to dog or not to dog.

TG and I are in the midst of discussions about whether or not to get a dog. When my sister and I were growing up, we had two cats, a gerbil, a rat, a guinea pig, and a rabbit. Not all at once. Come to think of it, there were never more than two animals in our house at the same time. Now we have two cats. And I have had sole custody for that past 3 years. Stefanie has her own dog now. Todd had two dogs (at two different times) when he was younger. I have never had a dog. (Did you get all that?)

Number one reason why I have always said I could not get a dog: I am not responsible enough. I am not responsible enough to take care of an animal that needs more from me than to put out food and water, clean its litter box or cage, and give it excessive snuggling (a la Elmyra from Tiny Toons). To be honest, it scares the bajeezies out of me.

But I'm not on my own anymore. We're a team. And getting a dog is important to Todd, which makes it important to me. I always thought that when we found the right dog, we would just know. It would be the right time, and everything would just fall into place. Well, two weeks ago we found a dog that I fell in love with. We had seen her on their site previously and when I saw that she was still up for adoption, I immediately thought "It's a sign!" She was a beautiful, small, chocolate and carmel shepherd mix. So we went to meet her at an adoption event. She was the perfect size and very playful. She was gorgeous and smiled all the time. But the rescue group, although they liked us very much, decided to place her in a home without cats. It's understandable, but still it broke my heart. I really thought she was "the one".

The rescue group kept us in mind though, and only days later sent Todd an email about another dog they have in a foster home. He is a little bigger, maybe 50 pounds or so, and could still fill out a little bit more. He's a total mutt... shepherd, rottweiler, hound, pitt bull. Who knows. We met him last weekend. He's very cute and brown with soft ears. His temperment is near perfect. He is mellow and smart and quiet. He ignored the cat that was also in the store. But he just didn't smile at me the same way. He's shy. And that's okay, too. All of the volunteers kept saying what a perfect "first dog" he would be.

So now the panic has set in. This is a life changing decision. Having a dog is not like having cats. It's like having a child. Are we financially able to support a third animal? Do our schedules allow for us to give him the amount of attention and care that he will need? I just don't know if I'm ready.

If you have a dog, how did you know it was the right time to get one? How did it change your daily life? Be honest, I'm not looking for blind encouragement. I need the cold, hard facts folks.

Many thanks.

our house.

Our house
Is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you
And our...
La la lalala la la lala la...

batman. lester.

what the twelve?!

2012? Seriously?! How in the world did it get to be 2012? Wasn't it just 1998? So weird. I'm starting to feel like an old lady.

I have a few ideas about how this year is going to go. I want to loose a little bit of weight. Just tone up, really. Two very special weddings are on my calendar this summer. There is talk of puppies and new apartments. And I am really inspired to travel. Well, let's face it, I'm always inspired to travel. But this year feels different. It feels important. Maybe as my life is changing, I'm realizing that I need to keep taking advantage of all this wonderful time I have. Time with my friends, and my family, and Todd. I've been feeling this way ever since my wonderful trip to DC last October.

So far on the ol' schedule I have a trip to Pittsburgh with my sister at the end of the month to visit my Gramma, a whirwind drive to Memphis with Todd and a weekend in NYC with two lovelies in February, a Marketing Summit in LA for work in March, Leah's bachelorette party in New Orleans in April (or March... or May...), an unplanned beach vacation with Todd in May, Cleveland wedding in June, and Michigan wedding in July.

The first half of 2012 is looking promising. (I better start saving my vacation time now!)

And to make this post a little more interesting, here are a few shots from '11 to ring in '12!

A Detroit wedding in May.
At Many Glacier in June.
Dora and I in happier times at my Mexican birthday dinner. (She didn't survive the night...)
Waiting in the Taco Line.
Rachie got married in November. (Isn't she beautious?)
Justin may have overstayed his welcome.
Ringing in the new year with beer that tastes like bacon. Seriously.
Happy New Year! May it be filled with adventure!