How fast are you?

The hardest thing I have ever had to do.....

When Leeann and I moved to Knoxville in July of '94, we didn't know what was in store for us.  We didn't know to adventures to come our way.  We had been here for about 4 or 5 months and Leeann was having tough time finding a job she wanted.  She was so over-qualified for everything she went out on.  She was getting so down and so blue.  I came home from work one day to find her in a great mood so I was happy for her.  She told me she found an ad in the paper that day for a little Maltese puppy and she went to see her that day.  I could tell right away that we were getting  a dog.  She, of course, asked if it would be ok if we got the dog and there was no way on this earth I could tell her no.  So, into our lives came Maggie.

Maggie was one of the best dogs you could ask for. She did not shed hair, she was small and for the most part pretty quite.  Maggie was a traveler to say the least.  I have lost count of how many trips she made with us.  Trips to the beach, to Leeann's mothers house, just about any place we went, Maggie tagged along.  

We used to say that Maggie was a lap waiting to happen and it was true.  If you sat in a chair in our house, you had better be ready for Maggie to jump up in it.  People told us not to let her sleep in the bed with us, but anyone who knows us, knows we didn't listen to that.  Maggie took over the bed, she was just nice enough to let us sleep in it at night.  

Maggie ran this home from the day she arrived.  When Brinkley became a part of our family, she put him in his place.  I have never in my life seen a 70 pound dog sit and wait for food like Brinkley did when Maggie was eating.  She would just look at him and he would sit or lay down until she was finished.

When Katie came home with us the very first night, Maggie was there, tail just a wagging.  But, as we added to our home, Hogan and Sophie, we could tell that Maggie was more and more unhappy with us.  She still loved us and still ran the house, but she was not happy about all the additions to the home.

For the past  couple of weeks, Maggie has not been doing well.  She has been eating less and less each day.  She averaged between 10 and 12 pounds in weight depending on what food she snuck from us.  Anyway, two weeks ago, she was down to 6 pounds.  We tried everything we could think of, hand feeding, baby food even forced feeding, but she just kept loosing weight.

Over the weekend, we could tell that Maggie was just not herself anymore, she didn't do anything but just lay around the house, she could hardly walk and even doing the forced feeding, she didn't put up the fight she used to.  So today, we made the decision, along with our vet, to put Maggie to sleep.  

I held her in my arms as she went to sleep and I kissed her one last time.  I know that she is in a much better place. My dad loved dogs and I know that he is there waiting on her to get there.  I will miss that little white fur ball.  

Honey Do's and Milestones

What is it about spring that makes people want to clean?  This past weekend Leeann and I did some serious cleaning and de-cluttering.  We have plans to de-clutter the entire house this spring but plan on doing it one section at a time. The living, dining and rec room were up first.  The couch in the living room left, we got a new entertainment center for the living room, new dining room table and then got rid of a few things in the rec room.  

Knoxville Rescue Ministries was the recipient of all this purging. I think that it helps every one all the way around.  For every $1.70 they make at their store, they can feed someone a meal. We get a tax break, someone in need gets a meal and our house gets cleaner.  Sounds great to me. 

I hit a milestone this week in my business.  I have hired a part time person to help me with some up coming weddings.  I have never hired anyone before as the owner of a business. This was kinda cool in a way.  I had to place the ad, review all the responses (I got 5 just from the craigslist ad alone) and pick who I thought would work out best.  I will keep you updated on how it goes.

Katie is getting ready for a big milestone her self. She is getting ready for a camp this weekend.  This is a camp for kids with vision problems.  She went last year, but just for one night.  She did great and she had such a good time that when we went to pick her up, she didn't want to leave. So this year we are letting her spend both nights there.  Needless to say, mom and dad are planning a few nights out.  I don't know who is more nervous about this weekend, Katie or Leeann?