Brian grew up with reptiles and has been patiently waiting for the day when he could once again have one (or a plethora of them as I’m told will eventually happen) in his life.

When we bought the Jeep a few months ago, I was sold on it by things like the idea of being able to comfortably sleep in it on long road trips, or how much room Bosco had in the back, or how easily I could clean it after dirtying the inside during one of my adventures. Unbeknownst to me, Brian was sold on the Jeep almost as soon as he saw it had a standard wall outlet [for plugging in a heat lamp when we drive out of Alaska] in the back seat.

So a few weeks ago this tiny real life (bearded) dragon came into our lives. We call him Casti’el (Kæsti’εl). His arrival was unfortunately overshadowed by the passing of Bosco, but I’d like to take the time now to officially introduce the newest member of the Bennett family.

He’s not the fuzzy, furry, snuggly little ball of fluff I next imagined in my life, but he has grown on me exponentially since his arrival. The more I get to know him, the more I see the vibrance and personality on his eyes.