Before we left for Thanksgiving with the family in Florida we had a "friendsgiving" with the Porterfield family. We didn't have turkey- we had homemade pizzas instead. It was SO good! Jocelin insisted that we play a fancy game of memory and she was pretty darned good at it, too! Admittedly she cheated a little, but she's so cute that I let it go. We're very thankful for this family and their friendship!!
"Watch me eat an orange slice!"
Playing a game of memory- she's good!
Homemade pizzas- SO GOOD! (Is there anything Heidi cannot do?! Sigh!)
Jackson, MacKenzie, Heidi, Jax and (not visible, but there) Gunner
Now EVERYONE is on the couch!! Movie time!
Heidi's famous chocolate cake featuring an adorable Jocelin about to dig in
We will not be home much this Christmas season but I still wanted to decorate so we raided Susie's attic (still our storage area- thanks again for that, Susie) for what is left of our decor. We've really trimmed down the amount of stuff we have in general these days but we've still got some fun ornaments and whatnot. We borrowed the fake tree that Susie won't be using this year and went to town decorating our place. MacKenzie decided that the tree looked inviting and made herself at home. We love that little dog!
We're still working on exterior decor. Our neighbors really make competition stiff so hopefully we can keep up. I had envisioned lighted garland on the balcony and around the door but that vision changed when I priced out prelit garland. Ha! :)
In December of 2001 I went with my Mom and Guy to pick out our new puppy. Mom didn't like the puppy I picked out because she was "a whiner" but I got my way and Ms. Madison was soon ours. She was the cutest little thing I'd ever seen and she was instantly the star of the show.
Going to her new home!
Dexter didn't seem to mind having a tiny shadow and they became fast friends. Little did he know that she would be running things soon enough. She was small, but mighty!
Meeting her new friend, Dexter
Snug in her bed
High school graduation
If there was an important event going on, Madison was there. She not only woke me up for school each morning, but she kept me company before I went off to graduate from Eastbrook High. She greeted all of the guests at my open house, too. She was a busy girl.
High school graduation open house
Madison was the reason that I could not stay away from home in college. I missed her so much when I was in Florida that I transferred schools. (True story.) Madison was the symbol of home to me. She loved you no matter what was going on and was always so happy to see you.She was there when I got my dream car and took it for a spin to make sure it was a good fit before presenting it to me.
Madison even got me a car!
She made sure that Jackson was a dog person before giving her seal of approval on him joining my life.
Vetting Jackson- he passed
Madison was even kind enough to welcome Macy to the family even though this meant a lot of extra work for her, Macy needed a ton of guidance and was always stealing the ball from her in the middle of a ball game. Madison rarely complained because she was a saintly pooch. We called her the sherrif because she always kept every other dog in check.
Welcoming wedding guests
Always in charge...
Madison even dressed as a bride and came to our wedding reception (photos missing). She was not super pleased about the outfit, but she was happy to be there for another big day for me.
Enjoying life's little treasures: like an open window!
Madison, baby MacKenzie, Macy
Madison helped Mom and Guy with MacKenzie for a few days before she was gifted to us. I like to think that Madison told MacKenzie how important her job was going to be because she'd be filling in for Madison as I was all grownup now. Madison always made sure that we all knew, though, that she was my #1 pup. Whenever I visited she would just scream and bark and be ready for massive amounts of pets. She was the best.
When I got the call last weekend that it was time to say my goodbyes I cried. A lot. Then, Monday morning, I took the morning off of work and made the trip to Upland to do what I never wanted to do: say goodbye to my best friend.
I wrote the following tribute to her on Facebook:
This morning I'll say my final goodbye to pup who has been my best furry friend since high school. Madison was there through it all for 14 wonderful years. She was there for celebrations, important introductions (she took to Jackson right away which was a very important seal of approval!), and was my symbol of "home" no matter where I was. She loved me with the kind of devotion only a dog knows and I loved her, too. I will certainly miss hearing her bark at me in greeting whenever I stop at my parent's house. Madison taught MacKenzie all that she knows about being a great best friend so I'll take some comfort there, but I'll always miss my original furry best friend. Puppy prayers welcomed as Madison will soon begin her journey across the rainbow bridge.
Best friends.
I tried to focus on all of the good times we'd had together, but I just could not take it and cried nearly the entire time I visited. I love the face she's making when I'm petting her because Mom took the photo. Madison and Mom had an interesting relationship in that Mom took care of everything for her but was always #3 on her list behind Guy and me. I feel like in this photo she's giving the " do not bother me, I'm talking to Jenna" face to Mom. It makes me laugh because it is just so her. I guess she never forgot that Mom called her a whiner as a puppy and tried to take one of her siblings home!
A very sad goodbye
This is the last photo that I will ever take of Madison. I think you can see that her face is just the sweetest ever. I will miss that sweet pup so much.
Rest in peace, Ms. Madison.
I look forward to throwing the ball to you again one day.
I am sure she found Dexter as soon as she got to Heaven and started showing him how things should be done. She was, after all, the sheriff!
We had a busy month with work and other commitments. We enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather in Indiana which was LOVELY.
MacKenzie posing by our changing sports flags Note: our flags are cursed. We took Colts down and they started winning. We put Hoosiers up and they started losing. WAH!
Dining outside in NOVEMBER IN INDIANA
LOVING LIFE FOR THAT
Jackson had to be in Bloomington for work and managed to score last minute tickets to an IU game. Lucky man!
