Iditarod and Tribute to Gus.

For the past week, Patrick and I have been staying up too late watching the "Iditarod: Toughest Race on Earth."

  

It has been a compelling saga of the 2008 race that pulled me in the instant it started.  We watched as 96 teams battled for speed and survival.  Only 70-something teams crossed the finish line without scratching.  It was a toss-up for who the winner would be.  I was secretly rooting for Jeff King or Martin Buser, the champs of several Iditarods, but Lance Mackey surprised us all with his trick plays and shocking stamina and came out as champion for the second time (being one in only 4 mushers to ever win two Iditarods back to back). 

I was kind of sad to see that there were no more season premiere's on Netflix. With a little more research online though, I found Lance to be the winner of 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

I can't wait for March 5...when the Iditarod will begin again!

Watching these beautiful dogs in action made me remember my first dog Duke.  He was a malamute husky and one of the most gorgeous dogs ever to live.  But boy was he a spaz.  He should have been born in Alaska, for I think his destiny was to be a sled dog.  But somehow he ended up in our backyard with a little ballerina as his owner.  One day when I tried to walk him he took off at full speed--barreling me into an oncoming tree.  I guess I've always had an uncanny love for these dogs.

Me with Duke as a puppy

But my second dog was the best dog ever to live... 

We adopted Gus from the Humane Society. The lady told us she had found him by the side of the road in the middle of snowy January.  We went in with tempered expectations, but when we looked into his eyes, we just knew he was meant to be ours.  His eyes were beautiful teddy bear eyes and our hearts melted.  The task now was to bring him home and convince my Dad.  After some grumbling and mumbling like all dads do, he gave in, though he remained nameless for a few days as we tried to think of the perfect name.  I came up with Lucky, but no one liked my choice.  (I'm glad it was outvoted now too.)  Eventually my Dad found the perfect one--Gus...named after two heroes.  One was our beloved Gus Pike from the endearing Road to Avonlea series. 

The second was the lead sled dog on Iron Will who somewhat resembled our dog.  

 And Gus he was.

We tried to figure out what kind of dog he was.  Part lab?  Part German Shepherd?  Part Husky?  He was the color of a lab but built more husky and strong.  His ears flopped over and then when he got older one of them stood straight up.  His tail would curve into a crescent at times.  We just couldn't figure him out.  It wasn't until I recently saw (and sobbed through) the movie "Hachi" that I began to wonder if Gus had been part Akita.

  I searched for pictures of Golden Lab/Akita mixes and I found one that could have been a brother to Gus. (The only difference was both ears stuck up and were a tad bit longer.)  But the face is exact!

Online picture of an almost identical dog

Gus was one of my best friends.  He was like the brother I never had.  I loved Gus with all of my heart.  We would share ice cream cones and snowy days. We would run through the pasture together and I would rub behind his downy-soft ears.  Oftentimes after school I would go outside and just talk to him.  He always listened...especially when I would bury my face in his fur and cry about my little childhood heartaches and disappointments.

This is taken in our barn. Notice his floppy ear and his sticky up one. So cute!

(Taken at our cabin the year before he died)

I'll never forget the day he passed away.  It was sudden and tragic and a day that still haunts me.

We were driving to our cabin in northern Idaho and were about 45 minutes away when a huge thunderstorm broke out...very bad timing....Gus never liked thunder.  My dad pulled over to tie a tarp down over our things in the flat bed trailer.  Gus was tied to the trailer so he could barely look over the edge.  When my dad got back in the suburban, the rain started coursing down in a torrent.  After a few minutes I (who was sitting in the very back seat) felt a sudden jolt.  Looking out the back window I reported that there appeared to be a wet cat on the road.  And then it dawned on me.  It wasn't a cat...It was Gus.  We were traveling at 60 miles an hour when he fell/jumped out of the trailer.  I watched him drag himself off the road and out of the way of an oncoming semi.  My dad pulled over and instructed us to stay.  We sobbed and prayed and sobbed some more.  Not long after that, Gus passed away peacefully in my dad's arms and we buried him in the heart of the Teton mountains.

