05/30/2026
Exactly one year ago today.
Sometimes, I still wonder what I got myself into.
Don't mind the crooked hat and worn out look.
It was a long day on the road that day.
Life has been tough on me. Even from a young age. Being diagnosed with MS at 23 was a kick in the groin, to say the least.
But I kept forging ahead, ignoring the bad crap. Unfortunately, at the age I'm at now, it is catching up to me.
2017 we lost dad.
2018 we closed the camera shop.
2019 was spent moving from job to job trying to find something that paid the bills during down times in the photo studio and trophy shop.
2020 was the Covid crap and all the BS that went along with it.
2020 was also the year we lost mom.
2020 was also the year when I broke my neck and back and suffered severe head trauma.
2020 moving forward to present day has been a whirlwind of dealing with the results of the accident and MAJOR increasing episodes of MS. Along with trying to wrap my head around being a call center agent, which is one of the toughest things I have ever taken on.
2021 saw me rapidly sinking to one of the lowest places I have ever been. Depression over the increasing mobility issues I was experiencing as well as working at something that was not what I was designed for, had me on a fast track to nowhere.
Then along came Tucker.
And he saved my life.
I had lost all of my dogs during the previous 4-5 years. And being dogless was leaving a void in my life that is indescribable.
Tucker is absolutely amazing.
Hard headed at times. But the most loving creature you could ever meet.
And he LOVES other dogs.
And he deserved a brother.
And with my increasingly more intense health issues I needed a second savior. A second reason to be here. A second reason to keep my head above water.
Then along came Whiskey. The brother Tucker so desperately wanted.
My second reason to live.
It has been quite a ride. Tucker and Whiskey are both Aussiedors (Australian Shepherd/Labrador mix). Tucker was a handful for the first year or so. But he has more of the Lab in him. And he became calm and docile in time. Whiskey, on the other hand, is full-blown Australian Shepherd. Wild as the wind. Headstrong. And ready to go 0-60 around the clock. He's a loving dog. But he likes to torture Tucker, and anyone else in his path. That will "hopefully" change in the next 6 months or so. I do see little improvements here and there. But I wouldn't trade him in though. Not just yet anyway.
When the world is caving in on you, like a landslide, looking into the eyes of a dog makes everything ok.
💖
