Time Gone By...

Two and a half years.  Let that sink in for a moment. I haven't posted here for two and a half years. Time has come and gone and so many things have changed. Good, bad, and otherwise. I'm almost at a loss of where to start.

My last post was in November of 2014. My oldest daughter Bear had gotten married in April. It was a spectacular, joyous day and it was picture perfect! Fast forward to today and she and her husband are the proud parents of Max, an adorable, sweet, funny 19 month old! He is my first grandchild and has added so much fun and joy to my life.

I'm so fortunate that they live close and I have the opportunity to spend lots of time with this perfect little man!

Remember my youngest daughter, aka "Pickle"?  Well, she too has become a wife and a mother! She and her husband were married in a beautiful, intimate wedding ceremony in our back yard, in May of 2015.

The following March they welcomed a beautiful little girl named Avery, lovingly nick-named Princess Peanut. It's hard to believe that my baby now has a beautiful baby of her own!

These two little perfect sweethearts have brightened my world beyond measure!

Pickle and her husband moved to Texas last October, which has been very difficult for me to accept, but I am working on it. Nothing in life is perfect, so it's best for me to try to get used to the idea. Thankfully there is FaceTime and things along that line that can keep us in touch. It is heartbreaking to be so far away from people you love so much, but things are what they are.

The Boy continues to do well. He is a Purdue graduate (Class of 2015) and is back in San Diego full time now working at a great job and living in his own place with his girlfriend. Boiler Up!

In January of 2016 we had another addition to our family.  A friend reached out to me about a young Golden Retriever in need of a new home. Having 4 already, adding a 5th Golden to the mix was the last thing I needed...but it couldn't hurt to learn more, right?  Haha! Famous last words! We welcomed Charlie into our home officially at the end of January, and he has been a blast!

Shortly after getting him home and settled I started working with him to get him certified for pet therapy work. He had the right temperament and I knew he'd do well.  He has done so well, and already has over 200 visits under his belt. He came into my life at just the right time, that's for sure.

In April of last year, we lost our sweet, precious, kookie Jill, aka Gigi. She was just 10 years old, and at the beginning of April we noticed she was having a tough time eating and keeping food down. She was diagnosed with leukemia and within a few weeks she was gone. It was heartbreaking to say the least. Jill was always a favorite with our friends, as her silly and extremely loving personality won everyone over. She was especially loving and watchful over the babies, which only made her even more lovable, if that's possible.

So, with a hop, skip and a jump, here we are... there is so much more to catch up on, but I find my time is short as I get ready to head out for a therapy visit. I wish you all well, and I hope to be back soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a week or two, or heck, knowing me it might be another year or two. I'll keep you in suspense.

You can always keep in touch on Kona's FaceBook page. I'm still really good about keeping that updated daily.  Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/KonaTheLoveSponge