Our Best Friend

Eight days ago our sweet Bella was diagnosed with heart disease.  Yesterday morning while laying between my legs (one of her favorite spots) in bed with Kyle by my side, she passed away suddenly. 

We were devastated when we received the news about her heart disease but her passing has left us completely heartbroken.  We were told she could live for anywhere from a few months to a couple of years with heart disease.  We were not prepared for her to pass only a week later, not that you can ever be prepared for that.  

Bella was only 6 years old and with health guarantees and statements from her breeder that the bulldogs they breed can live to be 14 years old we had no reason to think we would lose Bella at such a young age.  With the devastation comes anger.

I can't even begin to explain how loved Bella is.  I say is because the love we have for her will never go away.  She really was a family member to us and we always said she acted more like a person than a dog.  If you are familiar with the bulldog breed you know how dependent they are on "their people".  She was rarely alone for more than a few hours and when she was alone she would snuggle into our pillows on our bed to be as close as possible to us and our smell.  Oh that girl, sweetest thing ever.

When Kyle and I each talked to our moms on the phone they were also brought to tears.  This is a huge loss not just for ourselves but our closest friends and family too.  I just pray Bella knows how loved and missed she is.  

I could go on and on about our girl but I will just leave you with some of our favorite pictures of her…

Such a big baby:)

We arrived home several times to find our pillows out of place and we finally caught Bella in the act of laying on them.  I can just hear her saying "oh shit, you're home early".  (She got her potty mouth from her father, I swear)

Her favorite time=nap time with mom or dad:)

Nap time with her cousin, Brady.

I mean come ON!  

Such a good little guard dog

Another favorite activity of Bella's, cooling off in the kidde pool with her cousin Nolan.

She loved Christmas just as much as her momma:)

It gets a little loud and chaotic at my parent's house, Bella put herself down for a nap.

My niece Jenna gave Bella a pillow and blanket and she gladly accepted:)

That face. <3

We love you sweet Bella and no dog will ever be able to replace you!

I'm still here.

If you didn't notice, I took a major hiatus from my little blog.  I've had it on my to do list for weeks but just haven't had the motivation.  I was SO happy to see 2013 go but 2014 is now off to a rough start.  I'm certain we'll catch a break soon, just say a little pray for me that it's VERY soon :)

To keep it short my sweet grandma JuJu is now in hospice care.  As of about a week ago, she was in transitional care and we were preparing for her to stay with my parents for the remainder of her chemo treatments.  Things took a turn for the worse last weekend and unfortunately, chemotherapy is no longer an option.  Grandma is able to return to the comfort of her own home which I am thankful for.

Since I've been away, we enjoyed a great December filled with lots of birthdays (mom, sister, me), Christmas, a weekend trip to Bemidji to move our things there, and a New Years Eve with our dear friends.

I've also been trying to get some wedding planning done.  The big day is just over 8 months away and I have a major feeling of urgency to get everything done.  I try to tackle a few things each month, next up is booking a photo booth, picking out invites/save the dates, and getting transportation set up.  I've been purchasing more things off of Etsy because I think it's important to support small businesses.  I ordered garters from The Wedding One and the ring bearer pillow below is from Burlap and Butter.  I received both items very quickly even with it being right over Christmas and they were very pleasant to work with, you can't find items like these in stores. Beautiful!

I need to get back to preparing for this weekend. NINE of our friends are making the trip to our new home in Bemidji, how awesome is that?  We're going to go skiing/snowboarding/tubing, eat too much good food, drink our fair share of cocktails, play card games, and check out the small town bars:)  I can't wait for them to arrive!  

Recap of our weekend to follow...

xoxo.