Goodnight Bitsy

On Monday afternoon, we laid our sweet kitty to rest.

Since Bitsy's dental surgery two weeks ago, she just hadn't been the same.

She wouldn't eat or drink.

She was lethargic (not moving or running away when Jackson grabbed her, randomly jumping into the shower with me one day, not running away when she heard the vacuum, and other things that just weren't like her).

She was obviously in pain.

I tried everything to get her to eat but she just didn't seem interested or hungry--that's when I knew we needed to get her into the vet. I'd originally planned to just take her to a vet here in Denver (versus her regular vet in my hometown--over an hour away) but had a sick feeling that something was really wrong and that I'd need somebody to help me with Jax while Brandon worked.

I'm so glad we went to her regular vet.

My mom stayed with Jackson while I took Bitsy in for her appointment. The tech weighed her (she'd lost two pounds in two weeks), took her temperature (normal), and checked her mouth (which seemed to be healing beautifully)--then the vet came in to discuss what could be causing this and recommended drawing blood and running a few tests. The vet returned a few minutes later with the diagnosis: Bitsy's kidneys were failing and she'd developed pancreatitis.

I couldn't believe it; they had ran tests on her before her surgery and she had a clean bill of health--I couldn't fathom how things had gotten so bad so quickly. After talking in depth with the vet, we decided it was a combination of different things that caused this, including her once diet of Blue Buffalo cat food (more on that in a sec), the anesthesia from her surgery, and possibly getting into our calla lily or cleaning supplies without us realizing it.

Bitsy's vet gave me the options: we could put her on IVs, a feeding tube, and give her medication every day for the rest of her life in hopes of keeping her alive for a couple more years--or we could go down the path that every pet owner dreads..

We chose the latter.

Putting Bitsy to sleep was both the hardest and easiest decision I've ever had to make.. hard in the sense that I wasn't ready to lose my sweet girl, but easy because I didn't want her to suffer anymore. Bitsy's quality of life would never be the same and I knew in my heart that euthanasia was the right decision. I called Brandon and told him in between sobs what was going on and asked what he wanted to do--he said exactly what I was thinking.

Bitsy fought long and hard enough and now it was time for her to rest.

The vet completely supported our decision and proceeded with the anesthesia. My dad came over to sit, talk, and cry with me during Bitsy's last moments--I was so happy to have him there for support. After Bitsy passed, we took her back to my parents and laid her to rest next to other family pets (my parents live in the country and had a really beautiful and peaceful spot for Bits).

I cried harder on Monday than I have in years.. Bitsy was our family and she was gone forever.

Jackson and I headed home shortly after burying Bits--on the drive home, we hit a terrible storm and pulled off the interstate to wait it out (I once hydroplaned on the interstate during a bad thunderstorm and wound up in the median; I've had terrible anxiety about driving in the rain ever since). While Jackson slept and I waited out the storm, I prayed, looked through Bitsy pictures on my phone, and reminisced about all the good times we had with our girl.

After about 10 minutes, the skies began to clear and we got back on the road. At one point, I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed to brightest, most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen in my life. It reminded me of the poem "Rainbow Bridge":

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

I got teary eyed (and am right now just thinking about it) and took it as a sign.

Bitsy is okay. 

She is no longer in pain. 

I will see her again one day (and what a wonderful day that will be). 

Photo by Avery Kasper.

Adopting Bitsy was the start to our family--we will always miss her and will forever cherish the wonderful memories we have with her. 

Thank you for completing our family and being the perfect first pet for Jackson. 

We love you, Bits. 

Goodnight. 

I couldn't get a good picture since I was driving (and didn't want to crash..) but you can see the rainbow in the mirror.

 BLUE BUFFALO INFORMATION

If you're currently feeding your cat or dog Blue Buffalo brand food, I beg to STOP now--our vet literally cursed when I told her Bitsy had eaten Blue Buffalo cat food and said she'd rather animals ate the cheapest of the cheap off brand food than Blue Buffalo. Veterinarians have seen more animals sick and dying because of Blue Buffalo and are now trying to spread the word. 

