Scout

While we were in Hawaii, the Blacks/Bailey took care of Koda. 

They texted us this picture of Scout and Koda out playing. 

This was only a month ago! She was still able to play and roll. 

For about a year Scout has not been her normal healthy self. She ebbed and flowed - sometimes yelping in pain, sometimes limping. They did a lot of trouble shooting for months - a shot to help with pain, arthritis? etc. 

About 10 days ago she got really bad and stopped eating. No ins, no outs. 

It became apparent that she wasn't going to get better. She threw up blood. 

Lisa took her to the vet for an assessment. 

We were sitting on her porch when the vet called and said it was most likely cancer. Cancer of the spleen, but probably cancer everywhere that was causing her so much trouble all year. 

That evening we got together and dug a hole in our lot under the cherry tree in preparation for tomorrow.

All the professional hole diggers helped.

The rule is it has to be three feet deep and away from water sources. 

It honestly felt unreal. Like we were just having a lark out in the field. 

We went over to their house to say our goodbyes that evening. 

Poor Scout just lay there while we surrounded her. 

Koda sniffed at her, and sat by her for a while. Scout was very mellow, so Koda was mostly mellow. 

I kissed her little head and told her I loved having her for Christmas this year. 

It was one of my favorite things about Christmas.

She's just such a sweet dog. She finds a corner and just hangs out there, out of the way. Sometimes she will come up and get a pet, then quickly leave you alone. 

I just love her. 

The next morning it was raining and grey.

They took Scout to the vet to be put down, then they came over to bury her. 

It was just Joe, Lisa, Hudson, Jim and I. 

And the rain. And the cherry tree. 

It was so sad. 

I'm thankful for the rain. 

Later that night, Scout sent us a rainbow! 

The brightest rainbow. 

Christmas dogs, Scout in red.

xoxo

 

Mount Washington Real Quick

Saturday morning, bright and early,

Jim and I went to the Langley airport to wait for Joe to pick us up in his airplane and take us to the island for a day at Mount Washington. 

I didn't have a sunrise to sunset day this summer, and here we are - watching the sun rise from the air. 

There was fog on the rivers, 

and the prettiest light on the mountain range. It was like someone painted the layers in light blue to darker blue. 

We met up at Mount Washington.

I love this vibe - gear spread about, everyone suiting up for an adventure. 

They all went mountain biking all day, 

us three moms went hiking around Lake Helen Mckenzie. 

At this bridge a ton of whiskey jack birds came swarming at us to get fed. They have been domesticated. 

At the lake we debated getting all the way in - but a quick foot dip was refreshing enough. 

Lunch meet up, 

then we rode up the chairlift. 

For one minute we thought about climbing the mountain, but it was way more better to sit and enjoy the view from our comfy lift. 

At one point I had to look on google maps to orient myself to where I was. 

How was I just suddenly on the island? Real quick? 

Every single time I ride up the chair lift while at Silver Star, one of the Black children talk about the bra tree here at Mount Washington. And here I am, seeing it in real life! So exciting. haha

And then we hustled back. 

With the sun setting, we drove down the mountain, 

to the airport,

up and over from the island back to the city. 

The light changing again as we came in for a landing. 

It was the coolest day. 

Home by bed time. 

 

School's Out!

Welp, no more elementary kids in this house. 

Only Middle/High Schoolers. 

Insulation was installed the other day. 

Any day now this baby will be done and we can move in. 

We have two bears in our area. 

They came walking right up Sagebrush lane. Our neighbor four houses down got them on his ring camera. 

There is bear poop on our back roads and trails. 

Looks like they like cherries. 

The last day of school/first day of summer break 

we had a weenie roast at the beach. 

Right as we were getting cold and ready to pack it in, the boys got a fire roaring. 

It felt so good against the chill, but it's time to go!

So they had to carry the giant flaming drift wood logs to the water and douse the flames. 

Yay summer!

The second day of summer, the boys went to Whistler for a day trip.

See that bear down there in the trees?

They saw lots of bears and rode all day, got Whistler hands, crashed a little.

Evan is doing trails that Jim and Joe do. All those younger boys are going to surpass the dads soon. 

Third day of summer: 

To the beach of course. 

While Evan was doing all that, 

Avery has been at girls camp:

And Andrew has been slumming it on Sagebrush with his boys. 

They spent an entire day up and down the street,

and then the next night a massive sleepover at Hunter's. 

A Sunday walk with this wolfpack. 

All the kids are massive and adult sized. 

The straddle pet.

Lastly,

Sunday Robbie sent this to me. Annie found it in a Book of Mormon from the library. 

They go to church in the building I grew up going in.

This is my class - our teacher Laurie Bendickson. 

I can't explain how this picture makes me feel. 

That's me! And I know all of those little friends. They are all my cousins in one way or another (except the boy on the left. I don't know him). 

I don't know. It's just so crazy to realize that I'm a grown, old adult. I'm in charge. 

I just don't feel like I am very different from that little girl in this picture, but also I am massively a new and different person from that little girl. How can we be the same? Our souls are the same? How. 

Our brain grew and learned new things. Do I have the same brain? 

I just can't figure out how I am the same person as that little girl. 

Literally everything about me is different including all my cells that have regenerated. 

So what is the same? Our memories? 

This picture situation combined with the fact that my kids are huge - I just can't figure it out.