Missing Murph

This past Monday was a very sad day for me.  In preparation for our upcoming vacation, our little pooch Murphy went on his own vacation - two full weeks with his nana and papa.

He's already been gone for three days.  The afternoon right after he left, I kept forgetting that he was gone.  When I went onto our back porch I made sure to quickly shut the door so that he wouldn't get out.  I kept seeing a white bean-bag game in our yard out of the corner of my eye and thought it was my little white dog.  When I open a box of cereal or bag of chips, I waited for him to come running - he almost always gets a little cereal treat.  And last night when I was cutting watermelon and dropped a piece on the floor, I instinctively yelled, "Murph!"

"Oooh..."

Now, don't go thinking that I'm super sad, and walking around in a haze of sadness and depression.  I'm actually appreciating not having to run straight home to let him outside.  Last night we went out for wings right after work (unheard of for me!) and THEN on top of that, I went SHOPPING afterward!!! Seriously!?!? I didn't get home until after 8:30 p.m.  It was nice.  I didn't feel guilty about not being home and got a lot of good things done.

But I've also come to appreciate how much value Murph adds to my life.  He is a bundle of love every day when I get home from work.  I love how every morning when DH opens our bedroom door to say goodbye, Murph jumps right onto the bed and starts licking my face.  I love how he's always willing to cuddle no matter where I'm sitting and how whenever I hurt myself (like stub my toe or something stupid) he comes running into the room to check on me, like "what's wrong mommy!??!?"  I love the way he constantly flips the couch pillows onto the floor so that he can snuggle up against the firmer (and I guess better?) arm rests.  He's just so darn cute.

Pets can be a huge burden sometimes - they cost a lot to feed and medicate, they poop in your yard, and they can't be left alone for long periods of time.  And I can totally understand why someone might not want a pet based on those reasons.  But for me, once you have one, you can never go back.  They are always a listening ear (and they never interrupt you or talk back), they unequivocally love you, and even when they're bad it only takes a moment to look into their sweet eyes and forgive them.

Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am a dog owner for life.

We miss you Murph, but we know that you're having a great time with nana and papa! See you in a week and a half!