love

During our ordeal with losing Max, we were showered by love from family, friends and strangers.  Here is what I want to remember:

Family:  After calling Allen, he said to call my parents and he would call his, to help us. (Allen had patients all day and so he was back and forth looking and in the office).  They dropped every thing and came to help.  I got a random text from Lisa and I told her we lost Max and to call Mom for details.  The next thing I knew she was there along with David.  Lori drove with me all the next day as we looked.  Before I knew it Marianne had made fliers at her work and they were being posted.  I hadn't even thought about needing posters up asap.  I really wasn't thinking at all.  My loving family did that for me.    And when our paths would cross, they would hug me and let me cry, and forgive me for not stopping and talking.  Some of them were leaving on trips the next day, and still gave all the time they could to help us.  When Lisa had to leave she called a friend of mine that has dogs and asked her to help because Lisa knows me well and knew I wouldn't ask anyone to help.  I can't thank her enough for that.

Friends:  Lisa also happened to see people that day and told them about Max.  Those great friends also came to help.  They weren't even asked.  They also were leaving on trips. (It was Fall Break).  So, through out Monday, people just kept showing up to help.  That night more people came.  Tuesday almost everyone came back to help.  These wonderful friends gave so much of their precious time to looking for Max.  Between my family and friends; they called shelters, vets, went to the pound, put up signs, put an ad in the paper, called radio stations, called the police, and more.  If they hadn't done this it would have taken us days to get it done because I felt I had to stay on the street the first day or two so Max could hear my voice.  Allen's staff even took their lunch break to help look.

Strangers:  I mentioned how many calls Allen got about Max.  The first several weeks it was about 5 a day.  About 50 percent of the calls were just people asking if we got our dog back, or to ask a question about him or to tell Allen about when their dog was lost.  It was a little hard at first because Allen kept thinking every unknown number was someone who found him.  But I am still amazed by the sheer number of strangers who cared;  cared enough to write down a number from a sign and call to give their sympathy.

The experience that I will hold hold most dear from all of this is one that still makes me teary.  When we thought Max had been taken, we made reward posters.  We also made two huge posters that we held on the street that we thought he was taken-hoping the man would drive down the road and see the sign, see us, and change his mind.  We did this with the kids for two mornings during Fall Break.  I wanted to hold it one more day, when the kids were back in school.  So, I'm standing out with my big sign on a five lane road during the morning rush.  A lady pulls over to a side road, and comes walking over to me.  She is fighting back tears. She says, "I'm so sorry."  I just nod my head because I am now crying and if I try to speak I will completely break down.  She says "I'm so sorry" again and we both just stand there crying. I have never cried with a stranger.  I have never felt such empathy from a stranger.  It was a surreal experience that I will never forget.  Then she asked if she could give me a hug and take a picture of the poster so she could post in on her facebook page.  She did something that I have never imagined doing.  I have felt bad for a stranger before, but I have never taken the time to express it to them in such a way.  I have learned a lot from her and her Christ-like love she showed me. I hope some day I can be like her.

This is the picture that I texted to everyone that helped look for Max, moments after we got him back

et tu, jared?

Yes.  Several months ago.

miracle max

We had a miracle happen to us.  We got our very shy dog back after 3 months of him being lost.

  For the past three months I have been trying to get myself to write about losing our dog and the experiences that came with that.  But every time I thought about what to write I would cry (first month) or tear up (last two months).  I knew I needed to document what happened in this "family journal" I am keeping, but it was hard, and I knew it would be a long post-which I try to avoid.  And now, we have him back, which will take even more words to explain.  So, this may come in a few posts.

Losing Max:  On October 15th (sorry I never texted you happy birthday Dan-busy day) after taking Claire to school, I was headed home. Max was in the car with me, the windows were down, and he either fell or jumped out as I was turning a corner.  I chased him for awhile with the help of several people.  We finally lost sight of him and that is when I lost it.  I was in full panic.  He was gone and he was too shy to go to anyone.  I have never lost a child, not even for a few minutes.  I am so glad, because I know now that I would NOT handle it well.  I called Allen and screamed "I lost Max", but since I was hysterical, it sounded to Allen like, "I lost our kids" or "all the kids have been kidnapped" or whatever else parents have nightmares about.

