Meet Erin

This was me at age 2. I look pretty innocent sitting there, but don't be fooled. At this age, I had already driven my parents crazy causing them to wonder if this was really what having children was like. I was a typical oldest child: curious, adventurous, fearless, and determined to get my way. My childhood was filled with climbing trees, making forts, playing sports, and probably getting into trouble. When I was almost 3, my parents tried again with the whole child bearing thing, hoping that the next kid would be a little "easier to deal with." Fortunately for them, my brother Michael was born. He was exactly what they were hoping for. Michael was the sweetest boy, as my mom can attest. We were great playmates, as long as he did what I wanted. I remember playing baseball in the backyard of our old house reenacting a special play from some baseball movie we liked to watch. Even though there were only two of us, we were able to include all 9 fielding players in the game. We both had such great imaginations. It was just the two of us until I was almost 10; then my little sister was born. Unlike both me and Michael, Marie was completely different. She was very animated, always performing for anyone and everyone who would listen. She did it all too, singing, dancing, acting, and anything else you told her to do if you finished with "I bet you can't do it in 20 seconds!" We were a typical, happy, American family. So now you're wondering why I'm telling you all this, especially since the majority of the people (or should I say person) reading this blog is my mom. Hi Mom! Well, the reason this is important is all way back to the fourth sentence of this post. Let me remind you what it said, and I quote, "I was a typical oldest child: curious, adventurous, fearless, and determined to get my way." This one sentence sums me up perfectly, especially the "determined to get my way" part. My sophomore year of college I had just transferred from a school in Memphis, TN and was living by myself in a small studio apartment in College Station, TX. I had convinced myself that I was very lonely and needed a constant companion, ignoring the fact that the apartment complex did not allow dogs. So, being the extremely intelligent and practical person that I am, I decided that getting a puppy would be the best solution to my problem. As it turns out, you cannot hide a not potty trained, crying puppy in your small studio apartment that does not allow dogs. So, for the first two months, the solution to my loneliness problem at school lived at my boyfriend's house an hour and a half away. So meet Erin. I am 21 years old; I probably didn't make the best decision when getting a dog, but I'd like to think it turned out O.K. Although, I guess you can wait see for yourself in the blogs to come...