June

We started June on a very sad note. Kaegogi started yelping in the middle of the night on Friday, June 1. We did not know why. It was hard to know if she was in pain or anxious. Steve stayed ended up staying downstairs with her all night and pet her every time she woke up yelping. We spoke to the vet who prescribed a sedative that is used for dogs that get dementia. She did okay during the day on Saturday and we gave her the medicine on Saturday night around 6:00 PM. She slept the first couple of hours. We were relieved. But then she started waking up every hour, yelping, around midnight. We made the hard decision to put her down. We promised her we would not let her suffer. She has been such an amazing dog. 

She had trouble with bad knees but we kept her comfortable. She has even been getting acupuncture every couple of weeks for the last year and a half. We thought we were going to lose her back in January 2016. At that time she was listless and not eating. After some meds and a change in diet she bounced back. I hoped that his would be the case this time but clearly she was ready to let go. She let us know in a very clear way. 

The animals all seemed to know. They all spent time with her those last couple of days. They had even started laying in her bed. I had notice that Boba and Mr. Twinkletoes actually started laying in her bed about a week before she passed. I did not think much of this because they have done this from time to time. But now looking back I think this was different. 

The other animals seem to miss her. They continued to lay in her bed. They all were a bit quieter for about a week. 

Every night I gave Kaegogi and Mr. Twinkletoes their medicine. Then all of the animals got treats. The dogs would often be joined by Mr. Twinkletoes when they got their treats. Now it is just Gracie and Boba. It feels so different. Kae's presence is missed. 

The whole house is quieter without her. She was a vocal dog. She talked to me all the time. She cried to go outside, then to come back in. She talked to us when she wanted attention. I miss her so much. I always thought I was a cat person but somehow this dog got to my heart like no other one has. 

She has blessed us the last 14 1/2 years. 

Sophia ran in the Girls on the Run 5K. She loves running and hopes to join the track team in High School.

Sophia competed in the 4-H Hippology and Horse Judging competition at the state level. She was hesitant to do the oral reasons of horse judging when she first started. This is where you stand up before a judge and tell them why you placed the horses in the order you did. The first practice she couldn't get through the reasons. She had an eye for the placings but the oral reasons were hard. She stuck with it and became more confident. The night before the competition she told me she like the judging more than the written and practical hippo logy! She did amazing in the competition. She ended up placing 2nd overall in the Intermediate Novice division. I am so proud of her.

I went up to Connecticut for my Aunt Anna Jane's 90th birthday. It was so nice to see her and my Aunt Philly. All my cousins were there. It was nice to be with family.

I also went up to New Hampshire to finish out the Etna series. I went up a day early to spend time with one of my best friends, Michael. The entire weekend was amazing. I am so glad I made it up to New Hampshire for this series. 

Sophia and her cats!

This month was a roller coaster. A really low time but followed by lots of happy times. I tell Sophia that we can't appreciate the happiness without knowing the sadness. This month served as a lesson for that.

May

May was an exciting month. First off we start the month with our annual picture by the azaleas. They bloom around May 1st each year. This is Sophia's half birthday so it is a nice milestone to capture her growth each year. This year's pictures are stunning.

Sophia was not able to compete in this months dressage show but for good reason. It was the day of Aiden's graduation. Aiden graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Music Education. He loved his four years there and learned a lot. He can't wait to teach in his own classroom. He loves working with elementary school music students. I am sure he will make a great teacher. We had a nice weekend in NY with all three kids.

Sophia sat out the hunter jumper show this month again. She helped me work the gate and gave out the ribbons. Hopefully Navajo recovers from his eye surgery soon.

Sophia went to see the breeding program at University of Maryland with her 4-H team. She has been working with a hippology and horse judging team for an upcoming competition in June.

Sophia sang with the chorus in the spring concert.

Sophia got inches cut from her hair. It looks great.

Our pets are all doing well. This month I have pictures of all of them.

Here is to a beautiful month.

April

Sophia competed in another Dressage Show this month. She rode Taco again and moved up to the Training Level 1 test. This test is more involved than the intro ones. She got a 68.04 and 1st place for training level. She was competing with all adults for this test. She also go a 69.75 and 2nd place in Intro C. She rode Taco again. It happens in a bigger ring. She has been riding with the dressage team and is really doing well.

Sophia did not compete in the hunter jumper show this month. Navajo is out due to problems with his eyes. She decided to help the team rather than use another horse that someone else may ride regularly. She is becoming so mature.

Her show team did a team building, fun activity this month. They played bubble soccer. I had never seen this before. It was so much fun. They ran around in huge bubbles playing different games, bumping into each other and falling over.

Our animals are doing well. Mr. Twinkletoes is developing a curl in his ears. We are not sure why it is happening. It may be a side effect of the Flovent he takes for his asthma. We hope it isn't anything serious.

March

March was an exciting month. We started off the month with the Horse Expo in Harrisburg, PA. We have been to the one in Maryland before but they are no longer having the Maryland Expo. We made a bit of a mini-vacation of this. We went up on Friday and came back late Saturday afternoon, right before the mall sleep in. The weather was a bit scary. We had a terrible wind storm. School was closed so Sophia did not have to use an absence for this day. Steve drove the entire way griping the wheel. We saw Angel, her coach there. Angel moved to PA. We miss having weekly lessons with her. We saw the shows, demonstrations and Sophia did some shopping. She bought a bucket full of treats with no added sugar for Navajo.

We came home, took a short nap and then headed to the mall for the mall "sleep in." There is NO sleeping during this event. There are activities for the girls to do. The food court is also open. I think they all like to food court the best. We enter the mall around 11 PM and leave around 5:30 AM. It is a long night!

This is Sophia the day after the mall sleep in. 

Sophia competed in her first dressage show of the series. She rode Taco. She did an amazing job.  She rode Intro B and got a 67.18 and got 3rd place and Intro C and got 70 which put her in first place. She has been riding with Kate and is considering joining the Dressage Team.

Sophia and her Horse Bowl team competed in the state competitions. They did an awesome job for a first year team. She learned so much from these practices. 4-H has been wonderful. I only wish we found it sooner.

Our animals are all doing well. I somehow don't have any pictures of Gracie and Otto. 

February

February flew by. We got a little snow. We all love playing in the snow. The dogs even like being out in it.

Sophia competed in the local Horse Bowl competition. She did a fantastic job. She is learning so much in the 4-H program. The Horse Bowl is a jeopardy like game which tests the kids knowledge of horse breeds, nutrition, anatomy, disease, parasites, tack, etc. There is so much to learn but Sophia is enjoying becoming a more well rounded equestrian. 

We took Sophia and her friend Rachel skating. Sophia was a great teacher. By the end of the night Rachel was able to skate without the aid. 

Our Girl Scout troop had a tie dye party so we could make T-shirts for the mall sleep in. They girls all had a blast. 

 And our animals are all doing well. I have to write about them, they are part of the family!

January 2018

January was a quiet month. Sophia continued practicing with the 6th grade honors chorus. She is enjoying working with this chorus.

She also is working hard with her horse bowl team. She meets up with the team on Saturdays after her riding lesson. She studies with them and their coach, Marcie, and then goes back to the barn to work a couple of hours to earn her working student bucks which she uses for extra lesson time.

Steve officiated at John and Kristy's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding. Steve did an awesome job.

I attended Etna in New Hampshire this year. I met a group of wonderful interpreters. January started our four weekend seminar. It was cold!

Our animals are all doing fine. Gracie loves the cats and they tolerate her. They let her chase them. It is fun to watch.