Baby Winston

Winston
February 12, 2008- July 16, 2020

Twelve years and five months ago we brought home the most precious little golden retriever puppy we had ever seen. He was the last male and the most laid back of the bunch. His name was chosen quickly and somehow seemed to fit him from tiny puppy to, eventually, a golden retriever much larger than we had anticipated. 

Winston. Baby Winston. We called him baby Winston for his entire life. Not all the time, but we were never able to fully drop the baby from the front of his name.

Winston was the easiest puppy. From the very first day. At 8 weeks old, Daniel started taking him to (Strong Rock) camp with him every single day and leaving him outside for the whole work day. I was beside myself worried about that tiny baby outside by himself. But, in what would become the most consistent  part of Winston's personality, he was perfect. 

There was that time I had to rescue him from a bear there (that Winston never even saw), and the time he saw fireworks for the first time and then disappeared for a solid 24 hours and I about lost my mind. He liked to swim in the lake, and chase my car as I drove out of camp's long winding drive. He tagged along on trail rides with the horses and spent most of his time at the barn. He loved camp and was loved so well by everyone there, campers and staff. Daniel was his person then, and was still for his whole life. 

When we moved to Asheville Daniel wanted to leave Winston at camp (with great people there), because Winston loved camp. And we just couldn't imagine taking him away from that place. In the end, I couldn't do it, I couldn't lose him. So he came to North Carolina with us and lived in a tiny town house for a year before we moved into our current house. I have always felt just a little selfish about demanding that he stay with us rather than live out his days at camp.

Winston was ours before we had our boys. And there was not a moment, at any of the boys ages or phases, when we ever had to worry about him with the boys. He was exceedingly patient, though slightly afraid of them--- especially during the toddler years. But so gentle. Always so very gentle. I remember that when Carver was starting to walk, he would hold onto Winston when he was standing. And Winston wouldn't move a single muscle until Carver let go; then he would usually discreetly move away :) But never when it might have caused Carver to stumble or fall. I have pictures of both boys as tiny babies sitting up against Winston, or laying beside him as toddlers and all through the years. I am so thankful for the friendship and love they each shared with Winston.

Winston was about 105 lbs for most of his adult life. He was described, frequently, by all sorts of people, as a gentle giant. He was not without his quirks though. He was deathly afraid of many, many things. Thunder and lightning, balloons, plastic bags (think the opening of a bag of chips- that sound), nerf guns, fireworks, and most loud noises. It was sad sometimes, but also just part of what made him unique. 

He liked almost every dog he met; and even those he didn't particularly like, he was always quite the gentleman. He was a dog that never caused us any sort of worry or anxiety. He could meet any man, woman, child, or animal and he was just fine. He was well trained for sure, but so much of his behavior was just him- his temperament and personality that he was just born with. 

In the five years that we have lived at our house in Ridgecrest he completely became the neighborhood mascot. Everyone knew him and loved him. He would roam the neighboring houses, getting treats from some that were bought by non-dog owners, just for him. Almost daily I would look out the window and see a car stopped in the road with the window down, petting him and talking to him as they drove on to their house. We got several calls over the years from people who "found" him after he followed people out of the neighborhood as they were walking. He always was so friendly. 

Winston died on the evening of July 16, 2020. I don't really want to talk about the end. It was hard and sad and just...a lot. It wasn't too lingering, which was good, but it was difficult to watch him suffer and, eventually, not get back up. Daniel was with him at the very end, and that was exactly what Winston would have wanted. The grief has been consuming. As it always is when we lose a pet. He was beloved. And good. So good. The very perfect family dog and we miss him, we all do. I know that the sharp edges of grief eventually do fade, but I think a little of this heartsickness I feel will probably always remain. The love ran deep and he was a part of our family for a long time. I miss him. 

I am so grateful for him though. For all his goodness and gentleness and love he showed us. He was a companion and a precious pet and we were so very lucky that he was ours. I could share a million Winston stories, and maybe I'll share more one day, but for now this is the best I can do. Two weeks without him and it feels strange and sad and...final. 

This was the day he died. And I love it so much.

Saying goodbye was heartbreaking for all of us. Managing the boys' grief with my own was difficult.

This is Grover, Winston's best friend.

This picture, and the one below, are two of my very favorite pictures, ever. 

A Few of My Favorite Things

Changing things up a bit with this post. I really love reading blogs and following people on Instagram and 90% of the things I buy or try are things I have seen others post about. I'm easily influenced apparently. There have been some new purchases that I really love, and a few I have not loved-- but I thought I would share some of my favorites here. 

1. Premiere Protein Shakes- I mix with two shots of espresso and then have a protein filled coffee drink that is so good and a healthier option to my beloved vanilla lattes from Starbucks. They are available at walmart and most grocery stores. 

