Wedding Day Linkup...

It's been a while, but so much going on that eventually I'll get around to blogging again, maybe...

Today, though, I thought it would be fun to put our wedding all down so I could remember it in detail just like Melanie and Holly with the Wedding Linkup today.

{October 15, 2011}

Atchison, Kan. and Tracy, Mo.

As you may of read here Todd and I met on eHarmony in 2009. He proposed on July 16, 2010 (albeit his best attempt to make it happen on my actual birthday, July 12th). 

I always wanted a fall wedding because it is my favorite time of year. Todd didn't really care about the timing as long as it didn't interfere with hunting seasons (oh, yah, he said that!). I am Catholic so I knew it was not going to just happen in three months, so we planned for a long engagement of 15 months. 

Church:
We scoped out a few churches in our area and talked to the priests about their requirements for marriage and how long we had to be members before we could get married, too. Some churches are down right absurd over this technical issue, in my opinion. At the end of the day, I would say just charge people more money if they want to get married in a specific church. We were told by some that we had to be members for six months, others were over a year. Another church actually asked how many people attending our wedding would be Catholic because that determined if we would have a full mass or not (really?! That matters if the groom and bride are Catholic and want the sacrament of marriage?!).

The last church we checked into was St. Joseph's in Atchison, Kan. My hometown priest was a new priest for the parish so the good news was we knew him. We spoke to the retiring priest as soon as we became engaged about our intentions of an October wedding and to start the paperwork to be approved by the diocese. It took about a month and a half to actually narrow down a wedding day. Thankfully, we had time on our side.

Photography:
One of the biggest decisions I made for my wedding was the photographer. Being that I know a thing or two about photography because of my degree, I wanted pictures that were above and beyond what anything I could or my classmates could do from a photography standpoint. I would NEVER regret spending a lot of money on photography. A lot of people I know have skimped on that aspect and fully regretted it. I contacted Laura right away to say I wanted her to do the photos and to bear with us while we had to get a date set. She has become a great friend and I still look at my pictures almost two years later and think how wonderful she did. 

Dress:
My mom and I went to the large Kansas City bridal show the week after we became engaged to just "look around" at some ideas. I know better than that. We set up an appointment with David's Bridal to check out dresses that day after the bridal show because they gave a nice discount from the show. I wasn't prepared to buy my wedding dress that day. I was afraid I would regret getting it so early. I also had a specific budget in mind for what I was going to pay, but turns out my mom had other intentions. I tried on a few lower budget dresses and my mom was not impressed. The attendant mentioned they had a new Oleg Cassini gown that just came in the night before. It was vintage, kind of country, yet still very ornate and classy. Sold! I also wanted the elegance of a cathedral length veil because we were having a traditional church ceremony. My veil was very ornate with the same lace as my dress. I didn't cry or have that moment trying it on, but I was very happy with my dress. It would take about six months to come in so I figured at that point I wouldn't be able to really change my mind, which was good. 

So I got the dress, photographer, and church. Todd decided on his own to become Catholic so we started RCIA classes in September 2010. He attended classes every week until Easter where he was the baptized and confirmed in the church. It was a pretty happy day for me that we would have a full mass, we really could appreciate the meaningfulness together of holy communion at our wedding ceremony and raise our
children in the church.

Throughout the rest of my "planning time" I knew we wanted to do as my on our own as possible and look for the best deals we could find. My mom made all of the flowers for the wedding and we purchased a lot of real mums for decor at the reception site. She did an incredible job on the flowers!

Todd wanted a duck band for his wedding band, so I searched high and low for it for a few months. It was hard to have one made without seeing one in person. We instead had a custom ring done from a jewelry shop in Illinois and I couldn't be happier about his ring. I think it is unique to him and exactly what he wanted. 

I was adamant about not seeing Todd before our ceremony because I wanted the "look" on his face to be priceless. Needless to say, he didn't have much of a reaction, but I sure did. 

