Gus

Today was a hard day and one that Keith has been dreading for awhile.  Gus went to heaven.  About a week or two before Keith and I went to Utah Gus had been sick and my Mom took him to the vet and found he had a urinary infection and we received some medicine for him and the first meds he went home with he had an allergic reaction from so my Mom had to go back and get different ones.  We were worried about his health but I felt reassured that everything was fine and he was feeling better.  Keith told me I should probably say my goodbyes to him while in Utah but I didn't think that was needed because he seemed so normal and fine.

While we were in Utah Gus was happy and acted normal.  I had done some research online before the trip about Shelties and found that it is common for them to turn in circles, not chasing their tail, but it was a way for them to express their happiness.  When we were at home he did that frequently and it made me happy knowing he was so happy to be with me.  We used to always think it was silly of him and he was just chasing his tail.  I had told some of my coworkers about Gus and one of them had asked me to take pictures and video of him doing his tricks, and so I did.  I am so glad I did because who knew a little over a week after leaving he'd be gone.  I would stay up each night while in Utah and just pet him and hug him.  My parents always teased me that I loved Gus more than them because when we'd skype I'd always want to see Gus and say how much I missed him.  It's hard with a pet because he can't talk and I don't know if he recognized me on the computer screen.  When we first skyped he wouldn't even look at the screen but he had more recently started looking at it.

Soon after we left Utah Gus started being sick again and my Mom again took him to the vet.  Gus was dehydrated and they hooked him up to an IV and had him stay overnight at the vets.  The next day my parents took Gus to Logan to another vet for an ultrasound (yesterday).  Yesterday was also my Mom's birthday.  She took him up and the vet was impressed with Gus because she didn't have to sedate him or drug him up to do the ultrasound.  She also thought he was a beautiful dog and couldn't believe he was so sick.  What the ultrasound showed was that Gus had growths all over his body, the vet didn't even dare take a blood sample because she was worried his blood wouldn't coagulate and he'd die right there.  She said it wouldn't be worth to operate because it was everywhere.  She told my Mom that he has been in a lot of pain and has been for awhile and that he must have a high pain tolerance.  We had no idea, Gus always seemed fine and normal until recently.  He hadn't eaten or drank anything all week other than the IV but the vet gave him some medicine so he'd be comfortable and out of pain the last night at home.  My Mom brought him back home and pretty much held him the rest of the night.  She was able to skype with me and I was able to say goodbye to him.  He looked content in her arms but didn't really react to anything.  It was hard to say goodbye but I knew he'd have to be put down today.  RIP Gus, I miss you!

Keith has recommended I write about the good times with Gus, which is all the time.  It's kind of embarrassing how hard I'm taking this being an adult and all but Gus was part of the family to me.  My parents decided to get a dog soon after Elizabeth Smart was abducted, he was to help keep me company and to protect me (he doesn't look too fierce but he would've protected me).  My parents picked him out (I didn't go along), and I had decided that his name was Gus if he was a boy and Zoe if he'd been a girl.  I came up with the name Gus from the fat mouse in Cinderella (my favorite Disney movie).  My parents picked him, I guess he was the runt of the litter but they liked his coloring and his nose (we ended up being in puppy school with one of Gus' brothers and Gus was much cuter).  Gus has always been a very smart, well-behaved dog.  He did like to pee on my neighbor as a puppy but he grew out of that.  He also liked to bark at the doorbell and the phone ringing, but he was doing his job, protecting us.  High School were some rough years for me and Gus was my best friend during them.  He would follow me around the house and would just lie near where I was.  I remember he used to like to "sing" while I played the flute, it was so cute and funny.  I loved taking Gus for walks down the driveway and getting the mail with him.  I especially loved taking Gus out to the garden to keep me company.  I would sneak him raspberries because he loved them!  I had to make sure Mom wasn't looking.  One day I had gotten a Carmello candy bar from somewhere and had put it on my bed, I came in later to find that Gus had jumped up on my bed and eaten all of it.  We were so worried he was going to die because chocolate isn't good for dogs, fortunately he was fine.  He was the most cuddly dog, I loved carrying him around because he'd set his head on your shoulder.  I liked to put him in front of the mirror, I don't think he enjoyed it.  I remember him sitting at my feet or by my bed or at my bedroom door, being a little watch dog.  He was very smart, he knew to stay off the wood floor, stay on the grass, to tell us when he needed to go potty, play dead, rollover, take his food on command, shake, etc.  He never was interested in fetch, but that's ok.  When he was younger I liked to get him wound up and he'd start running all over and making funny noises.  Gus was a shy dog and didn't enjoy sleeping anywhere but his crate.  I would try and get him to sleep with me in my room but he would always sneak out or whine at the door to get out.  He liked being able to roam and be able to keep an eye on everyone.  He loved walking around the island in our kitchen.  Whenever I'd come home he'd get so excited and wag his tail like crazy.  He especially loved getting petted on his rump, he'd do a little dance and wag his tail.  Sometimes I would be laying by him and he'd put his head under my hand so I'd keep/start petting him.  He was so cuddly and comforting.  It's really a blessing he was so happy while we were in Utah and I didn't have to see him being sick.  

