Woman's Best Friend

Last week, the girls and I said goodbye to our best friend Ariel. 

We brought Ariel home to live with us the spring of 2003.  We had a 1 1/2 year old and we were absolutely crazy to add a puppy to our already hectic lives, but we made it work.  Princess Ariel was a West Highland White Terrier that immediately stole our hearts.  She drove me absolutely insane, but one look into those big brown eyes and I just couldn't stay mad at her.  From the beginning she was my husbands dog.  I had enough with our children to deal with let alone this dog.  I remember the day I realized that my husband was sneaking her into our bed to sleep with him, and when I came home from the hospital with our second daughter, the look I got because I was laying in her spot in my bed. 

When my husband was killed, I knew that Ariel was grieving just like the rest of us.  She was his best friend.  She moped around with me and we really connected.  She snuggled with me on the couch, consoled me when I was down, and started sleeping with me every night.  I even put a chair next to my bed so she could get up and down by herself.  She was becoming my best friend. 

The girls and I were not ready to say goodbye, but I don't think we ever are.  She got really sick, really fast.  Within days, we had to make another hard decision.  This time the girls were with me and the three of us said goodbye together.  I know Ariel is in Heaven playing with Chad.  They were best friends and I know she was mine too. 

Bipity Bopity Boo!

Last night my girls & I ended our day of cleaning rooms with some time in the lake. We started off with some swimming and then decided to light the pile of wood that has been collecting in the burn pile on fire. We pulled out the s'more makings, got our beverages, and cleaned our chairs. We Enjoyed our evening just hanging out and enjoying each others company. As I sat in my chair, I was feeling a sense of accomplishment. I got a pretty good fire going for my girls to enjoy. Even my inlaws came over via canoe to check out the festivities. The bugs came out, the fire was dying down, and the girls & I decided it was time to head inside. As I walked through the house, I glanced at the family pictures scattered throughout our home. The four of us smiling together enjoying ourselves on vacations or in our everyday fun. I stopped to pick up one of these pictures and thought how unreal it is that this person who made us four was "magically" gone. One day he's in all of our pictures and the next day he's vanished into thin air. I of course know it wasnt magic because I vividly remember those 20 hours like it was yesterday. I had 20 hours to think of how I was going to tell my little girls that their daddy wasnt coming home. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing. Did I protect them by taking care of everything and then have to tell them? Should I have had them at the hospital to say goodbye to their lifeless dad? I'm not sure either way was best, but to them it must seem like one minute he was there and the next day he just disappeared to this "magical" place we called Heaven. I do hope that some day when my girls want to know more about the events of the day that took us from pictures of 4 to 3, that they understand that I tried my best to do the right thing in an unimaginable time in my life.

Do You Have Any Idea Who I Am?

Last fall I was running errands in town and needed to drop something off at church.  As I walked up the sidewalk to the door, a car pulled up behind me and the older man driving started yelling at me.  I turned around to see who he was yelling at, and was shocked his tyrant was directed towards me.  He was mad at me for not stopping long enough at the stop sign up the road.  (I know I did stop for my 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi).  I tried to tell him that I did stop, but he was so angry there was no reasoning with this man.  As I went to turn away and proceed with my day, (and yes he was still yelling), out of my mouth came these words:  "Do you have any idea who I am?"  I did not say this because I'm some sort of Diva.  I said it because I really wanted to know if he knew me.  Did this man who decided to follow me into my church parking lot know me?  I'm not talking about my name, or who my family is.  I'm talking about me.

I have learned at a pretty young age some very important information about life.  Don't judge.  Be patient.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  It's not easy, but I work at it every day. 

When I was told that my husband was not going to live after his accident and that I would have to make some of the biggest decisions of my life soon, my life changed.  I could never be the same person again. 

When it's February and I see someone's  Christmas lights still on at night.  That person's lawn hasn't been mowed for a while.  She's home all day and her house is a mess.  The lady at the grocery store seems like she's on another planet!  That guy can't find his keys again!

These are just a few things I know I was guilty of, but luckily my neighbors and friends understood.  They were more concerned about me than my lights and lawn.  I would even get phone calls reminding me to shut my garage door at night because they cared.  What about in public though, when most people didn't know why I walked through a store like a zombie, or I'd silently cry at restaurants with my friends.  I couldn't concentrate on little things like paying a bill!  Did people judge me?

