continental breakfasts

the trials of a typical college student begin at 6am on monday mornings, or do they? well mine do at least, for 6am is the joyous time that my little emmy chooses to wake me up on a daily basis. that sweet puppy breath and the leap of a 64 pound dog awaken me from my joyous slumber each and every morning. our normal routine involves a trip outside the apartment building into the cold, where i stand freezing in my tinkerbell slippers while emmy chases squirrels and sticks. once my arms turn into "chicken skin" (this is what my english conversation partner minjung calls goosebumps!) i run inside with emmy following my every step. with disheveled hair and one eye open, i scoop the beloved smell of iams into her bowl and trudge back into my warm bed. a few minutes later, the monster with bad breath leaps onto the cow comforter, licking me with a sign of affection and falls back into her wild, puppy dreams at the foot of my bed. this is our morning ritual and, as much of a nuisance it may seem, nothing else puts a smile on my face quite like her. nothing without joy. :)