Kylea + 4

Our New Blog!!!

2009-07-20T20:00:00.001-04:00

Come visit our new blog: G, Me & Canine Company

I Will Praise You in This Storm

2009-07-17T21:06:00.000-04:00

I’ve been putting this post off for days. I’ve been thinking the words through in my head countless times. I’ve tried to figure out the best way to share this. I’ve tried to figure out how to best share my heart, even though it’s so raw. Let’s just say I have yet to figure out how to do that. However, I know many of you are waiting for an update and I’m hoping that by writing this out, it will prove therapeutic for me as well....so bear with me, here it goes....

For a number of weeks I have felt ‘defeated by life’. Probably more appropriately worded as under the attack of Satan. I have no doubt in my mind that Satan has been firing full force at GL and myself, though for days I’ve questioned God as to why He’s putting us through all this stuff. I don’t have the answer and it’s not for me to question God, as I know everything happens for a reason……but right now, it just sucks! It just seems like GL and I have been facing one hurdle after the next and rather large hurdles at that.

This past Friday I was driving to work after a completely overwhelming week already and heard the song by Casting Crowns “I Will Praise You in This Storm”.

I remembered thinking to myself, God I know I need to praise you in this storm, through all these hurdles, but….I’m struggling. Little did I know I would be challenged even further that day, more than I could imagine.

Friday, July 10, 2009 I let go of my heart dog, Duke. It was a day I’d always dreaded and knew would never be easy. But I never imagined it would be right now, right then and never under these circumstances. Duke just turned 7 on June 28. Duke’s been with me since he was a tiny pup and we’ve been through the 'ringer' a number of times. Duke was there for me with unconditional love when I needed it the most. Duke never left my side when I was sick or upset. Duke was my protector and my most faithful friend.

I cried and wept over loosing him all weekend, my heart absolutely just aches. I miss him more than words could express and feel a vast array of emotions. I questioned my decision all weekend, though I know in my head I made the right decision, my heart isn’t there yet. I know with time the pain will lessen and the void won’t seem to huge, but Duke will forever hold a big piece of my heart.

You are probably wondering what in the world happened….well, allow me to digress a moment and attempt to share. As many of you know GL had his 2 boys, Bo & Ryan (Lab/Rot mixes) and I had Duke and my 3 girls. To make a really long story short, the boys have had issues adjusting to living with each other from the very beginning. We’ve tried everything from crates, no special privileges, bringing a trainer in and going to class and we still managed to have dog fights despite our best efforts. Last week Thursday evening for some reason Duke turned on Bo. I don’t know why, but he did. GL got them apart and Duke went back for more. GL got them apart again and I was taking Bo out of the room while Duke was still in fight mode and GL was trying to lay on him to get him to stop. At some point during that time Duke bit GL’s hand pretty good. After a trip to the ER and 6 stitches later to “hold things in place until you see the hand surgeon” we were back home and Duke acted as if nothing had ever happened, which bothered me. Not to mention he’d now bitten GL and this was an issue for me. I was also at my limit and knew I couldn’t live like this anymore. Life was stressful at home walking on eggshells worried when the next dog fight would be, never being able to let my guard down. I knew in my heart I had a decision to make about Duke and didn’t want to do it. The Duke I knew and loved had snapped. This was no longer the Duke I knew. And in my gut I knew something else was going on inside of him though vets couldn’t seem to find anything, he never seemed comfortable, always stressed and on edge. So I made the decision to put him down. I felt this was the most responsible thing for me to do after weighing other options and discussing it with others. I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Saying goodbye to my forever faithful friend. Duke went extremely quickly and peacefully with myself, GL and my parents surrounding him. He loved my dad and this was also especially difficult for my dad as well. I had to make sure that I was the last face Duke saw and had to make sure the last words he heard was ‘I love you’.

Duke was and forever will be my baby. He was my first dog, my first pup and he stole my heart even though I didn’t really want him. Through all his health problems and in everything I’ve walked through he’s always been at my side. They say in life you have one dog that is your ‘heart dog’….the one that captures your heart and so much more. This was Duke for me, I know there will never be another one quite like him. Even on the days when he truly annoyed the crap out of me, my love for him never changed. The grief of letting him go has been immeasurable… indescribable. But, I have to remind myself that he’s at peace and no one can hurt him and he can’t hurt anyone either. I have wept and cried endless tears. I’ll have my moments of doing ok and then I get slammed by something catching me totally off guard and I’m overwhelmed with grief. It sounds awful, but being home this past weekend was just tough, so I tried to get out, go places….I needed distractions. GL has never left my side (though from time to time a little doped on pain meds) and he’s been with me through all of this. Unfortunately, because he just walked through this with Ryan, we can relate more than we’d like. It has proved to bring us even closer, even through all the hurt and pain. I also just feel the need to interject here on GL's behalf and say that this was a decision I made on my own. GL supported me either way. He did not tell me one way or the other what to do. I'm sure for some of you your minds are all over the place since you've not met GL and let me say....don't go there! (that was in a loving tone) GL could also see that something wasn't right with Duke, but he did not push me to make this decision.

I honestly don’t know if dogs go to Heaven, but I can tell you what, I sure hope and pray they do :) I’ve seen this poem before and wanted to share…

Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

~Author unknown...

Sunday morning we went to church at Central Wesleyan (if you click on that link you can listen to the message) and Dan Seaborn was preaching who I always enjoy. He was a bit fired up this sermon, but basically what his message boiled down to was how much do you trust God? Wow! I felt like he was talking directly to me! I had laid in bed Saturday night just crying, thinking to myself, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to get through this and in my head I could hear “you don’t have to do this in your own strength….lean on me….let me help you….TRUST me!” Some of you may think I’m crazy for needing strength from God to work through the grief of loosing my dog, but he was like a kid to me, he was a family member. It’s a huge loss for me. God was speaking to me Sunday morning and I couldn’t not listen.

It's been one week since this all unfolded and the pain and loss stings less today than it did yesterday and the day before. I know time will help to heal the hurt. I don’t wish to forget Duke in anyway, he was one of the best things that came into my life. I truly believe God knew those years I needed him and Duke was there, he never let me down. He drove me nuts from time to time, but his unconditional love for me never wavered. He was my faithful companion and I could not have asked for a more wonderful friend. While the pain may be a bit less, I still have my moments of tears from time to time and I don't think I will ever stop missing him.

I’d like to think that Duke knew GL was now in my life to take care of me and love me. Maybe Duke knew long before I did that his job was over and he could finally stop fighting. I’ve known for a long time that Duke seemingly had undetermined health problems that we just couldn’t manage and I believe he fought hard the years when I needed him most. Even though Duke didn’t leave his earth on his own accord, he was at rest and in peace and I needed to see that. He is no longer stressed, anxious, or having to take care of me. Yes, I suppose this might be my attempt to justify my decision, but whatever the case may be, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Duke knew I loved him.

Today I find myself reminded of this verse in Hebrews 2:18: Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested. Might I still praise God during this storm.

My beloved Duke – I have loved you with a love that I didn’t know was possible for a human to love a dog. You stood by me and put your paw on me when you knew I was sick or upset. You curled up in bed with me through many sleepless and lonely nights. You were my protector and the man of the house. You watched over me and your little sisters. You were a mama’s boy by far….but your grandpa loved you and you loved him! I always said you’d probably choose him over me because he spoiled you endlessly. You gave me 7 years of unconditional love and I’m forever grateful. You will forever be mama’s boy and have my heart. I will love you everyday for the rest of my life. I will never forget you. I believe you fought through many years of pain, when you could’ve given up, but you fought for me. I miss you horribly, but take comfort in knowing you are now at rest and peaceful, no more pain, and you are safe.
All my love to you sweet boy…..always and forever!
~Mommy

A Stairway to Heaven
Author: unknown
If Tears Could Build A Stairway

And Memories A Lane

I’d Walk Right Up To Heaven

And Bring You Home Again

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

I dug up some great pictures of GL and wanted to honor him this Independence Day (and trust me finding pics of him is not easy). As I've mentioned a few times before I'm so very proud of him and honored to stand beside him in life. I am so much more aware of my freedom and love my solider more than words could ever express.

This 4th of July we will be celebrating at my parents house with friends and family. I'm so very much looking forward to a wonderful time.

Enjoy the following pictures of my handsome solider :)

Check out all this hair!!!!!!
GL warns me the quality of these aren't the greatest as they are snapping pics with some pretty crappy cameras!

And the most recent picture of this First Sargent of mine. The serious face just cracks me up....I told him this picture makes him look old :) hehehe

Lastly I leave you with another tribute video I found. I have always enjoyed this song and have always respected those who fight for my freedom, but I have a new found respect for them now. And more than ever....I'm proud to be an American!

Engagement Pics

2009-07-01T16:06:00.000-04:00

Me and my handsome future husband!

Bandanas for sale!

2009-06-24T13:10:00.002-04:00

Some of you might be aware that I recently stopped my website Hope's Smile. It was costing too much to maintain the website and I just wasn't selling enough to justify the cost. While I'm saddened to see this end, as I was excited about the business endeavor, I still have some bandanas left that I'm willing to sell at a reduced cost.

Below are pictures of the bandanas still available (please note: colors on your screen may vary from the material color).

Denim w/ red letters:

Yellow w/ black letters:

Red w/ black letters:

Purple w/ white letters:

Pink w/ black letters:

Green w/ white letters:

Blue w/ white letters:

Stars w/ yellow letters:

Bandana sizes:

Small - Fits neck size 8 - 14 inches
Medium - Fits neck size 10 - 20 inches
Large - Fits neck size 16 - 26 inches

*Measuring Instructions: Please carefully measure your dog around the lowest area of the neck. Allow enough room to tie the bandana.

Sale pricing:

Small - $3

Med - $4

Large - $5

Please email me at kylea_duke@hotmail.com to place an order or with any questions.

Happy Birthday Phalin!

2009-06-22T07:47:00.003-04:00

Phalin is 4 today! It doesn't seem possible that this baby is already 4! Phalin came to live with me in October of 2006. She is the girl that I co-own with her breeder, Alice Dunn in Hamilton, MI. Phalin is a blessing to have around. While she has her times of being "high-maintenance", she as sweet as pie. Her daddy calls her "Princess" and I think it fits her well. She's a wonderful mom and did amazingly well with her first litter last fall. She was also surrogate mom to Faith and I will always believe that Phalin's role is partially why Faith survived.

Happy Birthday precious Phalin...we look forward to many, many more wonderful years ahead. We love you to pieces little one :)
~Mommy & Daddy

Thankful Thursday and updates....

2009-06-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

How is it that Thursday's always come so fast!?!?!? I have yet to figure that out. Well, I suppose it might have something to do with the crazy schedule and pace that I seem to be sporting lately. Between work, wedding plans, dog issues, GL gone for Army stuff, and more wedding plans the time is quickly slipping away from me. 78 days until the wedding! Holy smokes!

This Thursday here are just a few of the things I am thankful and grateful for!

Today my parents are celebrating 35 years of marriage! Congrats Mom & Dad!

Today my grandmother is celebrating her 78th birthday! Wow! Happy Birthday Grandma!

We met with our florist for the wedding and planned out all the details last week. I'm really excited about the flowers and think they are going to look great. Plus it's nice to have the detail out of the way!

We met yesterday with the pastor who is going to marry us. He's a dear family friend and I'm so thrilled to have him marry us. Thanks Marc!

We met with our photographer last night and we are thrilled to be working with her. Our original photographer bailed on us and so I went scrambling to find someone else. Kerry came recommended to me by my friend Kristi (thanks a million girl). Kerry is absolutely full of life and energy and I know she's going to be a blast to work with. We had a great meeting last night and I just know we are going to have some awesome pictures in the end! Kerry's business is called Images of Essence, check out her amazing work here: http://www.imagesofessence.com/

On a few different notes and for a few more updates......

Last week we started Duke & Bo in an obedience class. Not that they don't know general obedience commands (well, actually after class last week one might begin to think they didn't have clue) but to make them listen to us and be civil together. GL is working with Duke (my boy) and I'm working with Bo (his boy). GL's boys listen to him, but aren't real interested in listening to me and Duke isn't real interested in listening to GL. So that's the main goal here, well and for them to get along :)

GL was let go from his job 'officially' last week. It's been 'unofficial' for a few weeks, meaning they didn't have work, but didn't let him go. Fortunately, now they did and he's hoping to be able to collect unemployment now. He is in the process of applying for a Corrections Officer job in Kalamazoo. We'd so much appreciate your prayers during this time!

We also recently received more information regarding GL's Army duties. While I'd LOVE to share more details....I can't. I've shared with some of you privately, however, for safety reasons I can not publicly post at this time. I think you are all smart enough to put 2 and 2 together, so I'm guessing you'll probably know what I'm referring too. Please keep us in your prayers! There is a lot of change that comes with marriage, with a new start and getting to know each other. Not only do GL & I have that facing us, but some other rather large curves coming at the same time. Please....just pray :)

I often find myself overwhelmed with the planning and blending my life with GL's. There just seem to be 50 gazillion details and 30 minutes to get it all done! I know I'm not the only one experiencing this! More recently I'm finding myself utterly overwhelmed by what the future holds for GL & myself. There are just things I can't even begin to comprehend or wrap my arms around. I have to remind myself that God has a plan and God will give me the strength to face the road ahead. I also have to slow down and enjoy the time and days I have with GL right now! But no matter how busy I get and how overwhelmed I might feel, my love for GL never fades. I don't express it enough, but I am so thankful to God for bringing him into my life, for giving me the honor to marry this man and spend the rest of my life loving him. He respects me, which is something I haven't always been used to. He loves me even on my crabby, stressed out days. He still thinks I'm beautiful (therefore I still think he's on drugs!). I miss him when he's gone and just can't seem to spend enough time with him. When I'm with him, it never seems to fail that time just flies by!

I found this picture online a while back and it most definitely expresses what I feel for GL. Not only do I love this man with everything inside of me and with a love I've never known before, I have a respect for him that words can't describe. His willingness and love to be in the Army, to continue to serve, to continue to fight for my freedom and for yours....amazes me each and every day. To him it's his job, it's his life, it's what he loves. I will never be able to fully comprehend that job, nor do I really want to. I just know it takes a certain person to do that job and he does it well. Yes, I will brag, I think he's worth bragging about! :)

Happy Thursday and sorry for the lengthy post! I hope you enjoy the upcoming weekend, I'm excited that GL is actually home and we have engagement pictures on Saturday and then celebrating Father's Day on Sunday.

I realize this is becoming more and more a blog about my life and not as much just about Faith. I hope I'm not loosing your interest. My plan is to continue and at some point get a blog makeover and have pics of the whole gang. I have to come up with a new clever name for the blog. I'd welcome any suggestions :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thankful Thursday

2009-06-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Thursday again and change is still something I seem to be struggling with! However, I'm not the only one...Duke has decided he's not fond of change either! So...we are both working on that!

As promised I have pictures of Little Bit a.k.a. Faith :)

I swear she grows cuter by the day! But I suppose I might be a bit bias! I also can't believe that on June 14 this Little Bit will be 8 months old! She still amazes me every day, I can't even explain what zest for life this little girl has! However, with age came Faith's first and last season. Yes, at the YOUNG 6 months of age a female can come into season. At 7 months Faith came into season. Thankfully, we survived the 3 weeks and that is done and over with. You are probably thinking, why is she not spayed? Well, we decided to wait and do that when she is a year old. She fought so hard initially for life that putting her under prior to 6 months of age just seemed too much to risk. I can promise that she will be spayed by the time she reaches 1 year and will never have a season again! I looked at her and could not believe this little thing potentially being bred! It made me think of my precious little Hope. If she indeed had 2 litters in her first year of life, she had her first litter at Faith's age & size, which is just something I can't even fathom!