I walk through life with a little more compassion than I did before my husband was killed.  I try to remember that I really don't know the road the person in line ahead of me is traveling.  What crosses are they bearing? 

When I think back to that fall day when I was just trying to accomplish a few things on my list, I am grateful that it wasn't the day that I walked the same sidewalk into those same doors just months before to plan my husbands funeral.  That man had no idea who I was and I didn't know who he was.  I do know that I went on with my day with a little more compassion towards the people I met along my way.   

Change

Not everybody loves change.  I have to admit that I sometimes and dragged kicking and screaming through change only to learn that it's usually not so bad.  This year my family & I were slammed by an unimaginable change.  Yes, I did my fair share of kicking, screaming, crying, and pouting.  I also was able to laugh a little and learn a lot.  Was it so bad?  Yes, it was.  I wish every day I could go back to January 22, 2011 and do it differently-somehow change the events of the day.  If only I didn't want to go riding so bad.  If only the weather hadn't gotten so cold so we would have kept of family trip plans of riding out of town.  If only we had left sooner or later...I've thought of them all and it won't change what actually happened. 

I am not able to change the past, but I have changed.  I instantly became a 34 year old widowed mother of two young daughters.  That change rocked everything I knew about life.  I could no longer go on living like I did before my husband died.  I'm not going to lie-I did try it.  I went back to work after two weeks.  I woke up at the same time every day.  Woke my children up and got them ready for school and took them to daycare as I had done every day before the accident.  Drove the same road and parked in the same spot in the parking lot at work as I always had before.  I wanted everything to be the same.  I began to notice little by little that things that worked for me before were not working for me now.  My life was starting to crumble away bit by bit.  I wasn't eating, sleeping, or living.  I was coasting as if on autopilot.  Thank God people brought food and supplies to the house because my children needed food and I needed help.  I was trying to do what took two adults did everyday by myself.  I almost became "superhuman".  I was so busy and accomplishing so much.  Things, I thought, were going well.  I had been reading so many books on grieving because I wanted to make sure I was doing it right.  I wanted to know the steps and complete them.  Check them off on a list.  (I love lists!) 

Then it happened.  I had time to think one day, then my youngest came home from school and was burning up with a fever.  I was trapped in my house and alone with my thoughts.  Monday morning came around and I had to keep my baby home from school because she needed another day.  I was a mess.  A good friend insisted on coming over and little by little I started to change.  I kept telling her everything I had to do and she kept asking me, "why?".  I of course was kicking and screaming, but I was changing ever so slightly. 

I have always been pretty sure of the path I was following.  I thought I was in control.  I had a plan.

Change.  It's crazy how quick it can happen, but at the same time be incredible slow.  How out of devastating change, a miraculous change can take place planting the seeds for more change. 

I may still kick, scream, and cry when change comes my way, but I will always look around the corner for the small miracles that may come with it.

Us Girls

It's been almost 9 months since it's just been us girls.  I never thought the girls and I would ever laugh or smile again, but I think sometimes that's all that's left after the tears.  I still can't believe that this is real.  Sometimes I'm going through my day and get hit with the reality of what is now my life.  A single mom, with two daughters and a dog.  Not exactly what I had in plan, but I will make it work. 

The Race Against the Frost

It's been really cold this fall, and of course we were not finished planting and mulching our landscaping. It wouldn't have been so bad had we not already had all the plants sitting in our yard. It was either plant now or they die. It stopped raining for a couple of days, so Chad took advantage of the drying black dirt and planted the rest of the plants we had. Then it got cold again and started raining again. We finally got a nice, warmer, and sunny weekend! We ran to the nursery and got the mulch and the last few plants we needed to complete this landscaping project for the upcoming winter. Here's a view from the deck looking down to the new stairs and wall.

A view of the stairs.
Another view looking down from the deck over the new section we just planted and mulched. Chad still needs to finish that section on patio pavers.
The newest section of landscaping.
We went to a wedding the end of September. We had a great time. Ava has balloons tied to her piggies! She wanted to sleep with them, but had to settle with them tied around her bed posts.

Landscaping & Volleyball

Finally, we're starting to see some real progress on this landscaping thing. We are nowhere near finished, but for now it's pretty cool. Chad finished the deck! The upper deck has been finished for a while, but the stairs and the lower deck/landing is now in full use.

