really???

Firetrucks, police cars, and tow trucks, oh my!!  

Ben and I were in a car accident last Tuesday night coming home from the grocery store.  I was stopped to turn left from and onto relatively quiet streets and not even at a light when, "BAM!" Boy did we get walloped from behind! Ben cried right away but settled quickly.  Thankfully, neither of us was hurt beyond my bruised knees.  The other driver who was uninsured and had expired temporary tags, was taken to the hospital with a head laceration from hitting his windshield.  He was not wearing a seat belt and would likely have been fine if he had.  My car is being fixed and despite having to shell out our deductible because he was uninsured, life should get back to normal in the car department near the end of this week.  I'm still a little gun-shy when people approach me quickly from behind but getting my own car back should also help in the comfort department.
It was a crazy night for the police department and although the fire department and paramedics came immediately, I waited at the scene for over one and a half hours for the police.  While this officer was helping me, there were 15 other accidents still waiting to be helped.  It wasn't a full moon but she said it was one of the worst nights she could recall.
Neighbors came out of their homes to offer support, warm cookies for Ben, and a driveway to move my car to safety.  Ryan arrived quickly and took the groceries and Ben home before grabbing a picnic dinner to have while we waited for the police.  Ben must have been in heaven with all the different trucks, cars and action while the other drivers car was loaded onto the tow truck.  I really hope he doesn't see all those vehicles in one place until the next touch-a-truck!!

Sweet Anna

Anna pup and I met four days before my twentieth birthday when I was at school in Boulder.  My roommates and I had taken Jordan's dog Juneau and a couple borrowed dogs for a walk when we encountered Sam, a lost dog. 

With no correct tags to make contact, we took Sam to the animal shelter and that's where I saw Anna, playing with a small boy outside.  I asked him if it was his new dog and told him how cute she was and he said, "I don't think so." His mom then asked if I wanted her and I discovered she actually belonged to another nearby couple who had found her while camping in southern Colorado.  She had been left behind by a pack of wild dogs and when the local shelter found out the couple lived in Boulder, they encouraged them to take her with to Boulder's "no kill" shelter.  The mom and boy were considering taking her if she couldn't find a home but I picked her up, looked at my roommates for approving nods which were already taking place and the rest was history.  
The couple asked about what I might name her and I asked their names...."Steve," the man replied.  "hummmn," I said, "what's your wife's name?" "Anna," he replied.  As Anna was also my middle name and an important family name, "Anna," it was!

(I had her so long I had to scan FILM pics of her into this post :)

We took her home to Juneau, (a large malamute) and they were fast friends just as she and I were.  It is ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING to think about ALL we did together over nearly 14 years.  We had different roommates both pups and human, we moved to Montana and back and to Charlotte, NC and back and met Ryan and then Luke.  She went nearly everywhere with me while we lived in Boulder and often escaped to visit the frat house down the street. :)

She never liked dog beds or anything too soft until we moved to Charlotte and I got my first queen sized bed compete with a crisp and bright white pottery barn monogrammed duvet cover to proudly announce my entry into "real adulthood." It was then, and then only, that she LOVED to sleep on my bed. :)

Today as I write this, bawling, I'd give almost anything for another night on that bed in Charlotte because last week we said good-bye to my sweet girl.  Her health has been deteriorating and although I thought her lessening feeling and ability to walk in her hips was due to arthritis, I discovered it was actually a type of doggie MS that would next cause urinary tract infections and loss of feeling there and then start to affect her diaphragm and breathing. After two rough nights when she would only settle with me right beside her on the living room floor, I made the tough call to end her pain.  The angel vet as she is called by all who have met her, Christine, came to our house to help Anna pass.  After nearly 24 hours of non-stop pets and love, Anna was in our arms in her favorite spot as she went to sleep peacefully.

I am so glad she is no longer in pain but I miss her more than I could ever imagine and making these choices has been a shocking reminder of that "real adulthood" I was once so anxious to enter.  

It took Ben a couple days to realize she was gone and he still asks about her every day and says, "Anna come home," followed by, "Anna all gone."  I hope we can keep her memory alive for him and am so thankful for all the pictures we have of them together.  

Luke certainly feels a new weight to be on alert and protect us but has had fun doing doggie things we didn't do often because Anna was unfriendly and increasingly slow.   We still have to drag him out into the yard to play with us, but lots of love and walks are helping him transition.  As a skiddish and scared little guy, Anna was the best strong big sister Luke could have hoped for, but I know he'll bounce back and might just find a whole new side of himself. :)

As for me, a little over a week later, I can write this through tears and smile about all the amazing memories.  I still feel like I'm missing an appendage and wake up to hear her snoring and then remember she's gone.  I am finally sleeping better though and am able to look at her pics and smile.  As I told her while we were saying goodbye, it will be impossible for me to share such grand and amazing adventures with another pup because of the stage of my life that I had her.  She will always be my grand adventure Anna and I will be forever grateful for her loyalty and companionship in that important time of discovery.  I love you my sweet, beautiful friend and hope you've found pain-free peace.

