Cargo

AJ and I made the decision to add a 3rd family member to the family around the time of November 2011.  I was still living in my "honeymoon" 2 months after being married, my husband however, had dog on his mind.  I wasn't against adding a dog to our lives, just wasn't 100% sure like AJ was.  So, after much searching for the perfect dog, we finally found him.

We found our new puppy in Sheldon, IA, just about 30 minutes down the road from Sioux Center.  He was the 2nd dog I saw after walking into the store, and the one I couldn't get out of my mind.  He was so small and cuddly and adorable.  I think then and there I developed a "puppy dog" face and got AJ to give in.  After paperwork, a bath, a shot, we were finally walking out the door with our "baby." 

We have had Cargo now for 4 months and are quite attached to him.  He is THE PERFECT dog...he eats library books, cries at 6 am on Saturdays, eats the buckle off your work shoes, chews the zipper apart on your sweatpants, pees right where you walk, and gives you the cutest, puppy dog face every time he knows he did something wrong.  How is that not the perfect dog? :)  Despite his naughtiness, Cargo really is a joy to have.  He plays, goes on walks, joins you on a 3 mile run, cuddles, and waits by the door for you to get off work.  We love Cargo and can't imagine life without our "baby."

Today I would like to devote my posting to my dear Grandmother, Angeline Dorothy Monsma. 

Grandma's Rules of Life...
1. A nice piece of chocolate couldn't hurt
2. My grandchild can do no wrong
3. If you've got love for the Lord, you've got it all

Today marks 1 month since the passing of my grandmother.  My grandma was not just agrandma to me, but a dear friend.  I remember spending weekends visiting Iowa during harvest season and eating ham buns with so much butter you could hardly taste the ham!  Chocolate malts and watching the Disney channel were one of my favorites, followed by pizza for dinner.  Oh and I can't forget the times she would come to visit us in Denver and would lay in bed and rub my back until I fell asleep.  Later, when I moved away to college, Grandma and I became pen pals.  We wrote letters often, all of which I have kept.  Weekend visits home meant spending a lunch or an afternoon with Grandma & Grandpa by their kitchen table.  I cannot remember a time I wasn't offered some coffee ice cream, a piece of cheesecake, an Andes mint, or some Dove chocolate.
 
February 18 was the day I saw her casket close, a life chapter here on earth come to an end.  While I am selfishly missing the voice of my grandmother and wishing I could call her on her 88th birthday, I know she is in a better place.  I can only imagine the celebration she is having with her Heavenly Father and with those she dearly loves that have too past. 

Today I am celebrating the wonderful life I was able to share with my grandma while she lived her on earth.  Memories I will cherish for a lifetime.

September 17, 2011