dog.

Dog.  D.O.G.  Those three letters, smushed together to make that short, one-syllable word, are the only three letters that have the ability to make my heart melt and my insides rage all at the same time.  I love dog.  I love MY dog, and although I share her with my boyfriend, his daughter, and his ex-wife's son, she's still my dog.  LaRow knows that I take her to the vet, that I bathe her, that I feed her, walk her, play with her, and put her in her crate at night time.  Every morning she comes to me first and wags her nub-tail for me.  I love my dog and I do not like to share her.

Over a year ago I met a person who loves to share.  He's a wonderfully generous, sweeter than pie, fantastically soft-skinned, incredibly handsome man.  An older man.  With a daughter.  A daughter who was five with half-brother who was twelve, he had a mountain of debt accrued by his cheating ex with whom his divorce was still, erm... pending.  With all of those things, and more, I didn't think it would amount to much.  Fast forward to now and I'm living with him, his daughter, his ex's son, miniature poodle, cat, two turtles, over-watered house plants, unidentified bugs, and one vole who resides behind the broken dishwasher.  This is not the life I had planned for at 23, and I'm definitely a planner.  Ever since I was little I've been planning my life out.  I've been independent (for the most part) and always thought that I could do things on my own with a dog.  But this man.  This man is wonderful and he's sharing his whole life with me.  How can I pass up this opportunity?  He wants to get engaged.  Get married.  Have a baby...  All of which have been absent of my plan until now.  Where's my serenity for the chaos of having my world turned upside down? 

Serenity is in sweet LaRow.  She's mine and she's constant.  Constantly needing a bath, constantly wagging her nub, and constantly giving me her unrelenting companionship.  Entering into a blended family is a learning experience, to say the least, but I love dog.  Dog is my haven.