Day 59 - Part 2 - May 7th
Today's blog is a continuation from yesterday's blog, if you would like to check out yesterday's blog one more time, our techno help (darling daughter # 4) did fix the video portion. As you can see in the waterfall, the dog has no inhibitions about jumping or heights.
Now, to tie the ends together of this blog and the previous no jumping in the car, dog blog. It seems to be if you change up the circumstances or the variables of the scenario, things that were quite difficult or nearly impossible somehow under new circumstances seem almost effortless. If we apply this to the challenges and struggles we face in our journey to perfection, perhaps we need to try a new perspective. Maybe we can't approach those stumbling blocks the same way we have always done. Perhaps with God's help, we can see a new vision, his vision for us, it might be totally different than ours. Then as we turn to his vision we'll be free of those limitations that we have actually placed on ourselves.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Day 58 - Wouldn't You Know it, Doggone it!
Remember the dog that couldn't jump in the car yesterday, well we turned on our waterfall today! Same dog, but not the same results, we wanted to show you 'Amazing wonder dog' video tonight, but our techno support team was unavailable, and when you are older than 50, that means you're stuck with a picture. Hopefully this entices you to tune in at some future point for the real adventure!
Remember the dog that couldn't jump in the car yesterday, well we turned on our waterfall today! Same dog, but not the same results, we wanted to show you 'Amazing wonder dog' video tonight, but our techno support team was unavailable, and when you are older than 50, that means you're stuck with a picture. Hopefully this entices you to tune in at some future point for the real adventure!
Friday, May 5, 2017
Day 57 - High Hopes - May 5th
Today's lesson comes straight from the dog, or puppy to be exact. If you have followed this blog, you have probably seen pictures of our cute (once little) puppy. Now at 8 months old she is almost full grown! She has always been on the timid side, and having been bit as a young pup, had developed a few fear issues. She was able to overcome a lot of those issues while staying with my daughter and her family. She found much solace spending happy time with her 'siblings' (My daughter's children!)
One of the challenges we have really been trying to work on lately with Kimba, is to get her to jump up in the back of the Murano (our SUV). It is something she has been deathly afraid of, and we have tried and tried to figure out a way to make her feel more secure. For awhile we were able to get her to put her feet up on the bumper, so we could at least lift her backside up to get her in. Then for some reason she decided she was afraid of that, so any time we went to lift her up, she would get down and run away. It took weeks to get her to put her feet up again. Then while visiting my daughter's house, her husband just told her to get in, and to our shock, she jumped in, no problem. I had a lot of treats on hand so I just poured them out to reward her. We tried it again, it worked! She jumped in again no problem, and again she was rewarded with a jack-pot of treats. Thrilled, I hurried home to show Robert what she could do..... but....... no matter what we tried she wasn't going there again, for any amount of treats. We went a couple weeks without any success, in fact, most of the time we tried, she would just lay down and bark at us.
We needed a new approach, so we put a box down that she could jump on, to get her closer to the back of the Murano. It took awhile and many of the most tempting treats we could dream of, but she finally made the leap!(well, actually hop) Over and over again we practiced this, until she could do it without any effort. We repeated this for a couple of days, then it was time to try it without the box. Whoa, the brakes came out again. We coaxed and encouraged with all our might using the best heated homemade gourmet treats we could think of ..... she just barked at us. Now with all this barking, she had gotten the attention of the neighbor dog and he came to see what all the ruckus was about. When he smelt the goodies in the back of car, he knew exactly what to do, and he hopped in the car.
So here is the scene, our Golden Retriever is barking at the back of the car and up comes the neighbor dog who is a little Boston Terrier, he hops in the back of the Murano with the greatest of ease and eats the best meal of his life!
You might think this picture is looking pretty grim at this point but there is a redeeming feature here we hadn't planned on. Kimba decided that the neighbor dog was not getting all her treats and hopped in to protect her interests. Hooray, score again (finally!)
We must have practiced hopping in and out at least 25 times, she was leaping like a gazelle, which was probably hard with all the treats she was getting! With a deep sigh of relief and feeling of great elation, we called it done for the evening.
We practiced again the next day, beginning with the box and working our way back up to the full leap, all went perfect! We had this in the bag! To keep the routine going we practiced again today.
things were right on course as we started with the box and then removed it as we had previously done, when she jumped this time she didn't stick the landing as well as she had before but it was still safe. I still had lots of treats so we tried to keep the momentum going...............No such luck...... Defeat again...... After all we had been through, and here we were again........Me in the Murano, and Kimba laying on the cement barking at me.......Where is the neighbor dog when you need him?
Well I kind of pouted the rest of the evening, while I was pouting I did do a little reflecting on the whole situation. I was quite disappointed, wondering why she would revert back so far, when she had this. I also thought about me and my behaviors and shortcomings, and wondered how my Heavenly Father feels when I revert back to bad habits and fall short of my potential. This put things much more in perspective. I am so thankful that we have the chance to begin, again and again, no matter how many times it takes to get it right and keep it right, thanks to our Savior and His Atonement, His high hopes for us never diminishes.
