What a Lady

Most of you know that I had to put my beloved dog down as she was suffering from lung cancer. I miss her everyday and wanted to do a blog post dedicated to her memory and all the happy times we had with her. 

 Lady came to us from our bishop whose daughter wanted a puppy but then they didn't have the time to train her and knew that Andy wanted a dog. I was so adamant that we not get a dog. I didn't want to have to potty train her, groom her, or take any responsibility for her. Andy begged and pleaded and said he would take care of everything. Little did I know that she would win my heart and end up being my best friend. 

 

 She loved to be outside and loved to camp. Every year we would head to Roosevelt to stay in the SRP housing and she looked forward to that trip.While there, we could walk her and she would get ahead of us, but then would stop and wait until we caught up. While camping, when I would get up to use the "potty tent" which is an outside area covered with tarp and a potty seat, she would follow me and stay outside until I was finished and make sure I got back to camp safely. If Tommy was outside mowing the lawn, Lady was right with him. When I refinished my chairs, she had to be out there with me. She would lay in the front yard like she was the queen. People would walk by and she up and to the sidewalk to greet them.

 She loved to chase birds and did not like them landing in her backyard. All you had to say to her was, "Lady, go get that bird" and out the doggie door she went, chasing the foul creature away. 

 This is one of my favorite pictures of her. She was loyal, kind, and loving and I think this picture shows it, especially in her eyes. When she was a puppy, she loved to chase her tail. It was the funniest thing to watch! She would sit with her tail between her legs and go in circles around and around on the floor. When it was time for bed, all we had to say was, "Lady, lets go night night" and up the stairs she went. She didn't like it when I was upstairs and Tommy was downstairs because she couldn't be with both of us.

 This picture was taken just a few weeks ago. You can see that she has lost a lot of weight and her eyes show that she just wasn't doing well. She still has a smile on her face and those kind eyes. 

 Lady loved peanut butter! We would give her steroids hidden in a ball of peanut butter and then stick it to the top of her mouth. So funny to watch her try to get it off the roof of her mouth. She always knew when it was lunch and dinner time. If we were not headed to the kitchen to eat, the pacing would begin. She knew that she was going to get scraps of food to eat, especially at lunch. It was just she and me and I always shared with her. She loved cream cheese and crackers, carrots, and red bell pepper.

 Towards the end of her life, all she could do so she could breathe was to lay on her side. That seemed to be the most comfortable position for her. Watching her try to breathe was just heart breaking as it was so labored and shallow. She loved to go on walks and Monday through Friday she knew she was going to get to go for her walk. I exercise early in the morning and it never failed that she met me at the door and would not leave me alone until we were out the door for her walk. I'm going to miss that time with her. 

 Lady loved these boys! These pictures were taken when we first found out that she had lung cancer. These boys were at my house all the time. They would get out in the back yard and chase her, but they could never catch her. If they were upstairs, she was right in the middle of them and they loved and wanted her there. 

 

 She LOVED Andy, and he loved her. He has said many times that she was the sister he never had. She was his best friend and he was her's. These pictures were taken about a month ago. She would get tired and head up to bed and one night, Andy followed her and this is what happened. Lots of kisses for him. 

 The funniest thing was to pretend that Andy was hitting me and Lady would go wild. She wasn't one to bark except when we did this. She would bark, and nip at him until he stopped. I always loved that she would protect us if any harm came to us. 

 These two pictures make me so sad. She was so sick and there were nights when she just couldn't get comfortable. She would wander all night long trying to find a place she felt secure and warm. There were nights I would wake up and she was beside the bed just watching me sleep or on the floor laying and waiting for us to get up.

 The lung cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and had spread into her bones. There were days she was not able to put pressure on her front leg, and her back hind legs. I found her in front of her water dish just laying there. The steroids made her thirsty and I guess she wanted to be near her water. 

 I love this picture! It was a rare moment that she felt good and actually was her self again. It was as if she posed for this picture, knowing this may be the last time. 

I will miss her everyday of my life. I will miss her constant companionship, and her unconditional love. She was a loyal friend. She made me laugh and she will always hold a place within my heart. Bless you Lady and I hope you are pain free and happy. I can't wait to see you again!

