and comfortable jeans that would get me through my day. While trying on all these pants, I also noticed that the rip in my jeans had grown about 1 1/2 inches. I left the store, new jeans in hand, and continued with my day.

After lunch, I went to the school library to use my computer for a while, and at about 4:15 realized that I had forgotten to go to Staples to get paintbrushes before my art class at 5. I rushed over and back, arriving just in time for my class, and also just as it started to rain. Now picture this: Me with my backpack on, paintbrushes and a 2'x3' sketch pad in one hand and an umbrella in the other, walking down the sidewalk in the pouring rain. Ew.

All in all, I made it through class and home safely, and am now curled up in the chair with cookies in hand. From this warm, dry, and rip free place, I can look back on my day and just giggle. Thursday will be better!