Dixie

   Before my dad died I started looking at puppies that were for sale. I'd look online, in the classifieds, or the pet store. I kept telling myself that I was JUST LOOKING. My dachshund, Lola, is fabulous! She the kind of dog that makes you want another because she's so great. Well, I found out that if one looks long enough you eventually find what you said you weren't going to get. Yep. I got another dog.

 Dixie was almost 8 weeks old when the kids and I went to "look" at her. I kept telling them that just because we were going to look that didn't mean we were buying. I knew that before we left the house if I saw her in person, she was coming home with us. She was the cutest thing and the kids fell in love. I had her named before we even bought her... Dixie, after my dad(his name was Richard, but friends called him Dick).

 She had a spunky personality right from the start. She wasn't intimidated by Lola, at all. While she was small enough she liked to lay on the back of someones neck. She's way too big for that now.

 I told myself that I was getting her to help heal my aching heart after losing my dad. I had a feeling it wasn't right but I was sad and not thinking straight. Dad died Dec. 1 and we brought Dixie home Feb. 5th. She does love to cuddle. This is what has kept her in our home. That and the fact that the kids are attached.

 She waits for Aaron to come home every night. As she gets older, she has calmed down some. The problem is that she dearly loves her people. Those living in her house. However, she is not a fan of outsiders. She barks at any guest we have over. She barks loud and she barks a lot. I finally broke down and bought her a bark collar. It seems to work. Her barking has lessened.

 Yesterday, the 12th, was her birthday. She has made it through her first year of life and I find myself not getting angry as much. Aaron says the decision of whether to keep her or find her a new home is mine. But, at least once a week, he comments on how her behavior has improved and that he hopes she grows up enough by the end of the year to warrant me keeping her. I don't think I'll be finding her a new home.

 She's definitely not like Lola. Lola is calm and well behaved. She NEVER got into the trash or chewed up shoes. She was house trained within a week. In short, Lola is perfect. Dixie is the definition of 'puppy'. She gets into EVERYTHING!! And she's so weird. She like to lay her neck across Aaron's mouth. A friend of his said that's her way of telling him she wants kisses =) Aaron will not kiss on the dog, ever. 

I think I like Dixie more than I realize. I may always look at her as an impulsive purchase that should not have been made. That's because I know the emotional state I was in when I got her. I question myself on whether I would have a dog if I'd waited another 6 months. That's a question that will never be answered. My dad has been gone a year and my hurt is still very much there. Dixie may not be as well behaved as Lola but she's still a good dog and I think I need her.

Upside Down and Inside Out

     Well, what can I say? It's been a few years since I've shared anything. Much has happened since the summer of 2015. We've made another trip to the beach and a trip to the U.P. in Michigan. Lake Superior is gorgeous! Camping trips and birthdays and me turning 40 have all happened.

      The most significant things started in August of 2016. My parents went to Colorado on a mission trip with their church. They go somewhere every year. And every year I wait for a phone call from my mom telling me that my dad has hurt himself because of the work he's doing. My dad is a go-get'em kind of guy. He's knows his way around just about any kind of tool and he's talented with home repairs and building. He's handy on a mission trip. This is the year I got that phone call. The day after they got to their location(day one of work) my dad and two other men were on some scaffolding working about 12 feet up the side of a building. The scaffolding gave way and my dad and one of the men ended up on the ground. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. My dad broke his foot and his buddy needed stitches in his head. This event changed the trip for my dad. He felt awful after this. He was nauseous and just icky in general. Three weeks after they got home he was still dealing with a come-and-go fever, cough, and pain in his chest. A trip to the urgent care sent him to the E.R. This was a night that I'll never forget. My kids had just joined a swim team and were in the middle of their first practice. I get a text from my mom telling me where they are and to not worry and to not come(too may people for a triage rm). Of course all us kids are now worried and battling the decision of whether or not to go anyway. Another text soon follows. X-rays show possible lymphoma. World turned upside down. A week later he goes in for a biopsy. Sept 29th we find out that it's not lymphoma. It is, in fact, metastatic prostate cancer stage 4. This means that the cancer has already spread to his bone. I cannot express in words what I felt learning this. There is no cure at this stage, only ways to prolong life. We made it through the holidays. He was so sick that we were preparing ourselves for a funeral before Thanksgiving. He was put on some medication and improved in energy and strength. He started chemo in Jan. and continued to do what he could depending on how he was feeling. Some days he was great and some he couldn't get out of his chair. His weight went from one extreme to another. August 2017 came and we gathered to celebrate 47 years of marriage for my parents. Then it was again time for another mission trip. My dad, being the trooper he is, went. We were all worried but so glad that he felt well enough to go. They came home on Labor Day and moments after they got home he received a call saying his sister had died. He made the trip to Texas and co-officiated her service. This trip took its toll on his body and he ended up in the hospital for about 10 days. He made the decision to end his treatment and look into hospice. My dad passed away Dec. 1st 2017. Gosh, writing that brings tears to my eyes. I miss him enormously and my heart still hurts as much as it did a year ago. As we creep up on the one year day, I can't help thinking, "This time last year...". It's rough. His service was awesome! So many people loved my dad and came to love on us. It was an interactive time...we 'called the hogs'(google it if you don't know what this is). I know we'll all make it through. I have many friends that have lost a parent and they've been a tremendous support for me. However, it doesn't change the fact that my dad is gone. If I'm allowed to be brutally honest (and I am because this is my blog), I am not looking forward to the holidays this year. I should want to hang with family and be surrounded by the people that I love the most in this world, but that's not how I feel. I'm not ready for that, yet. I will host my in-law side for Thanksgiving and smile and put on a happy face. The next day I'll go spend time with my family and, again, put on a happy face. Dec 1st we'll take my dad's ashed to Arkansas. Not ready for this either!! I feel like, at every turn, my life has been turned upside down and inside out. Don't get me wrong, there are still great days. I still laugh and have fun. My daddy loved the Lord and I know that he's in heaven talking with all the people we've learned about from the Bible. Pondering the fact that he might be having conversations with Paul, Moses, Abraham, or Jonah causes my breath to catch. It's this thought that makes it ok he's not here. I know my daddy wouldn't trade what he has now to come back to us. Nor should he.