Chad put in our curvy stairs, added another retaining wall, and filled everything with black dirt. Now it's time to plant the rest of our plants before they all die. Unfortunately, it's been pretty darn cold and rainy lately and it's not happening this weekend.
Another shot at the back of the house.
Lydia joined volleyball this year in third grade. It is so much fun to watch and she seems to like it. The first game was a blast and she stayed pretty focused. Lyd even hit the ball a few times! (In 3rd grade the ball falls to the floor most of the time!)

Now that the wall is up Rachel was antsy to get the shrubs all planted. So she spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday planting and spreading mulch.

Once we finished mulching and planting I started building the stairs. Only about 4 left!! After this we'll build another flower garden to the right of the stairs and have 50 day lillies planted in there along with a couple of burning bush trees.

The wall is up!

We started digging early Sat. morning and six hours later, finally set the first block. I knew this was going to take a lot of time and hard work-but I didn't think it would take that long. After a couple of hours the first row was set. After that it was easy. (I couldn't lift the blocks so Chad had to do the rest). It started to rain, so we tarped the hill and prayed. The next day, no damage was done and Chad finished this part of the wall. Chad's been busy backfilling and will put in the black dirt so I can start planting the shrubs. Then he'll start on the stairs that will come down and curve around the right side of the wall. Then a smaller retaining wall on the right side of the stairs.



We may be able to start planting grass down here pretty soon!

Weekend not a total washout

Doug and Maureen took the girls up to the cabin for the weekend and Rachel and I thought that we would get a good jump on building the retaining wall. Well, needlessto say we woke up Saturday morning to thunderstorms and dirt washing away on our hill. So in between rain storms I went to Menards to pick up deck materials hoping I can get something done this weekend.

These pictures show the back hill and the wash we had. I had it close to level and ready to start setting block but those plans changed.

It ended up not being a total wash, Jeremy called Sunday and came out and did some work on the garage doors and I was able to talk him into staying and helping me get the decking on and the stairs up on this little landing.

So while I'm waiting for the hill to dry out I can keep busy on this part.

Landscaping: The Continous Journey

We really thought that this summer would be a lot more relaxing. It's better than the last two summers, but once we moved in we remembered how much work the yard needed. Maybe next year! We carried every brick down from the driveway using us and this little garden cart that you might remember from a previous posting. Lydia even helped out a few times. Chad did most of the hauling and digging.

Roger seemed to enjoy working on the patio. He came over almost every day and placed almost every brick! As a flooring installer, he really has a good eye for the pattern and detail. He also has a lot of very handy tools. Here he is cutting the pavers to fit in the little places. He taught Chad how to do this later.

Here's a view of the patio in the beginning.

Here's a view of the "completed" patio.

Here's a view from the other side. I see a perfect spot for a hot tub.

Now the the patio is "done", Chad poured the footings for the smaller deck/landing so we can get the stairs done for the deck. Before this occurs we will start on the retaining wall to help hold the hill in place. The block was delivered yesterday and Abrahamson's Nursery will bring out all the plants and other stuff we ordered. They're also going to stage the block so we don't have to haul those blocks down the hill. The gutter guys also came out last week to install the gutters around the house. This should help with our washout issues.

Ava the Brave

At Children's Hospital in St. Paul, they have a class you can sign up for before surgery to get the kids and parents ready for scheduled surgeries. It was really cool and as you can see in the following pic, the girls really got into it. If you ever have to schedule a surgery there, I highly recommend this class. We were all a lot more relaxed the day of surgery.

When we got to the hospital, Ava got to put on her hospital issued jammies and the no-slip socks. She really thought those socks were cool and kept making sure she could bring those home. Ava thought it was fun to ride in the cars in one of the waiting rooms.
Here's Ava in her jammies. She was beyond brave this day! She never complained about being hungry or thirsty. She just went along with the day. I can safely say she was stronger than her parents were!
The new Ava without her tonsils and adnoids. She looks great! The first few hours after surgery she was hungry and doing pretty well. I think once the serious drugs wore off that evening is when she really realized how much she hurt.
Lydia came to the hospital to visit and bring her sister a gift. Ava's teeth were always colored for the first week because of the popsicles and other various cold treats.
It's now been two weeks since her surgery and she is feeling much better. They kept telling us it takes about two weeks to recover and it has taken the full two weeks. She has lost a lot of weight and gets tired quicker that normal, but I'm sure this a temporary deal. She doesn't snore at all anymore and sleeps really well now. She still thinks her hospital socks are pretty cool.

