The Andy.

I have an amazing dog named Honey.  She is a beautiful, calm, friendly Lab/retriever mix.  When Tim moved out and our black lab Petey boy died, I felt I OWED it to the girls to get another dog.
They used to make up songs about the dog they wanted before we even got her.
"We love you honey,
you are so funny,
and we will love you
more than a bunny.
You'll be so pretty
And when you shittty
we will clean it up."

Well it was a totally convincing song and they were so darn cute, and heartbroken, and I would have done ANYTHING to fix them.
So we went to the pet store and I bought the dog they wanted.

Needless to say they love her, she is so pretty, much cuter than a bunny.
But they DO NOT PICK UP DOG POOP.

Here is where the title of this post comes in ANDY.
We got Honey the Dog and Andy the same year.
I picked up Andy online in January and we got Honey in March.  So they came together.
Guess who picks up the dog shit?  ANDY.

I often say to Honey, when the boy is being his most convincing "boy on a mission to drive an old dog to an early grave!" I say to her sweet brown doggie eyes, "I know honey, the boy was not part of the deal when we brought you home.  You were supposed to be our baby.  He was a surprise, and you have been so good about it really."
So how to round post out.  well I'm getting at......
I do Love Andy.
I do appreciate him. (not all the time.)
I want to make him happy and be a good wife and mother to our son.
If that makes me old fashioned, nerdy, June Cleaverish, thats cool too.
Not to say I dont have my days when I would rather put Andy in a pair of cement shoes to explore the river bottom, BUT he is my thousand years.
I was broken after Tim left.  I dont known why I would be sooo broken when I knew for years it was coming.
I can still conjure a smidge of that heartbreak of seeing him with his new girlfriend just a week or two after he left.
I wanted in those months afterwards to just "get by".
Just keep breathing and try to smile for my babies.  Show them that even broken women can keep living.
Someone showed  me a video of Allanis Morrisette singing the song CRAZY.  I so understood what she was doing and feeling.  I have been there.  It totally sucks.
I remember seeing Tim ride by a turkey hill I was getting gas at one afternoon with Allie and puppy Honey in the car.  He was on his new motorcycle with his new blond on the back.
I went blank, and just went blind, and hit the rim of CRAZY.
I jumped in the car, and raced around miners mills with a teenage girl and her puppy chasing her father and girlfriend on a motorcycle.  THAT IS CRAZY.
Finally he stopped.
She got off the bike, took off her helmet, and walked over to the window of the car.
I said nothing, I just looked at her face, while I cried, and sobbed. while the puppy yipped and licked her and tried to get out of the window into her arms.  She talked to Allie about the puppy-real sweet- while I put my facce in my hands and cried.
She told Allie she hoped to see her again someday and to bring the puppy too!
My husband stayed on the motorcycle and just watched.
I finally snapped out of it and said-  "You will never see this puppy again, she is mine and the girls and will NEVER EVER leave us, I hope you know what you have done."\
I drove away with puppy and teenager hanging out the window. 
Andy is the guy that will never ever leave us.
No matter what may come down our path, he is ours and we love him.
For a thousand years I have loved him and for a thousand more.
Just like Honey, he has his messes, his "did I do that " moments, but dont we all?
He works hard, he loves his step children he adores and lives for his son.
He surely loves me, sometimes more than I can understand.  When I was a broken heart I dreamed of someone that would come along and hold my hand, kiss me when people were looking, talk to me, listen to me.
He does that.  he is passionate in what he does, although finishing is not one of his high oints, he sure loves new projects.
Heading to the mountain to day for our Labor Day Weekend End of Summer bash.
My exhusband will be there.
Alone without a partner.  His "girlfriend" he had to be with, left him and married someone else.  He has been alone since.  I am not happy about that.  He is still the man I married nearly 25 yrs ago, and I will always love him.  But he is NOT my thousand YEARS.  He lost that right the day he sat on his motorcycle and let me cry in front of a strange woman that wanted more than my HUSBAND.  I do hope he finds his thousand years someday.  I really do.  I'm over the details.
I realize that when I get text messages about kissing in the blue moonlight,  from my thousand year guy with the puppy dog brown eyes.