I realize I haven't written about Violet in any meaningful way in awhile, so we figured it might be time for a little update on our girl. I think none of us dreamed that when she was diagnosed in January that she'd still be here, seven months later. We all seriously thought that we'd lose her within a week of that cancer diagnosis, and yet here we are. She's diminished, for sure. Her one back leg (where we first noticed the symptoms of the tumor) is pretty much useless, but she can still make it up and down one or two stairs.

"Move it or lose it," I tell her every morning as she has to come back up the stairs into the house.

She can't come onto the 2nd floor unless we carry her, and she's come to accept being carted around. And what she loses in mobility, she makes up for in her vocal stature. Violet's new version of guarding the house consists of lying on her bed and barking at supposed intruders.

Good girl.

So suddenly, we had this idea to take her to the beach with us. I don't know if seeing the Atlantic Ocean was on her bucket list or not, but as we got closer she swore to us that she was headed to Greece. She rode on my lap in the car, and was very excited when we stopped for sandwiches on the way. And when we got to the oceanfront, we carried her down to the shore.

Once there, she was more focused on chips and a sandwich than on the swell of waves behind her. After the boys headed off to boogie board, we took Vi down to the water. Getting her feet wet, and even her belly, was no problem. She was happy just to stand there with is. Then a two inch high wave came, knocking her off her feet and rolling her over in the surf. That pesky back leg. Sweet girl has no balance. After that, she was less interested in the water. After Neel took her out to wash the sand off? She was really not interested.

But she dug a little hole in between our two chairs and curled up, always next to Mama. She perked up by the end, for sure, but about that surf? I'd say Violet is still skeptical.

Of course, when we got home she told the other girls that she'd been body surfing and boogie boarding (Cal had her on his boogie board for about half a second!) and that Greece is really lovely at this time of year.

Sweet girl. Last Friday, two of my friends had "dog issues" come up, and one dear friend had to say goodbye to her beloved pup. Violet may have hated it the beach, but she was glad to be with us, and I'm just grateful to have her here for a little longer. As long as we can.