The Calvinator

On March 31, 2004, I was in Jacksonville, FL, on a business trip.  I was flew home that night and arrived at Houston-Intercontinental Airport around 9:00PM.

From the airport, I drove to Sugar Land.  It's approximately 50 miles and something you really don't want to do when you're tired.

I went to Sugar Land to get Calvin.  His owner was giving me custody.  At that point in my life, I really hadn't planned on having a dog; my travel schedule was busy.  However, I had been offered the opportunity to have Calvin come live with me and I knew that somehow I would make it work.  And it did.

Jim's brother John was able to help me by staying at my place and keeping an eye on Calvin.  It seems that they both enjoyed the company.

Calvin has brought me more joy than heart ache.  There were times that I had questioned what I was doing with a dog but the companionship is priceless.  We've been through quite a bit together: the 27 hour drive from Houston to Fort Worth during the evacuation of Hurricane Rita; living through and dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike; going back and forth to Fort Worth in the Fall of 2011 when my dad was ill and then died.

Calvin's health was in question in the Fall of 2012 and I was sure he was going to die.  He bounced back (and my bank account took a hit) and is still full of energy even though he sleeps quite a bit more.  He is definitely a lucky dog.

Calvin was four when he came to live with me.  So he is getting up there in age.  I don't know how much longer he will be with me and I really try not to think about it.  We'll enjoy the time together.

The last thing I will say about him is that he brings quite a bit of joy and many smiles to people including people who don't know him.  I remember one day at Memorial Park a guy with a thick Scottish accent said something to us.  I asked him to repeat it and he said, "That is one happy dog."

So, in honor of the day that Calvin came to live with me, Calvin and I had cupcakes from Sprinkles.  Let's hope their are many more cupcakes in our future!