GO HOOSIERS!
LOVE THE SPIRIT!
We were able to stop and visit Heidi's booth at a local craft fair. She was the most talented vendor there and I was not able to leave empty-handed. I have appointed myself as her marketing manager because I am so passionate about her signs and talent.
My newest HK Designs pieces
The nativity sign is a gift. Joy to the World is for my office. LOVE IT.
Our dear family friends (and employer) Bill and Liz Trinkle's daughter Karen got married in Indianapolis and we were fortunate enough to attend. I had the most handsome date there, too! Lucky me.
My handsome wedding date
Karen, who is like a little sister to me, was an absolutely stunning bride. I was so happy to be able to witness her special day.
The bride and groom looking lovely
Bill gave the best speech that had us all both laughing and crying.
The sweetest speech.
We woke up on Sunday morning to some excitement in the neighborhood. It turns out that someone down the road had some illegal weapons and wouldn't answer the door when police came. That's a big mistake. The knocked out windows and let themselves in with assault weapons. WHOA.
Excitement on the mean streets of Fishers
November is also the month of MacKenzie's birth. She had a great day filled with treats and lots of love.
Posing with her birthday card from Grammy
One of my dear friends from college who now lives back in Indy is having another baby so she had a little party to celebrate the newest addition. This meant shopping for a small gift. Baby gift shopping with Jackson is always a treat.
"How does it look, babe?"
Before I headed to the baby shower we took MacKenzie for a quick game of ball. She just loves to play.
Joy is written all over their faces
Heidi accompanied me to the baby shower and we had a great time catching up with all the girls in attendance. I love my college friends for the fun memories we share and the ability to pick right up where we left off!
My IWU besties- Meg and Heidi
Wesley, Meg &soon-to-be baby girl, Kyle and Ms. Mocha
Jackson left the next morning for a business trip to Denver. Neither of us had been back since we moved in 2010 so he was excited for a mountain view again.
A view of the Rockies
All was well until a huge snowstorm hit and his Monday evening flight was canceled. Boo.
The view from his hotel the next day was a little whiter
He made it home on Tuesday afternoon just in time to have our next mattress delivered. Hooray times 2! He didn't get a break from the snow long as that very weekend we got our own dusting.
Life in a snow globe!
The snow made us hungry so we had a date night to my favorite Italian joint in Indy. Our meals were delicious as always and I had the most handsome date in all of the place!
Mama Carolla's date
We've had a great month and look forward to a trip to Naples for Thanksgiving very soon.
Nine years. How I react to that: "already?!" and "that's it?!" Jackson says these reactions are contrary. I disagree. Let me explain:
Already?! They say that time flies when you're having fun. Jackson and I have fun. We like to stay busy, active and mobile but we also like to snuggle up MacKenzie for Netflix marathons of any Shonda Rhimes show. (Ok, I'm more into Shonda's shows than Jackson, but he plays along and seems to thoroughly enjoy Scandal.) I don't feel like we've aged a bit- save a few new laughing induced wrinkles- and I still think he's the most handsome guy in any room. Note: we've never shared a room with Tim Tebow. :)
That's it?! The further we make it on this journey called marriage the more I forget how my life was before Jackson was in it. I feel like we've grown up so much together. We're much more mature and well adjusted than we were on our wedding day. We've learned the art of compromise (in most situations anyway), the art of letting little things go (I mean, in general), and to appreciate each other's contributions to retirement plans I mean our marriage.
Excuse me. All of the points under "that's it?!" were just refuted by Jackson. Perhaps he needs his own blog if he has such strong opinions.
Note: I offered him his own paragraph and he "isn't in a good mood and doesn't feel well so it would not go well." Hmm- opinionated and not willing to perform? I am thankful that men don't get their periods. Ladies, can you even imagine?!
Anyway, grumpiness be darned, I love this man and I hope for at least 90 more years of driving him batty. :)
Aunt Jenna was a little off her Halloween game this year due to travels but gifts were still distributed in a regrettably tardy fashion.
Note: we've got a lot of nieces and nephews these days- Grace and Alex of our own (Justin aged out- sorry buddy!) and then Shaya & Matt's Josslyn and new baby brother (still in utero) (A BOY!!!! I have always wanted Shaya to have a BOY! I am so excited about this that I haven't even bothered her much to name him already), Heidi & Andrew's Jax and Jocelin and finally Kortnee & Jason's Sir Liam Mauck and his new baby brother (also still in utero and nameless which is, admittedly, only annoying because she rejects any name suggested because she's a teacher and all names have bad connotations for her).
We were excited about Halloween at the new place thinking that we'd get a ton of kids hoping to hit a lot of houses in one easy trip. We were woefully wrong. We didn't get a single trick-or-treater! We had a ton of candy and didn't want to eat it ourselves (well, we wanted to but knew we shouldn't) so we headed over to the Porterfield's to pass out treats there.
Jackson took Jax (dressed as Tom Brady much to everyone's chagrin) out for a second round of trick-or-treating and loved it. The fact that my husband shares a maturity level with a 5 year old should bother me. It doesn't. :) (I joke. I joke. Kind of.)
Anyway, it was fun to see all of the kids dressed up and hopped up on sugar. Parents love that. ;) We'll try to get our goodies distributed on time next year, friends, promise!
Before the candy was packaged up for our "nieces and nephews"
Wendy from Peter Pan &
Tom Brady (complete with deflated football!)
