Changes

It's been hard the last few days trying to get used to Cletus not being at the house. Depressing actually. I've tried avoiding the house at lunch to cut back on how many times that I pull into the driveway to find Kimba all alone in the yard. She missed him too. She just doesn't know what to think about the solitude. One evening, I came home and found Kimba in the dog house that she has never used before. She took over Cletus' dog house the day she arrived. But on this particular day, she got in the other one. I believe that she was leaving Cletus's dog house empty to see if he would come back to get in it. :(

We got out Friday evening to have dinner with Darlene and Gary. We picked up mom along the way.

We went to the big city of Doyle to have dinner at a restaurant named "Nathan's". The food was really good. Devin even had a dessert called "fried honey bun". Just when you thought that a honey bun could not be any more unhealthy...they fry it.
Although we were all stuffed when we left, we went by Darlene and Gary's house so that Stroker could help Gary set a new toilet in the half-bath that they are remolding. It turned out to be a little more challenging than we anticipated. At one point, there were 5 of us in that tiny little powder room.

We finally got the toilet set, Brookelynn took a seat while she read the next installation instructions.

Best Dog EVER

I type this post with a heavy heart...a broken heart. 

We lost a very dear member of the Hayes house yesterday. After many years, twelve to be exact, Cletus had to leave us. As a puppy, he drove us absolutely insane. He chewed anything and everything that he could get his little teeth around, he shredded two different lawn swing covers, he barked our ears off and he liked to stay right under our feet.

By the time he was a year old, we had reached our limit. I still can't believe we actually sold him to another family. Even more, I can't believe the family that bought him lived just a few doors down from my good friend. Thank God she was close by to keep us updated on Cletus's whereabouts and condition. Otherwise, we would not have known when Cletus's new family abandoned him.
The day Stroker picked up Cletus and brought him back home made us all family again. I still remember Cletus running in the gate and around to the back of the house. He picked up Stroker's shoe, brought it to the front porch and just laid his little head on it like a pillow. He never chewed, dug holes, or bothered anything again...ever. 
He did continue to bark though. I think that was just to let us know he loved us to pieces. I think he was barking "I'll be right here when you get back...I'm gonna miss you while your gone".  He ran down the fence as we drove away every single day. He would watch our car until we were out of sight. If we turned the corner, he would run to the back of the yard beside our shed and watch for us to go down the side street. Every single time we returned home, he would meet us at the gate barking as if to say "I missed you like crazy...I'm so glad your home."
He was so appreciative in the winter for us to let him come inside. He was housebroken without ever being trained. He never left the rug in front of the front door. 

He didn't bother anything in our house. He just laid on his rug and took long warm naps. 

His health started to decline last year, just as a new puppy arrived in our yard. I noticed last summer that Cletus could no longer make a lap around the lake at the park. I had to carry him part of the way. Over the past few months, I've noticed Cletus stumble more, lay around more, and eat a lot less. He lost half his body weight over the last year from his sickness. From a healthy 19 pounds down to 10.2 pounds. He never showed us that he was in any pain, he always ran the fence when we left and met us at the gate when we returned. 

On Tuesday, my dad had stopped by the house around lunch. He commented that Cletus looked bad and that we should get him some "stick bologna" and feed him some everyday. My daddy seems to think that bologna cures anything. Who knows...he might be on to something there.
Tuesday evening, we took Kimba to the park for a walk and swim. When we returned, Cletus wasn't at the gate. As soon as I got in the yard, I began to call for him. I found him toward the back of the house laying on the ground. As I walked closer he raised his little head. Relief swept over me because I thought he had died. I sat down beside him and asked what was wrong. He could not get up. I called for Brooke to bring me lunch meat from the fridge because that usually perked him up. He raised his head to eat a couple of pieces, but lost interest. I knew at that point the inevitable was coming. 
I spent the rest of the evening, until 10:30 that night, outside with Cletus. I cried and cried as I pet him and told him what a good doggy he had been and that he would feel better tomorrow. I promised him that he would not hurt much longer. He tried to drag himself through the yard but it was too painful. He would lay in the grass and groan. 
We tried bringing him inside, but he could not get comfortable. He drug himself back to the door as if to ask to go back outside. We tried to get him comfortable on the porch, but by morning he had drug himself back to the yard. I think he just wanted to spend his last hours in the yard that he called home.
The next morning, Stroker and I took him for one last ride in the truck. I carried him into the animal hospital and stood right by his side, petting his little head until his last breath. I squalled like a baby the entire time. I never-ever thought the loss of an animal could hurt me so bad. He was our family. He was Cletus Hayes and he was very loved.
We buried Cletus out by the shed where he always ran and stood to watch us drive out of sight. I knew he would be happy there. I kept my promise. He doesn't hurt anymore. I miss him like crazy though.  