I found a couple articles about Blue Buffalo online that you should read if you get a second.. I am absolutely livid with the company for being neglectful and killing our pets:

Consumer Affairs

Feeding Fido & Fluffy

Natural Cat Care Blog

5 Things

1.) While you read this, Jax and I are taking Bitsy to have dental surgery :( As I mentioned on Wednesday, Bitsy has been sporting (what we thought was) a weird snaggle tooth--she isn't able to close her mouth all the way and acts like she's in pain. Anyway, we took her to the vet and they noticed her gums were really inflamed and that her "snaggle tooth" was really a bottom canine sticking up and poking a huge hole in her upper lip. Poor baby!

The vet gave us a huge scare when he mentioned this being a common indicator of feline AIDS (FIV) but luckily (for lack of a better word), it's only a bad case of gingivitis. We scheduled her surgery for Friday and took her home to get some rest and spoiling. Later that day, I received an email from the veterinary clinic with an estimate of surgery costs.. they estimated anywhere between $600-$1,200 to remove her tooth.

WHAT?!

I called the vet assistant and she explained the procedure and why there is such a huge margin so I went along with it and inquired about payment plans.. she then notified me that we had to pay it all up front. *Cue Annie passing out* Fortunately, we have a pretty decent savings but the timing is terrible because we're in the middle of house hunting (more on that another time); there's no doubt that Bitsy needed to have this painful tooth removed and treated but there had to be another way.

My mom suggested calling their vet and seeing if she could perform the surgery--I called first thing Thursday morning and sure enough, she said they could perform the surgery Monday morning for a fraction of the price.

WHEW!!

It takes about an hour and a half to get to my hometown so Jax, Bits, and I are heading out at 7 this morning in hopes of avoiding Monday morning rush hour traffic. Please say a little prayer for our Bitsy today--she's our other child and is very special to our family!

Our girl

2.) It's beginning to feel a lot like FALL! The Broncos had their first pre-season game on Thursday (I made Mexican food--it's a tradition in the Wernsman family to eat nachos during the Broncos first game and I fully intend on continuing this with my family!), I saw/heard my first crow, and all the stores have their fall decor on display. BRING ON THE PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!

Waiting for Brandon to arrive home from work--Joey came over to watch the game with us!

3.) We'll be traveling a bunch this month and I'm so excited! My mom, Jax, and I are going to visit family in Kansas later this week and then Brandon, Jax, and I will be flying to Knoxville to visit Brandon's dad & step-mamma later this month (Baby's 1st flight--pray for us!). Busy, busy, busy! 

4.) My little baby is looking and acting more like a little boy every single day.. I hate that he's growing up so quickly but am loving this fun discovery stage that he's in right now!

Almost crawling, eating big boy food, and sitting up all by himself!

5.) Keeping with the theme of Jackson growing up.. I have basically planned all of Jax's 1st birthday party! I can't wait to start getting decor, food, invites, and what not together and pray we'll be moved by December (there's NO WAY we can host a birthday party in our tiny, cluttered apartment). You can visit my Pinterest board for a little taste of his "Oh What Fun; Jackson's Turning One!" Winter Wonderland birthday party.

Have a fabulous Monday, friends!

Cat or Baby?

I'm very excited to announce a new feature here at Annie One Can Cook..

It's an interactive game!

What's this game, you ask?

Mad Photoshop Skillz.

Here's how you play "Cat or Baby": I'll mention a real life scenario that has happened in the Sandmeier home over the last week and you guess whether I'm talking about Bitsy or Jackson. The answers will be listed at the bottom.

Let's play!

1.) Has to go to the doctor (or vet--you decide) later this morning for a painful tooth that popped up.

2.) Was "backed up" all day Sunday, finally went on Monday, and basically kept going for an entire day:

3.) Threw up everywhere after we arrived home from parents on Sunday:

4.) Got into my purse, found a receipt, and ate it:

5.) Found a magazine on the bed and chewed off one of the corners:

 6.) Freaks out every time the Wyoming Tourism commercial comes on:

(Original Photo Source)

7.) Is extra grumpy this week because of pesky teeth:

Answers:
1.) Cat (she has a weird snaggle tooth poking out of her mouth that seems to be causing her pain)
2.) Baby (not able to poop=grumpy baby)
3.) Cat
4.) Baby (I'm now zipping up my purse whenever it's not in use)
5.) Baby (I looked away for literally 5 seconds!)
6.) Baby (he will literally stop whatever he's doing when he hears the song)

7.) Trick question; the answer is BOTH!

That basically sums up our week.. how'd you do?! 