Here are a few pictures of Faith during her season. Thankfully I had ordered these little panties for Phalin and they were too small and fit Faith perfectly. Not to mention they were just pretty gosh darn cute! Which one do you like best!??!!?

Option A: Brown with pink paw prints (I don't care for the lace!)

Option B: pink, red and orange dots

Is she not totally adorable!?!?!?!

So yes, this Thursday, I am completely and totally thankful for my Little Bit. I love her so very much even though she continues to be a full bundle of energy. She's doing so well, I could not have asked for more. She loves her new brothers, especially Bo because he loves to play with her. Her new 90 something pound buddy! She still loves her daddy and cuddling in and sleeping on his lap. She loves to sleep and cuddle up with Hope. She just loves everybody, every dog, everything.....this girl is full of life and loves every minute of it......I want her zest for life!

Thankful Thursday

2009-06-04T16:38:00.009-04:00

Ok...better late than never today, right? I've honestly struggled with what to post today, I will admit that. I've been fighting being sick for 3 weeks now and I'm just physically drained! Not to mention there has been a lot of change in my life recently. Why is it that change is so difficult? I'm still workin' on that one....

Anyway, back to Thankful Thursday...I do realize in the middle of it all, I still have so very much to be thankful for! I am so blessed! I fall short of realizing that often enough.

I digress yet again....

These pictures are from the weekend. GL & Ian.....or "G" and "E" (how confusing for an almost 2 year old!). Check out their reading and popcorn time together. Is this not the most precious thing ever? GL was showing Ian how to 'slam' a book shut so that it makes a noise and can blow your hair back! Ian thought this was so very cool! His face captures it all! Ian is even starting to say GL....sadly enough I think Ian now likes GL more than me :( Sad....but it's ok....I guess I can share! Enjoy and this Thursday I'm thankful for these 2 good lookin' men in my life having a blast together...

Are they not just the most adorable pair!?!?!? :)

Happy Thursday - it's almost the weekend! I have some pics of Faith to share very soon...

~Blessings

Home of the Free -- Because of the Brave!

2009-05-25T10:45:00.003-04:00

What does Memorial Day mean to you? I've always had the utmost respect for those men and women who have and continue to serve our country. The ones that fight for my freedom. The sacrifices made of those serving and of their families and loved ones. My grandfather served in the Koeren War, though he doesn't talk much about it. When I met GL and started talking to him about his service in the Army I was in awe. I'm sure my jaw hit the floor during some of his stories, as it continues to do. I can't even begin to fathom what he's walked through to fight for my freedom and for your freedom. I can't begin to imagine what he's seen, what he's heard, what he's felt and the pain he's experienced. There are just so many things I can't even begin to understand. However, I have the utmost respect for him, I'm proud of him, I'm honored to marry him and to stand by his side and support him. I am so thankful for people like him that love what they do and fight so I can be free. I never imagined one day that I would love and marry a soldier....it's scary and amazing all at the same time! Plus I've always had a thing for men in uniform and yes, GL looks dang good in his uniform :) But all joking aside, this Memorial Day I want to pause and say THANK YOU to those who have served and are currently serving! Thank you doesn't seem like enough. I pray for God's richest blessings to fall upon each of you and for His utmost safety and angels to watch over you.

I encourage you to pause this Memorial Day as well and think about what it means for you. I know I'll hold my head a bit higher this year standing next to him and knowing what this day means to him. I am filled with emotions this Memorial Day as for the first time ever in my life this day brings an entirely different meaning into my life.

God Bless America
Words so seldom spoken today.
How often do you here someone remembering our freedom and the lives that were lost giving freedom so generously to us?
Today is Memorial Day.
I ask you please to remember.
Don't just celebrate with a picnic and family times.
But rather stand tall and proud and salute your freedom.
Brothers and Sisters of ours were lost fighting for our freedom. The least we can do is remember. The simplest and yet grandest gift you can give back is teach your children the true meaning behind Memorial Day.
Stand tall next to them when the flag passes in a parade. Cross your hand over your heart and remember.
Year after year I attend our town parade.
My parents have taken me as long as I can remember.
I am now a parent and I take my children.
But we attend the parade with a meaning. A purpose.
Not to see clowns and kids characters.
But rather to pay respect to the men and women who gave so much for us and asked so little in return.
Every year the Veterans pass us.
I remind my children, stand up and pay your respect.
I urge you to join me in this reminder. I urge you to help me teach our future what our past did for us. The extent they gave.
Together we can remember, salute, praise and love.
Teach your children today so the future remembers tomorrow!
-author unknown

I'd encourage you to watch this short video. While there were a number that I found to be moving, this song touched my heart.

Happy Memorial Day!

Thankful Thursday

2009-05-21T09:12:00.001-04:00

I know this is a bit different, but I will be holding off on a Thankful Thursday post for today and posting a special Memorial Day post on Monday.....stay tuned.....

Faith's Re-check

2009-05-19T14:29:00.007-04:00

Yesterday afternoon GL & I took Faith back to Lansing for her re-check with Dr. Ramsey. She was last seen on 4/15/09. Dr. Ramsey was very happy with her progress. She of course is such a little love bug that she won him and his assistant over. Of course I'm a bit partial to her to begin with :)

She's responded very well to the topical drops. The pigment in the central left cornea is resolved and only peripheral pigment remains which is very sparse. He can now see scare tissue there, but it not concerned about that at this time. As long as there are no changes in vision, the appearance of the eyes or the level of comfort we will have her checked again in 4-6 months.

We were thrilled with this report! I'm so thankful that I got her checked out when we did. The drops have been worth it and if we can spare what vision she does have, I'm thrilled about that. We will continue with 2 of the drops for the time being. One will be indefinitely and the other is as needed for dryness. She is such a trooper with people putting stuff in her eyes, picking and pulling at them and yet she still has loads of kisses to share. She still amazes me each and every day. She fought to be in this world and I think she's lovin' life....at least I hope she is!

Faith loves her daddy so much she wanted to be on his lap for the ride home! It probably had to do with the fact that mommy's lap was directly in the sun....but this little girl loves her daddy! And he's rather fond of her too! :)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

GL & I have both been a bit "under the weather". I had a rather long weekend and I'm still fighting to get back on top of things. I'd covet your prayers for both of us as we try to regain strength. We've also been running a bit full tilt since we met and need to slow down to a bit more manageable pace...however, that's not always so easy to attain either.

While I look awful in this picture....I was resting this weekend and had all 6 dogs gathered around me, so I had to share. The girls are all sleeping on me (yes, Hope is there too). Then the 3 boys are on the floor in front of me. Too gosh darn cute!

6 dogs!?!?!? Yup.....6 dogs!??!?! Trust me.....I'm still coming to grips with it myself. It's a bit of a change and full house :) But I love GL more than anything and we'll get settled eventually.....with....yup, you guessed it.....6 dogs!

PS....It's GL's birthday today! Happy Birthday my love.....I look forward to celebrating many more years with you!

Thankful Thursday & Faith is 7 months old!

2009-05-14T06:18:00.000-04:00

I apologize for not posting a Thankful Thursday last week - life has been a bit on the busy side :)

I truly love the meaning and thought behind Thankful Thursday, it's such a positive thing! And I will try my hardest to continue each week!

Do you have to guess what I'm thankful for?!?!?!?

I am thrilled to be engaged to the most wonderful man that loves me beyond anything I ever imagined! I'm SO thankful to God for bringing this man into my life and giving me the desires of my heart. It was worth the wait! You can read my post here about the recent proposal!

I am also so thankful for my little Faith girl. I can't hardly believe she is 7 months old today! I can't believe how much she is growing! She loves her daddy! And her new brothers Bo & Ryan. She still amazes me with her zest for life. While we still have yet to master potty training 100%, she does pretty well. She has graduated to being in a crate with Hope & Phalin while I'm at work and during the night. She is almost tall enough to jump up on the big chair where all the dogs hang out in. She tolerates her 3 different drops, 3 times a day like a real trooper! Speaking of which we are headed back to the Ophthalmologist on Monday for a re-check. I'm anxious to see if things have improved since her last appointment and to find out what direction we head in now.

Here are some pictures of my Faith girl....aka....Little Bit :)

Here is Faith at 7 weeks old - hard to imagine!

And here is Faith today at 7 months old, snuggling with Hope.

How stinkin' adorable are they?!?!?!?! Faith is taller and almost longer than Hope. I'm not sure she weighs as much as Hope, yet!

Also.....wish me luck this weekend. The boys are coming over for the weekend as GL has reserves :) Me and 6 dogs.....this should be....um, shall we say....interesting! ;)

BIG News!!!!!

2009-05-13T14:41:00.029-04:00

I'm engaged!!!!!

Yesterday afternoon GL totally surprised me and proposed! He came into my office mid-afternoon with a rose and the ring tied to it and asked me to marry him! Of course I said yes!!! I wish I could express in words what I feel for this man, but I honestly don't think I can.

I also wish I were a much better photographer and had fancy photo programs to post amazing photos! But I don't!

I digress.....

Here are some pics to share.....and trust me they don't do the ring justice :)

For those of you that are interested in more details, here is the rest of the story....

A number of weeks ago GL & I went ring shopping a few times. We had decided on rings for both of us. He told me a week or so ago that he had ordered mine but that it wouldn't be ready until the 11th. That was all he was telling me, the rest was a surprise. Well, I'm not a huge fan of surprises, so I tried to endlessly pry for information. A hint...anything! He told me he had been thinking about coming to my work and proposing there and I said no way, that would be so embarrassing! Well, Monday the 11th rolls around and no word from the jewelry store. Just prior to GL going to class Monday night I get a text from him saying "it's going to be another 2 weeks, they have to order a new band". What!?!?! Are you kidding me!?!?!? At first I thought, oh he's just trying to fool me and then he kept the story going all night. Meanwhile, I'm stewing....I'm about ready to call and ~~rip someone a new one~~ politely share my opinion. I was so bummed. To make matters worse GL seemed so "ok" with the 2 week delay (that shoud've been my first clue), he kept telling me, it's ok, nothing we can do about it. I knew that but I was so excited about getting this ring and it finally being able to be official. Though we had already picked a date, put a down payment on the location, found a florist, dj and photographer. For some reason the ring made it "official". So I now realize I might as well just let this ring deal go because clearly it's going to be another 2 weeks and nothing is going to happen...grrrr!!!!

Well, Tuesday afternoon I'm sitting in my office and GL peaks his head around the corner, "Hey Ky". I'm like what in the world are you doing here?!?!?! He comes around the corner with a rose in hand and gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him. I'm like what!?!?!? Are you for real!?!?! You lied about the ring!?!?! I set the rose down on my desk not realizing the ring was tied to the ribbon on the rose! I'm looking at him like where's the ring and he's looking at me like what is your answer! Of course my answer was YES!!!!! I ended up taking the few remaining hours of off work for the afternoon so we could spend some time together. He ended up skipping class at night and we were able to go out for a celebration dinner :)

We also were able to spend some time talking, it was so priceless. I value the times we have that we can learn more about each other and share deep, meaningful conversation. For those of you that do not know, GL is still active in the A*rmy as a First Sar*gent. He has served our country for 21 years and has already served 4 tours. He will continue to serve for 9 more years. While there are things I'd love to share, I can't for security purposes. My heart absolutely aches when I think about the thought of him leaving and possibly never coming back. But he loves it, and I support him. I'm so very proud of him and feel honored to walk beside him in life. It's because of people like him that I have my freedom and I'm forever grateful. I never imagined I'd marry a solider one day, but I count it a privilege, though I know it will be a tough jouney at times. I have a great support system surrounding me of family and friends. And I also feel that God has prepared me for that over the past few years. But that's a entirely different post in and of itself. (FYI: in case you are wondering, the * in certain words is not a typo. It's so that if that word is googled, it can not be traced back to my blog.)

The date for the wedding is September 4, 2009 and it's going to be a small and casual sort of deal with family and close friends. My long-time friend Stephanie is going to stand up for me and we've actually both found our dresses already :) Yes, we've been doing planning already!

I honestly feel I can't put into words what I feel inside, how very much I love this man. The only thing that comes close to explaining what has happened in my life in the past 6 weeks is truly a "God thing". It's certainly not anything I could've planned. It far exceeded my expectations, hopes and dreams. I have walked through more crap in the past 10 years in my life than I care to remember. The past 5 years were probably the toughest. I walked through pain and hurt that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. The past 2-3 years I was so frustrated with the dating scene. I wanted to be with someone so badly and yet it never worked, I never found the right person. I was so frustrated! I had gotten to the point where I honestly wondered if love was ever going to happen for me. Would I be single forever? On March 4 I posted about my life and pretty much let things go! On April 4, GL walked in to my life. Exactly 1 month to the day! It's a "God thing". I never thought my life would mesh with someone like it does with GL. I never thought I'd find a man that loves my dogs like I do. I never thought I would find a man that respected me as a person and thought I was beautiful. I never thought I'd find a man that my family could accept, let alone adore. I never thought I could be this happy, that I could love like this and that it could feel so right, so perfect, so meant to be. It's a "God thing". Every day I am thankful for God bringing GL into my life. I would walk through all the pain and hurt again if it meant I could have this man for the rest of my life....fortunately I don't have to do that :) I already have this man, he is mine, I am his...forever!

I hope that you can be happy for me, for us! Yes, it's been a fast process, but I can tell you I know in my heart 100% this is meant to be. I have no doubts. I still can't fully explain what I feel inside, there just are not words. I just know. I can't wait to marry this man and spend the rest of my life with him. I know we will have our ups and downs. I don't expect perfection. I know it will take work. But I know God is faithful and that GL & I can work through anything that comes our way. God has blessed me beyond measure, even though my faith was smaller than a mustard seed. God has given me so much more than I ever dreamed of. I have never been this happy....it's a wonderful feeling. Every day seems to be better than the day before. I so look forward to the future and what God has in store for us.

Thanks to my all my friends and family for your support through the years. For those of you that have walked through many hard years with me and kept telling me my day would come. You were right! You can say "I told you so"....it's ok! Thanks for sharing in this excitement with us, your support means the world to me. And for those of you that might be skeptical, that's ok, I can appreciate and understand where you are coming from, I promise. I appreciate that you care! Just know I'm confident in moving forward with GL. Please just be happy for us!

I apologize because this has turned into a book, but I'm so excited and thrilled to share the details with all of you. My apologies for turning this blog more into my life story than necessarily just about Faith. One of my co-workers said it's now going to be changed to Kylea + 7! Oh my!!! It will probably have a title change as I'd like to keep this up and share my journey with GL and our 6 four-legged kiddos! Dogs will always be a part of our lives, as will rescue. I'm so excited to share my life with someone that has the same passion as I do for dogs! Again, it's a "God thing".

Ok...I digress yet again....

One last thing I'd like to end with. It's a song that I've heard for a long time and it's finally true in my own life. The song is entitled "When God Made You" by Newsong with Natalie Grant. You can click here to hear the song and read the lyrics.

