"Dog is God spelled backwards."

*Julia Wilkinson, OSB*

I am home safely and enjoying my time in Des Moines. The weather, though warmer than it should be, is wonderful for driving. I spent today just doing little odds and ends and am anxiously awaiting a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning I am leaving for Collegeville, Minnesota to go spend the weekend with Lauren and celebrate her birthday. YAY! I am quite excited--it's been awhile since we've had a weekend to talk, hang out, laugh, ponder all the problems of the world, and then solve them! (Smile)

It is SOOO wonderful to be home, to see family, to sleep in a comfortable bed, and to eat real food---some of the things I miss the most at BC. I also, without a doubt, miss my dog when I'm at BC. She is certainly my baby--thus, I named her Baby. She is very special to me; when I was a freshman at BC, my roommate and I were in the country taking pictures for cards when out of a ditch crawled a starving puppy--I made my roomie stop the car and I got out. I called the dog over and she tried to run but couldn't she just laid down--so I picked her up and she snuggled right in my shoulder--I knew then she was mine forver. We took her to the vet, and then convinced my Dad to let me bring it home for good. Sarah and I kept her at the vet for a few days to make sure she was okay and snuck her in our room as well--she had nothing wrong with her except she was starved!! It was so hard to leave her when I had to return to BC after that Christmas break...I was so afraid when I went back to school and left her with my Dad she would forget me, but never once has that happened. When I walk in the door she goes CRAZY with excitement and if I sit down she tries to sit in my lap--she has yet to learn that she's grown to be a 100 pound dog--she's not a lap dog anymore. She is quite large (mostly muscle) but she is as gentle as they come. I am SOO very grateful for her. Everytime I see a dog I think of Julia...how much she adored them and how much she said we could learn from them. I'm pretty crazy about my dog---I have never seen loyalty and love so pure--funny how we can get that from our animals without evening trying.

Hope everyone is doing well in the chaos of preparing for Christmas.
ENJOY the Advent season. Lots of love & Hugs!

Picture: Me and my Baby last winter.