We have been so busy with one thing or another, sleep is far & inbetween but I wouldn't have it an other way. I have a lot to tell you but instead of a long winded essay I will keep it brief with some piccies too!
Stef had a good birthday, (well at least I hope he did!) He loved his presents & we spent a nice day together visiting Dartmoor Zoo, walking the doggies & then curling up with a nice takeaway in the evening.
We celebrated our 3rd year wedding anniversary on July the 2nd & I cooked a nice slap up dinner of steak with all the trimmings & watched a movie with the woofers by our feet.
On Friday 4th, Stef treated me to a meal at Memories, the restaurant we went to last year. The lady recognised us straight away & wished me a happy birthday & happy anniversary & spent the whole evening tending to our needs & chatting away asking about our little mad house... It was a beautiful evening, the food was amazing & the company even better.
July / Birthday Nails
On the Saturday I had a fry up with my sister & recieved some beautiful presents, then went home & spent the afternoon with the dogs as I had my friend Kim & mum pop in for 5 minutes, with lovely a gift too. Stefan then took me up to Exeter to see the girls. We were having a small birthday tea party but everyone was acting very suspicious around me & I was so nervous!
I was told to close my eyes & as I opened them I had a mountain of presents sat in front of me. I opened Stefs card first, which had a picture of a beautiful baby skunk on the front & the words Happy Birthday Mummy.... As I read the inside I could feel myself starting to well up,
To my new mummy, please come & collect me when I am ready in a couple of weeks, love you lots Cookie.
I was so shocked but SO happy, as I opened the pressies one by one I got more excited & none of it was actually for me, but for my new baby! However, it was literally the best birthday presents I could have gotten! I have wanted a baby skunk kit for ages now, (skunk? I hear you say) but they are AMAZING pets. When tame & well socialised they have no reason to spray so they don't 'stink' as people keep suggesting.... They are very intelligent & extremely friendly. Our friends have two themselves so for the last couple years I have got to learn about them a fair bit & fallen completely in love & now Stef, with the help of the girls had made my wish come true!
Cookie's Bits & Pieces!
The surprise hadn't ended there as the girls then disappeared & then reappeared singing Happy Birthday with the most beautiful handmade cake .... I really was very emotional & the fuckers filmed it all!
My Amazing Cake Made By Kate & Alicia
We left not long after, as on my actual birthday we were up super early to travel to Bournemouth with them for our first bull breed dog show. We helped set up when we got there & made all the dogs comfortable & then waited for our category to be called. We only entered our two into one catergory each but they both did so well. Kimba came first in 'American Bulldog Female 2 Years Plus' & would have come first overall if it wasn't for her age as she is soon to be six years old & her teeth are showing the age so a younger male just pippeed her at the post but the judge said just how close it was & how amazing she is....
Kaos In The Ring
Our not so little boy, Kaos, came third in 'Classic Bulldog Male 3-6 Months' The judge said he is pretty much perfect, beautiful head, good form but his little nose isn't big enough & is quite pinched in so this was the factor that lost him the points, however, 5 months is the hardest time to show the pups as they are still growing.... They both were so well behaved that day & we had a fantasic experience so came away as very proud parents!!
Our Doggies Medals
Monday we both chilled at home as were absolutely exhausted from the last couple of days, Stef redecorated the kitchen & I set up the pen ready for Cookie to arrive!
Thursday evening I went to my very first Gala bingo session with my sister which was a massive giggle even though we didn't win a thing! (I was so close so was pissed & sulked all the way home!) & Friday we spent the day having a girls shopping & lunch day in Exeter, Lauren had saved up & I had asked my mum & brother for birthday money & got myself some lovely new outfits, (I was my sisters project that day as apparently I wear too much black!) That was a nice but tiring day as you can imagine.
Kimba & Her Favourite Reptile Crisis
I am now resting up as much as possible for Tuesday & Wednesday coming.... This time last year, tomorrow in fact, I was on my way up to Harefield, feeling really really poorly, struggling for breathe & unable to talk to anyone. Just a few hours later, I was fighting for my life again in ITU after heart failure. I'm not sure I can say it was the scariest time of my life as I have been through quite a bit but at least I knew what was going on when I underwent a double transplant, with what happened last year being so unexpected & happening so dam quickly, then taking so long to recover I guess it was the scariest, I was so petrified, but then they had to ventilate me & I knew nothing for 2/3 days, whereas Stef was called & told to make his way up & be prepared that I wouldn't pull though. I can't imagine how he felt & I still have moments of what if & what the hell happened.... Thankfully, I have my donor angel looking after me & am still here to fight another day, I obviously had my blip in May, but I am feeling quite stable at the moment & making sure I do everything to the book so I feel the best I can feel....
Our Kaos All Handsome!
Instead of fighting for my life this week I will be spending the day at Chessington World Of Adventures with Stefan & our good friends on Tuesday, walking around an adventure park & having fun on rides, something to me which is a major achivement & wouldn't have been heard of 24 months ago.... Then on Wednesday Stef & I will be travelling to Bristol to collect my new baby girl, Cookie. I am literally so excited, I can't even explain to you....
My Baby Girl, Cookie
I have a week to bond with her & start her training before I have to travel up to Harefield for 2 days for my annual review clinic. On 26th of this month I will be celebrating TWO YEARS with these lungs. Words can't describe how I feel when I type that. Today is the end of National Transplant Week, people are still completely clueless to organ donation unless it as affected them personally, whether someone close to them has passed & donated their organs or they know of a loved one or friend that has received the gift of life.... We really need more & more people signed up.
I don't know what my future holds, but I'm not even thinking about that right now, I am eternally thankful for that amazing man who donated his lungs to me after his passing. Not a day goes by when I don't think of him & his family. I am living for him & I am living for myself, it's far too short to do anything but what makes you happy & for now that's what I intend to do...
Thank you so much for taking the time to read xxx
