Turns out, Pete is the best behaved dog of my pack - which, by the way, now stands at three (I think he's so well-behaved because I didn't raise him). Whoever did, did an excellent job. This dog has manners, knows basic commands, and loves everyone. So, I guess the answer to my initial question is a "yes." Yes, I do have room for one more. Well, actually, four more - muddy paws, that is. But with a face like this, whose counting?

As always, I enjoy hearing from you. Email me anytime at pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

Over the years, our Blooper Reel fell by the wayside, and quite frankly, our holiday parties have never been the same. Until this past holiday. I spent 2007 collecting what bloopers I could, and with the help of Rob Frank from our Promotions Department, we put together the best "on air" and "off air" mistakes of 2007. Of course, what you can see here on this blog is a much more "clean" version of what we enjoyed this past Christmas...but, I stil think you will find a lot of humor in our outtakes!

Please take a moment to click on the link below for a quick behind the scenes - and not so behind the scenes look - at our staff...Enjoy!

Click Here!

As always - I enjoy hearing from you! Email me anytime at pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

That said...back to my Sunday. One of the testing requirements Bella must complete is the ability to walk on her leash, along side a wheelchair. Not whiz down the isle. Not pull the chair 5 miles per hour in a zig-zagging fashion. Spinning the occupied wheelchair in a counter-clockwise direction is also bad. It’s not as if I needed anyone to tell me that - but I definitely found out the hard way on Sunday. Let's just suffice it to say, Bella needs work. A lot of work. We spent our training class in a back isle of PetSmart while Bella and I tried to maneuver this chair. Trust me, it is easier said than done. My shins are completely banged up from careening out of control and crashing no less than a dozen times.

In hindsight, I should have put a sign on the chair that said “therapy dog in training” and here’s why…at the end of the class, I simply got up, and walked away.

It would be an understatement to say that this generated some attention. Since it’s not uncommon for some pet owners to spend their day at PetSmart walking their dog, more than one visitor saw me in that wheelchair. But one gentleman in particular, spent a lot of time looking on, quite sympathetic, as Bella spun me through the isle. In fact, at one point, he was kind enough to stop and pick up a box of dog bones we unknowingly knocked to the floor. Since I knew what I was doing, it never registered in my mind that the people seeing me think I’m in this wheelchair for a reason. Had I considered that - I certainly would have taken the time to explain...

As I was being pulled out of PetSmart (Bella also needs to learn not to drag me like a rag doll behind her leash) that kind gentleman stopped me. Politely, but with obvious concern, he said he just had to ask…Was I miraculously healed?

It took some explaining, but he and I parted ways, smiling, over the experience. In the end, we both agreed to count our blessings that we have two functioning legs...and together, he and I walked away, without assistance.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you! Email me anytime at pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

Mary Christmas – What, No Noel?
It is expected to be a very Merry Christmas, for Utah’s newest bride, Mary Christmas. The former Mary Young wed Brian Christmas earlier this year. Keeping the spirit alive, Mary Christmas says, simply, “It was meant to be. God has a sense of humor. What are the chances that this would ever happen?” Apparently pretty good, considering there are as many as 100 other Mary Christmases across the nation. Her husband Brian says that the best part of her name is that he has a Mary Christmas all year long, not just in December. They couple say they will likely name their first child “Joy”…

Bad Memories? Forgeddabout it!
In the spirit of starting a new in 2008 – a shredding company is inviting New Yorkers a chance to shred any bad memory of 2007. You want rid of it – they’ll do the job! Photos of ex-spouses, lousy report cards, annoying CDs, photos of bad hair days gone by – those are just a few of the items they’ve shred in the past. If you needed an extra incentive, the New York Department of Sanitation is offering to pay its shredders a $250 grand prize for the person who brings in the most creative form of “letting go.”

Suit Against Deceased Motorists Dropped
A lawsuit filed against two dead motorists in New Jersey has been dismissed. The Turnpike Authority admits that it made a mistake when it sued two people who died in a tragic highway collision. The Turnpike was seeking $10,000 in damages made to the roadway, but the lawsuit has now been dismissed because they don’t target people involved in fatal accidents.

“Kitt” Car
The original KITT from the 1980s hit TV series, Knight Rider, is for sale. On December 20th, the 1984 black Pontiac Trans Am was posted for sale on Ebay. The car is being sold to satisfy the estate of slain real estate developer, Andrew Kissel, who was killed in 2006. His death still remains an unsolved mystery. The minimum bid is $20,000.

