30 in 19

This was my cat, Carmel. I loved this cat. She was my little buddy. My dad didn't know how much I loved this cat, and to be honest, I was a little kid and I probably didn't do a good job taking care of her, but I still did care about her. My dad thought he would get rid of the cat because he didn't think any of us kids would notice, so he took Carmel up to the cemetery which was about 5 miles outside of town and left her. Sad, huh! Well he got home and the first thing I asked him was, "Where is Carmel?" He played dumb but thought, "Oh no! What have I done!" He secretly went back to the cemetery and looked for her but couldn't find her. I was sad. I missed my kitty. Weeks later a mangy, beat-up cat arrived back at our house. Yup, Carmel found her way home! And my dad was really, really good to that cat after that.

I'm not an animal person anymore. I'm the first person to admit that. But I want my kids to have an animal. It's a relationship that kids should have. They should have a dog they love to play with or a kitty they like to pet. As soon as we figure out Hayden's allergies, we need a dog. And a bigger house...yeah, it might be a while before we get a dog!