Wedding party:
Our wedding party consisted of our closest friends and family. We both don't come from very large families so we had a few friends stand up with us. Actually, my entire side were my friends. I am happy to stay that every single one of them (even though we have only been married for a little over a year and a half) are my best friends, still. We make it a point to talk and see each other. I knew I picked the right ladies! 

Reception:
We had our reception at the historic Platte County Fairgrounds in Tracy, Mo. I found most of my table decor from a sweet lady in Leavenworth who had a wedding a year before in Weston. My dad made the barnwood boxes that were on each table and the wedding signs out near the drive to the reception. I wanted a very rustic, fall theme so we went with purple, burnt orange and brown as our main colors. I wanted elegant, not country bumpkin even though we are country people. Here are a few photos from our reception:

I pretty much planned 100% of everything. I had help from some amazing vendors though. I wouldn't change anything about who we used for our wedding. They all went above and beyond for us. From our DJ, caterer, baker, reception site, etc. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

One of the highlights of our wedding was our photo booth. I was hesitant to do it, but I went with it because a friend owned the service and I wanted to help her. I was afraid no one would use, but it turned out that EVERY single person did. And multiple times! They loved it. We look at our scrapbook and laugh every time because it truly had everyone having a good time.

First Dance:
We danced to an acoustic version of Wade Bowe's "Who I Am". It is a phenomenal song and still makes me tear up thinking of how much I love being with Todd, for his laugh, smile, and making exactly who I am. 

The only thing I would change about my wedding is that my brother could not be there. He is my only sibling, and it was a sad day for us to not have him join in the celebration. Honestly, most of the tears from that day were because he was not there. He was serving our country in Afghanistan so we made sure and include him over the phone and with a photo. He held a special place that day right up front!

All in all, we had the best day. It was the most beautiful, clear blue sky day. Everything was on time, it went off without a hitch, nothing happened that wasn't expected. And we had a great breakfast the next morning with close family and opened our gifts. We then spent a few days in Mexico Beach, Florida, on our honeymoon where we now try to go every year because it is such an awesome place for us. 

What keeps me falling in love...

One of the pictures from his eHarmony profile. Look at his arms. Can you say, rawr!?!
That might be one reason I love him! He is pretty good looking. 

Remember how I posted our Love Story Part 1 a few months ago? Well with this blog post, I wanted to share a few reasons why I fell in love with Todd. Yes, if you're not into being sappy this morning, you can skip on...

Sometimes I catch myself thinking how blessed I am to STILL get butterfly feelings around him and thinking about him. For example, last week I was filling my car with gas across the street from Todd's work, and I caught myself being truly humbled in that moment to be so thankful for someone who provides for me and for the amazing company that takes care of him. So with that, I love that he is dedicated to his job and tries his best each day.

We spent quite a bit of time this weekend with each other which is a rarity as we both are coming and going most of the time between his hunting and my volunteer/MK stuff. Yet, when we are together, we are constantly joking. He can be a serious person, yet 85% of the time he has to pull a funny. He keeps life fun and shows me, who takes things all-too-seriously, to lighten up.

Todd does his best to help me in whatever it is I need him to do. He runs errands, cooks, cleans a little when pestered, and is my biggest cheerleader. He would kill me for telling this but he has even helped with a few Mary Kay things like loading my car or putting stickers on my books.

He is one of the best gift-givers, ever. I don't know how he does it, but he pulls off big surprises most of the time. He conjures up great stories to go along with the gifts, too. He took me on a trip, redid our kitchen, bought Willie, bought a "pool", ie. engagement ring, and countless other great gifts for Valentine's Day and Christmas.

