Introductions: Me

Ever since I was little, I have loved animals.  I constantly nagged my parents to get a dog when I was in elementary school and settled for a go-go-my-walking-pup and countless dog stuffed animals.  Although I understood we didn't have the accommodations or time for a dog, I was still hopeful that one day I would be able to take a furry four-legged creature home.  I was thrilled when we rescued our family cat, Charlie, from the local shelter in junior high school.  I remember picking him up, letting him sleep on my lap, and getting kisses/head butts of love.  He lived a long time and was a very happy, although demanding, cat.  He particularly loved dryer sheets and demanded to drink water from one bathroom sink (the water from the other bathroom sink was not nearly as good).

When I met my husband, Chris, one common interest we immediately shared was our love of pets.  He had always grown up with pets (cats, dogs, turtles, fish, etc.).  It was exciting to meet his family pets, especially their dogs Benjamin and Haley, because these were the first dogs that ever got to know me and recognize me.  Haley was stand-offish at first because she is very protective and territorial.  However, after a family trip to Colorado, everything changed.  There was one evening when Chris and I were driving through a thunderstorm and she nearly climbed up in my lap in the passenger seat because she was scared.  Since I was there for her and reassured her that everything would be ok, we bonded.  Ever since then, we have been very close.  It was so fun to be part of the huge happy fest whenever Chris and I would visit them in LA.  Haley would whine with happiness and Benjamin would constantly walk around with a happily wagging tail.  In the mornings, I would be greeted by happy dogs jumping on my bed.  They made trips so much more fun!

It's no surprise that Chris and I have both a cat and a dog now.  Future blog posts will tell the story of how they came into our lives.