Farewell Friend

It's been one of those weeks. Ya know, when it rains it pours, kind of week. Sickness after sickness after sickness, a big test for my husband, a birthday, finding out our dog Lexi has cancer, church responsibilities, and the usual school work, karate, etc. I've just been waiting for things to slow down and go back to our norm. Actually by the end of last week things were starting to go back to normal, until Friday night.

Our sweet Lexi had been doing okay until that day. Sadly her tumor looked like it had gotten to her facial nerve and her eye was starting to droop. She was limping. And that night she had a few little episodes where she was having a lot of trouble breathing. As hard as it was to actually consider it, Bryan and I knew it was time to put her sick body to rest. We had no idea just how hard it would be for us.

Saturday afternoon our sweet vet was going to come over to our house to peacefully put Lexi to sleep, so we knew we wanted to make the most of our day with our sweet doggy. We all spent lots of time lovin' on her, we took a family picture and made a big bowl of Lexi's favorite snack (popcorn) for us all to share with her.



It was a special and very sad day.

Lexi was our very first baby. We got her about 4 months after Bryan and I got married. Bryan and I had gone for a run (back when, as a kidless couple, we could just leave together and go for a pleasant run) and we happened to run past the PetSmart. And there she was, this darling little lazy puppy. We picked her because, while all the other puppies she was with were jumping around, she was content to sit and nap in the corner. Well, she wasn't always the perfect puppy, she chewed up our flip flops, ate any food she could find, tore up our living room carpet, peed whenever she was scared or excited and many more things I know I've forgotten. But she was so sweet and the best little buddy.

She's endured baby after baby after baby after baby.


**Brans riding Lexi**

She loved being with us.


**trying to get a good family picture in our new house in Oklahoma (2006)**




She was our protector. With a hubby who is gone a lot I've always found so much comfort in having her as the eyes and ears of my home.


**Living in KY, we went for walks with her every day**

I keep tearing up every time I run into a situation that's just not the same with her not around. Like the night after we buried her, we came home and I put Tess up in her high chair to eat her dinner. When she was done there was a ring of food on the floor underneath her. Did you know I have NEVER had to clean up food under a high chair? That was Lexi's job. Or when entering the living room late at night with all the lights off and not hearing her tail thumping on the couch... always so happy to see us. Or not having to guard the food at the edge of the counters. Or not hearing her bark furosiously at every neighborhood kid that knocks on the door (usually that drives me nuts, but now I actually miss it). Oh the list goes on. sigh.

A few pics thru the years:





Road trip (that's Ty!)





Loved camping trips!



Despised baths





Loved to chase the boys in their jeep. And loved to chase frogs.




Always in the background of our lives


**can you find her?**



A "real" pic of life. Me on the computer, boys playing with my camera, Lexi in the middle of it all



More real life.



Always waiting for a crumb!







Our buddy.







We miss her.