Thankful Thursday-Wrigley

"Seeds of discouragement can not grow in a grateful heart."

I will never forget the day when I was at school and Stephen called and said, "I found something I really want, can I have it?" When I asked what it was, his simple reply "A four month old golden retriever". Little did I know those words would change our lives for the better! I of course wanted to see her before he bought her, so I drove to Newalla to meet him. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, this precious little golden ball of energy came bounding over to my car. I knew instantly she was our dog. Stephen paid for her and informed me that her name would be Wrigley, because that was the only suitable name. Wanting it to be a little more girly, I suggested Lou for her middle name, (after Lou Pinella, of course). Stephen was on his way to Shawnee, so I put our new puppy in the car and we headed toward Norman. About 10 minutes out of Newalla, she started whining. I thought she was just a little nervous. Then she puked EVERYWHERE!! All over my console, my seat and all over me. Because I didn't have a leash, I couldn't pull over to clean it up. So I drove the rest of the 40 minute drive covered in dog vomit. Not the happiest moment of my life. The good news was that it must have made Wrigley feel a lot better because she instantly went to sleep. That was the first of many accidents we had to deal with over the first few months.

Baby Wrigley Lou
She experienced Halloween the very next night and she was not exactly thrilled about the door bell ringing all evening. Those who know Wrigley know that she is a little odd. She has some very interesting quirks, and Halloween was the first time she really showed her true colors. She barked at all of the trick or treaters and then would take off running down the hall to hide. The next month, Stephen had hip surgery and was out of commission for a while. Wrigley stayed by his side the entire time. I would come home from school and she would be curled up next to him on the couch, just keeping him company. This was during an extremly hard time for us, so having Wrigley there with him was just what he needed. I truly believe that Wrigley helped us survive this season of our lives. Her ability to always be there and not say a word, just give a lick was perfect. When the rest of our lives were spinning out of control, Wrigley always made us feel better. She and Stephen became very close during this time and they are still best buddies.

She is such an important part of our family, that she attends all family holidays. Last Christmas, she was the one who announced that we were having a baby. Although my dad initially thought we were getting another dog, he quickly figured it out. She was very helpful during my pregnancy and would always try to help when I was sick. One night I was laying in the bathroom floor crying and she came in and laid down beside me and put her head on my belly. She has that ability to always make us feel better.

Lots of people make fun of us because we celebrate Wrigley's birthday. But we think she deserves it. This year we celebrated a day early because our sweet friend Eleanor was scheduled to enter the world on the day, do I was driving to Ft. Worth. Here are a few pics of her 2nd birthday.

We worried for weeks about how Wrigley would react to Olive when we took her home for the first time. A couple of sniffs and then she was ready to play ball. She has been a very good big sister. She acts pitiful a lot of the time, like she isn't getting enough attention. But other than that she has been perfect!

We love you Wrigley!!