Since November of 2019, it’s been crazy at my house like so many others. It seems like the world turned upside down, and navigating it felt treacherous. After four years in the beautiful (and cold) state of Montana, us warm-blooded Texans had planned to keep our property there and return for summers. Split our time. As we traveled up for the first time, the country was shutting down due to Covid and there was talk we may not be able to leave Montana? I wasn’t even sure what was going on because everything was moving so quickly and no one seemed to know what was going on. Chaos doesn’t describe.

As we “snuck” out of Montana over the Big Horns, I did a lot of thinking. And praying. Jason did a lot of muttering under his breath while the trailer tires and the truck tires grabbed the slushy road independent of each other, and we were bucked around. I thought about my kids at home. Wondering what this world would hold for them. Our country has faced much hardship before, hardship is not new to humanity. In fact, maybe we had it the easiest of any time in society. It feels like we had reached new heights of complacency. Entitlement. But as a parent who loves their children, you have this mixed set of emotions. You want them to be strong, but not struggle. You want them to appreciate, but never want for anything. You want them to love, but never feel the pain of loss. The truth is, one never comes without the other. As adults, we know this. As parents, this pains us to know what faces them. You can’t really prepare a child for this world with lessons and words. The only way to prepare a child is by leading them to God. They’re going to need faith to get them through. A lot of faith.

As the craziness in the world seemed to accelerate, I was left spinning. We had more demand for dogs than we knew how to handle. I had a list of people waiting a mile long. I cried more than I care to admit. People were demanding and unkind. They didn’t respect my process, much less me. I had people offering me double and triple to sell them a dog that already had a deposit placed on them. My faith in humanity was at an all time low. Jason, who is the kindest human that’s ever lived, demanded that I stop people pleasing before I extinguished my spirit. I wasn’t the Mom or wife I should have been. Regrets exist. I should have prayed more. I would have heard God telling me to slow down. Breathe. Love myself and accept that I’m only human. Seek Him first.

Years ago, after my dreams of Veterinary Medicine were dashed, I wondered how I’d make an impact on this world. I was reminded first and foremost my children were the most important. I had a lot to teach them in a short amount of time. Quickly, I saw what I was designed to do: Dogs. Each thing I needed to do this job was placed in my life by God. I have a strong dose of compassion. Hope for the weak and struggling. Tenderness and awe for the newly born. Turns out I actually love people. Connecting with them. My science mind is constantly building genetic trees. It’s nothing for me to lay down and not be able to sleep because I have nagging in my mind about how I can make better dogs. I drive and hour and a half to the best Vet I know. I look over Xrays until my eyes want to bleed. Building the best orthopedics on future generations. I arrange and rearrange personalities in my head. I look at what’s been produced and speculate. Draw conclusions even without the backing of big science behind me. I’ve learned science can’t explain it all. God is still in control. I’m not. But I can take His design and learn from it. Bravely charge forward to make the very finest dogs on the planet. It’s how I serve this world. It’s how my family humbly serves yours.

2020 bled into 2021 and the world was still off kilter. I wasn’t sure what was happening but I didn’t love it. Some good things came from Covid and it’s ripples, but mostly not. I laid awake at night in the quiet of my house. I held puppies and listened to their breathing and little squeaks. I wondered what lay ahead for my family, for this world. I made lists of things. I felt discomfort and itching in my soul. Not knowing what it meant. That fall, our oldest went to college. It felt painful. Brutal even. She needed to fly but it was a slap to the face to realize that while we always have each other as long as we live, I wouldn’t see her every day. Had I done my best? Had I given her all the tools in my toolbox for what she would face in this world? What am I missing?

I decided things would change then. I’d only produce dogs for people who appreciated my gift. People who know my whole heart is in this. I decided to respect the gift God gave me. Others would need to respect it too. I also decided there was a lot I needed to show my kids. They needed to see where our ancestors came from. Both sides. I work in genetics every day and they’re real. They shape us as much, or more, than our environment. I wanted my kids to know who their Revolutionary War patriots were. I wanted them to hear stories. They say you’re never really dead until no one ever speaks your name again. I wanted them to see graves. Documents. Signatures. Battle fields. I wanted them to know why we feel so strongly about loving our country and all those who came before them. I also wanted them to love Mexico, where Jason’s family came from when Texas was still a fledgling Republic. We’ve been document chasing, but the records from that time frame are shoddy. Especially if you were Mexican and even worse not an English speaker. It was almost like they are ghosts. We’ve been all over this state begging record clerks for help. Some try really hard but have nothing to produce. Others seem to peer at us over their glasses and enjoy telling us NO. They don’t want to dig for records. They don’t care that those before Jason are just whispers. We’ve been to Mexico and felt the presence of his ancestors. Seen some of the same buildings they saw. Held the same earth in our hands heard the wind saying indiscernible things.

It’s like a giant intersection for me. This country’s changes for both good and bad. My age and body trying to quit on me in ways I hadn’t recognized even 5 years ago. Kids growing. Realizing time is fleeting. Maybe I’m having a midlife crisis as some have suggested. But maybe not. Maybe it’s just really an awakening.

I have to do better. We have a lot of work left to do on this earth. I have dogs to share with amazing humans. I have a talent gifted by God. I have so much love to share with my family and friends. I have generations of people before me, and also after me, to connect with. I have stories to tell and wisdom to impart from people who may not know how to share it. We need perspective on what, and who, is really important.

It’s sort of culminated. We’ve decided to downsize our dogs both literal size and actual numbers. We’ve decided to travel more so we purchased a motorhome that we’ve remodeled to accommodate dogs and our family. We plan to spend time traveling all of North America. This means we will only have puppies at certain times of the year. They’ll be smaller than before. We will have Aussiedoodles, Toy Poodles, and occasionally Purebred Aussies and Cockapoos. If you’re looking for a Labrador or Labradoodle I can refer you to people I fully trust. Just ask. I’m always here for all my past, current, and future clients. I’m definitely not getting out of the dog business any time soon and I’m pretty sure it will never happen unless God tells me to.

As we travel more, I’ll share more. Those details will be forthcoming. I think we will do some you tube videos. For years people have told us we need a TV show because our crazy life is unlike any they’ve ever seen. I want to use this time in our lives to collect hearts and share them with others. I want to make this world a better place by continuing to show up. You’ll see. There’s a new awakening and with it is joy and excitement. I’m happy to stand before you and continue to share my whole heart with you. Dogs are a big part of that, but there’s more.

Lots of love from my family to yours, Julie