Two more things.....

2009-05-12T08:32:00.002-04:00

I forgot to mention in my post from last night that GL has nicknamed Faith - "Little Bit". It's so darn cute!! Ok, so maybe you have to be there......but I think it's cute!

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It is with heavy heart that I share this with you. Remember my post about praying for Kayleigh? My heart ached this morning to check their blog and see that Kayleigh has now gone to be with Jesus. Tears flooded my eyes. I can't fathom the pain this family is experiencing. Would you please surround them with prayer?

http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/

Only God can provide this family comfort and strength during this very difficult time.

I wish for God's love to fall upon you in a very special way today, may we not take for granted those we love!

Blessings....

Full weekend!

2009-05-11T17:02:00.012-04:00

My apologies for not posting in a while, life truly has been insanely busy! I just can't even wrap my mind around how busy life has become! It was a busy weekend and here's the latest updates.....

Friday was my Aunt Robin's 50th Birthday and on Saturday my uncle threw a surprise party for her! We all met at a coffee shop to surprise her....she was just a bit surprised!

The birthday star with her mom (my grandma).

And the best picture of the day....my mom serving cake. She had to wear a hat for health code purposes from the place...she was thrilled! I think it's her new look, what do you think!?!!?

GL & I with Ian at the party. Ian was a bit tired but he loves his "G" (that's GL)...it's adorable!
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Friday night we packed up GL's boys and took them to my house for the weekend. We wanted all 6 of our dogs to hang out and see how things would go. Overall, we were both very pleased with how things went. Faith loves them!!!! She truly thinks she's one of the big boys, it's really too funny!

Below is GL with Bo & Ryan.
Here's Faith in one of the boys crates! She had to go check them out multiple times, they are a bit too big for her, don't you think!?!?!?!?

Bo & Ryan again. They are not used to having their pictures taken (we'll work on that) so getting some decent pictures was not an easy task! I think they are some handsome looking boys. Ryan is the smallest....yeah, smallest at 88lbs!!!! Yes, I said 88!!!!! GL was told they are both Lab/Rot mixes though we think they probably have some other breeds thrown in as well. Either way....they are BIG boys! But good boys. It went well this weekend....they are getting used to me too!

I tried to get a picture of all 3 boys next to each other to show how small they make Duke look, but it didn't happen. We'll try another time!

The boys love to play with GL....they are crazy! The funniest part is Faith wants to be in the middle of it too! She's such a hoot!

And yes, Faith still loves to find ~~pieces of clothing~~ treasures and carry them around the house as chew toys!

We had a very full, busy, fun weekend with all of us together. It was fun to have family time celebrating a milestone birthday and Mother's Day. Things are going well....we are just busy little bees over here! Faith is growing like a weed and we have a re-check for her with the Ophthalmologist on Monday. I'm anxious to see how she has progressed over the last month.

We worked outside in the backyard on Saturday, attempting to seed the dirt areas remaining from the pea stone work. We...meaning, myself, GL & my parents - I'm so appreciative for all of their help. Now I have to water and pray that grass grows :)

That's it for now - I'll be sure to update after Faith's appt next week. Take care!

A couple things....

2009-05-01T15:26:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to quick post a couple things, while they aren't related to my doggies, they are important to me. I find myself humbled as I struggled to put together a Thankful Thursday post yesterday and then I think about what others are going through. Oh Lord, might I not get so caught up in my own little world and recognize how very much I have to be thankful for!

I'd like to ask you to join me in prayer for this family, http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/
I've been following their blog for some time and they recently received the news that their precious little girl, who has never left the hospital since being born last year, is now brain dead. I can't even fathom. Today they posted and put together this amazing video, it's most definitely worth watching. Yet through the storms, they look to God for strength. Please visit their blog and read about Kayleigh and join me in praying for this family.

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I also want to direct you back to the blog for which my inspiration came from to start Thankful Thursday. Linny shared some very interesting insight, click here to read her post from yesterday. Definitely something to think about...

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I hope everyone has an amazing weekend! God bless!

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

It's that time again for Thankful Thursday. GL was asking me last night if I had written my post yet for today, to be honest I hadn't ~~nor did I feel like it~~. As the day goes on, I realize that I do indeed have so very much to be thankful for. I should be able to write a list each and every day, so what is my problem?!?! So on this Thankful Thursday I decide to be thankful for these precious little faces :) How can you not love them!?!? I mean seriously!

My handsome boy Duke. He will be 7 years old in June, which just blows my mind! What happened to my puppy? He's my protector in more ways than one. He's so amazingly intelligent and so very loving!

Hope...Miss Hope....my naughty girl! In case you missed the post on her new trick, click here. She's still adorable. Still so easy to have around. Just the sweetest little girl in the world. I love her to pieces!

Then there is Phalin! We just finished another 'season' for her. Those last 3 weeks, thank the Lord they only come every 6 months. Hence the panty she's wearing. Phalin is such an amazing mom, she still is such a wonderful mother to Faith. Not overbearing, but making sure she's taken care of, it's so precious. My soft, sweet, girl....

Faith girl! All of 6 months old and still loving every minute of life! She's crazy, full of energy, loving, sweet and still full of energy! She's puppy through and through. She's proven to be a fighter and every day I'm amazed by this girl. Most people wouldn't know that she has limited vision. That's my girl :)

And yes....this is GL's boot which she was dragging around the room and chewing on the strings...spoiled little girl!

Hope's New Trick!

2009-04-27T11:46:00.009-04:00

Well Hope provided some great entertainment Saturday night. GL & I were sitting to have dinner and all of the sudden Hope is up on the bench seat right next to him! Ok, that's a new one! This girl loves GL (now daddy since they all love him to death!) and loves food. So the combo of the 2 was enough to make her want to jump up on this bench which puts her at table height. So of course I'm like, put her down, that's naughty! She jumped up 5 times. He would set her back down and she'd jump back up....so finally I grabbed my camera since is was so insanely ~~adorable~~ naughty!

Ok daddy....if I stick my tongue out far enough I can snatch some of your food! Hmmm....thank goodness for my long tongue!

Or how about I just eat off your fork daddy? Can I do that?

Daddy...if I give you big kisses can I eat off your plate?????

Ok daddy...you can give me kisses, but I'm still going to try and eat your dinner....it looks so good!

Yes daddy....you can pet me and I'll sit here like a good little girl....even though I'm being totally naughty and mommy is taking pictures of it!

So then we clean up dinner, I'm in another room and GL comes walking in with this picture below! She has now jumped up on the table and can't get back down.....lovely!!!!!

Daddy....I see you smiling at me while you are taking my picture! Aren't I just sooooo cute?!?!?!? Um....where is your food? How do I get down from here? How can you resist me....I'm adorable!?!?!?!?

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-23T08:36:00.005-04:00

Update:
I had my Thankful Thursday all drafted Wednesday night and ready to go. Last night I found myself completely 'bogged' down with very minimalistic things that normally would not bother me. It didn't help that I am overly tired and I honestly believe that Satan tries to take us down and attacks when we are at our lowest points. I allowed him to do that to me last night. So as much as I really didn't feel like posting this morning about Thankful Thursday because I wasn't feeling very thankful.....I knew I needed too. I know I don't want to allow Satan a foothold in my life and I don't want to loose what is most precious to me! And even on a bad day....I don't want to allow myself to forget how very much I have to be thankful for!

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Original post as follows.....

I feel like every time I turn around it's Thursday again! Wow....I guess time flies when you are havin' fun :) And yes....I'm havin' fun! Happy....in love....happy....and I AM thankful for that! And I'm also still thankful that I'm continuing this each week....it's a good thing. So while I'm making an effort to remember that thankfulness is a conscious decision, here are a few of the things I am thankful for this Thursday...

Since I already mentioned 2, I'll add them here again...

I am thankful that I started doing this each week. It forces me to stop and think about the past week and what I'm thankful for. It's a very positive thing, so I am thankful for Thankful Thursdays! (I can do that since I'm writing the blog)

I am also so very thankful to feel so happy and so in love....or happily in love! Either way, I'll take it, I'm lovin' it and I am SO thankful for it!

I am so thankful that within a week of Faith's Ophthalmology appt I'm already noticing clarity in her 'good' eye. While GL first pointed it out to me after not seeing her for a few days, I'm finally starting to notice it now too. I think it took me a bit longer since I see her all the time. I'm also so very thankful that she's such a trooper. She's handling the drops very well and tolerates them 3 times a day, 3 different drops, 5 minutes in between each of them. There is only one that seems to phase her a bit, but she shakes it off and moves right along. She makes me so proud, she's such a wonderful little thing and I love being her mom! Though her puppy energy drives me a bit nuts at times.....I'm thankful for now having 3 other dogs that are willing to entertain her! Watching her grow has been an amazing journey. There is not a day that goes by that I'm not reminded of what a miracle she truly is!

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-16T07:20:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's Thursday again! Ok, so I think I've started the last few Thankful Thursday posts saying that, but it's true, it seems like all of the sudden before I know it, it's Thursday again! So in my efforts to continue to remind myself that thankfulness is a conscious decision.....here are a few of the things I am thankful for this Thursday.....

I am SOOO thankful that I took Faith for her Ophthalmology appointment. It was extremely helpful and I feel much more positive and confident in the direction we are headed with for her treatment. Click here to read the post about her appointment.

I am so thankful for time with my family on Easter. Celebrating that Christ is Risen Indeed! It was an enjoyable time with family and GL.

I am also so very thankful for GL coming into my life. I wasn't planning to post much about him initially but my mom pointed something out to me and I knew this was something meant to share for Thankful Thursday as it was definitely a "God Thing". If you recall I posted on March 4 about "me". I pretty much put myself out there and fully gave my life's direction over to God. I publicly shared my heart and what I felt God was walking me through. I had finally stopped fighting Him so hard and let go. On April 4, 1 month after that post, GL walked into my life! I truly had gotten to the point in my life where I didn't think love was going to happen for me. I know God always longs to give us the desires of our hearts ("Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" -Psalm 37:4) but I also knew that maybe my plan for my life, wasn't His plan for my life. I can tell you that GL is more than I ever imagined for myself. I honestly feel like God was looking down thinking, 'I will give you so much more than you desire, just trust me'. I don't mean this lightly by saying this man walking into my life was nothing short of being Heaven sent. I'm sure you are thinking, 'ok, how long have you known this guy?'....but this is something I've never experienced. I've never met someone that I clicked with this easily, that I had so much in common, that respected me, that loved my dogs and his own, that thought I was beautiful and that had walked through so much of the same hurt I had myself. This man has truly been a breath of fresh air and a much awaited surprise. I can start to look back over the years and see how God has been working in my life and preparing me for this....for this man. I've never had something feel so right....ever! I feel as if I've known him forever and I can see so many "God things" through all of it. I step back and remind myself how God is so very faithful. Even when my faith is so small....God still has a plan, He still loves me and He still longs to give me the desires of my heart. Wow! I know some of you probably think I'm crazy and that's ok. I know some of you probably think you need to warn me to slow down and that's ok too. I know I'm loved and my friends don't want to see me hurt and I can tell you, neither do I. But I can also tell you I've never been as happy as I am right now since meeting GL. I think I could write a book about what I know thus far about this man. The more time I spend with him the better it gets. I didn't think I'd ever find a man that loved my dogs like I do....and trust me this man loves my dogs and they love him. I have so much respect for GL and what he's accomplished in his life thus far. I'm so very proud of him and honored to walk along side of him in life. I promise I will share more about him later, I can't wait to share more details, he's my hero....my soldier.....my love. So I will say it hear....mark my words....I have no doubt in my mind that I will marry this man one day. How is it possible in such a short time? I'm not quite sure myself, other than I ~~think~~ know it's a "God Thing"! I'm so thankful!

So on this Thankful Thursday, what are you thankful for?

Faith's Ophthalmology Appointment

2009-04-15T20:37:00.013-04:00

Today was a big day for Faith & I, we headed over near Lansing (about a 2 hour drive) to see Dr. Ramsey at The Animal Ophthalmology Center. He came very well recommended to me and it was worth the trip. I was a bit surprised when GL was able to come with it, but it was nice to have his company for the ride and for him to hear the report as well. Not to mention Faith loves him! I mean she loves him! And he's a bit smitten for her too :) It's truly adorable!

Anyway, I'll give you the layman terms and then the medical diagnosis.

In layman terms Faith has no vision in her right eye. However, in her left eye she does have vision though at the moment it's very blurred due to pigment covering her cornea. The best news is that the Dr is confident this can be improved for her with treatment. That was by far the best news of the day!

Now for the medical diagnosis:

Right Eye:

Dermoid - eyelid
Dermoid - conjunctiva and cornea
Microphthalmic (congenitally small eye)
Peter's Anomaly (iris lens adhered to cornea)
Pigmentary Keratitis
Blind

Left Eye:

Dermoid - eyelid
Pigmentary Keratitis
Sighted
Early Keratoconjunctivitis (Dry Eye)

What does all that mean?

Faith was born with multiple developmental abnormalities affecting both eyes. There are areas of normal skin located in abnormal locations (eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea) called dermoids. Both corneas have dense pigment covering their surface. The right eye is small and internal differentiation of tissues into separate structures within the eye never occurred. The right eye was born blind and is permanently blind. Apply vaseline to the hairs near the outer corner of the eye in an attempt to "train" (re-direct) these hairs away from the corneas. With early KCS, dogs have a paradoxical hyperlacrimation (over-production) of the aqueous component of tears in response to ocular pain. The prognosis for early KCS is very good. However, although KCS is a treatable disease, it is not curable, and life-long treatment will be necessary.

I left with 3 different drops that I need to use for the next 4-6 weeks until she goes back for a re-check. One of the drops will need to be used indefinitely in place of the current Refresh drops I use for her now. So the intent is to see how much pigment can be removed with the use of these drops and then re-evaluate. If using vaseline to re-train the eye hairs does not work, then he said surgery would need to happen to remove those, but only on the left eye.

I am so thankful that I took her for this appointment today. I'm thrilled to know that we can hopefully improve what sight she does have out of her left eye. Though I had a feeling she didn't have sight from her right eye, it was a bit difficult to actually hear the diagnosis. She seems to adapt so well, I thought maybe she indeed had more sight than what we thought she might have. I'm so thankful to have an official diagnosis and feel this was an extremely positive appointment. She did great at the appointment today and was a real trooper!

Here is a picture of Faith with GL while we were waiting for the Dr to come in.....

Oh and Faith weighed in at 8.1 lbs today! I last weighed her on March 1 and she was 7 lbs, I was expecting her to weigh a bit more, but I'm thankful she's continuing to grow and she looks really good. She's filling out and I still think she's probably just going to be a tiny little girl :) She is taller and longer than Hope already and right now as I type she's laying right on top of Hope!

I must say on a side note I'm thrilled with Faith's interaction with my other dogs. Though it took Duke & Hope a bit longer, they both play with her a lot more! It's wonderful to see and as always Faith continues to shine with her zest for life!

It was a good day! Unexpected time with GL :) And a very important and big day for Faith. I'm confident moving forward with her treatment knowing we are now on the right course and I'm so thankful I didn't put this appointment off any longer!

Well, I'm going to work on a Thankful Thursday post now....so check back again tomorrow!

