A Hard Decision

In December 2008, I brought home a fluffy French Bulldog named Clive. He stole my heart the first time I saw him. With Shawn in school, working late hours and weekends, I wanted a dog in the house to keep me company. I didn't like being alone. I knew getting a pet was a big responsibility, and I researched and studied Frenchies. I knew full on that they come with allergy problems, breathing problems, and sometimes require extra care. At the apartment, Clive didn't suffer any allergy problems that couldn't be fixed with a little benadryl. I loved having him run around, acting all spastic, and cuddling with his fluffy self on the sofa.

Then in 2009, we found out we were expecting a baby. This of course was not a planned thing, but life happens. So my extra money started going to a savings account for Jeanne. Shawn and I decided we needed to move into a house so we would have more room. We found a nice little rent house with a great backyard for Clive to run around and play. Soon after moving in January 2010, Clive started having allergy issues. He would break out in hives constantly. So I decided to do allergy testing on him, and wouldn't you know it, he was allergic to every plant, grass, flower in our backyard. So I put him on an allergy serum. One shot a month wasn't so bad. It seemed to be working well until this last summer/winter.

Clive had a bad allergy attack in the summer of 2011, so I brought him to the vet and got him on some antibiotics (his itching/scratching caused a skin infection). $300 at one appointment. In November, it was time for his semiannual checkup at the vet. >$300 for all his shots, heartworm med, and flea medication. A week or so later, I had to bring him back because he had another flare up. Another $300. Then in December, he had the worst flare up I had seen on him. >$400. So in two months, I had put >$1100 in vet bills on my credit card. The money was hard, but what was worse was Clive had to take 3 pills twice a day for 3 weeks. He was totally not himself when he was on the medicine (**Note: I know what most of you are thinking. He is a just a dog. Well you are WRONG. He was my pet. I knew how he acted. The meds totally changed his attitude.)

So after the New Year, I talked with Shawn and we came to a heart-wrenching decision. I felt like Clive was suffering, so I called the breeder I got him from. I explained that I didn't have the money to continue him on medication if he got the flare ups, but more importantly, I didn't like having to put him on the medicine in the first place. I didn't know if when we move for residency, that it would be any better for his allergies. So, I moved Clive back to Texas this past weekend. It was hard to put him in her car and watch him leave (**Again, if you never had a PET that you were responsible for, you don't know what it feels like, so no snide comments). I miss him, but I know he is doing just fine. She breeds and raises Frenchies, so he is frolicking with his family. I will miss his sweet, squishy face for a while.

New Year's Resolution

So I decided that my New Year's Resolution would be to read the Bible in a year. I found a website that breaks down the Bible and marks which sections to read each day so it can be completed in a year. I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I wish I would have done this sooner. I am finding my self getting behind a day or so, but I find time to catch up within the same week.

The other part of the resolution is to delve deeper into what we believe and why. I want to be able to teach my children (child right now) throughout the year the Catholic beliefs to holidays, parts of the Mass, etc, but I need to have a better understanding first. Growing up, after catechism was taken out of public school, my mom continued our education of the Catholic beliefs. We had activities that explained all the parts of the Mass, holidays, Feasts, Holy Days, and now I can't seem to remember them all. I have been searching other moms' blogs and found great places to start.

We still haven't sent in our places for match. We (my husband and I) have narrowed them into somewhat an order. Now we are taking weekend trips to some of the places so I can see the areas and get a feel for the possibilities. It's less than 2 months away that we find out where we are moving!!

Happy New Year

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. My little one had a ball being with our family. She helped as my sister, mom, and I baked cookies. She helped rolled the dough into little balls, then tried to eat them. Pop, her grandpa, bought her a few new toys to play with before Christmas. She got a little 4-wheeler that she has to move herself and some balloons with the rubber band on the end to bounce. I enjoyed watching her get so excited.

For Christmas Eve, we (grandkids) put on skits at Mamaw and Papaw's house. Jeanne stole the show! She was not scared at all about being the center of attention.

We had a wonderful time at Copper Mountain, Colorado after Christmas. It was nice getting to see snow (being from South Louisiana, I have seen and remembered snow 4 times in my 27 years, all of which was in north Louisiana). We all had a good time once we got there. The first day with the flights being delayed and such was not fun. Jeanne was excellent on the plane! She stared out the window and "oooh" "ahhh" at the sites below. She slept during the second flight, which was 2 hours.

My  mom, husband, and I all tried the skiing. It was hard at first! Ok, it was hard all 6 times I went down the slope!!! But it was fun trying something new. The speed scared me, but the funny thing is, I kept going! Pop took care of Jeanne while we all skied. They played out in the snow and watched all the people going down the slopes. My sister, brother, and his friend snow boarded. That was crazy! They did well with it on the second day.

It was a wonderful trip, but I am glad to be back. I should have taken a picture of my desk when I got into work this morning. Funny thing is, work doesn't take a vacation just because I did!! :-)