Stuart

Tonight I am missing Stuart. My pet tortoise passed away on February 20. She had been in my family for 16 years. I can still remember picking her out at Smitty's pet store and being so excited to bring her home. My dad and I were getting baptized that weekend and he let me count out his change jar. $100 in quarters later she was mine. She was perfect. A tiny little sulcata that could fit in the palm of my hand. I dreamed of her being large enough to ride and knew one day my children would be able to. Stuart would rome my room, the backyard, and even the house sometimes. She had such a personality for a tortoise, almost like a more self maintained and less cuddly dog. She had quite a few adventures in her time. She first moved into the back yard under our lemon trees in Lake Elsinore when she was 5 years old. Then after quite the growth spurt and moving to Logandale we let her take over the entire backyard. After our first year or two in Logandale she ran away. I think she was gone for about 3 months when finally one day our neighbor came strolling down the street with Stuart in a stroller. She had made her way out the back gate and across the alfalfa fields to the Staheli home. She managed to find a play house where she was used as a stool by the neighbor kids who thought she was a giant moving rock. I was so happy to have her return. I couldn't imagine her being gone forever back then. And i still can't now. 

It breaks my heart that my kids wont know her and that she wasn't able to out live me. I wish there was more i could have done for her, or that i would have known how sick she was. My heart breaks every time Leighton has asked for turtle this week. The day that Stuart passed away Leighton walked in my parents backyard and headed straight for Stuarts hole saying she was going to look for the turtle. I took her to see Stuart for the last time and she didn't want to leave her side. I loved how my mom said it today after she was buried. Rest in peace gentle giant.