Dear family and friends,
Happy
Holidays! I am so excited to write this “holiday/2020” card this year because I
joined this family on December 26th of last year and have been
waiting all year to write this year’s card. But I lose my focus easily, so I
forgot many times about my excitement. Usually, it was when I was given a bone
or a stuffed animal. Anyway, I started writing this card in late November and I
hope to finish by January. Oh! By the way, my name is Lizzie and I am a dog.
The Barry family dog. Although I keep hearing they want another dog, this time
one that is small and can be trusted inside. Apparently, I have something
called “Pitbull” and “Boxer” in my lab genes and that makes me like a “Bull in
a China Shop” they say. Either way, I live outside now which is good because I
love to run. Oh! I forgot. I’m supposed to talk about the kids and family. Here
goes. I am going to keep each short since I can’t focus. Squirrel!
Jackson: I’m back. That squirrel got away.
Jackson is tall. He’s the tallest in the house. He wasn’t when I got here, but
like me, he keeps growing. But the family hasn’t moved him outside yet, just to
the basement. He uses his height to play basketball. A lot. I try to eat the
basketballs. A lot. Jackson is 14 and in 10th grade. He has his
driver’s permit and hasn’t run me over yet. He took the ACT test for the first
time last summer and continues to do very well in school. He is looking at a
lot of colleges now. I think that is when they will move him outside. He loves
sports and cats. But not dogs. But I still love him. I love everybody. His
younger siblings love him a lot too because he is very nice to them & plays
with them.
Abby: Okay, I’m back. I chased a leaf all over the
yard and forgot I was writing. Two weeks have passed. Abby…she loses focus a
lot just like me! And she is always doing something. She seems to run the
house. She takes me for walks or at least lets me run in the fields. Abby is
very talented in many things: softball, volleyball, she will soon do track, artwork,
crafts, baking…she even makes me food! She teaches her younger siblings math
and how to read/write. She teaches me tricks. I already know how to write, I’m
writing this! Abby is 12 and in 7th grade. She is a true social
butterfly. Oh, and she’s 5 ft tall finally!
Quinn: I’m
trying to focus, but there were some pool inflatables that I found and they had
to be destroyed and chewed. I got them. They won’t harm anyone now. So Quinn,
this guy is unique. He LOVES animals, but seems to love cats more. He is always
reading a book. Reading looks fun, but I only eat books, so I don’t know.
Quinn’s reading skills have really helped him in school. All these kids seem
smart, but I think Quinn might be the smartest. He is also very funny and a
good actor. He likes to read, play basketball, do nice things for others, and
play video games. He shares a room with Sully and they play a lot. They have a
lot of fun. Maybe if we get another dog, I can play with a friend? Hmmm….
Sullivan:
Sorry, another week has gone by. I had to pee and then I had to smell other pee
spots in the yard and then I got digging holes. I don’t know why, I just do it.
Anyway, I love Sully and he loves me! He is the perfect height to tackle and
run over. He cries sometimes but he still loves me and I think he is my best
friend. Sully is very caring and is really doing well in 2nd grade.
He is 7. Did I mention Quinn is 9 and in 4th grade? I forget. Oh
well. Anyway, Sully loves his teacher and she loves him. Sully loves sports
too. Baseball is his favorite and he has a hitting net now he uses. It catches
the balls he hits. But so do I. But I eat them and run with them. He hates
that. Sully loves basketball too and playing football with his brothers. Sully
is super nice to Claire but they fight at times. But I think they love each
other. That’s nice.
Claire:
She is so small, like a puppy. Okay, I’m back. It has been a week, but I get so
excited about puppies, I ran off when I typed the word puppy. Okay, I’m back
again. I won’t leave again. Claire, she is small but talks a lot. She is very
funny. She is 5 and in Kindergarten. She already knows a lot of math and writes
a lot of things on paper. I like to eat paper too. She is really learning to
read now and will soon be like her siblings, always reading a book. Claire
loves softball, loves to do crafts, and loves to run and scream. She also likes
to play in her room and hang with her friend and my friend, Courtney.
Now to
finish with my masters. The Dad, Ben, is who found me and rescued me from the
shelter. He is my hero. He is like a really big teddy bear, soft and fluffy and
fun to squeeze. But I don’t rip him apart like my other teddy bears. When he
and all the kids found me, I knew I found a family who I would love and would
give me a nice home. And they have. Wait, I’m talking about who again? Oh, Ben.
He is a school counselor at the middle school which is just 2 miles away. He
drives a lot. To practices, to school, to get donuts (I love donuts!), to the
card shop (he has over 50,000 sports cards), and sometimes just to get away I
think. He enjoys his job and it keeps him busy. He cares for a lot of kids and
he cares for me. I think he is caring. He mostly likes to be with people and
animals. At this new house, he likes to host parties. They even invited the
community to walk through the house to raise money for the local library! Ben
seems like a nice guy. He is married to Reagan who works at UnityPoint. She
leaves super early some mornings when she does surgery in the OR. She wakes me
up when she does this, but that’s okay because I have to pee anyway. She is
amazing at what she does. I hear all sorts of people who come to swim in our
pool talk about how awesome she is at her job. She is also very nice and
caring. She didn’t like me inside, but she is still so nice to me. She cooks,
cleans, decorated the whole house this Christmas, hosted Christmas, and doesn’t
seem to ever sleep. She loves her kids and they love her. I think even more
than me and Ben combined! My masters are good people.
I think
I might be done writing. I’m tired and I see a dog bowl with food in it, so I
need to go. Since you will get this card after the New Year, maybe it is a good
time to think about the ways we are all blessed. I mean, look at me. Last
Christmas, I was shivering in a shelter and not sure if I would ever find a
family. And now I’m with 7 humans who treat me like one of the family. It is
amazing how love and joy and kindness spreads all around when you open your
hearts and home to a new member. I think Christmas is like that….a time to open
our hearts and home to a new member, a baby, Jesus. And then to follow it with
the New Year where we can all think about ways to keep spreading joy, love, and
kindness to many others and welcome them into our heart. I don’t know about
you, but this all sounds pretty good. Just like that bowl of food I was
thinking about. So I’m going to go eat and I hope you all had a great Christmas
and are having a great start to your 2020!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless this Holiday season!
The Barrys (Ben, Reagan, Jackson, Abigail, Quinn,
Sullivan, Claire), 1 dog, 2 fish, 4 cats
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