Puppy Love

Last weekend I fled to my parents’ house. I tend to do this when life gets to be too much for me. After Gary basically told me he was leaving me for someone else, I had to get out of town and find some peace. Sometimes you just need your parents to talk to, cry to or to simply remind you that everything is going to be okay. Mine are great for that. My father is less vocal in his support and advice, as I’m sure he’d rather just snap Gary’s neck, but he has a way of being there for me without really saying anything. My mother is more like me, she vocalizes her anger and disgust over the situation and listens and commiserates with me, but she is quick to remind me he isn’t worth another thought, telling me not to waste another moment wondering, caring, analyzing or feeling sorry for myself…that I am more than enough and if someone can’t see that, it’s their problem, not mine.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that I knew getting away to mom and dad’s last weekend was more than necessary. I’ve mentioned before that my parents live in the country, so there aren’t a whole lot of crazy things to do, but that’s why it’s nice to get away to. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to head to the flee market and grab lunch somewhere later on. Now, I’m not a huge fan of flee markets. There is something about seeing rednecks drinking beer and shopping for fishing gear at 9 a.m. that just doesn’t sit well with me. This particular flee market really isn’t too bad though and I love going there with my parents because there are ALWAYS puppies for sale and they are just so fun to look at! There is one breeder there every weekend who just has so much passion for animals that you can’t help but love her. We visited her first thing and that is where I first laid eyes on this guy…

How could I resist?

Now, I’ve wanted to get a dog for a while now. There have always been a million reasons not to get one: I don’t have time for a puppy, I want to wait until I’m settled down and married so there is someone else to help, I don’t know what kind I want…the list goes on.

When I saw this little guy, I knew this was what I wanted. He’s a dwarf lab, which means he’ll only grow to be 20-25 pounds, a very manageable size for me. He looked up at me with those beautiful green eyes and I was hooked. We said our goodbyes and left the puppies, walked around for a while and on our way out, stopped by to see him again. Next thing I knew he was cuddled up on my lap in the car heading home.

Was this all a little impulsive? Obviously. But when it comes down to it, there are always going to be reasons not to do something. I am a strong, independent, smart woman. I can make this work. I am lucky to have a fairly flexible job that is going to help getting through these first few weeks with a new puppy especially.

My silver lining, Blake

I was just thinking sometimes you just need to take the plunge and things will work out. I knew this puppy would bring lots of joy into my life and even better, I can count on him to not leave me for someone else. My wonderfully supportive parents must have seen the joy on my face when I was holding him and wanted to do whatever they could to keep that happiness going. They also knew I would need to focus all of my attention on taking care of my new baby that I wouldn’t be focused on getting my heart broken so much.

So here we are, a week later. You all already know I am still recovering from the break up, but lucky for me, I have Blake (named after country music artist Blake Shelton) as my sweet silver lining. If I hadn’t run off to my parents’ I wouldn’t have this little guy brightening my days. Life is funny like that. My parents are amazing.

End of story.