September has always been one of my favorite months of the year–fall is in the air, Super Rockstar and I got married in the month of September, and the temperatures start to cool off. But this year, it started off with a sock in the gut.
1. A heartbreaking loss. We unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our beloved dog, Barney at the beginning of the month. We just weren’t ready for him to go, but he got very, very sick and just wasn’t able to bounce back. He had such a great personality and was a perfect fit for us. He loved going with us everywhere and when we weren’t home–he would watch for us in the window. He loved us all, but I got to be his “person” and he was my constant shadow. If I moved to a different room–he moved with me. If I was going in the car somewhere–he wanted to tag along. If I wasn’t able to bring him–he watched for me until I returned. I always wonder how much anxiety it gave him as he was a self-imposed guardian to us all.
He also gave us so many giggles with his “spurts” of energy where he would chase one of his ropes or his moose toy, his loud snores when he slept in one of his four beds scattered throughout our house, how he would move my fall and Christmas basket decorations WAY to the side because they blocked his view outdoors, his dislike of the many sweaters and coats I attempted to get him to wear, and his gruffs of disapproval when we wouldn’t drop bits of cheese for him. The only thing he liked more than cheese was back scratches and ear rubs. There are so many things I miss about him every single day. I don’t think we realized how much space he occupied in our lives until he was no longer there. It’s going to be a long while before I can get through a day without thinking about him and whispering, “I miss you buddy”. We only got to enjoy him for 7 of his 14 years of life. It wasn’t nearly enough.
 
 
2. Our Anniversary. Since Barney passed away the day before our 31st anniversary–we just didn’t feel much like celebrating. But we did treat ourselves to a date night that weekend. I still can’t believe how quickly the years have gone by–but I wouldn’t want to share my time with anyone else. I am so glad he’s mine.
3. So. Much. Football. Grayson has been in full swing with his football season–getting to play for both JV and Varsity. It’s been two games a week all month long and he is having a blast. His goal at the beginning of the season was to earn enough play in varsity to earn his letter. He’s been getting to be a starter on special teams with varsity, so we are very hopeful that he will get to achieve that goal. We are all there at every game cheering him on–rain or shine, heat or freezing cold. Super Rockstar and Morgan even got to pull water boy duty at one of his JV games.
4. A surprise visit. Since my mom is from a large family, there were always big family gatherings and LOTS of cousins to play with during holidays. I enjoy them all and often wish we could get together more often. So when one of my cousins unexpectedly showed up in town one afternoon and asked if I wanted to go for a quick hike, the answer was absolutely YES! Jill and I explored the Mount Herman trail. It’s a beautiful trail that I never even knew existed, but it has a lot of forked paths, and we had to make a lot of choices as we walked and talked. Thank goodness she had the sense to mark our direction, so we didn’t get lost coming back. It was great to see her as always–it’s just never enough time.
5. Memorial for Barney. Losing Barney early this month was one of the toughest moments for us as a family. We have all grieved him every day. The week he got so sick, I couldn’t get him an appointment at our veterinary clinic–they were too busy. But you know who wasn’t too busy? Our good friend Dr. Vicki Wynn who owns Timberview Animal Hospital. She answered our cry for help instantly. I wish we would have put him in her care long ago. She didn’t give us any false hope, but she treated him, she cared for him, and she was the voice of reason we needed when it was time to make the decision to say goodbye.
She also helped us connect to a service she uses to memorialize pets. A few weeks after saying goodbye to Barney we received his ashes in a beautiful box and a cast of his paw print. As a family we went to one of the favorite trails Barney and I frequented and scattered his ashes. Super Rockstar made me a photo album of all the highlights of Barney’s life, and now we have that and his paw print to remember him.
We only get to enjoy our furry friends for such a short time. All I can tell you is that Barney made his mark on us. He was such a good dog.
 
 
5. Movies and Shows to Watch–Episode 104. Just click the link to read about all we watched in September.
6. Books I read. I feel like I am on repeat with the books I’m reading month after month. I enjoyed another Sue Grafton–J is for Justice and I’m now halfway through the Trim Healthy Wisdom book. It is humongous, but I am learning so much good health information.
7. My Favorite Memes.
As always, I would love to hear from you.