Hi 10/26/2009
 
Sorry the site's been down so long.  I'm not really sure what's going on with it.  I'm still having problems preforming edits, so this will probably be the last blog entry.  Mike and I wanted to let everyone know that we are still accepting reservations for Thursday Night Suppers and Holiday Suppers.  The link to Holiday Suppers is www.holidaysupper.com

I want to leave with one last message.  The loss of a beloved pet is devastating.  It's been over four months since Molly died and while the sadness isn't as overwhelming as it was during those first couple of months, I still have days when my heart aches for Molly.  How could I not feel this way?  Molly was a part of our family and now part of that is missing.  I just try to remember the good times and all the things she did to make us laugh.

Thanks for all the kind words and we hope to see you at a dinner.

Tricia and Mike 
 
Doggy Quotes 10/13/2009
 
Below are some quotes about losing a beloved dog that have brought me comfort, made me laugh, made me cry or all three.


One last word of farewell, dear master and mistress. Whenever you visit my grave, say to yourselves with regret but also happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long happy life with you: "Here lies one who loves us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.

Eugene O'Neill, from his Dalmatian, Blemie's, last will and testament (click here for the full version of Blemie's last will and testament) 

 

 Two days ago we waded through the mud out to this grave beneath the pines at the foot of the hill to place a Christmas wreath on it, hoping he would look down from the Paradise of Ten Billion Trees and Unrationable Dog Biscuits and pity us.

Eugene O'Neill, speaking about Blemie 

 

Jason Oliver C. Smith, a big dumb guy who was tan, died March 30 of lung cancer and old age. He was 13 years old and lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death, his license was current and he had had all of his shots. He is survived by two adults, three children, a cat named Daisy who drove him nuts, and his lifelong companion, Pudgy, whose spaying he always regretted, as well as a host of fleas who have gone elsewhere, probably to Pudgy. He will be missed by all, except Daisy. He never bit anyone, which is more than you can say for most of us.

Anna Quindlen, an obituary for her golden retriever

 

 My friendship with Mitzi was like the friendship that many children have with their pets. My mother and father thought it was "good for me" to have a dog for a companion. Well it was good for me, but it was only many years after she died that I began to understand how good it was, and why.

Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) 

 
I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?

Sir Walter Scott 

 
Soon or late, every dog's master's memory becomes a graveyard; peopled by wistful little furry ghosts that creep back unbidden, at times, to a semblance of their olden lives.

Albert Payson Terhune 

 

Our German forefathers had a very kind religion. They believed that, after death, they would meet again all the good dogs that had been their companions in life. I wish I could believe that too.

Otto von Bismarck 

 
If my dog is barred by the heavenly guard
We'll both of us brave the heat!

W. Dayton Wedgefarth
 
Dog Time 10/09/2009
 
DogTime is a website that was created to keep dogs out of shelters and in good homes by equipping novice and experienced owners alike with all the information needed to make them, and their dogs, very happy. 

If you're looking for a dog, but aren't sure what type of breed would fit best with your lifestyle, they have a great tool called Dog Matchup Tool.  You answer a series of questions about your lifestyle and what you're looking for in a dog and it provides you with a list of breeds that will best suite you and your lifestyle.  Check it out!

http://dogtime.com/
 
 
I am having some trouble logging into and editing my site and I'm working with Weebly to correct the problem. 
 
 
I'm going to make two bold statements.  I think guilt is a worthless emotion, but a necessity.  A necesity because without it we would all be sociopaths, but worthless, because, at least in my case, it's hard to turn off.  Second, I've never understood how anyone could suffer from survivor's guilt.  I mean seriously, why would someone feel guilty for surviving a disaster or out living someone, especially, if they weren't responsible for the disaster or the person's death.

Since Molly's death, guilt has become a part of my daily life.  I feel guilty over every toy I didn't buy Molly, everytime I could have taken her with me to run errands, but didn't and all the other things I did wrong.  Instead of focusing on all the postiives:  all the love, toys and happiness we gave to Molly, I'm stuck reliving all the mistakes.   Now I KNOW that Molly was happy and she lived a wonderful life, but I can't keep guilt from creeping into my thoughts and memories.  I'm always wondering did I do enough, did I give her enough, did I love Molly enough?  Of course the answer to those questions is yes. 

Guilt is a hard emotion to over come even when it's unwarranted and it seems unfair that we have to suffer from it during the most devastating times of our lives.  It leaves me wondering is guilt good or bad?
 
