I Am Thankful. . . Day 1

It helps me to get through this crazy, insane, out-of-control time of year if I focus just a little bit of my time every day on what I'm thankful for. This year I decided to share it here.

Today I am thankful for my dog, Shadow.

I haven't really ever been a dog person. Cats are really more my speed. But in 1997 I caved and Doug and I got our first dog, Prince. We had him for almost 14 years before he passed away in January 2011. What surprised me the most about losing him was how much I missed him! When he was alive, he drove me crazy because he was always stealing food off of our kitchen table and got into the trash whenever I wasn't looking. But he also kept me company while I worked on costumes in the basement until 3:00 in the morning and he curled up next to me on the couch while I watched TV. He slept with Stephen every night and was the best family dog ever.

So, a few months after he died, I was really ready for another dog. I guess that makes me a dog person now too! Last November, about a week before Thanksgiving, Doug, Stephen and Jessica were on their way home from an Air Force football game when Doug decided, out of the blue, that he needed to check out the dogs at the Humane Society. It must have been inspiration because there he found a 1-year old black lab puppy. Well, long story short, we adopted him and brought him home. We named him Shadow because, well, he just shadows me all day long. He keeps me company, he gives me hugs, and he demands my attention whenever he can get it. And in spite of the fact that he has dug up my strawberry bed twice and tried to steal the bag of Halloween candy last night, I just love that not-so-little guy! So now, we have the other best family dog ever.