Gordon the fish.

My dog, Gordon, is three years old and has always loved the water. He loves to boat, swim, play on the beach - he's a water dog at heart. Gordon is basenji/chihuahua mix, only ways eighteen pounds, is very agile, very fast and very smart. When we adopted him we thought he was a white german shepherd/basenji mix, which would have made him at least fifty pounds, but he's turned out to be perfect. We found him at a local Humane Society, fell in love with him right away, plus it felt good to teach Logan to adopt a puppy versus buy a puppy!
This week Gordon has been quite entertaining during our lake adventures. . . He has been obsessed with swimming with Logan, so whatever Logan is doing, Gordon is doing. He is running down the dock jumping in, he's eating the spray off the waterguns, he's having snack breaks with Logan, he's fetching the ball - I should say at this point that this warms my heart, watching my boy and his dog having a great summer together. I usually float on a raft, talk to my dad/uncle, throw the ball with Logan/Gordon, and judge Logan's many jumps off the dock. Gordon uses my raft as a 'home base' - he jumps off the dock, swims to me, climbs up onto the raft, and hangs out until he's ready to jump in and swim again. He is a very busy dog at the lake, he LOVES it and its impossible to keep him out of the water. One day last week he had been swimming for a few hours when he climbed onto my raft, rested for a minute, then I hear, "Hey mom, Gordon's peeing on your raft!" Yes, I said peeing on my raft! I was off the raft by the time Logan finished his sentence, and so was a very startled pooch. We swam over to the dock, got him out, and let him finish relieving himself up on the seawall. I was shocked! I've been boating all me life and I've never seen a dog pee off dry land. A few days ago, we were swimming off the dock again and Gordon was stoked as usual - first, he was jumping from the dock to the toon floating the boat lift and fell between the toon and a metal bar, didn't even stop his little legs from running, I don't think he even noticed. Then, an hour later I was relaxing on my raft when I look up and see Gordon peeing off my raft into the lake! This time it wasn't landing on my raft so I didn't dump him, but seriously have you ever heard of that? I guess he just didn't have time to head to dry land.
This dog is becoming a fish. Gordon is the first one in to swim, he wants to ride the tube with the kids, and he loves a good boat ride! I love my little pooch and his love for Logan and the water. Gordon got very sick a few days after we brought him home, with treatment and time he made a full recovery. The vet told us the rescue group that was scheduled to take him would not have had the funds to treat him, so I've always felt that this little pooch was meant to be with our family.
Gordon does lots of funny, entertaining things, but he has become quite a showoff at the lake! You've never seen a happier dog than our little Gordon.

Pretty pink fingers and pretty pink toes:)

For the past few weeks I haven't posted much, I just haven't had much to say. I've never been an anxious person - if you know me, you know I can be stubborn and opinionated, but not anxious. Recently however anxiety has crept in, and I don't like it.

Here I am, just trying to have a great summer, but when its time to go to sleep after a long fun day my mind starts to go a little crazy with anxious thoughts. . . What should I have gotten done that day? Am I doing my best to be a good mom to Logan? Am I doing my best to be a good daughter/wife/friend? Will I ever feel better? Will I feel good enough to get up in the morning? How many days do I have with Logan before he goes back to school? I'm sure most moms have run away thoughts, especially at night, but I'm thirty-two and have really only felt anxiety about three things: my health/surgeries, Logan growing up way too fast, and having another baby. So, when this started recently I was surprised. My dad has been a worrier ever since I can remember, I know he lies awake at night turning things over in his head, but are nightly anxieties hereditary? All I know is I don't like it! I've always had a hard time sleeping, but thats due to neurological damage not a wandering mind.

I'll let you know how the anxiety goes - I don't expect it to lighten up until after we get through a few doctor appointments, and Logan is back in school. August 4 I am scheduled to see my orthopedic surgeon to talk about a pain I'm having at my T-8 (my eighth thoracic vertebrae). Last December an MRI showed a slight bulge at that level, and now I'm having pain. So, I'm hoping he's just going to tell me to go to physical therapy and use ice/heat, but this may cause a problem with us trying to get pregnant again. Of course, right when I feel like I can get off my meds and start trying soon, something will go wrong with my health. Let's hope/pray its nothing major and won't effect our plans.

