“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, and his leader. He will be yours,
faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” -Unknown

I’ve been putting this post off, because I really don’t know what to say… and sometimes still fight tears when I think of Vincent.
SB and I lost Vincent on January 15. He was 16-and-a-half years old.

We know he is so much better off now, but it’s still so strange to come home and not see him on the couch- or have him beg for food, or want to go outside. Pets can never be truly replaced, and we are thankful to have memories of Vincent that will last forever.

While I was looking for the perfect thing to say… I came across this wonderful website http://www.recover-from-grief.com/loss-of-a-pet-poem.html - it says everything I could ever want to say. But don’t read it unless you have tissues nearby – and don’t read it at work. Geez.
I leave you with….

RAINBOW BRIDGE
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies who has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

Author unknown…

As most of you know, I complete online surveys and product tests to earn a little extra cash…
Anyway, I was just working on one… and this question gave me a laugh.

In the next 12 months, do you plan to
1. Buy a car
2. Travel for leisure
3. Go to a sporting event
4. Refinance a mortgage
5. Buy a tractor

Wow. I wonder how many respondents plan to buy a tractor. That’s one choice I have never seen in any survey.
I just found it humorous – hope you did, too.
Happy Friday!

Those of you who know my husband, Steven… know that this is his favorite saying during this time of year…
The old year is gone, oh how time does fly…
to you and your family… I hope you all ___.
And like I said… those of you who know him well, know how to fill in the last blank. And he wonders to this day why Hallmark hasn’t picked it up for a card yet. Who knows?! Maybe someday…

2011 was a pretty good year… some good times, and of course, some bad times… (here, though… the bad times aren’t worth mentioning anymore)
We had more crazy weather in January, at one point, we measured just over 5″ of snow here in Georgia. As in the past, we ‘hiked’ up and down our hill… and luckily, had several good friends that were willing to brave the snow and ice to give us rides to the bar store.
We were lucky enough to be able to accomplish several home improvements this year… from painting, to some new light fixtures, and even a completely rebuilt chimney! Wow. There’s so much more we want to do… hopefully 2012 will give us even more opportunities to do so.

In March, SB and I celebrated our 5th anniversary – we were among our favorite friends, and Steven even bought an awesome chocolate cake to celebrate. Also, in March, we bought a new car… we were looking for something more gas-efficient with less repairs.
In May, we traveled to New York City for Memorial Day weekend. Neither of us had been to NYC in many years, and were excited to go together! We saw so many things- Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Ground Zero, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Little Italy… I saw my first Broadway Play, “Born Yesterday” … and even had the chance to take a private tour of FoxNews Channel. Our guide, weekend host Clayton Morris, was wonderful – we saw so many things that most people never get to see… and even got to sit on the Fox and Friends “curvy couch.”
In June, my parents and sister came to visit… as always, it was a nice time. SB grilled out for them one night, and the next we enjoyed dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, Alfredo’s.
Also in June, we finally broke down and entered the world of the SmartPhone. I resisted for so long… and when my old phone began to die… I decided to jump in. Quickly I got addicted to Angry Birds -which sometimes is a relief for SB, because it keeps me quiet for a while!

The last week in August, SB and I embarked on another cruise… this time, we flew to Miami… and traveled on the Majesty of the Seas to Nassau, CocoCay and Key West. I hadn’t been to Key West in 16 years, so it was nice to visit again.
In September, Steven’s grandmother turned 90, and we had a 90-person party for her! How amazing – she is truly a special woman.
In October, my parents and sister visited again for my Dad’s birthday. Dad, never willing to stop working, helped us install a new garage door opener and a new ceiling fan…
On that same weekend, we were excited to show them our pond waterfall, and let them see how our fish had thrived and grown. Alas, upon returning home from work – Steven found our largest fish, Copernicus, floating. And the goldfish and another koi were ‘missing.’ Only one live fish remained that afternoon… we are certain a circling heron enjoyed them for a mid-afternoon snack. By Saturday, the lone koi had also disappeared. We miss them, but have decided that we will not replenish the pond until Spring.

In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Steven’s family – we had a large crowd, since many cousins came in to visit from out of town – we also had two babies with us that weren’t there last year. I think the final count was 26 people.
In December, I began some de-cluttering of the house… and managed to sell a good bit of my clutter on eBay! Our holidays were very low-key… we spent time with some family, and of course, all of our friends. I also enjoyed some well-deserved time off work- mental health days, you could say.

Today is New Year’s Eve – the weather is amazing… I could definitely get used to these 60+ degree days!
This evening we will enjoy dinner out with some friends… and eventually retire to our place for drinks… we’re looking forward to being with our friends – and welcoming 2012 all together!
To all of our family and friends… we wish you all the best for the new year! Bring it on!

For my computer nerd friends…

The reasons our computers at work are slow-
You might have a virus!
Did you do a disk cleanup?
There are too many icons on your desktop!
Did you clear your cookies?
Have you defragmented lately?

The real reason-
Most computers here at work are 512 MB Ram, with a 256 MB here and there…
running on a 512 mB server.
Hmmmm. You think?!