Our Anniversary!

 Today is our 14th anniversary! As I reflect on this past year, I've been blessed and challenged in ways I didn't see coming, and I'm still shocked by. Sometimes it doesn't seem real how much different our lives are now compared to 4 months ago. There's a simple line in a song I love that says, "This is your life, are you who you wanna be?". Last year I heard a redone version of this song that refreshed it for me in a way that I couldn't get it out of my head. For months, this little question plagued me as I realized that my honest answer at the time was "no"; I was not okay with who I had become. I mistook comfort for true contentment, all while begging God to change people and situations around me that I wasn't okay with just for the sake of me staying in what was comfortable and what I knew because the unknown was unthinkable and therefore felt impossible to me. It took many tough conversations for me to finally accept that I had to let go of the things I had no power or authority to change. As Joe and I sought the Lord, we knew that He had released us from the roles and positions we had and was giving us a choice. And we choose the unthinkable, seemingly impossible, and utterly uncomfortable; we choose to step away. We left what we knew and started down a new, unknown path. It was incredibly hard and very scary at first, and it is often still quite uncomfortable. But God has been with us through it all. He has blessed us beyond belief. He's provided for me in ways I know I don't deserve. He's protected my heart as He's gently reminding me over and over that there are no unknown paths to Him and that He will always be with us.

So today as we celebrate, I thank God for giving me Joe, my loving, patient, and wise husband who I love so much and who has been so supportive of me, especially as I've had a whole lot of emotions to process with all these recent life changes. One of the most surprising blessings that has come out of this new season of life for us is Jane. Just a few months ago, I thought we'd never get another dog, but the life changes we went through opened up a door that had previously been closed. Jane had a dark, difficult past, but has brought so much joy, silliness, and comfort to me in just the 2 months we've had her. Seeing her transform from the terrified dog we brought home to a happy, loving, and sassy pupper has been amazing and so rewarding. 

I still have so many questions about the future and there's so much I wish I could know now, but I'm resting in the knowledge that even when I don't have what I want, I have what I need. Life is beautiful, bitter, and sweet, and in the darkness there's always a Light. And best of all, I've got you, Joseph! You continue to amaze me with all that you are. You are more wonderful to me than I deserve. I don't know what's around the bend, all I know is that my love for you, it knows no end. Thank you for always choosing me. I love you more than ever and ever before. Happy Anniversary Joseph! ❤️

On Sunday, when we were talking about what we wanted to do for our upcoming anniversary, we thought of HC Kitchen as a possibility, but realized it wouldn't work since we had prior commitments.  So, on a whim, we decided to drive to Fishers right then to make a stop at IKEA and pick up food from HC Kitchen.  We took Jane since she needed dinner and we wanted to see how she'd do on a short road trip.  She did great in the car!  She was a little hesitant to eat her food with so many people walking by the car, but she settled in and ate.  After we'd picked up our food and eaten it in the car, we went on a short walk in a nearby park.  Then we drove home.  It was so fun!

Jane and Milo

 Jane helped me with a work project by posing with my new 'coworker', Milo, who joined my team as the 'Principal Payroll Primate'.  She also may have grabbed Milo and carried him around when I accidentally left him on the floor and she thought he was one of her new toys.  😁😂  It worked out though, because it inspired a new idea for the photo challenge I am doing with Milo.  Haha!

Jane does not like leaving my side.  She always goes wherever I go.  It's both sweet and sometimes annoying when I'm trying not to trip over her when I walk or when I just want a bit of privacy in the bathroom.  Ahhhahaha!  Aussies really are class 1 clingers.  

Silliness

As Jane is getting more comfortable with us, we are seeing more of her belly and her silliness.  She's also getting more comfortable with cuddles, even from Joe.  😍  And she's more interested in toys.  She's getting more playful and gaining strength and stamina which is just so sweet to see.

 

Jane meets a friend!

I got busy and haven't kept up on Jane updates.  She's doing so well!  We still see improvements everyday as she's settling in and getting more comfortable.  We finally were able to convince her to meet the backyard neighbor's dog.  I'm hoping they can be good friends and help each other let out some energy by running the fence.  We shall see.  So far, Jane can't seem to run far with him.  She tires so easily.  But she does seem excited to see him, so we call him her boyfriend.  Haha!

Belly Rubs, Friends, and Fire

I finally was able to give Jane proper belly rubs for the first time!  She REALLY liked them.  She also met some of our friends for the first time.  She was shy and wanted her duck close by.  Eventually she fell asleep lying between Joe and I.  She's getting so much better with Joe, and he's able to pet her, but she definitely prefers me if she has the option.  He's so kind to her and gives her so much grace even though I know he's frustrated that he loves her and she just doesn't feel the same way with him.  I know with time it'll keep getting better.  And I'm so grateful that Joe is an incredibly patient man.  We see these giant steps or even leaps of improvement nearly every day with Jane, but with him, it's only the tiniest baby steps.  Whoever the man was that had her before we got her must have really done a number on her because she just does not feel comfortable around men the way she does around women.  It's quite heartbreaking to think about.

It was a nice evening, so we did a fire.  Jane didn't like it and decided to lay in the garden instead.  😅

First Bath!

I knew that I wanted to get Jane in our tub for a bath sooner rather than later as I had no idea how she'd handle it, but I didn't want to wait to find out until it was absolutely necessary.  So yesterday I made it a goal to give her a bath.  At first I wasn't sure how to start because I used to be able to tell Beren to take a bath and he'd climb in the tub.  Of course, when I tried to tell Jane this, she had no idea what I meant.  I eventually realized I'd have to pick her up.  I'd never done that before and didn't know if she'd be okay with me doing that.  Thankfully, Jane is probably the most tolerant dog I've ever met.  I mean, she's a bit scared of absolutely everything because so much is new to her, but she likes me enough that she tolerates whatever I ask of her.

Anyways, once I got her in the tub, I was slow to introduce water and kept it only on her legs.  I slowly worked my way up until I thought I had her completely soaked.  She was doing really well so I decided to continue and soap her up.  She seemed to like me rubbing soap all over her.  But I discovered that quite a lot of her hair was actually still quite dry.  I definitely hadn't remembered how difficult it is to get a dog's hair actually wet.  But we eventually got there.  I also had forgotten how long it takes to rinse the soap out of their fur.  I finally was ready to dry her off.  I also had forgotten how difficult it is to dry a dog's fur with just towels, but I got her hair brushed well and eventually we just went outside for the breeze to finish drying her.  I couldn't believe how shiny and pretty her coat looked!  And once it was completely dry, I was shocked at how much softer she felt.  

We ended the day with the first real cuddles where I finally got her to be in my lap.  It's been a joy seeing her grow more comfortable and happier every day with us.