Christmas 2011

We had a wonderful Christmas, despite the fact that we still have a pup recovering from surgery.
Dave and I decided not to get each other gifts this year. We always get thing through out the year if we want them, so we saw no reason to go out and spend money on each other just for Christmas. It was nice to get up Christmas morning and just spend time together and snuggle a little ;)
We were both off work for almost a week and it was amazing being able to spend some extra time with Dave and my Bronx baby.

On Christmas Eve we went to my Nannie's house to exchange our gifts (we draw names) and to play a dirty Santa game with gag gifts. I got a beautiful necklace/ear ring set and Dave got a Dick's Sporting Goods gift card for some new tennis shoes.
*Dave got the best gag gift ever! He ended up with a pack of AA batteries...and the note attached to them said, "gift not included." It was hilarious and actually something we can use! Ha!

Later on Christmas Eve we ate and spent time with Dave's side of the family at his Aunt's house. There are almost 20 of us, so we decided to exchange gifts by drawing names this year too. I think it takes the pressure off of picking out a nice gift for EVERYONE and also allows each person to spend a little more for a nice gift rather than buying 20 cheaper presents. That way, everyone can get what they want or something that they need. And with 20 mouths to feed at one gathering, it helps the budget too! Dave got a new Maglight and tie. I got a new Simply Vera pocketbook that I am in love with!

We weren't able to go to the Christmas Eve service at church because Bronx needed to be fed and have his medicine and poor thing had been cooped up in his kennel all day long, so I knew he needed a little time laying out in the floor where he can stretch out. (he is still on "zero activity" other than bathroom visits but it has almost been 6 weeks and soon we hope he will be able to actually get up and walk around a little more)

Late (really late) Christmas Eve we exchanged with my Mother in law at her house. Dave and I loved everything we got and MIL spoiled us both too much!

We spend Christmas afternoon with my family. This year we decided to do a seafood/steak meal instead of the traditional stuff. It was soo good! We had crab legs, steak, shrimp, baked potatoes, corn, and garlic-cheddar biscuits! I could barely move after dinner to open presents.
*Funny side note - we got my Dad an engraver and since he opened it my Mom said he has engraved everything they own! She said the only thing she has heard the past few days is the buzz of the engraver! (I only paid $4.98 for it at Lowes the day after Thanksgiving....that was a $5 well spent!)

Sadly, I'm very slack with my camera and I didn't take one single picture!! I took ONE stinking picture on my phone so I'll share that one. I bet you'll never guess who I took the picture of??? Ha! :)

Tuesday's Tidbits (total randomness)

I feel overwhelmed. I don't like to be overwhelmed and I think that getting some things off my chest and out of my mind may help. So here goes....

-This is my 2nd Christmas as a married woman. 3rd Christmas without living at home with my parents. I thought hubby and I would have started our own Christmas tradition by now, but we haven't. This makes me sad.

- Bronx has been up on his leg more in the past few days than this entire recovery process. Its scaring the hell out of me and I'm afraid he may be doing damage by not resting like he is suppose to. I'm just completely out of ideas on how to keep a dog lying down for 24 hours a day. I have to work. I have to cook. I have to do laundry. I can't lay with him all evening (which is the only way I can make him lay down and stay off of his leg)!!!

-My MIL is driving me crazy!! I love her to death (I really do!) but this week/weekend she has called me at least 50 times about getting my hubby stuff for Christmas. I don't stress over getting gifts because I think that gifts are the less important things about Christmas. I enjoy being around family, eating, playing and spending time together and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas much more so than the gifts and it tends to bother me when people freak out over the perfect gift or the monetary value of gifts.

- I've been secretly eating lunch out and even stopping for breakfast on the way to work in the mornings and its starting to catch up with me. I've gained 10 pounds in 2 months. Ohhh Mmmm Geee!(I am not pregnant, I'm just a fast-food whore)

- I haven't washed my car in months. Nor have I cleaned out the inside of it. I'm pretty sure I have a science experiment growing in an old food box in the back floor board. Its starting to smell too. I should probably do something about that.....soon!

- I still have to figure out what I am cooking for both of our families Christmas Eve dinners. I'm sure the grocery store will be out the ingredients needed for whatever it is I decide to fix because sadly, I'm a slacker!

- I have 4 pounds of pecans and 2 pounds of almonds that need to be "candy coated" because if I don't hand them out with presents at Christmas people will give me hell about it for weeks! I've only made that mistake once and don't intend on doing it again....but when will I do them?? Where will I find the time??? Ahhh!!