A Boy and His Cat

Do you remember your first pet?

For me, it was a Great Dane (the size of a horse) named Lexy.

For Jax, it's a cat (the size of a dog) named Bitsy. 

Jackson just adores Bitsy and Bitsy is so gentle and patient with little Jax. God definitely knew what he was doing when he brought Bitsy into our lives--she is seriously the perfect pet for us and completes our family.

I have a feeling these two are going to grow to be best buds (as soon as Jackson learns the concept of "gentle")!

Do you remember your first pet?

Weekap*

*Week+Recap=Weekap

Wow, what a crazy, crazy week this has been. We leave for our vacation next week (can't wait!) and have been busy trying to get things squared away before we go. We are so looking forward to visiting family, witnessing the marriage of one of my dearest friends, celebrating my parents 25th wedding anniversary, and just getting away from it all for a couple of days! I'm hoping to be back to a somewhat normal posting schedule once we're back from vaca so stay tuned for lots and lots of pictures and stories.

In the meantime, follow me on Instagram and Twitter for lots of vacation updates & pictures (because who doesn't like looking at other people's vacation pictures?)!

Annieway, here's what we've been up to this week:

• If you read my post on Tuesday, you know that Jackson fought his first ever cold :(. After writing that post, we went for a long, long walk and instead of shading his (sleeping) face when we walked away from the sun, I let him soak it up.
  
  Folks; Vitamin D is an amazing thing. He was virtually snot free by Tuesday night and only occasionally coughs now--hopefully he'll be 100% again by the end of this weekend!

Tuesday afternoon tummy time at the park!

Before

Monday morning

After

Tuesday evening

• My best friend moved 12 hours away.. something about her husband finding a really good job and the town they are moving to is really nice, blah, blah, blah.. :) I'm so excited for Jen and Ryan and their new adventures but boy am I going to miss them! Jen and I have been best friends since 7th grade, were each others maids of honor, and lived together during college--she's the closest thing I have to a sister and I'm going to miss her terribly!

Our families.. when did we grow up?!

Gotta do a throwback pic for fun (this is before I had my back surgery)!

• Regular and Fun Size Brandon make my heart so happy! This isn't really new news--just needs to be said again :D

• A few weeks ago, I got the new iPhone 5S and was instantly smitten--it runs SO much better than my old iPhone 4 did, has Siri, and takes great pictures. I absolutely love it, bought a cute case for it, and decided we'd be together forever.. and then it fell out of my pocket while Jax and I were running errands on Wednesday and the screen completely shattered. I. Wanted. To. Cry. (Major first world problems, right?) Anyway, I found somebody who would fix it for me that same day (for a pretty penny) and my beloved 5S and I were once again reunited! The place that fixed it threw in a free knock off Otterbox so hopefully it doesn't happen again.
  
  

  

  It was definitely cracked.

• Jackson loves Bits and Bitsy is starting to warm up to Jax--it warms this cat/human mamma's heart!

In addition to all of this goodness, I have been getting ahead on my work so I don't have to worry about it on vacation--it's been a chaotic mess but it's all coming together and I'm almost finished! Speaking of which, I better get back to it--have a wonderful weekend!

Bitsy

Yesterday during Jack's and my daily nap (as long as he's sleeping on me, he'll sleep 11-12 hours a night and then take a 2 1/2-3 hour nap every afternoon--yes, it is amazing but we really need to start crib training), I realized that I haven't posted about America's (unofficial) favorite cat since before the babe was born!

Poor Bits..

I get asked by a lot of people how she's doing and if we still have her (like we could ever part with such an important member of our family!), so today's post is all about Bitsy, how she's liking Denver, and other misc. Bitsy bits.

The Bitsy Bits

Bitsy & Jax

If you read my blog at all in 2013, you know that Bitsy was the baby of the Sandmeier home, so we weren't sure how she was going to react to a new, human baby. Would she be jealous? Would she sit on the baby? Would she pack up her most prized possessions (ball of yarn, piece of ribbon, and cardboard box) and run away?

When we first brought Baby Sand home, Bitsy just basically ignored him and did her own thing--but now that she's getting more and more used to him, she will lay with him and try to get him to pet her (adorable picture below). Since she is a cat, she is not a fan of loud noises and will give me an annoyed look and leave anytime Jack cries or screams but besides that, she loves her brother and always sits/lays with us!

