No Time for Being Original

Okay, so, here's the deal. I get a dog on Saturday. I'm naming him Brinkley. Yes, it's from You've Got Mail. Yes, he is the same breed. No, I don't care. In fact, I went the opposite way of trying to hide it, and I went ahead and bestowed Brinkley with the middle name of Hanx, in honor of my favorite actor Tom Hanks, who just so happens to be in You've Got Mail. I'm okay with all of this, and when I talk it over with Brinkley on Saturday, I think he will be too.

I went to the next level of being unoriginal by naming this blog Brinkley&Me. But to be fair, I've never watched the whole movie Marley & Me and I plan not to because I swear that a dog dying is almost always more sad than a human dying. Go ahead and judge me for saying that.

Anyway, I've been looking forward to this dog being in my life for a while. For the past year I have been constantly thinking about a dog, but I wanted all my ducks in a row. I wanted to be able to afford it, have time for it, and give myself time to grow some more patience. But I decided to screw patience and start living. I have got to stop planning and start doing. The doing starts Saturday. Until then is the last of the planning.

For having spent so much time dreaming about a dog, all of this has happened quite fast. Over the past 2 weeks, I have been searching websites and newspapers looking for my Brinkley. This past Saturday, at my Mad Men themed birthday party, Lindsey gave me a beautiful leather collar with a tag that had Brinkley engraved on it. That probably sped up the process some. On August 1st (my birthday), I came across a listing for Golden Retriever puppies for sale. I emailed and asked for recent pictures and got this in return:

She sent me other pictures, but this was the only one I was interested in. I knew immediately that this was my puppy. Brinkley, meet the world. World, Brinkley.

After 18 emails back and forth, it was decided that I would pick up Brinkley at McDonald's in Canton, Texas. And since the moment I have found that out, I have been preparing non-stop. How, you might ask?

-I have read 3 puppy specific books
-I am currently reading "Golden Retrievers for Dummies"
-I have ordered a puppy play pen and crate.
-I went to Petsmart (is it Pet-Smart or Pet's Mart?) and picked up 150 training pads (yeah buddy), a collar and matching leash, food and water bowls, training treats, and a few toys (including a super cute little lion).

I have also taken Petsmart's puppy quiz to see how well I know how to train my puppy. It labeled me an expert. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound cocky, but I'm doing everything I can to spike my confidence level about being able to handle this thing. My goal is to just not have my dog turn into my parents dogs, Beau and Nikki. I love the dogs, but they are clearly in charge of the house. I would tell you about it, but I think each dog will deserve its own blog post.

No matter what, my life changes Saturday. This dog is going to live a while. More than likely it will be around when I get engaged, married, and have kids (which is completely insane to think about). This change means a lot more responsibility. It means getting up earlier, dedicating my lunch break to something other than me, and more money on dog food and less at Anthropologie.

Words can't tell you how excited I am about this puppy though. And since this dog will be forcing me to grow up in a few different ways, I figured this is a good time to share those experiences with the world. This blog will be filled up with stories and pictures of me trying to cook, bake, and create. Who knows what this will turn into, but no matter what, I guarantee that Brinkley will be involved in it all.

Love to all,
Bec and Brink