#8

Dogs are a mans best friend. This saying is so true, but it doesn’t apply just to men. My dogs are my best friends too.

Growing up, I had a dog named Freddy. He was a big, fluffy, protective friend. He was my parents ‘first child’ as they always say. When I was born he was turning four. So he was in my life from the very start. My mom said that he would try to play with my brother and I when we lived in our tiny apartment in Chicago. He always wanted to know what we were doing and help us get into a little more trouble. I feel like he was that older brother to pushed you to go further and ended up getting in a lot of trouble with mom. Soon we moved to the suburbs of Chicago and Freddy had a yard to run around in and sun bathe all day. There is still one spot in our backyard that will always be known as Freddy’s spot. But as we all started to get older, Freddy did too. He began to not want to play with my brothers and I anymore and wanted to sit with my mom all day. In his last days, he was always loyal to my mom. She was his person. Even though I consider Freddy to be one of my best friends, my mom is Freddy’s best friend. On his last day on this Earth she spoiled him by giving him so many hot dogs, a steak, ice cream, brownies, and everything else he could never eat. We said goodbye in his spot in the backyard. We wanted him to be at home in his favorite place even when he was not doing to well. But he went out as the best big brother ever.

A year after Freddy passed away we adopted Piper. She’s a rescue dog, so we really don’t know hat type of dog she is. But we do know that she has so much energy. Next month she is turning nine, but she still thinks she’s a puppy whenever we play together. I love that about her though. She’s always been the same, but she’s just gained a little weight. She may not be as nice as Freddy was whenever we gave him a full day of laying on him, some days if we get too close to piper she bites. So she’s by far not the best dog. But when she has her good days, she is the one I want to be around all day. Like how Freddy had his spot outside, Piper is a little different and decided that she spot is my brother’s bed, where she can still sun bathe all day. I love sun bathing with her sometimes because she’s a very good cuddle buddy. My absolute favorite thing about her though is how she greats us. Whenever we get home, she wiggles her whole body and she comes to the door and won’t let us leave her side until she gets her scratches behind the ear. She’s beginning to be an old lady, but right now she’s the cutest old lady.

In the end, Freddy and Piper are not the best dogs in the world, but they are the best dogs to me. They are my family because of how much love I have for them. They never forget to show their love too. Freddy walks with me everyday within my heart and someday the same will go for Piper. Dogs really are our best friends and it makes all the different.

#7

People are mean. It’s as simple as that. I hate when you think someone is your friend, but as soon as something doesn’t go their way, they throw you under the bus. Sadly I have had this happen to me more than once. In middle school, high school, and now in college. I am a very trusting person and let me guard down very easily. I think, oh this time will be different and they are going to stand by my side, but they never do. Now because this has happened so much, I have a harder time making friends and now I have to be careful what I say around everyone. I enjoy telling people what’s going on in my life to hear what advice they would give or just to let them know all of the dumb bitch moments I have. But now I can’t do this. I have to pretend like something huge didn’t just happen in my life and go about my day not telling anyone.

The only person I can actually tell anything to is my roommate. She is going to be a psychologist so she likes to say that she is practicing her confidentiality agreement now. I think it’s funny that she wants to start doing this now, but I can really trust her. I know that if I am having an awful day, I can tell her about it and she won’t tell our other roommates. Or if I’m crying in our room and she walks in I can tell her what some mean girl said to me and know she won’t repeat it to anyone. Friends like her are hard to come by and I don’t ever want to lose her. She is the greatest friend I have ever had and I am so grateful for her. I try to be there for her too, but I am not the greatest at comforting people. But I think she sees that I’m trying. So, our friendship stays strong.

What’s funny is that I had every intention to write this post about something this really mean girl said to me the other day and made me cry. But this has honestly turned into an appreciation post for my best friend. She will never know how truly important she is in my life and I will never be able to show how grateful I am. I am so happy that the first day of college I started talking to her randomly during our first hall meeting, but in that moment I made a friendship that will last a life time. I can already tell you that this girl will be attending my future wedding, future baby shower, and all the big (and hopefully small) moments. And I want to be there for all of her moments as well. I still hate people, but I love this girl like no other!