Backyard Project

2009-04-14T21:19:00.011-04:00

Yes.....2 posts in one day!!! As I've mentioned I've been working on a project in my backyard. I wanted to section off an area immediately off my back door of just pea stone to contain the dogs in when the weather isn't great, or my grass is muddy. I was becoming a bit overwhelmed with 4 dogs and muddy paws all over my house!

Here is a before picture...

Before

After...
After
After

There is still more work to do, but the pea stone is down and I can currently keep them out of the mud! The extra dirt from digging out for the pea stone was hauled to the back part of my yard. I need to do some work there, put some more dirt down and attempt to seed grass :)

Faith is 6 months old!

2009-04-14T20:55:00.008-04:00

It's so hard to believe my little Faith is 6 months old today! Wow! She's growing like crazy and puppy as ever! She's a true joy and watching her grow is a wonderful thing! I'm so very excited that tomorrow I'm headed to an Ophthalmologist to get her all checked out, I'll be sure to post an update. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm definitely excited about the appointment.

I don't have a picture of Faith at 6 day old, but this picture below is Faith at 9 days old! It's so hard to remember that she fit in the palm of my hand!

Here is Faith at 6 weeks old. I'll be anxious to find out how much she weighs tomorrow! At 6 weeks old Faith was all of 22 ounces!
My little peanut at 6 weeks old.

Here is Faith at 6 months old! She's hanging out with Hannah & GL. Hannah just wanted to snuggle Faith to death and Faith loved every minute of the attention.

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On a different note, I had the 3 older dogs to the vet today for their Heartworm blood draws. Hope was also due for her Rabies shot and so she had an exam, my vet pointed out that she has lost 2 more teeth. I know it's a reality and it won't get better or go away. I also know this is very common is puppy mill dogs. She doing fine so far, but I hate to see this happen to her.

Other than that, all reports were good and we are all set for summer!

Phalin has come into season this past weekend but Alice (her breeder) is going to skip this season and plans to breeder her the next time around. As much as Phalin did wonderful the last time around and I know she will again, I'm thankful to keep her home this time for Faith. Faith is still very much attached to her momma!

Another blog makeover

2009-04-10T13:21:00.002-04:00

Well, Danielle, the very talented designer of my blog, is offering another free blog design giveaway. While my blog is fairly new Faith has changed a lot and I'd love to update! Wish me luck :)

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-09T07:50:00.002-04:00

It's that time again and I realize I haven't posted again since last Thankful Thursday....my apologies! Life continues to remain rather busy! My backyard project is making progress and the fence is up, the pea stone is sectioned off and now I "just" need to get grass to grow and finish up a few loose ends! I'm already loving the new pea stone area. I will post pictures of that transformation later!

In making an effort to remind myself that being thankful is a conscious decision, this Thursday here are a few of the things I am thankful for...

I am thankful that my pea stone area for the dogs is in place and we can use it!

I am thankful that I pushed myself to go out on a date this past weekend, even though I was convinced it would lead to the same dead ends as all the others and I walked away pleasantly surprised by the amazing man I met! I'm so thankful that God has crossed my path with this man and I'm looking forward to getting to know him more!

I found myself very spoiled when I woke up yesterday to these on my doorstep...

What an awesome way to start your day!!!
(thanks GL for spoiling me...you are truly a breath of fresh air!!!)

I am thankful that this Sunday I will be able to celebrate Easter with my family and all that it represents!

I am thankful that Faith continues to love life!!!! The other morning while getting ready for work I couldn't find her! I then found her in my bedroom with this.....

Yes....it's my underwear and I've just posted a portion of them on my blog! However, I must say it was the gosh darn cutest thing every! After I snapped a few pictures, of course I took them away!

It's been a good week thus far, I've had a smile on my face more than I have in a really long time. I'm happy and very thankful to be exactly where I am in my life today! Is it not completely amazing how God can change your life over night!

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-02T07:07:00.006-04:00

In all honesty, there is not much I’m looking forward to about this post. I know, what an awesome way to start a Thankful Thursday post! This post has been on my mind since last Friday when things quickly started to go wrong! In a very short period of time it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. That everything I touched got messed up. I started a huge project in my back yard of sectioning off an area and putting pea stone down for the dogs. This was my attempts to keep them out of mud when it’s not nice outside, therefore keeping them clean, hopefully not mud all over my house and bringing me a bit more sanity. However, hind-sight has shown me that this project was a bit of a bigger bite than I was ready to “chew”. I’m realizing more and more that I definitely struggle with finding a healthy balance in life, managing what is on my plate. And most important, determining what needs to be done and what I want to be done….there’s a big difference. I thought that I had already cut additional things out of my life that I knew I wouldn’t have time for, but apparently I need to re-address???? Not sure….one thing I know for certain is that I’m trying to learn from my mistakes and that more than anything I’m a work in progress.

Though, this past weekend, I felt like I took 1 step forward and 5 steps back, no matter what I did! I’ll spare you the details, however, I’m sure they would be humorous for some of you! I suppose it’s no different than any other time in my life when people laugh and say….you should write a book about this! It was everything from my back yard being torn up and dirt every where….to dogs throwing up because of eating crap outside in my messy yard….to Faith having the shits in the house for no apparent reason…to dogs not being able to have their normal routine and their back yard available to them to potty in….to men working at my house and my dogs not loving that….to my fence getting damaged in 2 different spots ….to my laptop getting a virus….to more dogs throwing up….to people finding it humours to lie to me...and to me apparently not handling change very well! Yikes! I need that sense of normalcy to come back as much as my dogs do is appears!

I found myself very frustrated this weekend because I didn’t want to let these things take me down, but I let myself become overwhelmed and defeated by what was coming my way. By Friday night I was in tears, utter tears….to which my precious nephew Ian so kindly handed me his wipe for my tears (I love you little man). I don’t think he knew what in the world was wrong with me. And honestly, neither did I. Maybe I just needed a good cry, or maybe I had to get to a point of realizing I can’t keep going like this anymore. I’m still putting way too much pressure on myself and not allowing enough time for things to even reasonably be done. Not to mention worrying when things don't fall in the time frame I intended them to...I suppose there might be a reason for that!

While I’m all wound up in my own little world, I’m still aware of the world around me and what others are walking through. I don’t have to look far to be reminded of my friend Kristi, still walking through another round of chemo and choosing to Shine in the process. Or another friend of mine, D, the most amazing puppy shower hostess ever….on double doses of chemo. Or a co-worker who lost a loved one very unexpectedly. Not to mention the other blogs out there that I’ve come across….such as sweet Stellan, who is fighting some serious medical problems with his young little heart. Or Todd & Angie Smith…Angie’s blog is Bring The Rain and Todd sings in the group Selah….next week will be the 1 year anniversary since their little girl so quickly came into this world and then was into the arm’s of Jesus. You don’t have to look very far to find people that are fighting for their life, or fighting a world of heartache.

Might I be humbled and hushed and find myself thankful for all that I have!

So, with that as my introduction (sorry), this Thankful Thursday, here are a few of the things I’m thankful for:

I’m thankful for a good computer guy who came to my work and fixed the virus on my laptop.I’m thankful for people that fixed my broken fence.

I’m thankful for a friend that did great excavation work did in my backyard! Digging out for pea stone, leveling the back yard and putting down the pea stone that would’ve taken me weeks to put down (seriously…it was 17 tons of pea stone)!

I'm thankful for “connections” in which I’ve found people looking to do side-jobs and save me money to get this back yard project done.

I’m thankful for my friends that have allowed me to vent through this process when I needed to get things off my chest!

I’m thankful for my family that has helped with this as well and put up with my moodiness!

I’m thankful that for the first time ever this week, Faith went to the backdoor and cried to go out because she needed to do her business! Yippie! This is a first and huge step!

I’m thankful that Hope seems to be comfortable enough (as I think she has SM) to play with Faith. Although Hope doesn’t truly know how to “play”, in her own way, she’s playing with Faith and Faith can sense the difference. Hope has been seeking Faith out daily to play…it truly makes me heart smile!

I'm thankful that we have an appointment for April 15 for Faith to be seen by an Ophthalmologist!

I'm thankful that this week I took a night and did nothing! I needed a break, I sat in the chair with my doggies and we spent the night at home...doing nothing! My 4 doggies in the chair with me...Faith curled up and went to sleep on my chest, nestled in my neck. Good stuff!

I’m thankful that I started doing this weekly tradition of Thankful Thursday’s. While I wasn’t looking forward to it this week, it forced me to find positives, which I need to do much more often!

And mostly I’m thankful for God, knowing that no matter what I’m facing, He’s always there with me, even when I feel alone. May I always remember that it’s in the valley’s I grow….
Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It’s then I have to remember
That it’s in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God’s love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it’s in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see my through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan’s loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I’m feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it’s in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for the valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it’s in the valley I grow!

Good news!

2009-04-01T11:57:00.002-04:00

We have an appointment for Faith to be seen by an Ophthalmologist in 2 weeks! We will go over near Lansing on the 15th to see Dr. Ramsey, who has come highly recommended to me. I am so excited!!!! I hope it will provide the answers I'm looking for and help with some of the unknowns with her vision. Also, provide me with more education and make sure we are treating her appropriately. While she might not enjoy the appointment, I feel it's a much needed step in the journey for Faith.

We'll keep you posted!

More on puppy mills

2009-03-31T13:15:00.001-04:00

ABC did a great clip on puppy mills recently. While I missed catching it on tv, a friend sent me a video clip. I'd encourage you to watch and pass along to others for education!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7194974

Thankful Thursday!

2009-03-26T07:15:00.001-04:00

Wow...time flies when you are havin' fun! It's Thursday already!! I truly feel like I could write a book for this post and yet I feel completely speechless at the same time. I truly have some amazing friends for which I don't think I could even begin to capture in words how thankful I am and so very appreciative of what they did for me & Faith on Saturday!

First let me begin by saying they came into town on Thursday during the day at various times. Cathy, Deborah, Jane & Karen all live in parts of Indiana. Deborah has a beautiful cottage in Saugatuck and so we all gather there. I was able to meet up with them Thursday after work and we just hung out for the night. Alice was also able to join us, we are the only 2 'Michiganders' in the group. For Cathy, Jane & Karen this was their first chance to meet Faith...I was so excited for Faith to meet more of her auntie's! She of course loved them. We sat and chatted and we had a great time! It was also Deborah's birthday, so much to her surprise we celebrated her birthday...what a blast! Between the 6 of us we had 14 dogs there! And that's not all of them....everyone except Karen left dogs back at home with a spouse!

On Friday Cindy (also from Indiana) came into town, who I haven't seen for a long time. I met up with them again after work and same thing...dogs...friends...good times and lots of laughs! Alice brought Anna, Phalin's little girl, and I just love that little peanut, so it's always great to see her!

Then Saturday was Faith's puppy shower. I knew these ladies would amaze me and it would be great no matter what, but honestly, I just didn't have expectations. I was truly blown away! This beautiful cottage, lovely spring decor and colors, presents, presents and more presents and great friends! My mom and sister-in-law were able to come, as well as a few of my other friends. It was a perfect day, gorgeous weather for March in MI, the perfect amount of people and just a great, great time. Alice brought Anna again, as well as Davis, one of Phalin's boys. Phalin's other 4 puppies have been placed, but Alice is keeping these 2 for the time being. Phalin went to them immediately, she knew those were her babies. It was precious to see!

I honestly don't feel that I can sum up what I felt that day...my heart was overflowing!!!

I hate to use the word 'spoiled' but Faith & I were beyond spoiled and loved on by these girls! They put together an amazing shower for us and it was the greatest thing ever!! I never imagined one day people would host a puppy shower for a pup of mine and me! Then again, I never imagined this would be my life at this moment in time. This past weekend I laughed alot, which I needed. I had girls time, which I needed. I got to "show off" Faith, which I loved! But mostly, I was humbled, loved, cared for and touched by some dear friends. I am truly so very thankful for each of you...God knew I needed you and I'm so very blessed!

I put together some of the pictures from the weekend and the shower. Thanks to Cindy for taking some amazingly, gorgeous pictures! You'll know which ones are hers, mine are the not so wonderful pictures :) Enjoy....

And girls....thanks again for everything! I love ya and miss you already! I'm so looking forward to seeing you again in August...gosh, that seems like so far away. Can't we get together before then!?!?!? :)

There is actually one last thing I want to slide in here on this Thankful Thursday because I'm so very thankful for what vision Faith does have. Though I'm not certain what vision she does have and where we stand with that, we are making progress on getting her checked out soon. I do know she can certainly see some things. But what vision she does have, I'm so thankful for! I'm realizing more and more what a blessing that is for her and for me!

I came across this blog through a yahoo group I'm a part of for members with blind dogs. I'm humbled and truly amazed by this pup, Samson and his owners. They love him with a love that has no limits. They are giving him the life he so well deserves, no matter what his physical problems might be. I watch some of the video clips and find tears running down my face because I honestly thought that was what life would be like with Faith. When I watched Faith walk right into walls when she was learning to walk, my heart just sank. I watch these clips of Samson and I almost feel guilty that Faith has some sort of vision, but I'm so very thankful she does. The path they are walking with Samson is exactly where I thought I'd be with Faith. While I don't know what the future holds for her, I'm so very thankful for what she can see. I don't know if she can actually see my face, but I know she "see's" my heart and how very much I love her! She gives me more than I ever could've imagined, her zest for life is simply inspiring! My Faith girl knows no limits, she doesn't know she has eye problems, she just embraces the life she's been given and truly runs with it and has a blast along the way!

Click on the link to check out Samson: http://www.blindpup.com/

Now....with all that being said...what are you thankful for today?

Win a Blog Makeover!

2009-03-25T09:58:00.004-04:00

How fun would it be to win a blog makeover? The wonderful gal that designed my blog is offering a giveaway! Even though she just publicly posted that she's not a dog lover....I will forgive her for that and won't judge her :) To each his/her own and I realize that! However, no matter where her love is, with dogs or cats, her work is still incredible and I love my blog! Thanks Danielle!

Who's kid is this!?!?!?

2009-03-23T19:42:00.004-04:00

Ok, I just have to post this picture because I'm still laughing! Apparently after Faith's puppy shower my parents went for dinner with Kyle, Andrea & Ian to a Chinese buffet in town. The buffet has one of everything and my parents said they've never seen Ian eat so much! He's generally not a huge eater, and not a big kid! Anyway, apparently he loved the pizza! Love this picture!

**I promise more pics from this past weekend with my girlfriends
and Faith's party are coming soon!!!**

They missed the memo!

2009-03-22T13:55:00.004-04:00

Apparently my dogs missed the memo on the burrow bag!!!! They just lay on top of it! Oh well, guess that works too!

This was one of Faith's many gifts from her shower yesterday!

We have had an amazing last couple of days with friends and the puppy shower was incredible!!! I'll post many more pictures soon. It was truly a blast!!!! Thanks again girls...we love you and had a wonderful time....come back soon :)

Thankful Thursday

2009-03-19T08:47:00.008-04:00

Is it really Thursday already? Wow...where has this week gone? I've been waiting for this weekend to come for a long time, or so it seems. My 'girls' (those Cavalier Rescue friends of mine) are on their way up to MI today! Yippie! It's time to have some seriously great fun! I am sooooo excited! It's been one of those weeks where I've crammed a gazillion things into a small time frame....yeah, why do I do that to myself!?!?!? Anyway, the girls (my dogs, that is) all had baths last night and are clean and ready to party!!! Let me tell you how very much Faith ~~loves~~ hates having a bath! Wow...that quickly came back to me last night as she was scratching the heck out of me while I'm trying to bathe her! Not to mention she's literally trying to fly out of the tub....yup, she ~~loves~~ hates it alright!

