Wonderful Weekend, but Monday, Monday

We spent two amazing days with Lane's family this weekend.

One highlight was Jane's foray into the world of swimming pools. I, of course, was apprehensive and against the plan, but Lane persisted and in the end I could hear Jane's laugh coming from her position on the shaded step of my sister-in-law's pool.

We spent a ducky Saturday at Bryn's, with a day in the pool, barbecuing and with a jump house ... or I should say palace. The giant pink castle was on her lawn for most of the day and was quite a highlight, for the kids and even Lane.

I know the mesh makes it hard to see, but here is my brother-in-law Drew jumping with nieces and nephews ... it was ginormous.

Sunday was another fantastic day, with my mother-in-law making a huge turkey dinner.

And then there was Monday.

Already Lane and I were sad to have left grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, but the day only got worse when Lane went to get Cosmo from the kennel.

You see, when you attach a dog collar, you do so on the sturdy metal ring of the collar ... not the flimsy wire that attaches the ID tag to the collar. But this is what the lady at the kennel did (without Lane's knowledge). Out walks Lane and Cosmo, there flies a bird and off flew Cosmo with a gentle ping of the flimsy wire ... along with his ID tag.

Lane looked, we all prayed, and Lane and I looked again when he got home from work, but nothing. The kennel was out in an unincorporated area of farmland that borders the freeway. I called dispatch to see about injured animals, but they wouldn't tell us anything. So we spent Monday night not knowing what happened to our dog.

This morning, I got ready to make the rounds to shelters, check injured animals and to file lost dog reports.

The very first shelter I went to said they didn't have Cosmo's breed, but they did have a dog come in the day before. I turn the corner to check and there was Cosmo. I started crying, Cosmo started crying, Jane started crying and two hours later, we were all happily home (although I believe Jane's angst stemmed from hunger).

Highway Patrol found him running along the side of the freeway, on his way home ... or chasing another bird, we'll never know.

Here are our two angels shortly after their respective returns home (Jane on Sunday and Cosmo on Monday) ... they both had exhausting journeys.