Swayze Sue

BriAnna doesn't have a blog so I thought I would do this post with a short timeline of Swayze Sue's life up to this point. Swayze's story is a very unique one. We truly feel that it was not by accident that she was brought into our lives when she was. The day Bree and I randomly went and looked at a litter of boxer puppies was the day that Porter's headstone was placed. Bree wasn't up to doing anything after an emotional day like that one but without any questions asked got right in the truck with me and we drove all the way out to Phoenix somewhere past Castles and Coasters theme park (freakin far away!). When we got to this man's house we were talking about if we would really end up bringing a puppy home that night. As soon as we saw baby Swayz, Bree looked at me like a little kid on Christmas morning and asked me if she could bring her home to my house. Of course being the animal lover that I am I couldn't say no...but in the back of my mind was thinking to myself and wondering why this puppy looked so abnormally small...I've had a few dogs before and have seen a lot of puppies and for some reason she just looked too tiny. The man said she was the runt of the litter and had just stopped nursing from the mom a few days before. He told us she was 8 weeks old too which also concerned me. We took her home and that night she was just worn out and slept the whole night. The next night Bree noticed she was breathing faster than she thought was normal and that day when we were feeding dry puppy food she couldn't keep it down but when she would throw up it wasn't normal throw up but a clear fluid sac with her fully in tact dry puppy food. It was the weirdest thing. That night we ended up taking her to the animal ER since it was the weekend and no Vet's were open. They tried to tell us she had kennel cough...which we knew she didn't. To make a reeeaaalllly long story short after lots of vet visits and trips to the animal ER we found out by X-Ray's that Swayze had a condition called Mega-Esophogus. My family vet for years told us that in his 30 or so years of being a Vet he had only seen one other case of this condition and tried to uplift our spirits by letting us know that the other dog that had this same thing is still living today and is a normal dog other than she has to eat in an elevated position...so we to had to do the same feedings with Swayze and with a prescription soft canned food that BriAnna probably spent her life savings on since this is what Swayze had to eat for months to make sure she was getting proper nutrition since with an enlarged esophagus normal food was too big to fit down the constricted part of it and what ever food did go through would get stuck in a pouch in the dilated part. After 8 or so months of Swayze being the smart and patient dog that she is and learning to eat standing up and being burped like a baby after every meal she is now 1 years old and eating like a normal dog and completely healed from that rare condition that she had. Swayze Sue is a miracle dog and with BriAnna's dedicated prayers and everyone else's we are lucky to have this mini boxer weighing in at 30-40 pounds now and complete solid muscle. She has been Bree's best little buddy through so much already and we all love her soo much and can't imagine life without her.

Disneyland with Bree!!

Bree and I started 2011 off just right after both having a pretty rough 2010 to say the least. We decided where better to go the beginning of the year than the "Happiest Place on Earth" and one of both my Dad and Porter's all time favorite places...so we went and we had soo much fun!! 3 Day Park Hopper was a smokin deal and that wasn't even enough time there! Here's a short summary of our adventure...

Stayed at the awesomest, hugest, nicest, Hilton hotel i've ever stayed in...for more than half LESS than what the Disneyland hotels charge aaand it was right across the street literally! Ran into Brenda Song the Disney Channel Star (now known in the movie Social Network) multiple times...she probaly thought we were stalking her...we werent. Had lots of Churros, Bree had her first Pineapple Whip soft serve!! Got to eat at Ariel's Grotto for dinner and have VIP front row viewing for the new show "World of Color"!! Bree found club 33!! (Only place in D Land that they serve alcohol...not that we were interested in that but its so elite and top secret only people with exclusive and very very expensive memberships are allowed in a.k.a. Celebrities)! Finally got to go inside the Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella Castles!! Bought a matching Mickey Mouse hoodie that Brenda Song and her girl friends were wearing(notice in the picture) haha. Had the entire Pirates ride to ourselves while the Fireworks were going on! Oh and Bree kicked my trash at Toy Story Mania... So there ya go theres pretty much our trip. We are planning on going back soon... probaly this summer!! The End :)

My Daddy, My Superhero!