Pinterest

For the longest time I was NOT going to get hooked up on pinterest, in fact, I thought it was really stupid that there was this web site you go to to pin pictures of stuff I'll never use or make. Well I am now eating crow! Yes, I too have joined the millions of pinterest(ers). Why did I ever get started! I could literally spend hours upon hours on there looking up 30 different ways a chocolate chip can be made into a cookie.

I'm not a great cook, but I do okay. I don't really venture far from my usual stuff I make. I have pinned probably 20 to 30 different food dishes and have yet to try one. Part of my problem is that I have a meat and potatoes man in my house. I have to admit that since we have been married he has gotten better. That's probably because he would starve! One of these days I am going to surprise him with a big, ole, vegetable casserole!!

My favorite pinterest things are all the home decor and organization that is out there. It's like a virtual IKEA, only a little classier, store. I love anything with a bin, nook, hook, or bookcase. And I LOVE the whole shabby chic look!! The funny thing is, my house has not a shabby chic look about it at all. Well, maybe a little Shabby. I look at all these things and get so overwhelmed that I give up and do nothing. Maybe in my next house!

Well I hear pinterest calling my name to look and dream of more stuff that I can't have! What do you like about pinterest?

Tommy's Gone and I'm Bored

The title of this blog sums up the last few days, well sort of. Since I retired, which has been 6 years ago, I knew that I would have to find things during the day to occupy my time, and when you have worked full time for 30 years it is a bit of a struggle. You think you have to be doing something every minute of the day. I was lucky in that I was asked to be the 1st Counselor in Relief Society and then the President. So for the first 4 years of retirement, I was busy. Now that I am no longer doing those callings, life has slowed down quite a bit. At first I thought that I need to go find a part time job to occupy my time.  I even went so far as to apply at a few places. Ross, Sam's, Costco, a medical place that does hearing on newborns, and a few others. But in reality I'm only bored during the summer months because I feel like I should be gone the entire summer having all sorts of fun and games. Nothing wrong with the way I think! It's too hot to be outdoors and most of my friends still have kids in school so their summers are occupied. But, I really only get bored in the evenings, and most evenings Tommy is home. Go figure!! This is the time of year he goes away on his golfing trip, and he loves to golf! I'm really glad he got to go and the last few days I have shopped, ate out, got a pedicure, had lunch with friends, and spent time with Andy and Peanut. But come the evening, I get a little bored. I am trying really hard to stay up a little later at night so I can sleep in, but I have been getting up at 4:30-5:00 so I can attend boot camp. Since tomorrow is Sunday, my plan is to sleep and if I wake up, I am forcing myself to stay in bed! Repeat after me, I will sleep in, I will sleep in!!
Lets talk about boot camp. It's been good for me in a torturous kind of way. I can't run, and never have been able to run even when I was younger. I'm not sure if I know how to breathe correctly or what, but I always get winded within the first few minutes. My trainer that runs the Saturday boot camp is big on running. Which honestly just stinks, because I can't run! I need to get him to help me with that. The boot camp during the week is a bunch of ladies that got together and they switch off teaching. Monday is killer day. The girl that teaches has us running the track and then running bleachers. I'm going to be 57 this year and running the bleachers isn't something I can do very fast or very well. But I go and do what I can and I have made some new friends.
Well there it is in a long nutshell. Hopefully when it cools off a bit I can get more active. I have a vision of stripping some more furniture and re-staining. I have bar stools, and bed stands. that need some TLC. Hopefully that won't take me a year to do. Take care and hurry and get those kids back to school so we can play!!

Summer 2012

Hello my fellow bloggers! It has been a very long time since I have taken the time and energy to blog. It has been so long that they changed the way we upload pictures along with everything else. I have to admit it is a little easier.
Well let me get you caught up on all the fun the Campa's have been having.
This is my sweet dog Lady and she has been the best dog ever! I'm not joking, the best! She has had a cough that we noticed the first of June. We didn't think anything about it until one night, she coughed all

 night long. Took her to the vet the next day to be told she did not have kennel cough. The vet tried to get her to cough but she wouldn't. The next step was to have a chest x-ray. So she got a chest x-ray. He brought the

x-ray in and we could see a very large mass on her left side. The x-ray was sent to a radiologist who diagnosed her with lung cancer. Really! We don't smoke. The dog doesn't smoke. She is 11 yrs. old and chemo for her was not an option, plus I love her, but it is very expensive. So we now have her on steroids to remove the fluid, thus stop the cough, which she hasn't coughed since the day before she went to the vet. She is also on pain medication because now she has developed a limp. The poor thing! It has been 2 months and she is doing great, but it is just a matter of time before the cancer will take over. I just hope that I can have her put down when the time comes and she doesn't suffer too much.

