My parents got some bad news this week that their lab Gracie has cancer.  A very aggressive kind that can't be treated, so they were told to enjoy the time they have left with her and keep her comfortable.  I know Gracie isn't human and there are plenty of people with more heartache and sadness, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I've been thinking a lot about how the promise of tomorrow isn't actually a promise and something I often take for granted.  It's made me think a lot about how much the people (and dogs) in my life mean to me, and how I need to make more effort to show this.  

If you're not a dog person, it won't make sense, but Franklin is 100% a part of our family.  It's not just Andrew and I.  We're a family of three.  I'm vowing to make more memories and capture more memories.  Nothing forced, but it's important to value the everyday things that I don't think twice about, but that always make me smile.

And for Frank, after his life has come and gone, I will never forget how much he loves to look out our front door.  Every morning, I take him for a walk.  He takes a quick power nap, and then comes into my office, jumps onto my lap for attention and then waits until I ask him if he wants to go look out the door at which he scrambles off and runs to the door, waiting for me to open it.  He is content to spend hours laying here.  He loves his routine.

And, I love how happy it makes him.

What's better than one new rug?

Two. In. One. Week.

Friday was a big day.

The rug I ordered from Urban Outfitters finally came in after three months.  I had been looking for a chevron print rug all over the world-wide-web, and couldn't find anything that wasn't black and white at the time.  Then I stumbled upon this beauty in May and knew it was a game-changer.  Only problem, it was on back-order until August 18th. 

I kept my order confirmation email in my inbox all this time and checked my order status every once in a while to make sure the delivery date hadn't changed.  And then before promised, it shipped.

Oh happy day.

It does exactly what I thought it would.

Serves as another place for Franklin to lay on.  I mean, what do you think this is?  Prison?

Doggies don't lay on bare floors.  

Unless they want to.

Also, it serves as a really great place to hold extra Franklin hairs.  You know, so when you come over you are sure to find some to take home with you.

Pretty much I love it, but now it has me itching to to get our horse chair recovered and find a set of parson chairs to face the fireplace to make the rug placement more sensible.  Right now it's a little off.  I know this.  Don't leave a comment about it.  It's one of those understood things.

It also has me wanting to do a few more things to this room.  Some of which I already did.

Like change the photo out on our mantle.  Golden wheat, you sure are purty.

Now, I need to get it mounted properly.  And change out some of the photos above the couch.  

And add some next to the doorway to the living room.  

And probably vacuum.

Wait, here are some more pictures of the d-o-g.  You didn't really think this was only about a rug, right?

I'm going to try and break a personal summer blogging record and blog more than once this week.

I know.  Whoa.

I'm enjoying my second of two days off this week and loving every minute of it.  I went for a run, had breakfast in bed, shopped, got caught up on Teen Mom and am about to hit up the spa for some more me time then meet up with Andrew at the pool.

I know - sounds amazing and like I am very spoiled.

Guilty, but I also think this is well deserved after the Tuesday I had with Franklin.  

I alluded to that terrible day on the book of face, but here are the dirty, dirty details.  Those with weak stomachs, maybe just skim the pics and move on.  Because this is real life and lately our life is gross.  Mainly my life since Andrew was already at work and would have never made it out of this without throwing up at least once.  For being a farm kid, his skills at handling puke/spit up/poop/etc. are pretty disappointing.
I can't wait until we have kids!

I woke up late and decided to take Frank on a quick walk to at least get him out of the house before I got ready for work and headed in to the office.  We were just about two blocks from home when he lunged for this old Ziploc bag of food that had been leaning up against a tree in someone's front yard.  I immediately yank his leash over and try to get the bag out of his mouth.  He has clamped down soo hard that it doesn't budge. 
Instead it rips and brown liquid and mush fall out.  

WITH MAGGOTS.

Awesome.

The worst smell I have ever smelt is being wafted up, and I am gagging and trying to get this away from Franklin,
getting it all over his nose and mouth and my hands.  

Gag, gag, gag.

Whatever was someone's lunch or snack weeks ago (that has sat out in 100+ temps all this time) is rancid and covering us.
By this time, I'm giving up that I'm ever going to get the bag away from him.

So, he swallows it, the brown mush and maggots whole.  

Talk about breakfast of champions.

I am cursing him under my breath the rest of the way home in between gagging and dry heaving. 
As I'm carrying a bag of poop in one maggoty hand and his leash in another.

We immediately go to the backyard so he can get a bath.

I shower, get ready for work, call in for my status meeting instead of heading to the office and then call the vet.  Just as I suspected, he needs to come in.  I was not going to risk that dang baggie getting stuck in his insides and then having to pay for surgery to get it out later.

Instead, Franklin got an injection to help him throw up and spent four hours at the vet's office.

When I went to pick him up that afternoon, the staff told me as I had barely gotten through the door that whatever came up was very disgusting.  Bag and all.  They had to take breaks and come up to the front of the office to get away from the smell.

Dr. Dugan said it was definitely in her Top 10 most disgusting things she's ever seen.

That's my boy.

Little guy was so excited to see me and ran straight inside once we got home.

And then did this for the rest of the day.

Anyone want to adopt a 2-year old white lab?

Just kidding.  Kind of.

Who knew July 16th would be such a popular weekend for weddings?  I was back in Hiawatha for Halley's wedding, Andrew was in Manhattan for Matt and Jenny's wedding, and when I got home and checked Facebook there were at least three other weddings that popped up on my news feed.  

I was sad I wasn't able to be in Manhappiness too, but I almost felt like I had been there when I saw the photo strip Andrew brought back.  

Notice the stain that shows up on Andrew's shirt in the last frame.  (Thanks, Heath.)

Good use of props.  Good bro love.  Good weekend.

Hope everyone had a great time celebrating the red, white and blue this past holiday weekend!

 After helping my brother and sister-in-law move into their new house, seeing our friends' new baby, Hannah (only four days old!), taking Hannah's dad to the ER after he sliced his thumb open on an outdoor security sign, and logging a bazillion hours on the road this past month (I've been in Wichita for a full weekend only once since May), we are exhausted. 

I slept in and both Andrew and I took a much-needed nap before we went to the pool yesterday afternoon.  Frank did too.  

He is not one to pass up a good nap.

Took it easy last night and had our own fireworks fun with just a couple of packs of sparklers and a camera. 

My kind of Monday night.  :)