One of Jax's first nights home: she wasn't about to acknowledge his presence!

January 1st: making progress (at least she's laying close to him, right?)

January 2nd: I caught her watching "NBC Nightly News" with Jack!

January 9th: the cuddle crew (Bitsy, Jax, & Me)

January 30th: the kids' first Colorado blizzard!

February 5th: her brother's keeper

February 7th: Pet me, please!

February 26th: Bitsy & her "pillow"

The Big Move

About a month ago, I mentioned that we ordered Bitsy some calming spray for the big move but it never arrived. As you can imagine, she was freaked out by all of the sudden changes at the duplex and by the strange (moving) men taking away all of our furniture/things--I felt so bad for her! When it came time for Brandon to leave (Bitsy was going to go with him while I stayed back to clean/take Jackson), I had to pull her out from behind the washing machine and put her in her carrier. 

She and I both cried and said our pitiful goodbyes to each other and then she and Brandon were on their way.

About 30 minutes after they left, Brandon sent me this picture:

Brandon said that Bitsy actually did really well on the trip and that she enjoyed exploring the car, looking out the window, and laying in random places (like the floor by the pedals, which Brandon quickly put a stop to). I'm so happy that she managed the trip well but will still plan to have the calming spray ready for her in case she ever has to travel long distance again. 

Colorado Kitty

Our new apartment is half the size of the duplex we lived in so we weren't sure how Bitsy would handle her new living arrangements--turns out, she loves it! There's a giant, picture window in our living room that Bits sits in front of during the day and we have a big, wraparound deck that we let her walk around on (we live on the 3rd floor of the building). I am so happy with the way she's adjusted and couldn't have asked for a better kitty!

Enjoying her spot in front of the window.

This girl loves the deck! Cute story from yesterday: it was in the upper 50s most of the day so I left the door to the deck open for a few hours so Bitsy could go in & out. Once it started getting dark, I called Bits to come in and she slowly walked over to me, sat down, stared up at me, and meowed really sweetly as if to say "Just 5 more minutes?" (In case you didn't know, I'm fluent in cat) I let her stay out another 15 minutes.

That's what is new with our Bitsy--it's hard to believe that we adopted her a year ago this month! Maybe we'll have to throw her a party..

Mommy Drama, Turkey Sandwiches, and a Haircut

Where did this weekend go?! I'm always so happy to have Brandon home for a few days but it seems like his presence makes the time go by so much faster! Yesterday was Jax's 7 week birthday.. gah! I just hate how quickly he's growing up.

Anyway, we had a fun family weekend here in Colorado that I will now share with you! How fun is that and how excited are you (ha)??

Friday

• I had some real mommy drama on Friday afternoon that still makes me tear up when I think about it.. here's what happened: Jax and I had been cooped up in the house for 4 straight days because of the frigid cold so as soon as temperatures reached the low 40s, it was time to get out! I had planned to take Jax over to Gordmans (we live about 2 blocks from one--yes!) with me during his nap time so he could snooze in his car seat while mamma did some shopping.. he ended up screaming and crying the entire time we were in the store. I tried everything to calm him down: I carried him around, gave him his bottle, rocked him, etc., but nothing seemed to help. Normally he calms down once we're moving in the car so I decided to just forget Gordmans and head over to Walmart to pick up a few groceries. Well, our poor baby who couldn't cry when he was first born screamed (like I have never heard him scream) the entire 5 minute drive to Walmart. As soon as I pulled up, I jumped out to try to console him and found him ghostly white with beads of sweat rolling down his little face: he was majorly overheated. I had dressed him that morning in a little sweatshirt, pants, and socks and then put him in his little insulated coat before leaving the house--if that wasn't enough, this dumb first time mom also put a blanket on him. I felt terrible--it wasn't that cold out. I got him out of his car seat as quickly as I could, stripped off his coat and pants, and held him until his little heart slowed down and his color returned. I called my mom and bawled and bawled; God entrusted me with this precious little boy and here I was making him hurt. We skipped grocery shopping and went straight home to cuddle and nap.
• Watched the Olympic opening ceremony and "Shark Tank." 
• Early to bed!

Mommy and Jax watching the opening ceremony (well, mommy was.. Jax stared at the ceiling fan).

Every time he puts his hand out, Bitsy thinks he's going to pet her--give it a couple more months, Bits!

