Andreae Adventures: One Last Goodbye!

So, this weekend we made an impromptu trip up to South Bend to see my parents' dog, Simba, one last time. We had gotten Simba when I was a senior in high school, so he is just 10 years old. He has gradually gone down hill over the years since he is a bigger dog. When Rusty was a puppy, they got along great, but as Rusty got older, they still got along but definitely weren't as playful anymore. However, once my sister's dog came into the picture, Petunia, Simba got the nickname of "The Protector." Every time Simba felt Petunia was getting a little too rough, he would step in to "protect" Rusty, and when Natalie came in the picture, he pretty much did the same thing with her. If he thought the dogs were rough-housing a little too much or getting too close, he would just stand up and just have to basically look at Rusty and Petunia, and they knew what that meant. He has been a good dog over the years and I will definitely miss him greeting us every time we came to my parents' house! I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to make one last trip up there to see him!

My sister, Matt, and Petunia arrived prior to us and Simba greeted them at the door, which according to my parents had not done for a couple days prior and would basically just lay down or get up to go outside only. When we arrived, he did the same thing! He also hadn't been eating hardly anything, so when Rusty and Petunia were getting treats that night, Simba actually got up to eat some treats as well! He definitely wasn't his old self, but it was nice to see one last spurt of energy/motivation from him. The rest of the weekend, he basically just laid down, but did seem to enjoy going outside and laying in the snow. Sometimes it would take 3 or 4 attempts to get him to even come back inside. By today (Sunday), he wasn't eating anything at all and you could tell he was just miserable...poor guy! We will all definitely miss you, Simba!

Bacon-time for the dogs

Natalie and Grandpa with Simba

Simba

Petunia

Rusty

Everyone (Aunt Krista with Lacie and Simba, Natalie and I with Rusty, Amanda and Petunia)

Group shot

His favorite spot all weekend...in the snow!

Playing in the snow

Since we haven't got a ton of snow in Terre Haute, it was nice to have a little more up in South Bend. We had enough snow for everyone (but me since it was extra bumpy) to go snowmobiling. The guys (Matt, Bobby, and my dad) were only supposed to go see if there was enough snow to go on any trails, and 4-5 hours later they came back: 80 miles later. They had a good time while us girls were inside staying warm. Once they got back, we took Natalie out in the snow for the first time! She was all bundled up (reminded me of the kid in 'A Christmas Story' that can't move because of his snowsuit). Her snowsuit was a little large, 18 months, but fit her good enough to keep her warm. Her firsts this weekend in the snow: 1) she got to ride the snowmobile; 2) she got to play in the snow; 3) she got to go sledding. The snow didn't seem to phase her a bit, and she seemed to enjoy the time outside, but it was definitely very cold! After we played, everyone but Bobby, Natalie, and I went back out to snowmobile, so we headed to Bobby's parents' house.