Happy 25th Anniversary Mom & Dad!

If you noticed, I didn’t share my blog yesterday. I wanted to wait until today and wish my Mom and Dad a very happy 25^th wedding anniversary. Wow—that’s a long time! They have been together longer than I’ve been alive, but I know I’ve brought them adventures of the doggy kind. Woof!

To cover 25 years, I’d need several blogs, but I thought I would offer highlights. Mom moved to Washington state the summer of 1997. She went through a horrible divorce and the death of her mom, and God prompted her to leave her home state of Colorado. When she met with her pastor, she said, “I don’t like cold or clouds. Why would God send me there?” The pastor’s reply, “Well, if He is leading you to Washington, you go. Should it turn out to be a bad burrito, well, you move back.” Off to Washington she went with only $500 to her name.

Good thing I didn’t meet the “ex” because I would have to turn mean and bite his butt because he really hurt my Mom, but that’s another story! Anyway, Mom was sleeping on the couch of a friend in the area, and she decided to try a health club across the bay. Dad usually worked out during the day to beat the crowds, but he opted to head over in the evening. As he puts it, “I saw a purple girl. She was dressed in purple from head to toe.” They both selected treadmills right next to each other.

Mom was extremely focused and driven back then. I’ve helped her slow down and smell the roses…literally as I must stop and smell everything! She had her ear buds in listening to music while she ran. Dad kept interrupting her with questions. Mom finally stopped her treadmill and said, “WHAT?!?” It was then she looked Dad in the eye—his big, beautiful blue eyes. He softly smiled and asked her out to lunch.

Their first lunch together was three hours long, and during one of their first hikes together, Dad reached for Mom’s hand to help her over a small stream. God spoke: This is your soul mate. By Christmas Eve 1997, Mom and Dad were engaged. Dad placed the engagement ring on the Christmas tree in Mom’s apartment. He had to finally help her “see” it as she kept missing it.

Dad was a commercial fisherman at the time. You know, the Deadliest Catch show? Yup, my Dad was one tough dude! He left in January and wouldn’t return until their wedding in June. During that time, Mom accepted a job in the central coast of California, closed out two apartments in Washington, found a rental house, and put the deposit down on a brand-new home…all while planning a wedding in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and working full time! Yowsa.

Both Mom’s parent are gone, but God blessed her with Dallas & Opal Shafer. They became like a second set of parents to her, and Dallas walked her down the aisle on June 20, 1998. Part of Dad’s family came as did friends to celebrate the occasion.

Mom inherited Wuz, a chocolate-point Himalayan cat. He was a one-person cat, yet, he adored Dad. Talk about confirmation! I’ve seen photos of him. He was one gorgeous kitty cat! They lived in Arroyo Grande for four years before moving to Southern California where it was warmer. Mom and Wuz didn’t like the damp cold of the Central Coast.

They had a new house built in Murrieta, and shortly after moving in, a black cat kept visiting them. He was the neighbor’s cat, but as the months passed, Mom realized he wasn’t being fed. She picked him up one day, took him to the vet, and from that day forward, Edmond was a part of the Smith family. Apparently, the neighbors decided they didn’t want a cat after all and kicked him out. My brother was on his own for months, living in the wild.

I’ve never had a rough day in my life. Edmond survived when most cats and dogs wouldn’t. He was as tough as he was gentle. Edmond lived mostly outside, and Wuz was inside. In 2005, Wuz died at the age of 16, and in 2008, Dad took a job in Loveland, Colorado. Edmond left everything he had ever known and became an indoor cat. He adjusted quickly as he loved the big, soft, oversized living room chair. His days of fending off coyotes was over!

Soon after getting settled into their third home, Mom and Dad were at Dairy King eating ice cream. Next to them was a couple with a curly-tailed dog unlike anything they had seen before. Mom and Dad learned it was a Shiba Inu, and right then, Mom wanted a puppy. Dad had been trying to get one for years, but she wasn’t interested. She was a cat person. Well, when she read about Shiba Inu’s being cat-like, it was a match.

I’ve blogged about how we met before, and I went home with Mom and Dad in November of 2008. I instantly fell in love with them and vice versa. Edmond was bigger than me at first and wasn’t quite sure what to think of me, but we quickly became friends. Ultimately, we were brothers through and through. When Dad’s job took us to Houston, Texas, he helped me with the move. I was freaking out when all our stuff was being taken away, but Edmond assured me our things would be waiting for us on the other side.

Houston was hot, buggy, and muggy, but oh how I loved our yard. It was huge! I could run, get zoomies, and chase squirrels. Woof! Texas is also very flat, and Mom and Dad are hikers. Mom prayed for three years, and in 2012, God answered. Mom and Dad were doing yard work when a couple walked up the driveway and said, “We’d like to buy your home.” The house wasn’t even listed! Then, three days later, Dad got a call for a job in Phoenix, Arizona.

Once again, we moved. Phoenix is just as hot as Houston but much dryer. Where we live has access to lakes and mountains, and we’ve adventured all over the state. Sadly, in July 2021, I lost my dear brother, Edmond. We were all heart broken, but he looked out for us. The day he departed, a young kitten was born. Mom found him on Craig’s list, and by December, Mowgli joined our family.

They brought him home in Edmond’s crate, and I wasn’t happy about that. I scared the poor fella, but then realized he didn’t know that. When he was brave enough to come out, I assured him I was his big brother. Mowgli has been a riot, adding lots of joy and laughter to the family.

Through all the years, Mom and Dad have explored every corner of every state they have lived. They embrace where they live and bloom where planted. They traveled near and far, and welcomed many a guest into their home. Dad’s career has been stressful and riddled with frustration, but He’s always provided for us. He’s kicked butt and taken names as he moved up the corporate ladder.

Mom is our rock. She takes care of us and makes our house a home. She also has accomplished much as a writer and speaker. Her heart is big, and she loves on her fitness class members and all those she calls friend.

Life brought them some big challenges and threw some major curve balls, especially with Mom’s health. She’s a fighter, though, and keeps a positive attitude. Here they are, 25 years later! We just celebrated eight years here in Phoenix, the longest Mom and Dad have ever lived in one place. What’s next? Who knows! All I can tell you is that as a family, we will stick together.

Happy 25^th anniversary to my Mom and Dad! Thank you for all the adventures, and I look forward to many more years together.

My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith, is kind enough to help me share my Great Adventures, big and small. My mom is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, executive recruiter, business consultant, coach, fitness expert, and author of nine published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever!

Enjoy my blog at https://www.lorrainebosse-smith.com/category/kuma/kumas-great-adventures/

and be sure to follow me on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Kumathedog/ and Instagram: kumaitothedog

Get outside! You never know what you’ll discover, and our paths just might cross. Happy tails!