Finding a New Home for the Dogs

            On December 24, 2014 my children decided to do white elephant gifts for what would be our last Christmas in Utah (only we hadn't planned for it to be our last Christmas together)  Jeanie recycled at least one gift that they had received, possibly both.

  

            They weren't wrapped, but left in black garbage bags, both huge.  One a bit bulkier than the other.  For some reason I was drawn to them - not knowing fully which to choose.  I settled on the flat one, figuring it was a painting of some sort. 

            Many people, when drawing white elephants, will allow a person to choose a wrapped gift or swipe an  unwrapped gift from somebody else.  I didn't know until later that Jenna had actually considered "stealing" the painting I had "unwrapped" but wanted the opportunity to unwrap something herself.  She chose what she considered to be the worst of all the white elephant gifts: sour cream and onion flavored crickets.

             My daughter-in-law, Rochelle was the last one to open a gift.  She chose the remaining plastic bag and removed the mushroom.  We all foresaw that it would be a part of her three-year-old's collection - though the stuffed mushroom appeared to be twice as big as Ester.

             Before we packed our gifts to take home, Jenna asked if she could have the painting.  Funny, because I was going to ask her if she wanted it - but I would have asked as a joke.  She was serious.  And so we took that painting and hung it in her room in West Valley.  We brought it with us to Oregon and it hung in her room at  the first house where we lived.  We brought it with us to our second house.  It hung in her room.  She  had even purchased a dog figurine that matched the painting.  It was placed over the painting until the end of June. 

            The painting had been removed by Service Master when they dried out her room.  It lived in the closet in Roland's office for nearly two months while most of her belongings were a in storage unit somewhere in Winston. When they returned, Jenna rearranged her furniture and walls and decided she no longer had room for this large 16X20 framed picture - though she still really likes it.  She was torn.

             She took a picture and sent it to Kylee along with a photo of a chair we had purchased at a yard sale and a more recent treasure: the hiking bag that had never been used. 

Kylee made a trade with her for some unnecessary stuffed animals.  Jenna loves  animals - even ugly ones.  Not to say that Kylee's animals were ugly . . . I hadn't actually taken a good look.  I just know there are a few animals that I didn't find as appealing as she seems to have. Her room is overcrowded with stuffed animals - which surprisingly did not make it to Winston, but have been in her closet this entire time.  I think Kylee got the better deal.  But that's okay.  Jenna is the one who normally makes out like a bandit.  We both love Kylee and are happy to see her get use out of things that Jenna had already retired.