Saying Goodbye

Jason and Danielle will be here today! Hooray! They made their first flight out of Albuquerque, which was delayed by about 30 minutes, leaving them with just over half an hour to get to their next plane in Dallas, which will take them to London. At this very moment, they are probably somewhere over the Atlantic!

Itchy on the day Jason and I got engaged. 

I will be so relieved to see Jason. Yesterday morning, before the flight, Jason, ever unexpectedly, had to put down my dog, Itchy. I somehow convinced my mother to let me get another dog when I was 15, but she insisted the dog be an adult, so I chose 3 year old Itzla. My mom couldn't remember how to pronounce it, so she became Itchy, and was my partner in crime ever since. Nearly a decade wasn't enough with her, and I'm so sad I couldn't be there when she passed on, but Jason was, and I hope she knew I'd have been there if I could. She has been with me through many major ups and downs, and I am sad that I was not there for her final send off. 

Over the last month, every time I talked to Jason via video chat, I'd ask him how Itchy was doing, and until the night before last, she was as happy as always. The veterinarians think it was either arthritis or a slipped disk, but Itchy wasn't able to use her back legs anymore and Jason was having to carry her everywhere. On one hand, I'm happy that she was so happy and healthy until the very end, but I'm also so sad that I couldn't be there for her, because she's always been there for me. 

Needless to say, but I was a mess all of yesterday. I'm still a mess today, but I'm beginning to be okay with the idea that she is gone. I cried so much I had no tears left, and my eyes still hurt. Jason told me ahead of time that she needed to be put down, and he video called me afterward so I could see her and say goodbye. That was the hardest. After that, I was crying by myself when I noticed the door to our room open about a foot on it's own, and it felt like Itchy was here with me. I could almost feel her head on my shoulder while I laid curled up in a ball, and after a few minutes, which felt like goodbye, the feeling was gone. I really feel like she found me before she left so she and I could say goodbye on our own before she was gone forever. She was always a good girl. My father picked her body up from the vet clinic and buried her on the 'hill' where all of our beloved animals get to rest. She is up there with others, but she will always be my dog. My dog. I've had dogs since I would walk, but she will always and forever be my dog. And I miss her so much.

Itchy's final resting place on my dad's property in Edgewood, NM.

The day before Amy and I visited the Lockenhaus Castle, Dominik and his girlfriend took us to Neusiedler Sea, which was very beautiful. We took the ferry across to a town on the other side, where we rented bicycles and had lunch, before riding back and returning on the ferry. The weather was amazing (and was the last sunny day before the weather got cold and yucky) and it was a lovely day to ride around.

It has been too long since we have had the chance to blog! I have been hearing about several people checking daily and becoming disappointed and even worried, so for that I am sorry. Kelsey and I are doing well, just very busy! We both have been fighting a cold, but we aren't letting it stop our amazing adventure. We have been doing a lot of teaching at 3 different schools, and there is an article about us with pictures on the home webpage of the main one. Here is the link for you to see it: http://www.hak-op.at 


Our second host home was with the Pichler family in Klostermarienberg. Stefan and Herta have a beautiful home, and Kelsey and I felt like we were living in a giant tree house. Saturday the 10th, their son Dominic and his girlfriend took us to Neusiedler See. It is a large but shallow lake in the Burgenland, spanning about 315 square kilometers, but never more than 12 meters deep. We took a ferry across the lake then rode bicycles to a small village where we ate lunch. It had been years since I rode a bicycle! It was so much fun, I want to get a bicycle when I get home and start riding again with the kiddos. After our bike ride and lunch they took us into Eisenstadt, the capitol of the Burgenland, where we had some delicious ice cream. The beautiful Esterhazy Palace also there, so they showed us around it as much as they could. There was a Hayden concert and a private wedding going on there at the time so our view was limited, but we could here the concert from the courtyard, and later got to see the wedding party taking photos on the balcony as we enjoyed some Burgenland wine at the very nice patio bar right outside the palace. Kelsey has most of the pictures from several of these adventures, so she will upload them ASAP.

Sunday the 11th Stefan and Herta took us to Lockenhaus Castle. It was a new experience for both Kelsey and me, neither of us had ever been in a castle! It was the first of many cold and rainy days, but at the time Kelsey and I really enjoyed the rain. Here are the first batch of pictures from the castle, I will get the rest up tomorrow. It is getting late here and we have to leave extra early tomorrow to catch a bus into Oberpullendorf from our new host family's home in Kroatisch Minihof. Check back tomorrow, I promise to do more work updating ;)

.