Today's lesson comes straight from the dog, or puppy to be exact. If you have followed this blog, you have probably seen pictures of our cute (once little) puppy. Now at 8 months old she is almost full grown! She has always been on the timid side, and having been bit as a young pup, had developed a few fear issues. She was able to overcome a lot of those issues while staying with my daughter and her family. She found much solace spending happy time with her 'siblings' (My daughter's children!)
One of the challenges we have really been trying to work on lately with Kimba, is to get her to jump up in the back of the Murano (our SUV). It is something she has been deathly afraid of, and we have tried and tried to figure out a way to make her feel more secure. For awhile we were able to get her to put her feet up on the bumper, so we could at least lift her backside up to get her in. Then for some reason she decided she was afraid of that, so any time we went to lift her up, she would get down and run away. It took weeks to get her to put her feet up again. Then while visiting my daughter's house, her husband just told her to get in, and to our shock, she jumped in, no problem. I had a lot of treats on hand so I just poured them out to reward her. We tried it again, it worked! She jumped in again no problem, and again she was rewarded with a jack-pot of treats. Thrilled, I hurried home to show Robert what she could do..... but....... no matter what we tried she wasn't going there again, for any amount of treats. We went a couple weeks without any success, in fact, most of the time we tried, she would just lay down and bark at us.
We needed a new approach, so we put a box down that she could jump on, to get her closer to the back of the Murano. It took awhile and many of the most tempting treats we could dream of, but she finally made the leap!(well, actually hop) Over and over again we practiced this, until she could do it without any effort. We repeated this for a couple of days, then it was time to try it without the box. Whoa, the brakes came out again. We coaxed and encouraged with all our might using the best heated homemade gourmet treats we could think of ..... she just barked at us. Now with all this barking, she had gotten the attention of the neighbor dog and he came to see what all the ruckus was about. When he smelt the goodies in the back of car, he knew exactly what to do, and he hopped in the car.
So here is the scene, our Golden Retriever is barking at the back of the car and up comes the neighbor dog who is a little Boston Terrier, he hops in the back of the Murano with the greatest of ease and eats the best meal of his life!
You might think this picture is looking pretty grim at this point but there is a redeeming feature here we hadn't planned on. Kimba decided that the neighbor dog was not getting all her treats and hopped in to protect her interests. Hooray, score again (finally!)
We must have practiced hopping in and out at least 25 times, she was leaping like a gazelle, which was probably hard with all the treats she was getting! With a deep sigh of relief and feeling of great elation, we called it done for the evening.
We practiced again the next day, beginning with the box and working our way back up to the full leap, all went perfect! We had this in the bag! To keep the routine going we practiced again today.
things were right on course as we started with the box and then removed it as we had previously done, when she jumped this time she didn't stick the landing as well as she had before but it was still safe. I still had lots of treats so we tried to keep the momentum going...............No such luck...... Defeat again...... After all we had been through, and here we were again........Me in the Murano, and Kimba laying on the cement barking at me.......Where is the neighbor dog when you need him?
Well I kind of pouted the rest of the evening, while I was pouting I did do a little reflecting on the whole situation. I was quite disappointed, wondering why she would revert back so far, when she had this. I also thought about me and my behaviors and shortcomings, and wondered how my Heavenly Father feels when I revert back to bad habits and fall short of my potential. This put things much more in perspective. I am so thankful that we have the chance to begin, again and again, no matter how many times it takes to get it right and keep it right, thanks to our Savior and His Atonement, His high hopes for us never diminishes.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Day 56 - Wahoo! - May 4th
This morning was possibly the best morning I have had since my stem cell transplant. I actually felt incredibly good and full of energy! A feeling that I had forgotten had existed. It's not like I have been feeling bad either, I know that each day I have been getting stronger, but I would say that we definitely took a hop, skip and a jump ahead today! I was able to hurry through chores this morning, and felt good in my strength training class. After shopping, (something I always have energy for) I was able to catch up on a few other chores that have been just waiting for me! It just felt so good all under and all over!
With such a great morning, I do have to say, by afternoon I just had to celebrate with a good old nap! Maybe that's a guilty pleasure that I'll be able to get rid of one day in the future, but right now, I don't mind feeling guilty!
This morning was possibly the best morning I have had since my stem cell transplant. I actually felt incredibly good and full of energy! A feeling that I had forgotten had existed. It's not like I have been feeling bad either, I know that each day I have been getting stronger, but I would say that we definitely took a hop, skip and a jump ahead today! I was able to hurry through chores this morning, and felt good in my strength training class. After shopping, (something I always have energy for) I was able to catch up on a few other chores that have been just waiting for me! It just felt so good all under and all over!
With such a great morning, I do have to say, by afternoon I just had to celebrate with a good old nap! Maybe that's a guilty pleasure that I'll be able to get rid of one day in the future, but right now, I don't mind feeling guilty!
