Not a goodbye forever, but see you later

February 18, 2012- the best pup on the planet had passed on.

It's very hard for me to be writing this right now. I already miss his smile and everything about him, but I know that it was Oscar's time to go. He lived his 12 years to the fullest and my family was more than lucky to have him as our dog.

I won't forget his love for tennis balls as he tried to stuff 3 or 4 in his mouth to keep them away or the way his ears would perk up at the words "walk" or "food."

I won't forget how we had to teach him how it was ok to walk down the stairs when he met his first flight in his life (this was one incidence where he was as desperate as we were to go downstairs on Christmas morning, and I'll just say he felt the excitement. But he did not want to go down the stairs.)

The times he would sing when Josh played his guitar

How. he. loved. food. He would eat almost anything people would give him, such as when grandma gave him a whole hamburger with the bun and everything, or the time he stuck his head in the peach ice cream carton and licked it clean. Not to mention he always had his "puss in boots" expression to get his way.

                                                           just like this? I think so

The times he ran towards us and almost knocked us down when we came out to see him.

When he was fooled when we threw fruit at Grandma Wagner's across the backyard as he thought they were tennis balls. He also became confused when we tried to throw snow balls once he came to Utah. I'll just say he looked everywhere for where they landed.

The time his Barney toy was stuck in the ice in the backyard on Christmas, and he tried for hours to pull it out.

When we brought him to Yellowstone with us, we left him in the backseat of the car while we saw Old Faithful. When we got back to the car, he was in front in the driver's seat ready to go.

When my sibs and I were at our dad's and Oscar was about to get in the car, (every time) he would be in between the neighbor's car and our car and start to whine loudly because he didn't know which car he was supposed to get in.

Or the times I would come out into the hallway with a bun on top of my head or an outfit that was just a little different, and he would give me the look : "You're going out of the house like that?!" (His expression would be almost exactly like this dog's that I found online!):

When we would ask him"Oscar, where is (this person) and they weren't there, he would start to whine loudly. When we would then ask him where someone was and they were in the room, he would look at them with the expression: "I'm not stupid."

When I would take him on walks, he would burst out the door to the point of me almost falling over, and then he would stop with a strong jolt at every single tree or bush.

If there was yelling or fighting, he would run to a hiding spot and cower, and it tore my heart when he once came up to me and tried to hide behind me with a small whimper.

I heard his name mentioned or called at least once every couple of minutes; he was the center of the home.


When the sun was out and I would go in the backyard for some sunshine, he would insist he would come out with me too. When I would lie down, he lied down too and would have the largest grin while rolling in the grass while soaking in the sun.

The time when I was painting the Salt Lake temple, and he sat in front of it for hours staring at it. He would get embarrassed if we tried to take a picture of him, but he would turn back to the picture afterwards as if he knew the temple was special. If the painting was turned, he would turn towards it.


Here are a few other pics:

his baby picture. yep that is him :)

when he was a little older

happy

awkward

tired

pouty

greedy (keeping his blanket away)

thoughtful

playful

:)

 Yes, he was named after Oscar the grouch as a girl told her dad she found him in a trashcan before she gave him to us, so he had his moments of grouchiness. But what do I love most about him? He would always go out of his way to make people happy. Even when we could tell he wasn't having the best days or was in pain in his older years, he would stay by my family's side with a wide grin and a spark in his eyes. If someone seemed upset or was sick, he would go right up to them and sit in front of them, then look over his shoulder with a wide grin as if saying "It will be alright." When I was very sick for a couple of days over Christmas break and could not get off the couch, he did not leave for the full 48 hours. If he heard crying in a room, he would nudge his way through with a grin as if saying "It will all be ok" before sitting next to them. That is how loyal he was, and he would give his love and support for anyone in my family in need.

Tis the Season

Here are some re-caps from this winter break

After moving into Wyview, I was finally able to go home for a while. Kara was about to get married, and so we had about 14 people staying at our house. Haha it was crazy but fun! Our younger cousins were over along with aunts and uncles, grandparents, Alicia, Josh, mom, and I, and of course Oscar. 

Our grandma gave Oscar the left overs after a dinner. She said she "only gave him a little bit" haha oh well :)

my aunt is also having her first baby soon, so the younger cousins decided to be silly by taking balloons to make themselves look pregnant too

Then the wedding day finally came. It was very cold and there was a slight breeze that blew around, but Kara and Kasey still looked stunning. We all could not stop gawking at them as they had a glow about them. Their happiness radiated and I am so happy for them :)

My cousin and I were desperate to keep warm

But look at these pictures because you will see what I mean :) 

After the wedding, there were was a 24 hour flu that spread through my family. It was not fun at all but luckily it did not last long. Afterwards, Christmas came quickly. When I woke up and came into the living room, there was a beautiful Christmas tree standing with our family's pictures (baby pictures, current pictures, and family pictures from Christmas's and different seasons) perched on top of its branches. On top of the tree was a picture of the Savior.  I was very touched as Josh said that it was his Christmas present to our family. He bought the tree himself and printed off the pictures to surprise us on Christmas morning.

