Bentley Boy

It was early 2014 that we first heard that our son got a Bentley...not the car kind.  He was a little puppy that was left in a box in a parking lot and he won our son's heart.  Curley, his other dog was a small dog and was getting quite old.  The two dogs took to each other.  Bentley was a real comfort when Curley passed away.

Throughout that first year, Bentley destroyed cages, tore up anything that was left for him to wreck and had more energy than you could imagine.  I didn't get to meet him until May 2015 when we made our trip from the Yukon to Alberta.

By this time, Tanker had come to live with our son.  Tanker has his own story.  Bentley and Tanker trained each other.  Tanker settled Bentley down and Bentley taught Tanker how to play and enjoy being a pet.

Bentley could make you smile but he sure knew how to get into things.

He was well disciplined and became a very good dog but he still could get into things that made you wonder how he did that.  About a year ago, I had made a turkey casserole and covered it and put it at the back of the stove.  Somehow, he uncovered it, ate most of it without breaking the dish or moving it off of the stove.  There was a gluten-free one on the stove as well, but that wasn't touched.  Apparently, he was not into the gluten-free diet.
We have enjoyed so many adventures through the past few years ....hiking and skiing.

Whatever, Bentley did he went full out.  He ran fast, he played hard and he loved life. 

Our hearts were heavy last year when we heard that Bentley had lymphoma.  Our son, bit the bullet and pulled out his wallet to pay for six months of chemo.  We were all hopeful.  He went through the process so well and looked so healthy.

It wasn't long after the treatments that the lumps came back.  In October, the vet gave him two months to live.  Christmas came and Bentley was so healthy and strong looking.

On "our" Christmas morning, it seemed to be taking too long to wait to open the gifts.  Bentley was trying to be patient.

I went downstairs to check on something and he followed me down with one of his treats from his Christmas stocking.  He tried not to look too guilty and really, he just looked cute.

He made it through January and then February came and the disease took over.  The phone call came that we dreaded.  It was time to say goodbye.

The mood in the house was sad when we got there and Tanker got lots of hugs.  The next day, we went skiing.  Tanker pulled his weight but I am sure that he missed his partner and we, for sure. missed seeing him there.

Bentley Boy is and will be missed.  He was a loyal, loving pup.  He made his way into our hearts and his absence has left a huge hole.  I know that the days will come when his memory will make us smile more than cry but right now the tears are way too close.  My heart is heavy for his absence and for my boy who grieves for the loss of this special boy.

Bentley 2014-2019

4.5 Years of Smiles

Celebrations

Christmas day came and went with little fanfare at our house.  We did have a nice dinner but no gifts.  Then came the 26th and 27th and Ron and I played so many games of pool and darts that finally Donna got enough interest in it to try a shot in pool.

That night I went to bed thinking one more night and then our son would be here and Christmas would begin.  At shortly after 6:00 a.m. I was awaken by Bentley jumping up on our bed.  Christmas came a day earlier than we expected.  Our son had worked and then driven straight to our house.  We had a couple of hours visit and then he crawled into bed.  We decided to take "the boys" for a walk while we waited for him to get up.

And then we waited some more.  Everyone was getting a little anxious to open up their gifts.

And one decided to have a sneak preview.

Finally, everyone was up and the gifts were opened.  As usual, we all felt quite spoiled and paper and boxes were everywhere.  Since, "our Christmas" was a day early than expected we had pizza instead of turkey.  The next day, which happened to be our son's 28th birthday, was also the turkey day.

Dinner was followed by games of pool and darts.  The next morning, we woke up to snow.  We packed up the dogs and our skis and headed to Waterton for a cross country ski adventure.  There was definitely enough snow and off we went on the road towards Red Rock Canyon. 

Our son skis fast with his two dogs pulling him.  We saw him heading back towards us with a story and a picture. 

There was a bear up the road from us.  We kept going.  Since Ron had worked there through the summer he was pretty sure who/what the bear was.

The cut out bear did really look like the real thing from a distance and it is never good to take chances with a bear.  It was good for a laugh.
I talked to a friend today who said that her son and grandson had come to visit and how much she loved it when her grandson crawled into bed with her.  We didn't have any grandkids to join us but we did have grandfur babies.

The next morning, we drove into Crowsnest and went skiing again.  The conditions were perfect.

It's pretty incredible that these trails are only 40 minutes away from our house.  (Bruce and Lynne, if you are reading....this is a fantastic place to ski!...book a room at the Chateau Clark and let's go!)

The boys had another good workout.  This time, no bears were to be found.

It was so great to have our son and his little fur family with us for these adventures.

This Christmas has been extra special.  First, we had Donna (Ron's mom) come all the way from Ontario to spend a month with us and then Stephen here and for Bentley to be our Christmas miracle.  Bentley is still looking healthy and acting very strong.  It was a lot of fun having everyone here.

Ron went back to work last night and our boy and his entourage left this morning.  I got busy taking down the decorations, doing laundry and getting the house clean.  Christmas is over for another year but it was a good one.  Now 2019 has started....what adventures will it hold?

