Diesel the Dog

It's pretty well known that things have been kind of rough around here.  We are doing really well though, or so I like to believe.  We just started the last long stay of the summer for Ricky.  Rick is up at Primary Children's with him for the weekend.  As much as we have been trying to spend time with our kids, it has become apparent that we are lacking somewhere.  Hy our 5 year old has been having a rough time keeping his emotions in check, and it has made us a little concerned for him.  He is honestly the happiest little man around most of the time.  But that has been missing.  Something is missing.  Lots of things are missing.
    Abe and Hy started hatching a top secret plan to get a dog a couple of weeks ago.  When I would ask them about it Hy would tell me they were just talking about the Titanic.  But, he couldn't hold it in for long, and spilled the beans on their plan.  So I started looking around and on KSL.com for what kinds of dogs were even available, and the price of a dog.  I talked Rick into coming with us to go check out a golden retriever.  I grew up with a golden, and that is what my family is used to.  But after visiting this new puppy I was trying to hide from Rick just how much fur was all over me, because I knew that would seal the deal against getting a dog.  So I kept looking.
     I saw that there were Mastiff puppies for sale in our town, and that made me curious about the dog.  So I spent the evening researching Mastiffs.  Their temperaments actually seemed to fit what we need right now.  160lbs of chilled out love for 8 kids to love on.  So I looked for some puppies in the area that I could actually go see.  On the way down to Spanish Fork I actually told my parents, "I'm 70% sure ... no make that 98% sure that I am not buying one of these dogs."  I honestly went down to see how big mastiffs really were.  Bull Mastiffs are a smaller mastiff breed, and that is what we were going to see.  To shorten the story...I left there surprised how much I really liked the dogs.  My mom even liked the dog but was also telling me how we weren't ready to have a puppy.  The timing wasn't right, in fact, the timing is crazy!!!  I told the owners thank you, and went about the rest of my day thinking of how to prepare to get a dog in a couple of months, possibly.
    That evening I got a call from the owner.  He told me that his wife was kind of emotional that day, and kept telling him that we needed to get this dog.  He kind of got choked up too, which nuked me.  He told me it wasn't about the money, but they really felt the timing was right because my kids needed to be loved, and that I have a 5 year old boy that needs attention, that I don't have time to do.  And these are the kind of dogs to get the job done.  I told him I'd talk to Rick.  Again to shorten the story I'll just say it was kind of a long night.

In the morning we had finally come to a decision.  I took Ricky and Hy and my jar of money I had been hiding while I saved up to buy a dog someday, and got a check to cover the rest.  We headed to Spanish Fork and picked up Diesel.  On the way back my mom called. -- Uh-oh! It made me really nervous, because I knew it would be hard to have a dog.  And I knew my mom had been against the idea the day before.  I also know that I am a grown-up and able to make my own decisions.  But I am very aware that my parents are an awesome support system to me and my family.  Many of the decisions I make have an effect on them as well, and as crazy as I might seem, I actually do take those types of things into consideration.  And I dread making the wrong decision, not because I get in trouble from my mom a lot or anything, I just like when she is happy for me and agrees with my crazy ideas-- 

The conversation went like this;

Mom- Hey where are you? 

Me- Uh... we are in Spanish Fork. Visiting one of Ricky's friends before he goes back in today.  (Not a lie, but totally avoiding the truth)

Mom- Oh, that's fun...yadda, yadda, yadda.... So what did you decide to about that puppy we saw yesterday?  

----Oh CRUD!!!!----

Me- ......well, actually... we just picked him up and stopped here on the way home with him.

---Waiting for the disbelief and disapproval---

Mom- Did you really!!??? (with a shocked sound to her voice)

Me- yeeeaahh. yep. I did.

Mom- I was thinking about what you told me about when you were little. When you said you would hug our dog when you were sad, or when things were hard.  And I thought maybe Hyrum and your kids could use having a puppy.  But then I thought (and she got choked up a little) maybe my little girl needs a puppy to hug too.

--by then I was crying--

Mom- He seemed like a really nice puppy. I wish I was going to be here to help you train him.

(It makes me cry just to write this)

The kids were excited when we got home.  Diesel joined right in, and at the same time takes plenty of naps.  :) I tried to think of a different name for the dog that would explain the miracles he represented for our family.  But Staffords like diesels, and it stuck.  Probably should have named him 'Titanic' for Abe and Hy.  The kids had cleaned the house up the night before.  I had told them if there was ever gonna be a chance of getting a dog, it was right now, and the house had to look great.  They rocked it.

     Elisha, one of the previous owners, came by later to bring me the papers for the dog that I had forgotten earlier.  I sat in the kitchen with my new friend.  Telling her more about my world and the miracle this puppy was for us, and how thankful I am for them.  She was so sweet and built me up and told me her feelings on the whole thing. And then gave back the check I had given her that covered more than half of the price.  

    As sweet spiritual moments go in my home...It was cut a little short by my little Till coming in.  He interrupted the conversation.  "Behka's..... Car..... Crash"  Huh!?  

    Again long story shorter, Till was next door at Aunt Behka's. He first shoveled dirt in through the open window of the car.  Then, got in and found some storage unit keys, crammed them in the ignition, and somehow released the emergency brake.  I imagine it as his excited little face popping over the steering wheel as he started to roll slowly down the driveway.  Narrowly missing the mailbox and picking up a little speed.  He luckily aimed a little uphill to avoid heading downhill into two parked cars.  He rolled straight into the front end of a neighbors car that was parked on the other side of the road.  The car hit the front and bounced backwards right into the middle of the road and stopped.  Till climbed out, strolled home and told me about his whole adventure in three words. Behka's Car Crash

     My world is crazy, I have an awesome support group, I know there are guardian angels watching over us, we have miracles happening in our lives daily, things are still hard.  This weeks adventure is hard to sum up in three words.  But this weeks crazy/miracle.... Got a Dog.