Cody and Riley were patient with us as we got our yard done in phases, but they were living like kings since April when we finally finished all of the sod and fencing! Here they are with Jeremy and our newly planted tree we named "Geoffry" :)
Just about two weeks after the class, Jeremy and I set out on
a trip we’d been planning for several months.
He’s a die-hard Red Sox fan, played college baseball, and is in love
with the sport, but still hadn’t seen a single MLB game, let alone his beloved
Sox play. I’d remembered from my first
two classes that we should really work to fill that part of our ARFF and just
give ourselves what we want, but when we considered going out to Boston to see
them play at Fenway, it just wasn’t going to work financially at this point in
our lives. We “went to solution” and
decided the next best thing would be to watch them play the Mariners in
Seattle, which was a more realistic trip.
Not 24 hours after we decided we should do it, Jeremy bought the
tickets; I think possibly he really wanted to go?!
We took our time on the way out to
Seattle, stopping for a night in Missoula where we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings,
our favorite restaurant, which we don’t have in Great Falls. That night, we didn’t think our original plan
of shopping all day in Spokane sounded as fun anymore, so we gave ourselves
what we really wanted all along: a day in Silverwood theme park! This was also a first for Jeremy, as he’d
never ridden a rollercoaster, and a first for me, as Miss Planner has never
done anything quite that spontaneous!
The day was great because we felt like two crazy kids, and had the best
time. We then ate at Olive Garden, our
second favorite restaurant, that night on our way back to our hotel. We reminded ourselves of giddy kids each time
we said to the other, “Wasn’t this the best
day?!” or “I’m so glad we did this together!”
Finally, it was Friday, the day we
got to drive to Seattle and go to the game.
When we arrived in Seattle, we realized how spoiled we are in Montana
with no crazy traffic and confusing interchanges, but we found our way to our
hotel thanks to a GPS! We got changed
(me in full Mariners gear, and Jeremy in full Red Sox gear) and got to our
shuttle (there’d be no more driving for these two Montana kids in downtown
Seattle). The game was a blast, the Red
Sox hit many home runs and won the game, and we headed back to our hotel,
deciding what we’d do on Saturday, my birthday, and our last day of the
trip. A cute couple we’d met on our
shuttle to the game insisted we go to Pike’s Market, so we decided to take
their advice. Back at the hotel, I made
my nightly check-in with my Mom, who, each previous night, was curious about
our trip and always ready with an update on our “boys”, Cody and Riley, our two
shelties they were babysitting. Mom was
unusually quiet and didn’t seem to want to know too much about the day, but I
figured she was just tired.
The next morning we woke up early to
grab some breakfast, get ready, and make it to the shuttle to take us to Pike’s
Market. We had just sat down to eat when
Jeremy got a call from a number not in his contacts, but from Sunburst, Montana. As I curiously listened in on his half of the
conversation and watched his face turn from curiosity to panic, I knew
something was really wrong. He got off
the phone and broke the news: Cody had been found by a Border Patrol agent on
his way back from his midnight shift on the side of the interstate, struck by a
car, and no longer living.
I called my mom thinking that she’d
have no idea that he was even missing from the house, let alone hit by a
car. She heard the news and broke down
crying, saying that he’d gone missing about 1:00 the afternoon before and
they’d tirelessly searched the town for him, sending kids out on bikes, and
spreading word to everyone. They didn’t
tell us he was missing because they just knew he’d return safely and didn’t
want us to worry on our trip. As any
“dog person” would understand, this was a devastating call to get on any day,
let alone a vacation and birthday. We
left our breakfast uneaten and went back to our room. Then, we came to the decision that continuing
our vacation from this point wouldn’t be enjoyable, so we packed up and made
the long 12 ½ hour drive from Seattle to Sunburst. Mom and Dad had given Cody a very nice burial
just outside of Sunburst on family friend’s farmland overlooking the Sweet
Grass Hills.
It was very hard to come home to
Great Falls that next day with just our Riley, and we watched him carefully the
next few days to make sure he was going to be okay. Cody put forth great efforts to ensure we’d
never forget him. He left his chew marks
throughout our home, which were previously sources of sour feelings, and now
make me smile and think about my sweet dog with the load of quirks he had. We found a digging project he’d started in
the back corner of the yard, what we lovingly refer to as his hole to
China. I know in my heart that Cody had
a beautiful life, one with patient parents who dealt lovingly with his quirks,
fears, and anxiety. He was never abused
or neglected and was so ultimately loyal to “his people”.
I knew High Trust was in our lives
when no one went to blame about the accident, in fact it didn’t even cross our minds. I don’t believe that accidents like this, or,
worse, ones that take human lives, happen “for a reason”, but are just horrible
accidents that no one could have predicted or expected. I’m so thankful that I am surrounded by such
healthy parents and a beautifully healthy husband, because blame would have so
soured our situation. Instead, we are so
grateful for the 2 ½ years we had our sweet Cody in our lives, and for his
amazing “brother” Riley, who provides such great companionship and love to us,
and thankfully, seems to be doing well, even without his buddy around.
I took the time to explain this story
because it has been such a marked event in our lives and in this summer, but
also because it demonstrated to me how High Trust is not just a class I take,
but is how I live. I couldn’t be more
blessed to be married to such a healthy man, who helps me remember to be grateful
for each other and the countless other blessings in our lives. As we begin, this fall, on the journey to
bring a child into our lives, I know there’s no better person for me to share
this challenging experience with, and no better person to help me deal with the
possibility of a tough pregnancy and much pain due to my Rheumatoid
Arthritis.
Cody loved trips in the car, even if he was squished and looking pathetic!
We all look so young in this one! :)
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