Saturday, November 05, 2005

Gotta Get Outta Here!!!

Well after all thats been going on and the heartache and headaches that Dallas has given us, we decided we needed a little break. It didn't take long to make the decision to go back to Lubbock for Thanksgiving. We hadn't planned on it, mostly because it was more difficult to get away for a longer amount of time with Hendrix to take care of. Both of us have had it up to here (Picture my hand up to my head) with Dallas and just want to escape. We figured Lubbock would give us a breath of fresh air and it would give us a chance to regroup and help make it through till 2006. We are heading there for Michaels graduation December 16th-18th, but that is still 6 weeks away where as Thanksgiving is just 3. Also over graduation we will be pretty busy and won't get a chance to relax. So anyways, we are looking forward to getting out of here for a long weekend.

Michaels grandparents are coming to visit us today and we are looking forward to that. It will be nice to see them.

We are hanging in there. Each day gets a little easier. We got a card in the mail from the animal hospital. The card itself had a nice little story, if you will, written on the front that was so sad, but so comforting at the same time. If you have ever lost a pet, this might choke you up, but I'm going to type it anyways:

Rainbow Bridge


Just this side of heaven lies the Rainbow Bridge.

When a beloved pet dies, it goes to the Rainbow Bridge. It makes friends with other animals and frolics over rolling hills and peaceful, lush meadows of green.

Our pets do not thirst or hunger. The old and sick are made young once more; the maimed and the ill become healed and strong. The are as healthy and playful as we remember them in days gone by.


Though happy and content, they still miss someone very special, someone they had to leave behind.


Together, the animals chase and play, but the day comes when a pet will suddenly stop and look into the distance...Bright eyes intent, eager body quivering. Suddenly recognizing you, your pet bounds quickly across the green fields and into your embrace. You celebrate in joyous reunion. You will never again separate. Happy tears and kisses are warm and plenty; your hands caress the face you missed. You look once more into the loving eyes of your pet and know you never really parted. You realized that though out of sight, your love had been remembered.


And now, you cross the Rainbow Bridge together...


~M.A. Preston

Inside the doctor told us he was very sorry for our loss and all that good stuff. I thought that was very nice of them. We are still waiting to hear if Hendrix tested positive for something called "Leptisporosis" because apparently it is possible to transfer it from animal to human. Not that either of us have it, but so that we are aware of it for the future. There is a small chance he had it but they are convinced he was simply born with bad kidneys. We are interested in the results.


Thursday, November 03, 2005

Bad Gone Horribly Horribly Worse

Last night was completely not what we expected. The doctor called us in the afternoon to let us know Hendrix's progress and unfortunately his the levels in his kidneys had not dropped much at all. For example, one of his levels was at 120 when we took him in and yesterday afternoon it had dropped to 90. Well it should have been down to 20. Not good. Apparently they believe Hendrix was born with bad kidneys and this was pretty much a long time coming. They doctor let Michael know they were going to intensify the therapy (IV) and they would keep a close eye on him over the night because they were going to go at it so hard if not monitored correctly it could cause some lung problems and/or pneumonia. He also told Michael they would keep treating him as long as we wanted to and it was all our call. We could take him home if we wanted to, but within days or a week or so he would get real sick again and we would be there doing the same thing. When we took him on Saturday the doc told us that if his levels didn't drop in a couple days that that was probably all they could do.

Visiting hours started at 7pm so after Michael got off work we sucked it up and headed to the gym to pass an hour and then headed to the hospital. We arrived to find the most awful sight we could have. Hendrix looked HORRIBLE. It was like he gave up and didn't have anything left to give. Honestly he looked as if he went backwards 200% from when we took him in on Saturday. He did wag his tail a little bit when he saw us so that was nice. We took him outside so he could use the restroom, which he did, but afterwards he came and sat by us and just laid down on his side. He was shaking and honestly looked like he was crying. You know how when people cry their bodies kinda move around and shake, well that's what he looked like. I am sure some of it was depression and not happy about being caged up in a strange place with strangers around and us there just for a little bit each day, but the bottom line was even if we brought him home and he perked up, his bloodwork was still bad and he would continue to be sick. Michael said the second he saw Hendrix when we got there, he knew he didn't have anything left to give. Neither of us had the heart to let him suffer overnight and couldn't leave him there looking like that and knew it was probably best to have him put to sleep. Michael had to carry him in he was so limp, he couldn't even hold his head up. We talked to the technician for a while and they gave us a private room where they laid a fluffy pillow on the ground for him to lay on and we could talk. We had about 30-45 minutes with him in the room before the doctor could come and do anything which was nice and we got to say our goodbyes. I told Hendrix that he would be growing little wings soon and of course scratched his belly and his foot shook like it always did. Both Michael and I believe he probably would not have lasted through the night. We left as soon as the doctor came in with the shot so we didn't leave him in the room alone before it happened. As we walked out the doctor kneeled on the floor and was petting him and I heard him say, "Hey buddy, how ya doin?" So I know the doctor was nice and comforting to him. I know by the time we reached the car he was already following us in spirit happy and ready for the car ride home. We were at the hospital for a good 2 hours or so, just to give you an idea how long we were with him before we left. Pretty much this has been a really crappy weekend and start to the week.

