Holland's Dog Bite

So it has been a long and emotional week. A week ago yesterday Holland and Dominick went out to play after dinner. I was cleaning up the kitchen when Dominick came in crying. I asked him what happened and all he could get to come out was just go see. So I ran outside to look and Holland was on the grass screaming. She was holding her leg. She screamed that a dog had bit her. I looked at it and the first thought that came to mind was it looked like when you bite into a piece of chicken. All meaty and gross and bloody. I grabbed her to bring her in when our neighbor came running up. It was his dog that bit her. His dog has bitten before and I was quite mad that this had happened again. I showed him the bite and ran in the house. I had no choice but to take her to the hospital. So I grabbed her and Brittin and we headed to the hospital. Holland was in a full panic and was screaming the whole way there. I felt so helpless. I knew it must have hurt and I felt horrible that there wasn't anything that could be done to make that different. When we got there they cleaned it out and examined it. They decided based on the way the lacerations were (all parallel to each other) that stitches were impossible. If they stitched one it would open the others wider. Holland was relieved to hear that stitches were out. She didn't want them anyway. Honestly if they had done them, they would have had to sedate her. She was so scared and panicked. After cleaning it out they sent us home with a prescription for antibiotics and instructions to see a doctor to follow up. I went to Walgreens due to how late in the evening it was. All the other pharmacies were closed. Super big mistake. They were closing soon also. We waited and then realized that the prescription was in pill form and the pills were huge. I asked them to call and get it changed. The guy in charge refused because they would be closing in 10 min. He told me I would have to take it somewhere else to be filled. So he sent me down the road 20 minutes. At this Walgreens there was a half hour wait before they could even start. So an hour and a half later we finally go home. It was such an emotional day I think I am still trying to come down from it. We have since found out that the dog owners have decided they are keeping the dog. This really upsets me because this is the second time he has bitten like this. In my opinion it will happen again and might be worse. I am hoping and praying it wont but the whole neighborhood is upset. I don't know the outcome yet. Shawn should be talking to Sam (the dog owner) on Sunday. I guess I will have to write that next week. In the mean time Holland is doing much better and can finally swim. So that is what we are doing today.

My Journal

So I haven't been very good over the last couple of years keeping this going.  I haven't been good at a journal either.  I decided I needed to combine the efforts.  So from this point forward I am going to keep this going as my journal.  I am doing this for me and for my family to truly know who I am.  I have read several times how important it is to keep a journal so that my children and grandchildren can know me.  So here it goes.

We moved back home from Missouri on June 1st 2014.  I can honestly say I am so happy.  I was so unhappy in Missouri.  I didn't feel like I had any close friends.  The ward was nice and people rallied when there was a crisis but outside of that they just didn't take the time to know anyone.  I tried to be happy about being there but I just wasn't.  Every time I came home I struggled when I had to go back.  I loved the town I lived in.  It was beautiful but the people were hard.  My neighbors never knew my name and didn't care to.  My children struggled to make friends.  The kids in the circle hated them and wouldn't play with them.  It was probably the most lonely and difficult time in my life.  I feel like I lost myself.  I went out there a confident, outgoing person eager to make friends.  By the time we moved I was depressed, full of anxiety, and scared to even make a phone call.

I do feel like I learned a lot.  It is important to see the needs of others.  All of them.  Talk to everyone.  Find out who they are and what makes them happy.  I learned what kind of a friend I need to be to others based on the kind of friend I want.  I learned how lonely it can be without a friend and how it feels to be left out. I learned that a friend is never too busy to help when someone needs it.  I learned how important family is.  I struggled in my marriage and was almost to the point of break up.  I learned to love my husband again and learned how very grateful I am to have him.  I learned what my children need.  I learned the areas I am not doing so well as a parent.  I learned how to be a better me.  I kind of feel like Missouri was like a boot camp for me.  It stripped me down of all the bad and week stuff so now I can rebuild and be stronger than ever.  This is my moment to shine.  This is my moment to become a better person.  To serve the Lord. To enjoy my life.  To think of others and see their needs.  I plan to get back all the good parts of me and add to them.  I am so happy to be back in Utah.  I feel more confident.  I love this ward.  I love my neighborhood.  My kids play outside everyday.  The leave in the morning and don't come back until dinner.  They are so happy.  I don't think I have ever seen them this happy ever.  Dominick is scratched up and bruised and I love it.  He is learning how much fun life can be. Holland has a new friend everyday.  She is always outside which is a huge change.  She never wanted to play outside in Missouri.  So many great things have happened since we moved.  So many blessings and to see the smile on my little ones faces makes everything worth it.

We have had a few problems since we moved in.  A week before closing our financing fell apart. We were devastated.  We struggled to understand how we could feel so right about this house and have all of it fall apart right before it was to become ours.  We talked the owners into letting us rent until the end of the summer.  So here we are.  A week after we moved in something happened with the sprinklers and the flooded our basement and the basement of the house next door.  We had to call the owners and it was put on their insurance and is in the process of being fixed.  I am living in a construction zone right now.  Brittin doesn't have a room and the wall down stairs is torn apart and patched.  Next week all work should be done.  Brittin should have a room again.  I should be able to finish unpacking and really start making this house ours.  I see the wisdom in all of this now.  If we had bought the house we would have had to pay for all of this and the insurance company would have dropped us.  Financially this could have devastated us.  I am so grateful that the Lord is in the drivers seat on this one.  This home is truly a blessing.  It has some problems and things that need repairing but it has everything I have ever wanted in a house.  It is my dream home. (minus the backyard) super small backyard.  Nice thing in trade is we have a park across the street.  That makes up for the backyard.  There is a splash pad close by that my kids love.  We had a massive 4th of July block party last night that was so much fun.  I met so many people and really talked to neighbors for the first time in 6 years.  I feel so happy here.  I can see my Mom anytime I want.  I am apart of the sister lunches and get togethers.  I love being home. I have a closer relationship with my parents due to this experience.  I am so grateful for that.  I love them so much and I am so grateful to be home.