 12 years...with the Best Dog Ever. 

Family First

The fair came and went this year and we did not even have to go. Brookelynn went two different nights with a couple of her friends. Just another illustration of how she is growing up and spend less time with us. 

We finalized July with a back to school bash at Brookelynn's school and across the street we found the Buffalo Wild Wings mascot.

 Dash and Grey came over on Friday night August 8 to spend some time with us while Stacia took Jett to buy school clothes. Brookelynn loves to babysit those boys He was cracking me up with his vocabulary. He told me his favorite drink was " lemlade" and that " Fitchalay" (chic fil a) did not have "lemlade"(lemonade). 

He wanted to take Cletus for a walk, but we told him Cletus does not feel like going on walks these days. Dash said that when he gets a dog he's going to bring it over to visit so his dog and Cletus can play hop scar (hopscotch). He had us cracking up. 

On Saturday August 9, we all met for lunch at Golden Corral for our annual birthday dinner from daddy. 18 adults and 9 kiddos was the final count I believe. All the kids left on a sure high from the dessert bar and a turbo boost from the cotton candy. 

I, along with the whole nation, was shocked on Monday to hear that Robin Williams had committed suicide.  The saddest part is that he spent his entire life trying to make other people laugh while he was crying on the inside. It is also troubling to think that he tried to escape his own pain from this world only to spend eternity with the same misery tenfold because of his decision to take his own life. Sometimes celebrity deaths seem surreal especially when it is a celebrity that has been around for our entire lives. 

On a much lighter note, Stroker and I had a nice dinner for two at Ruby Tuesday's. Mostly because they have a great salad.

I enjoy our time alone together, but it saddens me to think our kids are growing up (one's already grown) and they don't stay underneath us like they used to. It's funny how day after day it seems like nothing is different, yet we look back over the years and everything has changed. 

Back to School Week

We had the best time Sunday, July 20. After church, Brookelynn and I went school clothes shopping with Maleigha and Mackenzi in Mount Juliet and Lebanon.  Maybe it wasn't just school clothes shopping, but that is what were going to call it.  And…, we have begun the creation of 2^nd generation friendships.

Brookelynn and the cheerleaders had to promote the “Back to school bash” at ATMS on Monday evening, July 21. She was happy to hang out with her friends for a couple of hours and they even made a new friend in those two hours. Her name is Devin, “with an i ” she told Brookelynn and her friends. Brookelynn said to me “I like the new girl Devin, she is funny. She spells her name weird though… it’s Devini because she said it is with an “ i “.  Brooke later realized that the “ i “ that Devin is referring to was the one between the “v’ and the “n”.  Not an extra one at the end.

Oh Brookelynn… you have your momma’s blonde roots.

I got my tires rotated on Tuesday, July 22 and Brookelynn vacuumed my car for me. It was a good day for “Blu” (that’s my car’s name).

Thursday, July 24 was the official start of school. It was registration day. Brookelynn had Alyssa come home with her for a sleepover. Ansley came over around 5:30 for a sleepover. I went to dinner with my friend Lori who is in from Vancouver WA. We went to Craw Daddy’s while Stroker took the three girls to dinner at El Tap.

Friday, July 25 was Brookelynn’s Splash day with her friends. We set up the water slide for them and had lunch at Bellacino’s, then they played in the water slide some more. They were worn out and sun kissed by the end of the day. Brookelynn took a good nap after everyone went home.  

Stroker and I went to Sparta Friday evening and picked up my mom. We brought her over to our house for a visit and went to eat dinner for taking her back home. She likes to get out of the house every now and then. 

