Thursday, November 13, 2008

In Memory of Sage


Last night Sage passed away. How can you love something so much that you only had for 2 weeks?? I have never loved anything I've owned more than I loved her. Replacing her with another puppy just won't be the same b/c I want HER back... Yesterday, when I saw that she was suffering, it hurt me so much to see her that way - in turn, it made me think of God and I could only imagine how much pain he feels when we are suffering. Sage was going to be my best friend....she had already given me so much joy and love - I wanted to show her off to everyone! She even knew how to sit when I gave her the command and she always wanted to be near me - if I went to another room, she would get up and come with me and lay at my feet. I cannot imagine moving on in life without her. I know it's possible but it is going to be so hard...I can't come into my room or look at places she has been without thinking of her. I've already put all of her stuff away - toys/crate/bed... I left pictures of her up and her leash and collar are still hanging up on my wall hooks. When I look at her pictures, I just sit and wonder if there was anything I missed, any signs early on that could've saved her life or anything more the vet could've done if I had let them. But now she is gone and will be used as a study tool for the vet students at A&M - they said that they could send me her remains (ashes) but I didn't see the point. She had a stuffed animal puppy that she would sleep with that my brother-in-law gave her - it still smells like her. All I can do is hold it and cry and remember that good times that I had with her....
She had been a ball of energy until yesterday - I couldn't wait to see her grow and see how pretty she would become. And I was so excited about taking her home for Thanksgiving to show my parents and friends.
Well, last night I had to put her to sleep at the A&M Vet School/Clinic. She started getting sick on Tuesday so I took her to the vet and the vet put her on antibiotics for coccidia, which is very normal for puppies - almost every puppy has it but not all of them get sick from it. She was supposed to be on it for 10 days.
As of yesterday (Wednesday), she wasn't getting much better but she wasn't getting worse either - she couldn't ever really sleep because she was noxious and couldn't lay down due to pain. She also hadn't eaten anything since Tuesday morning and the only water she would drink is what I would force down her with a syringe. She looked miserable.
Then last night, she started having a lot of trouble breathing, she was drooling again, her gums were pale, she fell over every time she would walk, she would twitch and turn her head in different directions (almost like she was starting to seize), and she had a blank stare on her face wherever she was looking...so I rushed her to A&M's emergency vet clinic. About 20 - 30 minutes later they came back and told me that she wasn't doing good. She had an enlarged heart and fluid/blood in her lungs - said she coded several times and was breathing with the help of oxygen but that they didn't feel she would be able to breathe on her own - gave her about a 2% chance of surviving. They wanted to know if I wanted them to continue with CPR and to keep trying everything they can - I really wanted them to continue to do everything they could but I knew it wouldn't do any good and that it would just be prolonging the inevitable - I asked the vet what he recommended and he said euthanasia. He said that I could take her home to die but I knew I wouldn't be able to do that. I couldn't talk enough to ask questions, so I just nodded my head and told them to go ahead and euthanize her. I can't believe she is really gone...She just turned 7 weeks old on Tuesday. I will miss her so much!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Halloween Weekend


Well, in my previous post I mentioned that I had finally made a decision on a puppy....well, I changed my mind and fell in love with a puppy at a different kennel when I went to look. She is precious and I fall more in love with her everytime I look at her. She is going to be such a good companion! Anyway, this weekend Sage (my puppy) and I went to visit Erin (sister) and Nick (bro-in-law) in Benbrook because they had a light week/end with regards to school and they wanted to see my puppy again. So Sage and I left College Station on Thursday morning and came back Monday morning. While we were in Benbrook, Sage got to meet her literal cousin (from the kennel) Samson (Erin's dog), go to Chee Chee's, meet Brian and Lauren, and play constantly! She loved visiting Benbrook/Fort Worth. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Puppy Days


Well, I finally made a decision about a puppy and mailed my deposit today! I'm so excited! I have been looking at different kennels/breeders for weeks and wondered how in the world I would decide on a puppy - they are all precious! After much debate, I decided to go with a puppy up in Haslet, TX. She's only 2 weeks old right now so I won't get her until the last week of November. I decided to go with her because her parents are gorgeous and I like the looks of past puppies from these dogs. They look a lot like Samson (my sisters dog) except with tan where he has silver - in the future Samson and Sage (my dog) should have some wonderful puppies for sale! :) I will include some pictures of the parents, past puppies, and my little girl - not sure which one she is but she's in there somewhere! Haha.


Dad and Mom




Past Puppies

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Weekend Ridez...


Brian and Lauren came into town last Friday night (same night as the bday party) and so did their friends Ben and Betsy. Because Brian was in CS, he had to take advantage of a scooter ride...so he and Lauren came over and got the scooter during the party and rode it all over town and to midnight yell. They put 20 miles on it within 4 hours!! Then after midnight yell, Ben and Betsy came over to ride it as well. On Saturday night, Brian, Lauren, and myself all took turns taking a ride in my uncle's newly built Cobra (yes, he built it himself and it just came back from the paint shop). It is quite a sweet ride! I think Lauren really enjoyed it but Brian was like a little kid!

