Month: January 2010

Remember when…

On By Chris SoutherIn Dad Blogs, Family, Fatherhood, Life in these United States, Marriage, Society2 Comments

1. Being sick meant you felt quasi-bad for a day, but by the end of the day, you were second guessing whether or not you actually had felt well enough to go to the gym?

2. A million dollars sounded like a LOT more money than it does now when you really break it down in your head (taxes, mortgage payoff, etc.)

3. The one child that you had seemed like the hardest job ever.

4. You weren’t going to be one of these people who never travels overseas. After all, there’s plenty of time for that…

5. Vacations actually felt like vacations? Mostly because someone else was paying for it and you could just relax rather than busily trying to ensure the kids make a memory.

6.  Sex was REALLY exciting.

7. Your current job was simply a means to an end, and not a definer of you as a person to everyone else

8. You could stay awake at night (in bed) through an entire prayer.

9. Aerosmith was a fairly young band (you can also insert “U2” here)

10. Cold weather didn’t bother you and the beach was NEVER too hot.

11. You had friends that you could spend time with.

12. The cost of gas for your car was the most important expense you had.

13. You could eat an entire box of Krispy Kreme donuts and not notice the result the next day (uh huh, you know who you are)

14. Choosing between getting some sleep, or staying up and watching THE most important sporting event of the year on TV was a no-brainer.

15. You didn’t get mad when the fireworks went off on New Year’s Eve and July4th (thereby waking you and the kids up)

16. You thought reading a story to your kid(s) at night was going to be a wonderful and precious thing, rather than just another chore you have to do before you can get some quiet time.

17. You had time to actually cook…using knives and other fun utensils.

18. ANY alcohol at all–even cheap-o Mad Dog 20/20– tasted good to you.

19. Your parents looked young(ish)

20. You felt young(ish)

Goodbye to my best friend

On By Chris SoutherIn Dad Blogs, Family, Life in these United States11 Comments

Tomorrow morning I’ll be making one of the more difficult choices I’ve ever made. My Doberman of almost 13 years has gotten too sick to remain with us. An otherwise healthy and active dog, she has succumbed to ravenous cancer and near-crippling arthritis that prevents her from doing much more than just lying down all day. Despite heavy medication, even getting up to use the bathroom causes her to yelp in pain and I just can’t let her go on like that.

Knikki has been with me for almost 13 years. I picked her out of a litter of pups when she was about 9 weeks old. She was the one who, like me, sat apart from the group and watched. Together we made it through having her ears clipped (and my re-taping them multiple times),  my recovering from a bad breakup that nearly made me want to give up on life, and she was there literally, when I met my now wife. Together we’ve run more miles than I can count; chased more balls that I can remember and terrified more ducks than can be found in Central Park.

She moved with me to Ohio for a year while I worked a contract job, and then came back to Atlanta with me, where we have lived since. She’s put up with numerous additions to the family, all the while accepting a smaller and smaller amount of my attentions. She’s put up with rambunctious children climbing on her, and an over-exuberant Weimeraner who steals her food when she’s not looking.

All the while she’s been a faithful and obedient companion. And I’m going to miss her terribly.

Lord, if there is a place in heaven for your child’s best friend, please make a place for my Knikki. She deserves it far more than I do.

Goodbye.