Waiting for Answers

Some days are just more productive than others. Take Monday, July 14 for example. I got up and got moving first thing with chores like sweeping and mopping the kitchen, taking Brookelynn to the orthodontist, cleaned the oven and finished cooking the meatloaf that I began a day earlier. There were no side dishes of course, but at least the meatloaf was cooked and the house was not full of smoke.

Some news that got me worried Monday evening when Devin arrived back home from Memphis was that he complains of pneumonia like symptoms. He said his chest and lungs feel tight and he cannot inhale well. He has an occasional dry cough, but I’m not sure what the cause is. He took a breathing treatment from the nebulizer that we have, but he said it only helped a little. I thought maybe it is just an anxiety attack from four days away from home.

On Tuesday, July 15 I took Devin to the doctor to be examined because he said that he still wasn’t breathing well. He told me that he felt like he needed an oxygen tank.  For the first time ever, a doctor mentioned the possibility of “MarfanSyndrome”. He is 6’5” now and weighs 148 lbs. which is around 40 lbs underweight.  As I started researching Marfan Syndrome, I find that he does have a lot of the characteristics. The doctor sent him for a chest x-ray to see if there was any sign of pneumonia (even though she didn't hear any).  Devin told me that the x-ray technologist had to take two x-rays because his lungs are so long that they would not fit into one screen. By the end of the day, the results came back clear (thank goodness).  For now, they gave him a steroid shot and some steroid pills to take periodically because it seems to help his breathing. He was kinda shocked to learn that the shot had to be injected in his cheek. They’re going to schedule a CT scan to get a closer look in a day or two.

While Devin takes it easy, we took Brookelynn to buy school supplies because that starts next week. We spent about an hour in Office Max and came out $68 lighter. Supply lists are ridiculous these days. Whatever happened to just needing paper, pencils and crayons?

We ended the day at Logan’s for dinner and got some “Roadies” to go to take home to Devin.

Fast Forward to Thursday, July 17.That’s the day when Devin went for his CT scan.

He was so aggravated because it took three nurses and five pricks to get an IV in his vein. At one point, he said he told the nurse that he was about to pass out. She replied “you do feel a little clammy, maybe you should lay back.”  He finally made it through the scan and we got to head home to await the results.

Turns out, the CT scan shows clear too. We still don’t know the cause. I’m leaning toward a rough case of acid reflux or maybe just anxiety. 

As for Marfan Syndrome…maybe, maybe not.

So here we are, Finally Friday and here comes the rain. On and off all day long. Dreary start to the weekend. At least we can look forward to a little rest and relaxation.

Saturday, July 19 was more of the same. On and off showers all day long. We spent the whole day at home. Thanks God for a Saturday to rest. 

How Much Longer?

Day 3 of cheer camp was on Saturday, July 12. I guess you could say that Jerry and I are totally lost and unsure of ourselves at this point. We have dealt with one child at a time abandoning us for a long weekend in the past, but this is the first time that we have been left alone by both the kids. I'm telling you now that "empty nest syndrome" will be happening in our house over the next few years. Devin has already mentioned moving out with room mates and Brookelynn will be a teenager this year. I'm starting to hyperventilate just thinking about it.
I tried to pass some time Saturday by sanding on a hope chest that I have been wanting to refinish.

Stroker worked on a few odd jobs around the house. We went out to lunch...and dinner, but we were both missing the kids. We spent some time on the patio Saturday night and enjoyed the ambiance with all the torches lit. The air felt like fall and the town was quiet, or maybe it was just that the house was quiet with just the two of us.
When Sunday morning, July 13 arrived, we got up and went to church and then lunch at Rib City with Debi, Sterl, Lee and Judy. It was the final day of cheer camp. We went to pick up Brooke at 2 pm and we seen in the first 3 seconds that she was tired and ill.

She crashed on the couch for a while as soon as we got her back home. I cooked her a home cooked meal with meatloaf, fried squash and fresh corn. My meatloaf got grease in the oven and smoked up the house (inexperienced chef), so we ended up picking up some chicken to go with my side items. It was good though. Jerry and Brooke didn't complain too much about the meatloaf incident.
I sanded on the hope chest a little more at the end of the day.
I called to see what time Devin expected to get back home... Turns out that he is not coming back until Monday. :(