Saturday

• Scheduled Jackson's baptism! 
• Lunch (at Panera) and shoe shopping with my bestie, Jen. 
• Brandon and I wanted to get out and do something and decided to head up north to Fort Collins (my birth place/original home town) to drive around/have dinner. We didn't see any friends or family because it was such a spur of the moment thing but we're planning to go back soon to visit! 
• Finally returned a few duplicate wedding gifts at Bed Bath & Beyond (I also got a fancy new hair straightener--I can't wait to play with it!). 
• Dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. 
• Did a little unpacking/decorating. 
• Early to bed.. again!

Mmm.. Panera..

No, it wasn't windy. Why do you ask?

This zero tears family outing was made possible by the Ergo carrier.

Stretching out in the booth after being in his car seat for so long!

Sunday

• Haircut (which I will debut here on Wednesday!) and jean shopping.
• More unpacking/decorating.
• Naps.
• Toy Story 3 (which Mr. Jackson loved! I'm guessing it was all of the bright and happy colors).
• Baptism luncheon prep. 

And that, my friends, was our weekend. How was yours?

I have lots of fun stuff coming up on the blog this week so make sure to stop by again tomorrow morning!

One Cluster of a Moving Day

We're here! We are now living in the land of orange and blue (oh, are we not talking about that anymore? Ha, yeah.. painful, painful game)!

Brandon and Bitsy made it to our new home in Denver on Tuesday evening and Jax and I joined them early Wednesday afternoon--why didn't Jackson and I get there on Tuesday, you ask? Let's start from the very beginning..

(This is going to be a long story so if you're just interested in the dramatic climax, scroll down to the giant bold "STOP!"--that will let you know when the drama is beginning)

Monday

Our story starts one day before the big move--Brandon and I woke up well rested, refreshed, and ready to tackle more packing.. Ha, jk guys (we have a 6 week old, remember?)! We were exhausted, dragging, and craving caffeine; the only thing that got us moving was the coffee awaiting us after errands. So off we went: we stopped by the community assistance center to drop off food and clothes, the bank, post office, and finally McDonalds for that sweetly bitter nectar of the gods (more commonly known as coffee). 

My sweet little cheeky boy.. bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4am.

It was 12 degrees out when we left for errands.. not a problem for our little wizard baby (not pictured: his afghan and fleece blanket, which he was tucked into shortly after this picture was taken)!

After getting our caffeine fix, it was time to head home and pack. 

Folks, this is no easy task with a newborn.

Brandon and I took turns wearing Mr. Jackson in the Ergo until my parents arrived--Jax's Mimi took over from there and cuddled with the babe while Brandon and I frantically ran around packing. After a super productive 2 hours (it's amazing how much you can do when you don't have to worry about your little one), we headed to supper with my parents and then to their hotel to check out the pool and to take a little break from packing.

The pool at my parents hotel was heated so I figured I'd dip Jax's feet in--this is the before picture..

..he liked it (I know this because he didn't cry)!

Just chilling with Papa.

We didn't stay too long at the hotel (because I was stupidly tired) and headed home shortly before 10--I was so excited to get home and get a good nights rest! 

My son had other plans..

Tuesday  

(Moving Day)

Jackson had a rough night.. all he wanted to do was eat, spit my nipple out whenever I attempted to feed him, and then freak out and cry--this went on all. night. long. My mom wanted to watch him while we packed/got everything ready that morning so I took him over to their hotel at around 9, made a Mickey D's run for more coffee, and then headed back to the house to help Brandon. We had most everything packed at this point but decided to let the movers do the rest--we were exhausted and just plain over it! My dad came over around 10 to load some things into his van (since we moved into a smaller place, we don't have room for some furniture/appliances--my parents are letting us store these items at their office until we buy a house next year) and the movers arrived shortly after.

It was time to get this show on the road!

Once I knew everything was under control and being taken care of, I headed out to run errands, visit a friend, and pick up my mom and Jax from the hotel. 

I highly, highly recommend All My Sons for any of your moving needs--they are so helpful and friendly and are priced extremely well! They definitely made the whole moving process a lot less stressful (This is not a paid endorsement by any means--All My Sons has no idea that I have a blog or that I'm talking about them)!

Brandon and Dad heading back into the house.

After the movers arrived, I headed to the hospital to visit my dear friend Becca and her sweet baby Samuel (who was born that morning)! I'm so glad I got to see these two before we left!