The memory still brings tears to my eyes.

And so this post is for all of the heroic Iditarod sled dogs who fight and work so valiantly in doing something they love.  This post is for my crazy dog Duke.  And this is for my beloved dog, Gus.

Someday we will adopt a dog for Easton and Tate--their very first.

And someday I hope I love this dog as much as I love you, Gus...because right now, my heart still aches at the memory of losing you.
You were the very best dog a girl could ever have.

My life right now.

   I kind of feel like the person in this picture.  I'm trying to wade through real and symbolic snow...holding aloft my striking red umbrella...trying desperately to show the snow that it hasn't got the best of me. 

Right now life is good.Of course it could always be better...if we were done with school...if we owned our own home...if it was summertime...etc...etc...etc...

But all in all, life is really beautiful.  It's just kind of an abstract collage of colors and shapes and ideas and memories and a never-ending to-do list.  I'm right in the middle of taking 6 credits to re-certify my teaching license, kind of dreading our move in May, planning how and when to paint the last 10 pieces of furniture in our house, striving to enjoy and relax with my boys, beginning the first  threads of thought for spring break, planning our distant July and December move, trying to keep up with dinners and laundry and dishes, and waiting for spring.

Best of all, the boys and I have started a new tradition...sunrise devotionals. {Pictures to follow}.

And today I've learned that it's okay and normal to feel overwhelmed.  (Click here to find out why.)

So I guess this crazy post is to list my thousand endeavors so I can try and sort them out and make some sense of them.

Abstract can be beautiful sometimes, right?

...the rest of Valentine's Evening....

 The rest of the night was perfect.   I gave Patrick my "I Love you with all of my Senses" gift, which he adored.  Then we watched Patrick's "tributes" that I've been working on for the past month.  {All of his family and my family participated in an interview which I conducted asking them about Patrick's qualities they admire along with any stories they remember of him.}  Then I cut it all apart and put it back together in iMovie.  I also videoed myself...(a bit embarrassing)...telling many of our dating and courting memories.  My tribute ended with all of our pictures together, and the other tribute ended with everyone saying a word that best described Patrick. (Kind of Akeelah and the Bee style).  It turned out beautifully!!  It was the most favorite gift I've ever made for him.  I was so happy to give something to my sweetheart that (hopefully) meant a lot to him.  I'm just sad it's over.  I really enjoyed the whole creation process.

But the best part of my whole night was the gift that Patrick gave me.  It was a story he had written of a fisherman.  And it was all about faith and love.  As I read, I began to see the parallel between the story and our life together.  I couldn't stop the tears.  It was the best gift I have ever been given.

I love you my dear, sweet fisherman.

Valentine's Weekend.

Don't you love February 14th?

I love it so much I wanted to make it last the whole weekend long...and since Valentine's Day fell on a Monday this year, it was perfect for four days of love!

Friday was filled with cleaning the house as spotless as possible in anticipation of our "sleepover" date night. We played our new free Monopoly Deal and "Guess Again." {Which is the most darling game EVER!  Click on the link above!!}  We each picked out 5 treats secretly and then we had to take turns being fed the bite-sized morsels with eyes closed--guessing what we were eating.   We each managed to pick out some bits that were new or unfamiliar to make the game a little more difficult.  But the familiar treats like animal crackers were surprisingly hard to guess as well.  Imagine expecting a piece of sweet candy only to be given a salty roasted garlic and black bean chip!!  The best part was giving Patrick a "dog bone."  {He had jokingly told me earlier that he had accidentally seen my list and wondered why I was going to get him dog treats.  I surprised him with cinnamon graham scooby-doo treats.}  It was the greatest game I have played in a long while.