Lydia's 8th Birthday

I am not sure where the time went, but Lydia is already eight years old. People always say how fast time goes, but I don't think I really understood that until Lydia announced she halfway to driving. The older she gets, the more parties we have. For a brief second, I thought we could throw her friend and family party together, but I am so glad we didn't and will never do that. Lydia really wanted to make a cake for her friend party. The girls really had fun making and decorating the cake. I decided that ice cream sandwiches would be perfect for this event-less work and clean up. We ordered pizzas from Dominoes, went through almost 40 juice boxes, and realized that we will never have this many girls at our house again. You live and learn.




If you ever meet this crew on the streets of Scandia-run! I think my ears are still ringing from the noise these girls made. The party was supposed to be a swimming party, but the temp never rose to 70 degrees that day. Eight years ago that day it was over 100 degrees and my hospital room was hot!

The next day was the family party. Here's Lydia with her DQ cake. No more princess cakes...she really liked the tie dye look. She also informed me that purple is no longer cool and she loves blue and green. This pic also caught Ava in action.
Lydia and Ava with their cousin Ellie and Great-Grandpa Jim and Great-Grandma Emilie.

Another sign that she's getting older is that people start giving gift cards and money for birthdays. She was in heaven. I knew she could count money-but she's good! Lydia couldn't wait to start shopping. She also got a lot of books that she enjoys reading. I'm glad she still enjoys reading about fairies. She also can't wait to shop at the Limited Too for school clothes - another tall tale sign of growing up...she'll always be my baby.

House & Landscaping

Here's the back yard. We still have a lot of work to do. This corner of the hill we are planning on a stone stair case.
We are currently working on the patio under the back deck.
A side view of the house.
Another back view. We decided to landscape the hill in the back instead of a retaining wall. We'll have a company plan it for us then we can plant it with stuff that will hold back the dirt. I'm really excited to get the patio done, so we can start on this. The little pine tree in the hill is there because we never thought it would make it. It was hit by a tree when we cleared the lot five years ago. It was under attack during the demolition of the cabin and during the excavating. We decided that we have to let it be if it has made it through all of this.
A front view of the house. The driveway and sidewalk still need to be cemented. I'm really sick of sand in the house and everywhere else. The girls & I planted flowers in pots this year since the yard is not finished. Pots and shepherds hooks are movable.

Locks of Love & Como Zoo

Someday I'll figure out the order of uploading pictures onto this blog...Well, here's the after shot of my Locks of Love hair chopping.
I always wondered how they were able to chop off the hair evenly...now I know. Not just one pony tail, but many.
Here's my before shot. I know some very lucky kid is going to have my beautiful curls on top of their head while they get better so they can grow up to be a responsible adult. =)
Jacquie, her sister-in-law Lisa, and myself took the girls to the Como Zoo on a nice cool day in July. It was freezing while we ate our picnic lunch.
Ava, Eleanor, Lydia's friend Peri, and Lydia at the zoo. I took this picture right away just in case I lost someone...then I'd have a recent picture. =-)

The Flood, Beach, and Girls

The first week of summer vacation, I came home from the grocery store and heard an unusual sound in the basement. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I realized the sound was rushing water! A compression fitting from the water heater had come undone and was flooding the basement. I figured out how to shut it off and called for help. The water was over the tops of my shoes. Luckily, most of our stuff is in plastic containers, so no major losses. The sheetrock in the utility room though will need to be replaced. Chad turned on the in-floor heat to help dry out the floor.
While looking for black dirt on Craigs list, Chad came across beach sand. We borrowed the tractor again and spent the good part of a day creating Hansen's Hollow Beach.
After a short time, we realized that this is going to be the perfect place to keep these two busy. Roger came over last weekend with his weed cutting gear and went to town on the lilly pads. I'll have to get more pics because the swimming area looks really great! I didn't think it would shape up so quickly. We have also found that with some life jackets on the girls and floaty toys, we are able to float across the lake to grandma and grandpa's. This could prove to be very useful!
Ava and I made some cookies to send over to Grandpa Jim. Of course we ate some too.
So far summer vacation has been a lot of fun...minus the flood. The girls went to vacation Bible school for the first week and we are taking care of the yearly Dr. appts. right away so they don't cramp our summer fun. Even Ariel went to the vet and then had her teeth cleaned the next week. She smells so much better! Ava is going to see an ENT tomorrow to check out her gigantic tonsils. I think today we'll spend the day down at the beach!