To a little girl her Daddy is a Superhero, he gets the monsters from under her bed and in her closet, He is a boo boo fixer and a

toy repairsman. When she grows up he is still all those things but more importantly he is her shoulder to cry on, her loving arms

that hold her tight, and the one man in her life that will always tell her she is beautiful no matter what she looks like...My Daddy is

all those things plus the funniest guy i've ever met and the most kind hearted, he also is the best Daddy a girl could ever ask for!

This is to you Dad. I miss you more and more each day, may you Rest in Peace, My Daddy, My Superhero!



~With Love, Rachel

Saying Goodbye to 2010...

To the year 2010,

This year has changed/strengthened/tested me more than any other year of my life. I have experienced heartache like I never thought possible, but at the same time I still found peace and joy in the simple little things that life has to offer. I gained the most amazing relationship, father/daughter bond with my Dad this year. He became my best friend more so than he ever has been before. Through our trials and tough times my Dad and I built each other up and even found time to laugh our troubles away. No matter what the situation was my Dad always found a way to laugh about it or make it seem not so terrible. I have had my trials before some that really seemed unbearable but losing my Dad has really challenged how strong my faith not only spiritually is but also faith in myself. I know now more than ever that if I have faith in myself that I am strong enough to get through something even if I may not want to I eventually will. Through experiences and trials this year I have also grown closer to my family, especially my two brothers. They mean the world to me. I value my family and our time together very much. Each person in my family has there own special importance to me whether they know it or not. I am also the luckiest girl in the entire world to have been blessed with such wonderful, supportive friends. Some people would shy away from tough situations and rather not deal with it, not my friends! They are all always by my side no matter what the situation may be. Their strength and positive examples are what helps me see that even though I am grieving and sad that I will be ok and I will make it through this. There is nothing like having the love and support of your family and best friends. For that I am soo thankful! While trials hit me hard this year it still has been fun at times too. I got to go on numerous trips with my Dad and family, make daily Target runs with him, our breakfast/lunch/ and dinner dates, and countless hours just talking to him and even just hugging him and telling him over and over again how much I love him and how much he means to me not just as my Daddy but as my best friend. So as much as I hate to say goodbye to 2010 and start a new year it doesn't mean I will ever forget my Dad it's not possible. I will always cherish the memories we made this year and all the other years prior. Here's to a New Year coming soon! Let's pray it is our best and most memorable year yet! :)

M I C K E Y

My new puppy is so freakin cute I have to admit...and he is so much fun to take pictures of, aand he lovves pictures! He's my new little buddy and I am soo glad I got him :)

Flowers for My Dad

Dear Dad,

I think of you every day. We all do. Not a minute goes by that you are not on my mind. I really wanna go to Didneyland because I know that you are probably a frequent visitor there, especially right now with all the pretty Christmas decorations! I wish you could go with me but I will meet you there k! Let's meet by Pirates and I will go on it lots of times just for you! Me and NaNa went to the cemetery and brought you some pretty flowers today and I took pictures with my new camera. You taught me how to take nice pictures especially of flowers. You were the best picture taker! I know you miss me Daddy but I promise you I miss you more this time!! Come visit me in my dreams k I wanna see my handsomest Daddy! Love you lots, All The Stars In The Sky!!

~Rachel

P.S. Hope you like the flowers!

I Am Truly Blessed...

I am truly blessed to have been given such a wonderful family who is so supportive of me. I am blessed to have chosen a Daddy to come to this earth to and be his little girl and develop such a strong relationship with him that I will cherish for eternity. My Daddy is my world and he would tell me I was his. There is just something about the bond that a Father and Daughter have that can never be replaced. Even though my Dad isn't on this earth with me anymore I know he isn't far away. He is with me in my heart and looking after everything I do just like he did when he was here. I am so thankful for the memories I have with my Dad, the laughs, the funny inside jokes, even the tears. I will never forget all the times spent with him throughout my years growing up but I can only hope that this pain from losing him will fade over time. I will miss his big hugs and his arms holding me tight, his goodnight kisses, his sweet words of comfort, his smile that always had a way of making me smile back at him, and his contagious laugh. I know theres lots of girls out there that to them their Daddy is the best, but I gotta say I wouldn't have traded mine for anything. I love my Daddy All The Stars In The Sky and he loves me just as much! Rest in Peace Dad, I am really going to miss you...