Family Vacation & Jake

My family & I headed to Florida for a family vacation from September 20-September27, 2008. We had a wonderful time. We relaxed on the beach, went shopping & was just lazy for a whole week. Mom & Angela took turns waking up with Avery at night, while I enjoyed some uninterrupted sleep!!
Pictures from our Family Vacation:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2408460&l=51650&id=23401590

While we were gone our other "baby", Jake was in an accident. We decided to board Jake for a few days while we were at the beach. Well Ben wakes me up early Friday morning (Sept. 26) to tell me that when he called to check on Jake, they told him that Jake was bit by a big dog (at the kennel boarding place). He made it through surgery ok, but is paralyzed. So needless to say....I'M DEVASTATED!! Ben & I decide to leave Florida early, come home & see about Jake. We also decided that since we needed to get home as quickly as possible it would be best to leave Avery in Florida with my parents & sister to ride home on Saturday. So we took off headed to Pineville at 10AM & drove like a bat out of hell. We made it home around 4PM & went straight to the vet. We looked at Jake's x-rays & found out that his spinal cord was severed meaning that he would never walk again & couldn't defecate himself. So, as much as I wanted him to be ok, he wasn't & we had to put him to sleep. We got to see him & say goodbye, which i'm SOOO thankful for. I kissed him & petted him & told him how much I loved him! Mr. Kirk buried him by Lily (Blake & Lindsay's dog who died last Spring) I'm so glad he buried him b/c Ben nor I were in any kind of shape to do that. I swear it was the absolute hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life. (I'm crying as I type). I feel like I lost my best friend & my baby. It's only been a few weeks, but I still beak out in tears randomly throughout the day.

I think about him all the time & I wish Avery could have grown up with him because he was the sweetest dog!! He only lived with her for a week, but he was so good with her. He would have been a wonderful big brother!!

A few weeks before Avery was born I said to Ben "I wonder if I'm going to love Avery as much as I love Jake?" Well, I do & that's the only way i'm getting through this. I miss him so much!!


August 16, 2002-September 26, 2008