Up, Up and Away

Plans have been flying around here at this house.  First, my son had a buddy pass with WestJet and so we made plans to fly to Ontario and surprise the family.  It was going to be fun but then with poor Bentley's prognosis from the vet, we cancelled the flight.

Ron had been talking to his mom about the possibility of coming to visit and all of a sudden it was decided that she would come for Christmas.  It will be so great having family here for the holidays.  So we sat down at the computer and booked for Ron to go to Ontario to help his mom get here.  He will take a few extra days to visit these sweet little mugs.

Before Ron flies to Ontario, he will be in Edmonton for a couple of weeks for training so when I got a text from a dear friend saying she was trying to find a time to come and visit....well, I gave her those dates. She jumped at it and got the vacation approval and booked her flight.  So while Ron is 6 hours away, Cheryl and I will enjoy some girl time.



She will need to bring some warm sweaters and boots.  She is just what the doctor ordered.



Ups and Downs

It was finally happening.  We were expecting our first visitors to our home in Pincher Creek and I was definitely on a bit of high in expectation.

The food was prepared and the bed was ready.  The toys were pulled out and finally our boy arrived with his little fur family.  Bentley ran to get the toys and Tanker and Lilly settled in like they had been here many times before.

The pool table was kept busy with competitions with Ron being the winner for the event.  We went out for a walk on Sunday evening.

The dogs enjoyed the trails around our home especially when the deer showed themselves.  It was so fun to have them here with us but there was a low lingering in our minds.  Bentley had some signs of his cancer returning.
The next day we packed and went to Waterton to do a hike and there were lots of ups on that trail.

The day was gorgeous and the views were amazing.  The dogs enjoyed the deer running across the trail in front of them.

We walked to the falls and then had to turn around due to the path being covered with snow.  We went down to the lake where the dogs enjoyed the water.

We had our lunch along the shore and then made our trek back up the path.

It was a wonderful day and I was so happy to be able to have a few days with my boy and his family.

These dogs are pretty special to me and so when Stephen left on Tuesday morning for his trip to the vet I waited on pins and needles to hear their prognosis.  It was certainly a down moment and has been since we heard.  Our sweet Bentley's cancer has returned.  It's amazing how a dog like Bentley...who has destroyed a bannister, gotten into recycling, eaten our casserole, and so much more could work his way into your heart so completely.   He's a sweet boy and our hearts are so heavy..  This was the lowest of lows.

Bentley, our baby boy!

 

How's A Girl Suppose To Work?

I've been trying hard to get back into the swing of work but it has been a little difficult.  There is just a few things on my mind.  It started about a month ago when my luggage didn't make it back to Alberta with me.  It is not a pleasant experience trying to make someone believe that you actually have that much in your luggage.  I finally got an avadavat drawn up to show that I was serious and finally I think they are taking me serious.  So that small item has been lingering on my mind.

A bigger item on our minds is the sale of our home.  We finally received an offer but the bank has been slow on their end to give the final approval of finances.  We've been eagerly anticipating that condition to come off so that we can actually put in an offer on a house in Pincher Creek.

Then, our dear Brianne and Andrew went in to the hospital on Thursday to deliver their twins.  We waited and waited to hear.  Thankfully, Brianne's mom was sending me little updates.

Friday, our son and his fur family arrived.  While he rested after working nights, Ron and I took Tanker for a walk and found a great little place for the dogs.

We got back to the chalet and again waited to hear something about Brianne.  Our nerves were on edge.  Finally, we got the call that Brianne had delivered two precious little boys but one twin was in a bit of distress and Brianne wasn't doing well either.  My heart was breaking and my mind was praying.  A few hours later we received the message that both momma and baby were out of danger but still need some healing.

Picture stolen from Brianne!

Later that day, we took the dogs to Waterton where we sat by the lake all afternoon.

It was super hot and a little smoky and it proved to be the best way to spend a warm afternoon.

On Saturday morning, we loaded up the dogs and headed to Glacier National Park in Montana. 

It was another hot day and we made sure to stop at a few lakes along the road.

We had planned on doing a hike but apparently Glacier doesn't allow dogs on any trails.  It was a little disappointing but at least we found some good water spots and went on into Kalispell to soften our disappointment with Krispie Kreme donuts.

It was a little smoky there as well but the views were still amazing even from my back seat position.

The road through the park is closed now due to a massive fire.

That evening, we played games and had a facetime with Andrew and Brianne and got to see those two little peanuts.  They looked so happy!

 

On Sunday, we celebrated Ron's 55th birthday.  He can't wait to go to a store and get a discount.  There has to be some bonuses for getting older.

 

On Monday, we looked at our top two picks for houses and took the dogs to the creek again.

Stephen left later in the day.  Ron started back to work on Tuesday and I've been trying to keep my mind on my job but....

• I'm still waiting for the Loss Baggage Settlement
• We are hoping to get the final condition waived on our house so we can put in an offer on a house here
• Yesterday, I got a call from a Clinical Safety Leader for Patient Safety in regards to my recent surgery.  She is calling soon to discuss the mix up???
• And I keep getting pictures of two little boys that I can't wait to meet.

Picture sent to me by Brianne

Picture sent to me by Brianne

So, as you can see my mind should be on work and it keeps floating to settlements, conditions, health issues and two cute little boys.