Before we knew it, the morning had ended and it was about time to launch our big game plan. 

What game plan, you ask?

1. Brandon was going to head to Denver (with Bitsy) at around 1:30 to take care of all the apartment stuff (sign the lease, get the keys, etc.) before their offices closed at 6.
2. I was going to stay back at the old place with my parents and Jax to finish cleaning.

Good plan, right?

Anyway, Brandon leaves with our confused and panicked cat (I had ordered her calming spray off Amazon but it still hadn't arrived) while my parents and I continue to vacuum, sweep, scrub, and thoroughly erase any evidence of having said cat (that we were never supposed to have)--it was absolutely exhausting and took about 3 hours but we finally finished! By this time, the movers had already packed everything and left and it was time for us to do the same.

We were getting ready to head out the door when we realized that Jax's pants were all wet..

..had his bottle leaked?

After further inspection, we discovered that Jackson had the diaper blowout to end all diaper blowouts. I had never seen anything like it.. my husband has been to war and I'm willing to bet he's never even seen anything that horrific. It was a three person job but we managed to get him changed and somewhat cleaned up before heading out the door and saying our final goodbyes to the place.

It was finally time to get on the road and head to our new home!

My mom, dad, and I all took turns holding Jackson while we cleaned.. Jax actually held his nose when my dad held him! What a rude (but hilarious) little baby!!

Brandon sent me this shortly after leaving Hays.

Since my parents house is on the way to Denver, my mom rode with Jax and me to help with bottle duty.. I'm soooo glad she did.

Stop! Stop!! Stop!!!

We were about an hour into the trip when I got a call from Brandon that went something like this:

B: So, we have a little bit of a problem..

A: Oh no, what? (I fully expected him to say that his car had broken down somewhere)

B: How far from Denver are you?

A: Umm, about 4 hours.. why?

It was then that Brandon told me he'd talked to the leasing office at the apartment and that they wouldn't release our keys or let us move in until I had also signed the lease. 

WHAT?! 

I know, I know, that should be a common sense thing, but keep in mind that we were moving from a smaller town where things like this wouldn't be an issue. So here I was 4 hours from Denver with only an hour and a half before the leasing office closed--we had movers on their way to the new apartment who needed to be back in Kansas early the next morning and we weren't going to have keys to open the apartment with (Heck, we hadn't even signed the lease or paid all of the deposits/rent yet so we technically didn't even have an apartment to move into!).

I called down to the leasing office at the apartment and pleaded with the agent to make an exception but she wouldn't budge (something about their policy.. psh, whatever). I asked her if there was anyway she could fax me the contract (if I could find a fax machine somewhere) and she said it was a possibility but that I needed a notary. By this point, it was 5pm and we were in the middle of nowhere.. where was I going to find a notary? Or a fax machine? Long story short (if that's possible at this point), my mom and I called every bank, attorney, and sheriffs office within a 50 mile radius to see if they were still open and if they could help. 

No. Such. Luck. 

I was about to give up, cry, and drive to Dairy Queen for ice cream (to fill the void left by not having an apartment) when it dawned on me to call my good friend, Heidi--she is from the town that we were coming up on and I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if she knew of a notary in town. Come to find out, her mom is a notary. 

I think I cried a little when she told me this. 

We were able to track down a fax machine at the local library so we sped over there to pick up the fax, sped over to Heidi's moms house to have it notorized, and then sped back to the library to fax it back to Denver. By the grace of God, we somehow managed to do all of this before the leasing offices closed at 6pm.

Mission accomplished--all on two hours of sleep. 

We went to Dairy Queen to celebrate (I was looking for any excuse to eat ice cream) and then got back on the road. To say that I was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted would be the understatement of the year. We rolled into my hometown at around 8:30 and I decided to just call it a day--Jax and I would stay the night at my parents house and then finish the trek to Denver the next day. 

Breakfast at my parents--English muffin and cheese.

We absolutely love our apartment and are so excited to be living in Denver--we have spent the last week exploring the city, shopping around, and unpacking. I can't wait to share more of our adventures (and apartment pictures!) with you all--stay tuned!

P.S. I'm going to get back to my regular blog schedule this week--can you believe it?! Come back tomorrow for a surprise post (it's a surprise in that I don't even know what it'll be about yet)!