I digress....back to my original intent for posting today...

Thankful Thursday - here are a few of the things I'm thankful for this Thursday...

That my friends are going to be here today and we are going to have some great time this weekend (I promise to post pics of these ~~crazy~~ wonderful women!).
My grandpa turned 81 yesterday! Currently he's still able to care for my grandma who has dementia...thank you Lord!
I'm thankful that Faith is such a social girl! Ian just loves her and he can do pretty much anything to her and she doesn't care. She is wonderful with him!
I'm continually reminded of the zest for which Faith lives her life. She just loves life (except for baths)! She has a blast and loves everyone she meets. I am so thankful that she is alive today and that I have the privilege of being her mom. May I learn to embrace life as she does!
I am thankful that next week work should begin on a pea-stone project in my backyard for the dogs. While things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, in the long run, it's going to be something I'm so thankful for! And I'm thankful for friends and family who are willing to help me and work at reduced rates! (I'll post pics of this as we go along too!)

So what are you thankful for today?

Faith....5 months old!

2009-03-14T21:37:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe Faith is now 5 months old today (and I'm just getting this posted before today is over!)!! It seems that the time is just flying by! She's doing really, really well. The x-pen I have for her that I used to put her in when I can't watch her, well, she's decided she's not so fond of it anymore. It appears she's decided she's a big girl now! :) She loves to play rough with Phalin and for the first time this week Hope tried to play with her too! Duke is playing with her a bit more, though I watch them closely because of the big size difference. But she definitely loves to curl up in a dog pile and sleep! And from time to time she'll fall asleep in my arms...and I must admit it does my heart well :)

Just have to share a few pics today...

Faith at 5 days old

Faith at 5 weeks old

Faith at 5 months old

This coming Thursday Faith's auntie's (my Cavalier Rescue friends) are coming up to MI to meet her and throwing Faith (and me) a puppy shower! It's going to be great for them to finally meet Faith and spend time with them. We are very much looking forward to it! I promise to post pictures from their visit!

I was reminded again this week that we never know what tomorrow holds. Hug your kids...whether they be 4 or 2 legged. Enjoy them, love them and cherish the time you have, in an instant things can change.

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We had some 'nicer' weather today in MI and the dogs enjoyed being outside in the sun!

Then in normal fashion as I clean the house....the dogs sleep!

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Tonight I babysat my nephew Ian while his folks went to a concert. We hung out and had a good time. I was trying to get some pictures of him and as soon as I took out the camera he started to say "cheese"! What a goof!

He thought this was pretty cool to take our own picture and then see both of us on the screen!

(the bump on his head happened prior to my arrival...just an FYI :))

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I know this post is all over the place but it's been a busy day for us!

I used this quote for a post a couple weeks ago, but it's so good, I thought I'd throw it out here again....
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain...live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.

Thankful Thursday

2009-03-12T06:59:00.000-04:00

Last week I introduced Thankful Thursday. This is something that I hope to continue each week as I feel it’s a very positive and beneficial thing to do. Last week I told you that I had seen this on another blog and after reading her post last week it reiterated to me how important this truly is: http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2009/03/thankful-thursday-march-5-2009.html

She starts out by reminding us that “Thankfulness is a conscious decision.” I honestly don’t think I’d ever thought about it that way, but it most certainly is. So in my attempts to be more positive, less rigid and enjoy life exactly where I am at today…here are a few of the things I am thankful for this Thursday…

God…how can I not be thankful for God each and every day? “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:18
~~Facebook~~ – Facebook? Wait a minute, did I just really say I’m thankful for that?!?!? Yup, I said Facebook! Oh dear….I’ve put off joining Facebook for a long time and for many reasons, one because I didn’t care for the 'public-ness' of it. But…I joined and I’ve been able to reconnect with some old friends and share memories from years ago and so for that, I am thankful!
I am thankful for the responses I received from my post last Thursday where I pretty much put everything out there about myself and my past. I was overwhelmed with your support and love. I found myself brought to tears by some of the things you in turn shared with me about the change you’ve seen in my life. They were good tears and for each of you, I am thankful!
I am thankful for some wonderful coffee time with friends recently. We were able to meet for coffee and catch up on life. I am so thankful for these wonderful, supportive, Christian friends in my life. (and of course love any excuse for a White Chocolate Mocha..yum!)

I am thankful for some great family time last weekend! I was able to spend some time with my parents, Kyle & Ian (Andrea was working) – we had dinner and just hung out. Ian was a blast and we had some awesome play time. The little man can belly laugh from his piggy toes, I think. (yes...he is laughing in this picture)

I am also thankful that my ‘girls’ (Cavalier Rescue friends) are coming up from Indiana next weekend and we get to have a girls weekend in Saugatuck! I am so looking forward to them meeting Faith and some much needed girl time. I will probably be thankful for that next week too, but I am this week as well….I’m sooooo looking forward to it and thankful to have them in my life!

So what are you thankful for this week? May I remind you, as I have to remind myself thankfulness is a conscious decision! Take it and run with it!!! Blessings...

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! -Ephesians 3:20-21.

Serious.Life Magazine

2009-03-10T09:38:00.002-04:00

I wanted you to know about this publication I’m a part of called Serious.Life Magazine. They just published the March issue today, and I am in their Featured Blog Directory. It’s a very high quality magazine… you’ll really like it.

The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as great features, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.

Again, the subscription is FREE, and I know you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

Thankful Thursday and me...

2009-03-04T20:55:00.007-05:00

I decided to do something different for a post today. This blog is mostly about my journey with Faith but the reality is that journey is also my life too. I wanted to share a few things about myself and introduce you to Thankful Thursday. I honestly don’t recall how I stumbled across this blog, but what an inspirational family: http://www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/. You really should go over and check out their blog. So following their lead, here is my shot at Thankful Thursday!

This Thursday here are a few of the things I am thankful for…

God and His grace
My job…even on the frustrating days, I’m thankful
My house…even though it’s older, it’s perfect for me!
My family…so helpful to me
My nephew Ian…that little man makes me smile and I never thought I could love someone else’s child so much. He’s amazing! (sorry fam, he does get his own bullet point)
My dogs…they are my angels
My friends…I must say I continue to be amazed with those that God surrounds me with. I find myself continually humbled for what some of them are walking through in life. And I’m forever thankful for their support and love! I’ve made some amazing new friends over the last few years….some great ‘dog’ friends – who get me like others don’t...blog friends...and even a new sister (she knows who is she is).

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Now for the second part of my post….the “me” part….

I am finding myself at a rather transitional phase in my life for lack of a better description, and this ‘phase’ seems to be lasting a few years :) To say that I never expected to be where I’m at in my life right now is the understatement of the year! I just turned 28 in January (yes, I’ve just admitted my age) and everyone keeps telling me you are so young! To me age is truly a number, but at 25 I kinda freaked, I felt like I was starting my life all over again, not a place I wanted to be. If you would’ve asked me 10 years ago where I’d be today, I would’ve said married with a family. Well, 10 years later I am single and have 4 dogs! Can you say….what!?!?!? Trust me, I have days when I am like how in the world did I get here!?!?!? For those of you reading this that don’t know me, I was married at the young age of 21 and divorced 2 years later. I’ll spare you the details, but I truly have spent the last 4-5 years rebuilding my life and figuring out who I am as a person. Not to mention jumping back into the dating scene as an adult…but that’s an entirely different story in and of itself! Though this is not where I planned to be in life, I’m learning and living to accept it. For the most part I’m ok with it, but I’m human and if I’m honest I have my days where it’s really hard! I’ve always thought I would have kids, I’ve always loved kids and most people that know me have always said, you will make a great mom someday. Over the past 2 years that desire, the need to have kids of my own has diminished, and I can tell you that that is only God working in my life. However, if God’s plan is for me to remain single my entire life, I’m not on board with that…yet. I do believe if that is His will for my life, He can bring me to that point. However, I often find myself a bit inpatient (I know, hard to imagine). I wish that God would just drop me a note saying this is my plan, this is my timeline. The detail personality in me would love that! However, I realize the reality of that wish is it’s not going to happen!

So much has changed in my life over the past 7-8 years it’s sometimes hard to believe. I feel like I should be 40 years old because of what I’ve walked through already in my lifetime. However, I do know one thing for certain, I wouldn’t go back and change it and I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made. Where I am at in life and what I’ve gone through has formed me into the woman that I am today, even though I’m still very much a work in progress. The bible verse that I have on this blog for Faith, is the same verse that I’ve been clinging to the past couple of years, in fact it hangs write on my computer monitor at work so I am daily reminded of God’s promise: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” –Hebrews 11:1

Another thing that has become very clear to me is that life is short, we have no promise of tomorrow and I might as well enjoy where I’m at and live life to the fullest! That too is a work in progress for me. Those of you that know me well know that I have a bit of OCD (mom, no comment from you!). I am a high-detail, structure and schedule orientated person. While I’m forced to have a level of structure and schedule with a job, home and 4 dogs – I probably am a bit more OC about it than some would be.

Yesterday nearing the end of the work day I received a call from my brother inviting me to meet them for pizza. They had tried to reach me the night before and we were unable to connect, so he was trying again. My initial reaction was that of…ugh…I’m so tired, I want to go home and crash, and I was gone the night before. But, I stopped and said yes, I’d love too…pizza at my favorite pizza place, time with my brother, sister-in-law and my favorite nephew. We had a wonderful time, the food was yummy and Ian always does my heart well! As I was driving home after meeting them, I thought to myself, you need to do this stuff more often! I need to not always be so rigid! Lost time can never be found and you might not always get that second chance. I need to step back and not get so frustrated with some of the little things in life...like a few muddy paws prints on my floors, and a few thousand dog hairs, but be thankful for the pitter-patter of the little and big paws running around my house that keep me company day in and day out, no matter what my attitude towards them is!

All this to say…I have experienced more heartache and pain in my life than I’d wish upon anyone. I wouldn’t wish for my worst enemy to experience a divorce. While I don’t blame all the pain entirely on others, I was as much a part of the picture and adding to the situation, but it still has been extremely hard. I’ve tried to not be bitter from what I’ve gone through but instead to grow from it. I still struggle with that, especially in the realm of dating. Rejection, judgment and hurt from others is never easy to swallow. I want to be a positive person, negativity drives me nuts. But I have to really work hard at that and check myself often. I also have to remind myself that God created me in His image, He holds me in the palm of His hand, He hears my every prayer, He knows my every hurt, He loves me unconditionally, He thinks I’m beautiful (Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7b) and He will never leave me nor forsake me. I find myself forever grateful for God’s grace. Grace defined is “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, a virtue coming from God”. My divorce by far was the hardest thing I’ve ever walked through in my entire life. I found myself clinging to God for I knew not how I was going to get through this. Completely broken and bruised from the choices I’ve made was exactly where I was. This sin had a price tag that was far greater than I. But Jesus was waiting to bring me new hope in Him, for His grace will always be greater than sin. No matter where I’ve been, or what I’ve done, His grace is always and will forever be, greater than my sin! So not only I am thank for His grace, but His forgiveness and patience....as I'm truly a work in progress!

I don’t know where I found this quote, but it stuck with me…
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain...live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.

I think I shared more than I really had planned to, but I was open and honest. Thanks for reading my book :)

Monkey see...Monkey do...

2009-03-01T18:23:00.015-05:00

It's been a couple weeks since my last update. We've just been keeping busy at home. We are done with puppy class and I think we've officially failed puppy class :( It's me, not Faith. It's me not spending enough time working with her...hoping to kick things in gear. She's a smart girl and catches on quick. If nothing else, the class was great socialization for her and she loved every minute of it. She loves playing with other dogs and meeting people.

Phalin has developed a shadow....it's called....F.A.I.T.H.!!!!! Faith certainly loves to be with Phalin and playing with her is what she loves best. It's a complete "monkey see....monkey do" sort of situation. They get into trouble together too!

I promise Phalin in not always on the 'bottom' of the play pile. Don't think she's getting picked on she fights back rather well. It's wonderful for Faith and I'm so thankful that Phalin plays with her so much, especially because Faith plays pretty rough yet!

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Faith & I went for a visit today to see Ken & Alice today. I'm holding Faith & Anna, Phalin's little girl that Alice still has and that I could just absolutely take home (but I won't!!!)!

I was able to meet this wonderful couple, Marsha & Joe, who also co-own a Cavalier with Alice. Their precious Emma had pups who are 6 weeks old and so adorable! Marsha & Joe were visiting and picking out their puppy from the litter...how fun! It's hard to remember Faith being that small!!!

Gosh, do you think this little girl has daddy wrapped around her finger yet???? Love it! Such cute pups!

It was great to meet you, Marsha & Joe, and spend some time loving on Emma's pups today!

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Ian loves his auntie's dogs! He loves all of them, but has a thing for Duke & Faith (probably because Hope & Phalin aren't real sure of him). He likes Faith because she is just the right size for him. He gets so excited to see the doggies....

He discovered Faith's nose....too cute! Ian was rather proud of himself!

Ian so much wants to hold Faith and squeeze her! Note the expression on my face :) Nooooo......

Fortunately, Faith is extremely tolerant with Ian pulling on her. It's good exposure for her. This is why Ian & doggies are never unsupervised :)

We had a wonderful day visiting at Alice's and then time with Ian & my family. Faith was exhausted when we got home. I weighed her at Alice's and she's about 7lbs. I was a bit surprised because it seems like she's grown so much and I was expecting her to weigh more. She's definitely getting taller and longer, just not wider! But we'll get there, sooner or later.

We are looking forward to a puppy shower on March 21. Yup, a puppy shower!! I have some absolutely amazing friends that are putting this together and spoiling Faith & I. We are sooo looking forward to all the fun!

Faith - 4 months old!!!

2009-02-14T19:41:00.008-05:00

It's hard to believe that Faith is already 4 months old!!! The past couple of days she finally seems to be filling out a bit more and actually feels a bit heavier (which 'heavy' is a relative term with her). I also can't believe that she's now been home a month! She's adjusted really well. This past week she has mastered coming up the steps in the back of my house to come inside. She has yet to figure out how to get down them, but it's fun to watch her learn these things on her own. She's very brave and has no fear, so she sticks her neck out and just lives life to the fullest. She's more beautiful and cuter than ever! I still can't believe she's mine!!!

I put together a slide show of pictures of her life thus far. It's truly amazing when you see where she came from. I am amazed each time I look back at these pictures. There are just not words to describe it. She is truly a miracle!!! She reminds me each day what Faith is really about...
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. -Hebrews 11:1"
I put all the pictures in order of age so you can watch her grow. Enjoy...

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Remember my post 5 days ago about the wonderful sunshine?!?!!? Well, we do live in MI so that didn't last long! The snow was almost all gone and we woke up to this today....I have to admit, it was pretty on the trees...

Duke...a pillow????

2009-02-13T12:09:00.004-05:00

Who knew that Duke would make such a great pillow?!?!!?

(I promise this picture was not staged....they slept like this in my chair this morning when I was getting ready for work....those are my kids!)

Happy Birthday Hope!!!

