We Love you Sadie

Well it's been quite the rollercoaster the last few months, so I apologize I have not updated this earlier. As you know we added Sadie to our family at the end of February. Soon after we got her she began coughing, which we expected to happen. We got her at the Humane Society and they warned us that she would probably come down with Kennel Cough. So when we noticed that she was coughing frequently, we headed off to the Vet to get some medicine for her. Well they confirmed it was probably Kennel Cough and set us on our way. The following week, Roxie started coughing and since Sadie was contagious I hauled Roxie to the Vet to get some medicine. A few days later, Roxie was acting more alert and not coughing as often, however, poor little Sadie was getting worse by the minute. So Matt and I decided to take her to the Vet again. They took x-rays of her chest and discovered she had a horrible case of pneumnia and felt it would be in her best interest for them to put her in an oxygen chamber and keep her overnight. We agreed to let them keep her in hopes she would make a much faster recovery with them then at home. The next evening she had some improvement but the Vet was still worried, so they stuck an oxygen tube down her nose to help her get direct oxygen. They kept her for 3 nights and then let us take her home on the fourth day with strict instructions and LOTS of medicine.


Sadie continued to improve as the days went on and we were so happy to see her puppy side again. She was no longer just laying around the house but up and about irriating Roxie by herding her everywhere she went and chewing everything around her. We were so excited to see her energy and alertness increase over those weeks. We finally gave her the last of her medication and took her back to the Vet for a final examination. It was good news all around, the X-rays showed hardly any pneumnia in her lungs and her behavior was definitely that of a puppy. The Vet wanted us to give it one more week without her medicine before we would be able to unrestrict her activity. The following few days she was active and extremely playful. I even saw Roxie and her playing in the backyard once or twice.


A few days later, she took a turn for the worst and began coughing and having trouble breathing again. So I called the Vet AGAIN and ran down there to get some more medicine, we all believed her pneumnia had resurfaced. We kept up with the medicine for the next week but Sadie didn't seem to be improving. Matt and I wanted the medicine to run it's course before going to the Vet again but the following Saturday we noticed something we couldn't ignore. While I was petting her, I noticed that her hair was coming off in clumps and her skin was covered with red scabs. We both felt that this couldn't be a good sign and immediately called the Vet, which asked us to bring her down. Once we got there her breathing was extremely labored and they took her immediately into the back to give her oxygen. They worked diligently to try and get her breathing back to normal and figure out what was going on. They retook x-rays, only to discover the pneunmia was completely gone. There should be no reason why she was struggling this much. The Vet felt she might have asthma or be suffering from allergies since the weather had been improving the last few days. He also mentioned that her breathing could be caused by scar tissue from her pneumnia but wanted to try this course of action first. So again we took her home to watch her and prayed for improvement. Over the next few days she seemed to be improving alittle but it definitely wasn't a vast improvement.

When I got home Tuesday night I did my routine of giving her medicine to her and then fed her. A little while later, she threw up her food but I didn't think too much of it because the medicine had been making her have stomach problems. A bit later in the night she just started randomly barking and then it turned to cries. Her breathing became extremely labored, her tongue turned purple and her eyes were glazed over. She was in so much pain she couldn't walk and every breath was painful. We called the Vet and he was nice enough to meet us down at the clinic late that night. Once we got there the Vet informed us he didn't believe she was going to get better. He felt she had scar tissue in her lungs and it was making it very difficult for her breathe. At that point Matt and I had to make an extremely difficult decision and had to put her to sleep. It was the only way she was not going to suffer anymore.

Even though Matt and I did not have her very long it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Those of you that did not get the privilege to meet her, she was an extremely sweet girl who gave kisses and loves to ever person she met. I'm sad that she wasn't able to lead a long life and I honestly don't know how much she was able to experience in the short time she was on this Earth. I do know she made Matt and I laugh a lot with her cute quirks. She would chase her tail and once she caught it, watch out!! She would wrestle on the floor with it in her mouth, determined to be victorious over her sworn enemy.


