Hope Continually -- Psalm 71:14

Wednesday, October 18 Just Captain Jack in his pirate hat sitting out enjoying the day! He gets a LOT of kisses a day! Losing Max was hard.  Time to get back to life.  We did school and I took Sierra to take her driver's test.  She passed and got her Florida driver's license.  Congrats, kid!  Third one down and one to go.  Whew. We went to the test site early when they opened.  Then back for school.  Then off to Youth Group that evening.

Goodbye October. Usually, I am sad to see October go.  This year, it was for a different reason.  We said goodbye to our dog of almost 15 years.  Every ending has a new beginning.  I am thinking of this as we say goodbye to this month. Life goes on.  God is always good.

I've been making this recipe for years.  It is simple and can be cooked quickly.  Add a veggie or salad on the side and you have a fast and easy school night meal!  Rebekah's Hamburger Helper 1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef 1 package egg noodles - 16 oz. 1 can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies 2 cans cream of mushroom soup shredded cheddar cheese Brown the ground turkey/beef. Drain grease.  Cook the noodles according to the directions. Drain the noodles. Stir in tomatoes w/ green chilies and soup. Heat on low until warmed through. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, October 17 A really hard day. Jack seemed to know how much I was hurting.  He rubbed up on me giving me love. The girls didn't want to sleep alone.  I found them all sleeping in Autumn's room Tuesday morning. The spot where Max died - the morning after. This was the room where he left this earth. Jackson sensed my grief and gave me lots of love Tuesday morning. Max's body Tuesday morning.  Wrapped up lifeless. This picture.  Max's lifeless body in the background and Jackson curled on my lap giving me so much love.  Pets truly are a gift from God.   "I love you, Mom.  Don't be sad." We contacted a local family-owned pet crematorium and made an appointment to drop off Max's body to be cremated.  We buried Belle in Ohio and Figgie in Oregon.  Eric said that he felt so bad for having to leave them behind.  He wanted to cremate Max so he would never be left behind. The girls and I put Max into the car to take him in. I just had ...

This is a deeply difficult post to write.  Our border collie, Max, passed away.  I suppose I could not blog about things like this because it is very difficult to write it while the grief is still fresh.  The photos are even more difficult to look at.  I will probably write this post and not be able to come back to it for a very long time.  But that's OK.  I want to blog about how we all felt at this time.  For us to look back in years to come. It was October 16th.  Our third daughter's 16th birthday.  That day seemed normal.  I took Max on his morning walk as usual and nothing was out of the ordinary.  We were leaving to take Sierra out to eat for a birthday meal.  Autumn was at work, Addie at college and Summer was at home.  Right before we left, I called for Max to go outside in the backyard to go potty.  He went outside and went to the bathroom.  He then rolled around in the grass as he often did.  Then ...

Sunday, October 15 Eric is out of town.  After church, we got the second vehicle and went to the car wash down the street and washed and vacuumed both vehicles.  It was a beautiful day weather-wise. This is Brad, Addie's boyfriend.  They are so cute. I did a lot of cleaning - I got on a roll and couldn't stop.  Laundry, sweeping, mopping, dishes, etc.  It was good to get so much done and have a good start to the week. The girls took off - Autumn on the bike, Sierra on her skateboard, and Summer on skates.  While they were gone, I mopped.  Then I took Max for his evening walk while the floor dried.  The girls were coming back and came with us. I didn't know it that night.   But this would be the last photo I would take of Max going on his walk.   He loved it - he tried so hard to keep up with the girls.  Usually, we go very slow - his pace.  He was very peppy that evening - just wanted to be with his people.  Happ...

I love this photo with the church, fall leaves, and 57 Chevy. Saturday, October 14 I didn't know it but this would be the last photo I take of Max and Captain Jack together.  You never know when something will be the "last". Looking forward to some beautiful fall weather! This morning, I baked my second loaf of sourdough bread and I think it turned out well! I had no clue that morning that this would be the very last photo I would take with me and Max.  I took this photo after our morning walk to send to my husband. Avocados were perfect to make avocado toast with my sourdough bread! Oh my!  How happy this makes me! My heart! Avocado toast on homemade sourdough bread is the best! Snacks to send in a gift box to Addie and Brad.  Brandie is going to Pensacola for a teacher's conference and is taking it to her. Oh, Jackson.  You're such a silly boy cat.