2009-02-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

My baby girl turns 5 today! Wow...it's something that I can't even grasp. This little peanut came into my life when she was just 1 year old having been rescued from a puppymill. You can read Hope's full story here.

Hope is a joy to have around, and that's putting it mildly! She's as low-maintenance as a dog can get and she's about as sweet as they come. I'll never know the details of what she went through during her time at the puppymill, but I don't doubt she was probably born there and I know she had way more litters at a young age than any dog should!

Hope truly came out of her shell more when Phalin came to live with us. Phalin has truly helped Hope to grow and now I hope Faith can do the same. Maybe Faith will keep Hope young! I see gray hairs on Hope and my heart aches...I hope she lives to be 15!!! She continues to make me smile and I can't imagine my life without her.

My friends talk about how you have a "heart dog" in your lifetime....I might be wrong, but I think that is Hope for me. She came into my life at a time when I needed hope and she was a bright ray of sunshine.

Miss Hope - I love you more than words could ever express. You have been a sunlight on my darkest days...you have made me smile over and over as I watch you learn what life is really all about...you make me laugh with your little quirks and silly behaviors...you've shown me what it's like to have hope when life brings uncertainty...and so much more! May you always know how very much I love you and what a joy you are to me each and every day we are together! I pray for many, many, many more wonderful years together! I love you sweet girl and thank you for always making me smile!

Sunshine in February!?!?!?

2009-02-10T14:20:00.003-05:00

What do you do on a bright sunny afternoon?

This is what we do.....

Duke & Phalin look out the front door.....

Hope & Faith sit in the backyard in the sun (Faith is showing off her butt! Either that or her mom is awful at taking pictures).....

Today in MI it is 57 degrees outside!!!! OMG!!!! Can you say the snow is melting and we have mud ponds in the backyard!?!?!? Yippie!!!

This past weekend Faith has discovered grass...mud...rain...twigs....pine cones....dirt....and more mud!!!! She loves to be outside!

Well, it's time for me to get everyone inside, I'm headed to the dentist! Ugh...sigh....

An afternoon of fun...

2009-02-07T20:30:00.010-05:00

Today we went to visit Mommy Alice & Daddy Ken. It was time for another booster shot, as well as some help with a nail clipping...which she loved (not!). Faith doesn't seem to enjoy her paws being touched, so we are working on that. Especially today, because we had a nice 'warm' (relative term in MI in Feb.) day and a bunch of the snow melted creating wonderful mud ponds in the back yard....so therefore, Faith had her paws wiped off many times today!

We also weighed Faith today and she is close to 6lbs!!! Wow!!! Amazingly! I would not have guessed that in 2 weeks she'd gain nearly 1 1/2lbs. She's still so boney, skinny looking! But she's growing, so that's great!!!!

She of course had a ball playing with her 'littermates' again. 3 of Phalin's pups are still living with Alice, as pictured below with Faith. Note they are sleeping...Faith is not!!! No surprise, these pups are way more mellow than she! But that's what makes Faith who she is!

How cute is she!?!?!

This is Faith and Anna. Gosh, I love that little Anna, what a doll!!! Seriously! She is such a mini-Phalin. She is just sweet and snuggles right in and doesn't try to bit your face off....like Faith! :) However, she doesn't give wonderful kisses like Faith offers to everyone!

Here is Faith with Alice.

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Then we went for a trip to visit Great-Grandpa & Grandma. Great-Grandpa was dying to meet little Faith. She nestled right in on his lap and went to
sleep....he was in love!

Well, we had a fun day and have an exciting week ahead....we'll keep you posted!

Is it Friday yet!?!?!?

2009-02-05T18:38:00.002-05:00

Ok...so I'm tired and ready for the weekend! It's been a good week, Faith did well at puppy class again last night, though she was bouncing off the walls with energy. She LOVES going to class! Miss Social Butterfly herself...she can socialize with people and dogs, play, play and play...what could be more fun!?!!? She really does love it. We are making slow progress on the training, especially because it seems when she gets in class there is SO much other stuff going on, it's difficult for me to keep her attention at times. But that's ok, we are getting there and we'll keep pushing forward. I have really high hopes for her and would love more than anything to be able to do therapy work with her in the future. So we'll see how it goes...

I had to share one of my new favorite pics. This was a night this week. I was sitting next to them and they all piled together next to me, and amazingly enough stayed in place when I got up to take the picture. Faith is getting more comfortable with Duke and he's used to the girls climbing on him or over him, so he doesn't mind. This is my gang! :)

Where Faith came from...puppy mills...and a bit more!

2009-02-03T15:05:00.011-05:00

I’ll warn you ahead of time that this will be a lengthy post, but I promise it will be well worth your time.

In Faith’s story I briefly talk about Faith’s mom Demi being rescued from a puppy mill in Parkersburg, WV. Had Demi not been rescued, Faith would’ve been born into the absolute horrors of the puppy mill world. Who knows what her future could have been. Who knows if she would’ve survived. It’s a world of what if’s, but it’s a horrible, horrible world! I want to share some information with you specific to this puppy mill and the huge rescue effort. I’ve met many people that are unfamiliar with puppy mills, please become educated. Even if some of these things are hard to hear or see, please become educated so that we don’t further the mass productions of these puppy mill worlds.

Faith is essentially a rescue of Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue because of being in her mom Demi. Lucky Star will forever hold a place in my heart because of them I have Faith and my other rescue, Hope. Their efforts are amazing and countless hours of volunteer time are put in to give these dogs a chance at the life they so deserve.

Toni Webb serves as the President and Rescue Chair of Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue and English Toy Spaniel Rescue. This group took 29 Cavaliers, 33 Toys, two Pekinese, three Cocker Spaniels, one Shih Tzu and one Dachshund from Whispering Oaks. Like many rescues, theirs has no central shelter; only a network of foster homes. Toni said with the help from “a ton of volunteers,” their dogs were placed in foster homes all across the country.

For the past four years, Toni had negotiated off and on with the breeder at Whispering Oaks to take the Cavaliers and English Toys --- with no luck. The breeder (who, for legal reasons must remain nameless) had decided early on she wouldn’t deal with rescues. This may, in part, explain why it took more than forty years to shut the place down. “She would never let any one on her property,” explains Toni. “We never saw what went on – she was very good at keeping everyone at bay.”

Below Toni shares about the actual rescue...I think only she can tell it best.
August 26, 2008
Upon my arrival at the warehouse in Parkersburg, WV, I was struck by the sheer magnitude of this undertaking. Only a handful of dogs had been physically released to rescue organizations at this point and the warehouse was still full and overflowing – both with dogs and volunteers. All that would change almost immediately, though, as rescue organizations arrived with their empty vans and began loading dogs that had been processed, seen by a vet, and deemed ready to move. Only a few days into their rescue, and many of these dogs were about to get their first real taste of freedom as the transfer to rescue organizations began in earnest. These dogs would get the additional medical care and individual attention imperative to their recovery and adjustment from puppy mill life to the life of a companion animal. An air of celebration was felt with each crate of dogs loaded onto waiting freedom vans.

Armed with a flashlight, and guided by the HSOP coordinator, I began to walk the warehouse floor and the rows and rows of wire cages stacked two a breast. I have never seen so many dogs in one place in my life, and certainly have never seen so many Doxies in every size and color imaginable. Paperwork on each crate indicated the number of dogs inside each crate, the breed of dog, and the sex, if known. My responsibility was to find the dogs that were waiting for us. I was called in to identify the Cavaliers and English Toy Spaniels, the dogs that would be relinquished to our rescue organizations, and would go with our group of volunteers the following day. It was difficult to identify some of them as the really traumatized wanted to remain huddled in the far corners of their crates, hiding their faces from us, trying their best to become invisible. Others were eager to see us, faces pressed against the wire cage, tails wagging ferociously, eyes begging, “My turn, my turn, my turn…”.

I would tell them all - “Tomorrow, kids….tomorrow, we’ll get you out of here. Hang in there one more night. I’ll be back for you.” Most seemed to understand and would settle back inside the crate with those words. They knew their turn was coming, and they could be patient one more night.

After walking through the entire warehouse, looking in every single crate, we had our count – 33 English Toy Spaniels and 29 Cavaliers. Some of those crates also held a single Peke, or a single Shih Tzu, or a single Dachshund – or in one crate, three small Cocker pups. They would leave with our volunteers as well. They were now honorary spaniels and we weren’t going to leave them behind either.

“Do you want them all?” I was asked. “Yes, every single one,” was my reply.

Having marked the cages, there was nothing to do but wait for tomorrow and more ETSR and LSCR volunteers to arrive.

August 27, 2008 – Freedom Journey Begins
I arrived at the warehouse at 7 a.m., unable to wait another minute. I was to sit at the vets’ tables on this morning as our dogs were examined and deemed okay to travel. The vets came to me with their concerns…

“Watch this girl. She hasn’t eaten well in two days and we are going to give her fluids before she leaves…she’s lethargic…get her to a vet immediately….”
“This little guy has dry eye…“
“Female in heat…“
“Intake form says pulmonary issues on these two…I don’t hear anything now, but have your vet double check it…”
“Possibly pregnant girl…”
“Severe corneal abrasions on this little fellow…”
“This little pup has serious eye issues…infections, for sure, but could be something more serious…”
“Upper respiratory infections in these little ones….we’re giving one dose of Clavamox, but they’ll need immediate vet care…”
“Look at this little girl’s urine…looks like a UTI…”

By noon, all 69 had seen the vets. Only one was deemed unable to travel and had been moved to the medical ward – she was having a serious “panic attack.” Despite my arguments that this little girl was having a panic attack because she needed to get out of there, and my pleadings with the vet to let her travel with us, she would be left behind. We would return for her on Sunday.

Volunteers from WV, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maryland arrived at noon, ready to transport our rescues to vet and foster care. We waited for a transport load of 100+ Doxies to finish, and then it was our turn to load.

By 4:30 p.m., all our charges had been loaded into waiting transport vehicles and some were already on the road, heading to the Midwest, the Northeast and the South.

Tomorrow has come for these 69. Their tomorrow is bright. Their tomorrow is hopeful. Their tomorrow promises to bring years of love, joy, compassion and companionship.

My prayer is that tomorrow comes quickly for those not so lucky ones still left in the puppy mills of America. For them, tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

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Here is also a link to the Parkersburg Humane Society website with an amazing power point presentation: http://www.hsop.org/news-puppymill.htm. Once you click on the link and it takes you to the page, there are 3 different ways you can view the power point presentation, in case you don’t have the program. It’s a wonderful presentation.

This is also a link to another organization that was involved. They have some wonderful stories sharing “Where are they now?” http://www.network.bestfriends.org/wvpuppymills/news/28244.html

And a couple videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O6uOhQfPlo&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QXuGbkxAhM&feature=channel

Rescue is something very near and dear to my heart. I do not know the details where Hope was rescued from and part of me is ok with that, I’m not sure I really want to know. This is her new life and that is the past. From the day I got her I vowed that she’d live a wonderful life, as she so well deserved. With Faith it’s so different, she was certainly rescued, but thankfully she didn’t have to know the horrors of the puppy mill. So she was born into freedom and she will only know a life of freedom. She doesn’t have fear and the emotional, physical and mental wounds for which I am so thankful for!

Again I beg of you, do your research when looking for a dog. Become educated about puppy mills, puppy brokers, shelters, rescues, breeds and reputable breeders. A dog always gives unconditional love, but the love and experience with a rescue dog is like no other. There just aren’t words to explain the joy that it brings. Hope is forever teaching me how to smile and enjoy life!

A HUGE thanks to all those out there and the dear friends of mine that pour countless hours into rescue. The love and care that you provide and for all the work you do to give them a second change. I can’t thank you enough! May God bless you 10-fold for your efforts!

Canned Food!

2009-02-01T19:04:00.004-05:00

Well, today we discovered Faith's love for canned/wet food! Who knew!?!?! She's been on raw with kibble mixed in, but she never eats it all. She's just not a good eater. I had picked up some cans prior, but not tried them yet, so today I decided to give it a try to help make the raw stretch further. Wow - she ate it all. So we have a new mix for her....a bit of raw...canned and kibble and she eats it all!!! Wonderful!!! Hopefully this will help her to put on some weight, since she's still a bit skinny!

2 weeks and counting...

2009-01-31T19:31:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that Faith has only been here for 2 weeks! She made a lot of progress in 2 weeks and is catching onto the routine really fast. I truly can't complain...she's a puppy!! I know some people love this stage, but I enjoy the adult stage :) I picked up a book, "How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With", thanks to Deborah's suggestion. It's been a good tool to read through, it's been a while since I've done this puppy phase with a dog! Duke was my first puppy and he will be 7 this year! Hope & Phalin came into my house as adults.

We did have a bit of a milestone last night, Faith slept 7 hours straight!!!! Yippie! 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep was a huge plus for me! Obedience class went very, very well this past Wednesday. She is doing great, we are currently working on sit, stand & down. And unofficially working on.....off, no bark, no bite, no and "come" seems to be a wonderful joke! Actually in class she does it like a pro, very impressive! At home and especially outside, "come" = run fast in the other direction! We are working on that!

This would be Faith doing her favorite activity....playing....playing with teeth!!! Duke & Hope are not too sure about Faith's crazy plays times, however, Phalin tolerates it and plays with her! I'm sooooo thankful for that, it's definitely a good thing for Faith. I never would've imagined Phalin being so tolerant of all that, still! Faith pulls on her and hard!

Sorry, I'm not the greatest photographer, but hopefully you get the picture (no 'pun' intended)!

Faith has landed herself a variety of nicknames in a short amount of time, some include:

Wild Child
Crazy Girl
Spit Fire
Energizer Bunny
Tasmanian Devil
Pippi Longstocking
Pipsqueak
Piglet

Last but not least, I'll leave you with this picture...Wondering what this is a picture of!?!?!? It's what my lap now looks like! Duke is on the floor, if you look close you can see him, but often he's up in the chair too!

How much does Faith weigh?

2009-01-25T19:04:00.004-05:00

I just realized I forgot a huge update in my post from last night....we weighed Faith during our visit to Ken & Alice's. I was very anxious to know where she was at. Would you like to guess????

4.5lbs!!!!! Can you believe it?!?! She's still a tiny peanut, but that's some big progress for her!

1 Week Down!

2009-01-24T21:27:00.015-05:00

Well Faith has officially been home for 1 week - what a lot of progress we've made in one week, really. We've settled in nicely to a routine. I won't lie and say that I won't be looking forward to the day when that routine bids me more sleep for me, but considering her age, this is where we are at right now and she's really doing well. All the other dogs seem to be adjusting well too. We are making progress...yippie!

I have some pictures taken from over the last week...so enjoy a week in review!

Here is Faith in her pile of stuffed animals. My co-worker Gail gave all these to Faith and she just absolutely love them all! She loves to curl up with them and also sleeps with a couple of them in her crate at night. Thanks again Gail!!! (And yes, that's a space heater behind her...she's spoiled rotten and I make sure she's warm in her little x-pen area!)

She even takes them into her bed!

The girls all sleeping nicely together...well, they were sleeping until I got up to take the picture!