- I have baby fever! Please don't tell hubby! Ha! We've discussed babes here and there lately and I know that we are not financially or emotionally ready yet but I still can't shake the feeling. In due time, in due time.

-I can not keep a budget!! Not one on paper or a logical one anyways. I can keep a mental budget of how much we need to save and how much we have for groceries, bills, etc but I have made numerous paper, spreadsheet, handwritten budgets and expense tracking sheets and they all fail. What is wrong with me!?!?

- I love to wrap presents. I don't want anyone else to do it! I'm not the best at it, but its like a tedious little task that is soothing to me for some reason. I'm thinking of becoming a "wrapper for hire" next Christmas...no really....ok, ok, just kidding!

That's all the randomness I have for today, but give me a night to dwell on the other things going on in my life right now and I'll be back for more soon!

Everyone needs this to live by...

By far the best things I've seen on Facebook in a long time. 

I need to stop and remind myself of these things sometimes...

Da Da Da Dum….

This is what played in my head (on repeat, of course) the day we found out our little B would need surgery.

Now I know that he’s “just” a dog to some people, but he’s a member of our family, the FIRST member of our family to us. I personally couldn’t imagine him being in pain or not being with us and though hubs would probably not admit it freely, I know he feels the same way.

I’m not sure I remember what life was like before we got Bronx. Pretty boring I’d imagine, cause that doggie keeps us on our toes!

Any who, it was confirmed for us on 11/3/2011 that B had definitely torn his CCL (Cranial Cruciate Ligament) which is basically the same ligament as a human’s ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). He had been a 3 legged dog for several days after the initial “yelp” that occurred on 10/29/11 during his morning bathroom visit and then on the 3^rd an x-ray confirmed that the ligament was completely torn and would require surgery to repair it.

I was calm. I kept reminding myself that it wasn’t cancer, it wasn’t diabetes, it wasn’t a heart issue…all things that are extremely hard to treat for dogs and it WAS treatable with surgery. Our vet explained and showed us a video of the two choices of surgery we had. One of which was designed for smaller dogs, like the lap dog variety and the other which was more extensive and designed primarily for larger breeds that were young and highly energetic. Here’s the crappy part…ya ready? One surgery (the one that probably wouldn’t last 2 years) was around $500 and the other surgery (the one that would probably keep B mobile his entire life and probably wouldn’t fail as long as the recovery regimen was followed) was a whopping $2800.

Now, those were the two surgery options. We also had two other options;

1.) Let him live life as a 3 legged dog and keep him comfortable.

2.) Put him to sleep.

*Cue the tears here….because they flowed. Oh boy, did they flow.

Now don’t get me wrong, he was still the happiest dog around, even on three legs. It didn’t even seem to faze him, but to me that was not the quality of life I wanted for the animal that I love so dearly. So we decided to perform the surgery…the one that would last, the one that would give him the option to run and play and be his rambunctious self. Sure, it was the most expensive one. Sure it was the one with the most recovery time and the difficult recovery regimen…but it is what we felt was best for our boy. Now, how in the hell were we going to pay for it???

Who has $2800 laying around in a bank account some where….ya know like and EXTRA $2800??? I don’t know many people who do and we sure didn’t. I cried. I lost it. I screamed. I cried. I punched pillows. I cried, again. I felt lost and trapped. Because, all in all he IS NOT “just a dog.”  

All I can say, is I continue to thank God daily because he truly answered my prayers in this situation.

We scheduled Bronx’s surgery for November 17^th, still not knowing exactly what we would do or how we would pay for it. In the back of my mind I knew, I knew it would end up going on our credit card and it would be yet another bill.

Another bill to the couple who haven’t received a raise from their employers in FOUR years and are pinching pennies just to be able to continue to put money in our savings!!!

The surgery date came, it went well. Bronx stayed overnight and came home with us on the 18^th. The closest surgeon was 1.5 hours away from us, so I had to take time off from work to handle it. B came home with like 7 different medications and a very strict recovery regimen. Zero activity for 6 weeks. Do you know how hard it is to keep a dog on zero activity??? But we did it. We continue to do it. We’ll keep doing it and whatever else it takes to make sure I get my pup back. It’s hard and it makes me want to pull my hair out, but it’s for the best and it’s for the one I love and that makes it a little easier.

Miracles happen. I’m a firm believer in that. I’ve just never had a miracle, per say to happen to me lately. Or so I thought. A few days after I scheduled B’s surgery I had a meeting with the director at my company. We are small. We are in healthcare. We’re growing, but in this economy it’s slow, and I’ve kept that in mind during my 4 years here. However, during our meeting he recognized my hard work, good attendance and leadership with the company and presented me with a signed wage increase form! A raise! A raise! I finally got a raise! The raise was awesome, to say the least, but not the best part! They were going to back pay me on the wage increase for the past 6 months!!

