Pepper scared me this morning

It’s been a long morning already. I get up early to get to work at 7 and head downstairs. Something isn’t quite right; this is the first time EVER that Pepper wasn’t waiting for me at the babygate at the bottom of the stairs. So, I come down and she’s not there. I look around and she’s lying down, stretched out on the couch – not moving. I call her name. Nothing. I call her name again. Still nothing. At this point, I’m near tears and panicking. I go right over to her and call "Oogie." Her head pops up and her tail thumps. I kiss her little apple head about 100 times and tell her she scared her mommy! She was ready and raring to go after that. Wiggling to the door to be let out.

I know she’s going to be 10 in August, I’m just not ready for her to be "old" yet. She scared the CRAP out of me.