Today we went back for a visit to see Ken & Alice (Faith's foster parents, Phalin's breeder). Faith jumped right back into their house and had a blast. Honestly, I think this is the only picture of her being semi-calm while we were there. I was amazed at how much more mellow & calm Phalin's puppies were compared to Faith's wild and craziness!!! Seriously! Pictured with Faith are 2 of Phalin's pups, Erik (left, Tri boy) and Anna (right, Blenheim girl) and Erik actually was picked up by his new owners today. Only 3 of Phalin's pups remain at Alice's right now.

Ken put this snood on Faith today when the adult dogs were being fed. For those of you who know what snoods are, this is not what you do with them :) Faith was like, "what in the world are you doing to me!?!?!?"

This is Ken & Alice with Faith. Ken was trying to make "kissing" noises, hence the face in the picture...sorry Ken, I know you'll love me for this one :)

They were elated to see Faith again today, in fact Ken stopped over to see her yesterday. She definitely remembers them and was thrilled to see them both again. Faith also loved time with the pups and playing, it was a great visit!

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Then on a completely different note...this week was my birthday and I celebrated tonight with my family for dinner and cake (thanks to my sis-in-law for making my FAV!). Here is a pic from tonight with me & my nephew, Ian.

And...since I've completely digressed off topic, please allow me a couple more bragging pics of my wonderful nephew whom I just love to pieces!

Puppy Obedience Class

2009-01-22T13:34:00.002-05:00

Alright, well I know that some of you are anxiously awaiting a report from Faith’s first night of puppy obedience class….let’s just say, we will probably be doing puppy class for a while, I think she’s a bit A.D.D. :) No actually, she did well all things considered. She’s only been wearing a collar for a couple days and I had not had a leash on her yet either. She’s only been with me 5 days and I felt we were dealing with enough new things and transitions that putting a leash on her was not top priority. Considering I’ve not attempted to give her any command yet other than “go potty” or “potty, potty, potty” – we have a bit of practicing to do. She was very interested in other dogs and there was a young Springer sitting next to us that she played with. The biggest obstacle was trying to get her to walk on a leash, as I mentioned we’ve not practiced and the weather here in MI hasn’t been real conducive to go out and practice :) So I guess the other option is to walk around the house on leash!?!?! However, walking her around the house on leash would probably send my other dogs into orbit. I am going to make time to practice with her for a bit each night on “sit” and we’ll start with that. Right now anything in my hand, or my hand itself is a wonderful toy! There were a number of other dogs at class and of course a new environment, so it was a bit crazy. However, she didn’t seem overwhelmed in the least. We stayed and chatted with the instructor for a bit afterwards and Faith was acting like she needed to potty or something. So I just put her down on the floor, as they have runners set-up if the dogs potty. She didn’t go, so I took her outside and on the way to the car she pottied outside, what a good girl!!!

I think we will probably be a bit behind in class since we missed the first week and considering I just got her, but I told the instructor my goal is just to get her there and do what we can. If we need to take another session to work on fine-tuning skills, then so be it.

Overall, she really seems to be adjusting well. We are sticking to a schedule and routine and it seems to be working really well for her as far as eating and then doing her ‘business’ outside. She gets her crazy, wild, puppy energy at night and it absolutely insane! She’s getting more and more brave with walking around the house, I’m trying to slowly introduce her to rooms in my house. Most of the time she’ll follow Phalin, that’s definitely her safety net. Phalin is still playing the protector role too, when Duke & Hope approach Faith, Phalin steps in-between them, it’s rather humorous to watch actually. Duke & Hope both seem to be getting used to having her around, her crazy puppy noises and such, they are interacting more and more every day.

I’m trying to put less stress on myself and just enjoy having her. It’s extra work right now and I’m feeling very sleep deprived, but this too shall pass and it’s just a phase. I know that she’s meant to be with me and I absolutely love her to pieces. Everyday I’m reminded of her strong-will, drive and zest for life. This girl has fought to be in this world and I truly believe she’s loving it! Her spunk and wild-child personality keep her moving forward. I truly believe that through her, God is reminding me of what “Faith” is really all about and continuing to try and teach me patience! Something that I’ve never been good at, but with Faith, it’s a process, it’s one day at a time and it requires much patience. I consider myself privileged to be her mom, I hope and pray that I do her justice to give her the life that she so very much deserves. I am so thankful that her mom was rescued from that horrible puppy mill and that Faith was born into freedom! She will never have to know the horrors of what her mom had to experience along with so many others. I love you sweet, baby girl Faith…I look forward to many amazing years together!

Faith is HOME!

2009-01-17T17:44:00.011-05:00

Wow...sorry this update isn't coming sooner, but it's been a bit crazy at my house :) Currently, Faith is sleeping next to me, curled up with Phalin & Hope, so I jumped at the chance to update the blog. I've tried earlier today and Faith thinks my laptop is a chew toy!

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I went last night (1.16.09) to pick-up Phalin & Faith. I was amazed at how much Faith had grown while I was on vacation...mind you, I didn't see her for 10 days. She grew by leaps and bounds and made huge progress!!!! Alice was able to get Faith outside and guess what...she loves snow!!! Go figure! And she was walking around with the other dogs and clearly has some sort of vision out of her left eye. Long story short, she's doing amazingly well.

I'm holding Phalin and my mom is holding Faith.

Just getting ready to head home with the girls.

I think is what you call a serious dog pile! Phalin immediately assumed her position up on top of the chair right by my head, Hope on my lap and Faith checking it all out. Overall the introductions went well. Phalin of course just jumped right back into the swing of things and also fell right back into being my velcro dog :)

My 3 girls! Phalin, Hope & Faith.

This is Faith in her burrow bag in the crate she's currently sleeping in.

She loves her burrow bag!!

How adorable, right? You should see her in the snow, she's crazy!!! Runs around like a wild child, you have no idea how difficult it was to get a picture of her outside standing still!!! However, I'm thankful she likes it, because each time I take her out, she does her business, so it works for me.

My mom with the 3 girls. I decided to give Phalin & Faith a bath, so my mom was holding them as I kept the baths going :) I forgot how much fun it is to give a puppy a bath :)

Slowly things are coming back to me as to what this puppy-hood is all about. Overall, I can't complain. At this very moment Faith hasn't even been here 24 hours and she's really doing well. We are working to get her into our routine and hopefully it will just be a smooth transition for her. She was up twice last night, unfortunately with some nasty poop issues in her crate! (sorry, if that is TMI for some of you) First lesson learned...crate Faith alone until potty and crate trained :) She didn't make a sound, so I had no idea she needed to relieve herself until she started to cry and at that point I could smell it and the job was done. Hopefully, it was just nerves, she seems to be fine today.

She's truly a sweet heart and finally seems to being acting like your typical puppy. Life just slammed her a bit hard and it took her a bit longer to get on her feet and catch up. I knew last night her foster parents, Ken & Alice, had a hard time seeing her leave. She's definitely won them over and they love her tons. I had an e-mail from them this morning and it brought tears to my eyes, I want to leave you with their touching words about Faith...

"Well, I have to admit it was a little sad to go to the nursery this morning and not see that adorable little bouncing redhead, but I'm so happy she's finally home, home, home. What a journey it has been these past 14 wks with Faith. Looking into those staring, empty eyes at birth, fighting the fight with her daily and watching the miracle of Faith, becoming who she is today......well, it was just spectacular to be there in the ring with her. What a happy, bouncy, free spirit she is. Whatever sight she does or doesn't have, is just right for Faith because her strength and zest for life pushes her to just DO IT. She's tiny but she's a little tiger cub, in a Cavalier package. Ya gotta love those redheads, when you think maybe they can't.....they absolutely do, because they never say never. They just need a little wind beneath their wings and we can certainly be that for them. You go Faith....enjoy this wonderful new life that you fought so hard to have. I love you sweet baby girl and I sure am glad I was along for the ride. See you soon and take care of both your mommies."

Love, mom Alice and daddy Ken

It brings tears to my eyes as I read it again, I'm so thankful how this all unfolded and I have no doubt that she's meant to be here, with me. I don't know what the future holds for her, but I look forward to the journey. I believe more than anything that God put Faith in her mom, at Ken & Alice's to be born. Had it not been for that, I honestly don't believe Faith would even be alive today. Faith definitely fought to be here, but she couldn't have done it without Ken & Alice, I'm forever grateful for what you've done for her and your abundance of love for her. We'll be back to visit soon :)

Well, this update turned out to be a bit long, sorry about that. Faith & I start puppy class this Wednesday night, so that it just one step in this journey we will begin. I have no doubt she'll blow me away. I feel so privileged to be her mom...

PS....she's still passed out sleeping next to me, now on her back and snoring like no other! Too funny!!!! She's cracks me up :)

Faith - Out on the town! 12 weeks

2009-01-05T11:29:00.017-05:00

Faith had a big weekend this past weekend. I actually picked her up and took her out Saturday and Sunday! Saturday night we stopped at my parents house for a visit and then off to the pet store for some goodies. It also proved to be a wonderful socialization experience for Faith. She doesn't have fear because she was born into freedom and not the awful puppy mill world. She seems to enjoy everyone coming up and loving on her! I had people stick out their hand so she could smell them, talk to her and then they could pet her. It seemed to work really well.

She also seems to have some sort of movement recognition out of her left eye. I'm not sure how much she can see, but she is reacting to movements past that eye, so that's wonderful. I'm fairly certain she doesn't probably see very clear out of it. You can tell by looking at her that the eye never developed properly and she still doesn't blink it often, nor does it shut completely when she's sleeping. However, I did notice this weekend when she's in more of a deep sleep, it shuts more. So it will be very interesting to get her seen by an Ophthalmologist to see what's really going on with her.

Here are some pictures from her outings this weekend...enjoy :)

Snuggle time with mom!

A stop at Grandpa & Grandma's house...and this cool toy from them to play with!

This is my little nephew Ian, he just loves dogs! This was the first time he'd met Faith and she was just his size. He was too adorable with her. He wanted to hold her, hug her, touch her, kiss her and then he'd have these totally silly grins on his face....it was priceless!

This is my brother Kyle (Ian's dad), holding Faith. This was also his first time meeting her.

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We went Sunday evening for a visit to my friend Kristi. I surprised her kids by bringing Faith.

(L-R) Ashley holding Faith, with Emily & Kristi looking on. And Kristi is holding their Papi!

Her son Nathan and husband Brian were hiding for pics!

Ashley holding Faith...Faith was very comfortable with her!!

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Well, this will be my last post until Faith comes home! I am heading out for vacation and will return next week. The plan is for Faith to come home on 1.16.09 and then I'll have the weekend home to help with the transition process. Phalin is also coming home at that time too. She's more than ready to come home too, so it will be great to have her back! Faith still seeks Phalin out in the room and will play with her or curl up with her and go to sleep, it's so precious! As much as Phalin has disconnected from the mom role (as she's supposed to) there is definitely a bond between those two that I feel will never be broken. Being with Phalin is something very safe and comforting for Faith.

I plan to start puppy obedience classes with Faith the first week she's with me. We are just going to jump right in and see how it goes...wish us luck! Well, the next pictures you will see of Faith will be of her officially at home!

11 more days my girls, and you will be home!

PS...I special thanks to Alice (Phalin's breeder and Faith's current foster mom) for keeping my girls while I'm on vacation. My dad is moving in to take care of my other two back home and it will be much easier for him to have just Duke & Hope and they love him! So knowing all my 'kids' are in good hands while I'm away makes it easier for me to leave!

Faith - 12.28.08 - 10 weeks

2008-12-28T20:39:00.012-05:00

Wow! I'm still amazed with how much this girl has changed in 2 weeks. She's really doing well!! I was able to go out for a visit tonight and spend some time with Faith & Phalin. Phalin of course is thrilled to see me and then goes to sleep once I'm there. When I got ready to leave, I think she was ready to come with. I told her 19 more days and then she'll be back home (not that I'm counting or anything). I'm going on vacation the beginning of January, so Faith & Phalin are going to stay with Alice until I get back. Here are updated pics...enjoy!

I had to post this picture for a couple reasons. First, we have officially made it over 3lbs now!!! Yes, the numbers are now pounds and not ounces! Way to go Faith!!! Secondly, if you look back at previous pictures you can see how she's about overflowing the scale and before she barely took up the entire bottom. This girl has made a lot of progress over the weeks, especially considering it was rather touch and go with her for a while. She's got fight in her! Overall, she's just really looking good. She's much more evenly distributed and doesn't look so horribly small. She's still tiny, but really doing well.

Faith's Christmas sweater!

Snuggling with mom...still absolutely adorable!

How cute am I!?!?!?!?

Playing with the big dogs! Faith is doing SO much better out with the big dogs in the 'big' dog room. A couple weeks ago, she'd get on the tile floor in the big room and just hit the ground and not move. Now she motors all over and amazingly enough doesn't horribly crash into stuff. She is handling the big dogs all checking her out and walking around with them. She truly has grown up a ton in 2 weeks, she's made a lot of progress!!!!

Which is a huge relief to me, I'm a proud mom :)

Faith's new found toy...shoes! Oh so fun!!!

I haven't posted a picture recently of all the pups eating, so I thought I put this on for comparison sake. They have all grown so much this picture really doesn't do them justice. All so adorable and sweet.

I went and got Faith's tags made today too (sorry it's not a wonderful picture). I decided I wanted to have one stating she was blind, if for some horrible reason she were to get away from me, I don't dare to assume people will know she's blind. So better safe, than sorry.

Faith's First "Official" Vet Appointment

2008-12-27T18:50:00.006-05:00

Well, I was able to join Alice with Phalin's pups and Faith today at the vet for their Puppy Wellness Checks. I hadn't seen Faith in 2 weeks and it was absolutely wonderful to see her, she's grown so much!!! Sorry, I still don't have pics, I was busy enjoying her. I wasn't sure how she'd handle the vet office and appt, but she really, really did well. She didn't want to come out of the crate at first, but after a bit I pulled her out, held her for a couple minutes and then put her down and she walked around. I was thrilled to see she didn't freak out on this new surface and new place, she really handled it well. She was checked over and given a good report. We discussed her eyes and at this point we'll continue putting salve and drops in them daily and keep on "eye" on them (sorry, no 'pun' intended). Eventually, I'll get her seen by an Ophthalmologist to hopefully get some more input on her eyes and what the future might hold. Overall, she's doing really well and it was wonderful to see how much she'd grown.

I am planning to head out for a visit tomorrow and promise to take pictures and get them posted. That is unless we get blasted with another lovely winter blizzard! :)

The countdown is on, 20 days until Faith comes home!!! Yippie! Please keep us in your prayers, I really hope this transition goes easy and smooth for her.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T15:20:00.002-05:00

Hello all - I have to apologize for not having any updated pictures. As long as Phalin has been out at Alice's with her puppies I've been lucky enough to visit every weekend and this past weekend that just didn't happen. I was involved in a show at my church and we had 5 shows over the weekend, not to mention horrible, horrible winter weather! So I'm dying to see my girls, it's killing me! I am hoping to get out for a visit in the next couple of days and then I'll post updated pictures. I know you are waiting to see updates and I'm anxiously waiting to visit again! It's amazing how attached I am to little Faith already! And of course Phalin! I miss them both!

I did get an update today from Alice (Faith's foster mom) that Faith is still progressing and gaining weight. She said she doesn't get the extreme potbelly after eating anymore, which is good. Something just didn't seem right about that, as funny as it looked. She said she's continuing to gain gradually, now just more evenly distributed. And apparently she's feistier than ever :) That's my little peanut!

