My Izzy Pooch

Standing in the veterinary hospital operating room...the various monitors beeped intermittently as my beloved Izzy pooch lay motionless on the warm operating table.


"Sometimes the right dog comes to the right person at the right time" said the vet..."and that's what Izzy was for you."


I raised Izzy from an eight week old pup...intent on having the most well-behaved dog imaginable. She was all that and more! From her first night home until her last...we were nearly inseparable. During the dark dark days following Jocie's death, Izzy was my close companion anchoring me to the world...

keeping me grounded!

I noticed early on, that Izzy would let you do anything to her. Dress her up, pose her...literally anything you wanted. 

I don't imagine she loved it...but merely tolerated it because she loved me.

She became a model for Jiggystick; where among other duties, we had Izzy pose for the label of our Hot Jiggity Dog Shampoo.

Izzy was softness and sweetness 

and BBQ ribs.

She was springtime chicks, long eyelashes,

and banana cream pie.

There is NOTHING quite like the love of a dog. To my knowledge, no other species prefers the companionship of humans to their own.

It isn't that dogs are confused about their identity or what species they belong to...

or that they think we are marvelous.

Dogs just prefer humans over other dogs simply because they love us...

unconditionally love us!

Every single time I walked in the door to home I was greeted excitedly by Izzy...whether I had been gone for five minutes or five days.

Izzy loved to be with our family no matter where we went, including the weekly Saturday ski trips.

 Izzy knew when the ski pants went on...it was one of those days. Arriving at the mountain, she would run and play and sniff while we put on ski boots and got ready for a day of skiing. Upon command, that pup would pile in the car, curl up in a ball, and wait for us to come spend our lunch hour with her. She loved it!

I give all the credit to Dean for finding Izzy. His hectic travel schedules meant nights and mornings spent alone, so I decided I would like a dog to keep me company while he was away on business trips. I guess it was only appropriate that she would sleep on Dean's pillow while he was gone.

Dean discovered her at a local area breeder...goldendoodles (cross between a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever) were something new and uncommon 7 1/2 years ago. The pick of the litter...the breeder sat rocking Izzy with giant streaming tears when we arrived to take her home. I distinctly remember how she smelled lightly of fresh baby powder.

I've often wondered if that breeder and his wife had any idea the joy and love this dog would be for me...

or how many hours we would spend together.


Running...

posing...

starring in movies...

playing with family dogs...

or how much I would adore that black nose nuzzled softly into my waiting hand every single day of her life.

It was the 4th of July weekend when I noticed something not quite right with Izzy...she seemed just a little off. Her BFF Stella was spending the week with us while her family was away. It was nothing really...Izzy just seemed to jump a little more gingerly into the car for the first time in her life...even hesitating slightly.

We hiked to the top of Naomi Peak that day...and now I know just how brave she was and how much she wanted to be with us, despite the pain she must have been experiencing unbeknownst to me.

Concerned, with her lingering fatigue,  days later we visited the vet where Izzy was initially diagnosed with a kidney infection. 

Stubbornly it wouldn't go away, and then day after day she worsened...

and my heart began to tremble.

And on this day...we discovered she not only had an infection, but a rare cancerous tumor on that kidney. My heart sank into my chest and my eyes felt that awful familiar sting as I held Izzy's head during the ultrasound and the vet delivered the horrific news.

The plan was to remove the cancerous kidney in a high-risk surgery as all the other organs looked healthy in the x-rays. Dr P (as she is called) knew how much this dog meant to me and wanted to save her, and believed she could easily live with just one healthy kidney. The next two days Izzy never left my side. I cried and whispered positive thoughts in her fluffy white ears...telling her how much I loved her.

Dean and I took these photos the night before her surgery...fearing and preparing for anything the next morning. You would never guess from these images just how awful this pooch felt. No appetite and unable to hardly move...our hearts were breaking for her pain. And just before going inside, Izzy turned and wagged her tail for the first time in days. An image I'll never forget.

The following morning I kissed her lightly on that black nose top as the vet ushered her down the hallway assuring me she would keep Izzy comfortable and update me on the surgery as soon as she had news.

It wasn't much more than an hour later when the shrill noise from my phone delivered the results we had feared...the tumor had indeed spread up and down her spine...inoperable.

