Sweetness

I forgot to mention some very special things that happened with my neices and nephew at home last weekend! There were a few things that melted my heart last weekend. The first one started with my oldest neice, Macie. She came up to me and said, "We can't call Charles Charles anymore." I smiled at her and asked, "why is that?"  She looked up at me, very matter of factly and said, "we have to cal him Uncle Charles now!"  I couldn't stop smiling! She is soooo sweet and I love to see how much they like Charles. They always ask about him and really enjoy seeing him. :)

I had mentioned early that Charles had a very rough weekend. It was not a pleasant one for him. My sister had explained to Macie and Gavin that Charles was sad because his friends and family were sick. So the kids made him card! They colored them and put fun stickers on them. The top of the cards said, "we love you Uncle Charles!" and "Thinking of you!". How sweet are these little babies that they would make beautiful are for the man that I love. :) What a wonderful family.

Dog Sitting

This weekend my roommate, Caitlyn, is out of town on wedding business and I am watching her two biggest dogs, Manii and Shelby. They can be frustrating when they are chasing the cat and getting into things but they are sweet and fun to be around. I had an idea that I would try to walk Keena, Manii and Shelby all at once. I have never walked Keena with another dog. I can control Keena without much effort anymore but I had no idea how her two dogs would do with me in charge of them. Caitlyn uses a slitter for the two and Manii wears a little backpack and carries things for us! This time in his backpack he carried poo bags, bottles of water and a bowl to drink out of. We walked two miles today and it was about 76 degrees which is pushing the limit for Keena. She likes her walks much cooler than that. They all did very well and I was really proud of myself. I found that I felt empowered walking 270 lbs of dog all by myself through city streets, people and traffic. I think the lesson I learned today (one that Keena taught me from the begining) is that it really is mind over matter. I am not physically strong enough to stop these dogs if they all saw something that they wanted or decided to run off in one direction. The way to control these animals is by gaining their trust and respect. They know that I will take care of them and I feed them...and I have never hurt them so they trust me. It was a pretty powerful feeling for me. I plan on doing it again in the future!

Manii (drinking while laying down), Shelby and Keena.

Busy Busy

Phew...sorry it has been a while since I have blogged! I have been pretty busy lately! I went to Evansville last weekend to visit with my family since my dad's birthday was the 15th of March. We went out to eat to celebrate and I spent some much needed time with my family. Charles wasn't able to come with me this time because he had some unexpected family illnesses and had to work. It was a rough weekend for him and I felt bad for leaving him. He insisted that I go without him and I did have a good time. It was the first time to be in Evansville since I have been engaged and my sisters enjoyed seeing my ring for the first time in person. They also started helping me plan my wedding! It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing them. It was kind of bad, however,  because I gained .6 of a pound from that trip home. Too many times going out and not enough careful measurement. It's ok though....I am sure I will kick some weight lose booty this week. :) I bet you are wondering what Miss Keena was up to while I was away?! Well, she stayed here with my roomie and her mutts and had a wonderful time. The truth is I miss her when I go home without her but she has so much more fun with her doggy friends than if she were in Evansville with me. Here she can play and romp....but there she is the only dog and is locked up most of the time. Plus....distance makes the heart grow fonder! :)

Canine Companionship

  The best thing about dogs is their ability to love unconditionally. They don't care about physical appearance or how much money you make. Keena loves me no matter what mood I'm in or what I have accomplished that day. She doesn't judge me and she gives me the support that I need. Keena can read me better than anyone or anything else in my life. She knows when I need support and cuddles and will not leave my side until she is confidant that I am feeling better. Silently she encourages me to succeed in my weight loss and motivates me to make myself a better person. I want to see life through her eyes, I want to be able to forgive and forget like she can. She had a horrible start to life and was abused and mistreate yet she still trusted me completely to take care of her and love her. There was no hesitation on her part to love me, no period of adjustment....she simply let me into her heart and accepted me for me. I am now her world....she loves me totally and unconditionally. I feel the same way...even though I am a flawed human who does get angry when she does things that she shouldn't or maybe she's not listening to me as well as she normally does. She is more than a dog to me. Keena is my friend, my companion, my confidant. She doesn't tell my secrets or share my fears with anyone else. She accepts people in my life that love me and I know she will protect me from any physical harm she thinks will come my way. I watch the way she interacts with Charles and I really do believe that she knows that we have a special relationship and likes him more just because of who he is to me. That may sound crazy but it's what I believe. Keena will forever hold a very special place in my life. She is my furbaby....and a pretty awesome part of my life. :)