Ben and I got ourselves a security system over the weekend.
Meet Delaney. She’s a german shepherd/husky mix and is about 10 weeks old. We weren’t quite sure how Maggie would react, but they get along surprisingly well. Delaney means dark challenger and we hope she lives up to it! Here are a few pictures of our newest addition.
I think most everyone knows that my granny passed away this past summer (one month before our wedding.) I haven’t mentioned it on here because one, it’s still hard to talk about it and two, wedding stuff just kind of got in the way (or served as a great distraction) and three, I’m not really the best at updating this blog. But as the wedding dust settles and life becomes more routine, there’s more time to think about her and really process things.
Not that it has to be said, but I loved my granny so much (she would always spell it grannie and it drove me crazy!) She was always such an integral part of my life. Maybe it’s because we lived with her throughout different times in my childhood or because of the trips we would take out west to visit family, always stopping at the general store on the way to get rock candy for me. Or maybe it was the trips to San Antonio with her and mom and the occasional aunt or cousin. Or maybe it’s just because she was my granny, my one and only, and through good times and bad times she was the true matriarch and glue of our family.
My granny is the first person I’ve lost who I was close to and three months later, it’s still hard to think about it. Sometimes I reach for the phone to call her and ask her about a recipe or just to see how things are going. I even get teary-eyed when I see women her age when I’m out and about (especially at the post office for some reason) and I think, “It’s just not fair.” It’s just not fair that she’s not here and that she’s missed some really important moments in my life.
And while I still don’t think it’s fair that she’s gone and I don’t understand why, I have to admit that some things kind of fell in place when it came to her seeing or being a part of some of the momentous occasions in my life. For example, she got to meet and know Ben for almost three full years and she saw how happy he made me and that was something she had always wanted – for me to find a great man that will take care of me and vice versa. She would constantly remind me how proud she was and how happy she was to see us together. She also got to see me in my wedding gown before she passed away. I brought it with me while we were in town before she got sick and Holly came out to her house and we tried our dresses on and showed them off to her and my mom. Looking back, I can see that was more than just a coincedence.
The most recent “big” moment in my life has been becoming a home-owner. We closed on our house right around the time granny went into the hospital and more than anything I wanted her to be able to come visit us once she was out and to really be pampered as a house guest. Usually when the fam comes to visit they end up in hotels or a futon or on the couch because I’ve always had an apartment or roommates. When we got our house I thought it was perfect because they’d always have a place to stay while they were here.
While it seems this story has an incredibly sad ending, let’s rewind to about a year and a half ago when my mom and granny came to visit. We were out driving around looking at houses just for the heck of it (Ben and I had sort begun searching, but weren’t dead set on finding something right away.) My granny pointed out a cute house that was for-sale-by-owner. It was in the historic district so we figured it was way, way out of our price range, but my mom and I got out and looked anyways. We checked out the back yard and peeked in all the windows. It was an incredible house and I loved it. We called the seller just to see what the price was and sure enough, it was way out of our range. So I filed it away in the “really awesome house, but you’re never gonna get it” part of my mind.
Fast forward to this past spring when Ben and I were house-hunting and I remembered the out-of-our-league house that my Granny pointed out so many months ago and took Ben by there to see if it was still for sale. Yep. Still for sale. And fortunately for us, the owner had dropped the price. Within a couple of months we had closed on a house that my Granny had first spotted. Another coincedence? Maybe. But I don’t think so.
Even our cute pup Maggie isn’t a coincedence. She was my granny’s puppy for a few weeks before she was our’s. So I guess, in a way, the good Lord worked everything out. She’s still very much intertwined in our lives and I’m so grateful for the years we did have together. The thing I’ve come to realize and want to live by most is don’t delay in loving. Because with love comes healing, honesty, compassion, passion, patience, kindness and so much more. I don’t want to waste my time not loving.
And so I leave you with a picture of my granny’s front porch. It’s not a stuffy porch either with chairs that are uncomfortable. They are real chairs that have wear and tear from good use. It’s a place where we loved best I think.
We went camping this past weekend near Gee Creek and while we had a good time, it was soooo cold! I think we had three or four blankets spread out on the bottom of the tent and then another one thrown on top of our sleeping bags! We had a great time though and Maggie just loved it. She’s getting a North Face jacket for Christmas I think! Well, I don’t know if they make those for dogs, but she’s getting one if they do. Anyways, we had a great time, ate good camp food, listened to the coyotes in the middle of the night and had the best coffee the next morning. Thanks for the pics everyone!
The next morning…
Ben likes to jump over fires for amusement
Our campsite
Amber looks great the morning after
Beth and Jason – so glad they made it
Maggie was such a little camper
Aww
Notice Laura’s outfit. 🙂
The ladies of the campsite
hmmm
and again. hmmm.
I just love Maggie’s floppy ears!
I don’t know if you can see it, but we are brewing freshly ground Starbucks coffee out of the back of the FJ. Thanks babe for taking care of that!
How adorable is she?! Yes, we are those people who love their dog like a child.
A little coffee quiet time
Our tents
Sausage and eggs for breakfast. Yum!
Maggie has a new best friend – meet Prissy. Prissy belongs to Jason and Jaime and her and Maggie have bonded quite nicely. I think they are the two most adorable dogs ever!
Cleveland has a greenway that we like to bike and walk along so we took Maggie out there for the first time not too long ago. It was quite cold so we didn’t last too long!
Yep, it’s true. Ben and I have a puppy! And she is a cutie. She’s already on her way to being spoiled. For her first Cleveland outing we met up with Amber, the Barks and Prissy at the Annual Cleveland Christmas Tree Lighting in downtown Cleveland. We had a great time with everyone drinking hot chocolate, getting pictures with Santa and taking a carriage ride – I think even Jason enjoyed the carriage a little. 🙂
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