Pricey Kicks
A customer looking for a size 10 pair of sneakers at a Missouri mall ended up with much more than he expected. The unidentified man found more than $5,200 in cash inside a black Reebok shoe he was trying on Tuesday. The store had no report of missing money. Employees think the shoes had been returned by a previous customer. The man who found the money could have kept it and had a very happy holiday, but instead - he did the right thing - and turned it in to authorities. If no one comes forward to claim the money, the store gets to keep the cash!

Have a Blessed Holiday and a safe New Year!

As always, I enjoy hearing from you. Feel free to email me anytime at pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

Flip the calendar back to Thanksgiving weekend, 2006. An exceptionally warm day – the perfect afternoon to drag my family to the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland’s West side for the Grand Opening of the newly restored Christmas Story house. Filmed back in 1983, several key scenes in the movie were shot on location inside this Cleveland home, other scenes shot in a studio in Canada. The house has been renovated to look like it did in the movie. While that's all nice and good, we traveled an hour and a half for one thing and one thing only: that glowing beauty of a leg lamp.

We decided, as a family, that the lighting of this lamp is forever to be a crowning moment in our holiday celebrations. A time when we come together to turn the switch of this glowing beacon - our official welcome-in of the holiday - capped off with the infamous leg shining from our living room window. Okay - I am being overly dramatic for a reason. You see, I really, really wanted this leg lamp. I really, really think it's cool. Funny. Expressive. Even hip, if you may.... Something to help make memories of us.

So, we unpack this lamp from its Fragile box, put it on the front table window, click it on, and head outside to bask in our glory. I kid you not – the stinkin' thing isn’t in the front window for more than three hours before I get a call from the next door neighbor. She says, and I am able to accurately quote here: “Pat, only you would get a leg lamp and put it in your front window! Well...there goes the neighborhood!”

Just like Old Man Parker, my major award is a major mockery! Fortunately, I take it all in stride, and right on schedule, we welcome in this 2007 holiday season again with my shining star.

Now, in light of all this neighborly attention, I've decided to start a new holiday tradition. This one has me looking ahead to spring. I'm sewing myself a pink bunny suit just like the one Ralphie got from his Aunt Clara on Christmas Day, and it ought to be done just in time for Easter!

As always, I enjoy hearing from you! Feel free to E-mail me anytime: pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

My father was an antique gun dealer, mostly items from World War II. In his collection of guns and rare artifacts, I was given something very unique. A one-of-a-kind, original 16mm home movie of Adolph Hitler. A rare glimpse into the life of a tyrant during the height of his reign of terror. A couple of years before dad died, he gave me that film - but not before he felt that I fully understood the magnitude of Hitler's horrific dictatorship, and his annihilation of two-thirds of the European Jewry. I promised dad that no matter what I do with the film, I will never glorify the man who redefined evil. I also promised to never let the film fall into the hands of someone who does not believe the same.

Mission Accomplished
It was in May 1945 in the Berghof, Hitler’s home in the Bavarian Alps town of Berchtesgaden. A good friend of my father is among the first U.S soldiers to enter the Fuhrer’s home. A member of the 101st Airborn unit, Special Intelligence Group, the unit finds the Eagles Nest in ruins. Once rumored to house piles of gold bars, there is none to be found. Also gone is the more obvious items of value. And, the Germans. There is no one inside. Soldiers grab what they can, items they hope will make it back to the states, through the mail or personal transport. My father’s friend mailed back his treasures from Switzerland.

The Journal
My father kept a detailed hand-written journal for me. The pages spell out how he came to purchase this film, but more importantly, the historical significance the recorded image contains. The journal relives the war experience of his friend, TEC. 3 SIG C US Army Officer Frederick C. Leffingwell. It was May of 1945, and Leffingwell spent days inside the Eagles Nest. Leffingwell was a military communications expert, and according to dad's journal, his role crucial as the US Army set up a new command and communications post inside. History details many stories of US soldiers gathering items of personal interest, and Leffingwell is one of them. He sent back to the US at least 20 German gauges and meters, a Walther P-38, a letter opener, cigarette lighter, pen and pencil set – and, this single reel of 16mm film. The film was in top desk drawer of Hitler's personal writing desk. It sat next to Hitler's pistol. The journal continues with a description of Hitler’s bombed out bunker. A door that lead from Hitler's office into a projection room, or small movie theater. That's where Leffingwell says he found the wooden box he used to mail everything back to the US. The journal says he had hoped the box would make it safely. It did.

