Peacefully and with tons of love

My life is like those buses in Mexico. A rollercoaster.

Wedding = sad, emotional, perfect, and awesome.
Few days after wedding = depressed it was over.
Honeymoon = fantastically perfect.
Week after Honeymoon = fucking horrible.

Let me explain.

We left Mexico, with the cuban cigars that my dad had asked us to purchase. We had taken them out of their wrappers and boxes, but stashed the boxes in another suitcase. We got to customs in Salt Lake City, and they asked us we had anything edible, smokable, blah blah blah. I, being the rigorously honest person I am, said yes. Then feigned innocence. When asked whether I knew where the cigars were from, I said no (not so rigorously honest). The customs agent then told us we had to show him the cigars. So we did. The super awesome customs agent proceeded to tell us all about the bay of pigs blah blah blah nuclear war blah blah blah. We were then escorted to a small room, asked to sign papers with our names and addresses, saying we had brought them in, under an embargo, and they were destroying them. They threatened to fine us $500 and put it on our permenant record. But then said they wouldn't do it, because people do this all the time. Even though I know Adam will be the one who gets searched from now on when we go through security at an airport. God damn customs.

We flew back into the states after our amazing vacation at about 8:40. We had parked our car at a hotel with a shuttle. They let us leave our car parked there for free. When I called when we flew in, they said their shuttle stopped running at 8pm. WTF? It was like a half mile away, but we were loaded down with baggage (literally) so we had to call a cab. God damn shuttles.

We made it home about 11:30. Dropped our bags on the floor and sat on the couch. Depressed to be back in real life, and totally exhausted. The rest of this story is not so funny. And makes me cry to type it.

At approximately 12:20 am, my brother called, who had been watching our one year old black lab. She had been hit by a car at my parents house and he had her at the emergency vet. I immediately asked him how bad it was. He thought it was only a broken leg. The vet called us after x rays and an exam. Not good news at all. Our little Stella Bella had a fractured pelvis, fractured spine, fractured nose, a black eye, bruised lungs, brain trauma, and a misformed vertibrae which had caused her back legs to go out five or six times prior to this accident. She was alert, but in a lot of pain. We were devestated. We decided to go to bed and try to get some sleep since we could not do anything til morning anyway.

The next morning, all I wanted to do was call my parents to ask them what to do. They were in Lake Powell, out of cell service. Talk about testing our marriage right out of the gates. It was the hardest decision we have ever had to make, by ourselves, or together. We visited her on Sunday and the vet had hope. But Monday things went down hill. I went with my dad to the vet to see her on Monday morning. We talked to the vet, and got a second opinion. She was in so much pain, even on pain meds, that she would howl every time she moved. It was heartbreaking.

At about 11:30 am on Monday, July 27th, our little Stella Bella, the bad run away dog, went to doggy heaven. Peacefully and with tons of love.

You don't realize how much a part of your life dogs are. And those who have never had a dog in their lives will probably never understand. But it's like a piece of you is broken and missing. Everytime I come home, there is no little black being running to the door to greet me. No little puppy head in the shower licking the water off of my legs. No dog to bark back at me when I tell her to come. No one sleeping under my feet at my office.

Our little Stella Bella was a milestone in our relationship. We picked her together and raised her together. And last week we had to let her go together. She will always be a part of us, but we will pick our hearts up and move on together, forever holding onto her memory.

Rest in peace my little Stella Bella bad dog.