The Joyful Life of owning a new Puppy

Hello Bloggophiles!
Are you noticing that I am creating new words for bloggers? I am not sure, but someone else may have said these words before. So what else is new? That's the story of my life.
But Excitement! We have a new puppy! "Miss Liberty". We call her "Libby". We bought her on 7/4, so we had to call her something related to freedom.
She is 9 weeks old and we have had her for two weeks. I am not exaggerating when I say she is the cutest puppy you will ever lay your eyes on. A Golden Retriever. Looks like she just stepped out of a commercial, only cuter. My husband, Pat and I have been discussing getting a puppy since "Murphy" died 9 months ago.
Some history: We went to Mass. to buy "Harriet", an Old English Sheepdog pup and we bred her twice. The second litter, we kept the pick and named him
"Murphy" in honor of one of my favorite people in the whole world, Betty Murphy Mitchell who has gone to heaven to prepare our place there.
Well, I was in total denial, but we kept them both for a horrendous year. Harriet hated her offspring. We finally gave her away and kept "The Murphenator". "The Murph" lived for 13 years and went to live with Betty in Heaven 9 months ago. We were in mourning. Both Pat and I and our son, Ben.
We have been talking about getting a pup for months now.
Finally, on 7/4, I could not take it anymore. Reading the Hartford Courant, I saw Golden pups advertised from a breeder, ready that day.
Pat, Ben and I went to scope out the pups. Ben wanted to bring all six home but we settled on "Miss Liberty". Our friend, Dennis (this blog designer) had introduced us to "Miss Pickles", a shitzu he had rescued a few months before, so we named our pup in honor of her. (If you love this blog he designed, let us know and we will ask him if he can take on another client). Dennis advised us that web-sites are passe and blogs are the way to go. I like the inter-active nature of the blog because we really want to hear from you.
Well, anyway! Our lives are not the same!
There is another woman in our house! The attention I have received in the last two weeks is zippo! When I hear Pat say (with such excitement in his voice) every morning, "Well, my sweetheart, did you sleep well"? I look happily at him to answer, but I quickly see he is addressing the dog. I walk away, sulking.
Then he says, "Honey, are you hungry? Can I get the sweetest girl in the world something to eat"? No, really, it is okay if I starve as long as the DOG gets her dish filled! Then, he says "Honey, can I get you some cold water"? No, really, it's okay, I can get it myself, you swine.
The only time I am sure that he is not talking to me is when he says to "Libby", (in that sickly sweet, baby talk voice) "Honey, do you need to go outside to poop"? I am really serious here. I am NOT going to be going outside to poop under a tree anytime soon (at least not on a leash, thankyou)!
So you see what our lives have become in two weeks? And I wanted this dog, this suddenly subversive "other woman"?
Well, it's a good thing I love her as much as he does. (I hope).
My writing is all about "living a joyful life". Getting a puppy is really good advice for living one.
My son, KC, who was visiting last week from San Francisco, said that Libby had two speeds: full speed ahead and stop. She is a canine cyclone. Cuter never happened in a furry puppy.
So, if you need a shot of joy, get one. And be prepared to move over in the love and attention department if you've got anyone else living with you. But that's okay. She will give you more love than you lost.
love,
Shoeless Susan
(yea, she really loves my shoes but I had too many, anyway!)