 Tommy and I took a little anniversary trip before the ordeal with the dog happened. He had to go to Las Vegas for training and I tagged along. His employment paid for the room and his food, so we just had to ante up for my meals. We had such a great time. Stopped at Hoover Dam on the way up and walked across. They have tours that take you down the dam, but they are a tad pricey. For our anniversary, I really wanted to see Donny and Marie Osmond who are performing at the the Flamingo. What a great show they put on! Loved Marie and she was really good, but Donny was so awesome! The man is over 50 and he still can move like he was when he was in his 20's. Granted he got a little winded, but he still has it!! I shopped and laid out by the pool while Tommy was in his training and then we walked around the strip when he got back. We met up with some friends who live in north Las Vegas and had dinner and got caught up. Haven't seen them in over 20 years. Way too long!

After we left Las Vegas, we headed to Zion's National Park and did some hiking. We stayed in Hurricane Utah at a Roadway Inn which was such a dive! The room was so old and the breakfast was really lousy, but we managed to still have a good time.There is a lodge inside Zions that I would love to say at the next time we are able to go. I loved all the hiking and the next time really want to hike "the narrows". The picture

below of Tommy standing by the water shows where the narrows hike begins. You follow the creek up through the canyon and the water gets a little deeper to about waste deep. Maybe next time. We ate lunch at the lodge which had a taco bar. I'm not sure if we were really hungry or the taco bar was really good, but we ate until we were stuffed. We then did a few more short hikes until it started getting close to 5:00 p.m. and then headed back to our hotel. It was a great time and really good exercise.

On the way home, we went to Lee's Ferry and stopped to snap a few pictures. The height of  the bridge across the canyon freaks me out a little. I am afraid of heights and that was such a long way down!

We made it home safe and sound and the next week we headed to California with Andy and Peanut. We had such a great time! This picture is in front of the Los Angeles temple. The weather was just perfect and I love all the flowers they had on the temple grounds.

We went to Hollywood and did Madam Trousseau's Wax Museum. All I can say, is most of those Hollywood stars are teeny tiny individuals without an ounce of fat on their bodies! So not the way the rest of us live. Anyway I met Moses, Julia Roberts, Conan O'Brien, George Clooney, and Beyonce. They really do look real!
We went to the beach, got these wonderful donuts from a mom and pop shop in Huntington Beach. Ate at two really good Mexican food restaurants.

We ended our vacation with a trip to Disneyland for 2 days. Our first day was in California Adventure and it was such a zoo! Little did we know that it was grad day and so the park was a little crazy. Tried to see the new Cars area, but it was so packed that it wasn't worth the effort. We got to the park by 10:00 and in less that 20 minutes all the fast passes to the new Cars ride were gone for the day. Oh well, next time we'll plan that a little better. We still had a wonderful time. The next day at Disneyland, we hardly waited in any lines at at all. Tommy thought it would be funny to take a picture of me sitting with the "old" ladies on the steamboat. Might be funny to him, but at least I got to sit down in the shade!
Well that's all for now. My next big adventure is in October when I go back to Arkansas for my family reunion. So until then, or until something else wonderful happens, adios mi amigos!!

Tag is back. I'm it. And you're next.

Tag is back.

I'm it.

And you're next.

[if you're not into it,

i'm not offended.]

Here are the rules of the challenge:

1 - You must post the rules.

2 - Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3 - Answer the eleven questions the tagger set for you in their post.

4 - Create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

5 - Tag eleven people and link them on your post.

6 - Let them know you've tagged them!

(you copy and paste this on your blog)

As for me

here's eleven fun facts:

[1] I love to wear tennis shoes and would wear them to church if it was appropriate.