Finally, for this post anyway, I adore that he is so passionate about something. This guy has spent thousands of hours perfecting his ability to hunt. He doesn't half-ass it at all. He even made it his career for a little while. I bet if he could make a decent living at it, he would. I cuss a lot about the constant dump of gear that lives in our kitchen, no matter the season. I always trip over boots and have to "hide when company is coming" the camo, guns, bullets, special deodorant and spray, arrows, gun cleaning supplies, magazines, calls, socks, you name it. Yet, this is what he absolutely loves. He spends 90% of his days working on something related to hunting from food plots to scouting to taxidermy. There was a time in my life that I resented all-things hunting, but I've grown up. I decided if I want to enjoy time with him, then I better like it. He is at a place in hunting where he enjoys helping others, too. He has taken numerous friends and family on hunts when he himself didn't get anything. This turkey season has been no different. He has talked about it for a long time. In February, he made sure everything was ready, even though turkey season doesn't start until April here in Missouri. He got his bird this weekend and was happy about that. I think he has been more happy, though, watching and helping his friends get their birds.

And for a million other reasons, I love him to pieces...

Todd's Missouri Spring 2013 Turkey

That Phone Call...

He is the one who has always done his best. Been there for everything he could (even the 7th grade quiz bowl meets!). Always been the person I can talk to. Love him so much!

I've been wanting to write this for a day or so, but still am finding it hard to find the right words to say without tears coming to my eyes. I first want to say I cannot thank you all enough for the thoughts, messages, calls, etc., about our family and my dad over the last few days. I know there was a lot of prayer going on and it certainly helps, a lot.

For those of you who do not know, my dad has glaucoma and had his first of two eye surgeries on Wednesday in St. Joseph. I was pretty nervous about it. It's not a big surgery, but it's your eyes! You know what I'm sayin'. You can live without a finger or an appendix, but your eyes! My great grandparents also did not listen to the doctor as they should have on their recovery and did too much and both lost their eye sight. I was scared my dad wouldn't do the recovery as he should either. Most men do not.

His surgery went great and he went home to rest. Thursday was his post-op appointment with the surgeon. It was going okay until the nurse took his eye patch off, and he mentioned to my mom that he felt hot and did not feel so well. He proceeded to pass out four times in the doctor's office and get sick. Not cool. The doctor said he needed to go to the ER across the street. That's when my mom called me while I was just sitting down to a lunch meeting. (It was that phone call I've been dreading my entire life)

I paid for my drink and rushed over to the ER to see what was going on. He proceeded to pass out again one more time in the ER and get sick. His heart rate as at a 35 when I got there. Who knows what it was while he was at the eye doctor or just getting to the ER. Either way, not good. They ran all the tests they could for heart attack, stroke, etc. Thankfully, all that was normal. The shortened version of the next three hours was that the doctor did not like the idea that his heart rate was still so low AND that he passed out that many times. He wanted to get some answers so they admitted him and said he would stay the night.

I was pretty cool about the whole thing until I came back to the hospital after my Mary Kay party Thursday night. It was the thought of my dad, in the hospital, being by himself. I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave him there all night. The last time I was in the hospital, in that part, was when one of the biggest influences on my life, Janet, didn't leave. It was too much, to say the least.

My friend, Anna, texted me to see how I was doing. She is such a great Christian friend so I felt like I could just lay it all out there and she would understand, provide some guidance. I said I'm okay. I said it wasn't the phone call I ever wanted to get. I was dreading the day I would. I've actually thought about this day, not often, but I have thought I was going to have to deal with my dad going through a heart attack or stroke. You see my entire family has something wrong with their heart. (My personal doctors are pretty on me about keeping everything in line because of my genetics) Why I think about it, I don't know, but I still don't know how you can prepare for the potential of something going on with your parents.

I've been working really hard since January 1st on my trust in the Lord. What is supposed to happen in my life will because He puts me there, in that place, in that season. I could go on about this, but I'm at peace where I am with life. I've even mentioned to another friend that I am not as faithful as I should be because life is good. Isn't that when we still need to pray, be thankful, not just in the bad times?

To say I wasn't prepared for that kind of trust in God is an understatement. I think it's different when it's dealing with you, but with someone else you love. I couldn't tell you how many times I prayed, said I know I should be thankful for whatever happens, I know He will keep him safe, etc. I finally broke down to my friend, Anna, via text, and said I wasn't prepared for this kind of day yet. I have been good about growing, I think, in trusting His timing and the things that happen in my life, but this. Not yet. She said sometimes it takes events like this to put our faith into perspective. It's so true! I feel like I am growing, but I'm still not there yet in trusting Him. That's my fault as a human. I still sin. I still don't trust Him as I should.

