I want to tell you about my Valentine's Day. Yes, Valentine's. You might be one of those people who thinks Valentine's is all about boyfriends and girlfriends and pretty jewelry, or that it is about Hallmark and all other major gift companies and their ways of earning money. You may be indifferent, but I have to tell you, Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays.
No, I do not have a boyfriend, and I don't believe this holiday is reserved for only significant others. No, I don't believe it is all about companies making big bucks, well, probably no more than any typical day. To me, Valentine's is a day to show who we love and care about why we love and care about them. Sure, you might love them every day, but everyone needs a special moment to feel appreciated and know that they are important in someone's life.
I am dedicating this post to my beloved baby girl, my Lady Kensington. Kensea, for short, was my sweet and adorable Samoyed. The Samoyed, also known as Sammy, is a breed of dog that is known for living in cold environments and is highly used for snow sledding. They have white, fluffy fur and are considered a medium-sized dog.
I had wanted a dog for such a long time, and finally, the summer of my fifth grade year, I had saved up enough money to get the dog of my dreams, a Sammy. I had researched dogs for months, even visited different breeds of dogs to get to know their personalities, but when I came across the Samoyed in my research, I knew that very moment that no dog would be more perfect for me. I didn't even have to meet a real one first. So we went to a reputable pet store and they helped us find a certified Samoyed breeding agency. After a few clicks on his computer a discovery was made. A litter of Samaoyed puppies was just born May 7th, 2001, and that was the one we went for. After a phone call it was all set; we were getting the runt of the litter, a little girl puppy with, as the breeder put it, "the liveliest and cutest personality of the litter."
At that time we had a cat named Purrsea. We had loved the fact that my name was ChelSEA and our cat's name was PurrrSEA, so we thought that the dog's name should have a -SEA in there too. Chelsea is actually a place in London. We have some friends from London and they helped us name the dog, and they suggested Kensington, based off of Kensington Palace in London. It was the perfect fit. And best of all, we could call her KenSEA for short.
That momentous summer day I could barely stand it as I ran into the pet store, because my precious puppy had arrived, on an air conditioned truck all the way from Nebraska. And she had a spotted belly and little pink bows in her hair. She had the most gorgeous eyes you have ever seen, the softest fur you had ever felt, and the sweetest smile that could make a million hearts melt. And she was mine.
For my 11th birthday I had a puppy shower instead of a birthday party. We had everyone bring us puppy items we would need instead of birthday presents and our cake had me and Kensea on it. We went to the pool and had doggie paddle races and everyone got a doggie bag full of fun treats to go home with. It was precious! We even ate out of dog bowls! Everyone loved Kensea, and Kensea loved everyone. She was always such a sweet and caring little pup.
Kensington was always so regal and classy. She looked like a little lady, a Lady Kensington. Her named fit her as perfectly as she looked; she exuded royalty. And even bigger than her adorable little face was her amazing personality. Samoyeds are the only dogs known to leave their pack for a human, and this definitely showed when it came to Kensea. She was loyal, loving, and ever affectionate. She loved and accepted everybody for who they were. Kensea has never had a bite or growl in her.
And one thing she loved more than anything in this world was our cat Purrsea. That cat was almost like her mama. She grew up with him. Purrsea ended up getting very sick. He was an orange tabby, and they are very prone to getting vaccination cancer, and unfortunately he developed it. After therapy he got very sick and ended up developing fatty liver disease, which essentially replaces liver cells with fat cells. He was not able to survive, so we had to put him down. One of the saddest days of my life, it was devastating. After much thought, we decided not to let Kensea see the burial of our cat. Every day after Purrsea's death, Kensea would go outside, stand at the top of the yard, and stare in either direction, as if she was looking for something. I have always believed she was looking for Purrsea.
Kensea was my baby girl. I loved her more than air. We would go everywhere together, and the days we went nowhere, we stayed inside and cuddled together. She was my best friend. She brightened my day whenever I saw her. One of the hardest things I had to do was leave her for college, but you better believe that sweet little girl would run up to the car whenever I would get home! She was always so happy and full of life.
Kensea started getting really sick, and she was diagnosed soon after with liver cancer. Devastated, we decided to take no action. The mass was the size of a tennis ball by the time we got to it. It was a ferocious, fast-growing cancer, and after what we went through with Purrsea, we didn't want our Kensea to go through that too. Sometimes living your life the way you want to is better than therapy that can kill you.
Soon Kensea was throwing up everything that she ate and we just knew; today was the day. It just happened to be Valentine's Day. We had someone from the vet come out and put her down. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I lost my life that day. Though it was devastating, it was also quite appropriate that she passed on Valentine's Day. It was the humane thing to do and showed her our love for her; to be free of pain and suffering that was never going to end. More importantly, the meaning of Valentine's Day is who Kensea was. Her whole personality was sweet, caring, loving, and she strived to show the ones she loved her unfailing love. I wish to live a life like she lived hers, with such a big, open heart full of so much compassion.
Even now, a year from her passing, I miss her so badly. I still think of her multiple times a day, but I know that she is in a better place now, and she has finally made it home to her Purrsea. Kensea will always be my little Lady, forever my Valentine.
In honor of Kensea's life, my family and I have decided that we are now going to have an annual Kensea Valentine's dinner. We wanted it to be special and personal, and I think we customized it to her personality perfectly! The following pictures are what we had for our menu, and plan to have every Valentine's holiday:
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| Since I would call Kensea my pumpKENS, we had homemade pumpkin soup for our appetizer. |
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| Kensea just adored chicken! And she loved things that were crunchy, so our entre was crunchy corn flake chicken. She would have loved this! :) |
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| When Kensea was just a small puppy and teething, we gave her frozen carrots to chew on to ease the pain. We thought that carrots would make the perfect side. |
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| Kensea had such a sweet tooth! She loved her Frosty Paws dog ice cream and little bites of banana, so our dessert was vanilla ice cream with banana slices. |
Until next time, may we remember the ones that leave footprints, and pawprints, on our hearts, for they are the ones that make life worth living.
Chelsea <3
*Today's Happy Thought: SPECIAL MEMORIES
(The joyful ones that make your heart all warm and fuzzy.)
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