So, my mom reads my blog. (Hi, Mom!) She found the link on Cereal Wednesday a while back. She let me know she stumbled upon it there, then a few weeks ago I specifically kinda-sorta-asked her if she reads and she admitted that she does, although she reads as a blogger who enjoys my writing rather than as my mom who raised me and could potentially be judging me for the life I choose to live. I don't change how I write for her, I just consider her part of the audience.

Two days ago I received an email from her asking if Dawg and I could come to Tennessee for Thanksgiving. She specifically wrote that my stepdad said, "I have an idea for Thanksgiving. Why don't we invite Poppy and Dawg [SIC] to come." I politely declined because Dawg and I already have plans, but I asked if we could instead come see them in "Novemberish" (which means we keep the plans loose until we know a firmer schedule for when we can visit). My mom emailed me back saying how excited she and my stepdad were that we would be coming down. We are excited as well, despite the lack of finality of plans at this point. I can't wait to try out the guest quarters! (Last time I slept in my stepdad's office on a single bed.)

I am still disturbed but amused that my stepdad is now calling us Poppy and Dawg as well.

I am not sure what I expected, it's what we call ourselves pretty much everywhere online and, truth be told, it's what we call each other behind closed doors too. It's very rare for Dawg to call me by my given first name. It's completely unheard of for me to call him by his first name unless I'm talking about him to someone.

And sometimes when Dawg calls me Poppy it suddenly makes me introspectively wonder… is all of this real? Or am I dreaming this? (If I'm dreaming it please let me keep sleeping, moreplease and thank you.)

We are the Bub and Cookie of our generation. (That makes sense to me and my mom, and that's enough making sense for me.)