A Historian Revealed
AGFA Safety film is said to be one of the most durable and resistant types of film created. To the naked eye, this 60 year old home movie on AGFA Safety film, looks to be in mint condition. I have never watched the film. The only people who have are not alive today. Because of that, travelling through history to investigate the film's content has been difficult, but not impossible. Through my research, I have been called on as an expert in Third Reich collectibles. In October of this year, I was invited to travel to Glasgow University, the fourth oldest University in the UK, to present an oral history on the subject as a special guest speaker. I'm thinking I'd really like to go.

The Film
20 minutes in length, captured in black and white, with audio. It is believed to be a home movie of the Wound Badge Ceremony held September 2, 1944 inside the Eagles Nest. The medal is the most rare accommodation ever awarded by Adolph Hitler. The medal was only issued to a handful of officers and aides who were injured during that famous, and failed, assassination attempt at the Wolf’s Lair in Rastenburg, East Prussia, July 20, 1944. Twenty-four individuals were present when the bomb detonated. Twenty-one survived. If my 30 years of research is correct - my film is that Wound Badge Ceremony. Held inside the Eagles Nest, the award ceremony is followed by a dinner party and celebration. It is less than two months after the attempt on his life, and the injury to the right side of Hitler's body is obvious. Benito Mussolini is a special guest at this event. Dressed in civilian clothing, his presence adds a new element to the film. Here's why: history books have recorded only 17 times when Hitler and Mussolini are believed to have spent time together. What I can't confirm is if this is one of those times, or the 18th?

What's Next
I read with interest an article last month published nationwide of a WWII Vet auctioning off a globe that once belonged to Hitler. It hits the auction block in San Francisco in mid November. That brings me to my own piece of history. That same auction house handling the sale of the globe has contacted me, with an interest in additional information. I could have the film hit the auction block in 2008. And that could time out well with the 2008 release of Valkyrie, the movie starring Tom Cruise stars as Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, the man who led an assassination plot on Hitler's life.

For now, this film sits in the same safety deposit box where it's been in for the past 50 years. The history books have been written. I'll let you know if I can add a new page.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you! Email me anytime at Pat.VanZandt@wsee.tv

If you're a historian like me, and are interested in more information, feel free to drop me a line.

If you're not familiar with the breed, they're massive dogs that look like the St. Bernard, but bigger. Most are black, some are black and white, and a few are solid brown. They're called gentle giants. Water rescue dogs by nature, very loyal, and even tempered.

I started my research at the official Newfoundland AKC website. One sub headline read simply: Drool. Here's a little fun fact. A Newfie can sling drool up to 20 feet with one whip of the head. Hey, what's a little drool among friends? I'm already a firm believer that no outfit is complete without dog hair or dog drool on it anyway. I read on.

Strength. A full grown male Newfoundland can pull up to 2,000 pounds. That could certainly make a walk around the block much more interesting. I picture myself flopping behind a leash during a routine drag to the city.

Then, the montage of photos labeled: Newfies Gone Bad. Picture after picture of Newfs in a pile of rubble that appears to have been, at one point in time, a piece of furniture. Is that an end table, or kitchen chair? Chewed beyond recognition. I'm not even sure if the owner knows. Small trees uprooted and left in splinters. One photo shows a Newfie with a bowling ball he uses as a chew toy. That was it. I had seen enough. I was in.

This is Bella at 10 weeks. In this photo she weighs 29 lbs. Two weeks later, a voluptuous 40. At this rate you might think she'll be about 300 lbs. when full grown, but the vet assures me she'll top out around 120. She's what you'd call a big-boned gal with a great personality. The president of the Newfoundland Club of PA sent me a quick e-mail that reads: "Get ready for drool, mud, and hair 24/7, 365 days a week. Oh, and enjoy your little Newfie." You'll notice that Bella is black and white, which is a Landseer Newf. They have a black head and black spots on the rump. My daughter has already started reassuring her that the spots on her butt do not make her look fat.

