I'm not gonna lie...I won't miss 2011

Yes, it's true.  The year was rife with trials & tribulations...whooping cough for 3 kids(lasted 2 months), lots of health issues for me, surgery for my dh, injuries for my dh & my son, some health problems for my oldest, tons of vehicle problems that cost lots of money to fix, my miscarriage, the sudden death of my stepfather to a heart attack after Thanksgiving, and we had to put down 2 of our old horses.  One of them we had to put down a couple days before Christmas due to a twisted gut.  And the year isn't leaving gracefully either.  We woke up to a broken dishwasher & what was supposed to be some simple repairs on the truck turned into another very expensive big job that took up a lot of my husband's time, of which he has little as it is.  I'm thankful for many things in the midst of all the trials, but right now I feel like 2011 is kicking us in the butt before it finally ends.  Good riddance!

Here's my stepfather, Bill.  

 There were lots of trials when we were growing up. My stepfather went from single to married with 4 kids that were young & not adjusting well to a divorce, custody battles & remarriage.  He did the best he could & as I grew older I discovered what a good listener & encourager he was.  He never talked about himself-always wanted to know what was going on in my life .  In the last 2 years, he actually started voicing emotions.  He had never done that before & he said 2 things that I will always cherish.  He said, "I love you, HollyAnn...and I'm really proud of the life you & Pat have made for yourselves."  I miss knowing he's just a phone call away.  I miss the surprise manilla envelopes in the mail full of information for me on whatever homestead problems I mentioned we were having.  He was actually getting together some info for me on dealing with fishers killing my chickens.  He always used to say, "did you contact your cooperative extension about that?" lol.  He was very involved in Habitat for Humanity & we heard some really cool stories about Bill's service to the families that received houses at the funeral. He had to stop doing that when his kidneys became a problem...he had been on dialysis 3 times/week for a few years & was not a candidate for kidney transplant.

Here's Slugger Hanover.  

 He was a 28 yr old standardbred that used to harness race.  He won about $190,000 dollars when he was racing.  He was an amazing kids horse-one of those horses that would let the kids do anything & nothing fazed him.  He had amazing facial expressions & never lost his competitive spirit...didn't like other horses to pass him on trail rides-lol.  He was acting colicky last week, so we were walking him & he seemed to be doing ok, but not really getting better.  Called the vet & even though he looked calm, his heart rate was 140, which indicated he was in considerable pain.  His gut sounds were decreased & his rectal exam indicated that his large intestines were twisted & the vet suspected that part of his bowel was dying or already dead.  It was a shock-he had only started showing signs of being off 2 hours before the vet said this.  I figured he'd get tubed & be all set.  We had to make the decision to put him down & everybody was a wreck.  Thankfully the 3 yr old was already asleep.  Our vet was wonderful with the kids & with Slugger.  He didn't fall & he didn't struggle.  I miss the old boy.  He had the kindest eyes.

We did have a very nice Christmas weekend.  I'll catch up hopefully tomorrow & post about that. :)