That little spec in the center is the duck. And in the bottom right corner is the one mom threw in.
So today (December 20th) marks the 2nd Anniversary of Forrest’s passing. Last year, I rode the Harley out to Cedar Key, Florida and threw a duck into the ocean.
Why a duck?
Well, when I graduated UF back in 2006 (Go Gators), my parents threw an open house graduation party for me. My mom decorated the house with an army of little foam ducks wearing a graduation cap. Forrest loved them. He absolutely loved them and would quickly remove the head from the body, shake it around a little bit, find a new duck, lather, rinse, repeat. When we returned to Gainesville, I must have brought about 20 ducks with me and every now and then I’d leave one for him to seek and destroy.
After he passed away, I had a handful of them left, so on 12/20/2007 I rode out to Cedar Key on the bike (read the post) and had brought one of the ducks with me. I didn’t really have a plan; I was just pretty sad and seeing the ocean always makes me feel better.
When I got to Cedar Key, I had the duck in my hand and was just kind of squeezing it (like one of those stress relief balls). For no particular reason I reached back and hurled the duck as far as I could into the ocean… watching as the duck “swam” out to see. I don’t know why, but I loved it. And I said I’d do it every year I could.
Giants Stadium at AT&T Park
This year, I happened to be in San Francisco on 12/20, which of course wasn’t an issue — since the ocean is right there. I had brought a duck and coincidentally my mom also brought one out for me (there’s a long story there… but in 5 words or less, Great minds think alike). We went out to the Giants stadium and we launched the ducks into the Pacific.
And with that, I was reminded how much I still miss my dog.
Yesterday, we woke up at 5am and headed through the snow to take me to the airport. Even after spending 5 hours on the tarmac (and being de-iced from a de-icer named Fred), I still have to say I love American Airlines.
Don’t get me wrong, I do not like flying. I hate almost everything about it… From taking off your shoes to the airline reps behind the counter (has anyone ever had a positive experience with a gate agent??), from flight attendants to busy crowds, flying today for me is a last option. I’d much rather drive than fly on any given day, and, if time isn’t a factor (like Thanksgiving), it’s exactly what I do. I remember once being excited about flying and loving going to Airports, flying in airplanes, and just traveling by air. Loved it. Much like my hair, those days are gone.
But, I digress. So, if I have to fly, I like American Airlines. Let’s put it this way. When I’ve missed connecting flights from other airlines, getting a new flight was a hassle. Hassle and drama, drama, drama. With American, by the time I got off the plane, they had already reserved me a seat on one flight and put me on standby for another. (I ended up getting the standby ).
Anyway, I made it to San Francisco and had a great dinner with my sister, Scott, my parents, Tovah, David, and Scott’s mother and father. We were celebrating Scott’s graduation from college and was a great reason to see so many people that I love.
On plan for today? Dim Sum with the family and then throwing a duck into the ocean in remembrance of Forrest (today’s the 2nd anniversary). Also, it’s the first anniversary of Shadow’s passing.
Well… I couldn’t sleep. So I loaded up the final bags and hit the road. Now I can slow down and wait for the sun to rise. Been a while since I rode with the puppy…
Today is the the 1 year anniversary of Forrest’s passing… so I took the day off work, headed to Cedar Key on the bike… and then did two things. Spread a little of his ashes on the beach where he liked to play and then threw one of his favorite ducks (above) into the ocean. Was a good day.
So after Forrest passed I wanted to start a Foundation… basically something that would try to raise money for dog charities such as Malinois Rescue, etc. I even registered a couple domain names.
Anyway… the accountant was pretty adamant (the word, not the singer… and I’m just too lazy to check my spelling right now) that I shouldn’t go this route. He advised that I would spend more in accounting fees for a non-profit than would be worth it, and I’d be better off donating money on my own directly.
So… here I am with a domain name of TeamForrest.com and nothing to do with it. So it hits me… why not get a d/b/a for my company, and change my logo.
And there you go. The Palner Group is now Team Forrest. The logo should come as no suprise.
I brought him home yesterday and placed his bandana around the urn and put his favorite toy next to it. I’m hoping things will start to pick up now and am getting ready for the Vegas trip coming up on saturday.
I’m very thankful that people are letting me keep to myself right now. It’s still a little difficult to talk and I’m appreciative of the alone time.
They say that we should be thankful for the pain we feel with the loss of a loved one; as the pain we feel is a measure of the love felt for them. If this is the case, then I must have loved Forrest more than I’ve loved anything else in my life.
When I posted the previous post about having a bad day, I would have never had imagined that December 20, 2006 would become perhaps the worst day of my life.
When I woke up that morning, Forrest wasn’t doing well and after a trip to the vet’s I learned that he had developed a massive growth that could not be removed and was causing him great pain. Within 14 hours of the last post, Forrest was gone and I would begin to experience the worst days of my life.
I know Forrest may have been “just a dog.” But to me, Forrest was a combination of my best friend, my daily companion, and something that I loved more than anything else. His abscence is tremendous. I miss him deeply and am only now starting to make it more than an hour without breaking into tears.
I’m starting a new foundation in his name to help/provide assistance to rescue organizations, service dogs, etc. and will post more info.
Shitty start generally leads to a shitty day. But there’s a bright point. Between a month where nothing seems to work right for me, and Forrest’s deteriorating health I received my Hanukwanzika gift from my sister and from Martin.
My sister gave me a very nice cigar over’s kit complete with my first ash tray. I don’t think I know how to smoke a cigar without ashing onto the floor, but this kit is so awesome I must learn.
Martin gave me a subscription to Atkins at home, making sure that by this time next year my goal of no longer being morbidly obese should be realized.
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