Over the past few months, a lot of you have asked me to post a picture of Rocco. He's the other beast living in our home. This is Roc enjoying a tennis ball he successfully maneuvered away from Bella. That wrestling match ended long enough for me to snap this picture just moments before Bella clotheslined him with her tail, then body slammed him to get the ball back again. Never a dull moment, and I'm loving every second of it!

As always, I enjoy hearing from you! Email me anytime pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. This eye-catching Pink reminder is just one way this Erie community wants you to know it cares about you. All month long, Perry Square along with the fountains at Stairways Behavioral Health, Erie Insurance Group, and The Erie Times News flow pink - remind you to Think Pink - and get a mammogram. The Bicentennial Tower at Dobbins Landing is also glowing pink. Consider it a beacon of hope for breast cancer survivors, or perhaps a temporary memorial for those whose lives have been tragically cut short.

Linda Stevenson of National City Bank, spearheaded this inaugural event with a committee of 25 women who know how to get things done. She's already made a committment in October of 2008 to bring the Pink Power back - and no doubt, it will be a brighter shade.

This month-long effort would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of the Sinnott Administration, who immediately backed the awareness campaign and threw in the help of about a dozen city workers. Mayoral Assistant Laura Schaaf and Ericka Howland orchestrated the entire event, along with the following Steering Committee Members: Kelly Spaeder, Betsy Bort, Beth Zimmer, Karen Kraus-Phillips, Kathleen Johnson, Lisa Watkins, Lisa Louis, Laura Salamonsen, Kathy Vitale, Amy Izbicki, Amy Lund, Tonya Carpenter, Mary Bula, Holly Dhaliwal, Cathy Fresch, Geri Cicchetti, Donna Haskins, Diann Graham, Cindy Welsh, Kim Fleissner, and Mary Ellen Dahlkemper.

Please remind yourself, your mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, co-worker, husband, and friends to get a mammogram. When detected early, breast cancer has survival rate of nearly 100%.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you. E-mail me anytime at Pat Van Zandt

Here’s what happened. Sam broke her cell phone. Now, please understand – it’s wasn’t the poor dear’s fault. Seriously, the horns hold the halo up....save the sympathy.

So, as she explains to me how her cell phone magically snapped in two pieces, she immediately announces a replacement plan. She’ll simply buy a new one. Purchase a new cell phone from this mystery cache of money we both know does not exist. Ever try to replace a cell phone when you don’t have insurance? You could pick up a piece of pottery from the Ming Dynasty cheaper.

So I break her heart. “Mommy isn’t going to take out a second mortgage on our home to buy you a new cell phone. You will simply have to do without.” Do Without? Why do without when you’re resourceful, like Sam?

It’s Monday night, and I’m at work. Sam is home. Tucked away in my top dresser drawer is a very old cell phone. It doesn’t flip, so, I don’t know – that must make it circa 2002? I’m just guessing here – but it is old, and it certainly isn't stylish. But it does work, and at this stage, for Sam, that’s a good thing. It’s about 9:10 p.m. when my cell phone rings. It’s Sam calling from her cell phone. “Ah, hello??? How are you calling me from a cell phone that I threw in the garbage four days ago?” Great question, Mom! Even better answer. She jacked that old Kyoceria phone from my drawer, and in 20 minutes had it up and running. I’d like to thank the good folks at Verizon who were kind enough to assist my 13 year old with the telephone switch. Apparently, you don’t need some sort of parental permission to do this?

If I were to score this experience on a scale, obviously, I'd have to subtract a few points for rooting through my stuff without asking. But, give a few points for resourcefulness and technical ability. And, I am truly impressed that she was able to trick a Verizon employee into thinking she’s an adult.

In the end, Mom wins. This old cell phone can only do two things: talk and text. It makes no fashion or financial statement - and I like that. Even Sam agrees that an old cell phone is better than no cell phone. Who says you can't effectively communicate with a 13 year old???

As always, I enjoy hearing from you. Email me anytime at Pat VanZandt

I am the type of house cleaner who demands recognition for my work… I scrub a floor, I call everyone into the room to revel in my work. I offer them a snack (to be eaten off my spotless floor) and everyone is reassured that “yes, mommy really is nuts.”

