Happy New Year!
Of course I’m a few days late, but that seems to be my style these days. I could go on and on and on about all the lovely things about 2024 – and there were a lot – but I want to do an honest update.
Life has been hard the last several months. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why that is. We had a busy start to the year and the summer seemed as busy as ever with Kiddo’s birthday and her doing more dance camps than ever.
Then, right in the middle of it, we said goodbye to our furbaby, Kota. You see, she wasn’t just any dog, and yes I’m aware that everyone feels that way about their animals. They are family. But Kota held a lot of significance for our little family.
When my husband and I were first talking in 2011, leading up to our first date, we were discussing our love of dogs and the way they make a home feel complete. I had just adopted my first dog, Maya from a rescue a few months prior and she brought me such joy. I understood completely his desire to adopt as well.
These weren’t just surface conversations, but real, deep thoughts for consideration. So when my now husband visited the animal shelter the morning of our first date and fell in love with a gorgeous black lab/German Shepard puppy, I told him he absolutely had to go back and get her right away!
He did, and the rest was history. I met her a few days after, helped put her through puppy training, she was there for our engagement, two moves, our wedding, bringing home our daughter, and of course she was happily wagging her tail and asking for pets every time we walked through the front door.
In 2019, she lost the ability to get up. The vet, without taking x-rays, diagnosed her with hip dysplasia. I knew something wasn’t right and we fought for further testing. She had torn her TPLO (equivalent of our ACL) and in the time it was misdiagnosed, she had torn her other leg as well.
We weren’t ready to say goodbye and she had surgery followed by 12 weeks of intense physical therapy. She still had her spunk and we were happy we got that extra time with her. However, we noticed some other things were progressing. She had always had recurring ear infections but she was now getting skin infections as well. We kept treating her and keeping her comfortable. Her bathing schedule increased, we got special soaps, new beds, the works. We just wanted to keep her as healthy and comfortable as possible.
In 2023, we started to notice getting up was getting more difficult and she began having bladder issues. We managed those as well, but towards the end of the year, she started to decline more rapidly. By the time 2024 came around, her skin was constantly inflamed, she was going to the groomer every 3-4 weeks and still having huge sores from her constant infections and inflammation. Her eating habits were changing, her accidents were getting worse, she lost her ability to do our stairs and was beginning to fall frequently.
When we took her to the vet in June, the prognosis was not good. She had lost 14 pounds and her already slender frame was rapidly deteriorating. Based on some lab work and other symptoms, the vet was confident she was fighting either lymphoma or brain cancer. This was not the news we wanted to hear at all. She was 13, but we figured we still had years left. Now we were being told we’d be lucky to have three months.
In the end, it was closer to three weeks and we put her down at the end of July, just one day before her adoption anniversary.
The loss hit us all incredibly hard. That was perhaps a catalyst for the tone of the rest of the year.
Again, it wasn’t all bad!
We took a beautiful trip to Colorado Springs in August. I’ll detail more about that in a separate post, but the long hikes and reconnecting with nature and the mountains was absolutely something we needed.
When we got home, Kiddo headed straight into the dance season. She’s so excited she moved up a team, made 2 extra teams, and got a solo this year! To say it’s been keeping us busy is an understatement, but in a good way! It’s beautiful to see her following her passions.
In addition to that busy schedule, we have been in full remodel mode. We started with the downstairs bathroom, then moved on to the upstairs bathroom. The upstairs still isn’t finished and in between we got new windows.
Add in all the stress from a shoulder injury, work complications, world news and the election and, well, the end of the year was filled with stress and anxiety like I haven’t experienced before. It’s just been a lot.
While this season has challenged me in ways I sometimes wish it hadn’t, I am still grateful. I recognize the good in our lives – our close knit family, a house that we are able to work on, healthy food on the table – and I try to find moments of joy in every day.
Heading into 2025
Happy 2025!
I’m normally not one to make resolutions or even think much about the new year. It’s just another day to me and I would prefer to start new habits on a random Wednesday. However, this year feels different. It feels like the kick in the pants I need to get going again.
My shoulder has healed enough that I can work out again which I have been missing terribly and I think was contributing to my poor mental status. I’ve found a rekindled love of books and reading after taking a break to binge podcasts and it’s inspired me to write again – something I am incredibly passionate about but had been facing a terrible rut. I have goals and plans and hopes and dreams in a way that was missing in the last six months or so.
I’m grabbing this feeling and running with it. It’s not a resolution. It’s a promise to myself to continue to find joy in every day. To push myself to do better, be better, and keep reaching for my dreams and what makes me happy.
So, cheers to 2025! The year of being kind to ourselves and refusing to settle.
Lots of love,
Nikki