As for us, we are O.K. , as good as can be expected. This was and has been and will continue to be honestly one of the most difficult, horrible and saddest things either of us have ever had to do. He was our first dog. Michael gave him to me for Easter the first year we were dating (6.5 years ago). So really he has been a part of our lives almost as long as Michael and I have been in each others lives. He gave us nothing but wonderful, happy and funny memories and he will be missed.

Monday, October 31, 2005

Monday Puppy Update

Michael got a call from the doctor this afternoon with the results from the bloodwork. The three levels that were really high are going down, but they are not going down as much as the docs were hoping. He let Michael know that this wasn't bad news, it was just news and that they are still positive about the situation. Apparently some dogs take a little bit more time for these levels to drop signifigantly hopefully that is the case now. The docs are waiting for the results for some other tests they are running for different diseases to see if one of them hits the mark. We may call up there later to see if they have them yet. I went to see him today and he seems to be doing well, but I think he noticed quickly that Michael wasn't there. He is honestly like our kid. To him, I'm mom, always there and always ready to snuggle with him, but Michael is dad and is like his hero that he plays with so he usually shows a little more excitement when Michael's around. Anyways, he was walking around a bit easier and quicker. Last night he apparently got a "mighty dog" score on his eating, which they told me means, he ate alot, so thats GREAT! He also seemed to be more curious of his surronding while we were walking and even stopped at his neighbors cage (A boxer) and looked at him for a bit and then they sniffed each others noses. Yesterday he didn't even care about the boxer in the cage.

On a happier note (because everything is happier then a sick doggie) I'm tired of this giant city. It's just tooooo freakin' big!!!! While I'm glad that there is a great place for Hendrix in Irving, the drive there is very stressful because people in Dallas SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED ON THE ROAD!!! They are dangerous and insane. I could rant for hours but I'll spare you.

Hope everyone has a very happy and safe Halloween!!!

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Pet Hospital Update

We just got back from visiting puppy in the hospital. (Gosh, we've always thought people who put their dogs in the hospital or even just gave them an IV were crazy but we have realized it's totally different when your in the situation and you have to make a decision and you look at your dog with an IV pumping in him already looking at you with puppy dog eyes that look like they are saying, "Please make me feel better." I think I understand now why people go through so much for their doggies. Now for many people we know, we will be the crazy people who actually put their dog in a hospital for 3 days, but I sincerely hope that everyone reading this never has to find out for themselves that you would do the same thing)

Anyways, we left with much more positive attitudes then we did yesterday. He looks great and his attitude has improved a whole bunch. He ate a little while we were there and that's a huge step for him. He has three levels that were really high on the charts and they are going to do more blood work tomorrow to see where his levels are at. Hopefully they will be waaaaay down. The doctor told us today that he didn't want to paint us a rosey picture but that everything is looking terrific. He assured us that assuming his levels go down that whatever has caused this will be either curable or manageable. They aslo let us know that he is probably not actually having kidney failer, but just kidney problems. (which is a good thing) We are still anxious to see how the bloodwork results come back, but after seeing him today we are both more calm about the situation. Still keep your fingers crossed that he comes out of this ok!! While we were there we got to take him out of his cage and walk him around outside. His tail started wagging as soon as he saw Michael and he jumped out of his cage just as fast as he could, which was a huge improvement since he hadn't wagged his tail in days. So I think he was happy to see us. :o) His nose was freezing cold again which is also TERRIFIC. It is still real chapped but it is also getting wet again.

