Nelda

I was just notified that Nelda Jensen passed away this week. She was the previous owner of our home and the reason for our house title "Villa de Nelda." Here is a link to her obituary. Our condolences go out to her entire family. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

http://www.legacy.com/saltlaketribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=121030916

You can also read more about Nelda and our new home from a previous blog I wrote back in August, titled "Villa de Nelda." I was lucky enough to get a comment from Nelda's grandson Mike Parker, who shard the sad news.

Edison

We had an emotional Saturday at the "Blackstroms." Joe and I finally decided to put Edison down. His health hadn't improved - in fact it seemed to get worse. But we finally set up an appointment, last minute, this afternoon. Unfortunately I had to work, but Joe asked his friend Geoff to tag along for support.

Oh my gosh, I can't stop crying about it. Its just so sad!! I asked Andee to snap a few pictures before Joe took him in. (She has the better camera!!) And she got some amazing photos. This one is my favorite:

She snapped quite a few and there isn't a bad picture. Even the ones, where our other dog Lucas, felt like jumping in. He was feel a little excluded apparently!

We're doing okay though, just sad feelings going around. Andee & Kelly said their goodbyes and I guess Andee was crying pretty hard...I'm glad I wasn't there, because that would have made it worse. Then Joe took Ed in at 3:00. Our vet was amazing and gave him a sedative pill before hand to relax him. Joe got to hold him the entire time. They gave him several minutes of alone time with Edison. (Joe even snapped a few pictures with his phone.) Then the vet came in and gave the final shot. Edison died right in Joe's arms.

Joe paid a little extra to get a "paw print" pressed on paper. They'll put it together for us and mail it later. But at least we have a few things left to remind us of Ed. Pictures, his blanket, that silly orange sweater I made him wear, and the paw print. Its amazing how much he affected our lives and how empty we are feeling at this moment. I'm sure we'll move on and start feeling more positive soon. I just had to get the story out. Thank you for all your well wishing and kind words. Ed was part of our family and we'll miss him forever. We know he is at peace and running around, cough-free, all over doggie heaven.

Wow, I really can't believe how much this little guy is affecting me. How could I even go through this again? I think I might be too attached to my dogs. Their my kids though!!

Too anyone who has lost a pet - I can now sympathize. This is too hard.

Edison smiling!

5th pic - 5th folder

Tag - I'm it...thanks Andee. Okay here is my 5th picture in the 5th folder on my computer.



Obviously, this is my Lucas. This was taken the first day we brought him home. He was 10 weeks old and with all the fun stuff we bought for him, this was his favorite. Of course we underestimated (or overestimated rather) his size, so I purchased a very large bone. He was too small to do anything, other than hold it in his mouth! I took this picture, lying on the ground, hoping to get a good shot...and this is what I got!!

Now its my turn to tag my 5 victims...

Chandra
Susie
Meghann
Sara
Manda T

Let's see the pictures ladies!!

New kitchen for her...maybe new kitchen for me!

If you read my last post, you would know that my stepmom Nancy blew up her oven on turkey day. Now, with a broken over, her and my dad went shopping for a new one on Black Friday...hoping to catch a deal. Well not only did they purchase a new stainless steal oven, they also purchased a matching fridge and dishwasher!! Nancy is getting a whole new kitchen for Christmas! Nancy showed me pictures of the new appliances and we've now noticed everything will be stainless steal but she'll still have a white microwave above her stove...guess that'll have to be replaced as well!!

And since she will be getting rid of her current fridge and dishwasher, Joe and I have put an offer on them. We haven't negotiated a price just yet..(we're not even sure her fridge will fit down our stairs!!!) but Joe and I have the need for an upgrade. For those who don't know, our fridge is ancient!! It came with the house and I'm sure the old lady who lived here before got it as a wedding gift or something, because it's from like the 1950's. Even our stove is old!! But they work, so we've never complained. Even though I've liked the "Retro" feel of our house and the appliances, Joe and I want to re-do our kitchen and a new fridge/dishwasher would be very helpful. We currently don't have a dishwasher!?!?
This is our stove. No one we know is getting rid of one, so we're keeping it for now. :) Only three burners...its awesome.

And our lovely fridge. Our freezer is TINY and can't even fit a bag of ice in it. Oh I can't wait for the bigger one! We can finally go BIG grocery shopping!

Once Nancy gets her new appliances we'll talk pricing. Apparently we love hand-me-downs!! We pay for them of course, but thanks to Dad & Nancy constantly upgrading their home, we've really profited from it. We have their old entertainment center, which fits Joes big screen TV so nicely and over the weekend we picked up their old sound system. Dad just bought a Blue-ray DVD theater in a box! I guess we'll take what we can get. My parents always upgrade before their current objects break, so they're always in good condition. And since we don't care that we have "used" things in our home, what a gain it is for us!! Thanks Dad and Nancy, for constantly making your house better and up to the latest technology! Your kids love the cheap ticket prices you put up. They can't be beat!!!