On this particular Sunday, I was in rare form. I scrubbed four toilets, two tubs and two showers; four counter tops; one refrigerator; five ceramic tile and hardwood floors, swept four bedrooms and a living room; sorted washed, and dried 11 baskets of laundry (Kelly was home from college with 3 loads of dirty laundry); washed and changed two beds; watered 27 house plants; cleaned one litter box; wiped away dog drool off 6 windows; and loaded and emptied the dishwasher two times.

The house looked good. Real good. And, it smelled good, too. I took satisfaction in knowing that we would return from the movie and enter a completely sterilized home.

Okay, stop the fairy tale music. Anyone who knows me knows that everything I do – in the end – ends up lousy. Nine out of 10 of my closest friends think that I was a black cat in a past life. I can’t argue the point. Only I can leave an immaculate home only to return to find it in shambles.

Turns out, I had two very busy pets while I was out. Ever hear the expression “the fur will fly?” Basically, it means this: cat + dog left home alone = area of devastation. One wrestling match = multiple piles of dog vs. cat fur left on carpet and couch. One couch pillow = ripped to shreds, stuffing spread all over the living room floor. Two plants knocked over = one broken flower pot (and, as a bonus, let’s not forget I had just watered the plants). One clean toilet = refreshing water bowl following wrestlemania. Spotless windows = slobbered glass and window sill.

So, my day went from Balls of Fury - The Movie...to Hell Hath No Fury - Like a Cleaning Momma Scorned. The beauty in all of this is that Rocco now has a new separation anxiety disorder I have to deal with...

As for the movie - two kids gave it a thumbs up, one said it was the worst movie ever, one gave it a firm average, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't give a hearty chuckle several times throughout....

As always, I enjoy hearing from you! E-mail me anytime at Pat VanZandt@wsee.tv

Anyone over age 6 has to think this steroid-induced fresh face from the steel city is a total reject. Castaway from Bob the Builder? Offspring of Paul Bunyon? The verdict is still out. Admittedly, I am pretty jaded when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, in all things fair, I took my curiosity to the Blurbs in the ‘Burg to find out exactly what the natives are thinking. Turns out, I’m right. They ain’t diggin’ the guy holdin' the beam. Here are just a few alternative names for the Man of Steel that bloggers posted online: Jaundice McYellowface, Steely McLaidoff, Dopey McStupid, Steely McGayerson, Dummy McDumbass, Settie McOnfire, and Steamy McTurd… Their words, not mine. But the reality is this: Once the Pixburgh’eze gets to him, none of this matters because he’ll forever be known as Stilly McBim, anyway.

The thoughts continue to flow. One blogger writes that even the most vicious Dawg Pound fan would have come up with a less shameless idea… Another worries that the franchise named its mascot like an 8 year old child names a new pet hermit crab: “Look ma, it’s Pinchy McShell” or, “Hey, check out my new Hermie McCrab!” Others suggest that Steely is probably union, so why not just call him Coffee McBreak? Many more find relief in knowing how Bill Cowher’s chin will spend its time, now that he’s retired…

E’nuf trash talking for one day. I’ll leave it for the field, come Sunday, September 9th, when the Dawg Pound and the Irish lad, clad in plaid, battle it out on game day.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you. Email me anytime at Pat.VanZandt@wsee.tv

The anticipation mounted. I felt like Ralphie waiting for my Orphan Annie secret decoder ring. Bright and early Sunday morning I poured through the newspaper and pulled out the Parade section. What’s this? Not only is the IQ test non-existent – but the article challenges my own intelligence by answering such burning questions as: “How smart is the average elephant?” or “Can your monkey do that?” Since I have neither an elephant nor a monkey – the challenge was on. I had to find my own Doggie IQ Test, and fast.

Turns out, there are others like me who want to know if their dog is a candidate for Harvard. Other attention-starved individuals with little better to do. Sorry, I do mean me – not you. Unflappable, head to my basement computer where my favorite Internet Search Engine quickly finds me the perfect IQ test. Six simple tasks. So easy, even a cat can do it.

Rocco has an education. And for this, I have paid dearly. Sweat equity. Countless hours of sit, down, stay, leave it, get it, heal, yes, no, good, bad, lets go, no stay, wait, um hang on, do, don’t do, good doggie, bad doggie….well, you get the idea. Eight months of PetSmart Puppy School and Rocco is not only a Beginner graduate, but an Intermediate one too. One more level to go and this dog – once abandoned, and later found in a cardboard box outside of the Humane Society – could one day be a Therapy Dog. I drool at the possibilities...

