A Day with my dog...

For the Easter break, I headed home to watch my dog. The break schedules never line up in my family anymore, so while I was off for a few days right before finals, my younger sibling was off for a week and a half. This lined up with a work trip in California, so while I traveled from Maryland to New York, the rest of my family traveled from New York to California. Which left me with a quiet house and (not so quiet) dog for a few days!

After spending the majority of the year away from Teddy, my 8 year old-aging like fine wine-slightly grumpy but in that cute older man way-will let you know what he wants-Australian labradoodle, it was nice to have a completely open day to reconnect. One of my favorite things about Teddy is that he's not a morning person, so sleeping in until 10am was a treat for both of us. Teddy is also good to go out in the yard and sunbathe for a bit while you chug a cup of coffee, but he expects that a walk will be coming soon. 

We made our way out of the house, and Teddy wasted no time in letting me know where he wanted to go. In the time I was gone, Teddy found some new favorite spots. We wandered around the neighborhood, and I got to introduce myself to all of his friends as 'Teddy's walker' and I got to catch up on emails as he laid down in grass to break up stray sticks he found. 

We made our way to a local cafe, and I ordered a matcha while Teddy got a pup cup, and then walked to the nearby park to people watch. Teddy even took me to the dog store on the way home, to make sure that we had the treats that he was craving that day. 

Once home, he wanted to go to the yard and play, and once we made it inside the house, he wanted to play some more. Gotta love dog priorities! After feigning amazement each time he ran after a ball and returned it for the better part of an hour, Teddy allowed me to pause and make us some food. 

After eating, Teddy decided on a nap while I picked up a book I had been meaning to finish for a really long time. In the afternoon, he wanted to go out again, so we strolled around town. I can confidently say that my dog has an active social life, as almost all the dogs and their humans knew who Teddy was! 

While we were out, I took Teddy with me to run errands. He made some returns to Gap and Sephora, helped me pick out a new lipstick, sat and watched me get my eyebrows threaded, and came with me to scoop up takeout. 

We got home hours later, and I plated our dinners. I was amazed at how quickly the day flew by, and if I had to write down what I accomplished, I would have a really short list. However, I loved being able to not have a schedule for the day, and to take the time to reconnect with my dog and nature. I didn't notice notifications from my phone, or worry about an assignment, or sending emails. It was a gorgeous day outside, and without my dog, I would have missed it.