A few weeks ago she ran out of the garage as the door was shutting. I ran down the street chasing her but honestly was no competition. Suddenly, there was a car driving down the street and she felt it necessary to chase it and bite at the tires. I thought for sure she was going to get run over but luckily the car stopped. Well she felt that she was victorious and stood in front of it like it was a show down. I had to go grab her and tug her back to the house, which was no easy feat, she thought it was a game and rolled around in the middle of the street. Finally I had to just pick her up and carry her the rest of the way home.


Even though things didn't turn out like any of us had hoped, I'm glad she was part of our lives even if only for a short while. We love and miss you Sadie. I hope you have plenty to chew on and lots of mud to play in.

Big News

Since Matt and I have lived in our new house we have gotten a lot of comments on how we need to expand our family. We told everyone that we needed to get settled in first before thinking about adding another family member. Well with me getting a different job, I am not working as many hours and have a much calmer schedule these days. So a few weeks back we really sat down and had a serious discussion on if we were ready for a new challenge. We decided that now is the perfect time to make our family bigger!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo......

We got another dog!! :) LOL...sorry I couldn't resist.

Here are some pictures of our new addition. A couple Saturdays ago we dropped Roxie off to get groomed and they were having an adoption. We decided to go check out and the dogs and see if any would be a good fit for us. We definetely weren't expecting to find one but we did. She is this sweet, 8 month old, Border Collie that was a ball full of energy. She LOVES people and wants to love everyone. Well everyone expect poor Roxie, the two of them are still trying to get used to the idea of having the other around. They are making progress though, so here's hoping they eventually like eachother.

A New Chapter...

Well are you impressed? If not you should be, it has been less than a month since my last update!! I know that I am definitely impressed. Now that I have padded myself on the back I will go back to the recent news from us. I recently got a job working at the University of Utah as an advisor and started this week! I'm extremely excited about this opportunity and so far am really enjoying the job, as well as the people. Last Friday was my last day at UCC and while I was sad to say goodbye to all the wonderful people, I could not pass up an opportunity to work at the U. The commute is a bit long but on Wednesdays and Fridays Matt and I are able to commute together because he doesn't have school. Today was our first day commuting together and it was quite enjoyable. We were able to go to lunch together and see eachother a lot more than other days. I really believe this is the right move for me.

In other news, Matt and I spent last weekend up in Park City. Things were extremely hectic around our anniversary last year so we weren't able to really celebrate. We decided that last weekend would be the perfect opportunity to do just that. We have been going to Ruth's Chris' Steakhouse every other year and decided we would do that again. So we got all dressed up and went to dinner and then just spent a nice relaxing weekend together.

Oh yeah if you are wondering what happened with the Hyundai, for now nothing. The Health Department said they would keep the complaint on file and as long as we don't get anymore complaints we don't need to do anything further. This means the Hyundai will not be driven in Draper, especially on his bad days. :)

Really People! Really!?!

Let me first apologize for not updating this in FOREVER. Things have been extremely hectic lately and it has fallen off my list of to dos. Let me give you the quick and dirty recap of what has been happening with us the last few months. Matt and I took the plunge and purchased a house a couple months ago. We originally had our heart set on a short sale but after waiting many months moved on. We ended up finding a house very similar to the first but with many more upgrades and the best part it wasn't a short sale. Also Matt has begun working on his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Utah and is in his second semester there. As for me I have just been really busy with work and trying to figure out what Masters program I want to go into.

Now that you are caught up, let me explain my extreme irritation from yesterday in more detail. I came home yesterday and checked the mail to find a letter from the Health Department. I opened it not knowing it was going to be an insult to something I hold very dear. Let me give you some back history, for those who don't know Matt has had his '98 Hyundai for as long as I have known him. Our other cars have broken down, gotten in wrecks but the Hyundai still hangs in there no matter what comes his way. He might not be the sleekest car out there but he has character and that's why we love him. Anyway, about a week ago I was running errands in Draper and he started acting up and blowing white smoke. I decided I should cut my errands short and head home. Well I guess I must have offended someone in their big fancy car because yesterday I received a letter from the Health Department stating someone made a complaint about the Hyundai. The letter went on to say that it was emitting too much smoke and was a contributing factor of the air pollution. Seriously, people this is what you do in your spare time! Granted, I haven't had much spare time recently but thinking back when I did, I would NEVER call the Health Department to complain about a car's emissions. Isn't that the reason we have emission laws and you have to get your car's emission's tested to be able to register your car. The Hyundai just passed an emission inspection 3 months ago!! So maybe the emission's laws should be stricter if it is ruining every one's air. Now I have to PROVE to the Health Department that my car isn't a risk. I don't know if that means getting yet another inspection or if I have to get it fixed. Either way that is money that I shouldn't have to pay on a car that has already proven to be fit to drive.