Testing commenced in less than 15 minutes. For the most part, it was a walk in the park. How long does it take your dog to find a snack underneath a towel? Puh-leeze. Ate the towel in 5 seconds flat. The snack? Annihilated. Next: Call your pooch, but instead of using his name, use a moniker, like “refrigerator.” Duh. This dog is no dummy, although, to be honest, he has answered to “dummy” in the past. As Rocco breezed through the test, I stressed my own level of genius to the kids. “This is why you should always listen to your mother. This dog is a freaking genius!” The gloating felt good.

We ease our way to Task Number Six: Place a dog treat underneath a tin can. In 5 seconds or less, if your dog is truly worthy of the Rin Tin Tin Hall of Fame, he’ll knock over the can, and devour the treat. Okay, maybe I dug too deep. I got cocky. Those five seconds turned into one minute, which turned into five minutes, then an hour, and ultimately failure. I regrouped, and pressed on. I’ll simply show him how it’s done, and try again. Okay, take two. This time he didn’t even try. He lay there, exchanging glances between the can, and me, then the can, and back to me. “Well, if you’re giving up, so am I.” Hours pass and we all break for lunch. The test is a distant memory until we hear the sound of a can tinking on ceramic tile. Redemption! Rocco the wonder dog!

Apparently, I was barking up the wrong tree. Turns out, George - our three year old orange tabby cat - is the true family genius. As he sat there in front of the tin can he tipped over with his tiny paw, it was very clear. Yes, indeed. A Doggie IQ test - so easy - even a cat can do it.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you. Email me anytime at Pat.VanZandt@wsee.tv

You know all to well that 25 seconds can feel like an eternity when the camera is rolling and there is no video…or script…or translatable thought in your head…

You aren’t even phased when you watch grown man put on pancake makeup. Likewise, it is with that same man you openly share make up tips

You spend a lot of time talking to yourself out loud

When the kids are in trouble, they use words like “allegedly” and “reportedly” when telling you their version of what happened

You know it's a good day when you can correctly say fire truck, hawk, and asphalt all in the same sentence

You can tell an entire story in 25 seconds or less

When you’re first introduced to someone, they say “I thought you were taller.”

You spend more time with your co-anchor, photographer or director, than your spouse

People describe you as either looking better in “real life” or “on television”

Even if you don't work in weather, everyone asks you the forecast

You identify people by their class…but in this case, it’s Class 1 through 5

In 5th grade, a diary meant a place to write secret thoughts about the boy who sent next to you in art class. Now it means job security

The studio cameramen and women have morphed into robots

You go by an alias

You're the only person in your home watching CNN or The Weather Channel on a Saturday afternoon

You cut your teeth at a college radio station

Your parents told you your entire life that you were sooo cute, you should be on TV

I always enjoy hearing from you! Feel free to email me anytime at pat.vanzandt@wsee.tv

But that was then. One week later, I spent the day packing up her belongings. Her world, on the move, packed in the back of two pick up trucks. She now calls home an off-campus apartment just a few miles from Penn State Behrend, and yes, the move is a lot earlier than mom would have liked. But she did get a good deal on the unit and had to move fast, or by the start of the fall semester, the apartment would be long gone. She hasn't been out for more than two weeks, but already I can see that the odds are highly likely she'll never call my place "home" again. My first clue? In the 90 degree heat of that move-out day, her ski gear was in tow. Call it mother's intuition.

Gazing happily into her future didn't come as easy for me this time around. This was a tearful goodbye. As the trucks are ready to roll, mom and daughter stand face-to-face. Nothing said, until she starts to bawl. The kind of wail she used to unleash when I would stuff her in her stroller when clearly she thought running was a better option. I smiled. She's gonna miss me. A true Hallmark moment...until....she speaks... "It's just..." - she blubbers... "Yes, honey, I know..." as I inch in for that reassuring hug. "It's just that I am going to miss my dog so much!" The dog?!?! I am not even kidding.

But, honestly, it didn't matter. Didn't matter that she thought she'd miss Man's Best Friend more than Mom's Best Friend. She swung by the house today to pick up a few things left behind, and both the dog and I met her at the door. I got a long hug and a quick smooch. He got a quick scratch behind the ear. Sometimes, I guess, every mom has her day....

As always, I'd enjoy hearing from you. Drop me a line anytime