Day of MiXeD Emotions

Nine years ago today I was talking to a senior football player that joined the cheerleading squad after being begged for weeks by the cheerleading coach and sat twisting my hair giggling like a little girl...well I was kind of a little girl! :/ This guy was the HoTtEsT man at my school and I thought he had the sweetest heart. He was the southern gentleman I dreamed of marrying. The perfect guy that didn't party, drink, do drugs, smoke, treat girls like crap...I know SOMETHING wasn't right because people just do not come full package like that. Well he did and on this day he became my boyfriend, this of course was after many days/weeks even of my mom and my cheerleading coach trying to talk him into just talking to me. My mom even told him she would pay him as long as he would kiss me in front of my current boyfriend (because she HATED him). Tee wouldn't do it because he was worried about making me mad. Finally he went for it and nine years later look at where we are. Married, best friends, husband and wife...and most importantly momma and daddy! The excitement that he brings me every single day words cannot explain. He is the man God made for me to marry and spend the rest of my life with and what a blessing to have found him in NINTH GRADE! Don't get me wrong we have been through some VERY rough times, expecially in the past 2 years...but no matter how hard that time is on us and how tall that mountain is for us to climb we have made it through and those troubles have made us such a stronger couple and helped us grow closer than before! I look forward to the rest of my life with my tee!! I love you so much and cannot believe where we started, where we have been, where we are now, and I cant wait to see where we will be in the future! :)

The other side of my day is with our dog Duke. When tee and I got engaged I told him I wanted us to have a dog. I LOVE dogs and couldn't imagine having our family without one. So I began looking and decided I wanted a Shih-Tzu. Looked for one to adopt and found one in Tally. I went to meet Duke, who was Dollar Bill at the time, and fell IN LOVE! He was precious and so sweet, just full of joy and happiness I knew Tee would love him too. So I took him home. But at the time we did not live together and Duke was going to have to live with Tee for about a year before we would be married and I moved in. But the two of them hit it off and I think they really enjoyed being bachelors together for a while til Momma moved in and laid some ground rules! ;) Five years later things have gotten really tough. Duke is a very emotional dog and he gets really upset very easily. Being out of his "normal" zone throughs him curve balls that he cannot deal with. Ever since the sink hole opened and we moved in with my parents he has been very tense, which we cannot blame him it had thrown all of our world's upside down. I think he thought we were at Grandma and Grandpa's for a very long visit but I think he was ready to go home. Then Brody became mobile and that messed him up even more. Brody started wanting to reach for Duke and Duke was not a fan. He has NEVER growled or barked at anyone before but he would bark at Brody. It was difficult for me because I thought he was playing, clearly I was wrong. Duke eventually bit Brody, and we decided it was time to find Duke other living arrangements, we asked around and tossed around some ideas...but days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and eventually it was four months later and Brody was speed crawling now. He chased Duke all over the livingroom and kitchen. Duke would run the opposite way and if Brody came into the room Duke would leave. I thought he learned his lesson and would just avoid Brody at all costs. He tried but one night this week Brody snook up on him and Duke reacted naturally, snipping at Brody and scratched his face. We realized this was our second warning and next time it could be SO much worse so we started the search again for somewhere for Duke to live. Thankfully a man at my mom's work already had another dog and was looking for a play friend...and he agreed if the two of them got along he would take Duke.

Tonight he came over and Duke and the other dog played like they were long lost BFFs. Eventually it was time for them to leave, with Duke. This was the hardest thing Tee and I have been through in a LONG time. Duke was our first baby, he was like another child of ours. We loved him so much, and still do. It literally felt like someone was holding my heart and squeezing it so tight as I watched that crate go into the car and the car slowly driving out of the drive way. Thankfully the man took Duke because if he didn't we would have to take him to the pound and who knows what they would have done with him. But man this hurts SO bad! Those little fur balls become part of your family and it is so hard to watch them leave. I know this is the absolute best solution for our situation but like I said that doesn't make it any easier. I will miss you so much Pookie and you will always have a special place in our hearts!