Anyway, I will try to keep you posted on this and other happenings in our lives on a more consistent basis. I hope you are all doing well!!

New Job

Matt was offered a job with the Utah Education Network a few weeks a go and started working for them a short time after. I meant to write sooner but things have been so hectic with my work schedule that I haven't had the time. Anyways, it seems like a wonderful opportunity and Matt is excited to learn new aspects of networking. We are anxious to start the next chapter in our lives. Now that we both have jobs and are in Utah the next big thing on our list is to get into a house! We are both tired of renting and ready to take the dive into homeownership. However, even though we both really want to get into a house right now we are torn because we also really want to get out of some debt. So unless the market makes a huge turn around we will probably stay away from house hunting for a few more months.

Matt's New Blog

Well Matt has decided that he is soooo much cooler than our blog and has started his own. You should check it out at http://biteofeverything.blogspot.com/.

Last Day of the AirForce

Well today is Matt's last day of being active duty military. I know he is pretty pumped not to be government property anymore but it is bittersweet for me. Even though I'm happy with the decision I have to say I will somewhat miss the military life. I always felt comforted to know that if something bad happened the military would help us out. They might give you twenty different unpractical or insane solutions but eventually they came up with a solution that was somewhat reasonable. I will definitely miss the people, it was comforting to know that even when you are away from your loved ones you still had a family. However, I will not miss the deployments, the phone calls at 3 in the morning telling Matt he needed to come in, or being so far away from Utah.

On a seperate note, I have been home now for almost three months and Matt has been here about a month. We had a good trip back to Utah even though we had a hard time motivating ourselves to drive that long distance again. Luckily we took the southern route back so at least it was a change in scenery. It is definitely nice having him here with me now. I also want to congratulate Matt on receiving his Associates Degree. I know it was a long road and I'm very proud of him for completing it. Other than that we don't have too much new going on, Roxie is adjusting very well and loving my parents' backyard. She even likes snow which was extremely surprising. Well I hope everyone is doing well and hopefully we can see you all soon!

New Job and Other News

Well I was able to find a job and have been working there for about a week and a half now. I help students register for classes at one of the local colleges, something I have been aiming to do for awhile. I finally feel like my schooling is paying off, which is nice since recently I had to start paying the loans back. :)

In other news, the movers came and picked up our stuff in Virginia a couple weeks ago and dropped it off a few days ago. Everything made it safe and sound with the exception of one cabinet. We weren't too attached to it, I just used it to put my pictures in, so not that big of a deal. So Matt has been living in our house for alittle over a week now with no furniture and not much cookware. Surprisingly he still has been cooking rather creatively actually. He has been trying to get rid of everything in our pantry before he leaves and has been making some interesting creations. For instance, he found Beef Stroganoff and some taco shells and decided to make beef stroganoff tacos. It sounds pretty disgusting to me but he seemed to enjoy it. Other than mixing and matching food items, Matt has been busy trying to get everything in order for his move. He has had the job of cleaning the house and the yard, on top of all that he has to wrap up at work. Luckily, he finished up his class a couple weeks ago, so that has freed up some of his time.

We are nearing the end of our time apart and I'm looking forward to seeing him in less than two weeks. I will be flying out to Missouri to meet up with him and then we will drive back together. Being apart is never easy especially around the holidays. Howevery, it has been easier than last year, mainly because our communication hasn't been limited this time around.

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! I hope you all are well and are enjoying the holidays.

