Late last night, at an emergency pet clinic, we said goodbye to our companion of almost 14 years, Priscilla.  Among other things, she had recently developed a growth in her nose which had been making it hard for her to breathe.  While I was making dinner, the growth ruptured producing a steady flow of blood from her nose and mouth.  While the kids and I tried to stop the bleeding, Dan found an emergency pet clinic.  The staff was very kind, but ultimately, they could not make her better.  So, tearfully, we decided to love her and comfort her as the doctor gave her medication to put her to sleep.  We all said goodbye, then Dan took the boys to the waiting room and I stayed with Cilla for the procedure.  It was excruciating.  She was like another child to me.  The boys took it really hard - each of them coping very differently.  One of them clung to her collar and retreated to his bed.  He was very withdrawn.  The other drew pictures of her and taped them to his bed, then went around the RV collecting everything that reminded him of her to save.  He talked about her incessantly, and cried and cried.

Today has been a little better, but there is a huge absence here.  Our routine has been thrown off, it's too quiet, and we miss those big, brown eyes.  It's going to take time to get used to being without her.  In the end, we're just really grateful that she was able to come this far with us and grateful for 14 wonderful years. (Pictures of our beloved friend)