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Our little family driving home for the weekend
 
listening: to the potatoes boiling in the background for supper
reading: The $100 Startup – am loving it so far!

watching: The Mentalist..Adam & I have become obsessed!

eating: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes & green beans for supper..yum

drinking: wine…since Italy I just.can’t.stop!

wearing: my farm uniform: sweatpants, tank top and a sweater..its rainy today so dressing pretty cozy!

feeling: content

weather: rained pretty good all morning but now the sun is out, a little breezy:(

playing: with new stamps for an upcoming call!

wanting: popcorn…mmm, its been a few days

needing: sunshine

missing: my family, always

waiting: for the dome to be done so that A & I can finally get in to our own home

enjoying: being married

thankful: for everything. Its a blessed life I get to live here!

I can’t believe its already almost the middle of June! Time is flying! Am pretty excited that next week is officially summer, cannot wait for the heat and all the fun plans we have coming up in the next couple of months. The garden is really starting to grow, I find myself in there every day, observing, weeding, planning..smiling..it is so amazing to watch it grow right in front of me! Summer..you are going to be awesome!

love,
dawn
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Today my maternal grandparents celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, an amazing feat to be sure! Especially in this day and age of 72 day marriages and a divorce rate hovering around 50%, having an anniversary such as theirs is scarily rare! But they have done it and I am so honored to have been able to witness their celebration yesterday!

I grew up in an ideal situation. My family lived in a city brimming with family from one end of town to the other. Both sets of grandparents lived there, aunts, uncles, cousins..you name it! I got to grow up surrounded by family {yet another reason it means so much to me!} and the time I spent with my grandparents meant the world to me. My grandma and grandpa Petrick passed away many years ago, when I was a teenager, so my maternal grandparents have been my elderly role models ever since. They are old school, down to earth people. They have come a long way in their lives, living in a farmhouse when they first were married with no insulation and an outhouse to today – a warm, inviting house full of laughter, love, curling and soap operas on tv {hehe}

My first job was working with my grandparents at their lawn cutting business, it was a great summer job for my brother and I and we learned a lot about keeping money, cutting grass, why you should never get mower blades too close to underground sprinkler heads {sorry grandpa} and spending time with your family. I remember having hours of conversations with my grandparents about everything under the sun. They taught me what it meant to be a green thumb and I appreciate having them with me all these years.

hehe..that cute little girl up front? Thats my mom! Hi mom!!

Of course, time and age are starting to set in. My grandpa turns 84 this year and my grandma has been battling joint aches and her health has slowly started to deteriorate. Its hard to see them in this stage of their lives but they are still happy and are always trying to defy their age..proving it really is just a number!

Today is truly a reminder of what is important in life and what isn’t. Not everything will be perfect. Marriage is hard & thats okay..its worth the fight! As for me, I have recently celebrated my 8 month wedding anniversary..I far cry from 60 years but let me tell you..we’re gonna make it to that number, God willing..just like granny & gramps did! Happy 60th Anniversary grandma & grandpa!! Love you lots!!

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  • dawn - What a sweet post this is, love these kinda stories. It is rare to hear of couples married for this long now. I’m so happy that you got to grow up with this loving family and good memories from your grandparents. I think you and hubby will do great at being married for a long time. Enjoy your week!!ReplyCancel

I’ve often wondered if I was very different from other people because of my love of animals. No, I am not a “cat lady” with hundreds of cats around me nor do I find that behavior healthy..but I feel connected to animals in a way that is indescribable. They aren’t just animals to me, they are family members, friends and sometimes even confidants.
There are many attributes about animals that I adore: they are friendly, loyal, funny, cuddly, forgiving, loving and patient. They offer a paw to hold when you need one, they lick away the tears when they are falling, they rejoice in your happiness and they offer protection when scared and worrysome. They truly are our best friends and for all these reasons and more..I have a love for them that not many could understand…
Which brings me to Jake..

Jake, is my baby. He’s a soulmate if there ever was one. He & I are connected and bonded for life. I adopted him from the SPCA after he had just turned 3 and I loved him from the moment I laid eyes on him! When I ended a relationship that was most certainly not to be, I took Jake with me and never looked back. It is because of him that I felt 100% safe living on my own. Even the nights were never lonely because I knew he was there {most often on my bed}, snoring away and growling at any suspicious noise {furnace or not!}. He gave me love, friendship, protection and security and I will always be indebted to him.
Fast forward a year and there were new men in my life. Jake was always very cautious of whom I spent my time with, never letting them get too close or else showing them his disproval at every turn. On a few occasions, Jake would even jump up on the couch to put space between my date & I {a sure sign it was never going to work out between us}. But that all changed when I met Adam. Jake approved of him right away and every day I see my now husband fall more in love with the little guy, just like I have. It makes my heart swell with pride when I peek over and see my hubby on the floor with Jake, petting him and cuddling him {a huge feat for a farmer who previously believed all dogs belonged outside!}. It truly means the world to me!
Now, I’m not naieve, I know that the years are flying by and that my baby won’t always be around for me to cuddle up with. And it breaks my heart to even think about it. In fact, I’m tearing up just typing this out. But he is still so active, happy and loving his life on the country that I know we still have a few good years left in our road together..