Our Journey from Virginia to Utah...Part 1

On Tuesday, we all plied into the car to begin our road trip. When I say all, I really mean all, Matt, me, Roxie, my plants, clothes, and boxes filled with miscellaneous items, so as you can imagine it was a full car. Since Matt had to work a half day, I drove the first leg of our journey so he could rest up. Roxie had a rough start (I think she thought we were taking her to the vet) she cried for the first ten minutes but soon relaxed. Everything was going smoothly until we hit West Virginia when we hit a blizzard. It was lightly snowing and then all of a sudden I couldn't see five feet in front of me. Now being that I have spent the last three winters in a place that rarely even sees a hint of snow, I was a bit freaked out. I have become quite the wuss when it comes to driving in the snow; I lasted about another twenty minutes and gave the wheel to Matt. Of course, as soon as Matt started driving it was blue skies and sunshine! I got off the highway and it was a blizzard, Matt gets back on the highway, not even five minutes later and the sun is out in all it's glory. Anyways, we ended up spending the night in Shelbyville, Kentucky that night.

The next morning we left bright and early headed to Matt's brother's house in Missouri. This leg of the trip went pretty well and we got to their house about 2 p.m. It was fun seeing them and being able to spend at least a night just hanging out. We always have a good time with them, here are some pictures of our night in Missouri.


The next day, we loaded back into the car, not as chiper as the days before knowing we still had a long way to go. By this point my plants were looking pretty sad and I was just hoping they can make it a couple more days. We had to take a lot of back roads in Missouri to get back on the highway so we saw a lot of countryside and small towns. AFTER, at least six hours we finally crossed into Nebraska not exactly a better view but at least it was a different state. Matt's favorite state is Nebraska, don't ask me why it is so BORING to drive through. The picture above is what we saw for the rest of that day, as you can see it even bored Roxie. :) We called it a night in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

It took a lot of motivation to get into the car that fourth day, even though we were in Wyoming we still had more than 400 miles to go. We got into the Utah about 3:30 p.m. and Matt left the next morning to fly back to Virginia. Everything but the plants made it to Utah in the same condition they left Virginia in. My poor plants are in intensive care and its not looking good, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they pull through. It's nice to be out of the car and back in Utah and luckily we get a month break before we have to do the trip again.

USS North Carolina
Before Matt and I made the journey acrossed the country, we made a day trip down to Wilmington, North Carolina to see the ship Matt's Grandpa served on in World War II, the USS North Carolina. It was a total of ten hours in the car that day but it was well worth it the trip. The ship was amazing, we were able to go to all the different levels and see how the crew lived on a daily basis out at sea. We were even allowed down in the engine room. I had to include the picture of the crew's toilets because there was no privacy at all. It was basically a trough with some seats and a couple of partions for "privacy." Unfortunately, the ship was only open until five in the evening so we had to leave without the full experience. There was so much to see that after four hours on the ship we still weren't able to see it all. Regardless, it was a lot of fun to read the crew's stories and an amazing experience to be standing on the same ship his Grandpa served on.

Change in Plans

Last week, I was told that my company could no longer pay me and my last day would be November 14. Working in the real estate industry I saw this coming but was happily living in denial and praying they would be able to keep me until, at least, the middle of December. Well as we all know things usually don't go as planned and this definitely put a wrench in our plans. Our choices were either for me to find a temporary job for a month or for me to move back to Utah early. Matt and I have decided our best option is for me to move back early. Hopefully, I will be able to land a job before Matt is done and we won't have a period of us both being unemployed. So if anyone knows of someone hiring, let me know. :) I feel like I have a million things to do before I leave and I'm sad to say goodbye to some really good friends. It was a bittersweet decision because I am extremely excited to be home and see everyone again and at the same time sad that Matt won't be with me. It will be the second year in a row that we will be apart for the holidays and birthdays but I'm hoping it will be the last. Luckily, we will only be apart for alittle over a month this time and we will be able to talk to eachother whenever we want. Matt is taking a few days off to help drive Roxie and I back to Utah and then he will be flying out, basically as soon as we roll in. Then at the end of December I am hoping to be able to fly out to Virginia and help him drive back. This plan will make it so we are able to ride in the same car with eachother and keep eachother entertained. I'm looking forward to our road trips and seeing you all before Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!!

This year we had a pretty calm Halloween. We didn't get dressed up or go to any Halloween parties. Instead we carved pumpkins, watched scary movies and handed out candy. Last year I was only home for alittle over an hour but got a ton of trick or treaters, so this year I told Matt we had to buy lots and lots of candy. Well we had about 15 kids come to door and we have LOADS of candy leftover. I don't think I will ever hear the end of this one. Oh yeah I almost forgot Matt made a yummy Halloween cake too.

