Single… Dog Mom…AND…

Teddy and I had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. We spent time with family and friends. We spent some time snuggling while we watched wonderfully cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix (www.netflix.com). I gave him a bath because his tail was feeling a little bit crunchy. Now he is even more irresistibly fluffy than he was before. We took out all of his Christmas toys, which he thinks are new every year because I hide them in the closet. He went on to play with his toys and bark out the window at the squirrels in the trees. Teddy basically had 4 of the best days of his life. All in all a great long weekend for the both of us.

Teddy and his Christmas Toys

On Thanksgiving day I got to see my family and talk to all of my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. As is custom at most Thanksgivings, one of my cousins was walking a bearded dragon on a leash through the house. The little reptile inadvertently jumped out at one of the guests terrifying the poor thing, but sending us all into fits of laughter. It is my new favorite Thanksgiving memory. I got to chat with my beautiful young cousin who is just starting college. She has such a good head on her shoulders and really seems to know what she wants to do with her life. I offered advice, but I honestly don’t think she even needs it. Talking to my cousin got me to thinking about where I am in life, how I got here, and where I want to go. As an 18 year old starting college, I sure as heck didn’t know what I wanted to do. I had ideas sure, I could be a teacher, I loved writing, was interested in interior design and decorating, and enjoyed planning events. Everyone in my life seemed to think I should be a teacher. So I listened to them and went for it. Remember, at this point I did not have Teddy and I was a very anxious person. After a very anxious but successful 4 years in college and a few unhappy years as a teacher, I changed careers. I was so confused about what I was doing with my life, and the bottom line was I just needed to pay the bills. Also, those pesky college loan payments had come back with a vengeance. I really just took whatever fell into my lap at that time, which was banking and finance. I wanted to see what else was out there and since then I’ve learned A LOT about life and business.

I often think back to what things would be like now had I taken a risk and done something that I really felt passionate about. However, one can spend forever thinking about what could have been. If I had not taken the path that I have, then I may not have become a volunteer at the SPCA and met so many amazing people and animals. Most importantly, I probably wouldn’t have Teddy. My work at the shelter has me thinking about getting more involved in animal behavior and training. I think it would be amazing to be able to use my teaching background along with my animal behavior experience to train service dogs or emotional support animals. I also love writing, which is why I started this blog in the first place. I started writing a few children’s books when I first got out of college, but life kind of got in the way. What I guess I’m trying to say is that it is not too late and I’m still trying to figure everything out. I am single (so what!) I am a dog mom (totally awesome!) AND….what else am I going to be? I personally can’t wait to find out.

Check out this adorable girl, Mya!

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