It's hard to believe that 2013 is about to come to an end. It's been a roller coaster of a year! Early on, I found our female Dobie had a cancer tumor. After some discussion, we opted to have it removed, with great success. Shortly after, she developed a nervous system problem, most likely Wobbler's disease. She has likely recovered as much as she will. She is actually doing really well, though will occasionally have all 4 limbs give out. Needless to say, I was brought to tears more than a few times, as I thought the end was near. Thankfully, she seems healthy, and I think she's got some years in her.
As if my 69 Camaro wasn't enough project, I picked up my 1968 Firebird early this year, saved from rotting away on a vacant lot in Detroit. While the project has been slow going, I have a blast each and every time Scott and I work on it. While drag racing it may be a ways off, it will be a fun long term project in which we hopefully can turn into future endeavors.
In June, we had our second daughter, Lily. She is every bit as amazing as her older sister, Emma. We have been blessed with two healthy girls, but I was heartbroke when I learned she needed a helmet. While the helmet is only to address flathead, which I learned is quite common, it still saddened me to see my baby with her helmet on the first time.
The summer consisted of a fair share of car shows, and a few with my old friend Rod from my hometown. Though a 1.5 hour drive just to get up here, and another 30 minutes hitting cruise nights, Rod had a blast and has promised to return a few times in 2014. Thankfully, our friend Jim will also join us with his prostreet 63 Ford unicab pickup if all goes as planned.
As the year came to an end, I started pulling my Camaro apart once again, as I do most every winter. While part of me would love to simply leave it alone, the part of me that is never satisfied will probably continue to force me to take it apart when the cruise season comes to an end. We will see how she holds up to some 1/4 mile abuse, as the teardowns may soon become a necessity any way.
I guess it would be asking too much for the year to come to an end without another hit to my emotions. First, my grandparents (88 and 85 years old), finally got to a point where they could no longer live in their home, and moved into an assisted living home. While they retain most all of their freedoms, it's just sad to see it happen just the same. Don't get me wrong, living to that age is a blessing, and I hope they are with us for many more!
One final hit came on Christmas Even, and it hit me hard. I took our other Dobie, Zeus, to the vet for a mysterious cough that had shown up since his annual physical the week before. I figured he caught kennel cough at the vet, and wasn't prepared when the vet told me "I'm afraid it's not a cough. It seems your dog has accute congestive heart failure." The prognosis wasn't good, as the vet initially stated that she hoped to at least get him through the holidays. He is now on a cocktail of meds, hoping to rid him of the fluid in his lungs and heart. Thankfully, I believe in the power of prayer, and Zeus hasn't coughed even once since going on the meds. Both brother and sister just turned 8 years old in November, and the life expectancy for Dobermans seems to be around 9 years on average. I know both my dogs are reaching the end, but as long as they are pain free, I would like both of them to hang out just a bit longer.
As the year comes to an end, I'm looking forward to 2014, and everything the new year will bring. Happy New Year's to everybody out there! If you're in a warm climate, please, do a smokey burnout for me.
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