Special Announcement

In my last post I shared evidence that Spring went missing. Well last weekend I found it. It was just a little further south from where we live. Actually I believe once we passed over the Mason-Dixon Line we saw Spring. We traveled to South Carolina for a very special birthday and to celebrate Easter. It was a great time although it went really fast. 

I'm still in recovery mode after that long trip. Unfortunately I've been suffering from back pain, probably as a result of the most recent surgery I had. I can't believe that just a few short months ago I wondered if I could have cancer, I wondered what my life would look like after surgery. I felt so blessed to be able to travel and we even enjoyed a little time at the beach.

After my surgery I had a follow up appointment with my doctor, strangely enough he pretty much ordered me to have children right away as my prescription for better health. He said that it's amazing what children can do for you and that they distract you from your own worries. I'm considering his recommendation but of course there's a lot of fear inside me as to whether I can even have children. As I'm working hard to be the healthiest I can be we did decided to add to our family.

We adopted a dog!  Hey they really are a lot like children and besides our Blanca girl needed a friend. When I'm not feeling well or am too exhausted to play with Blanca I feel terrible so I thought a friend could give her someone to play and interact with.

You might remember reading Blanca's story. If not you can find it HERE. Well of course our new baby has a story too. His name is Princeton. He's named after a mountain just like Blanca. These mountains are 14ers in Colorado. Pinceton is part of the Collegiate Peaks. When we lived in Colorado we soon discovered that climbing 14ers is a popular sport there. And it's not an easy one. Blanca is named after Blanca peak because we liked the name and she's got some white in her coat. We decided that we would name all future dogs after 14ers too.

Unfortunately we never got the opportunity to climb Blanca peak but we did climb Mt. Princeton. 

It's a day I will never forget.

 The drive up would have been interesting enough. The road up to the trail head was so bad we and our 3 other friends had to pile into the front and back of our truck and leave the other vehicle behind. That truck swayed and rocked back and forth climbing higher and higher; with each gain I wondered if it would soon give out or tip over the edge.

Once we finally started out on the hike it was magnificent.

It was like we were walking in the clouds the entire time.

If you know anything about climbing a 14er you would know that one of the goals is to summit and start heading back down by noon at the latest. The afternoon brings storms and storms above the tree line are not a good thing. Above the tree line there are NO trees. There's a lot of this...

These scree fields are hard to climb. And with no trees there's really nothing for lighting to strike. Unfortunately there are often reminders by way of a memorial plaque remembering those who have passed away as a result of being struck by lighting.

 Our hike was going great and it was such a beautiful day. I can remember it getting harder and harder as we got closer to the top. I always feel slower than everyone else. It's probably a combination of things but I was always so proud that I was doing it.

The clouds really started rolling in as we got to the summit and they were getting darker and darker. After taking a quick break we decided to start descending and head toward the trees as fast as we could. Apparently it wasn't fast enough. I remember so clearly the awe and fear of seeing lighting strike a rock right in front of us which promptly started smoking.

The rain kept pouring harder and harder to the point that it was challenging to see. The rocks kept getting slicker and slicker. I was so fearful of falling and getting injured. It was important for us to keep a good distance between ourselves because if lighting strikes someone you don't want it to travel to the next person. I threw my hiking poles on the ground multiple times because I could feel the electricity building in them to the point where they were arcing.  I've never been so happy to see trees in all my life. I knew I was much safer when I was in the trees. It truly was nothing short of a miracle that all of us made it down safe that day. I think everyone was a little shook up after that hike.

When we met our new boy Princeton it was love at first site. He's so sweet and desires nothing more than love. They were going to kill him. He came from a kill shelter in Kentucky. Apparently after 3 weeks if no one adopts the dogs they will kill them. Sometimes they make a call to a variety of adoption agencies and see if they can take any more dogs before they go through with the process. Thankfully Princeton was saved just like we were on the mountain that day.  We found him at an adoption day here in PA and it was a smooth transition.

He's a perfect fit for our family. He keeps miss Blanca on her toes.

They love to play together!

They are getting to be the best of friends!

I'm so thankful for this new distraction and doggy to love. I can't imagine that anyone could
 harm him or any other innocent creature.

If you're ever in the market for getting a dog please seek out adopting first. It's such a gift. I heard that adopted dogs are some of the best dogs you'll ever have because they really know what they've got.

Do you have any pets? I would love to hear their story!