Bye Bella

Ever since we adopted Bella, she has tested us. But how can you not love this face? We did!!

But having three dogs was pushing our limits. 

Our girls in the backyard and the bathroom (during a tornado watch)

Peaceful moments

Since Gabriel was born, we have come to realize we can no longer keep Bella... Her energy, her temperament, her shedding! It broke our hearts to lose her as part of our family but we knew it was the right decision for us and for her. Saying goodbye was hard...

Won't. Sit. Still! Best pictures Perry could get of me & her

Take care, sweet blue-eyed Bella!

Pupper dogs

I haven't blogged about our fuzzy babies in a while, so here's a few pictures from the other morning. Apparently Krissie & Autumn wanted some "Mommy-lovin'" but I was busy on the computer! Bella was content enjoying the warmth of the sun!

On my left...

and on my right!

Run run run run run runaway!

Dogs. Three dogs. Our three dogs. They add a lot to our lives: love, excitement, happiness, security, trouble, snuggles, headaches, "surprises", slobber, and lots of dog hair!

Bella, our Husky, tests us almost on a daily basis. This dog is so smart! We took her to the Banfield Vet at Petsmart a few days ago because we suspected she had worms (ew!); it's not our usual vet but we were given a coupon for a free office visit & physical there. This was Bella's 1st trip to Petsmart. She's not wonderful on a leash. She often confuses the leash holder for a sled that she must single-handedly drag through the snow...

Perry & I checked Bella in and took a seat on the benches along the back wall of the store. Of course she was anxious, pacing back and forth, and doing her pitiful whiny "cry" :( In an attempt to calm her down, I started rubbing her belly while she was standing between my knees. Perry was holding the leash, but thought I had taken hold of it... I assumed he still had it...

There she goes!!! My little runaway. A- run- run- run- run- run- runaway! (A nod to the oldies song "Runaway" by Del Shannon!).

I took off after her (side note: the current series at our church is about differences between men & women and learning to live together in harmony. The author & guest speaker Tim Downs keeps us laughing! Wanna check it out? One key difference noted in this incident is a woman's (my)heightened senses and faster reaction time! Hehe). I tried stepping on her leash that trailed behind her, but I couldn't quite get it. Of course, Bella heads right for the front door! *panic* My sights are focused in on her, so I don't see anything or anyone around me. I need to stop my dog from running out the door into the parking lot!!!

I repeated the tactic that I used to catch her the last time she took off. I DOVE!!!

I dove right into a little girl who was standing on a stool to look at lizards or hamsters or some caged creature. Her mother was nearby talking on her cell phone. Oh my goodness. I cannot even begin to describe everything that occurred in the next, oh, 20 seconds!

+ Bella was safe and sound
+ the little girl, ~4 years old, was not hurt

- total embarrassment
- the girl's mother was NOT happy with me
- floor burns on my elbow and knee
- having to return to the back of the store & wait to be seen by the Banfield vet

Thankfully the girl didn't fall over with the stool! I sort of just knocked it out from under her and she landed on her feet. The mom quickly ended her conversation with "I gotta go, bye (click)". From the floor, I apologized over and over again to the little girl & her mother and made sure she was okay. I got up & quickly led Bella away from the scene! Yes, people gathered :/

What an ordeal. Bella brings a LOT to our family. Good and bad, we love her!

A lot has happened to me

...in the past month!

End of April
-On the same day, I scored a 97 on the Neuro exam (highest test score yet!) AND received a phone call from the manager on the unit where I completed my second preceptorship- she had a position open up and wanted to fill it with a new grad... and interview me!
-I GOT OFFERED THE JOB!!!

May
-My final exam was tough, but ended up with a 91 average = B. *Note: 92.5 is an A... so so close :(
-May 6th was our Pinning Ceremony at a beautiful Baptist church in N. Raleigh.


I'm the one turned around backwards ;)


Perry & I at Brio ♥ The entire family went out for dinner to celebrate!

-On Mother's Day, Perry & I treated our Moms (and Phil & Paul) to a Mudcats baseball game! We rode home with my Mom & Paul in their convertible. These pictures make me giggle.



-Bella's guesstimated birthday was May 11th. Happy 1st birthday to our baby!

-Perry has been working hard on various home improvement projects. He built a pantry in our kitchen & built-in shelves in the hall bathroom, and we started painting our interior trim from a dull sage green (dating back to the 1950s probably) to crisp clean white, painting primer on the exterior trim, and Perry sort of surprised me by taking the initiative to paint our front door GREEN!



-Last Sunday was the big Wake Tech graduation ceremony!



-Today I returned to work at Michael's! Back in 2007-08, I was a Sales Associate, then Event Coordinator, then promoted to Front End Supervisor. While I still work PT/PRN as a Nursing Assistant at the Laurels, a skilled nursing facility, I snatched up the opportunity to make some more money during this waiting period before my "real job" begins!

Coming soon in June!
-NCLEX Exam (State Boards for RN Licensure). My testing date is TBD, but please pray for me!

And in July...
-July 19th: official start date for my very first full-time job!!! I'll be at a large area hospital on an orthopaedic and oncology floor (AKA bones and cancer). I feel so blessed and cannot wait to begin my career as a nurse!

Bella

Bella is the newest addition to the Whitaker family. Perry & I adopted her 2 weeks ago from a Siberian Husky rescue. She's a one year old purebred, a big fuzzy ball of energy!

I just came within inches of losing her. Unlike Krissie & Autumn who know the boundaries of our yard and rarely venture past them, Bella's natural Husky instinct is to RUN! Down the street, around this tree, up to a neighbor's house, and into someone else's backyard. She was happy as could be. Freedom! And the other girls were tagging right along. But I was *PANICKING*.

At one point, I lost sight of them and thought for sure I would never catch her. Exhaustion and difficulty breathing set in; I'm out of shape and pretty sure I have exercise-induced asthma... I sprinted around the side of a neighbor's house and there they were. Autumn turned back to run towards me so Bella followed (thank you Fatty, for being a mama's girl!). Of course, Bella didn't make it easy. She decided to change directions again and bolted to the side.

I DOVE at her & landed on the leash. For what felt like five minutes, I layed face down, sprawled out on the ground with the girls playing and kissing all over me. It was a game to them. But I started sobbing! That was the worst feeling. I can only imagine what it's like to lose a real human child.

Now that my heart rate is back WNL, I need to wash the grass stains off my clothes & search for my keys that I threw down somewhere out there.