[2] I have a thing for my vacuum. I vacuum everyday except Sunday and it really bothers me if I miss a day. I think I treat my vacuum better than my family. I know, that is sooooo wrong!

[3] I think I missed my calling in life. I really wish I had been a mortician. It truly does not bother me to be around or work on dead bodies. Is there something wrong with me?

[4] I LOVE peanut butter and could eat it every day, 3 times a day. I would have to have hot chocolate to wash it down.

[5] Cleaning is very therapeutic for me and I actually would rather clean than cook. I would rather lick the toilet than cook!

[6] I love to tap dance. Yes, tap dance! Until recently I had tap shoes but got rid of them cuz they were gathering dust in my closet.

[7] I am a native of Mesa. In fact my mom and grandmother were natives too.

[8] I really don't like thinking of things that are fun, interesting about me. It makes me feel like I'm the center of attention and I would much rather be the person that melts into the wall.

[9] I have a secret, well not any more, crush on Mark Harmon. Even before his NCIS days. Did any of you see him play Ted Bundy? He's such a good actor and great eye candy!!

[10] I prefer to wear my pj's when at home, and if you come to my house, be it friend, foe, bishop, home teachers, etc...I'm not changing!

[11] I can watch the old Alias series time and time again. Maybe I secretly wanted to by a CIA agent!

(you put 11 funny things about yourself)

Emily's eleven questions:

[1] What was your favorite food when you were a kid??
Cheese crips with tomato soup. It was cheap and we were poor.

[2] When you've got 30 mins. with nothing to do, what do you do??

Read or watch TV. If I haven't vacuumed, then I vacuum.
[3] When was the last time you were nervous??

The last time I had to teach in Relief Society or give a talk in church. It's that whole being the center of attention thing!
[4]Which song do you wish was on the radio every time you get in your car??

Either Sweet Escape by Gwen Steffani or Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. Not sure why, and yes it is kind of sick!
[5]What's the first thing you bought with your own money??

I think it was a car. It was a 1969 Volkswagen bug and I LOVED it! It did not have air conditioning but it sure was a cute car.
[6]Do you have a friend you think is a BFF, but they probably don't think you are their's??

I hope not!
[7] What's the nicest thing somebody did for you last week??

My husband cleaned the floor for me today after the dog bled all over it. That's a story for another blog post!
[8] Is there a story your family always tells about you, and it bugs you??

Oh yeah and it has to do with my feet! I had large feet when I was an early teen and my mom would always tell the shoe salesman to just bring us the box instead of the shoe and I would just wear it. Of course she had to tell everyone we knew.
[9] When someone whines about their life, how do you stay happy??

I just think about my own and am grateful for my own problems and hang ups.
[10] What makes you the happiest, really??
Having my son and daughter in law over for dinner and just hanging out with them. They make me feel young and they make me laugh.

[11] What do you wish you did better, you just can't seem to??

I wish I was more creative. I have friends that all they have to do is see something and they can go home and make it. I am so jealous of that.

(you answer these, then make up 11 for your people)

Questions for you
[1] What was the last book you read and do you recommend it?
[2] What was the most life changing event that has happened to you thus far?
[3] Baked potato or french fries?
[4] If you could be anything, career wise, what would that be?
[5] Name one thing on your bucket list and why.
[6] If you could go back and change one thing on you wedding day what would that be?
[7] What colors are your bedroom?
[8] Who do you admire the most in your life and why?
[9] What is your favorite cookie?
[10] How do you stay calm in a tense situation?
[11] Pet or no pet and why?

People I tag: [Don't worry, I really won't be mad if you don't do it...you're busy, believe me I know...]
...and if I left you out, so sorry, do it anyway, I follow your blog!...

Wendi - Wendi's Happy Place
Stephanie - Me, My Best Friend & Our Little Lexee
Brittney - Blount Family
Jacque - Dream Come True
Rachel - Rachel and Chris
Terina - The Maldonados

Resolutions, Goals, or Whatever

I haven't blogged for a while because my camera broke. I feel like if I don't have cute little pictures all over my post that it will be boring. So if your looking for pictures, sorry, won't find them here!

