Happy 27th Anniversary, You Two

May is quite the month in my family. There are countless birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc. It is easy for things to get rushed through, or even missed. I get to share my birthday with my parents, because I was born on their 5th anniversary. That makes this day even that much more special to me, and I wanted to take a couple of minutes and recognize my parents and their marriage of 27 years, today! It's a little weird that these people have been loving each other and making a life together longer than they were living without one another; longer than I've even been alive. (obviously, haha).

By watching these two love each other day in and day out, I've been privileged enough to observe what true love looks like. Yes, it is patient, and kind, not envious or boastful, nor proud; love is selfless, not easily angered, forgiving, it rejoices with truth and goodness; love always protects, always hopes, always perseveres - love never fails. We know this from 1 Corinthians, and we know this is how God loves us. But to see two people love each other this way is beyond what words can describe. This kind of love is rare, and beautiful, and precious. It is this kind of love that I will hold out for; I will never settle for anything less.

Beyond fulfilling what God has said and demonstrated to us that love ought to be, my parents have also taught me that love should also be:

1) Fashionable:

2) Fun:

3) Full of Kisses (even when your children cringe)

4) and Fulfilling. It should continue through the years to grow and strengthen so that you are more and more in love every single day, even the days when loving that someone is hard.

I love these two people so incredibly much. I love watching them love each other, and those around them. They care so deeply for one another, and they put each other first. They laugh, and explore, and sing, and dance, and cry, and pray for and with each other. They are best friends, but they are so much more. They understand one another in a way that no one else ever will. They acknowledge and embrace their imperfections, and they strive to be better versions of themselves as individuals as well as together, as one. They have set the bar high, and I pray that one day I will find the man who I will love this way for the rest of my life.

Daddy and Mommy,

Thank you for the examples that you are. Thank you for being my parents, my friends, my inspiration, and so much more. I love you!! Happy Anniversary - here's to many more!!

Loving you Always,

Kortney Alacyn

Recap: Momma & The Boys

It was an incredible eight weeks. Simba (aka Abel) was the first to be adopted. My sweet Mom fell in love with him on day one, and adopted him as soon as he was old enough. Next was Andy, who was adopted at a smaller adoption event in Denver. Chewy, my fluffy snuggly boy, was adopted through their website next and went to a young couple who had adopted a dog a couple years earlier from the same rescue. A week later, Momma and Archie were adopted, also through the website. Momma went to a young lady with another dog about her size that needed a friend. Archie went to a cute young boy who was SO excited about getting his first dog. Somehow, sweet sweet Tony (Arnie) was not adopted. Another week went by, and LIBR asked me to take him up to Denver for an adoption event, a larger one this time. I wasn't sure I could do it. I was SO attached to that sweet little boy, and those big puppy dog eyes just about broke my heart.. I loaded him up in the car and started heading north. I stopped at my parents house, and ran into use the bathroom. As I was about to get back in my car, my brother said, "I want him." SO many different emotions were bombarding me at this point. We somehow convinced my parents that it was a good idea to have two puppies, and Drake and I headed up to Denver to get that boy adopted!! We had some minor (well, major actually) car trouble, which made for an even more emotional day, but that's a whole other story.

Drake is now the proud adopted father of Tony boy, and Tony and Simba get to play together all day long. I'd say it turned out pretty well. Also, I'd just like to point out that of the eight dogs I've fostered, I personally haven't adopted a single one ;) hehehe.

This was such a rewarding experience. I loved watching the babies grow from tiny, helpless newborns into rambunctious puppies. I enjoyed every second of puppy breath and all the sweet snuggles and kisses. It was a lot of work, and I can't even count the number of times I cleaned up their poopy messes. There were times when they would keep me up all night, and times when they wouldn't make a sound. It was so incredible watching as they changed - watching their ears and eyes open, watching them take their first wobbly steps, hearing their squeaks turn into barks and their interactions changed from just snuggling to playing with one another.

I'm sorry I didn't blog every week like I was hoping to about their changes and updates. But I am glad that I finally got these pictures up and blogged a little bit of what it was like with them.

Also - for the record - I recommend fostering. It's a great opportunity to share some love and save a life.  : )