Stella

Last Saturday, Mom calls me and says, "I've got something to tell you that will bribe you to come home this evening." Of course, I'm intrigued, and she tells me that she and my Dad are on their way to get a new puppy!

It's been almost seven months since the Brown household featured a dog. We lost Molly, our faithful Golden Retriever of ten years, in October to cancer. We were very sad to see her go because she was such a good dog. Mom and Dad wanted to wait awhile before we got a new puppy, but the more time went by, I started to wonder if we'd ever get another one. Then Friday, our "farm" cat, Jill, was run over by a car and Mom was sad, so they decided to give in and get a new puppy.

I went home on Saturday evening to meet her and instantly fell in love. She's so cute and playful and smart!

Our last Golden, Molly, weighed about 50 pounds full grown. This puppy's mom is 68 pounds at three years old, so we think she's gonna be a big girl! Look at the size of those paws!

She wore out fast chasing us and running around in the grass.

The breeder gave her puppy calming drugs before she brought her in from Carthage, so the little puppa was very docile and sleepy.

We had a bit of trouble agreeing on the name. Mom wanted "Daisy." Dad and I vetoed that really fast. We then decided on "Seven," a really funny reference to a Seinfeld episode, where George wants to name his firstborn this and Susan's cousin takes the name for her own child. We had a good laugh at the name and I left the house that evening thinking it stuck.

Sunday morning, Mom calls me and says that the puppy is not a "Seven" and that she's decided on "Winnie." Over my dead body that dog is gonna be called "Winnie." That afternoon, Mom calls me back and says, the dog's name is "Gabby." Again, no thank you. So I'm on the phone with Mom and I'm scrolling through dog names and I see it: "Stella!"

It's perfect. It's a cute name, but not too sugary-cute. It's funny and has a Seinfeld reference. Elaine sleeps on Jerry's parents fold-out couch and the bar is in her back all night long. She wakes up with incredible back pain and takes a bunch of muscle relaxants before a banquet at the retirement center that evening. Elaine overdoses and can barely stand-up, when she meets Jerry's Aunt Stella, and her reply is "Stellllllllllllla! Stellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllluuuuuhhh!"

So anyway, the puppa finally has a name. I get to see her this weekend when the fam goes to Jackson for Mother's Day. I'm so excited!