Exceeds Expectations

We went to Oklahoma this weekend and had a really wonderful weekend.  Celebrated Christmas with mom and dad.  We got way too many fun new things, especially for the kitchen (wahoo!).  I will yap about the yummy awesomeness we ate later, complete with pictures after I download.

There are two things I was nervous about prior to this weekend.  I didn't know how things would go.  Fortunately, I had absolutely no need to worry!

Shadow has never travelled, at least not to our knowledge.  She used to be an outdoor country dog.  Before us, she had never been a family member.  She didn't have toys, or a warm bed.  She doesn't really understand how to even "play" (more on that in a future post)!  We've opened the door to our home and our hearts, and she fits right in with ease.  She rode to and from Oklahoma like a seasoned pro.  She was not nervous or antsy about being in a moving vehicle.  She moved around only as much as our other kids did.  She dove right into the plate licking in grandma's kitchen.  She loved the walks through the acreage. 

She tried really hard to catch a mole or a bunny, but no luck.  It was so cute to see her run up to an area of overgrown brush, and stop with her tail stick straight in the air.  Then suddenly she would just jump into the brush like a jack rabbit (gained as much air vertically as she did horizontally), and all I saw was her tail.  It wagged once, then went very still.  Then off she went like her panties were on fire.  Now she understands why Abby and Keystone love to visit grandma and grandpa's so much.  She is going to sleep for the next two days, just like Abbytail and Keystone.

And the other major surprise of the weekend was... my reunion with my old high school best friend.  We'll call her "SamsMom".  I know that name will be hard for one of my other dearest friends ever, and I love her furry Sam with all of my heart--but I am sure that we are all flexible enough to adjust.  Plus the furry one's name isn't Sam on the Internet anyway, so we're set.  ;-)  Sam is such an awesome name.  One of my very favorites.  I had a cat named Samson once.  ANYWAY....

I was so happy when SamsMom's schedule was clear and she could come see me last Saturday afternoon.  She actually made sure she had time to see me as soon as we firmed up our travel plans.  I was so excited, counting down the hours until the time when she arrived.  

When I opened the door, it was just like we never lost the last nineteen years.  We picked up right where we left off.  We may not be as young or quite as thin as we once were, and *my* memory isn't quite what it used to be when recalling high school acquaintances, but she's still my old friend!  I feared maybe she changed, or I changed and I wouldn't feel the connection I used to have with her, but Not. True. At. All.  We sat there for hours and talked about what we have both been up to for the past 19 years, and what we remember back in high school.  We laughed like the school girls we used to be.  I'm hoping my mom didn't hear too many new stories.  I don't remember many of the other people who graduated in our class.  But I do remember that all the fun I had in high school, was with her.

What an amazing weekend that flew by much too fast.