It's been a busy year.

Another year full of change.

We worked on a house, got chickens, grew vegetables, M started a civilian job, I joined three different boards and got super involved at the rink. My sister had a baby, my other sister moved back to Seattle. 

There have been laughs, tears, aches, pains and worries. 

But really, we have it all and have so many reason to give thanks.

This year, I give thanks for:

Family. It was a tough year on my dad's side of the family. My uncle and my grandfather passed away early in the year. I will always wish I'd been able to visit one last time or say I love you one more time, but I will forever remember all the good times growing up with them. 

I'm grateful that the rest of my family is happy and healthy and I'm looking forward to seeing them at my cousin's wedding in May. There was also a new addition this year when my sister had her first baby, who shares my birthday month. Maybe it's just luck to be born into a family like mine, but I'm grateful for these people who have helped make me who I am today and have taught me the importance of family. 

I only got home once this year, but it was a great week in Jersey, New York and Virginia with the family, including chilly, blustery walks on the boardwalk with my parents and my aunt (that's me, dad and my aunt in the photo).

M. We're coming up on two years living together and three years back together. We're still learning and growing in our relationship, something I imagine will last our entire lives. He's the one I've chosen to renovate a house with and build a life as we go. 

He's the guy I trust, I confide in, I lean on, road trip with, renovate with, explore and grow with. He's the place my heart calls home.

Home. We're still working on renovations and it usually feels like we're living in a construction zone and making no progress, but we've made some. 

We're learning a lot as we go, putting our skills to the test and building the place that's just right for us. Plus we have room to grow on 26 acres and the permanent chicken coop/barn is going up soon. We've got plans for growing more fruits and veggies and adding more animals to our minifarm. Get excited folks, there's a lot going on out here and I think 2015 will be another big year!

At the very least, we got the chickens out of the mudroom.

Community. I'm edging closer to two years here in Great Falls and while I still miss Virginia, I'm feeling much more at home here. I'm thankful for the people who have invited me into their community and helped me find ways to put my skills to use here. 

While I build my community here in Montana, I'm not forgetting all my good friends from all over the world who are truly the best friends a girl could ask for.

Grover. I came dangerously close to losing my best pal earlier this month and though he's my favorite pup all the time, I'm even more thankful this year that he'll be around awhile longer. He's recovering well from his back surgery and snuggling up with him every day and seeing his tail wag when I come home every day warms my heart. 

On Friday, I was working from home.

Grover was laying on a chair by the window sunning himself. 

When he got out of the chair, he dragged his back legs and collapsed. 

I've seen him do lazy things before when he's tired, but it looked off. 

I told M about it and we kept an eye on him all day and Grover would only take two steps anywhere before collapsing. 

Then he wouldn't go the bathroom or eat. 

Then his breathing seemed labored to me. I almost slept on the floor with him that night. I had a sinking feeling something was terribly wrong and I was terrified that I'd wake him in the morning and he'd be gone.

By Saturday morning, his back legs were clearly not working right. He wouldn't get up, he wouldn't go outside. Even his tail seemed droopy.

We carried him into the car and he had a hard time sitting down. We went to our regular vet first since they're usually open on Saturday mornings, but they were closed. We tried another vet that was usually open Saturday mornings but they were closed. We went to another that was open, but were turned away because we're not regular patients there (by the way, that makes me furious). 

Finally we went to the hospital that M had wanted to avoid because it's so expensive just to walk in the door but at that point I didn't care. 

When we took Grover out of the car, one of his legs was just sticking straight out and when he tried to stand, his paw would curl under and he clearly had no real control over his back legs. 

At that point, I was quickly moving toward a meltdown.

The vet saw us right away and took xrays, which didn't show much apparently.

The vet said they wanted to do a scan and depending on what they found, operate on his back. That would be very expensive.

The other option was that Grover had some other condition that could be treated with steroids and go away in time.

When the vet asked what we wanted to do, I couldn't hold back tears anymore.

She must get that a lot, she didn't say much, but put a box of tissues in front of me and asked if we needed a minute.