Saturday was filled with making 96 heart-shaped, pink frosted sugar cookies for my Valentine's Duet recital and in the rush I didn't even get a picture of the cookies or my sweet little students.  They all did an amazing job with a capital A.

Then Easton made 16 individual Valentine cards for his family and we mailed them of today...just a little bit late. :)

Yesterday was full of more surprises for Patrick and some for me as well.  I'll never forget coming home from church to my home full of sick boys.  They had left me love letters written on little blue strips of paper and hung all over the walls to find and read.  Easton would go over to one and start whistling (pretending to at least) until I would find the note.  Several of them brought me to tears.  I have the sweetest boys in the world living at my house. ;)

And then today the boys have been busy coloring Valentine pictures...

...while I have been conjuring up some more surprises for Patrick (pictures below)...

...along with teaching 7 piano lessons...
 opening Valentine packages from Nana & Papa and Grandpa & Grandma...

  ...I've also been creating a Valentine's Bingo game for the boys for our Family Home Evening Activity.  That will occur after we eat our delicious pepperoni, heart-shaped pizza that is just now freshly baked.  I can't wait!

{Before}

{After}

Don't forget the pink smoothies!!!

And best of all...
when I went in to check on the pizza, Easton asked me why there was candy scattered on the stairs.
When I went to inspect, I found a trail of pink caramel kisses leading me to our car.  And here is what was inside:

{On our 1st Valentine's Day I came home to a trail of kisses leading me to the bathtub where there were roses and a little white bear with a note that read: "Now that I have kissed the ground you walk on and showered you with roses will you be my Valentine?"}

This year the note was on the iPod.  It read:  "I still kiss the ground you walk on.  Will you still be my Valentine?"

Yes, Patrick.  I would love to.

And don't think that my surprises are over yet....

Note to Self:

Please remember the following pictures and the stories they represent:

#1

 I was talking on the phone with my mom when I heard a little voice beside me saying, "Why are these in my drawer?!"  I looked over and beheld Easton donning a sweatshirt as pants.  I realized in an instant that he could not figure out why in the world I would have put some tight pants with a HUGE waist in his clothes drawer.  {I had to explain to my mom what was going on since all she could hear was an outburst of laughter.}

 #2

 This picture doesn't represent one story as much as it does the way of life for my two filhos.  They are best friends in every way, shape, and form.  I love getting more things done as they play with each other--perfectly content.  I love to see them tumble and wrestle together (as shown above).  I love to hear their little footsteps outside my door in the morning coming to find me.  I love to hear Easton mother {or should I say "father"} Tate--telling him what to do and not do.  I love to hear Easton try to teach Tate to say new words {for some reason Tate responds a lot better to Easton's coaching than ours.}  I love to see them give each other hugs and share their gummies and drinks.  And most of all, I love to hear Tate copy EVERY SINGLE THING that Easton does...when he wants to of course...and especially if we've just told Easton to stop an annoying behavior like banging on the table.  Tate wants to be just like Easton and Easton loves the attention.  They are best buds and I hope and pray they will stay forever friends.

 #3

This picture was an accidental, perfect shot.  And I love it so much that I ordered an 8X10 for our wall.

I guess this picture serves as a reminder of simple days with my simple Sony cybershot.  Someday {if I ever save up enough money}  I will have a brand new, beautiful DSLR.  But as this picture shows, even without it, I can still be happy.  I can still take darling photographs...not because of my skills or my camera's talents, but because the subjects I capture are so angelic.

And while someday I will be able to take much better photographs with my fancy schmancy camera, for now the one I have is enough...and the "ones" I have are more than enough.

Love You Tater

5 years ago yesterday...

...was a special day indeed.

It began with Patrick and me driving to the Idaho Falls temple to perform baptisms for the dead.

When we reached our destination, Patrick announced he had a gift for me.

He handed me a small to medium sized, squarish package wrapped in red and white heart paper.

Inside was...

...an alarm clock!