The doctors at this place are amazing and we feel confident they are doing everything in their power to help us and him. Here's a few pictures of him today.


Taking Hendrix on a walk around the vet building



Hendrix's IV in his leg



Hendrix's living quarters
You can see a cord hanging down, it is the cord from a radio
that is always playing music for the dogs in this area.




Halloween Horrors

Oh man, what a god awful Saturday yesterday was.
Friday night Hendrix's little nose was turning very chapped and he wasn't looking so good. He hadn't been wanting to eat for the past three days and so we decided on Saturday morning, he needed to go to the vet and we took him. The first place we went to comped our exam and sent us somewhere else because he looked so bad. So we drove to a pet hostpital in Irving and much to our surprise and horror his blood work came back that he was having kidney failer. Both of our hearts sank into our chests. He is in the hosptial right now with a shaved leg and an IV pumping liquids at a very fast rate into his little body. The Dr. told us they are basically flooding his system to wash out the toxins in his kidneys. They basically told us if we hadn't brought him in, he wouldn't have made it much longer. Theyalso told us that he has a great chance of getting though this, but it will all depend on what the underlying cause of it is. We should have an idea of his progression today. When we left they let us go back and see him. He was on a big huge comfy pillow looking thing with a radio playing above him, and in the three hours we sat there he had already started to look a little more perkey. He will be in the hospital until Tuesday. Get this, the hospital has visiting hours. If we get some spare time we will try to go see him today. So please keep your fingers crossed and say lots of puppy prayers that our little fuzzball comes out of this ok.

We have had a Halloween party planned with Mary and Jason for, well, since last halloween actually and they told us several times they understood if we weren't up to it, but we were. We both thought it would be a good way to keep our minds off of Hendrix so made them come over. We had a wonderful time, we always do, but it was extra nice to have stuff to laugh at and people to laugh with after a really bad day.

We are all kinda dorks and dressed up even though it was just the four of us eating dinner.
Jason was "Self Absorbed" Mary was "The Dark Mark" (From Harry Potter) I was a Flapper and Michael was a Frat guy going to a toga party. Hendrix had a costume too. He was going to be a baseball player. I think he actually decided to get sick so he didn't have to wear the costume all night long. :o)

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Finally Fall

Oh my gosh, has fall finally arrived here in Allen? Its about damn time!! After all it is almost November. A cold front came in last night and the temperature dropped to 58 degrees from humid upper upper 80's. It feels fantastic and Hendrix couldn't be happier about it. Speaking of Hendrix, we got a flea collar and it seemed to solve the flea problem, thank goodness. We have been putting him out when we leave a lot more since it is cooling off and last night he spend his first night outside again since we moved here. We hadn't planned on making him sleep outside just yet, but he wouldn't come inside, so we just left him out. I'm sure he is just enjoying the cooler weather.

Not much else is going on. We STARTED to watch the Tech/UT game yesterday and couldn't watch anymore about half way through the second quarter. We started so good and then just fell. Too bad too, it had potential to be a great game.

Finally we got our tickets to Lubbock for Michaels graduation and we can't wait to get back there. It will be hard to leave again. We got the tickets for about $50 total because we had some free vouchers. We also got out tickets for El Paso for Christmas which also cost about $50 total because we had more free vouchers and Michael cashed in his miles. We had planned to use the vouchers and miles to go on some big trip somewhere, but oh well. Graduation and Christmas are waaaay more important, especially because we are in the last 10ish months in this country before we head out indefinitely. Wow, only 10 months left in the US... Crazy!?!?!

Check out our photogallery. I'm about to put up some pictures from Fort Worth and from my cousin came to see us.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Cow Town

Finally, we went to Fort Worth to see Mary and Jason's place. While they don't live in the best part of Ft. Worth their building is adorable. They are living in a historic 100 year old red brick apartment building and the inside is so charming, cozy and warm that it hurts. Mary is one of those people that decorating comes so incredibly natural to her that it makes you sick. I'm sure people would pay her bookoos of money for her to come fix up their place. We've already informed her that when we move back to Denmark She's coming with us to fix up our place so its cute.

Anyways, back to Ft. Worth. We had a blast. Immediately we could tell that the pace of life was much much slower there then in Dallas. It was a pleasant escape. More tourists and tourist places, less insane business people and way less people that seem to only care about the way they look and never felt the "keeping up with the Jones" attitude that is on every corner of where we live.

