First comes love, then comes marriage...

then we WAIT years before a baby carriage!!

No, it's not what you think. :) I took Brodie to the vet today & let me tell you what...I have the utmost respect for my grandmother, my mother, my mother & sister-in-laws for being the women they are & raising the amazing children they brought into this world.

Why? They had to tote more than one child to the doctor, the dentist, the cheerleading tryouts, the football games, the soccer games, the swimming meets, the plays, oh! geez I'm getting stressed just "typing" about it! Ha!

As my closest friends & family know, I'm not the most punctual person in the world. I was late for my own wedding rehearsal...for good reason I may add. Anyway, I woke up this morning with great intentions of getting ready & having time to run by Starbucks for a tall skinny latte & a cinnamon scone along with stopping by PetSmart to get Brodie a new leash ~ all of this before the vet's office at twenty after one. I got ready...

At 12:40, I get ready to walk out of the house with Brodie thrilled to be going outside! I had my purse on my shoulder, my keys in hand, Brodie's puppy pack o' papers, & Brodie tucked under my arm (remember, we have no leash yet)...the phone rings. It was Adam reminding me to take the pack o' puppy papers with me. God love him. He tries so hard to mellow me out & keep me on time. Poor kid. I answered with a harsh "I know, I saw them! Gotta go, luvyabye.." The "luvyabyes" are the quick one-worded "I love you too, honey!" byes that no newlywed wife should already be starting. ;) My sweet husband knows me too well & graciously takes it in stride. I hang up. I manage to lock our storm door that you have to "push in" to lock with all of the above still in hand. We get to the car & by the this point, I swear Brodie has made a trip to Starbucks for a shot o' caffeine. I try desperately to open my door (Adam tore the handle off the driver's side door a few weeks back when he locked my keys in my car)...finally, we've made it inside! WHEW! I look at the clock...12:51. Ok, I have twenty-nine minutes to go to PetSmart, find a speedy barista to make a tall skinny double latte, and get to our vet visit by 1:20. I start heading to PetSmart & call Adam to tell him, "I love you too, honey!" & he asks me this...

"Why are you going all the way to PetSmart? Why don't you just go to Wal*Mart? It's a lot closer." I reply, "Gotta go, luvyabye!" Wal*Mart. Crazy, one-lane-outta-thirty-open-everybody-&-their-momma-in-there...Wal*Mart. It's closer. Fortunately for me, Huntsville has exits galore straight to any Wal*Mart we have. I take one closest to where I was on the parkway & head to Wally World. Time ~ 1:00 on the dot.

On my way, I had intelligently thought out my plan ~ park on the grocery side where the dog food, leashes, etc. are so I can make a mad-dash back to the car, run through the drive-thru @ Starbucks, & get to our vet visit by 1:20 ish. FYI ~ dog food, leashes, etc. are on the opposite side of the groceries @ Sparkman Wal*Mart. At least I got my exercise in for the day. I power-walked my way to the leashes, found one, & "self-checked" myself outta there!

Brodie was happily waiting for me. It's so nice to have someone so happy to see you when you're latte-less & stressed to the max. Time ~ 1:13. Crap. It takes a good ten minutes or more to make it to our vet visit. No Starbucks. However, we just might be on time!

Driving carefully because of my precious cargo, I get a call from our cousin Whitney who had just arrived at the vet's office to get her precious pup some medicine for his sprained tail...yes, a sprained tail. I ask her what time it was & relieved with her answer of, "1:15ish, you've got time" we head over the hill & get to our vet visit. Ahhhhhhh...it's 1:20 on the dot. YES! Adam will be so proud! Yeah...1:20 when we pulled into the parking lot. I still have to get my purse, my keys, the pack o' puppy papers, & the precious reason we're here in the first place.

I see Whitney & she's coming to help! God bless her. She takes Brodie so I can fill out paper work (first time visit to this office)...I start filling out my name, address, phone number, & I see it...the line that says, Spouse's Name. Wow. Brodie's first visit to this vet & my first surreal moment with paperwork. It was incredible. All the chaos of the morning disappeared...I am a wife. I have a spouse. He is amazing. He had placed the pack o' puppy papers on the kitchen table before he left for work this morning. He knew I would be running late. He directed me to a much closer leash distributor & told me, "I love you, too" before he hung up. No "luvyabyes," no stressed voice...I love him.

Brodie & I made it through the vet visit. He weighs 15 lbs., is in good health, & costs a lot of money. It's all worth it in the end...just like I know how I was worth my momma's crazy days by the way she put up with me for 23 years...just how Adam was worth his momma's sleepless nights when he would come in late...just how my niece & nephew are worth their momma's running back and forth, to & from...just how I know one day we will have a son or a daughter we'll be taking here & there, needing venti triple lattes with extra whipped cream...

But for now, my punctuality-less self will be taking my time once again & children will be not be in the near future! :)