Lacey

After reviewing all my blog entries last week, I realized that there was something missing from my records--my little, fur-facie, Lacey. She's a Shih Tzu/Schnauzer mix and is 100% silly. We love this little furry kid. She was born July 2014. We met her when we were doing our regular commute from ND to Idaho, trying to get the house ready to sell. We spent one day down to Blackfoot at the East Idaho State Fair. One of our favorite exhibits was always the McKee's booth where they had puppies for adoption. This time we stopped in and found this

and promptly fell in love. She was so tiny she could fit in the palm of Tad's hand.

This is probably the only time she didn't pull out her hair ribbons.

Tad had been worried about the amount of time I was spending alone in ND while he was working such long hours, and so he'd been thinking about getting me a puppy. When we first saw her, she was a quiet little thing, but was probably overwhelmed by the relentless attention at the fair. When we went back to pick her up, the shopkeeper told us what a little firecracker she was. And still is!

curled up in her toybox with a few of her balls

She loves her toys and spends lots of time trying to get us to play with her, but she has control issues. She won't let go of her toys so we can throw them for her. She also plays games of her own invention. We don't know what to call it, but when she plays it, it is with specific toys in a specific way. She is so good natured and well-mannered. She isn't a barker unless there is a specific problem she wants to bring to our attention, but mostly is very quiet. She's a snuggler who loves to take her half out of our bed, usually our pillows.

Sharing Daddy's pillow

When her coat grows long enough, she looks like she's wearing a teddy bear suit. 

This was her haircut 5 days later.

We've had her groomed regularly so she's been able to sport several hairdos. She is a princess and loves to dress up, get new necklaces and even wears shoes to protect her feeties from the hot AZ pavements when we go out walking every day.

Christmas 2016

She loves people, kids and most other fur kids. She wants to make friends with everyone she encounters, and has quite a following in our apartment complex. Nearly everyone knows who Lacey is.

Helping me at my desk

We can't even imagine life without our furkid.

Third Time's The Charm

It's been a long Sabbatical, but I want to try writing this blog again. I have no illusions about people reading it, but it is a good way to get thoughts down and keep a record, if only for my own benefit.

There has been much happen in the last three years. We've moved again, gotten another grandbaby and gained two new kids-in-law. My sweetheart is also celebrating being 5 years cancer-free. What a blessing! There's been a change of employment twice and a whole slew of new experiences. Overall, the last three years have been good. I feel like we are in a good place.

We left North Dakota about 16 months ago, after the oil industry fell through the floor. When Tad couldn't find a job anywhere up there, we decided to try something completely different. After spending two winters in the great, white frozen North, we opted to move south--about as far south as we had been north. I have 2 siblings and we have our youngest daughter in Arizona, so it was the impetus we needed to come on down--that and the promise of job opportunities. We have landed in the Valley of the Sun and have quickly grown to love it. I tell people that after surviving winter in North Dakota, we thought we'd try summer in Arizona. Whew! Thank goodness for AC! But I do LOVE winter down here.

We gave up our lovely 4 bedroom home in exchange for a tiny, 2-bedroom apartment, but we knew what we were coming to, so we were able to donate the majority of our stuff and bring the necessities with us. Honestly, it has been quite liberating to not have much "stuff". We have just enough clothes to share a small reach-in closet, 2 sets of sheets for the bed and towels for the bath, our computers, our TV, a handful of books (that was probably the biggest sacrifice--to pare down our books) and a small percentage of my craft supplies. I kept enough to still be the "Crafty Genius".

We have made new friends and gotten reacquainted with family members we hadn't had to opportunity to interact with in several years. It has been a delight to see my youngest sister and her family on a weekly (if not more) basis, and spend time with my brother and his family. Our youngest daughter (the one who was just graduating High School when I posted last) has graduated from Beauty School and is working in a salon down here while her husband has his own pursuits. It has been a joy to be with her again. Our son was married two months ago and they are working and attending school in Nevada and northern Idaho. Our oldest daughter and her husband are living and raising their three daughters in Colorado. We are scattered to the winds, but keep close with phone calls and texts.

Left to Right--Front Row: Todd (Jessica's husband--holding Estella), Jessica, Evangeline (black t shirt), Elizabeth (green t-shirt) and Brianna (Scott's fiancee-now-wife). Back Row: John (Hailey's husband), Hailey, Me, Tad and Scott. Thanksgiving 2016

I'm looking forward to continuing to build our life here and the new experiences we are having. Life hasn't been perfect, but it is good and we are together.