Sweet Bama

 

Our gem. 

Our gentle giant. 

Our sweet Bama was put to rest late Friday night, August 13th. For fourteen years she and Patrick built their lives together.  For sure Patrick is an incredible husband and father in part due to learning to care for Bama and as a result of their partnership. 

Patrick rescued Bama (along with his roommate, Daniel) when he was 21. From the moment Patrick brought Bama home, she was dedicated to him and by his side for the next 14 years.  Fourteen years of great change for sure, but the change only brought them closer.  

I pulled out a few old pictures to show parts of their journey.  Of course their journey is longer than I've known Patrick, so I'm only able to document the last 8 years or so.

 

Always by Patrick's side (even when he made her do silly things!)

Bama has been a part of my journey with Patrick as well.  On our first non-school event "date" Patrick and I met at a dog park (with Bama in tow of course).  I remember being very self-conscious meeting Bama because she really showed no interest in me.  I learned later than Bama was so purely dedicated to Patrick that he really needed to not be in the room (or house) for Bama to direct her attention to you (unless you had food of course!).  I also remember that not only was I vying for her attention, but so was every other dog at the park.  Bama just had that "got it" and everyone was drawn to her. Bama didn't seem to realize that anyone else was there except Patrick though.  Truly a man's best friend.

When Patrick and I moved in together we were unsure how our furry friends would get along.  I came with the cats (Mack and Levi), and he with Bama. The cats had lived with dogs previously, so we weren't too worried about them, but Bama had never lived with a cat before.  So we held our breath and threw everyone into a room together.  After a couple of sniffs, it was like they had always all lived together. Here's a picture of Bama and Mack chillin' together.

We used to bring Bama with us everywhere --to dinner, on walks, to the beach.  She was our "child" before we had children. Bama was with us when we got engaged.  She stood by Patrick as he asked me to marry him (almost as if they were both asking). When Patrick and I had Christmas in North Carolina, Patrick would drive all the way from Chicago to North Carolina just so he could bring Bama and so that she could be with us for the holiday. A true partnership!

Many of you know that my best friend, Jen, drove Bama across the country from Chicago to Maine so Bama could be at our wedding.  Jen knew how important it would be to Patrick so we planned it as a surprise. It wasn't easy to pull off though.  I had told Patrick that I was going for a ride with Bama to bond with her for a bit before we left for our wedding/honeymoon.  Patrick kept on saying he wanted to come. I kept on saying that it was a girl thing and that Bama and I needed our alone time.  Bama and I sped to the airport to pick-up Jen.   We knew that Bama would head straight in to see Patrick when we got back in to the house, so we put a sign around her neck for her to greet him with.  On queue, when we got back home, before Patrick knew Jen was with me, Bama went running in to see Patrick.  She was wearing a sign around her neck that read "Maine or Bust" with ribbons everywhere. By the time Jen and I got into the room, Patrick was teary eyed.  I think he was in awe that she would be at our special day thanks to Jen.


Below: Patrick, Bama and the groomsmen on their way to our wedding ceremony.  Fitting--It's like she was one of the "groomsmen" (but a lady of course). I'm certain if Bama were a human that she would have been Patrick's Best Man (sorry Jeff).

As the years flew by, Bama welcomed each of our children with grace and never showed any jealousy.

Lexi is 1 week old here. I think this was our first stroller walk with her.  Of course Bama is with us too.  As a side note, we didn't know that you don't put 1 week old babies in umbrella strollers.

This is Christmas of 05.  Lexi is 3 months old.

Lexi with Bama at 14 months (thanks to Bama for her tolerance as Lex climbs on her back!)

Lexi, Patrick and Bama building snowmen.

Nov 2007.

January 2008.

April 2008.  Finn hugging Bama.

Lexi and Bama Nov 2008.

December 2008.  Bama loved the snow!

Bama had a major seizure in May of 2008.  The vet diagnosed her with a brain tumor and gave her 6 months to live.  Here she is recovering.  Patrick taught her to walk again. It's important to note that she outlived the 6 month diagnosis by 2 years!

Our attempt to take a family photo after Heath was born Feb 2009.

March 2010 in front of our home in Maine

Bama was the dog that people who don't like dogs liked.  She didn't lick, she didn't bark, she didn't need to be walked on a leash.  She was soft, sweet and always by your side when you needed her to be. 

These stories and pictures only begin to share the impact Bama had on our lives.

We miss our dear Bama and thank her for the countless memories and enduring love.

Enjoy dog Heaven Alabama.  You certainly deserve the best of the best!

What's a normal morning?

When you stop and ask others, you realize that we all have very different mornings. Those of us with kids have very different morning than those who don't. Those of us who work outside the home have very different mornings than those who stay at home. That said, you never know what a morning will bring. But the fact is that our "normal" morning has changed quite a bit since our move to Maine.

The other morning, chaotic as usual, we prepared the clan to depart for the day and just as Patrick was about to walk out the door he said, "Look, there are geese on our driveway." Interesting in that there are no ponds close by and that we have not yet encountered geese. As we all looked closer - kids shouting with glee - there were not only 2 adult geese waddling in our driveway, but 3 very soft and cute yellow baby geese in tow. Such a nice peaceful way to transition from our crazy morning.

Those of you you who follow our blog may remember an earlier post with wild turkeys on our front lawn (Wild Turkey). For those of you that have not been to Maine and really have no clue where we might live, we see cows and horses daily to and from our house (no matter what direction we drive). I'm probably painting a very rural picture, but we're not way out there. That's what makes it all more surreal. At any rate, we are enjoying what appears to be frequent wildlife surprises. We'll keep you posted as more show up and let's hope our encounters continue to be pleasant ones.

Here are a couple snapshots of our family of geese.

A Good Life

My friend Claire keeps asking whether the rest of our family made it to Maine with us.  She is referring to the cats actually. Since they haven't made an appearance on the blog, she's wondering if they are truly here and where they sit within our family hierarchy. The truth is, as all cat owners know, our cats actually run our house. They live the best lives of anyone in our family--sleeping 20-22 hours of the day, recipients of ongoing pets from everyone, and gallivanting at all hours of the night when everyone else is asleep (allowing them to do whatever they please). There may be the occasional time when Finny chases them or Heath grabs on and doesn't let go, but for the most part, they actually run the show here.  Do not be mistaken--they are alive and well and enjoying their time in Maine. In this picture, Mickel snuggles with Heath's walking toy.  (Sorry Clarie, photos of Levi to follow. Gotta keep you coming back....)

Fourteen

Our sweet girl, Alabama, turned 14 today. Just over 1 1/2 years ago we were told she had six months to live, so we feel lucky for every extra day we have.  She is such a gentle soul and has brought such joy to all of us.  Happy Birthday Alabama!