CHAPTER 17
I awoke to Mr. Paws batting me in the face, my punishment for sleeping in. There was a good reason I'd changed his name to 'Mr. Pain in the Ass' when I first got him--actually, there were many reasons. After rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I checked the time, seven thirty, so Kip was still in the air. He had to be exhausted, but also psyched about starting his big adventure, I imagined. Before turning in, I'd placed the photo of me and my mom (such a sweet gift!) on the nightstand next to the clock so it would be the first thing I saw when I awoke. I had resolved not to be sad this year, to remember the good times instead. I also wanted to do something to honor my mom's memory, something significant--but what? I would have to give it some thought.
My backyard looked inviting
