Home Sweet Home

I apologize for my absence this week, but we have been visiting family in the Deep South. We had a wonderful time, and are completely worn out! (It's a loooong trip from the Midwest-10 hours to be exact. It feels even longer with two small children!)

To illustrate my complete exhaustion, I'd like to share with you a story my aunt e-mailed me tonight...so appropriate!

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks. Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.' The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

--Anonymous

I will be back soon with stories and pictures of our trip...goodnight!