Marlena Wigglebutt Witherow

While we did a lot of fun things in July, we also had to say goodbye to our sweet dog, Marlie. A series of unfortunate events led to Renal Failure and we feel like we did everything we could to make her better. But it wasn't meant to be.

Marlie came into our lives the week we moved to Roanoke, three short years ago. Adam and I left Nova for my hometown and the first day I was supposed to be set up to work remotely nothing was working  - internet, phone, nothing. So we took off, fed up with the stress of moving and things not happening like they were supposed to. We ran errands and ended up at the Salem Animal Shelter. We had no plans of adopting a dog that day but when we saw her we couldn't help ourselves. Much like our daughter, Marlie was infectiously happy. She was always upbeat and up for any adventure. She loved cuddling on the couch or in bed, going for walks or to the dog park, and she particularly loved running around in the back yard. She LOVED snow. It was like crack for her, it made her so happy. We really were so lucky to have her, she was an amazing dog. She loved on Zeke (our cat), after he finally warmed up to her, and she loved her baby. When I was pregnant she would lay at the end of the bed or the foot of the couch facing away from me to watch out for us. She would let Charlotte pet, poke, and prod her with a smile on her face. She was a wonderful dog and she will be forever missed.

 

Our Independence Day Trip to PA!

I am super behind on posts here and I need to rewind to tell you all about the fun things we did this month. We started off July by spending the weekend in PA with our Number 1 friends, the Lavellas. Hopefully this is a tradition we can stick to, spending the Independence Day weekend with them each year. We always have a great time with them and are really enjoying being in this stage of life together.

We started our trip off by heading to Nova. We stayed overnight at Grammy and Papas house and then I went to work the next day in the office. We were on the road by 2pm, along with everyone else for that weekend, lol. But we made it there in one piece, happy as can be. We started our weekend off in True Number 1 Independence Day Fashion and began Tie Dying our outfits for the BBQ.

The next day we went to a winery for some live music and food truck BBQ. The Wolf men joined us that day and we had so much fun seeing all the kiddos together. We had a GREAT time!!

 

The next day was the big BBQ day. We all donned our Tie Dye outfits, prepped some food, and headed over to Carolyn's parents house for some good fun with friends and family.

We really love the entire Lavella, Heron, and Wolf Clan. They are just some of the nicest, most accepting people we know. And they always have fun together. They have a beautiful family that loves to spend time together. I just love them all. I am so sad that Charlotte did not get to meet Sharon before she passed. She was an amazing woman and I feel so blessed to have met her daughter and been accepted into their family. It is obvious to everyone who meets her children how wonderful of a job she did raising them. I know that she is proud and smiling looking down on the families they are building in her honor. So. Much. Love.

On our way home we had breakfast with Janus and Lauren. It was so nice to see the newlyweds and for Charlotte to meet her Uncle Janus! We can't wait to hear news that they're expecting...hopefully soon!!! Later that day we stopped in at Grammy and Papas for a quick lunch. Charlotte tasted her first lime......

And then she did this most of the way home....