2. Charcuterie boards-- I love love love making these. Some are fairly traditional charcuterie with meat and cheese, others are more like a themed snack board. Pinterest has millions of ideas for charcuterie boards, but these are a few I have made.

Dessert snack board for a Valentine's Day dinner we hosted.

Appetizer board.

Traditional charcuterie with meat, cheeses, spreads, fruit and veggies. Plus a variety of crackers, nuts, pickles and olives.

 

3) Adidas shoes-- I have these in two colors, this hot pink pair that I think is really fun in summer; and a more neutral cream/tan pair that goes with everything.

4) This fan from Walmart- I love the retro vibe of it.

5) Color Street Polish Strips- I found these through my friend Amanda, and now one of my bffs sells them (shout out to Megan!). I love that they are fairly easy to apply, there are a ton of options for mixing manicures and the price is super reasonable.

6. These shoes from Amazon. They are incredibly comfortable, reasonably priced and come in a variety of colors. I have the apricot color.

7. Nickel & Suede Earrings-- I have sixty or so pairs. I have more I want to order. I love and adore them and wear them every single day. They are the only thing I collect and I love displaying them in my room. I wear size medium or large, but I am starting to shift to more larges. They are big and I adore them. They are perfectly lightweight and a great statement piece. I wear them when I am actually getting dressed for the day, and I also wear them with t-shirts and joggers. They are my #1 favorite thing.

8) I eat some form of salad every single day. This is one of my favorite combos: asian dressing and salad topper. Sometimes I add grilled teriyaki chicken. Sometimes I eat it with just veggies. It is delicious.

9) This Barrington Bag was a Christmas gift from my mom. It is a beautiful bag and you can completely customize all parts of it. The quality is great and it holds a lot of stuff, including my laptop, without being awkward or bulky. 

10) Bible Study- Mom Set Free. Before Covid lockdown three friends and I were beginning to work through this bible study together. I hope we get to finish it together one day, but I think it is very good.

11). Mike's Hot Honey-- available on Amazon, walmart and publix for sure. Probably other places too. It is great with cheese (like brie) and I want to try it on fried chicken and pizza. I've also used it in some marinades and salad dressings that call for regular honey to give it a little kick.

12. This is my current favorite marinade for chicken. It is so good and everyone in my family likes it.

13. I LOVE THIS CHICKEN. A person I follow on Instagram started talking about it and it took quite awhile for me to find it close by. I first found it at Kroger about 20 min from my house. Then last week I found it at my local Ingles!! I like it in wraps and on salads-- I take however many pieces I want out of the freezer and cook it in my air fryer for 10-15 minutes. It's pretty spicy but I highly recommend.

14. I love everything in this picture. My new rose gold apple watch (birthday gift from my parents), gold bead bracelets and multi color tile bracelet. The bracelets are from Amazon and so is the brown leather watchband. These are all great. I am wearing the size 10 mm gold bracelets-- they also come in 8 mm.

15. Updating the living room. I found a rug I love from Amazon (super well priced), then added some throw pillows to pull out some of the colors from the rug.

16. This Charlotte Tilbury contour palette is beautiful. I am finding myself more interested in make-up than I have been in previous years. Probably because I follow too many influences on social media. But I do find myself feeling much better when I am doing things like getting legit dressed every day, putting on make-up, exercising, etc. This is by far the best contour palette I have ever tried.

17. Treehut watches. These watches are made of wood which makes them incredibly lightweight and unique. I gifted one to Daniel a few Christmases ago. Below is the one I gave Lyle for our 40th birthday.

That's all for now! I'll have a part two to this list coming in the next couple of months 😊

July Phone Dump

Only in sleep do they look like sweet brothers. Most days are filled with constant fighting. I pray so diligently that they will grow up to be best friends one day.

Fourth of July breakfast and snack area.

New porch rugs!

Making treats for the 4th.

Grilling and eating outside for the 4th.

No fireworks this year, so we had to settle for sparklers 💥

This was from vacuuming one rug in my house. ONE RUG. I love my pets but the shedding is no joke.

Clean and organized pantry. This makes me oh so happy. It is also my least favorite chore of the entire year.

I gave Winston a rawhide. Bentley doesn't like these particular ones. But he sure did watch intently and jealously as Winston enjoyed his treat.

Felix spent a solid 5 minutes furiously grooming Carson. Carson loved every minute of it.

Swimming at the Crestridge pool.

New rug and pillows make me happy.

They had an intense fight where they were literally trying to hurt each other. So by 9:00 a.m. they had lost screens for the day. It was a long day, but there were some bright spots.