 I'll admit, it was very hard Christmas as our grandpa's dimentia reached its peak later that morning. There was a lot of screaming, yelling, and much more, so my siblings and I headed over to our dad's place. Our mom decided to join us later on, so it was a little awkward with everyone over there, but we enjoyed watching classic Christmas movies and had a lovely dinner. I'm so glad they let us all go over there for the whole day

Afterwards, we came home late at night as we were glad that things had settled down. We were glad that we could spend time together as a family, and on the way home, Josh told a little more about his present. He felt inspired to do this for our family, and said that he placed Christ at the top of the tree because he is the head of our home and is always watching out for us. I know that what he said is true, and we have seen his tender mercies branched out to us throughout our lives. We were reminded on this Christmas day that families may sometimes go through tough situations, but they don't last forever and our Savior is always there for us. He brings us happiness and joy to us as we feel his love and accept the great eternal blessings that he offers. It's important to remember that Christmas is a time to remember his birth, but we need to continue remembering the miracles, grace, and light he brings throughout the year.

Well, this is it!

I can't believe it is my last day in Sandy for a while. Yesterday I moved most of my belongings into my new dorm, and when I say new, I mean it! (They finished most of it Friday night!) There's a lot of space for storage, granite counter tops, automatic lights as you walk into the bathrooms and storage rooms, large kitchen (not to mention many cupboards for supplies), large living room, high quality laundry facility in the basement, and much more!

I will post pictures of the dorm once it's more organized because my room is a mess and I need to take more pictures of the place. But as I was saying, it's my last day at home with my family for a while. It started to hit me today and it's been a little rough now that everything is moved in. I would sometimes get annoyed because our house can be a crazy place, but I really am going to miss some of the small things I took for granted, such as:
-Running in Willowcreek. There is almost no place like it, especially in the morning when you see the sunlight right above the mountains, feel the dew on the grass by the golf course, and the trees everywhere that make it easier to breathe and provide cooler air. There are some great slopes too :)
-Oscar's name being mentioned at least once every few minutes or have him at my feet begging while I eat.
-Having my grandpa call the house from his cell phone while he was in his room, either to ask how Oscar was or telling me to tell Oscar to bring him a sandwich
-Having all the cooking basics and spices I needed in the kitchen to cook and having my family enjoy the good recipes
-Going to my backyard for peace and quiet or to ponder and mediate when I really needed it.  My family is moving (not far away) while I am at college, so I will miss our backyard even more. I loved not seeing what's beyond the trees, hearing the tree frogs in them, and wishing on a shooting star while talking on the phone, swinging on the swing on summer nights, or sliding down a pond of ice at Christmas time.
-My grandma giving a listening ear when it was needed, and not to mention the stories she tells.
-I hated it when I was trying to sleep, but I will miss Josh playing the guitar.

very typical at our house (when Alicia's dog Cody came over, he got first dibs as well)

There is so much more I could talk about, such as more small things I took for granted or things I am glad I'm leaving behind. I am so glad I have the opportunity to live on my own. It will be a test to see how well I can take care of my health-if I can really take my meds and remember to refill them on time, put treatments before anything, and to exercise every day on top of walking around campus. I will meet so many incredible people and have the gospel everywhere on campus and continue with my education. Many say it's a time to be grown up and act like an adult. I know that to be seen as an adult, I have a lot of maturing to still do, but I believe maturity comes with the experiences we face and how we react when we are thrown into situations. But let's face it, I will most likely still be the geek who watches and quotes Disney movies, wears crazy socks, loves pink, and dances around the house to 90s songs. And now that I am at BYU, I am having to tell myself to settle down a little bit and remember the importance of studying, which right now sounds just as intriguing as vomit.

So there is much more to come later this week. College life will be new at first, but very exciting!

Entering the New Heritage for the first time :)

Place I visited

Day 8: Yes, I know I skipped a few days, but anyways :) I haven't traveled to too many places. I have been to Southern California a few times, but one trip I will never forget was my Make A Wish Trip to Disney World when I was 12. I still remember hopping to the front of the lines and everything was free. I met my favorite characters and rode some great rides and stayed in the absolutely beautiful Grand Floridian. Good memories :) I am so grateful for Make a Wish and all that they do. They really are an incredible for helping childrens dreams come true.

And I still won't forget another vacation I took with my dad, step mom, brothers (and Oscar) to Yellowstone. We drove in our Suburban with Oscar fighting for his seat. We visited places such as Old Faithful and Jenny Lake while camping and hiking as well. We then drove up to Jackson Hole and went white water rafting, which was definitely a blast! I was able to kneel down in the very front, so it was a crazy ride. I love the outdoors and hope we could go up there again soon.

And of course when we visited Old Faithful we left Oscar in the back seat. When we came back to the car, Oscar had hopped in the drivers seat and was ready to go.

 

I was able to drive a ferry boat across Jenny Lake :)

a cool waterfall

upclose to a deer

About to go rafting!

Kneeling down in the front: best seat!

Say hi to Big Kahuna

It was a great trip :)
I am also thrilled because it sounds like my dad is going to take us to our hometown in Texas this summer. It will be very hot and humid in the summer, but I am glad I will be able to see my hometown I left a few years ago.