Cleaning

Cleaning is a neverending task. Especially when you have a 75 pound ball of love and fur living in your house. That ball of love and fur is a precious, but sometimes handful, black lab named Cody. Cody's been my "baby" for about a year now. And Louis "adopted" him as his own when we got together. So now here he is... living in the house, being spoiled on a daily basis.

I love him. And getting Cody definitely changed my life in many ways.

In the beginning, he taught me the value of sleep (he woke me up every two hours)... It was a test of patience. He peed in the floor. I'd lose it and cry (it was the lack of sleep).

But slowly we grew to be the best of friends. He gave me an even bigger heart for animals. Especially dogs. I love dogs more now than I ever have because I know how precious they are. I know that they have feelings and need to be loved... and all they want to do is love you and please you.

I wrote a blog earlier about puppy love. I still feel the same. If only we could learn to love unconditionally like a dog. I mean, I can yell at Cody... and next thing I know he's laying next to me, never holding a grudge. I always feel bad leaving him overnight (although he's taken care of by friends). But when I get home, I get attacked by my big love bug!

Dogs are great for a million reasons (and it's NOT the pet hair you have to clean up!).

They are stress relievers. I believe this with all my heart. Even on my worst days, just putting my hands on his soft fur and feeling his little nose nuzzle up next to me, I feel more at peace.

Everyday with Cody is a test of patience. In the mornings, he whines to wake me up. As soon as my feet his the floor, he's watching me anxiously as if to say, "Are we going for a walk?" Lord help us all if I mention the word WALK! As soon as I put on my work out clothes, you can see his excitement growing. Once I grab my keys, he's about to climb the walls with excitement. And then getting the poop-bags seals the deal and he can barely sit still while I put on his collar.

It's cute, but a bit annoying at times. His excitement can exhaust me. Especially when he tries to drag me along on our walks.

But the joy that his little 75 pound body contains is amazing. It makes me wish I had his energy... and makes me realize we should get more excited about the small things. It's hot as Hades outside, but that doesn't stop his enthusiasm. He's happy than a pig in mud when he's walking along, seeing the sights and smelling EVERYTHING.

Oh the things we could learn.

Now back to my original thought: cleaning.

I've spend the past 3 hours trying to get the house clean. And I wish I could teach Cody a thing or two... about cleaning. But alas, I can't. He lays and watches me sweep and mop. Then eagerly tries to get on the clean floor before it's dry. Then he enjoys trying to chase the vacuum cleaner, and lick chemicals I use to for cleaning the bathrooms. So cleaning becomes even more of a struggle trying to keep him out of everything!

Now, the house is almost clean (just need to do the terrible task of cleaning the shower...). It's just an hour before Louis arrives home. So I must go. I will have more to write later. Thanks for reading, and hopefully it put a smile on your face!