Beyond all that faith stuff, I spent some time with my dad after I went back to the hospital on Thursday night. I told him all this stuff, and snuggled in his bed with him that night. I didn't stay because he said he would be alright. It still kills me thinking about leaving him. Aren't dads supposed say that though, they'll be just fine? I knew he was in the best place he could be.

Anyway, I stayed close to my phone Friday while at work. He had some more intense tests done and waited to hear what the cardiologist would say. The doctor didn't come talk to him until 10 or so that night so he stayed another night in the hospital  His heart rate was still not great. I wondered what his normal is compared to what a normal heart rate should be. I asked a lot of questions. The nurses were great to answer as best as they could. I stayed again until late that night because I didn't want to leave, but I felt better about it compared to Thursday night.

The cardiologist said his heart looked good. There was really nothing to be alarmed about in the short term, but this was something to watch. He needs to watch a couple of things. We will get through it, and he will be okay.

Again, I really want to say thank you for the thoughts, prayers, conversations, etc. It is so nice to have such a support system. I know we are surrounded by such great group of friends and family who truly want to help.

Our Love Story...Part 1

I got an idea for this blog post from another blogger, Kassie, from Southern Girl Gets Fit. While Todd and my story does not include long distance over thousands of miles like hers, our is very special just like everyone's is. 

On our "second" date when my friend Robin and I went to the Buffalo Bar, and Todd happened
to be there with his friends too. This was the day after we had our very first date, January 15, 2009. 

Throw back a few years to late 2008. I had just ended a 5-year relationship with who I thought was my soul mate, high-school sweetheart, the air-that-I breathed kind of guy. It was not an easy relationship. More downs than ups, but I stuck it out because that is what devotion, trust, and loyalty are supposed to be, right? Turned out he had other plans. I prayed and prayed and prayed (can you really ever pray too much for something?) that God would open his heart and help us to be in a healthy relationship and to lead us to a happy life. The good Man had other plans, too. Thank the Lord for that! I remember distinctly hearing Garth Brooks' song "Unanswered Prayers" after our relationship ended and thinking that was for me, that "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." Yes, cheesy as that is, I truly believe it; I had to. 

So my parents encouraged me to sign up for an online dating service in January 2009 instead of trying to find a local guy as my luck had not been that great with finding a good, hometown boy. I joined eHarmony. I thought this better work because what 22 year old needs help finding a guy...online, nonetheless? Not to mention, that stuff ain't cheap! I was prepared to have to travel to meet someone potentially as I had known lots of other couples who had success with it, albeit they were much older than I and found their significant other hundreds of miles away. I was matched with quite a few seemingly good-looking, job-holding, nice guys, but one stuck out. I can't recall now if it actually had his town listed, but I remember getting a message saying so-and-so would like to contact you. He actually only lived 23 miles from me. How eHarmony works is you cannot call each other on the phone right away. They encourage you to ask questions first through little surveys, messages, etc., then as time goes on you can progress to email, then contact by phone. 

So I looked his profile over and over and over. Looked at all of his pictures and swooned. I really wish I could remember some of the things he put on his profile that stood out. There was something in particular about playing football in high school and getting knocked out and thinking he was in the Wizard of Oz, who knows! Although I was not overly thrilled he was into hunting that much, it seemed like he was a good, country boy. I was so giddy to be communicating through the site and email and it progressed rather quickly. I had not felt this way for a long, long time! His last message on the site was his phone number and that I should call him if I wanted to chat. EEEKKKKK! The ball was in my court now! So I remember I went out with a friend, Greg, to watch the KU vs. K-State basketball game in Elwood at a bar. I left a message for this guy on the phone, and of course he called me during the game. So I called him back later that night after I got home. We talked for quite a while on the phone. Talked some more on the phone like most everyone does. Then he asked me out on a date! OMG. I hadn't been on a date since I was in high school, like a legit first date. I realize I was still young then, but you change a lot from 17 to 22. Ya'll can agree, right? I told my best friend Hannah about him too. I knew she was from the area he was from and roughly close in age so I wondered if she knew of him or anything. This was a BLIND date. I was nervous I was going to meet someone off the Internet who was a murderer or something. She did not know him per se, but her family knew his family pretty well. Her dad actually grew up in the Dearborn area. She said I was probably safe to meet him. 

