For those that may not know, my brother, Ryan, was born with Down Syndrome. He is 18 months older than me and just last summer, my best friend became his care-taker. This has become one of the greatest blessings for Ryan. Ticia, my best friend and maid of honor, takes him to cooking classes, pottery, bowling, and so much more. The hours are perfect for Ticia and Ryan is involved in more activities than he has ever been before!
That being said, while Ticia's son was at his dad's for winter break, she asked if she could bring Ryan down to West Virginia. I said of course! We planned this all out and naturally couldn't tell him until the day of. When Ryan gets something in his mind, he will be the only thin he talks about. Ryan was ecstatic!
We got home that night from work to them hanging out in the living room. Ryan even let us put Buck on his lap!
We made dinner and hung out for the night. The next day, and every day they were here, we went to the gym!
After that, Ticia, Ryan, and I went to Valley Falls State Park which is only 25 minutes away from us.
We went off the beaten path and ended up on a little trail. Ryan and Ticia both fell at one point while we were there, but no major injuries!
That night we relaxed with Aaron after dinner. The next morning I spent some time with Ryan and got him to hold Ivy!
Once we were done working out and eating, we headed out to the House of Fashions where I said YES to the dress! My ceremony dress will be wearing the dress my Great Grandma made for my Grandma in 1956. For the reception I wanted something a little different and I found the perfect match!
I had the best crew with me to help pick it out. House of Fashions was amazing! After this, we headed home to grab the croc pot soup I threw in. Brad, Aaron's brother, and his girl friend Lauren, joined us.
Then we headed out to the Fairmont State Men's Basketball game! Ryan loves sports and this one was one of the only sporting events going on while they were in town. This worked out well since it is a Division 2 school where parking, price of tickets, and our seats were better than we would've had at a D1 WVU game.
During half time, I recognized one of our co-workers at the game. We got to talking and while we were, one of the players went up to Ryan and said, "I'll let you shoot a ball later!". Fairmont State won the game and we shook hands with all the players after. They all started heading for the locker room and Ryan kept saying to me, "Kara Number 10!". Our co-worker asked one of the players (#32 who is pictured below), if he could get Isaiah (#10). Isaiah came out with a basketball and let Ryan shoot. It took him a few shots, but once he got it everyone that was gathered around cheered, the coach gave Ryan a hug, and Ryan's face was priceless.
The next day after the gym we stopped at work so a few of our co-workers could meet Ryan. They have met him a few times on FaceTime during my lunch breaks, but they all wanted to meet him in person!
On this day, Aaron and I made the decision to get a Frenchton, a French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix. It was a beautiful day and if you have ever met Ryan, you know he loves cars. Ryan and Aaron headed up to get the newest member of our family. On the way there, they had the windows down and music on. Aaron said he loved it.
While they were there, Ticia and I went to a few shops, One of them was Jerry Dove Nutrition which is a new nutrition shop in Bridgeport. We got ourselves some shakes and headed to the Middletown Commons. At the Middletown Commons in White Hall, there is an adorable boutique, A & K Clothing. We found a few gems there and then went over to the supplement shack to pick up some things for Aaron.
Then we went to one of the greatest places in West Virginia, Gabes. Gabes is similar to Ross (another love of mine), TJ Maxx, or Marshalls. I heard great things about the Gabes in Bridgeport so we went to there. We found the perfect puppy supplies for our pup and Ticia found some great deals for her son Tanner!
Shortly after we got home, our newest member arrived. We named him Grogu! Many people are confused as to why, but if you have watched Star Wars/Mandalorian you know exactly who this is. If you haven't watched that, you have probably seen Baby Yoda on blankets or other kids items. Well, Grogu is Baby Yoda's real name!
We stayed up playing with Grogu and getting him used to his new surroundings. Ryan even pet him which is not common for him. Ryan isn't much of an animal guy so we were happy to see him warm up to our adorable puppy.
The next day they had to drive back to New York. We are so thankful they were able to visit and we were able to enjoy time with them. I am so blessed to have Ticia and Ryan in my life!
Since then we have been enjoying time with Grogu. Here are a few pictures of us and him!
The white fluffy dog is Dax who is our landlords dog. She arrived the same day Ryan and Ticia left. Grogu and Dax quickly became best friends!
It has been a lot of learning having a puppy, but we are excited for this new chapter in our lives.
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