So whats this post about?! Nothing much..just wanted to talk about my baby, I guess. You see, Jake & I are a team..its been him and I against the world for a long time and wherever I am you can most certainly bet this little guy is right alongside me. Whether it be lounging in the shade while I garden, sleeping next to the chicken coop while I play with my chickens, sniffing the fresh air from the back of a truck bed while we go for a drive or snuggling up with me in the early mornings when its just he & I in an empty house. He’s my beau bear and I guess I just wanted you all to get to know our love story a little better 😉 Have a great weekend everyone! Adam, Jake & I are off to visit my family in the city this weekend. It is my maternal grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary and we are celebrating their big day with them..see you all back here on Monday!!!

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  • dawn - What a cute post about Jake and cute pictures of you two. I totally get what you mean about animals and your Jake, they are like family. I’ve never been that much of a dog or animal person but can understand why people love them. Mostly it’s because I’m scared of them and that they could hurt me or the kids. I’ve been bitten by our dog as a child, had some issues with our dog when my hubby and I married. So fast forward to fall of 2010. My kids have always wanted a dog, pleaded everyday and wrote me notes about it, begged me every chance and I always said no more dogs for me or for us. Then that fall 2010 we stopped at a garden center to get pumpkins and play some fall games and they had 8 puppies just put out for FREE!! Of course my kids were all over the puppies and they were so dang cute. One certain little puppy had the cutest face and puppy eyes ever. We all fell in love and took this puppy home. His name is Lucky because we are lucky to have him as he is to have us. I never thought I’d love a dog so much and spend as much time making sure he gets all the love and attention that the kids do. He’s like my baby and life is better with him here.
    My oldest daughter in Florida has a unique bonding with animals since being little. They all follow her and she has a way with them that is magical. Even at the zoo, the wild animals would come to her, sometimes with her calling them other times with her just standing there, they just start walking towards her.
    So glad you have Jake in your life and all he’s done for you.
    Sorry I got a little carried away here.
    Read your other posts about the bday and your garden, enjoyed them both. HOORAY FOR THE GARDEN!!
    Enjoy your family celebration weekend!!ReplyCancel

    • Dawn Cosgrove - Dawn, thank you for your sweet comments! I am so happy you were able to surpass your fears and open your heart to a dog that needed your love & attention..makes me smile!ReplyCancel

  • NanaBeth - I eared up reading it!ReplyCancel

My beautiful niece turns 1 today! I cannot believe how fast this year went by, especially since she was born in June and I moved away in August..making seeing her often a tough feat!! We celebrated her first birthday this past weekend and I drove home just for the party and am so glad I did! She looked so adorable in her beautiful yellow dress and was the most polite of hostesses 😉

Jaelyn & I – June 7, 2011
Us – 1 year later!!
Little Miss J read all her cards and opened all her presents..she was pretty determined to see what everyone bought for her!!

And then it was time for cake!!!

Happy 1st Birthday sweet girl!! Aunty loves you so much!!!
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After 3 days of sunshine {and horrible wind} my garden came to life again. I thought for sure the snow had taken any hope of a thriving garden this year from me but last night, after walking thru each row and inspecting my lines carefully, I came to the realization that my garden has finally come to life! Which is hilarious considering just yesterday I was complaining to my mom {hi mom} that nothing was growing. Now, lets just hope this wind dies off and we can get to healthy growing!! {the weather network is warning of possible tornadoes..fingers crossed it is just a warning}

After what felt like forever..I now have green & yellow beans growing:

Sunflowers:

Carrots:

Sweet Peas:

Popcorn:

Green Onions:

Peas:

Strawberries:

Potatoes:

Pumpkins:

plus all the seedlings I planted previously. Of course it isn’t all fun and games. Because of last weeks snow I lost most of my peppers, my cucumber and even some tomatoes. Hopefully most will come back though with some sunshine and water. Now, all that is left is to sit back, weed, water and wait for my bounty to grow!! Did I tell you how much I love gardening before?:)It truly is a rewarding hobby!! I highly recommend it to all of you!! Have a great day everyone!!

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