We settled on meeting in Dearborn where he would then take me to Kansas City for a dinner date. I can't even tell you how nervous I was! I needed the perfect outfit, but didn't want to look too dressed up. I wasn't sure if I should wear a dress or wear jeans. The choices, the choices! Just like a job interview, you get one chance to make a good impression. It was also 15 degrees that entire week so looking good in a dress was kind of silly. Needless to say, I wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a nice top. It was sort of dressy. I'm glad I didn't get too dressed up. 

I told Hannah that if I did not let her know in an hour that I was okay, to come find me. He picked me up at the Trex Mart gas station in Dearborn. I have to admit (because I can do that now that I'm married to him!) I was a bit disappointed he didn't have this huge, macho truck I assumed he would because of his job and hunting passion. His little Nissan was just fine. He was dressed in hunting boots, a polo, and jeans, too. We ventured to Zona Rosa and to Bravo! where we proceeded to have our first date. I had the tortellini, and he had the eggplant parmasean. We had good conversation, and the waiter came by for dessert. I think he was taken aback that I did order dessert that night. I found out later that he knew he was "hook, line and sinker," when I got dessert and he didn't want to pay for it! Oh my!

We then went to Dick's Sporting Goods to walk around and pretty much do nothing. We then traveled back to Dearborn, and I think we both were having a good time meeting and being with each other neither one wanted to end the night just with that. He asked me back to his house. NOT what you are thinking! I was quite impressed with how clean his house was for a man (turns out the man cannot clean for anything; his mom is a saint!). We played Guitar Hero for a while, and then I decided it was probably best to go home. I got the sweetest text message when I got home that said he had a wonderful time and could not wait to get together again. Awwwww.....he still gets me even after four years! Love that boy!

That is part one. I'll share part two at another time!

*~*Did you meet your significant other in a special way? What was it? *~*

Tough...

Bare with me on this one...
I still remember it like it was yesterday, my ex had called around midnight to tell me she was gone...no words can really express the sadness that came over me and has never left after I lost I feel like the biggest mentor of my life, Janet Libel. I never had dealt with the true understanding of loss and grief up until that point in my life, and it will always be the first one I feel like I lost without saying goodbye. Granted I wasn't part of the family, nor even her child or nephew or niece, but in the five years I knew her, she made a huge impact on my life.

I remember the first time I had met her it was at the Hiawatha pool while I was 17, a lifeguard, and had just graduated from high school and heading to K-State. She was with little Maddi and Lindsay, her daughters whom I had met a few weeks earlier while watching my ex's little brother Jordan's baseball game. She was also with her sister-in-law, Lora, and her little girl, Naomi. Wow, has time changed when I look at how much all of these "little ones" have grown up since then. I could have talked to Janet for hours and it was the first day I met her; she just had that way about her. So funny and always up for going out of her way to make you feel special.

I learned of how her and her husband, Pat, used to babysit my ex when they were a young couple, teach him how to ride horses, show him a thing or two about driving a truck and genuinely be involved in his life. She just was that type of mother, never missing a football or cheer practice, baseball game, volleyball match, whatever it was, she was there watching and being the biggest cheerleader for her four children.

She also married into the Catholic church. I think that was the biggest takeaway I had from her. She had a quiet, unrelenting belief in God and His love for us. She taught me to have a relationship with the Lord through prayer even if the church doesn't teach it, to always expect good to happen and things happen for a reason. She also made sure I didn't feel bad for who I was and how I was raised in the church even though I was dating someone outside the church at the time. And once again, she was the first to be the volunteer at any activity at St. Benedict's.