The New Year has come and gone and I made some resolutions and really tried this year to keep them. So here we go. Maybe if my friends know what they are, they can help me stay on track!

1. Take off the extra 6 pounds that found their way to my rear and tummy over the holidays, and try to maintain a healthy weight. After 2 to 3 weeks of laying off the carbs, they finally came off. The older I get the harder it is to try and stay fit. I know I'm not going to be the skinny little thing from my younger days, but why is it so hard to maintain! I went hiking the other day, and besides the fact that I was the oldest person there, and they had to wait for me in a couple of spots, I didn't do too bad. That was encouraging, however the past few days my legs are screaming at me when I use them. I workout 4 to 5 days a week and have never been this sore. I guess there is always room for improvement.

2. Be kinder to my husband. I don't know this is hard for me because I love him with every fiber of my being. I do think it has something to do with the way he teases me incessantly. That's his way of showing he loves me but there are times when I would really rather have a hug or kiss! Lately, with just the two of us here, things have been really great between us. I think I would enjoy him being retired and "around". I went golfing, well he golfed and I walked, with him and we had a great time. I am looking forward to when I can make the time to go with him again.

3. Read and study more about my beliefs and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am in a study group with 3 other women and I just marvel at how smart they are and know so much. We are studying the Old Testament. We have a study guide manual we are using and read the required reading then meet every week and discuss what we have read. I look forward to this, but still feel very insecure about my knowledge. Maybe that's because we are all constantly learning and growing.

4. Try not to be so judgmental about myself, my family, my friends, my associates, everyone. Someone will say something that they may not have meant it the way it was said, but it comes across bad. My first instinct is "what the heck" and "why did she or he have to say that?" I had an instance just yesterday that really bugged me and then saw the person the next day and I was very civil to them. I think in my old age that I am getting better, or I just don't really care!

5. Finish my table and chairs. I have 4 chairs, 2 of them are captain chairs that are completely sanded. It takes FOREVER to sand in between the spokes on the back of them and in the cracks where the wood meets. My goal is to have all chairs and table sanded by the end of March. Still not sure if I want to do a black stain or black paint.

Well those are my goals, resolutions, or whatever you want to call them. They're attainable and not hard. I just need to not kick myself so much when I fail and as they say, get back on the horse and try again!

Christmas 2011

Well Christmas has come and gone and unfortunately my camera is having issues and I wasn't able to retrieve my pictures. Thankfully my sister in laws took some good pictures and I was able to copy them.
My sister in laws have started a tradition of shopping together every Christmas season and having lunch together. I look forward to this day as we laugh, spend money, eat, and enjoy each other without having to worry about kids, grand kids, and husbands. So we decided to take a picture in front of Jewelie's Christmas tree before we headed to Chandler Mall. Turned out to be a great picture and day.

Me, Jewelie and Penny

While we were out shopping they talked me into buying a Christmas shirt. I didn't want to spend money on a shirt I will only wear once or twice during the year or one that looked like my mom would have worn. But, I have to admit it was a cute shirt and I wore it to the Christmas Eve family party and all day on Christmas.

This year Penny and Rick, my brother and sister in law, hosted the party. We had carne asada, beans, rice, salad, chips and salsa, Tommy's famous guacamole, jello salad, shrimp, and a ton of desserts. It was all really yummy!

This my brother in law Rick who finally got a plate after cooking the meat.

We had our white elephant gift exchange. Above is Angela, my niece. She is patiently waiting for the game to start. Below is the gift I picked. It's a drinking game, buy instead of beer they had root beer with it. Of course it got stolen, in fact all the gifts I picked got stolen. I guess that's the fun of the game.

These are my nieces, Jewelie's daughter and her sister in law. The little one sitting on her mom's lap is a cutie. She used to have red hair but it has turned more blond and very curly. She was a hoot to watch.

Jewelie trying on my shoes. I have really big feet so they didn't fit her.

Yep, this is most of us. We still have family in Florida and Mexico City. We missed them and hopefully they can join us one of these years.
Tommy and I spent Christmas Day with Peanuts family and then to my good friends Wendi's house. We had a blast and it was so much fun to spend time with her son who just returned home from his mission. We ate, laughed, played games and just enjoyed each other.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a very Happy New Year!!