     Anyhoo, on to other things. I mentioned I turned 40? Yep, that happened. I'm now also the mom of two teenage boys, 14 and 13. My daughter is 11 and tiny man is 9. We're still homeschooling and surviving. I've started riding my bike again and have rode over 2,000 miles this year. I run every once in a while. Last week I did 7 mile in 59.26. The exercise keeps my stress level down and helps me process thoughts. I've also moved from helping with the elementary kids at church to serving with the middle school. I even went to youth camp this summer and survived(barely). Husband is wonderful and supportive in all my crazy. I guess that's it for now.

 

This was taken the day after my daddy's service last year.

Orange Beach 2015...post 1

We took our trip to the beach back in May. Most of the Caughern family was able to make it. Aaron's younger brother and his crew were the only ones who didn't go. I have got to say, it was AWESOME!! We had such a great time. The kids did great on the trip down and on the way back. No one got sick or injured. There were no fights or arguments. I couldn't not have wished for a better week with the family I married into. This will mostly be a picture post with a description of how we spent our time. The pictures will not be in any specific order because I don't want to organize them =)   Ready??

Self explanatory. Me and my love on the pirate cruise.

Pirate Levi. This was Wed's adventure. It was 2 hours of fun for the kids.

A view from the upper deck.

Captain Evan. He's really steering the boat. The true captain was so nice to let Evan do this.

Waiting for a hermit crab to make his move. 

Evan and his buckets. He had everything from a tiny jelly fish to shells in there. 

Heading out for a daddy/daughter date. One of my favorite pictures.

Dads and their daughter's heading out. Aaron's older brother and his girl, Bella.

They were able to watch this crazy bird swoop down on the fish and bring it back , and then watched as it gulped it down. 

Another self explanatory photo

These two, Evan and Dylan, earned the nickname "Minions" They were always together and had so much fun.It helps that they're both small for their age.

Helicopter ride was Monday's adventure. In case you don't know the older girl...that's my niece Tiffany. We brought her along for the fun. Every one rode and Katie and Evan got to ride twice to fill empty seats. The pilots were great.

This cute little crab just wanted to get away from us. 

Easiest kid to get pictures of. All he wanted to do was catch a fish. Goal met.

cousins...Levi, Bella, Katie

Me and my Evan

My fantastic in-laws looking at the back of the house we stayed in.

Beach trip isn't complete without a family photo. This was taken about 6:30 in the morning. And we almost waited too long. It got bright very fast!!

All 8 kids

A visit to the Naval Air Museum was Thursday. Levi and Aaron rode the flight simulator. It flipped all the way around in all directions.

Pensicola Lighthouse

View from the top of the lighthouse

the front of our house

again and again and again....

One guess who's feet those are

Camp Caughern. This was our set up every day. We would put it up first thing in the morning, about 6:00, and take it down in the evening, about 7:00. No on e ever messed with it.

The crew

We stopped over in Mobile on our way home and toured the U.S.S. Alabama. Very cool!!

These are not all the photo's. I'll put more in the next post.

Katie's 8!

My sweet little girl isn't so little anymore =(  She turned 8 on May 9th. She likes all things girly. If it twirls, sparkles, smells pretty or is any kind of jewelry she's all over it. She also loves to sing...when no one is watching. She sings and hums all the time. And she has a very pretty voice. But she doesn't like people watching her. We're working on using the gifts God gave us to bless others. This was a smaller celebration because we left for our week long beach vacation that next Sat. But she felt loved and got to do some fun things. She's growing into such a lovely young lady. I sure love her...

Wearing her new birthday dress on Mother's Day

She wanted a carrot cake for her birthday. I had never made one. But for my girl, anything =)
It was so yummy.

Her birthday doughnut. 

She got her toes done in preparation for the beach.

She got her hair cut

The end result

Warrior Dash 2015

 This year I 'ran' the Dash with my sis in law, Diana. We had so much fun! They don't time you anymore so the pressure to do really well isn't there. It took us about an hour. That's a good time for a first timer like Diana. She did great! And even got a warrior wound when her shin made contact with a rock. She was a trooper and kept on going. My brother Andy and nephew Tyler did the competitive heat. Tyler was the 19th to finish and has an invitation to do the Dash in Tennessee in Oct. He rocks!

Starting out!

nearing the end

This is the Goliath. Looks fun, doesn't it? Can you see Diana up in the corner?

Cold water!

Tiny flames but I wanted a good picture =)

Man! Are we nasty or what??

What a great memory

One last picture with our viking hats. 

Ninjas in Training

My kids have been taking taekwondo for about 8 weeks now. I have been so amazed at how quickly they've caught on. I knew Levi and Evan would do well because it suits their personality. But Ethan and Katie have proven just as fierce. We found a class for homeschoolers and it's been great! While the kids(all in the same class) are getting their kick on I get to enjoy adult conversation with other moms. I have had so much fun watching them during class.

First official day

Katie showing her fierceness

Just cause he's so stinkin' cute

Ethan being tortured by a girl...won't be the last time =)

Working on high kicks

This was taken today. 8 weeks after they started. All 4 are ready to test for the next level belt.