Janet was diagnosed with breast cancer about two years before I started dating my ex. It was in between my sophomore and junior years of college that she started to get really sick. She was a fighter though and we really thought she had beat it for about a year. Then it came back very aggressive in all parts of her body. But the biggest thing about Janet was she NEVER gave up. She never wanted to leave her children and fought so hard to be here for them. It was her body that gave out on her not her will to fight.

Her funeral was almost unbearable to get through, but I will tell you I have never seen such an outpouring of love for someone than at her rosary and funeral. You see, St. Benedict's is out in the middle of a corn field south of Bendena, Kan. People were lined up out of the church, down the steps, across the church lawn, and clear down the entire section of the cornfield to say their last goodbye to her. All of the guys wore pink too! It would have made her laugh and I'm sure say a funny joke or two about how no one needed to fuss over her. I'm still thankful my brother could come that day to help me get through it.


There are so many other memories of her...and even though lots of "stuff" has happened between then, both good and bad, I know she is still teaching me to be a better follower of Christ, sister, daughter and future wife and mother.

Long story short, it will be less than a month from now that I remember her last day with us, Sept. 12. It is very bittersweet for me because it is my niece's birthday (and that was an incredibly emotional day for me too) and the day Janet left this world to be with her Lord and Savior. I can't bring myself to be a part of the Relay for Life in Doniphan County any more, but I try to do my best to honor her with other things.

This past weekend one of my best high school friends, Mallory Sheeran, ran the Race for the Cure with me in Kansas City. Talk about an emotional high the entire morning. It was so energetic, fun and uplifting to know others have dealt with the same loss but are fighting to find a cure. One man I ran behind at about mile 2 totally made me break down and bawl because of his tribute to his wife on the back of his t-shirt. It said, "In loving memory, XXX, I cannot wait to find this cure and be walking beside you in paradise soon enough." Wow, it all came full-circle at that point, and the sadness came over me from losing Janet, but I truly with every fiber in my being and as hokey as it sounds believe she was helping me run that day. It was the best time I've ever had, the most fun I've ever had, the best I've ever felt; it was just an amazing day. And I'm so glad I could do something small to keep honoring her.

Sorry this is sideways, but my tribute to Janet on race day.

"And I thought I was tough,"....

They played this as the last song at her funeral...

Tough
Craig Morgan

She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough

She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know, the test showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough....

Blessed beyond measure...

I have to say I have been blessed beyond measure and words with the greatest friends. They all are my friends from different times of my life, but they all seem to be the most real, fun, down-to-earth women you'll meet. I guess that's why they are my friends! We celebrated my bridal shower on Saturday along with my bachelorette party in Kansas City. It was probably one of the top five moments of my life reflecting on how blessed I am to be surrounded and supported and loved by these women. I can't wait for October and certainly can't wait for more memories to come with more weddings, babies and fun times as friends.

Thanks for making me feel like a million dollars this weekend, ladies!

All of us in the wedding party waiting outside at P&L.

Our first shot of the evening, a chocolate cake shot, thanks to Katelyn!

Happy Birthday!! The Big 2-9

Today is Todd's birthday! I thankfully spent 45 minutes with him today (unlike most days) so I could give him a little smooch and a birthday present. I wanted to surprise him just as he did me on my birthday last year (ok, so his way of going about my engagement ring was one of the best jokes EVER!). I got him a hilarious Hoops and Yo-Yo card that referenced "getting a great catch" which I think I certainly have with him. We are also going on our float trip tomorrow so I'm pretty excited about some trout fishing with my new pink fishing pole.

Oh, yeah I was talking about Todd's birthday, not fishing...I found this awesome Case/Farmall t-shirt that had a vintage look to it with the state of Missouri in the background behind the Case logo. I thought it was a pretty sweet throwback to the state I now live in and Todd loves dearly. I then gave him what he wants...a duck band wedding ring. You may be asking, "what is that?"

This is a photo of a true duck band ring.

