Xena
The Drive out West
Driving out to Colorado, Xena was a trooper. Being she wasn’t even 6 months old yet at the time, and completely new to a car trip of that length, she kept as calm as she could be cooped up in the back of my little Toyota Corolla.
Snow was an entirely new experience for her, too. Our first encounter with snow on the trip was during a quick pit stop in Texas (believe it or not!). Here she sniffed it, looked up at me and seemed to ask, “I’m from Florida ma, where’s the green stuff?”
Little did she know, she would grow to love that fluffy white stuff! Often biting at it and trying to eat it like all pups do.
Colorado
Colorado was cold (especially for someone born and raised in Florida), but it was beautiful. Having traveled out west before while I was growing up, I knew a little of what to expect. We lived in a second story apartment in Colorado Springs, not far from Ft. Carson, with a surprisingly uninterrupted view of Pikes Peak.
Being a personal trainer (and avid crafter) at the time, I had the luxury of freedom with my schedule. Xena and I went everywhere we could together: Bear Creek Dog Park , Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods… Colorado is an amazingly dog friendly state, and I highly recommend visiting these places if you ever have a chance.
But our time in Colorado was short and it wasn’t long before we were moving to Florida while my husband was deployed.
Florida
As an adult, did you ever have to move back in with your parents? Well… It seems like every time we moved, I ended up moving in with my mom and stepdad during various length transition periods. Xena definitely loved it because she loved her grandparents, but me…? I guess that’s a story for a different time!
Florida, in general, was a major change of pace, and weather, compared to our life in Colorado. Xena’s thick fur coat didn’t help her much, but that didn’t change her love of being outdoors. Chasing lizards, barking at the animals behind our house (when we eventually moved into it) and running around in the yard. She was my brave Florida girl.
Eventually, Xena got a sister: Brie. Brie became daddy’s girl, while Xena stayed mommy’s baby. Although she was definitely mad at me about bringing another puppy into our home… No lie, she shunned me for a whole week. But Xena warmed up to her little sister and grew to accept her as one of her own. She was a wonderful big sister and taught Brie all that she knew.
Then we uprooted again and moved to a state that kind of has the best of both worlds…
North Carolina: Xena’s Final Home
The move to North Carolina was everything we hoped it would be. Not the ACTUAL move, that was long and hectic, especially with two dogs in the backseat, but the state is gorgeous.
Xena had the freedom of a big backyard (the second house certainly bigger than the first), a beautiful porch to lay on and the love of her little sister. It was the perfect state for her…
She passed 6 months after we moved into our forever home at the young age of 9 due to cancer. She was my first, my baby. I will love her and miss her forever.
I can still see her on her last day on this Earth: laying in the grass in the shade of the trees, Brie by her side, enjoying the gentle breeze.