Some of the names I liked to call Gus was: Gus Gus, Gussy, Gus-a-luf-a-Gus, Gussy roo poo, and Gussers.  Gus loved to please us and he was very loyal.  The last day we were in Utah he really started barking and going after the UPS man that came to our door, at the time we were a little annoyed he wouldn't settle down but now looking back it was kind of ironic that he was in so much pain but he was not going to let that UPS guy hurt us.  He was such a good dog.  Gus didn't really like to ride in the car, he was very  much a home body.  I didn't really say my goodbyes to him because I didn't believe it was going to be the last time I'd see him, I wish I had.  But I love him and miss him like crazy.  He was the best dog.  I'm so grateful to have had him as a companion and that he is now out of pain and in a better place.  Gus will forever be in my heart.  Love you Gussy.   

Here are a bunch of pics and a couple of videos of Gus Gus. 

Holidays in the Frozen Tundra

I must stick to my New Year's goal of writing a blog post at least once a month, and January is almost over.  Sadly I don't have many pictures for this post but there should be some for next month because we will be going to Utah in a week and will take lots of pictures.

We've kept ourselves busy the past two months between birthdays, anniversaries, the holidays, and work.  Keith planned a surprise birthday party for me and we were able to get together with some friends and enjoy some cake and ice cream.  It was funny because some friends had arrived and we didn't have icing on the cake and Keith was going to make the icing while we were sitting on the couch talking.  After a few minutes Keith was like umm our hand mixer is broker...and my cute 7-month pregnant friend and her husband started trying to mix the icing by hand and Keith kept telling them to not worry about it and that we could sing and blow the candles out, open presents and then we'll worry about the icing.  After a lot of convincing we did that, we put the candles in an icing-less birthday cake and everyone sang and I blew them out.  We then opened presents which consisted of cute clothes from my parents, a mini rolling pin, a snow tube, letters from Grandparents, AND a brand new hand mixer!  Keith had realized the hand mixer had died about a week before and so he knew the whole time and had it all planned. 

We did get to ice the cake and Abi and Jayce (some of the kiddos that came) helped me decorate it with sprinkles, it was a masterpiece of 5 different colors of sprinkles mixed together and probably 3x more than needed, but the kids loved it and I didn't care what the cake looked like--sadly we don't have a pic...

After the party we went to the Botanical Gardens in Green Bay.  In the winter it is a Christmas light display that you can walk around, fortunately there weren't too many people.  One of our favorite activities in December was driving around looking at Christmas lights.

For our 3-year anniversary Keith and I went to one of our favorite restaurants around here, Chives.  It was amazing, like usual!  We usually don't get desserts when we eat out but we love the Creme Brulee, so good!

It's crazy that it has already been a month since Christmas (time goes by so fast).  We had a great Christmas together just the two of us.  We were able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner with friends from the Branch.  Some of the gifts Keith received were gloves, scarf, luggage, belt, clothes, a giftcard, a PS3 game, and a snow tube.  Some of the gift I received were clothes, hat, and a Bosch mixer!  It was pretty exciting, and I need to start cooking more now that I have all of these amazing cooking tools. 

New Year's Eve we spend with some friends from the Branch (same ones we had Christmas dinner with).  We played games and had yummy food.  It was a lot of fun!  We ended up heading home shortly after midnight and it had been pretty cold that night.  When we got into the Rogue I realized that the frost on the window was actually on the inside of the glass, not the outside.  I told Keith that and even scratched some of it so he could see, I could tell he was confused and he sat there for a few seconds with a confused look and then grabbed the window scraper and said I'm going to go out and scrape the windows...I couldn't stop laughing.  Fortunately I didn't let him go out and try that so we sat in the car with the heat on full blast for a few minutes.  That probably doesn't seem as funny reading it, maybe it was one of those instances where you had to be there :).

Some fun things I've done with friends was I've gotten my first pedicure and first nail shellac.  I am in love with them both, but the shellac is AMAZING!  I love it.  Since both Keith and I both received a tube we have gone tubing a few times at a nearby park where there is a man-made hill (I miss mountains) which has been a lot of fun! 