The next two days straight we searched for Max, put up fliers, call animal hospitals, vets, shelters all across town.  (I will have a separate post on the great people who helped us).  Sometime during day number 2, we had two calls saying that they saw a man grab him and put him in a mini van.  We felt pretty confidant that this happened and switched our fliers to reward posters in hopes that whoever took him would rather have money.  No such luck.

Having to tell my kids that I had lost Max was one of the hardest things.  I know that losing a dog is not the end of the world.  But breaking your children's heart is.  I can still see Jared when I told him, he hung his head and just cried and cried.  I will always remember on day 2 having Carter walk in the door after school and me shaking my head no, and he sat down and cried.  I will always remember the prayers given by my children for our dog.  The guilt I had was huge.  I lost our dog.  I am so thankful that no one except myself gave me guilt. 


Fast forward 3 months (in which we got another dog-post on him later) and Allen got a call at 11pm at night.  A man that lives on the other side of town said that he had been feeding a dog along with his  outside dogs for about 3 weeks but the dog would never let him near.  That night he and his wife tricked the dog in their house and found his collar still on, with our number on it.  During these 3 months we have had multiple calls a day about Max.  We probably had over 15 calls from people who were sure they saw our dog at a shelter they were just at, or in their neighbor's back yard, or even that they had just given our dog a bath at the shelter they work at.  So when Allen came in to tell me, we both had our doubts.  But Allen kept saying it sounded right.  Then I asked why they didn't call my cell- it was first on the tag.  (All flyers/adds had only Allen's number).  Allen went and got my phone and there was a message from the man.  Then I knew it was Max and I cried.  And slightly freaked out about having 2 dogs.  And Allen and I both worried he wouldn't remember us (had him 3 months, gone 3 months)

The next day we met our angels in a parking lot and got Max back.  Except he didn't look like the beautiful dog in the above picture.  He looked like the picture below: brown instead of cream, hair covering his eyes, fur all mated, smelling awful.  But he acted like our Max:  tail wagging, giving us kisses.  

 

 

Long story slightly shorter, the vet said he was healthy, just had to be shaved (next picture).  Kids were in heaven having him back and were ecstatic about having two dogs.  Max acted like he had been gone a day, remembering everything and everyone.  He is truly our Miracle Max.

40X2

Last year Allen and I turned 40.  To celebrate we headed to Arizona, to the Miraval Spa.  This place is our definition of heaven.  It had it all:  relaxation, exercise, nature, yummy-healthy food, high adventure, low adventure, and of course massages.  This is the kind of place that I have wanted to go to for many, many years, and it did not disappoint.  I could go on and on about every detail, but I won't.  The things we got to enjoy at this all-inclusive resort:  awesome food, a juice and smoothie bar, exercise classes all day, hikes, high ropes activities, lunch with a nutritionist, a cooking demonstration of the resort's cookies (and we got to eat them), photography class, pool, one massage/body treatment a day, and we got to eat meals in our white robes.  There was more, but we ran out of time.  

our porch off our room

Allen on our hike, that's not a belt, but fanny pack they gave us loaded down with water

Allen about to do "a swing and a prayer'

one of many juices

naps

Jared catching some Z's over Christmas break. 

a star is born

Claire's third grade class put on a Christmas play.  "Wizard of Oz" with a Christmas twist.  Claire tried out for the lead, Dorothy, and made it!  Dorothy had to sing a solo and she nailed it every time (5 shows).  Claire has a great voice but has been shy to sing alone.  So this was really stepping out of her comfort zone and we were so proud.  She was amazing.  She was in 98% of the play and did great with all of her lines, and even improvised when a prop didn't work.  She also really enjoyed putting on the make-up for each show!  We can't wait to see what she will do next with her talents!

new smile

Jared has a new smile.  Check it out.  His orthodontist is amazing.