marley and me

If you were to see a list of my favorite movies, I'm sure you would question my taste - it's pretty random. With that said, I have nothing but praise for my latest fav, Marley and Me.
Reasons this film struck a chord with my life...
1. If Jennifer Aniston lets her dog live indoors with the family, then I can't feel too much like a slob when I do. (we are pretending the movie is real-life here folks) True, I didn't see Jen sweeping the floor 5 times a day (like I should be doing with my dog indoors), but her dog did eat it's fair share of furniture, so we'll call it a wash.

2. Family Values are not quite dead in Hollywood... it's SO refreshing to see a couple in the movies get married before the kids come and decide to have more than one hobby child. No nannies, no daycare, no divorce.

3. How fun would it be to write a column in a newspaper and get paid enough to live a Ralph Lauren lifestyle complete with a barn house and riding boots? I would opt for the Pennsylvania homestead over the pool house and flip-flops in Florida. I should have majored in journalism!!

4. Dogs, dogs, dogs. No one understands why we get so attached (I'm speaking to all you fellow dog lovers). Am I right? Dogs exist to please their owners. If a man were to lock his dog and his wife out of the house for a week, which would be the first to forgive the man when he finally let them back inside?... enough said.

5. Back to Jen (and still pretending the movie is real life). It's nice to see a house that looks lived in: baby bottles sitting on the counter, toys scattered down the hallway, minivan in the driveway. It made me feel less guilty going home to a similar scene after the movie was over.

6. Lovely little parallels. Life is never what we expect it to be - college, marriage, parenting, our job. We think we know what will be best for our future, but life isn't like a "to-do" list that we can check off (trust me, I'm learning this the hard way). The best lessons usually come from the unexpected "growing pains" along the way.

7. It doesn't matter how big a pain your dog has been during his lifetime, how much furniture he has destroyed, how annoying his barking was at 2 am, how much money he has cost you, etc., etc....after that dog is gone he will become perfect in your eyes. A legend that all future pets will be measured against. You will insist that no other dog can or will take his place.

In loving memory of Buck, Schnibdibbly, and Scout the wonder pup: Remember, all dogs go to heaven.