I have to admit I was somewhat shocked. I smiled and thanked him saying something like I could always use another alarm clock. He beamed and then we went inside the temple.

During the course of the baptisms, I forgot completely about the quirky little gift and just relished the time I had to spend in the Lord's house.

But when I was drying my hair, I remembered the clock and was still a bit puzzled as to its meaning.  I wondered if there was more than met the eye, but shrugged it off telling myself it was just an alarm clock...probably one of those boy things that I'd never understand.

Instead of returning immediately to the car, Patrick wondered if I wanted to sit down somewhere.  So, we attempted to find a bench.  The only one we could find was located near the front doors of the temple.  I started towards it but Patrick hesitated, telling me there were too many people passing by.  Again, I was puzzled.  What was wrong with that??

We wandered around some more until we finally just decided to lean against a rail under a big pine tree.  We stood there for a few minutes shivering in the February frost and then Patrick reached into his pocket...to pull out...a camera.  He told me he had brought his family's camera to take a picture of us. 

Then he wanted one of just me {which I reluctantly agreed seeing as my hair was a mess after getting it wet and hurriedly drying it.}

Then he put the camera back in his pocket and this time pulled out a tiny gray box.

He knelt down, opened the box, and said, "The clock was for time, and this is for all eternity.  Jamie Greene, will you marry me?"

I was beaming now as he put the ring on my left finger {he was so nervous, he almost put it on my right hand}.

And then we kissed for the first time.

{There were cheers and congratulations from the parking lot from some happy passers-by}.

And then we went back to Rexburg and spent the rest of the beautiful day together.

Thank you, Patrick, for a perfect proposal.

I'll never forget it.

Winter Solitude.

This post is late in coming since it is all about January.

This year we welcomed January with open arms...for the first time.  January is always dismal and has always been my very least favorite month.  But this year I was armed with my goal to be grateful along with snippets of ideas, projects, and family activities to push the month a little closer to the blissful side.

Highlights included a trip to Twin Falls to watch Megan play basketball, visits from our extended families, puzzles, 

and finishing the final book of Fablehaven {which we both somewhat mourn. Patrick says he catches himself wondering what is about to take place in the book, only to remember that it's over. The other night he asked me if I wanted to read to him. I said yes with a twinge of sadness knowing there will be no more Kendra or Seth or the sphinx. No more Warren or Raxtus or Bracken or Vanessa. Please keep writing Mr. Mull!!}

January also brought trials I was not expecting, but which the Lord knew we could overcome.

January brought Patrick and me closer together in love and friendship than I ever thought possible {which of course seems impossible when you are so in love. I guess the Lord knows how to increase affection that already seems so very affectionate.}

January brought a change of decor that most reflects what I felt this month--white peace, snowy clean, flowery tatters, frozen sparkly crystal.

And how could I forget my perfect, new purse?

January also brought me some unforgettable moments...

Like sour cream rain drops on little noses.

 And Robin Hood.

Like rocking horses.

And dress-up horses.

Like folding huge piles of laundry and Tate wanting me to make him a pillow and blanket out of towels. {"Night, night," he told me}

And mounds upon unmeltable mounds of snow.

And when we pulled up to the Twin Falls temple, Tate started excitedly pointing and saying "Babo!!" {Temple}.  

It made me so. happy.

And then there was the sun.  A dozen times I opened my kitchen blinds and was taken back by the startling, vivid warmth of sunshine.  I would close my eyes with my face tilted upwards and bask for minutes in the glow.  Because it was so energizing. So life-giving. And light. And healing. And pure loveliness.  And I thanked the Lord for the symbolic homophone of the "sun" and "His Son." In truth, these "sonshine" moments could only be really cherished in the wintertime when a glimpse from the sun is a breath of heaven.

So this post is completely and utterly for you January. I'm sorry for my past prejudice. From now on I will try to love you because this year you have brought me such joy and tears and love and laughter.

The End. (until 2012)