M is for MOXIE.

my darling pup girl is eight today. EIGHT. sixty-four in dog years. as I scrambled her eggs this morning, she blinked wearily as she politely sat nearby, watching as the runny mess sizzled in the pan before me. I felt a pang in my heart as I hoped her drowsy blinking was just a result of the early morning hour, and not her aging little body.

I'm sure I've told the story here before, but I got my sweet maizie the Christmas of my senior year of college. she wriggled onto my right shoulder and into my heart instantaneously. she was mine. and lo and behold, as the years have trudged on, she has been my constant companion every single day. from college graduation and moving to birmingham, moving to dallas, losing my job and heading back to waco... the move to nashville, the job shifting here, losing my mimi, losing my mom. I guess an eleven-pounder doesn't have much choice rather than tagging along, but if she had the capacity to be a decision-maker, I have zero doubts she'd be right next to me, every step of the way.

I'm a "dog person" about as much as is possible. she sleeps next to me every single night, she gets washed with my salon shampoo, she has a dedicated drawer for her wardrobe, I bake her homemade dog treats and she eats scramble eggs every weekend, and I save the last bite of whatever I'm eating--at each and every meal--for her. my daily routine heavily revolves around her and I wouldn't change it for the world. ST might say my treatment of her borders on "worship" but why wouldn't it? she has brought me the most immense joy and love. there's something so fulfilling and heartwarming about the adoration of a dog. she is the most perfectly content when she's curled up next to my body, and there her palpable (paw-pable? lawl.) joy when I walk in the room. I thank God for my little noodle munch, and am so excited to return home to her and shower her with homemade treats and pupcakes.

happy birthday, sweet maizie! I know you aren't firing up the laptop to read blogs today, what with your lack of opposable thumbs and all, but you deserve all of the attention and more. thank you for all of the sweetness you bring to me, every day.