Goodbye's are hard...

Back in early June I shared that we sadly decided to find a new home for Sakari, our reasons and how hard it was to come to this decision. It is not easy to find the PERFECT home for a dog that sweet or not has issues with animal on animal aggression, and can't be fully trusted with young kids. After almost 6 months of searching and waiting, we finally found her just the right place to be for the rest of her days.
We said goodbye to Sakari today. It was so sad, I won't lie, I cried. Thankfully the kids took it much better than I did. We love that pain in the ass, life will surely be a little easier...and safer, with her not here, but it is still sad. At the same time I am super happy for Sakari too, her new BFF...or her human as Haddie calls it, is a single 56 year old man, no other pets, no young kids, owns his own business and spends pretty much 24/7 with his dog. He just lost his 11 year old Malamute mix a couple weeks ago...who he spent thousands on, including a couple very spendy blood transfusions, trying to make her comfortable and prolong her life. I called his vet for a reference, they gave him a glowing report. Sakari will be the center of his world, she will get more 1 on 1 time than she ever had in her first 5 years. He has promised to send lots of pictures, which I believe because he sent me about a half dozen of him and his last girl LOL. He even said he would bring Sakari by for visits with the kids a couple times a year if I wanted. He seems like a really wonderful person, I think it is a win win for everyone...and my heart will be OK in a couple days.

We love you and will miss you Sakari.

We won't ever forget you!

Getting ready to go with her new human Pat.

Some last hugs goodbye.

Nice comfy ride. Enjoy your new life Sakari, I hope it is everything you deserve.

Day 19: Today I am thankful for people who adopt older pets.

Gangster looks a little sad...I hope soon enough he will be OK. She was so bossy and bitchy with him most of the time, hopefully it won't take long for him to realize he is free too LOL. Hayden has been very concerned with his feelings. She had a long talk with him about not being sad, that he is not alone and she will be his friend and take care of him. Awww.

They gave him a little stuffed dog and Haddie drew him a picture. Such sweet kids.

I couldn't be sad long...OK that's a lie, I have been crying off and on all day. Xander tried to give me some comic relief Hahaha!

Our lunch today...the girls weren't fans, but the boys liked it OK...Jason and I LOVED it.
Skinny Texas cheese fries.

You need:
2 medium potatoes (2/3 lb total), yukon gold or russet, washed and dried (skin on)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin
coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 slice center cut bacon, cooked & finely chopped
1/3 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp diced scallions
1 tbsp sliced pickled Jalapeno (jarred on canned)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray
Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch thin slices; then cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.

In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add seasoning (paprika to salt and pepper). Toss to coat.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased large baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes or until tender crisp, turning once half way through (depending on thickness this may require more or less time).

Remove from oven, place fries into two small oven safe dishes (or one large dish for sharing), top with cheddar cheese, sliced jalapenos, scallions and bacon bits and return to oven for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Serve with the skinny ranch. This makes enough for 2, 1 serving is 260 calories and 12 grams of fat.