day twenty-seven: pets
well,
it's been SO long since I last had a blog entry... I'm not quite sure
even how to recap. I just looked, and it's been over 2 months. It's
amazing just how much happens in that short period of time. Last post, I
was preparing to head to Virginia for my interview at Regent. The
interviews went extremely well, and I had a really great trip. I found
out a few weeks later that I had been accepted into the Ph.D program,
and life felt really, really awesome.
I
even skipped blogging on my birthday! I turned 25 on February 19th, and
I had a great celebration with my family. As one of my birthday
presents, Ryan got me a month of unlimited classes for BarreAmped. I'm
now almost finished with my 2nd month of classes, and I'm down 4 inches
in my waist! I love it, and I plan on continuing that healthy part of my
life :)
I'm
still working at the same place... I've been there almost 5 months now -
hard to believe! I'm really loving my work. That's about it for the
past couple months: throw in a few concerts, trips to Hot Springs,
Northwest Arkansas, Dallas, birthdays, Easter, and construction on my
parents' new house.... we've been busy!
So
since I'm determined to finish this "Blog Challenge," today's post is
supposed to be about "pets." What a sad time for me to have to talk
about this! It's been 8 days, and my heart is still heavy.
Last
Saturday, my family and I put down our family dog, Freckles. It's still
very hard to believe that he's not around, chasing his tail or barking
at random noises. It had to be one of the most difficult things I've had
to experience, but I'm also really at peace knowing that he's not in
any pain anymore.
we
all got to be in the room with him, holding and loving on him while he
drifted off to sleep. We stayed in the room and said goodbyes and cried
as a family. there are few times I've seen my father cry, and that day
was one of them. All he could say was, "He was a good dog."
Needless
to say, I was a wreck that day and a few days leading up to then.
It's so hard knowing that something bad is coming. I think I'd almost do
better with bad things just happening all of the sudden... At any rate,
my tear production was at an almost all-time high. Freckles meant so
much to me...
When
i was a kid, I literally BEGGED my parents for a dog. it was all I
wanted... I'm not sure where the love for the dog came from, but it was
there and not going away. I remember exactly when we got Freckles, too. I
was 12, and I was going to bed with my sister the night before
Christmas Eve. We were talking before we went to sleep, and my sister
said, "Carrie, you know that you're probably not going to get a dog for
Christmas, right?" My sweet sister preparing me so I wouldn't be
heartbroken that year. I sighed and said that I knew that was probably
true.
The
next morning, I might have gotten the biggest surprise of my life.
There's a picture of me somewhere that shows my reaction of COMPLETE
SHOCK as my mom and dad tossed a sweet, adorable little cocker spaniel
puppy on the bed and said WAKE UP!!! I was in utter disbelief. I don't
know if my parents could have given me a better Christmas gift. I
immediately fell in love with my puppy, and we were absolute best
friends.
isn't he just ADORABLE?!?!
at my 13th bday party.... and there's Keely in the background <3
before a Junior High dance :)
From
that point on, Freckles became my constant companion. He was a workout
partner, secret keeper, sleepover buddy, fuzzy pillow, entertainer,
trick doer (I even taught him how to sneeze on command), loyal, loving
dog. There are so many of my favorite memories that involve him. Every
house party, every holiday, every event... he was there, and he loved
being around everyone.
Saying
goodbye to my dog had to be one of the hardest things I've ever done...
because he was more than a dog to me. From ages 12 to 25, he was a
fixture in my life and was my friend at times when I felt like I had
none. He was there when I cried alone in my room as a teenager and when I
put on my cap and gown to graduate. He was there as I experienced so
many life milestones over the past 13 years, and the difficult part is
adjusting to life without him around now. I just miss my puppy.
bathtime!
such a cutie
what a sweet face
he didn't care for the hankies too much, but he looked so cute :)
no matter how cold it is, there's ALWAYS time to chase a squirrel :)
he always managed to end up under all the paper at Christmas :)
:)
September 24th -- Freckles' birthday meant a trip to Petco every year!!!!
Bella loved that pup!
my best friend.
our last birthday trip...
So
here is my pet. he's the best pet I've ever had... and he will always hold
an extremely special place in my heart. I know some doubt that pets are
in heaven, but I'd like to think that they are. If so, I know that my
best friend, Keely Ann, is taking such good care of my Freckles until I
come see them both one day. There couldn't be anymore more perfect to
take care of Freckles than Keely Ann.
Losing
a pet feels like losing a family member, and I struggle with feeling
embarrassed that I get so upset about a dog. That's when I remind myself
of the constant companionship of my sweet pup and know that denying
myself the chance to grieve it will only make things worse. So I cried
all the way through this post...to honor and love my puppy and say that
it's okay to be sad about him dying. His life made mine so much richer,
and his love and loyalty got me through some tough teenage times.
There's never been a time I've been more thankful that my parents budged
and gave me something I wanted. Freckles truly was the best dog.
im thankful.
carrie anne
Freckles Cinnamon Craig
September 24th, 1999 - April 14th, 2012
so sorry Carrie! what a beautiful boy he was. i can't imagine how hard it was for you to lose him, but so glad you got to spend so many years of your life with him! what a sweet, sweet puppy
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