There is this "25 Things About Me" thing going around on Facebook. Usually these are completely shunned by me, but this time it was cool because you just got to tell 25 random things about yourself - not fill in a pre-made questionnaire about girly things like "What is your favorite season?"

Anyway, Karen and I thought that we should do a "25 Things" in memory of our beagle Sammy (we said our final goodbye to him last Friday night) to aid in the grieving process.

1. Sammy was born in Iowa and was delivered to Karen by her Uncle's trucking company a few days before Christmas 1995.

2. Sam's favorite food was probably hot dogs, but there wasn't anything that he wouldn't eat.

3. Baths were not fun for Sammy, but he was extra spunky afterwards romping around the house.

4. Randy's favorite nicknames for Sam were: Mr. Beagles-worth, Lord Beagleman, and Trotsy Mc(some word referring to urinating in my house).

5. Despite above, Sam would never eat onions and celery but he always tried them every time they fell on the floor.

6. Two days before Thanksgiving 2004, Randy took Sam "hunting" in Oakwood, IL. Five hours and four or so miles later, Randy found him eating a farm dog's food in the next town over. Ask Randy about the story sometime.

7. Sammy enjoyed food so much that he often ate the same food several times. Think about it. Hint: Terry referred to these meals as "yard snacks".

8. Until Karen married Randy, Sam slept between Karen's feet (under the covers) in her little twin size bed most nights. After June 2003, however, Sam never slept with her in her bed again.

9. Tomatoes gave Sam the worst gas ever. He ate a good portion of our vegetable garden last year. Not even Justin could reproduce that smell.

10. Sam whimpered and let out short high-pitched barks while he was sleeping. We always suspected he was chasing rabbits in his dreams.

11. Sometimes Sam ate so fast that he went into heaving/hyperventilating fits. It was a sight to see.

12. Right before our wedding, a family member who was visiting wanted to feed Sam. When he quickly finished his portion, they kept feeding him. This lasted until Sam ingested approximately 4-6 pounds of IAMS Weight Control dog food. His stomach was hard as a rock and round as a beach ball. This was not the first time Sam had eaten that much in one sitting. He couldn't even stand up.

13. They say a dog must eat one ounce of chocolate per pound of body weight to kill it. Sam tested this with chocolate truffles and was halfway there.

14. Sam was not big on fetch. If you could get him to chase a ball, he did it once and then went on strike until he received a treat.

15. Sam was the only one who liked Terry's feet. He licked them a lot. Gross.

16. Sam was never allowed on Maureen's couches, but managed to cuddle with her pretty much all the time as long as she was distracted by HGTV.

17. When we drove from Illinois to Minnesota, Sam always knew when we were within a mile or so of Karen's parents house.

18. Three neighbors of ours have called or brought Sam back after we had no idea he was gone. He never got far and people kept bringing him back.

19. Sam dug and scratched at his bed pillow until he got it just right. Usually, just right was in front of the back door so we had to push him out of the way to re-enter our own house. Most of the time he slept through this.

20. When Randy went over to Karen's after delivering pizzas on the weekends during college, Sam would lick the mozzarella cheese off his shoes for hours until they were completely clean.

21. Sammy was aggressive, but our biggest concern when taking him to the dog park was making sure his libido was in check.

22. Sam wasn't big on kenneling. We went on vacation to Minnesota for 15 days and had him kenneled. The kennel owner said he barked almost the entire time. His bark was hoarse for a few days after we picked him up and he slept (more than usual) for three days straight.

23. Our closets are the only carpeted areas we have in our house. Sam often sought them for refuge during thunderstorms, bouts of vacuuming, or when the laundry pile was big enough to make a superbed.

24. Sam almost got us kicked out of our first apartment due to a "Three Strikes" rule. Apparently he barked all day while we were at work. I know, a preposterous accusation.

25. Sammy really took a liking to Madeline from the first day that we brought her home. He loved to sniff and lick her. We would like to think that it was some sort of human-animal connection, but it was probably just that she smelled like milk-barf sometimes.

We'll miss you beagle buddy.

Sammy-15: Sammy didn't get to go with to the prom.

Sammy-14: "Weight Control" Dog Food

Sammy-13: Sam and Jesse

Sammy-12: Awww.

Sammy-11: Sam's favorite chair that he wasn't allowed on.

Sammy-10: Under the couch

Sammy-9: Kisses

Sammy-8: Snow Buddy

Sammy-7: He comes from a champion line. But his Grandma on one side is his Great-grandma on the other. Seriously.

Sammy-6: Just Lazin'

Sammy-5: Snuggle Puppy of Mine

Sammy-4: Ticklin' the Ivories - 15" Style

Sammy-2: Ticklin' the Ivories - Puppy Style

Sammy-3: I hate that damn Christmas bear.

Sammy-1: Special Delivery