Sweet Zeek - my heart is broken

Our sweet Golden boy Zeek passed away in his sleep  this morning, he was 14 1/2 years old. 

To say that my heart is broken doesn’t even begin to scrape the surface.  My precious boy has taken almost every step I have taken for the past 15 years. 

Zeek was with me when I began this business 10 years ago, he was our first official Shoppe dog; he went to work with me every day, he slept right beside my side of the bed every night.....his absence leaves a hole of gigantic proportions.

 The computer keypad is wet with tears as I type… my heart aches as I look at his half empty food bowl and silent squeak toy. 

Everywhere I look, there is a reminder of him…..

our home, my office, the car, the yard…..everywhere.

Even the jingle of my car keys are a reminder of him.....for him that sound meant it was time to go bye-bye and always brought excitement, he went everywhere we did. 

The empty space in my car and in my heart is overwhelming.

Zeek was our 3^rd golden, we lost the first two to cancer. 
He lived the longest, he loved the hardest, and he is deepest within my heart.  I will never forget him, he is a part of me.

  He had the biggest heart... I always wished I could love people the way that he did….unconditionally.

Many times I told people that "he was all heart and made up of 100% love"……he brought so much joy into our lives, and into the lives of our friends, staff, and customers.

The fact that we lost him to a diagnosis of an enlarged heart speaks volumes….

his heart was always enlarged….with love.


LA Crewmember, and our dear friend Patty Moore, gave us this painting of Zeek several years ago...

I’ve lost many pets through the years and my experience tells me that time will help me accept this sad loss. 

 But, right now my heart rejects any thought that isn’t a chance to hug that big ol' neck of his again.

Dear God, please watch over our sweet boy as he waits at Rainbow Bridge.

Please heal my broken heart....

