Nibbles

This weekend is the weekend before finals! Ahhhh! Right? Yes!!!! Unlike most weekends before finals, I have been unable to hibernate. My grandparents moved into their assisted living apartment on Friday, and we visited on Saturday. (P.S. found out Sammy can go visit them! Yay!!) Spent almost all of Saturday there or running errands. To Sammy, Saturdays in recent history have been Samdays. All about the Samster! Dogpark, walks, visiting grandparents, playing with the neighbors, birthdays, road trips, seeing his cousin, etc. Yesterday was quite the rude awakening to how our Saturdays will probably be for a while. When I got back home, he was full of energy. We had a dogpark run. Came back, not much studying to be done. Today we got up and Sammy was just roaring with energy! We saw our doggie friend neighbors outside and that just got him full of more energy! I took him to the dogpark. We weren't having a good time with the other dogs there, so we left early. Came home to new neighbors moving into their apartment across the parking lot. Sammy was WAAAY into this. Not helpful. Then the storm clouds came. SOO not helpful. I picked him up took him to the bedroom, closed the window and blinds and turned on Marley & Me. I love Marley & Me. I have the book, the movie, the soundtrack, and I was beginning to think, the dog. Once Sammy got isolated, he calmed down quite a bit. Thank goodness. I got about one problem into studying before I was took caught up in the movie to make studying worthwhile. (I know, I'm a terrible student, right?) We enjoyed the movie. Sammy likes to watch dogs on TV. He jumps up to the TV, listens to the speakers, barks back...the whole bit. With Marley & Me (we have watched it alot) he enjoys the puppy times, but about half way through the movie the focus is more on the "& Me" part, John Grogan. I still enjoy it, Sammy nods off. For those who haven't seen the movie, I won't say too much, but everyone knows that the movie is Marley's life, and the movie ends when Marley dies. It is very emotional. Usually I just turn it off before we hit the ending because I am too emotional about dogs dying. I'm fine with other movies, no tears for people, man, usually not to much for kids, bu when a dog goes down, I'm done with that TV show OR movie OR book. It's over. (With a few notable exceptions like Marley & Me or The Art of Racing in the Rain, LOVE that book!) This time, Sammy was all curled up with me, we were under the blankets with rain outside and I thought I could just do it not to disturb the moment. That was a mistake. I was sobbing like there was no tomorrow. And when the kids were saying goodbye to Marley, ugh....tears. Sammy, being the BEST dog in the world, he was lying next to me, and I was petting him started licking my hand while looking up at me. Then he did his little nibbles on my hand! Ah, it was soo cute, made me tear up soo much more. I haven't ever had a dog that nibbled at this age. Usually they just grow out of it. Sammy did his nibbles Day 1 of bringing him home, and kept up with it. He doesn't do it nearly as much as he used to. He used to nibble on my hand almost every night or every morning. Now it's just every once in a while when he is especially lovey mood, maybe once a week or every other week. He is always lovey, but not just overcome with it too often. I love his little nibbles, and am so happy he didn't grow out of that. Always reminds me that I AM his momma! And really, what could be better than that!