Who needs an alarm clock?

Hard to believe, but it has been nearly one year since we went out and picked up our new alarm clock.  Not at Bed Bath and Beyond or one of the 300 other chains located on the west side of Flint, but just down the road from our house at a dog breeder specializing in Golden Retrievers.  We walked in the door, and less than 30 minutes later were walking out with the newest member of the family.

It's been a year full of discovery for both him and us.  Plenty of moments where we said to ourselves "I can't believe he just did that."  Definitely plenty of laughs.  He also reminds us of what he looked like when we brought him home as I continually pick up puppy-sized tumbleweeds of fur that accumulate daily next to the walls.

It's been a lot of fun having him around the house.  I also think he's responsible for helping keep things structured for me as I've taken on a full-time class load while maintaining the full-time job.  Many mornings I've had to make sure I was up in plenty of time to get to work early because I'd have to put in a 12-14 hour day, but the only time I've had to set an alarm clock in the last year is when I've had to be up prior to 6:00am.  Otherwise, Colby takes care of it.

The routine is down pretty well now.  Between 6:00am and 6:15am, he'll jump up on the bed and immediately lay down at the end of it.  At 6:30am, he'll stand up and look to see if either Erin or I are awake, and lay back down if neither one of us acknowledges him.  This happens again at 6:45, however, this time he'll lay down in between us.  At 7:00am, he's standing over me waiting for me to look at him, at which point he licks my face and let's me pet him.  It's then time to let him out and feed him breakfast.  This timeline rarely changes.  Even when the clocks moved ahead an hour a few weeks back, there he was, at 7:00am, hovering, ready to pounce on me the moment I opened my eyes.  I was certain that the difference in daylight would garner me an extra bit of sleep.  Wouldn't you know it though, instead of the dog who fetches well or plays "dead" on command, we got the one that can read a clock.  Lucky us.  :)

Here's to another fun year of seeing what other talents Colby develops.  Happy 'anniversary' buddy!