Grover is not even 5 yet and since it was pretty clearly a serious situation, we decided to okay the scan and surgery if needed. M was really the best that morning because even though neither of us really wanted to spend that much money when we need it for other things, he knows how much I love Grover and that I would be devastated if I lost him over something I had the power to fix. If this had happened when Grover was five or 10 years older, it would likely have been a different conversation, but he's still so young and I was in no way prepared for the alternative that morning.

So we left him at the vet for some kind of scan and test that discovered compression on his spine was causing the problem. The vet called to update me and told me he was going into surgery. She called back a few hours later to say he'd made it through and they'd found he had two collapsed discs.

We don't really know what caused it, but it was likely a result of how hard Grover plays and his affinity for taking flying leaps off the back deck to chase rabbits. He's a high energy dog, it's going to be hard to keep him still to recover over the next 6 weeks.

The vet called again Sunday morning to say Grover was awake and moving on his own so we could come visit him and talk about bringing him home.

When they brought him into the visiting room, poor Grove seemed not interested in being pestered by strangers anymore but when he saw me, his little puppy face lit up and he moved as quickly as he could to me. Honestly, that moment on its own was enough to make the whole ordeal worth it. 

Grover came home with us, fully loaded on drugs and had a patch on his back leg that was supplying a continuous pain killer through his skin. Pretty sure the anesthesia hadn't worn off yet because poor bud was out of it, confused and all around a mess. It was kind of funny, but sad at the same time. His back was shaved for surgery and two spots on his legs, so he looks a little like a mess.

He wouldn't eat for a few days, but is finally eating on his own now and drinking and moving around. Each day he seems more like himself and is curious, wanting to move around and be with us. 

We have strict orders not to let him take the deck stairs, or play, or climb on furniture. He's got his eye on his favorite chair, the couch and the bed. It's going to be tough. 

It was a hard, hard weekend, for Grover and for me, and we've got more vet visits ahead of us and Grover has to slow down to let himself heal properly, but right now he's curled up on a fluffy comforter in front of me and I couldn't ask for more than the chance to continue loving my pup so much that I cry in front of strangers when he's hurt.

But you guys, I cannot stop watching sappy, cheesy, ridiculous Christmas movies. 

Can. Not. Stop.

Forget chick flicks. I am binge watching pretty much every holiday movie I can find on Netflix. 

And I got super upset when I realized I can't watch all the new (and ones I've seen many times) holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel, Lifetime and the Family Channel.

Here's the thing. I seriously rage against Christmas decorations going up right after Halloween, or even before. I love Thanksgiving. I want to enjoy my holidays one at a time. 

And yet. I've been watching holiday movies all week. It started, I think, when I pulled a muscle in my back on Monday, which was absolutely miserable, and had to try really hard to just sit still for a few days. It was also a week that involved two night shifts in a row, (election night at a newspaper is brutal, in case you were wondering). 

So I watched one sappy holiday movie that I've seen at least a dozen times. 

I'm currently on at least corny holiday movie No. 7. 

Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm just a sucker for a silly, sweet holiday movie or if it's that they make feel a little closer to home somehow. 

Montana is no easy haul back home to Virginia. It's probably true of most people, but I notice the distance so much more around the holidays.

The holiday movies also seem to put me in a cheerful mood. 

I watched one the other morning, complete with lots of singing Christmas carols, and I was in a ridiculously good mood all day, and the next day, and the next day and the next day. It was weird and amazing all at the same time. I got so much done over the last few days.

My rule has always been ABSOLUTELY NO Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving. But apparently my self imposed rule does not apply to holiday movies. 

People. I love Christmas. But I reserve all that holiday cheer for December. To me, it's more special when it's truly the holiday season and not just a money making venture to sell cheep, unnecessary holiday stuff that all takes up residence in roughly half the store on Nov. 1.

Holidays can be crazy with family packed into our house, or we're packed into another family member's house, but it's always fun. But I love it. 

I love having people around. I love sharing meals and wine and a home. 

M's family is coming for Christmas this year and though our house is a mess and few of our renovation projects are completed, but I'm looking forward to having a full house and making new memories in the home we're building together.  

What about you? Do you think the holiday season starts to soon? Is anyone else sharing in my addition to holiday movies? What are you looking forward to once the holiday season truly starts?