This is a photo of one similar to the one Todd got. His is a bit
smaller in diameter but has the same wording with our
wedding date and names.

Well as all the websites have said for the hunter who has everything, which Todd really does, this is the best gift. He has said he wanted it for his wedding ring. It can either be a real duck band that comes off a duck or goose from the field that has been tagged, or you can have one made with your wedding date, initials, names, whatever you want on it and it still looks like a duck band. I opted for the later. Here is a picture of what it looks like from the artist (not really his ring, but you get the picture). Pretty cool, huh? At first I was like, "Oh no, that is going to look so hideous in our wedding pictures," but I came around and remembered that Todd spent some time looking for and money buying the type of ring I wanted, so I wanted to do the same for him. I'm kind of excited about it now. As I said in the card, it should be a reminder of our faith in each other but also his first love, hunting.

I hope he really likes it!

It's a Boston Thing

I really have no idea what got me hooked on the Boston Terrier breed; I always say it was the Disney movie, Lilo and Stitch because I thought whomever designed Stitch must have been a Boston owner. No one I have ever known prior to me owned one, but I just knew throughout college I wanted one. After graduation and finally settling in Wathena, my mom and I went to KC for my job interview for an Extension job and hit the Independence mall when we were done. We should have known, as most of our shopping trips go, that we should have skipped right on past the pet store. Nope, of course we had to stop in and low and behold in the far corner they had a little Boston puppy. Oh, I wanted him so bad. He was so cute, loveable, and a licker. We ended up taking him home, and that was my first Boston, Tux. He was born on Christmas Eve and became the love of my life at the that time. Here is one of his puppy pictures:

Melissa's Lil Tuxedo was such a great little Boston.

He grew up fast, and summertime came. The "past life" gave me one of the best birthday presents ever, Miss Tillie Mae. I have to be honest though, I really didn't want her. I wanted my boy, Tux. She was not as cute as Tuxers and I couldn't care for two dogs. So she stayed with me, and Tux went with the "past life," and on weekends we'd see each other. Here is a picture of Tillie when she was a pup:

She is a sweetheart. She loves to snuggle.

That was a big mistake, though. When the "past life" did what he did as I mentioned in the previous blog post, he took Tux away from me. I was heartbroken since my parents had given me the dog for my graduation gift. I would never get him back if I didn't want to go to court over it, so I let it drop. Every year around Christmas Eve, I think of my little Tux man and get a little sad not knowing how he is doing.

I thought I'd be a one-dog-household for a while after that ordeal, and we were for about a year until Todd played one of his jokes on me for our one-year anniversary. We had wanted to redo the bathroom, and he had picked out a used vanity on Craigslist in Warrensburg and told me that was what I was getting as my present. I was pretty excited and waited all night for him to come home. When he did walk in the door, his winter coat was a little larger than normal and out pops this little black and white bundle of Boston love. I thought it was another joke as he had talked about "surprising" his dad with a dog for his upcoming birthday. I didn't realize the dog was for us. That is how Willie came to be in our home. Here is a picture of Willie and Tillie meeting the first time:

Tillie went crazy over him. They really do love playing with each other.

Needless to say, Tillie and Willie have been an absolute joy in our house. Dog lovers who don't have children understand that dogs really do become your children, and they certainly run the roost in our house. The Boston breed sure does have its idiosyncrasies like the snoring, farting, inability to stay warm or get to hot, running like a crazy man around the house and ah yes, the infamous shred of any toy that comes to the house. This is what I got to look forward to the last few days while putting away all our Christmas decorations:

The two amigos doing what they do best, shredding any toy they have. Look at their innocent faces.

But I wouldn't trade my time with Tux, Tillie or Willie for anything. They are just such a funny breed to have and so loveable. I think they are rather smart; some people beg to differ. Either way, I love them, and I hope Todd continues to let me have at least one of them around. Oh, and if you are a dog lover and want a great read about happiness and life, you have to read this:

Bostons like this one can be so ugly, but I personally think this is the best thing about Bostons. They are so ugly, they are cute!

Until next time!