The one where Miles scares the jeebes out of me.

The beginning of our adventure is here. Aaron made it to the airport and DC with no problems, other than extreme sleepiness and frustration. I took a big fat nap and got dressed for Steffanie’s party. I had a reasonably good outfit, a fabulous new haircut, and my favorite shoes. I was set. Traffic on 75 ruined my plans to drive to Melanie’s house and go to the party with her. I headed back to the in-laws’ house, only to get lost. (Darn new construction.) I finally got directions and was on my way. Due to poorly labeled roads I was about a half hour late, but once I got there all was well. I’ve been stressed out about this party since we started planning it in September, and despite a venue change it went off without a hitch. The food was wonderful, the company was good, the bridesmaids’ dresses were beautiful. I got lost of compliments on my hair, which was reassuring, and really enjoyed being adults with the friends I’ve had since childhood. Sunday morning. I left Miles with my mother-in-law and headed for my parents’ house in Mesquite. They were decorating the tree that night, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. About halfway through the decorating, Aaron calls. He’s just heard from his mom, frantic. Miles had gotten out. OUT. She’d taken him out in the yard, and he’d squeezed himself through a loose board and was gone. Loose in the dark, in an unfamiliar place, in the cold. GONE. I had no idea how much I loved that dog until he was missing. I felt like my heart itself was out wandering the streets, and I couldn’t rest until it was back where it belonged. My mom and I immediately went to their house and started combing the streets with flashlights and treats, calling his name. Four hours later, there hadn’t been a trace of him. We had to leave so my mom could go to work the next day. I was sick. Early Monday morning, I was up making copies of a lost dog flyer. (Thanks to the wonderful Kinko’s guy who didn’t charge me.) While Aaron’s mom hung the signs, I kept looking. Called the pound and the vet. Put a notice on Craigslist. Not a trace of that dog anywhere. I was starting to lose it. Walking down the street, crying. Jumping out of my skin every time the phone rang, desperate for it to be someone who’d found him. I picked Aaron up from the airport and we continued to look. We’d decided to stick near the house, unsure of where else to go. Around 5:00, we took a break. I felt completely defeated. I couldn’t just sit around. I left to walk the neighborhood again, and Aaron’s parents went to check out a new neighborhood in the general direction we thought he’d taken off in. While we were walking, Aaron’s phone rang. Aaron: Hello? What? You’ve got him? I have never moved so fast in my entire life as I did getting back to the house and into the car. His parents gave us directions and we were on our way. Miles is not a big fan of any people who aren’t Aaron or me, so Aaron kept his dad on the phone and told him things to say to get his attention without actually approaching him. We found him sniffing around in a yard. I called his name, and he sprinted toward me. I picked him up and Aaron got the leash on him. He was filthy and smelled like garbage, and was covered in twigs and burrs. We got him home and bathed, watered and fed. That dog drank like I’ve never seen him drink before. And then, he slept. And slept. And slept. He’d been gone almost exactly 24 hours. For those hours, I was like a shell of myself, walking around in a daze imagining all the terrible things that could be happening to him. My heart was completely broken. Monday night, it was raining and sleeting. If he’d been out in that, I don’t know what I would have done. So now he’s home, safe and dry and warm. He’ll be on the leash anytime he goes outside for the rest of the trip. He’s shaky and scared, but he’ll make it. And so will I.