Suzy's Big Day

So in addition to our car adventure and continually blowing copious quantities of snot out of our faces, I started a new job. It's a small job, and I will continue to freelance, but it gets me out of the house for a little bit and allows me to actually talk face-to-face with grownups on a regular basis, which is something I'd almost forgotten how to do.

The office is in a church, so it's homey and familial and wonderful, and the people are warm and loving. People's kids are always around, and everyone is friendly and supportive toward one another. The head pastor specifically asked me about my son yesterday and said he was looking forward to meeting him. Honestly, I couldn't have designed a more welcoming environment if I'd tried, and although I'd been looking into working outside the home a bit (more on that in another post), this job just came to me without my seeking it. I actually want to cry with gratitude at times. The place is so awesome I may just live there. Well, not really. But...

Yesterday I didn't have to rush to pick up the kiddo because he'd gone home from school with his dad for the weekend. The person whose job I'm taking over still had a ton of work left to do, as the office had just been repainted/refurnished in the past week, thus pushing the schedule back a couple of days. Since I didn't have anything pressing to do after my quitting time, I just went home to bail Suzy out of the Crate of Doom, then brought her back to the office, where I helped my officemate tie up loose ends for the week.

By that time, people's kids were hanging around and they wanted to pet the doggie. She just has that effect on people, whether at the baseball field, the supermarket (yep, I took her in on a recent hot day when I couldn't leave her in the car), a restaurant (she's such a lap dog that the proprietors actually told me to bring her in), or just out for a walk. A wedding was due to take place that evening, so the wedding coordinator wandered in and out of the office, petting the dog on her way through each time. Other adults also came out of their offices to pet Suzy and chat a bit. Suzy, who was just as tired as she ever was* due to having cried in her crate for quite a while, displayed her supremely passive temperament better than ever, and allowed everyone to love her up as she contentedly lap-napped. I didn't let her feet touch the floor the whole time we were there, to ensure that she didn't get any ideas and "misbehave" on the new carpet.

I worked with Suzy on my lap for an hour or more, then wandered off with a co-worker to meet her two-year-old daughter. My co-worker had a task to complete, so she stepped away while I hung out with the kids. Since the other kids in the office had wanted to pet Suzy, I asked the two-year-old if she wanted to pet the doggie. She furrowed her brow and shook her head as she backed up. Her eleven-year-old sister explained that the little girl had always been afraid of dogs, so I just held Suzy close and chatted with the two-year-old for a few minutes, until she stuck out her little hand. "Did you decide you want to pet the doggie now?" I asked. She nodded. I stooped a bit and she gingerly petted Suzy's back. "Isn't she soft?" I asked. The little girl nodded again and smiled a tiny smile. The eleven-year-old was shocked. "She's never touched a dog before!" she exclaimed. "I have to tell my mom!"

I think that may have been the frosting on top of an already sweet day. :-)


* This is one of many cute expressions I once heard my ex's Missouri mom use, and I just like it. The ex's parents were always a couple of charming, interesting people and I really liked them a lot.