One of the hardest decisions for our big European move was what to do with the dogs. It felt selfish to bring them and even more selfish to leave them – both sides with the knowledge that this time would come.

And here it is. Today’s the day I’ve dreaded for years. The day I say goodbye to my first pet, my first “child”.

Sir Eisenhower of Blackwater River (official name 😘), otherwise known as our Ike, and Ike-y to my kids, was my sidekick for 11 years, my whole “adult” life. He was our “we’re now adults” present to ourselves and helped us celebrate my pharmacy school graduation at the ripe old age of 9 weeks.

It crushes me that we left him behind and that I’ve missed this last 6 months. It’s been very hard on me without him (and Ollie!). They make our house feel more homey, they bark at the UPS driver (daily amazon packages!) even though they always gave them treats, and here, they could’ve scared away the weirdos!

The dogs ensured that I was never alone. In strange new towns with no friends or family (5 moves!), there they were. New life events (4 babies!), there they were. They were my constant and how I wish they could’ve been part of our European adventures with us!

My Ikey

For the last 11 years, he’s the “being” I’ve spent most of my time with. More than Justin, more than my kids. My sweet dogs (don’t forget Ollie who is going to have a VERY hard time without Ike) have been my best friends.

He sat by me when I took my first pregnancy test for my now TEN year old daughter and he laid with me on the bathroom floor when I was painfully sick with my baby#4, and was there in my room with me when my water broke way too early at 33 weeks.

He laid with me when I was alone (on the bed he wasn’t allowed on 😂) during 3 deployments and countless TDYs and night flights (and plenty of scary “what if” moments).

He let 4 kids lay on him like a boppy, climb on him like a pony, pull his tail, rub his back and pet his head. He faithfully sat under each kid’s high chair and helped me clean my floor. And he tripped us in the kitchen always begging for more.

He’s been a road trip companion for countless trips with just me and the kids and completed a pretty big cross country loop around with Justin and I – from Florida to Virginia to Nevada to California back to Florida and back to Virginia.

He’s played in the waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic (and maybe even pacific!), in Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake in Nevada, hung out on the boat with us, and found himself in many (MANY) less than desirable water holes 😂. He stretched his legs on the salt flats of Utah, run in the hills of Nevada and Tennessee, and walked through the awesome Spanish moss trees in Jacksonville, Florida as my walking buddy. I’m sad he didn’t get to see the farm fields of Belgium – he would’ve loved it!

Beaches of Pensacola as a tiny puppy 🐶

And he’s even frolicked in the snow of Virginia, Nevada, and some more Virginia.

Finally, as you can see from my 8654 pictures, he supported my desires to make him extra handsome and faithfully donned bananas without too much fuss for most of his life.

But no matter how much I love him and his companionship, he always loved his daddy more…

Now, there are no more tumors, no more itching, no more surgeries, no more cones of shame, no more arthritis, no more ironing boards, and no more dying fire alarm batteries. But I am pretty sure there is now endless amounts of ice cream 🍦 and toys to tear apart.

I hope you loved your life as much as we did. Goodbye my sweet brown boy. We love you.