It’s been 9 years since I had a spring break. One of the perks of teaching is that we get ample time off, which I greatly appreciate.

The last time I had spring break, my niece and I flew to Arizona, and then we drove from Sedona to the Petrified Forest to Las Vegas, where I had a conference. The conference part is important because I would NOT go to Vegas for a vacation. We are not the biggest fans of that much stimulation.

This time, I traveled to Norfolk to meet Lucy Honey Bee aka Annie, Jr. I felt strongly that Lucy needed to meet me when she was still a puppy to ensure our bond despite the long distance between us.

She is such a delightful and smart puppy! Though she does behave in ONE VERY DISGUSTING WAY which I will not name here lest she becomes famous someday and people search the Internet looking for dirt on her.

Annie, who is Lucy’s great, great Aunt, is teaching Lucy her Golden Wise ways. Annie is a patient and all-knowing teacher, as we all knew she would be.

For the most part.

As you can imagine, with a puppy, there is A LOT of relentless romping, rolling, and roughhousing. When Annie reaches maximum tolerance, beleaguered is the word to best describe what happens next.

Exhibit A.

Exhibit B is the look Annie gave me when Lucy couldn’t get out of the creek. I’m pretty sure it’s something along the lines of, let’s just leave her.

The trip was too short, and before I knew it, I was sadly heading back to the airport. As much as I love my job and where we are in Colorado, I will never give up hope that someday, Heath comes into the living room and says, “Okay. Let’s move in with Annie’s mom.”

I put the chances of that at slim to none. So, in the meantime, I will relish my breaks and visit whenever I can.

Annie, Lucy, their mom, and the rest of Norfolk – I miss you already!