Rest in Peace sweet Zeek, I will love you forever.
aka LaurieAnna's Shoppe Dog

April  15, 2000 – December 11, 2014

~~~~~~~~

~My apologies for the sad post, but I couldn't bear the thought of not paying tribute to my sweet boy....he brought so much love and joy to others.

 

I'll Be Back in a Bit...

Our sweet friends, Fred & Peggy keep our baby, Zeek, for us when we travel. 

We refer to their home as Camp Willow ~ they love Zeek like we love him. 

Their store is right next door to ours, and Zeek knows this.  So, now anytime he gets the notion, Zeek will follow a customer out of the Shoppe and trot down down the sidewalk to Willows next door.

If he could talk, I'm sure he'd say, "I'll be back in a bit".

When it first happened I was in frantic mode looking for him.  Not so anymore, now I know he can be found next door playing Shoppe Dog at Fred & Peggy's place.....lounging and eating treats. 

He has it so rough.

Our boy has a social life.  How cute is that?

Thank you Fred & Peggy, for making our old guy feel at home. 
We all love you!

Thanks also to our customers for giving us the best January show we've ever had!

~ Real Treasure ~

We may have finished the Shoppe expansion, but Fall and Christmas goodies have been arriving by the truckloads daily!  You will not believe how much new stuff we have this month.....it's CRAZY!! 

 

It's made for some long hours at the Shoppe, but several on the crew alongside hubby and I are having a great time getting it done. :-)) 

 

This week my precious friend Patty, who is a part of our crew, had her hubby Ronnie bring in a surprise while we were all eating lunch.  A surprise that she had been working on for a while.

 

Using the photo above that she found HERE on my blog, she painted a portrait of our sweet boy Zeek.

 

Zeek takes every step we do, both at home and at work, and he's been with us for his entire 13 years so you can probably imagine the impact such a thoughtful effort would have on me. 

 

Her talented hands captured his sweet face so perfectly and I LOVE that the porch of our farmhouse is included in the painting.  But, even more I love that it was painted as a surprise gift from a very precious and talented friend. 

 

Take a look at her wonderful work.....

 

Isn't that amazing? 

 

She painted that from a photo on my blog.....such incredible talent!

 

You may remember that Patty was the artist for the wonderful painting (shown below) that was featured in our farmhouse dining room makeover HERE.  I told her we are working on our own little artist gallery of her work.  :-))

 

The painting will very soon find its place inside the Farmhouse on Main, but first I want to share it with our customers.  So this month you can see it hanging behind the sales counter at the Shoppe. You'll also find Patty's sweet smiling face on the salesfloor. 

 

The Shoppe will be filled to the brim with treasures for the upcoming show, but the wonderful people on my crew are the true treasures.

 

I'm so thankful for the friends in my life.....so very very thankful.

 

Thank you Patty!

 

 

Shop LaurieAnna's 24/7 HERE.

Find Farmhouse on Main products HERE.

My Heart is Heavy

Most of our customers have met our shoppe dog, Zeek, at one time or another.  He's our 11 year old Golden that takes almost every step I take.....everything about him is beautiful, he's one of the biggest joys of my life. 

Our sweet boy is sick.  The vet has kept him for tests and to get some IV fluids in him.   My heart just aches....I can think of little else.

 
There is a big hole in our home without him here.  I miss him terribly and wish I could be with him right now.
Please say a puppy prayer for our baby, Zeek.

Shoppe Dog

It wasn't until this show that I realized just how much you look forward to seeing Zeek at the shoppe. 

So many of you asked where he was. 

He was keeping me company at 5th Place....all 97 lbs of him!

He missed seeing you too!

Zeek and I will both be back at the shoppe next month!!

Will we see you there?

Applause, applause... What a show!

What a show indeed!

 

Let me just start by saying if you weren't at the shoppe last week during our show or in Canton, then you were one of very few.

 

 

A packed Shoppe....filled with the things that make this place more like a home than a store.  Hence our name, LaurieAnna's Vintage "HOME".

 

We adore having all the babies and pups in the Shoppe, and you never fail to deliver. 

 

On any given day during the show, a visitor could wander in to the Shoppe and think we were holding a cutest baby contest. 

 

Seriously....so much cuteness! These moms could sell tickets just to be in the presence of such cuteness!

 We were delighted to have a bus load of probably 40 women from the Covenant Church of Colleyville. 

 

Dressed in cute matching t-shirts, what a treat these ladies were to have as guests in our Shoppe home. Many of them have been long-time LaurieAnna's shoppers.....we're happy to be on their bus route during their Canton trips.

 

Our sweet friends Tracy and Michael, along with their family and friends, popped in...they are former LA crew members and we miss seeing them so much!  They requested some time with Emory and Zeek. 

 I'm amazed by how many people ask to see Zeek and Emory. 

They are always present during the shows although they can typically be found napping in my office.
 

One of my all-time sweetest customer experiences, I spotted this dad walking through the store carrying 4 wooden swords.  I smiled and asked, "Knife thrower?". :-) Turns out, he and his wife visited the Shoppe with their sons. They had just purchased wood swords for the boys at the First Monday grounds.  Upon entering the Shoppe, I guess he decided that perhaps the swords and the Shoppe might not be a good fit.  Too cute!  He returned the swords to the boys outside and was kind enough to let me snap a pic. 

 

Being a Shoppe owner is an amazingly rewarding experience....as long as you make sure it's about more than sales. 

Don't get me wrong, the record breaking sales that we enjoyed this past show are  a blessing.  A blessing that lets us keep on doing what we love, but the real reward is the people. 

 

Hands down....it's the people.

 

Thank you making LaurieAnna's a destination store, thank you for telling your friends, and thank you for visiting our home each month.....you are the reason for it all.

 

Thanks also for following us on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. We have so many photos to share with you this month!

 

Till next time...

 

I've Got the June "Bug"!

Holy Smokes!  Where did Spring go?  It's crazy to me that summer is here and one of my favorite months, the one that changes my self diagnosis from spring 'fever' to the June 'bug' is almost gone!

While there are definitely specific things I relate to June, I decided to do a little research to see why other folks might love this special month that kicks off our summer season.  And what I found was...ummm....interesting. For example, there are a number of untraditional celebrations that are lesser known, like:

'Hug Your Cat Day' -

Zeek and Emory would disown me.

'Old Maids Day'

Uh, no---not even going there.

'National Yo-Yo Day'

I think I will let Willie celebrate that one!

'Waffle Iron Day'

Guess I could celebrate that one at a restaurant.

'Iced Tea Day'

Now here's one I can get behind!  Nothing like making a little sun tea in June!

So while the research was interesting and entertaining, it did not change my personal reasons for loving June.  In comparison, some might even find my traditional, southern thoughts a bit boring---and that is OK, because to me, they are what June is all about:

I just can't get enough of the official flower of June---the rose. 

 Whether growing in our Farmhouse garden or displayed at The Shoppe, those beautiful, delicate buds just put a smile on my face. They may be depicted in a painting, formed into light fixtures on chandeliers, added as decorative elements on frames, or plates, or soaps----and wherever they are, they always make me feel happy!

You can't think of June without thinking of weddings!  It gives me such great joy when customers come to the Shoppe to find just the perfect lighting, linens, candles, flowers, place settings, bridesmaids gifts, clothes, displays---I could go on and on!  Whether families are planning traditional church weddings, outdoor ceremonies, or the very popular farmhouse/barn weddings, I hope those brides-to-be have as much fun shopping for their special treasures, as I have helping them find them.  Makes me so happy!!!

 

 

 And of course we couldn't forget Father's Day!

 

So many things about June make me happy!  What are some of your favorite things about June?