With that money I’ve been able to pay most of the surgery off and put a little back for the upcoming post-op x-rays we’re having done soon to check on B’s leg. God is good, people! God is good! 

So here's B on the way home from the surgeon the day after his surgery. 

We made it through the weeks of wearing this (he looks so pitiful!)

And we've sure done a LOT of this...

I think I'll keep him! ;) 

Cheers! 

-Charlee

30 days of thanks #18-30 (really late)

Whoa....this post is WAY behind, but like my Mama says, "better late than never."

 Day # 18 - I am thankful for the amazing aunts and uncles I have. They treat me like their own. Love me for who I am and are always there for me when I need them. Aunts and uncles always take up for you when you need it and back down when you don't and they always let me get away with more than my parents did when I was a child, so yeah, they're awesome!

Day # 19 - I am thankful for my cousins. Cousins are the siblings you didn't have, the friends you could never be mad at, and they have always held a special place in my heart. I know we all fought like crazy but it was only because we had crazy love for one another.

Day # 20- I am thankful for my church and for my Savior, who understands that even when I can't be there, for whatever the reason, I can worship and speak to God no matter where I am or what I am doing. Thanks be to God.

Day # 21: Thankful for my Dad. He may not be my Dad by blood, but he is the man who has always been there for me and stuck by me through thick and thin. He’s the man who has always been there when I needed him to be. The man who has always provided for me, even though he didn’t have to. The man who always said yes when Mom said no. The man who always made an effort to have a bonding relationship with me, even through my rotten teenage years. The man who calls me his daughter, even though some would say I am not. The man who I am very, very proud to call my Dad.

Day # 22: today I am thankful for my Mother, the woman who gave me life and supports me in all my endeavors and pushes me to chase my dreams. The woman who loves me for who I am, despite my faults. The woman who will be there for me no matter what, even when no one else will and no matter what mistakes I make. The woman who has sacrificed so much to provide and care for me, even after I was grown.... The woman who keeps our family strong and always puts others before herself. The woman who has taught me so much about life, but still lets me learn lessons on my own. The woman who I act just like, even though she sometimes hates to admit it. The woman who I am very, very proud to call my best friend, but more importantly, my Mom.

Day #23: today I am thankful for my Mother-in-law. She welcomed me into her family even before she knew I was going to be a part of it. She is always there to lend a hand or an ear when David and I need it and she loves us so much! And she lives 2 houses away and always has milk, bread, etc when I'm too lazy to go pick some up or when I forgot it at the store...it doesn't get much better than that!

Day #24: today I have so much to be thankful for but I am very thankful for my loving husband. The man who loves me unconditionally and cares for me with all that he has. He asked for my hand and made our marriage vows in front of family, friends and God and I know in my heart he will never break those vows. He works so hard daily to provide for our little family and never has a complaint. He's the man who met me when he was still a boy, he grew up with me as we grew in love and he continues to show me daily how strong love is. I know he'll always support me no matter what, and he'll be there to pick me up when I fall. The man who still gives me butterflies in my stomach when he hugs me and who thinks I'm beautiful, even with bedhead and no make-up on! He lets me act like a fool and always laughs at my jokes.

 

Day #25: I'm thankful for understanding co-workers and management. It seems sometimes we spend more time at work than at home with our families and due to that those people at work tend to become more like family.

 

Day # 26: I'm thankful for my Grandparents. They've each taught me a lot of lessons over the years and though I haven't been able to spend as much time with each of them as I've  gotten older and started my own family I still treasure each one of them in my heart!

 

Day #27: I'm thankful for the country that I live in. At times I may frown upon things that happen in the USA but in all reality I know that life somewhere other than here would be horrible. I'm thankful for the freedom that comes from living in this country and the people who serve this country to provide that freedom.

 

Day #28: I'm thankful for modern technology. The simple things we never think about, like the washer and dryer. The toaster, coffee maker, blender, etc. Its the little things I have that make my life so much easier on a daily basis.

 

 

 

Day #30: I'm thankful that all the people in the blogger world have been so welcoming and nice to me. I'm new to blogging and I think its a wonderful tool to keep a "scrapbook" of my life as it happens, as well as keeping up with some really awesome people. I've been able to learn so much from people on the blogs I follow and I'm glad that "blogging" is out there to allow me to do so.

 

 

Cheers!

-Charlee