Keith and I babysat for some friends from the Branch who have an 8-month old and a 2-year old.  Wow we were amazed at how oblivious we are about babies.  The little 2-year old, Sophie, is in love with Keith so she was easy but the baby, Scarlett, was a little tougher.  She wouldn't take a bottle and she was so tired.  We didn't know what to do with her, poor little girl!  We both kept taking turns holding her and trying to get her to take a nap (we got her tummy full with these little yogurt bites).  I change her diaper and wow I am not good at that, I put it on so loose that I couldn't get her jammies snapped back up...oops!  But we had a lot of fun!  After I went and helped some other friends from the Branch with their kids' birthday party.  They had these clowns come and they did such an amazing job!  They did magic tricks, face painting, a balloonist, and crafts.  It was a pretty amazing party.  

Last week it was the coldest week we've experienced since moving here.  It was horrible!  Not only did it not get to positive temperatures for almost 3 days, the wind chill made it super cold.  The coldest "real feel" that I saw on my phone was -31...I am ready to move somewhere warm or become a snow bird (summers are pretty nice around here).  Today we had another semi-snow day which is the second I've seen.  I do enjoy the snow a lot more than the frigid temperatures, but honestly, I cannot wait until spring!

Next week we are going to Utah for 6 days and are very excited to see family and friends.  We are trying to fit so much in such a little amount of time, I feel like we'd have to stay a month to get all we want to do in.  Okay, not really...but it would be nice.  Anyway, here are some pictures from my birthday and Christmas.  Enjoy!
 

Getting ready to blow out the candles on the naked cake.

The Prusse's on the right

I really love this pic, so cute

Opening presents

the Cook's

Keith was so excited for his luggage--he's never had a carry-on before

My Bosch! 

This is Keith's "traveler" look

Botanical Gardens

Christmas Letter 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

This year has been an eventful one.  Here’s an attempt to get everyone up to speed on what has been happening in our lives.  A few days after Christmas last year, Keith was offered an Actuary position at Humana for the De Pere, Wisconsin location and started the beginning of February. He does projections for Small Business medical insurance.  We were very excited and ended up living with my parents for the month of January.  We really enjoyed spending that time with them and having them there to help us pack (my dad is a master packer, I don’t think anything moved).  The move was quite the experience, between Wyoming not clearing their roads and a lot of blowing snow it made the move very stressful.  We eventually made it to Wisconsin and settled into our cute little apartment.  Our apartment has a garage, dishwasher, and a washer and dryer.  We are in heaven compared to our former apartments.  Keith started work and has loved his job, he loves his boss and the people he works with.  

We live in De Pere, Wisconsin which is a suburb south of Green Bay—ever heard of it?  I expected the Packers to be big, but I did not anticipate this large of an obsession.  Really, the obsessions here are the Packers and alcohol—very different from Utah.  

We attend a LDS branch that is located on the Oneida Reservation.  Our branch is pretty small and our building is tiny.  Keith and I were called to be Primary teachers for the 4-8 year olds, but somehow our Primary is large for a Branch, and about 75% of the kids are in our class.  We have a lot of fun and our kids are very cute (our class is full of girls with two boys).  Being in a branch and not having many people to fill callings got us both second calling, Keith as Branch Clerk and I as Stake Young Women Secretary.  In June we had Elder Bednar visit for Stake Conference and it was a wonderful experience. 

I was able to find some ladies to play doubles with during the winter months at a local tennis club.  It was a lot of fun but it hasn’t been set up this year so I am in danger of not playing until it warms up again.  This past summer I taught some girls from the Branch tennis and it was so much fun.  Keith has a basketball league he plays in during the winter with his co-workers, they aren’t very good but he still has fun.

Even though Keith graduated in December we decided to make a trip back to Utah in April for him to walk.  It was a short trip but a lot of fun.  Keith’s graduation was really nice and he got to meet up with college friends and former professors.  We were excited to see family, Gus (the dog), and play with the new baby horses.  

Before my new job started I wanted to take advantage of my free time so I went and visited Linda’s cute family in Virginia, which was a lot of fun and her boys were adorable.  Keith and I also went and spent a couple of weekends with Mark’s family in the Wisconsin Dells (if you don’t know what it is, look it up), it is the Las Vegas of water parks.

I started my job in June as an Underwriting Specialist in Humana’s Specialty benefits; I help quote dental and vision insurance for companies.  I love my job and my department is so much fun!  I was able to be released from training in 5 months which is faster than normal and I’m able to work from home two days a week.  

In August we had the Richins’ Reunion and went on a week-long trip to Disney World.  We were able to go to several different parks and spend a lot of time with family.  I think our favorite was Animal Kingdom; Keith was our expert on getting fast passes and knowing which places had the shortest lines.     

We joined a BYU alumni chapter and are the Young alumni Representatives; we are working on planning some activities for that this upcoming year.  It has been a great way to meet more people and make friends.  

