When Lauren found out that her best friend, a 160-pound English Mastiff, had only a few months left, she was devastated.
1. Ride in a canoe
2.
See Times Square
3. Cook
lobster in Maine
4. Eat
ice cream on a dock
5.
Go on a road trip
6.
Cuddle as much as possible
7.
Spend a whole day at Washington Square Park
8.
Go to a party and meet a cute boy dog
9. Find
the best doughnut in the world
10.
Meet Santa
11.
Sit on the beach in the winter
Lauren
and Gizelle had been through a lot together. This dog wasn’t only her best
friend – she was her roommate, confident, and companion through difficult
moments as well as happy ones.
But Gizelle didn’t like to see Lauren cry, because she would get
depressed too. So Lauren decided she had to be strong and do something special
for Gizelle. So she took her on a bucket list adventure.
“Doing a bucket list for Gizelle not only helped me cope with
losing her, it was also one wild ride. It helped me live in the present and see
life for what it truly is: a sweet, simple, precious adventure.”
Here are some of their favorite adventures.
1. Ride in a canoe
They
often watched The Little Mermaid together, and one of their favorite scenes was
the one in which Ariel is chauffeured in a row boat by Prince Eric.
2.
See Times Square
They went very early when
the streets were not crowded and stood at the Crossroads of the World for a few
moments. It was magical.
3. Cook
lobster in Maine
4. Eat
ice cream on a dock
They
found a quiet dock where they could peacefully have an ice cream, observe the
boats float by, and enjoy. Gizelle loved it!
5.
Go on a road trip
Lauren,
her friend Rebecca, and Gizelle went on a four-day girls-only road trip across
New England. They left all problems behind and traveled without a particular
destination in mind and navigating with a paper atlas. The only true problem
during the trip was trying to figure out if Gizelle preferred Taylor Swift or
the Beach Boys.
6.
Cuddle as much as possible
Gizelle
was bigger than Lauren, but that didn’t matter.
“She helped teach me that love is the most wonderful gift I can
receive, and it is the best thing I have to give. My lap became her desired
seat, and it was awesome.”
7.
Spend a whole day at Washington Square Park
They
sat for a whole day in Washington Square Park in downtown N.Y.C. and crowd
watched.
8.
Go to a party and meet a cute boy dog
Gizelle had always been
Lauren’s wing girl, so now it was her turn.
9. Find
the best doughnut in the world
They
went on a quest to find a family-owned doughnut-store recommended by a friend.
It was located up the coast of Maine. They ate the whole box sitting in the
grass.
10.
Meet Santa
Lauren
knew that 2014 would be Gizelle’s last Christmas, so she really wanted her to
meet Santa.
11.
Sit on the beach in the winter
The vet
said that Gizelle wouldn’t make it until Christmas, but in January we sat in
the beach in Maine while it snowed the day before she passed away. She asked
herself if this was her plan the whole time, to take her on an adventure.
“Even in the emptiness of that beach that day, I could see Gizelle
running free long the shore, rolling in the sand, awkwardly spooked by
approaching waves. I knew she would live on through my experiences, and that I
gave her the best life I could. And that to me was infinitely healing.”
Source: yahoo