We went to lunch at the best Mexican Food I have ever had outside of El Paso at Joe T Garcias
( http://www.joets.com/ ) Really this place was so good that it would give some of the best Mexican restaurants in El Paso some amazing competition. It tasted like home and now every time we find ourselves anywhere near Ft. Worth, we are gonna have to go. Oh and the magaritas were to die for. Probably one of the best ones I have ever had. It wasn't the extremely sweet tasting margarita that you get at every Tex Mex place, but a real true margarita. YUM!

After lunch we headed to the Historic Stock Yards, a Log Cabin Village, the Botanical Gardens and Downtown Fort Worth for dinner. So finally I found a place in the Metroplex that I really enjoy.... Fort Worth! The city itself seemed to fit both Michaels and my personality better then Dallas ever has. It was also the first time since we moved I wasn't stressed about being in the car or driving in fear that I was going to die. Why's it got to be an hour away?? Stupid giant metroplex.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Fleas, Fleas and More Fleas

I hate ticks. I hate fleas.
Hate is a strong word, and I really mean it when I say, "I hate ticks and fleas."

We finally learned how to control our ticks in Lubbock and how to keep them off of Hendrix and how to prevent them and treat them. When we had everything under control and had a tick free summer we picked up and moved here.

(Enter the fleas)

When we got here one of our good friends had told us that in Dallas it's not a matter of if your dog gets fleas, but when. So they have arrive and are driving poor Hendrix absolutely crazy. I've bathed him, sprayed him with flea stuff and its not helping. I think today we will go get some frontline and see how that works. If it doesn't fix him it will be time to take him to the vet. He has little scabs all over from where he has been bitten. We both feel so helpless and sad that he is uncomfortable right now. Cross your fingers this frontline will get rid of the ones on him. We'll give it a week and then head to the doctor.

I'll say it again... I hate fleas!

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Almost 2 Months...

Well we have been here ALMOST two months. It will be 2 months in about a week. So far, well I'm not learning to love Dallas at all. In fact, I'm learning to dislike it even more then before we got here. If it weren't for two things, I think I would be going absolutely crazy. (besides Michael and Hendrix of course)

#1 - Our house. I love this house, wish I could pack it up and move it wherever we go. It's big, it's pretty, it's new, and it doesn't look like any of the other cookie cutter houses in the neighborhood. Everyone has red brick around here, but we have grey. I've never been one to follow the crowd and have never liked doing what everyone else is so this place is perfect. I love this house!

#2 - Mary. If Mary and Jason were still in Lubbock and hadn't moved to Fort Worth I don't know what I would do. Sure, we know lots and lots and lots of people in Dallas but everyone is so spread so far apart that we never get to see any of them. While Mary and Jason are further away, Mary finds herself in this part of the Metroplex often with some work she has been doing so I hop along with her and keep her company. Its a little strange that she doesn't live 1 minute away anymore, but at least she is closer then she will be next year this time. :(

So in short, I'm living in the armpit of Texas known as Dallas. Which is really bad since I'm from El Paso!! Ok ok, Houston is the armpit of Texas.
How about this: Dallas is the right armpit and Houston is the left.
Only 10 more months!! THANK GOD! :o)

Cousin comes to visit

First, sorry its been a while since I updated this thing. Got several emails about it and I guess I didn't realize it had been so long since I wrote anything here. Oops!

My cousin Russ came in town last Thursday and left yesterday. We had a really great time. Did some shopping (spent about 4 hours in IKEA) and hit six flags, southfork ranch (where Dallas was filmed) and did more shopping. Michael loved that there was someone that wanted to go to 6 flags with him because he never gets to go because I am not a roller coaster fan. It's not that I'm scared of them or that they make me sick. I just don't like them. When I was younger I use to, but now, I just don't. Mary and Jason and Klaus went with us so we had lots of great company. Southfork Ranch is located literally right down the street from us. Its about a 5 minute drive, if that. It was so beautiful and peaceful there. We had a great time with Russ and by the time it was time for him to leave, it felt like he had just gotten here. Hopefully he will make it down here again before we move. There was lots we didn't hit that he was interested in doing. Lots of people out there are usually glad when they have to bid the relatives farewell but both this time with Russ and when Michaels mom and crew all left we wouldn't have minded them all to stay even longer.