Birthday Bash!

Female Rocky Balboa, Tinkerbell, Minnie Mouse, Dr. Meredith GreyLast Friday night Courtney and I had a birthday party at our house for everyone with October birthdays (which includes both she and I). The party started at 8pm and went till around 2am... It was a costume party because Courtney enjoys dressing up and because it's close to Halloween - so why not?! It was actually a lot of fun and there were some pretty crazy costumes! About 60 people were invited via facebook (she also created an event on FB for it). I think we ended up having 35 - 40 people show up throughout the evening. We got a record of 16 cars in the driveway (we told most people to carpool) and the rest parked on the street - luckily they didn't get tickets! Our house wasn't nearly as messy as I thought it would be after the party - whew! Here are a few pictures from the night....

Pocahontas and 1970's Athletic Guy

Cyclops and Wolverine


Monday, October 13, 2008

Scooter Ride

Ok....so I haven't posted anything in a long time b/c school keeps me fairly busy... For one of my classes, I am creating an instructional design project for a scooter training course. This past week, I have been filming while riding for the video I am putting together for the classroom session of the project. Here are a few sample clips from my rides. Sorry it's a little bumpy but I finally got it up to 40 mph - enjoy! :)

My next two-wheeled vehicle will most definitely be a motorcycle as I have found out how much I love riding! (Preferably a street bike - "aka" crotch-rocket)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Wedding Reception

Well, this past weekend I went to my sister and brother-in-law's wedding reception at Arlington Hall in Lee Park. We had a fantastic turnout and I was able to visit with people that I haven't seen in quite some time.

Me with cousins from Houston
Pat, Lisa (Steve's wife), Steve, me, and David


Ben, Betsy, Lauren, Brian


Me and Pat (Wayne's wife)

Wayne (mom's cousin) and his boys
Matt, Steve, and David

Monday, September 1, 2008

Aggie Football Forecast: Ominous


It's going to be a long football season if A&M can't get their game up to snuff! That showing on Saturday night was ridiculous!! Yes, there were a lot of firsts in this game...first game of the season, first game with a new coaching staff, first game with Stephen McGee not running and Javorski Lane playing in the fullback position, and the first game with new recruits but still, to come out and lose by 4 points is awful! Especially when we were winning the entire game! Oh well - better luck next Saturday!

Excerpt from a paper:

"Falling: Well, Texas A&M should make the cover of Arkansas State’s 2009 media guide, so there’s that. Aggies fans who wanted a splashier hire than Mike Sherman got more ammo after A&M fell to the Red Wolves, who were the fourth pick in the Sun Belt. The Aggies surrendered 280 rushing yards, 415 overall and Sherman had a firm grasp of the obvious. “It was a game you’d have expected Texas A&M to win,” he said."

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Summer Goals Summary...

Well, in a previous post, I listed my summer goals for this year and now that summer is officially over, I thought I would share which ones were achieved.

Finding housing for grad school = check! Courtney and I are in the house where my dad grew up (our rent house)...we love it and I have always dreamed of living here - so many great memories in this cute little house. It's also rather big for just the two of us so we are still trying to find one more roommate.

Getting a motorcycle = check! Well, it's not exactly a motorcycle - I got a scooter instead. I am stoked about it and can't believe my parents bought me one! It is so much fun to ride!!



Getting my CHL license = check! I finally received my license and am now legal to carry a gun with me...and to top that, my aunt and uncle in Burleson bought me my first gun!! It's a Beretta Px4 Storm and I love it! (Pics coming soon...)

Weight loss = not acheived... sad day I know - but that's ok...it's still a work in progress!

So all in all, it was a great summer and I am hoping to have an equally great fall semester as a first year grad student. I am really nervous about school but I'm sure it will get better once I actually start and get into the grind of it all.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

On the Road Again

I just got home this morning from a 12 day trip. I am so glad to be home but I had so much fun while I was away! I left Thursday July 24th to go to Houston for a wedding of two of my good friends, Paul and Deena. The wedding was small and sweet. Craig was able to join me as my date for the wedding and then he and I were able to hang out afterwards in Houston. We ate dinner Saturday night at Lupe Tortilla (which is EXCELLENT I might add) and then went to see the "Dark Knight." Good movie - very dark though...

Me and Craig

Some of the girls with Deena
I drove back to College Station on Saturday night after the movie and then left Sunday morning to drive to Burleson to my aunt's house. I always have SO much fun hanging out with she and my uncle! While I was there, we bought her a new car, watched movies, re-arranged her office, went to the shooting range, etc.

This last weekend, I finally took my CHL course and am now certified to carry a handgun! :) My actual license won't be in for several weeks but I am still very excited!

When I got home from the course on Saturday, my aunt and uncle surprised me by telling me that they are going to buy me a handgun!! So all I have to do is decide which one I want! I'm stoked!! Anyway, I left my aunt/uncle's house this morning and am now back in Dallas and starting to pack to head back to CS for school. This summer sure did fly by!