Goodbyes and Celebrations

As I mentioned previously, we had to say goodbye to Holly this week.  It was incredibly hard.  Even though we knew she was old and the time would come, it was still hard.   She added so much joy into our lives.   People often said we were so kind to take in such an elderly pet, but in truth she brought so much to our family.   We were lucky to have her for the year that we did and I miss her.  

Not to long ago, we found a tumor on Holly and it got to the point where it was now affecting her ability to use her back legs.  She was dragging her legs behind her as she tried to move from place to place.   In the end, we were carrying her everywhere.  Once she lost that ability to walk, she also seemed to have lost her spunk.  She no longer wagged her tail.   She no longer came to the door to greet us.   She didn't have a spark in her eye anymore.  I took her to the vet last Tuesday, and the vet told me it was time.   She didn't need to suffer anymore.  

I brought her home for one final night.   The girls had a chance to say goodbye and Holly enjoyed a nice final supper.   Warren had to dig Holly's grave the night before we took her back to the vet, which was really hard - emotionally.   On Wednesday, Warren stayed home with Holly so he could carry her wherever she needed to go and I worked half day.   When I came home, we took her back to the vet with heavy hearts.   Before we left, her beloved family, the Robertsons had a chance to also face-time and say their goodbyes.  That was one of the hardest parts.  

The vet appointment was actually peaceful.   Sooo incredibly sad....and moving and real, but when she actually passed away, it felt peaceful. Warren and I buried in the backyard and just chatted about what a great dog she was and how fortunate we felt to have her.  The girls came home and said their goodbyes.   We all still miss her presence.   

RIP Holly

After we laid Holly to rest, we saw this pineapple in our backyard that we planted three years ago! It was nice to smile about the new life amidst the sadness. 

 After we said our final goodbyes to Holly, we got ourselves together, got prettied up and headed to our neighbor's house for their annual Diwali celebration.   I love that party!  Diwali is such a fun holiday.   I love seeing all of the beautiful clothing, lights, and fireworks. 

my beautiful neighbor, Mayuri

On the day of Diwali, we spent the morning at black sand beach and the evening with friends (that have very cute puppies!)

On Friday at school, the kids got to dress up for Diwali.  Again, LOVED seeing the beautiful clothes and celebrating the culture here. 

Friday night we went to a memorial performance that Andie was apart of but mostly it was adults dancing, playing music, and singing.  It was amazing.  The talent in this country is no joke.   I absolutely love that we get to be a  part of that dance life due to Andie's interests.  It's a progressive little group of people that are phenomenal at what they do!

Saturday morning, Warren and I escaped for two days and a night away for our anniversary.   We went back to one of our favorite surfer eco retreats, and even though we don't surf, we love to get massages, do yoga, sit in the hot tub, snorkel, nap, read, relax....etc.   It was SO nice to have that time together in such a beautiful environment.

I'm incredibly fortunate to have Warren in my life - he's the perfect partner for me on this adventure of life.  

The managers set up a private dinner and champagne for us for our anniversary!

we met some new friends there as well

On Sunday morning I woke up (slightly dehydrated) and swam all the way out to that tree that I circled.  1k there and 1k back.  It was really hard, but I'm proud of myself for doing it!

Here are a few random extra photos from the last week to include a day trip to Pacific Harbour, drinks at a friends, and the photographer's pictures from Renee and William's wedding.