Happy Birthday 09/23/2009
 
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Today would have been Molly's 8th birthday.  It would have been a fun filled day.  It would have started with a big walk at the park and then we would have stopped by Petsmart and picked out some toys.  Of course, Three Dog Bakery would have been on the menu!  A long walk at Weston State Bend Park before heading up to my parents house.  My mom would have fixed Molly an egg and then we would have headed out to the apple orchard.  That Molly would have had the best time and been completely wiped out by days end.  But, that's not how this day will go.  Instead Mike and I will make a donation to the Nebraska Boston Terrier Rescue, Inc. and then we'll stop by Petsmart to pick up a few things to take to Wayside Waifs to donate.  Rescue groups and shelters need all the help they can get, so pick your favorite rescue or shelter and make a donation, big or small, every dollar helps.
 
In honor of Molly's birthday, we've add a Boston to the Adoptable Tail-Waggers page.  Check it out!

Nebraska Boston Terrier Rescue, Inc. - www.rescueaboston.com
Wayside Waifs - www.waysidewaifs.org
 
The Bark 09/22/2009
 
Mike and I would like to thank Lisa Wogan from The Bark for the wonderful write-up about Thursday Night Suppers.  To read it, please visit The Bark.  http://www.thebark.com/content/thursday-night-suppers
 
 
First let me say that I am proud to be an alumni of Benton High School in St. Joseph, MO.  There is a wonderful story going around about a freshman football player, Matt Ziesel, scoring his first touchdown.  The story is not remarkable because a freshman scored a TD, but that a rival team demonstrated what sportsmanship is all about by letting a freshman footbal player with Down Syndrome score a touchdown.  I have attached the link to the YouTube video and the link to the story in Kansas City Star.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ylwXOxKb7I (YouTube video); http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1452971.html (Kansas City Star story).

I have a great-nephew who has Down Syndrome.  He is 4-years-old and a doll.  He is the only one of my great-nephews and great-neices who wasn't afraid of Molly.  In fact, he chased Molly all over my brother's house during our last family Christmas and Molly loved it!  The cutest story about Andrew and Molly involves food - shocker.  Last Christmas while my sister-in-law was finishing getting the food ready for dinner, Molly and Andrew made their way into the kitchen.  All you could hear was Andrew yelling and Molly "screaming."  When I walked in the kitchen Andrew was standing by the counter yelling for food and Molly was on her hind legs "screaming" for food.  I yelled out, "Would somebody please fix these two kids a plate of food before they starve to death!"  My sister made Andrew a plate and I made Molly a plate.  They ate and they played and they had a wonderful time together. 
 
 
There's a wonderful orchard just a few minutes east off Hwy I-29 in St. Joseph called Schweizer Orchards.  What makes them so great, in my opinion, is not the fresh and delicious produce that you can pick yourslef, the friendly staff, the mums, the little general store, the scenery, no, it's not those things at all.  What makes them so great is that they are dog friendly.  Every fall Mike and I would put Molly in the car, stop by my parents house and pick them up and head over to Schweizer's.  We'd pull into the parking lot, get out of the car and one of us would run in and grab some sacks to put our picked produce in and then we'd hear someone from inside the store call out, "Hi Molly."  Schwizer Orchards is one of my favorite places. 

After getting our sacks we'd drive back into the orchard, get out of the car and put Molly on a 50 foot leash so she could run to her heart's content.  Every year we'd pick apples and peppers and walk and run and play.  After we had our fun, we's go back to the store and buy mums, pumpkins, cider, jellies and candy.  We'd leave and head to Hyde Park in the southend of St. Joe.  We'd find a picnic table and have cider, apples and candy.  Molly would eat a little apple, chase the squirrels and play.  It was one of my favorite days of the year.  I always looked forward to fall and couldn't wait until it was time to go to Schweizer's. 

The link to Schwizer Orchards is www.schweizerorchards.com .  Hope you'll make this a yearly tradition for your family.
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Happy Tones 09/16/2009
 
If I told you that during the 6 1/2 years we lived with Molly, Mike and I never had a fight, acutally, we didn't even raise our voices towards each other, you'd call me a liar, but it's the truth.  I don't know what happened in Molly's past, but if you raised your voice or had an angry tone in her presence, she'd start to shake and get upset.  Mike and I realized this early on so we tried our best to never raise our voices, yell or have angry tones and let me tell you right here and now it's impossible to fight in happy tones.  This was one of the greatest gifts Molly gave us because let's be honest most things we fight about with our spouses are over trivial things. 

If we ever started a "happy tones" fight it quickly dissolved into smiles or laughter because we sounded so ridiculous and we knew it.  Try it.  The next time you and your partner are fighting about something start speaking to each other in happy tones and see how long you can fight before you give up or laugh.