Well, I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the very best in the year to come. I know it's going to be an exciting and busy year ahead at my house, that's for sure.

All our love!
Blessing to you...
Kylea & Gang!

Faith - 8 weeks...visit #2 (12.14.08)

2008-12-17T15:12:00.014-05:00

Well, I ended up going out to see the girls again! My aunt wanted to see the puppies and of course I'll never say no to another trip to see my girls :)

So Sunday night my aunt, mom & I went for a visit.

(sorry for the delay in posting, life has been a bit crazy)

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This was my lovely greeting from the little one! :) Actually she was giving me kisses and then decided to chew on my ear. (Horrible picture of me, sorry, but it's too funny!)

This was the best part of the visit, watching Faith play! I couldn't possibly capture how funny it was with camera, so hopefully I can attempt to explain it. The other puppies were out in the 'big dog room' playing with the big dogs, but that's a bit much for Faith right now. She is very comfortable in this 'puppy room' - so Kashi, one of Alice's (Faith's foster mom) other dogs comes in to play with her. When I saw this at first I thought, oh goodness how is this going to go...but Kashi is wonderful with her. Plays with her, rolls around and Faith was loving it. She was in total puppy mode! The other puppies are playing a bit more rough than what Faith can handle, especially because they play with their sharp little teeth. So rolling around with an adult dog is exactly what Faith needs and she loved every moment of it. She was making all kinds of noises and it was just wonderful to watch! Sorry, I probably didn't do justice explaining it...

My attempt to have Faith chewing on something other than fingers or clothes :) I'm not so sure she enjoyed it as much!

Faith's new found love! It's a burrow bag and she can crawl down into it and stay warm. Alice said she just loves it! So I've already ordered one for home!

Out like a light...too sweet!

Sleepy girls....tired after playing hard. I love how Faith just cuddles right into Phalin to sleep...just adorable!

Faith - Week 8

2008-12-13T21:09:00.004-05:00

I went for a visit tonight to see Phalin & Faith. It was great to see them! It's really getting tough because I'd love to go visit more often especially with them only 20 minutes away, but my schedule has been too crazy to manage more than once a week. Phalin just wanted to sleep tonight, she was not real interested in mom (me)! Faith is still doing well and continuing to grow. She has officially passed the 2lb mark!!!!! Yippy!!!! (sorry this picture isn't better)

Well, that's the only picture I have, sorry about that. My precious Faith fell fast asleep in my arms, out like a light! She was dead to the world. It was wonderful, so I just enjoyed my time sitting and cuddling with my girl :)

Kudos to Danielle...blog design

2008-12-11T19:51:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to say a special thank you to Danielle who designed this wonderful blog! I absolutely love it and her work is truly amazing! I just fell in love with her designs the minute I saw them. When I first talked to her she told me that she also had rescue pets and I knew it was meant to be. She's been wonderful to work with and I just absolutely LOVE her design. Please check her out: http://blogsbydanielle.blogspot.com/
Thanks again Danielle!!!! I just love it!

Faith - 7 weeks

2008-12-07T17:00:00.008-05:00

12.6.08 my parents & I headed out to go see Phalin & Faith. It was a nasty winter day, but we weathered the snow (lots of snow) and made it for a visit! It was great to see them! This was the first time my dad got to meet Faith. Phalin was sleepy and just wanted to be held. I could just sit for hours with my girls!

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28.8 oz!!!! Yeah Faith!!! We are on the uphill climb, slowly, but surely! This is huge compared to what she was before! Pretty soon and she'll be too big for this scale!!! She'll probably always be a small little peanut!

Faith got to meet Grandpa for the first time!!!

Who knew chewing on Grandma's finger could be so much fun!!!

Phalin was tired and just wanted to be held, Faith was fast asleep! It's sometimes hard to know when Faith is sleeping because her eye lids do not shut when she's sleeping.
It was hard to leave!!!

Faith 12.2.08

2008-12-04T20:04:00.007-05:00

Alice (Faith's foster mom) sent me these pics the other night. She bought this adorable sweater for Faith and took some pics for me. She said the sweater is an XS and of course still huge on her! She said it 'weighed' her down so her husband, Ken, held her up for the pics! It probably weighs as much as she does.

I just had to share them...they are just absolutely adorable! Still kinda hard to believe this beautiful girl is mine :)

Enjoy...

Life Without Pets

2008-12-04T19:55:00.003-05:00

I received this via e-mail, I'm not certain who wrote it, but I love it! I laughed with all of them, because I think I've said all of them! I hope you enjoy it...

Life Without Pets

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.
My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.
All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.
When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.
When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.
I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.
I would have money.......and no guilt to go on a real vacation.
I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college.
The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit,down, come, no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE.
My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.
My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.
My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.
I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E-E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O, R-I-D-E.
I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.
I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.
I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season.

I would not have to answer the question 'Why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.

How EMPTY my life would be!

Faith - 6 weeks

2008-12-01T21:25:00.008-05:00

Some cuddle time with mom :)

Time to eat!

22 oz!!!!! That's crazy!!!! Now this is after eating, so she probably weighs a few more ounces just from eating. Look at that big belly!!!

She looks very 'pear' shaped after eating!!!!

Check out that FULL belly! She literally inflates like a balloon when she eats - it's the craziest thing!!!!

Deborah was in town for Thanksgiving so she got to go and meet Faith :)

Faith - 5 weeks

2008-12-01T20:31:00.008-05:00

Faith trying to play with Phalin and of course Phalin doesn't mind at all that she's on her head!

Cuddle time for Phalin & Faith...too cute!

Faith having play time with Phalin.

Faith having play time with little Anna (Phalin's smallest girl, who reminds me so much of Phalin).

Nap time for all! Playing is hard work!!! As you can see Faith is still small compared to Phalin's pups who are only 3 days older than her. But she is doing well and still growing, so that's wonderful!

Faith - 4 weeks

2008-12-01T20:16:00.010-05:00

Yippy!!!! She gained weight...what a relief!! She's now up to 14.2 oz! Go Faith!!!

Faith learning to walk! Too funny!

Snuggle time for Faith with her mommy!

Is she not adorable? She's finally starting to fill out her face, she doesn't look so "preemie" puppy anymore!

Phalin/Mommy cleaning up Faith's eyes - taking care of her baby! Phalin takes such good care of Faith!

Faith - 3 weeks

2008-12-01T20:04:00.007-05:00

I took Hope to visit Phalin and the puppies and to also meet Faith. This is Hope on my lap with Faith. Phalin was thrilled to see Hope, it was cute!

Yup...she's curled up in this blanket, I promise!

My 3 girls!

Faith didn't have a very good week, she's lost some weight and wasn't getting enough to eat. So I hand fed her some goat's milk...that was interesting for both of us! At least we knew she was getting something then!

Milk kisses after eating :)

Faith - 2 weeks

2008-12-01T19:51:00.008-05:00

She finally no longer fits in just one palm, she's spilling over into 2 hands!

Faith again with Phalin's smallest and largest girls (as pictured in previous post).

She's SO totally sleeping!!! How cute!!!

She's SOOOO tiny!!!!!

Kisses for mom :)

Faith - 13 days

2008-12-01T19:43:00.009-05:00

Here is Faith eating with Phalin's largest and smallest puppies, both girls. The little Blenheim on the top was her smallest puppy, born first. The tri-girl on the bottom was the last puppy born and the largest. Then small little Faith in the middle!

Here is Faith weighing all of 7.8 oz! What a tiny peanut!!! She's gaining, slowly...but surely!

Faith - 1 week/9 days old

2008-12-01T19:35:00.005-05:00

Faith is curled up with her "surrogate" litter mates. She is usually on the bottom of the pile like this keeping warm. She's on the bottom left of the picture, you can't even see her face.

Time to eat, well, actually this picture was taken after they all ate and then fell asleep! You can see Faith is on the bottom of the pile again! They definitely are keeping her warm!!

Faith - 5 days old

2008-12-01T19:30:00.002-05:00

Faith is the little Ruby (red) one towards the bottom of the picture. If you notice she is curled up a bit more than the others, that's because she's colder than they are. She's so small and doesn't have near as much body mass to keep her warm. She definitely needs to be with these others pups to help keep her warm. You can also see her eyes are open slits, and all the other pups still have their eyes closed, as they should.

Faith's Story

2008-12-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Faith’s story is still very much unfolding, but I will try to give a bit of her background and then provide weekly updates from this point on.

Faith was born into freedom…what a lucky girl!! Had she not, she more than likely would not be with us today. Faith was in her mom, Demi, at the time of rescue. Demi was rescued with around 1000 other dogs from a puppy mill in West Virginia. Demi was one of 29 Cavaliers that came through Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue. A handful of them ended up in West MI with Alice Dunn of Hamilton. Knowing Demi was pregnant, Alice kept her planning to whelp the litter. Faith entered this world on October 14, 2008 with two other litter mates. Faith was born with her eyes wide open! Something you don’t want to happen. The eyes generally do not open until 10-15 days after birth as they are continuing to develop. For reasons we’ll never know Faith’s eyes were open at the time of birth. Which meant her eyes were not protected, and could not finish developing. Something, somehow happened and stopped that process. Alice described it as “her eyes didn’t blink, they just stared into nothingness”. She immediately put salve on her eyes to attempt to protect them to allow the development to continue, but it was too late. My dear Faith was born blind and will never see the light of day, she will forever live in a world of darkness.

One of Faith’s litter mates was born dead and not able to be revived. The other remaining litter mate only survived about a week. Demi, as sweet as pie, was a horrible mom. She had no interest in letting her puppies nurse. This provided to be a huge problem for Faith. Not only did sucking/nursing not come natural for this preemie pup, her mom wasn’t helping matters either. My dear Phalin, who I co-own with Alice was with Alice preparing to whelp her own first litter. Faith was actually born 3 days after Phalin’s puppies were born.

Alice decided that she needed to try putting Faith with Phalin to nurse. Phalin had plenty of milk and her nipples were smaller which would be easier for Faith, plus Phalin would lay down and let the puppies nurse easily. Phalin immediately took Faith in as one of her own. Eventually, the decision was made to keep Faith with Phalin indefinitely. Faith started gaining little by little, but she was still a small peanut with very odd looking eyes wide open! Faith truly started to thrive with Phalin and her pups, she needed their warmth and stimulation.

Faith was actually named by my mom. We had gone a night to visit Phalin and her pups and Alice & I were naming Phalin’s pups. Alice had already named her something different, and my mom happened to mention she thought Faith would be a perfect name for her, we agreed and so it was changed. This little one had fight in her and she wanted to be in this world! I’m not sure exactly at what point we started discussing Faith being mine! I had been sharing her story with my dog friends and Cathy said to me, I think you should adopt Faith. Honestly, the thought had never crossed my mind. I vowed I was never going to do this puppy phase again, I truly had enjoyed my last two additions coming in as adult dogs and over that puppy phase. But I have always said I wanted a Ruby girl (Ruby is the color of Faith – Cavaliers come in 4 different colors: Blenheim, which is what Hope & Phalin are, Ruby, Black & Tan, and Tri). Faith had also very much bonded with Phalin and Phalin with her. There was already a bond there that would never be broken. Well, if you can imagine, it didn’t take me long to fall in love with Faith, when you look at her, how can you not fall in love! So of course, having the privilege to adopt her and be her mom was the way to go and I have yet to look back!

Phalin's Story

2008-12-01T19:28:00.000-05:00

Phalin is also a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and was born on 6.22.05. Phalin lived with her breeder, Alice Dunn of Kalidunn Cavaliers in Hamilton, MI for the first year of her life. Alice knew how much I wanted to add another Cavalier to my mix and approached me about co-owning Phalin. I’ve known Phalin since she was a puppy and loved her from the very beginning. She has such a soft, sweet, loving personality. Phalin lives with me and then when it’s time for breeding she’s off to Alice’s for that part of it. She just recently had her first litter (6 pups born 10.11.08) and it’s been amazing to watch her be a mom. She has absolutely blown me away, she’s been a wonderful, loving, caring mom! She of course has some pretty adorable, precious pups too!

Phalin has truly played a huge role in helping Hope to come more and more out of her shell. Cavaliers truly do love to be together and this two girls are truly joined at the hip, they are just adorable!

Phalin also loves Duke and they are so funny to watch them play. They will literally have wrestling matches! The first time I saw it, I didn’t know what was going on. Phalin will stick her head in Duke’s mouth and they will role around and play, which is even funnier considering Phalin is about 15 pounds and Duke is about 60 pounds! She definitely loves Duke too!

Hope's Story

2008-12-01T19:27:00.000-05:00

The whole concept of rescuing a dog was something very new to me. I was introduced to Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue in 2005 shortly after I had become aware of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed. I had fallen completely in love with the breed, their amazing temperament, beauty and unconditional love.

In August of 2005 I met Hope’s foster parents. Hope had recently been rescued from a puppy-mill in Missouri. She was now in foster care in Indiana. I went to visit her and completely fell in love with this little girl. She captured my heart even through all her fear, timid and shy personality. I have had the great privilege of watching Hope come out of her shell as she came to live with me and started to trust me. With Hope, she’s not as quick to trust as most other dogs. She will always be a much more shy and timid dog – but she’s has truly grown by leaps and bounds since coming to me in August of 2005. The first time she wagged her tail, it absolutely brought tears to my eyes. Things happen on her terms, her comfort level; she is a lap dog now and will actually make eye contact with me when I’m holding her – things that took a long time for her to overcome. Hope had no idea what it meant to “play”, she was not familiar with toys, walking on a leash, or even what grass was.

The addition of my 2nd Cavalier, Phalin, in October of 2006 has helped her to come out of her shell more and develop into an even sweeter girl. She’s not your typical standard of the breed by any means – she’s very small in stature and weight. Her coat isn’t what it should be, her ears aren’t as full as a Cavalier’s should be – but to me she’s beyond perfect, she’s beautiful and she forever makes me smile.

We celebrate Hope’s birthday on February 11. The paperwork stated her birth date was 2.11.04, but coming out of a mill you never know if that paperwork is anywhere near being accurate. But that’s the date we go with! This little girl has truly been a ray of Hope in my life. She came into my life after a time of much sadness. It was truly as if God said, “Kylea, here is Hope…Hope for your future, Hope for your life and Hope for you in this precious little dog”.

I would encourage you if you are not familiar with dog rescue to check it out. Its life changing to experience unconditional love from a dog, but it’s an even greater experience to be touched by a rescued dog! Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue will always be special to me because they rescued Hope, brought her to me and now I have the privilege to be her mom and provide her with the forever home she deserves – visit their web-site at http://www.luckystarcavalierrescue.org to learn more.

Duke's Story

2008-12-01T19:26:00.000-05:00

Duke is an English Springer Spaniel and was born on 6.28.02. He was a very hyper puppy and still remains to have an abundance of energy at 6 years old! He really is a good dog and I can’t complain, he & I have been through some difficult times together and he always remains at my side. He is smarter than words could describe, his intelligence often amazes me. He has a very large self-taught vocabulary! Yup, there are some words you have to spell out in his presence! He always knows when I’m upset or not feeling well and will not leave my side. He is definitely my protector and I think he enjoys that position in the household. He is a gentle giant compared to the girls and absolutely just loves everyone. He has certainly had an abundance of health problems, but he seems to always get through them. I hope & pray for many more wonderful years with this boy!