Three tags


Tagged by Krystal
Three names I go by: Amanda, Manda, and Babe
Three restaurants I love: Red Robin, Olive Garden, and Ruth's Chris' Restaurant (can't afford very often but it sure is yummy!)
Three trips to plan in the next year: Well the BIG one will be the cross country trip to move us back to Utah. After that I doubt we will be able to go anywhere big but I would like to go to Starvation to go boating and Matt's Grandparents' Cabin for some relaxation.
Three things I want badly: Matt and I to get jobs in Utah, a house, and to be debt free!
Three pets I have had: Curly, Bruno, Ziggy
Three things I did yesterday: Went to work, made dinner, and laundry (I know, I know....exciting!)
Three fears I have: heights, snakes, and having my car go off of a bridge.
Three things I plan on doing today: Work, errands, and more laundry...yipee!
Three things I plan on doing tomorrow: Work, Clean and watch The Office.
Three favorite holidays: Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July.
Three favorite beverages: water, cranberry juice and strawberry lemonade
Three things I can't live without: Matt, my family, and my cell phone.
Three people I tag: Erin, Lola, and Rebecca

Yet Another Trip to the ER

Take a deep breath, this is a long one.

The other day I came home with a horrible headache and decided to take a nap, so Matt and I laid down for about forty minutes. When we woke up my headache had eased but Matt had a full blown migraine now. He gets these every once in awhile and usually is able to just sleep them off but this one was different; it was extremely intense. He was throwing up a lot more than normal and he was unable to fall asleep due to the pain being so severe. I wasn't sure if we should take him to the ER or not, so I called to see if I could get into his doctor. Well, of course, the doctor had gone home for the day, so they connected me to the on call doctor. She said we needed to go to the Urgent Care on base, since he was active duty. So we packed up and headed to the base, once we got there we were greeted with an extremely small room packed with at least twenty people. There was a small check in desk that I nearly dropped everything off of because I am such a clutz. Once, I was finally able to pick up a check-in form and pen without dropping ten other things we went and tried to find a seat in the sea of people. Now let me paint you a picture, this waiting room was the worst I have ever been to. The seats and rows are were so close that your knees were literally touching the person seating opposite of you. It was like they wanted disease to spread faster. They had a tv on full blast, so everyone was talking over it just to be heard. Not the best environment with someone with a migraine; I felt awful for Matt. We ended up lasting maybe another forty minutes before calling it quits and decide this was hurting not helping the situation. We make it back to the car and I am determined to find somewhere else we can go. I get on the phone and call an urgent care center close to our house, they said they take our insurance but of course, they need a referral. So I spent about another twenty minutes on the phone trying to get a referral only to learn after a couple of transfers and hopeful representatives that his doctor would be the ONLY one able to issue one!!! In desperation I asked for the tenth time if there was anywhere else we could go and FINALLY someone said we can go to the ER at any hospital. GEEZZZ, if they would have said that about 3 hours ago we would be done with this ordeal by now. So we head to the hospital, check Matt in and began the waiting game again. Luckily, this waiting room was more spread out and the tv was much softer. Once, we were seen by a doctor he ordered a shot for Matt and wait to see if it would work. Luckily, he started feeling better very soon. After observing him for awhile, they released us but I'm not done with the night yet.

By the time we got out of the hospital it was late and we were starving, well probably more me than Matt. So I headed to chick-fil-a and pulled up at the 10:03, they closed at 10. :( So we went to Wendy's and waited in line for about twenty minutes to find out they were out of chicken nuggets! So we tried our luck at McDonald's and they were open and had food available! So after leaving the house at 5:00 we finally rolled into the driveway at about 11:30. We were so exhausted, I just hope we are done with the ER for awhile.