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Day 55 - And the Little Child Shall Lead Them - May 3rd
I had an interesting happening today, the neighborhood children were over to our house to jump on our Trampoline. They came to the door to ask for a drink. Now they only live next door so they wouldn't have too far to go to get a drink at their house. As we have gone through this process many times before , this request is usually followed by many other requests for varied items usually of upgraded value. In order to perhaps avoid an afternoon of many interruptions it has been suggested to me to simply tell the children that they could run home quick to get their drink and come right back to play. This is a difficult thing for me to do, as my heart is as soft as my head.
Long story short, I just got them some little paper cups and a pitcher of ice water so they could drink when they wanted. Then I remembered I had some chocolate I wanted to use, so I thought I could make a quick batch of cookies they could eat while they were jumping. When I brought the cookies out they were delighted! As I was returning to the house, I heard our neighbor say to her friend, "Would you like to say the prayer or should I?" Her friend opted out. Curious, I stopped by the door before going inside just to listen. There, out by our trampoline was offered the most eloquent little prayer from the heart of a child who not only was grateful for the cookies but had such sweet things to say about her neighbor (me).
It made me cry to see how grateful she could be over such a simple thing. Lesson for today, be more like a child, and be truly grateful for the simple things God gives us each day!
I had an interesting happening today, the neighborhood children were over to our house to jump on our Trampoline. They came to the door to ask for a drink. Now they only live next door so they wouldn't have too far to go to get a drink at their house. As we have gone through this process many times before , this request is usually followed by many other requests for varied items usually of upgraded value. In order to perhaps avoid an afternoon of many interruptions it has been suggested to me to simply tell the children that they could run home quick to get their drink and come right back to play. This is a difficult thing for me to do, as my heart is as soft as my head.
Long story short, I just got them some little paper cups and a pitcher of ice water so they could drink when they wanted. Then I remembered I had some chocolate I wanted to use, so I thought I could make a quick batch of cookies they could eat while they were jumping. When I brought the cookies out they were delighted! As I was returning to the house, I heard our neighbor say to her friend, "Would you like to say the prayer or should I?" Her friend opted out. Curious, I stopped by the door before going inside just to listen. There, out by our trampoline was offered the most eloquent little prayer from the heart of a child who not only was grateful for the cookies but had such sweet things to say about her neighbor (me).
It made me cry to see how grateful she could be over such a simple thing. Lesson for today, be more like a child, and be truly grateful for the simple things God gives us each day!
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Day 54 - Spring Cleaning - May 2nd
I guess with spring flowers comes Spring Cleaning! I went all out and tackled my purse! As I unloaded it, I found a few items that I am ecstatic about moving out permanently or at least for what I hope is a very long time. The first was the trusty little thermometer we bought at the beginning of the stem cell process. It was just a little inexpensive old fashioned oral thermometer, and was probably used way more than it's fair share, but it sure calmed those fever fears of that volatile first couple of weeks.
Next, (apologies for graphic detail here, anyone with a queasy tummy might want to end reading this blog now!) was the little green discreet Throw Up Bag, provided by the nurses at Huntsman so cheerfully! I did keep it neatly stored in a Ziploc Bag, but how wonderful it has been to keep it discreetly tucked away and not used for so long! Some memories are the best when you just let them go!!
That I can happily do! 😤
I guess with spring flowers comes Spring Cleaning! I went all out and tackled my purse! As I unloaded it, I found a few items that I am ecstatic about moving out permanently or at least for what I hope is a very long time. The first was the trusty little thermometer we bought at the beginning of the stem cell process. It was just a little inexpensive old fashioned oral thermometer, and was probably used way more than it's fair share, but it sure calmed those fever fears of that volatile first couple of weeks.
Next, (apologies for graphic detail here, anyone with a queasy tummy might want to end reading this blog now!) was the little green discreet Throw Up Bag, provided by the nurses at Huntsman so cheerfully! I did keep it neatly stored in a Ziploc Bag, but how wonderful it has been to keep it discreetly tucked away and not used for so long! Some memories are the best when you just let them go!!
That I can happily do! 😤
Monday, May 1, 2017
Day 53 - Signs of Spring - May 1st
They say April Showers bring May Flowers, but a wonderfully talented friend made these! They are all made of paper, and they are so incredibly beautiful and bright! They just bring the sunshine into our home! It never ceases to amaze me how many ways there are to make someones day! I have certainly been the recipient of so many people's kind and incredible talents. I am so very grateful and humble to have been touched by so much love! Spring is such a beautiful time both indoors and out around here, especially with the garden variety of flowers that have been generously gifted to a lady who the doctor told couldn't have flowers! The doctor just didn't have a clue how ingeniously talented women can be!
They say April Showers bring May Flowers, but a wonderfully talented friend made these! They are all made of paper, and they are so incredibly beautiful and bright! They just bring the sunshine into our home! It never ceases to amaze me how many ways there are to make someones day! I have certainly been the recipient of so many people's kind and incredible talents. I am so very grateful and humble to have been touched by so much love! Spring is such a beautiful time both indoors and out around here, especially with the garden variety of flowers that have been generously gifted to a lady who the doctor told couldn't have flowers! The doctor just didn't have a clue how ingeniously talented women can be!
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