So yeah for us!! Nancy will get a new kitchen and hopefully, if the price is right, so will we!! Now all we need to do is take out the cabinets and put in new ones. Hey Dad, are you in the mood to completely remodel your kitchen? We'll talk!! :)

Hail to the turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We hope this holiday finds you all well and celebrating with loved ones. Joe and I have been celebrating with his dad and mine. We started the day in Magna with his parents, to watch the parade and eat a yummy homemade breakfast. Thanks Bill & Sharon for having us over.

Now we are over at my dad & Nancy's anxiously awaiting the delicious feast. Joe and I missed the fireworks this morning; apparently Nancy's oven caught fire and she had to move all the food prep to her moms for cooking. There was no severe damage to the house and no one was hurt. But dinner @ 3:00 has been pushed back. Its 5 now and I think we'll be eating soon. Not even a fire could keep us from this hefty feast! Nancy and Grandma Shirley are amazing and even with a fire, will still create the best thanksgiving dinner anyone has ever enjoyed. These are tough ladies and I appreciate their dedication.

This has been a low key holiday for us. The rest of my family is out of town camping. I love you Kalie, Andee & Mom!! I miss you guys and your families and I'm sad we are apart this holiday. At least we'll have Christmas together! Be safe and have a good one!!

Love to all!!!! Have a wonderful holiday and remember to give thanks. Appreciate the people around you and the things you normally take for granted. With the way the economy is right now, it has only helped increase my appreciation the life, both Joe and I, lead. We are very fortunate and I will continue to stay positive and grateful.

Be safe everyone and happy turkey day!!!

Love, Erica (and Joe)

My voice

Andee, Kalie and Elizabeth have all posted about Twilight. Its been 4 days since we went to the opening night showing and I couldn't decided whether or not I was going to dedicate an entire blog entry to this movie. Most of you have read the other girls reviews and mine falls somewhere in between. So, I'm not going to waste time writing about it.

I'm just going to say it was worth seeing once...(not twice...sorry Andee, it sucked) I'm sure if they continue to make movies based on the book, I'll go see them as well. But I doubt I'll own it and I doubt I'll read up on movies "in the works." It was a silly adaptation...however I did enjoy parts of it.

See it least once, just so you can see what the hype was about. But be careful who you bring it up in conversation with. I have now learned that I can't express my opinion with clients at work. It has become similar to politics. A no-no in my profession. People get heated...either way. Whether they hate it vs. like it...or Edward fan vs. Jacob. It can be a blood bath.

2 1/2 stars from me. If my voice matters.

We didn't have to say goodbye!

So yesterday was Edison's dreadful Vet appointment. First off, he's still with us. Thankfully we were able to bring him home. When we got to the vet, we had to enter through the back door and go straight into an examining room; apparently they take no risks with Kennel Cough and they don't want to expose any other animals in the waiting room. Anyway, the Vet examined Edison and listened to his breathing. After not hearing any Kennel Cough-like symptoms in his lungs, they decided to take an x-ray of his lungs and heart. Long story short, but 2 x-rays, a blood test and inhaler experiments later, we found out that Edison no longer has Kennel Cough and isn't contagious - thank heavens!! However since he was coughing for so long, his respiratory system is shot. The "filters" in his breathing canal are broken and are not filtering the air or the mucus he is trying to cough up. So we've got more meds that will help repair the damage and suppress his cough so it won't get worse.

The Vet says it isn't serious enough to put him down. So we're trying a research medication for suppressing his cough. (The Vet gave us that medicine for free...gee thanks...after already spending nearly $200 in just that visit, I appreciate that free $15 drug!?!?!) Anyway things are looking good for Edison. The Vet says there is hope and that's all I needed to hear!!

It was an emotional day. Both Joe and I had prepared ourselves for the worst. And once we got there and found out that he isn't serious enough to be put down, I started bawling... uncontrollably!! Its so hard to prepare yourself for something and then find out that it isn't going to happen any time soon. Its a good thing, of course, but I was an emotional wreck.

An interesting note, for those who care enough to still be reading this, in the x-rays, we found a BB-bullet in his muscle tissue on his right side. That's right a BB. Somewhere, somehow Edison was shot with a BB gun. It's long since been healed, so I'm sure it was 10 or so years ago...but it was interesting to find out. With all that's going on, he is living with a bullet in his rib muscle. Go figure.

But thank you to everyone for you kind words. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and your prayers. Edison is like a child to us and it's been an emotional roller coaster. I was amazed by all the response. You guys are all so kind and made me feel great. Its wonderful to have all that support! THANK YOU!!!

Here's hoping Edison lives another year!