Who Needs Kids...Install an HVAC Unit

Not Really but I found the title amusing since Matt and I are getting so much joy from our newly installed central air. For those of you have not experienced the debilitating summers that living in Virginia with a window unit can produce, you might not fully understand our joy. However, if you have been to our house when it is summer and made it out alive you will probably share in our excitement. No more wearing a sweater and hiding under a blanket when it is 110 degrees out, because our living room is 55 degrees to keep the rest of the house at a warm 78 degrees. No more hearing Matt whine and complain because it's too hot. We finally can move around the house without taking off or putting on more clothes to account for the temperature difference. No more screaming over the deafening sound of the window unit, just to hear eachother. Oh yes we are soooooo very excited. Even though the summer is pretty much over the central air will still be nice in the winter. Before we just had baseboard heat and I don't think that worked very well at all. I always felt like I would lose a finger or a toe from frost bite because it was freezing in our house. So please join us in welcoming our new HVAC unit. lol.

Our Nature Walk

A couple weekends ago Matt and I decided to go to one of the local parks and stretch our legs. The day before we had been couped up inside all day due to Tropical Storm Hannah. It just turned out to be some wind and rain but we took advantage and made it a lazy day. The next day it was a beautiful day, so we headed out to Deer Park. We hadn't been to this park since we first moved here so we decided it would be fun to revisit it. We found a nature trail tucked away towards the back of the park, here are some pictures from that day. It was so green and tranquil that it felt that we were hidden in the country that is until we heard the train roll by which brought us back to reality.

Tagged

I am: a worrier
I know: that I can't plan everything, even though it drives me nuts sometimes.
I want: a house
I have: a wonderful husband
I hate: liars
I fear: spiders, snakes, and heights
I feel: like I am getting sick
I hear: the microwave and the a/c
I smell: tuna from my tuna sandwich
I crave: cake
I search: for jobs
I wonder: where life will take me
I regret: some of the choices I have made
I care: about my family, friends and Roxie
I always: have my cell phone
I am not: a public speaker
I believe: in Love
I sing: all the time. I am the crazy person in the car belting out at the top of my lungs.
I fight: when I feel passionate about something
I write: to keep in touch and record my thoughts.
I can usually be found: in the kitchen or living room
I lose: a lot when I play with Matt
I win: occassionally at Rummy Dummy
I wish: I could see into the future
I never: thought I would be living in Virginia.
I forget: to put on Roxie's flea medicine
I am scared: that I will never know what I want to be when I grow up
I need: to clean the bathroom
I am happy about: moving back to Utah in less than four months!
I tag: whoever wants to

Baltimore

This past weekend Matt and I went up to Baltimore with our friends Lisa and Pete. Lisa will be deploying soon and sadly we will be gone when she gets back. So we decided to have one more fun trip before she leaves. Just outside of Baltimore there is a Medival Times, you eat with your hands and watch a bunch of different knights compete. We went to Dave and Busters afterwards and the next day went up to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Here are some pictures of our trip.

OUCH!!

Yesterday, at Matt's physical therapy appointment he find out a bit more on his ankle. The first xray shows that the ligament ripped off the bone, taking some bone with it. Then the second xray which was taken about a week later, showed that the ligament had re-attached itself to bone. We are hoping that the bone cartilage when make its way naturally out, otherwise he might need to get it surgically removed. We just need to be concerned if his ankle catches everytime he moves it. Also he found out that it will probably be six months before he is completely back to normal. So it looks like he will be in physical therapy for a bit longer.

Updates

Matt is still having difficulty with his ankle; he is walking without crutches but those didn't last long anyway. He went back to the doctor who wanted him get more xrays done and start going to physcial therapy or physical torture as he refers to it. The physical therapists believes that he torn three of his ligaments; one completely and two partially. Luckily after two more xrays they determined that there are no bone fragments that needed to be removed. So hopefully, the physical therapy will help him get back to being able to achieve his dream of jumping down stairs without pain. :)

As for me, I just wrapped up my last final and am looking forward to some time off. I have decided to take a break and not take any classes during the fall semester. We will be moving back to Utah in January and this will give me some much needed time to get us organized; well that is the plan at least. I will be transferring to a university back in Utah to finish up my masters once we get settled. We are both excited to be moving back closer to family and the mountains. :) It will be nice to be around family for birthdays and holidays again. Although, it will be quite the adjustment since we have been on our own for so long. We have endured both positive and negative experiences these last four years but looking back even the negative ones have made us stronger. The military life has given us the opportunity to see a lot of this country and meet so many wonderful people that we never would have otherwise. They have been our family, while we have been away and will remain life long friends.