Then, August 5 Logan is scheduled to go to the Riley Children's Hospital Genetics Clinic. I received a letter/paperwork from them, and apparently they do some testing the day of the appointment. I am dreading the testing - Logan has been lucky enough to have never needed bloodwork or anything requiring a needle outside of childhood vaccinations. I'm sure there will be blood drawn, a skin biopsy, and who knows what else. There will be another appointment to discuss the results, any diagnosis, and what to do with that information - including further family planning.

For now I'm trying to do things that make me happy - spending as much time as possible with Logan, hanging out on the lake with my family, loving on my hubby, eating yummy food, reading a good book, watching a little reality TV, and enjoying sweet treats! Oh, I can't forget - my pink fingers and toes! I wasn't a "girly-girl" until after Logan was born, but ever since he came along I've loved pink. My mom would tell you I hated wearing anything pink as a little girl, or as a big girl for that matter, but as a momma I love pink. So, as simple as it sounds, having pretty pink fingers and pretty pink toes just makes me smile. Recently I went to a bridal shower for my cousin's fiance - each party goer was given a little hemp purse filled with things to keep your nails looking good at the beach! The wedding is in Florida this September and now all of us girls will have pretty, bright fingers and toes. Each of us were given super bright, fun nail polish and I LOVE my color! I've never worn neon colors on my nails, but I discovered its a nice way to brighten my day.

What are the little things that bring you happiness? Is it eating a piece of chocolate, hugging your kids, kissing your husband? All those little moments strung together can make a very happy life filled with simple pleasures, laughter, and true joy.

The luckiest girl in the world.

The past few weeks I have focused on Logan, my husband, my family and having a good summer. I would say so far I have had a great summer, there have been a few moments of stress, but overall life has been very good. (This is where I knock on wood, cross my fingers, and say a little prayer for this to continue.)

I don't ever forget how lucky I am to be surrounded by my family, floating in a lake, drinking a hard lemonade, any day I feel like getting myself out of the house. The best part is my family feels lucky to have me around too!

Fourth of July weekend we celebrated my cousin's thirtieth birthday, my mom's fifty-ninth birthday, my nephew's first birthday and our ninth anniversary - I know, its a BIG weekend in our family. Technically our anniversary and two of the birthdays are on June 29, but we usually celebrate the Saturday before the Fourth. We were also thrilled to be able to talk about my cousin's upcoming wedding, to a woman we love, this September in Florida. This was a busy, but great weekend! At one point my son counted twenty-four people floating off the dock, hanging out on boats, and enjoying the day together. How lucky are we to have so many people coming together to celebrate each other and our lives together!?

Most days this summer Logan and I have gone to the lake and spent the afternoon with my dad and uncle. There have been varied guests - my soon-to-be brother-in-law, a childhood friend and her family, Logan's buddies, Logan's teacher, and many of my parent's friends, but the main cast rarely changes. I love my family, I love the way I was raised, I love the relationship Logan has with my family, I love that my parents tell me they love me everyday of my life - I feel so blessed.

There will be many more days on the lake this summer, and this fall we will all come together in Florida and celebrate the love my cousin shares with his fiance. Its been a long time since we had a big family adventure in Florida, and this one may be the best one yet! A beach side, barefoot wedding, Logan is a ring barer, and I can't wait to part of their day. My husband and I were married under a white archway, lakeside on the lake I've grown up on, leaving by boat with my cousin at the wheel and honestly, the beach is the only other place we would've had our ceremony. So, I am thrilled my cousin chose the beach, and not surprised at all. . . we were raised together and have similar ideas on how to enjoy life. I love him like a brother, Logan calls him Uncle, and we've always been able to count on each other. He was the only one I ever asked how he felt about my husband shortly before we got engaged, what he thought mattered to me, and we had a very honest conversation - I was happy to hear he good things to say.

I hope you all have family in your life, people that have known and loved you longer than anyone else. I am blessed with a son, husband, parents, cousins, aunt and uncle that has been with me every step of the way - we've had our problems, we've had our disagreements, but in the end we always come back together, usually stronger than before. I am lucky - my family loves my unconditionally and they have proved it time and time again.

When I think of the best memories, the best moments in my life, my family is part of almost all of them. Birthdays, vacations, holidays, or just simple moments in time that stay with you always. . . spending time together almost everyday growing up, training our dogs together in 4H, years of tubing/boating/riding waverunners, two weeks in Yellowstone, Christmas vacations in the sun, many beach trips - watching my uncle walk Logan into the Gulf of Mexico for the very first time, and countless hours just floating, talking and being together in the lake. I really do feel like one of the luckiest girls in the world!

Well, I'm going to go call my dad and tell him I love him, maybe you should do the same!