Chronicles of Oliver Riddick

Sunday was a gorgeous day to be outside, and Ollie took full advantage of it!  After a busy day chasing balls, chewing sticks and following Jay around the yard, he was ready to settle down that evening.  So he curled up with Jacob on the couch....

Did I say he was busy?  I meant to say he was B.U.S.Y!!!!!!   He was exhausted!

Poor baby can't even hold his head up!

Ollie's misfortune with his leg became OUR blessing.  We are all crazy about this boy!  Even Maggie, although she will NOT admit it. 

Maggie didn't want me to see her laying down with Ollie on their blankets, so she ran to the gate when she saw me.  Don't believe her for a second, she was comfortable with him!

I think he looks pretty happy and content.....

Don't you?
Carpe' diem!!

The Chronicles of Oliver Riddick

Oliver loves, and I mean LOVES to be outside!  His favorite place in the yard is in front of the swing, underneath the shade tree in the backyard.  I have caught him sitting IN the swing, swinging.

                                                Yes, he can swing it by himself. True Story.

Yesterday, though, I discovered that Ollie is somewhat of a hoarder.  He has gathered all these things in his spot near the swing.  A dog never knows when he might want to chew on a stick.  Or cardboard. Or a toy. I don't think there is therapy for Golden Retrievers who hoard?  Or was he retrieving all these things???  I also didn't know he drank Coca Cola.  Which would explain a LOT.
                                

The upside to Ollie loving the outdoors is, it calms him down.  After the initial "I-must-run-around-the-couch-a-bunch-of-times-" energy outburst when he comes back inside, he settles down quite nicely.  Last night, he grabbed Maggie's blankie and crashed on the couch.  Maggie was not amused.  That's HER spot.

                                      

Carpe' diem

Ball

Today, Oliver found the king of balls!      

Fun only lasted 2 minutes and then he bit it. No

more ball. 

Oliver

Meet Oliver Riddick.  He was born on July 18 and shares his birthday with Vin Diesel...hence his middle name Riddick.  He came into our lives in September and our house hasn't been the same!!!  He is a whirlwind, to say the least, and cracks me up on a daily basis. 

Oliver, or Ollie, as a baby. Isn't he a cutie!?

He LOVES to run and play with Maggie.

But Maggie doesn't really like it.  She's still not sure how she feels about him.  I fully expect her to pack her things and run away from home. She has perfected the "how could you" look.

Sometimes, she will let him share my lap with her. SOMEtimes.

He was neutered last week (we are good pet parents!) and drinking out of a bowl is hard for him with the cone on.  So he learned to drink from a Solo cup.  It just happened to be red when this happened, so now that song is always stuck in my head.  You know the one...Red Solo cup, I drink you up....

Here is my surgery buddy enjoying some rest time with me and his cow toy.

Ollie's mom stepped on his paw and broke it when he was a few days old, so one leg is bent and twisted.  Doesn't slow him down at all and we love him all the more for it!  Sometimes, though, I'm not sure she didn't step on his head, too.  He's six months old now, super smart and super stubborn.  The journey with this guy should be a blast!!! 

 

Blessings

Back in February, Jay was laid off from work.  He had worked for this company for 11 years...it's the job that drew us to this wonderful town we've come to love so much. He was cut loose and escorted out of the building with about 25 other people.  No severance package. No thank you. Nada.    Suddenly, we were faced with countless unknowns.  Would we stay?  Would we go?  Would we lose everything? Each month that passed, (and there were NINE of them), found us wondering and worrying.
 
I'm not going to lie...it was hell.  Seriously.  We fought, we cried, we were angry, confused and depressed. And we were scared.  There is no way to sugar coat unemployment and the toil it takes on a family and a marriage.  It's a humbling and degrading experience. The money stops coming in, but the bills and financial commitments do NOT. He and the kids lost their health insurance, and even though I could not afford to put them on mine, we didn't qualify for ANY other state help in that aspect.  He applied for countless jobs and was rejected time and time again.    We went through all of his state unemployment and then started on his federal unemployment.  I have learned more about the "system" than I EVER cared to know, and quite frankly, I am very disappointed in it.   But despite all of this, we prayed.  All. The. Time.  Our friends prayed.  Our family prayed.  Our pastor and staff prayed in their morning meetings.  And God was listening and waiting to blow my mind.

In the 9 months where we only had my little salary and his unemployment, we didn't miss a single bill. It doesn't really feel like we went without a thing.  Friends stepped up in ways I never imagined I would need them too.  Some gave us money. Some gave us food. One paid for 6 months worth of Weight Watchers for me to keep going. Jacob's Boy Scout Troop gave him a scholarship so he could go to Tre Ritos and the other adult leaders paid for Jay to go, too. They have also awarded Jacob another scholarship to attend Philmont in June!  My parents paid for Jacob to attend both out of state band trips, and they sent money for Michaela's cosmetology tuition. Michaela also received a scholarship for that program. My girlfriends  paid for a scrapbook trip we all had planned LAST November.  One friend gave Michaela money just to go shopping with.  Jay's parents sent money "just in case we needed it". Both sets of our parents paid for M's prom dress and shoes. Friends treated me to several lunches/dinners just so I would feel "normal".  My hairdresser refused my tips.  And just this morning, she told me that someone I know, who wanted to remain anonymous, paid for my next hair appointment! I've lost count of all the hugs and encouraging words and emails from everyone we are in contact with. But I will NEVER forget them.  And finally, God blessed Jay with a new job in a Christian environment that has SO much more to offer him than his old job did. We are excited to see what the future with this company holds for him. I truly believe it will be amazing!

 With each thing that happened, my kids learned that God REALLY does provide, one way or another. Their faith has grown like never before, and mine has had a healthy boost! If those are the reasons we went through this, then every single second was worth it.  So don't you EVER think for one SECOND  that God isn't taking care of you.  Because He is. And He want's to blow YOUR mind, too.

There will never be enough words to thank everyone for everything they have done for us.  But just know this: we love you all more than you could possibly imagine and we are praying for you, too!
Love
Mel

My little pond

I built a little pond in my back yard this summer. I spruced it up and added more rock and fresh flowers  this past weekend, now that the weather is cooling down.  It's been so freakishly HOT this summer that it was neglected for a couple of months.  I got the idea from a project in Bible School at my church.  My friend and I created an indoor pond using a small blue plastic swimming pool we bought at Wally World for about $5.  They we added fake flowers, as well as some real ones, and filled it with water.  My dad gave me a small pump and we used that to create a waterfall.  The effect was so charming, I decided to re-create it in my backyard at home, using real flowers in place of the fake ones.  I love sitting out in my swing and listening to the waterfall while I drink my coffee.  I used potted plants around the back of the pool and I can change these out seasonally, or when the OK hot summer kills them.  All in all, I like the way it turned out.  What a nice way to spend a quiet weekend morning with my coffee!