Yesterday we said good-bye to our pug, Choey, the kids’ “brotha from anotha motha”. He went to an excellent retired couple, who incidentally, owned him temporarily about three years ago. Funny, even after not having seen them for a couple years, Choey remembered them as soon as they walked through our door! He was beside himself with excitement, all a dither, so happy to be greeting his old owners, bouncing around and sniffing like a puppy. While I know he will be well-loved and taken care of, it was bittersweet anyway. He’s the first family member we said good-bye to, on this new adventure to Thailand. It’s the first of many good-byes, I know, but I’d rather think about that until the very last moment.

In this photo, he’s sitting on the upper ledge of the car’s back seat, like some kind of royalty.