I honestly feel that for the first time, I celebrated the ushering in of a New Year the way the holiday gods intended – by laying in bed all day in my pajamas watching Buffy with my dogs. This was the most unproductive, indolent and satisfying January 1st in the history of all my 25(ish) years! 

Jeremy was unexpectedly called in to work, so I was presented with every coupled gal’s wildest fantasy – having the house to myself. The only task looming before me that day was a daunting one; feeding the dogs. But alas, this wasn’t going to be just any old breakfast, oh no! This day marked the first day of 2011 and yet another year full of challenging dogs and hidden stashes of liquor to ease my anxieties, it deserved to be celebrated! This all-important first meal of the day consisted of kibble, frozen blueberries and plain chicken to cover all the necessary canine food groups (crunchy, meaty and sweet). I knew that I was risking an altercation by offering such delectable delicacies out in the open (Chance has never been good at sharing) but I figured that the dogs deserved the chance to prove me wrong. I was incorrect in this assumption.

Once the dust settled and all hurt feelings were put aside, we proceeded to the master bedroom where the four of us spent the remainder of the day, curled up under the blankets and enjoying the timeless tale of a girl and her vampire, Buffy! (It was a good thing I had the dogs there, because season 5 was a sad one!) The only time any of us evacuated the bed was for a brief bathroom break or to refill the bowl of microwave popcorn. Being the kindly and generous person that I am, I offered my furry friends several handfuls of the low-fat treat to their ultimate delight.

Jeremy was surprised, albeit delighted to find an adorable foursome hibernating underneath his new duvet, stinking up his bed to high heaven. This was just one of those days when having a dog was an absolute necessity. Definitely an ideal way to start off the New Year!