early on

i'm sure most of you are aware of the vastness of my family...

yes, i'm the 4th of 9 children,

but that doesn't even begin to cover it.

grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, 

second cousins, and beyond.

not to mention all of my amazing in-laws.

all of that to say this:

when my diagnosis dropped,

i was rallied around.

supported. 

held up- sometimes literally.

i'm a blessed lady, yo.

its a humbling thing,

this needing of so much aid.

its confusing and unendingly frustrating

to suddenly need people with me,

doing the things i am "supposed" to be doing.

running, playing, dancing with Shua.

cooking my beloved food.

delivering me to endless doctor appointments.

cleaning (ick).

driving.

but a lady could not ask for a better support staff.

it renders me speechless.

which, i'm sure most of you are aware,

is an astounding feat.

this past Thanksgiving, 

which doubled as my birthday this year,

my family presented me with a letter.

not only had they put together a couple of raffles

to raise money for a Service Dog

(including a little OSU-MI board),

they had opened a bank account.

specifically for my Service Dog expenses.

i was, and still am, flabbergasted.

money just keeps showing up in the darn thing.

its what has enabled Kim and I to start this project.

for her and Janet (of Service Dogs of VA) 

to drive up to Michigan.

for us to be able to come home with this little love:

talk about a Thanksgiving to remember.

and so it begins.

my dream of having a big, warm, fuzzy partner 

is coming true.

my dream of having a hand (or mouth!) to help me during the day

is coming true.

my dream of having a dog in my life again

is coming true.

i'm a blessed lady, yo.

and Cade,

you could not have 'happened' into a better circle.

 welcome, little buddy.