In October Keith’s best friend from high school (Levi) and his youngest brother (Adam) came and visited, we had a lot of fun showing them around.  Then for Thanksgiving Keith’s mom and Adam came and visited and we put on our first Thanksgiving dinner.  It was stressful but we did it and it was pretty yummy!

We do have an online blog for people to follow so they can stay updated on our lives if they like.  I am not very good at updating it; one of my New Year’s goals is to update it at least once a month.  It is www.ckstoddardfam.blogspot.com.

We hope you have had a wonderful and safe year!  We love you and hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Love, Crystal & Keith

Here are some pictures from the past year, in no particular order.

Levi and Adam's visit

Wisc Dells trip

Packer Preseason Game

Keith's Graduation

Visiting Virginia

Kate feeding Keith on a Dells trip

New Car

Disney World Trip

Another Dells Trip

At the GB Botanical Gardens

Graduation, Virginia, and a New Job!!!

There has been quite a lot that has happened since I last wrote.  In April we went back to Utah for Keith to walk in his graduation.  It was a short trip, we arrived late Wednesday and left Sunday.  It was a good trip and we were able to visit with family and friends.  Keith really enjoyed getting to see some of his classmates and professors one more time and get to share his experiences he's had at work.  After Keith's graduation I went with my parents to City Creek and it is one of the most beautiful shopping areas you'll ever see, we only walked around and it was amazing.  We also were able to go walk around Temple Square and see all of the beautiful spring flowers.  I really enjoyed seeing Gus and the baby horses.  One of the baby horses, Annie, was only a few weeks old when we visited and the night after she was born her mom died from internal bleeding that was caused from the delivery.  It was really sad, but it was so fun to feed her and play with her-- we became pretty good pals.  We also were able to see my Grandma and Grandpa Richins and they are doing well, my Grandpa R played his accordion which is always a treat.  And we were able to see my Grandpa Gary which was really fun, we played some games with him and enjoyed the visit.  It was really nice to be back at home and be able to relax and have some home-cooked food, my Mom is a pretty good cook!  Overall the trip was a success and we really enjoyed spending time with family and friends, we even got to see Linda for a little bit because she happened to be in town the same time we were.

Keith's Graduation

This is Annie

Grandpa Gary and me playing the golf game

This is Nilla (the other baby) and her mom

Nilla

Our poor bball hoop broke recently so we decided to have some fun

Our BFFs, Emily and Nathan Summers

Grandpa Richins and the accordion

About a month ago I received a job offer to work for Humana, the same company Keith works for.  I won't be working at the same building as him because I am working in the Specialty Insurance and he works with Health.  I will be an Underwriting Specialist and will be giving insurance quotes to businesses regarding dental/vision/disability insurance plans.  It will be challenging but I am excited that it is a real job and can be a career for me.  I start next week, I am a little nervous but anxious at the same time.

Since I realized that my time of not working was coming to an end I decided I needed to take advantage of this time and decided to go visit Linda and Davis and their family in VA.  I was there a Tues-Sun and had so much fun!  They moved into a new home in Carrollton, VA and it is a beautiful home.  I had never met her youngest boy, Hayden and hadn't seen Gavin since we got married.  It was really fun to spend time with them.  We were able to go strawberry picking, go to their community pool, feed ducks/fish, and go to a children's museum.  They were really cute little boys and it was fun to spend time with Linda.

Fun at the pool

Gavin and Hayden

This coming weekend we are going to the Wisconsin Dells with Mark and Janeen and their family.  I wish I have taken more advantage of living close to them while I could have because in September they are moving to Boise.  It'll be a fun weekend that we're looking forward to.

This past weekend we were lucky enough to have Elder Bednar come to our Stake Conference.  I was able to go to the Youth Session Saturday morning and he did a Q and A with the youth.  It was really cool and I learned a lot.  The youth asked a lot of good questions and I was able to learn a lot.  Some of the themes that I got from the three sessions I attended were how important it is to let the Spirit be the teacher rather then the actual speaker (he discouraged us to take notes about his talk because then we aren't able to be taught by the spirit, he encouraged us to write after about what feelings and impressions we got during the talks).  He also talked about how important it is that in our agency that we are agents rather then objects being acted upon.  He described many stories that were incredible and I really enjoyed hearing what he had to say.  The other speaker that was with him was from the seventy and I really enjoyed his talks and what he had to say.  He said that he felt like a Dixie cup and Elder Bednar's teachings were like a 500-gallon drum that was getting poured into it.

This apron is what I got for Mother's Day!

 Looking at most of these pics I realized I am wearing t-shirts in most of them, I promise I have cute clothes, I'll try and make sure I'm wearing them when I am getting my picture taken in the future :)