Dear ________,

You were right. Two years went by faster then I ever imagined. I don't miss him like I thought I would. Only when I want to know the answers to questions like:

• Why are the flowers on the tomato plants falling off?
• Should we wrap the A/C unit in the winter?
• How do I make Ham-a-la-King again?
• Where do I find that verse in the Bible that says...
• Or So-and-so is driving me crazy again! What do I say to him?

Fall came early this year. The wild turkey's that live in the hedge row by the house have been checking out the field making as much noise as a turkey possibly can. A month exactly to the day that he left, I saw a huge buck standing guard of the same hedge row. He stood and just watched me for a while before heading back to the creek. He was at least a 10 point buck.

Regardless of how much time has passed, I am never short on the number of reminders that he's gone. I miss you, Dad.

Motivation

Lately, I've been in need of a really good laugh. For whatever reason, I'm struggling to find the right mental motivation to do stuff (which isn't good because I have TONS of stuff to do) and I'm thinking its because I haven't had a good gut-splitting laugh in a long time. So, if you too are struggling to find the right mental mood to get your day going... take heart and scroll down. Hopefully, this will do the trick!

No More Baby Stuff

Once upon a time, I brought home a cute little black baby...

Who ate out of cute little baby bowls until he was fat and chubby...

And slept in a monster cage when he was barely the size of two tiny toys put together...

But today is the official end of all the baby stuff. Now the little baby is a massive 130 pound black beast (although a very well behaved one)...

Gone are the days of tiny dog bowls. In their place is an enormous 18" high stand that holds an ungodly amount of liquid and food....

Lately, Davey would much rather nap here instead of in his kennel...

About a month ago he decided that our guest bed suited his taste much more than the couch or the fluffy clean blankets in his cage when it came to napping or resting his head for the night. And, we've been leaving David out of his kennel for small periods of time since his first birthday. For probably the last month we haven't been putting him in it at all when we leave for work and he's behaved wonderfully.

So today, I decided that it was time to break down the kennel. For the briefest of moments, I teared up just like I did the day his sweet baby breath disappeared forever, or when he out-grew his first little collar, or the day he lost his first baby tooth, or on his first birthday when he was no longer considered a "puppy". It's all very silly, I know. He is, after all, just a dog. But I hugged him until he grew tired of being hugged, gave a mom-sigh, dismantled the cage, and dragged it out to the garage. I should be relieved that the baby stage is truly behind us now, right? I know... that's what I'll keep telling myself.