#1 Lady!!!

Happy Birthday to the SWEETEST BEST DOG EVER!!! Lady is one year old today and I'm simply heartbroken that I'm not with her! For those of you who don't know, Lady went to live with my parents about 3 1/2 weeks ago. It was really REALLY hard to let her go, but I know it was for the best! She was too cramped in this small apartment with far too little running time in her schedule. She's lots happier in St. George with a backyard and big house to run around in! she also has fun with Inka, my mom's dog. They've been friends since puppyhood so they get along great! I can't believe how fast Lady grew, we've had her in our lives now for about 9 months and she has been the light of our lives! My family just LOVES her and say she brings a little piece of me with her. It helps them not miss me as much cuz she reminds them of me...which I actually DO take as a compliment cuz Lady is so sweet and funny! She was my first puppy EVER and I've loved learning things from her, such as patience, innocence and FUN. Look at what a cute puppy she was!

She grew up WAY too fast and has us all wrapped around her little paw. Those sweet puppy dog eyes melt my heart everytime.

The night before Lady left us we had a little pretend birthday party since I knew I was going to miss the actual day. I DID get to talk to her on web cam though and she STILL just can't figure out where in the heck I am and how come she can't crawl through the computer to get me! :)

Our favorite Lady position. She has always plopped down like this and we love watching her little nub tail wag!

Lady enjoying a day at the beach. Believe it or not, once the sand dried she was perfectly clean!

My last day with my sweet Lady. I miss her SO much!

Lady was the biggest mooch and would eat ANYTHING you gave her (except rice. I had to give it to her once cuz she was sick and she wouldn't touch it!)

Lady can be a bit of a spazz sometimes, but it's part of her charm and we LOVE IT!

We found out she's not a big fan of Opera (sorry Ben) when we took her to Opera in the Park...haha snooze fest!

And finally...Lady was a CHEWER. We never could break her of the habit. She chewed off Figaro's collar, then his harness, then proceeded to chew off her OWN harness...leaving what looked like a thong dangling around her bum! haha. Her teeth are SO crooked from always chewing with the same side of her mouth! Her lip always gets stuck on one tooth that sticks out a little too far.

I know this may seem fruity of me to have an entire post dedicated to my dog...but all dog lovers will understand the special connection between a dog and it's owner. I love Lady SO much and I'll be devastated when she dies someday. I had dreams about her for a week after she left us and it really was VERY hard to deal with! She was truly my best friend as I adjusted to living here in California. She was there for me when I cried and when I was bored and lonely. Ben and I laugh at how much her personality resembles mine, and Figaro's resembles Ben. Lady was fearless and social with EVERYONE at the dog park...and Figs is a bit shy and reserved. We imagine our children may be the same way...one like me, and one like Ben. They have been good training for us to be parents!!!

Happy Birthday Lady! I love you with all my heart!!!