Remembering Noah

I met the Buchs many years ago after a presentation I did in Calgary. I was instantly drawn to the whole family.
Talks led to them buying a dog off me that year.
A number of visits to the kennel followed and the one NW dog they owned became many.
The entire family has become very special to me over the years - especially their son Noah.

Noah was witty, charming, life loving and very adventurous. We bonded over dogs, cooking and a love for adventures.

A few years back I went down to Edmonton to visit with Noah and his parents as he was recovering from heart surgery.
Noah was born with heart issues and battled them his whole life. By the time I first met him he was pretty much a normal 10 year old, but when his parents discussed his options with him a few years later he OPTED to have another painful and, of course, risky surgery to allow him to become the best version of himself possible. That was Noah!
Sitting next to him, quietly cringing as I listened to him, without bitterness nor resentment, explain what the doctors had done I knew I was in the presence of true braveness.


When his Mom messaged me last Monday to tell me of his passing in a tragic dirt bike accident my heart broke.

I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week in Cranbrook attending his funeral and visiting with his family.

It was extremely obvious that I was not the only one that recognized Noah for the special young man he was. His funeral was packed and so many have rallied around Adam, Cassie, Freya and Lola.
Especially touching his the way his young friends have circled around his family and his memory.
On Tuesday his parents, younger sister and I walked down to one of his favourite spots along the creek near his home where his friends erected a cross bearing his name and a bench in his honour. Such a special place.

Noah always made me feel like he felt privileged to be able to call me a friend, but the truth of the matter was, it was I that was privileged to be able to call him my friend.

I will miss you Noah.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Birthday Party - Twig

OHMYGOODNESS everyone!

I had the most awesome time at my birthday party yesterday O.M.G.!!!

Yep, yesterday I turned one year old!

The Karen Musher asked me a while back what I wanted to do for my SPECIAL day, and I told her that I wanted a perfect princess party!!  I wanted hats and cake, and streamers, and music and fun and a bouncy castle, and I wanted my whole family to adore me in my finery!

First we all had to take baths.

I told the Karen Musher that I wanted her to french braid my furs!  All of the coolies at baa baa sheepy camp told me that for special occasions you had to have pretty french braids and a tiara, the tiara was a MUST and a tiara wouldn't look good if your furs weren't french braided, so I really really really wanted my furs french braided... and a bouncy castle.

So then it was time for all of the guests to arrive, so being the hostess with the mostess, I went out to greet them.

Hi Bear!  Love your hat, I'm so glad you could take time from your busy guarding schedule to make it!

ooh, your hat is slipping, let me fix it for you!

Cricket showed up and she had found some really snazzy glasses to wear!  She's like a movie star!!

BAIT!! HEY BAIT!  Get over here and get your hat!!

I hate you... just wait until you go to sleep... seriously

KD really wanted a hat too, but she's very shy and didn't want to bother us

You're not putting a stupid hat on me... no... never

You're touching me, stop touching me, take this hat off, I'll cut you

Bet was a bit upset because she had to get a bath and then wasn't allowed to wear any of her FABulous ensembles.

but Musher, this TOTALLY clashes with my furs and collar!!

She pretty much pouted for the whole party.

This is so not worth a bath

Wait... did you say bath?  I have to wear a hat and get a bath?  Nobody mentioned baths

Nobody better put me in water, there will be heck to pay

Since everyone was so moody, I asked the Karen Musher where the bouncy castle was.  She told me that all of the bouncy castles had flown south for the summer.

THAT'S JUST RIDICULOUS!  I'm never going to have a bouncy castle birthday because of the bouncy castle migration schedule!!!

MY BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS RUINED!!!  RUINED I TELL YOU!!!

Poor you!  I have to wear some flowered thing on my head for you, the least you can do is be happy

I think the elastic thing is cutting off the flow of blood to my brain

Well, it's not like a lot of blood flows up there anyway you big lug

BEAR!  Don't eat KD, you'll ruin my party even more!

Bah, she probably tastes horrible anyway

The Karen Musher then announced that it was time for my birthday cake, so I ran inside and got all princessed up

I'm ready for my cake and gift!

So, the Karen Musher gave me my cake first

Om nom, cupcake!!!

Except it wasn't a cupcake... it was a squeeky toy that LOOKED like a cupcake.

Wait... what the....

Seriously?  That's my cake AND gift?  Fake bakery products?

You gonna eat that?  I'll eat that, I could use some fiber

Why is Cricket wearing a Princess tiara???  I'm the only princess here!  I'M THE ONLY PRINCESS!!

hehehehehehe

Next year we're having my party in the south so we can have a bouncy castle

Pssst, tell her she's the prettiest princess of them all so she doesn't throw a tantrum

Then the Karen Musher told me that I was the most beautiful princess ever and that we were having my favorite dinner of veggibles and we'd have a slumber party and paint our nails

THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!