Tears...just so many tears!
And so...Dean and I rushed to her side...whispered I love you's...embraced her in our arms...and let her go...the absolutely only thing left we could do for her...

Never in a million years could I imagine the love I would have for this pup...nor could I ever adequately explain that bond we shared.

When you open your heart and give it to a pooch...she becomes your faithful friend, your untiring defender, your constant companion...your pooch. And to the pooch...you are her love, her life, her world. Until the last beat of her heart she will be your lovable pooch...faithful and true. I will love you forever my Izzy Pooch!

Saying goodbye...

We've all known this day was coming...

for quite some time now.

But for Dean and his siblings, how do you say goodbye to someone you've known your entire life?

Someone who has always been there...with advice, support and unconditional love.

On Saturday June 28, Owen Chester Garlick my beloved Father in Law...took one last ride through his home town of Farr West Utah, where he lived his entire life. One last ride on the way to his final resting place.

Together with his sweet wife Joyce, Owen changed the world forever just by being a father to four children, grandfather to seventeen grandchildren, and great grandfather to sixteen great grandchildren.

His physical presence, spirit in the community and absence in our hearts will be felt forever.

I was so impressed with the gathering of family and friends at the death of our loved one. The day was a celebration of a great man and his wonderful life.

Smart looking grandsons all dressed in jackets and white shirts, Grandpa would have been especially proud seeing that each grandson wore one of his ties.

Owen was one of the finest men I have ever known. He treated me with respect and kindness from the moment I met him, and every moment following.

He had an amazing work ethic...rising early before the sun his entire life. A barber by trade, I think he must have done about a million haircuts in his lifetime.

Hair wasn't the only thing he loved to cut, we used to tease him about his love for cutting the lawn. No one...and I mean no one was allowed to cut the lawn around his house, but him.

Owen was a master garden...weeds would not dare grow in his meticulous garden. Knowing my love for cucumbers...each spring he would plant extra hills of my favorite cucumber seeds, just for me!

And when the cucumbers were big enough, he would deliver 5 gallon buckets of them to my doorstep. I ate every delicious one!

From a very early age, Dean made it his life mission to constantly harass his father...often making outrageous statements that ended in Owen delivering his famed "Shame on you Dean!"

And if it was something really ridiculous he got the double treatment "Shame on you, shame on you Dean!" Secretly I think Owen loved it as much as his son!

Grandpa Owen adored his family...every single member! He was so proud of each of their individual accomplishments.

Before it became too difficult, he would find the time and energy to come sit and watch Chet's lacrosse games.

I know he didn't understand the rules. Even though perfectly legal, he would get upset when the opponent would whack Chet with a lacrosse stick.

Owen was certainly his family's greatest fan!

I discovered early in my marriage that Dean had a sweet tooth!And it didn't take me long to learn where that sweet tooth came from. Owen loved chocolate and ice cream and root-beer floats and pie and cakes and cookies!

Dean's mom (who goes by Unni to the grandkids) has been extraordinarily strong and brave. I will always admire her grace during Owen's difficult days of illness, his death, and finally his burial. I know that grace will continue as Unni discovers how to spend the rest of her life without the love of her life.

Owen was famous for his Christmas punch...which oddly tasted different every year.

He was also infamous for sleeping with one eye open...which simultaneously freaked out and  amazed the younger generation.

Because of a childhood illness, Owen was told by Doctors that he most likely wouldn't live past his 40's. He was 84 when he passed away and almost made it to 85. Never tell a member of the Garlick family what they can or can't do. I have noticed that same trait in my own children and their father.

Oh how Grandpa Owen loved the great grand babies...especially the new little ones. Thrilled for Cassandra...he clearly recalled her due date whenever he saw her. I am certain he knew he wouldn't be here when her new babe was born.

He was right...but I am also certain he got to meet the little Miss before any of us did.

As Owen struggled with his last breaths...Dean gently whispered in his father's ear...it's OK to go...go find Jocie and give her a huge love from her Daddy. And so he did...and what a glorious reunion it must have been. I'm just a little envious he got to see her before me!

As I took this last shot, I had an unmistakable feeling that we were missing someone. Someone who should be in this photo. And then it finally occurred to me that indeed we were missing someone...we were missing Grandpa Owen. Rest well Owen...you have lived a righteous and authentically beautiful life leaving behind a legacy to be proud of!