A Brand New Season #1
The last post I wrote was from last year's Thanksgiving.
I wouldn't be able to fit in all that has happened since then, but I will mention a few things.
Last thanksgiving we shared a small, quiet meal together. We had been married a short 3 years at that point and it was our first holiday alone. It was small, quick meal and Rick found his way back to the couch to rest. Why? No, its not because the turkey made him sleepy - we didn't eat turkey. And it wasn't because he didn't like my company.
It was for a "bigger cause" than a few moments at the table were worth. A several weeks before Thanksgiving he had gone through a very serious and intense detox program in Chicago to rid his body of all the synthetic narcotics that he had been on for back pain.
No, we didn't have a plan for after getting off of the meds. For all we knew, he'd still be in pain. He would still struggle to get through a day without them. But, we were fed up with living with pain meds. They are hard to deal with. Weight gain, loss of emotions, personality changes, constant monitoring because they are so addictive... The list goes on and it was exhausting us. "27 years old and this is our life? I don't think so!" We both were on tilt from the toll it had taken on our lives - our marriage and pretty much every other relationship.
Rick did the brave thing and went through a very hard process. I still, to this day, thank him on a regular basis for doing that and taking a step of faith.
So, the following weeks - and months - were spent slowly recovering. We went to the SUNY Canton pool every day and Rick slowly got his muscles back to normal and eventually moved into the fitness room where he regained strength back. That had been a passion before the medication took over -- he loves to work out and feel good about himself.
Surprisingly enough, somewhere during this time, I found out I was pregnant. Over 3 years of waiting and wondering and worrying, we had beegun to think this wasn't going to happen for us. So, one day in March, I told Rick I was going to have a baby. We were SHOCKED. And I told him I didn't want to tell anyone right away. I was fearful still of miscarrying and didn't want to add to any disappointment by having the whole world knowing. But, the weekend my nephew, Elliot, arrived, we told everyone our good news. (I could write more on this... maybe I will soon)
But, what now? Where do we go from here?
Well, Rick really likes dogs. He had gone to a school a year before for dog training, had successfully set up a small business in the North Country and we knew this was something he was passionate about and enjoyed. But, what do we do with this?
You let dogs bite you, apparently.
He bought a new dog from Serbia. Senka arrived on a jet plane. Yay. Another dog.
(she looks cute, huh?)
And then we started looking for a way for Rick to learn more about attack dogs, scent detection dogs, protection dogs, etc. All these things that I wouldn't have had a clue about last year - we needed to know.
He found a guy in Phoenix who said he would teach him for free. Long story short, he took Senka, left me with Laszlo and Brahms and headed out.
(brahms and laszlo playing in the snow)
So, Senka got fitted for a vest and off they went to Phoenix for a two month internship.
Two months turned into six months because of how well the internship was going. At this point, it was fairly clear that Rick wanted to relocate to an area that he could make a living training protection dogs and other business ideas. We listed our house as a rental property and found renters very quickly. So, I sold most of our furniture, packed up the house, put it all in storage and moved to my parents house in August.
It was all such a whirlwind. And I was 6 months pregnant.
By the end of September, I also closed my business after 6 years. It was surreal, emotional, but mostly a relief. I was so tired and looking forward to just focussing on having a baby and Rick's return.
He came back at the end of October and we had a baby in November (more on that to follow).
And through it all, Rick's favorite verse pops up in my mind --
I wouldn't be able to fit in all that has happened since then, but I will mention a few things.
Last thanksgiving we shared a small, quiet meal together. We had been married a short 3 years at that point and it was our first holiday alone. It was small, quick meal and Rick found his way back to the couch to rest. Why? No, its not because the turkey made him sleepy - we didn't eat turkey. And it wasn't because he didn't like my company.
It was for a "bigger cause" than a few moments at the table were worth. A several weeks before Thanksgiving he had gone through a very serious and intense detox program in Chicago to rid his body of all the synthetic narcotics that he had been on for back pain.
No, we didn't have a plan for after getting off of the meds. For all we knew, he'd still be in pain. He would still struggle to get through a day without them. But, we were fed up with living with pain meds. They are hard to deal with. Weight gain, loss of emotions, personality changes, constant monitoring because they are so addictive... The list goes on and it was exhausting us. "27 years old and this is our life? I don't think so!" We both were on tilt from the toll it had taken on our lives - our marriage and pretty much every other relationship.
Rick did the brave thing and went through a very hard process. I still, to this day, thank him on a regular basis for doing that and taking a step of faith.
So, the following weeks - and months - were spent slowly recovering. We went to the SUNY Canton pool every day and Rick slowly got his muscles back to normal and eventually moved into the fitness room where he regained strength back. That had been a passion before the medication took over -- he loves to work out and feel good about himself.
Surprisingly enough, somewhere during this time, I found out I was pregnant. Over 3 years of waiting and wondering and worrying, we had beegun to think this wasn't going to happen for us. So, one day in March, I told Rick I was going to have a baby. We were SHOCKED. And I told him I didn't want to tell anyone right away. I was fearful still of miscarrying and didn't want to add to any disappointment by having the whole world knowing. But, the weekend my nephew, Elliot, arrived, we told everyone our good news. (I could write more on this... maybe I will soon)
But, what now? Where do we go from here?
Well, Rick really likes dogs. He had gone to a school a year before for dog training, had successfully set up a small business in the North Country and we knew this was something he was passionate about and enjoyed. But, what do we do with this?
You let dogs bite you, apparently.
He bought a new dog from Serbia. Senka arrived on a jet plane. Yay. Another dog.
(she looks cute, huh?)
And then we started looking for a way for Rick to learn more about attack dogs, scent detection dogs, protection dogs, etc. All these things that I wouldn't have had a clue about last year - we needed to know.
He found a guy in Phoenix who said he would teach him for free. Long story short, he took Senka, left me with Laszlo and Brahms and headed out.
(brahms and laszlo playing in the snow)
So, Senka got fitted for a vest and off they went to Phoenix for a two month internship.
Shortly after he left, I started noticing pictures showing up on our iPhoto feed. They were truly disturbing to me, but apparently, this is exciting in the dog world and shows the progress of the dogs.
Two months turned into six months because of how well the internship was going. At this point, it was fairly clear that Rick wanted to relocate to an area that he could make a living training protection dogs and other business ideas. We listed our house as a rental property and found renters very quickly. So, I sold most of our furniture, packed up the house, put it all in storage and moved to my parents house in August.
It was all such a whirlwind. And I was 6 months pregnant.
By the end of September, I also closed my business after 6 years. It was surreal, emotional, but mostly a relief. I was so tired and looking forward to just focussing on having a baby and Rick's return.
He came back at the end of October and we had a baby in November (more on that to follow).
And through it all, Rick's favorite verse pops up in my mind --
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to His power that is at work within us..." Eph 3:20
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