Unfortunately Zac ruined the whole Coolie girly party because he didn't want his nails painted, so none of us are talking to each other now, but that's ok, I was a very pretty princess!

You suck.  I'm not having my nails painted. You could have asked for shrimp and pasta, now I have brocoolie gas.

Happy Birthday Musher - Everyone at North Wapiti

"How DARE you call me old!"

When Dasher left us last week it left Crunchie without a roommate. He was rather unhappy with that and asked for another dog to live with.

"A hot, young thing", he asked

Regardless of the species I think all men are pretty much the same.

I went through the list of suitable girls in kennel and suggested See.

"She's OLD".

She is not. She is 5 years younger than you are.

And she is still a main string dog.



Plus she won't push you around and make you give her your breakfast.


"But is she hot?"

CRUNCHIE!!!! Be a Gentleman!!

"Okay. She can move in on a trial basis"

I think See was a little less than impressed with the discussion.

She says HE is going to have to live up to HER standards. And they are high, very high.

Good Luck Crunch.

You're going to need it.

(For the record, they are getting along great)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Coolie Identification Lesson - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!

It has come to my attention that peoples are having problems figuring out which Coolie is which in the pictures and stuffs (and things).

Um... really?  We're all VERY different looking!

Okey Dokey, here's how to tell all of us apart.

I am adorable.

I also have a mask, and don't have the big white line that goes up my snooter.  I am tiny like a little peanut and super-model thin.

I am very photogenic and I don't eat veggibles.

Twig is a big ol lumberjack with a lopsided white stripey thing down her nose.

She has soft brown eyes that show her constant confusion about pretty much everything, such as: I'm standing in this dirty stream and I'm wet and dirty, how did this happen?

Here she is excited over something... she doesn't quite know what she's excited about, but something must be happening that's exciting.  She eats veggibles and spends too much time worrying about what other Coolies think of her, but makes no effort to wear ensembles.

This is Zac.

Note the crazy eyes.  He's larger, has a more symmetrical white stripe, and is very focused and serious.

Um... yeah... serious... he's very, very serious.

Photo courtesy of Alta Pete Stockdogs and Ms. Jenny

Ok, there!  See... very serious!  The Musher is also trying to feed him veggibles, and he seems to like them... sigh.

Ok, so that's it, very simple.  We're all COMPLETELY different and you shouldn't have any problems telling us apart any more... right?

-Bet

A Very Special Minion Birthday - From Everyone at North Wapiti

Every group has that one person that does everything, and does it very well.

They are organized, have the answers to everything, and if they don't, they will hunt down that answer to the ends of the earth.

They create complex spreadsheets, and charts, and tables just so all of the information needed is available, and doesn't even blink an eye when we continue to ask for the information that's in the spreadsheets, and chart, and tables, and doesn't even raise her voice when she sends us the link to the spreadsheets, and charts, and tables over and over again.

That person whips up the most amazing merchandise designs, and spends hours haggling for the best prices and best products so that the fans get quality mementos and souvenirs.

That person gets finger cramps hand addressing packages and filling out customs forms, and standing in line at the Post Office (something we all feel that this person deserves a medal for doing), to make sure everything gets delivered on time and safely.

That person makes sure the Musher gets to where she needs to go, is comfy, and gets back to where she needs to go.

That person deals with the rest of the group knowing they aren't as organized, forget things, screw up things, lollygag about things, can't find the spreadsheet that's been in the same place for years, do something stupid, and is pretty much the "Mother" of the group, even though she really doesn't want to be, but knows she has to be because things need to get done and someone has to nag.

That person probably thinks that the rest of the group forgot her birthday... but we're sneaky and somewhat mean and just kinda hung out and waited to post a birthday message.

We didn't want to put in on the blog as a draft because she may look, and read it before we posted it.

We didn't want that person to do that, because we wanted to let all of you know what a wonderful person that person is.

Our one person is Heather Walls.

Nothing would have gotten done, would have been as organized, would have been so fantastic, would have been what it is if it wasn't for Heather.

Heather has pulled so many great things out of her hat of many talents throughout the years and we still (to this day) don't know how she managed to hold down a regular job and still do everything that she's done for North Wapiti.

In case you didn't know, Heather, you are the backbone of the North Wapiti Minions, and we truly appreciate EVERYTHING you have done, and the high standards you set that made us look so good throughout the years.

Thank you, and Happy Birthday to you!