Denver Aquarium

With Ben not having school in August, I've been very thankful to get to spend some quality time with the Lineberry girls.  Today we went to the Denver Aquarium for both mine and Ben's first visit.  It certainly did not disappoint and I decided it would be a wonderful place for a date.  It's proximity to the Highlands and all the great restaurants there could really make one heck of a date night.  We even spent some time post-aquarium at a nearby playground, making for one heck of a great day.

Lunch tank-side was a real treat!

The tigers really surprised me!

MONTANA or bust!

On Thursday July 18th, Ben and I loaded the car after a crazy couple of days (see scary school post,) and headed for Big Sky Country.  I do really enjoy a road trip and thanks to lots of trips back and forth to KS when he was young, Ben is a great car traveler.  Well, thanks to that and Steve Jobs and the iPad. :) The first day our goal was to make it to Sheridan, Wy and we did that with relative ease and were enjoying the hotel pool by 4:30pm.  A more than decent restaurant within our hotel meant we could take dinner up to the room post-swimming for a little mock room-service fun. This was the first time Ben was allowed to eat on a bed and with the TV on as well, he was in heaven.  He refused to sit up and eat saying, "bed, go sleeping," so he laid back and got his grilled cheese on, in ultimate comfort. :)

The last two hours of the next days' travels were tough.  We both REALLY wanted to be out of the car.  We arrived at Papa Ken's just in time for his arrival with my favorite Chinese take-out.  Ben had a great time re-introducing himself to pups, Billy and Boomer (boom-boom,) and exploring Papa's house. 

the flowers at Southgate Mall where I used to work have always been amazing

On one gorgeous run we encountered sheep....

roosters (and chickens).....

....and even some playground time at the end.

(whose long legs are those? :)

This local school playground was the perfect end to many evenings.

Over the next week we ran errands with Papa, gave-in and bought a kiddie pool for the backyard, spent time with dear friends and even spent a couple days at Flathead Lake and exploring Bigfork and Whitefish.........

We got to join a friend I met in college while working at Gap kids and her two daughters, Finley and Neah, for a morning at the river.  It was on her mom's property where I had watched her get married years ago, so it was really fun to go back.  Ben had way too much fun playing in the mud and swimming.  I daydreamed about a life for him under the big sky exploring his days away in the great outdoors. :)

Ben had lots of sand in his shorts by this point.

This is why.....

Aunt B had recently moved to Missoula so seeing her was an unexpected treat.  She joined us one evening for dinner with Uncle Carl, Julie and Eric and his family.  Ben had tons of fun on the trampoline with Eric's daughter, Jaycee until my mama heart couldn't take the stress of him on an elevated and unprotected trampoline any longer. 

The last couple days of the trip, we headed with Papa and the pups up north to the lake.  In hindsight, we should have packed lunches and just parked ourselves by the lake all day both days as both Ben and the pups were happiest there.  The crystal clear and unseasonably warm water were fantastic in both Flathead and Whitefish lakes.  Ben would really have been happy to never leave!  It reminded me of the lakes and streams we have near home that might not be quite as majestic or unspoiled, but that are there to be enjoyed.  We had some great food and spent some time exploring the towns and enjoying the hotel pools.  Ben was a trooper as he was outdoors and busy from sun-up till sun-down, and meals were often delayed.  He (mostly) hung in there with me through lots of changes to his schedule and routine and I thanked him repeatedly for his cooperation.

We took Ryan to this same restaurant years ago and sat at the same table.

 

On this day he didn't stay awake for the lake but stole mama's heart.

 We visited Whitefish ski area

 

Ben approved of the MT rocks

After a couple days at the lake and one night back at Papa's, it was time to head home.  We left Missoula about 730am and only planned on making it to Buffalo, Wy.  Well, my little traveler did remarkably well and we hit Buffalo so early and in the rain that I decided to keep going.  Unfortunately the rain never let up and got really bad when we hit Denver in the dark, but I wasn't tired, and had a willing travel partner, so we ventured ALL THE WAY HOME! We arrived just after 9pm.  I had even asked Ben if he wanted to stop and swim and all he wanted was to, "go homeeeeeeee and see Dada!"

Sadly, "going home" was a theme all trip long.  Ben has traveled so much and has always been so good at it, but this trip included lots of requests to "go home to Ben's home." One sure reason was that he had pulled his stackers out of his toy bag at the last minute and left them behind. I had checked and double-checked and triple-checked and sure enough at our first stop, they were no where to be found.  We tried some others that just didn't suffice and there is certainly not an Ikea in Montana.  We are happy he enjoys home so much except that the old, "if you don't shape up, we're going home, never works with Ben." In the end I know he had tons of fun and was always happy to return to "Papa's home" after our outings, but we will keep up the travel so my little home-body doesn't get too attached.


Big thanks to everyone who made our trip so great!! The fresh air and big open sky were beautiful reminders of the majesty of nature we so often take for granted living in the mountain west.

*note: Due to a whole new level of single-moming it, and frequently being near water with my little fish, I took sadly few pics on this trip.  I was thankful for the phone pics as the few standard camera pics I took were blurry. :(  I definitely gained a new appreciation for all the help I get from Ryan and the people who are regularly in Ben's life.  I also know taking pics when it's just Ben and I will get easier quickly and some day I'll wish for this time when I struggled to keep him in my sights. :) I will??