Catching Up!

These past couple of months have been a whirlwind for us! In May I finished up my second part-time job with our local parish' school system and things are finally starting to return to normal with my schedule being a little less hectic. I thought I would play catch up and then hopefully return to blogging on a more regular basis.

On May 9th we experienced an "almost tragedy" with our precious Avery Mae. Avery is such a good dog and so well behaved for her age (only a year). We have always described her as being fearless and it is one of our favorite things about her. She runs full speed ahead at everything she does and doesn't look back. On this day, though, I wished she hadn't been quite as fearless. I had taken her to Andrew's office on my way to work to stay with their office assistant/Andrew's cousin since he was out of town for the day. (Andrew has taken Avery to work with him since she was a puppy). Around 10:00 I got a phone call from Andrew saying that Avery had been hit by a car and I needed to go meet Wendy with her. My first reaction was fear - this was a human instinct to this type of news but luckily I was able to move past fear and pray that God would protect her. I called my mom to start praying as I headed out of the school. I do remember a sense of calm as I drove to the vet's office to meet Wendy and as we sat and waited to hear from the vet. God also allowed my mother-in-law to pull up to the clinic at the same as I did and she was a huge comfort for me. When we finally got to see Avery they told us her lung had collapsed and they had tapped it to remove the trapped oxygen and it had responded by filling back up and working on its own. They were concerned that it would easily collapse again and needed to watch her closely. Her heart rate went up when we came in and as she lifted her little head to look at me. I couldn't stay with her long as it was best that she rested. Over the next few days we prayed that the lung would heal as she rested in the " Canine ICU" at the animal hospital. We missed her terribly and our house was so quiet and empty in her absence. I kept thinking how lucky she was - how lucky we were that nothing else was wrong. No broken bones! No lost limbs! She was a little miracle. Some people might not understand how God can answer prayers for our pets but I tell you he does. He cares about the things we care about - no matter how small and insignificant they may seem to other people. Avery brings me joy everyday and teaches me so much about life. This experience with her has made me stronger. We are so happy that she is still able to run and play without fear holding her back.

Avery back at home after 4 days in the hospital!

Andrew and I had also planned a weekend trip to Dallas for the next weekend. We were lucky Avery was doing well and Andrew's parents could watch her. I had some continuing education courses to go to but we also found time to catch a Texas Rangers ball game, visit the Stockyards, and enjoy downtown Forth Worth. I forgot my camera for the weekend but took a few on my phone. We had such a great time and are planning to go back next month!

 

Rangers Ballpark

Our wonderful hotel

 

Fireworks show after the ballgame!

We loved the Stockyards!

 Andrew celebrated his 27th birthday on May 29th! I surprised him with tickets to see the Saints play in October and a Saints cake. He had wanted a Saints cake for his grooms cake but since we decided to go with something else, I decided to get him one for his birthday. One of Andrew's primary love languages is receiving gifts. Gifts have never been something that I have valued - giving or receiving them. I have had to learn that just because I am not a huge "gift person" doesn't mean that they don't matter to other people. To Andrew, gifts are a tangible expression of love. If you haven't heard of the "love languages" I encourage you to look up the book by Gary Chapman. It really helped us understand each other on a deeper level in the early days of our relationship.

Last weekend we visited with my parents in Mississippi but spent most of the weekend at their lake house in Alabama. I grew up going to Smith Lake but love seeing how much Andrew and Avery enjoy it now. 

Avery does the superman off the pier! She loves it!

My favorite!

Andrew wakeboarding

Avery even got to ride in the inner tube!

We had a blast - this was the first time my parents had seen Avery since her accident and I think we all enjoyed watching her have so much fun! I am thankful for each and every one of these days - the challenging hard days and the fun times. I know that these are all teaching me things and molding me into the person God wants me to be.