Sunrise Heaven

What an AMAZING morning we had!! I shared one of my very favorite trails with Hazel for the first time. I wasn't sure how this would go, as there are many boulders to navigate and lots of critters on the trail. (wild and otherwise). We started off before sunrise....

There are now words...this mountain reaches deep into my soul. Hiking in my special place is always spiritual to me, and to share it for the first time with his girl....*sigh*. I can't explain the feeling other than pure gratitude.

Here's to many more trails...I look forward to our journey together. Love you Hazel!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Gotcha!

She's ours! Forever and ever...we made our girl's adoption official this past Sunday! I am over the moon HAPPY and ecstatic to be a dog mom again! Little D is thrilled to have a furry sister she can grow up with. More to come!

My Heart is full

Just chillin' like a villain

This weekend was one in which my heart overflowed more than a few times. If you remember from my past post, there was a time when I was really concerned about Hazel being socially drawn to D. I questioned whether she was comfortable around her. We *almost* hesitated to make the decision to adopt her. All I can say is, I am SO happy we gave her more time and more training, or we would have missed out on this....

We have been allowing more freedom with Hazel. For the first few weeks, we baby gated the upstairs as the bedrooms are far from clutter free, espcially the little one's 100+ stuffed animals on the bed. Lately Hazel has been coming up to say goodnight to D, but over the weekend, we had something happen that made my heart sing....

Yep, Hazel chose to sleep with D. Oh.my.heart. I never thought this would happen. I thought that would be left to our next dog. (yes, we want another!)

Two peas..and yes, this was literally post bath, hence no collar. As soon as she was dry, it went back on. ;)

We are having the best time with her. No, she's not perfect, and neither are we. She can still be a little stinker and completely inappropriate, but those instances are far less frequent, and we have the tools to work with her. She is a pup who will require ongoing training and vigilance, and she's worth it. <3

Labor Day

What a FUN weekend!!! This was our first "family" getaway. I have family in quotes because we still have not finalized Hazel's adoption, however, I can say family
because we felt like one.

We stayed in a tiny cabin and were "camping" with several other families. I was a little concerned how Hazel would be in a new environment with a TON of distractions, i.e. lots of kids, new people, wildlife, (can you say skunks, otters, llamas, chickens, goats, cats, and a horse or two- oh my!)Oh, and dogs of course. One (of the many) creatures that can make Hazel lose her marbles. Don't get me wrong, she LOVES dogs...a little too much. ;)

Hanging out on the patio overlooking the campers below

Creek side hike...loved this!


So, this trip was awesome on a lot of levels. Just the chance to to unplug completely, re-connect as a family, and enjoy nature. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Hazel did. She was nervous the first night we arrived, and for good reason. It was pitch black and were met by a ton of kids rushing around with flashilights looking for skunks and racoons. I wanted Hazel to feel safe so I removed her from all of the excitement, and went inside the cabin.

The very next day we got up at the crack of dawn, and Hazel and I explore the quiet grounds. We were able to explore all that we could not see the night before. As campers started stirring from their tents/cabins, she was able to meet people gradually. She was a hit!

The very BEST part of the weekend was that on the (LONG) drive up, we actualy said the words aloud that have been in our minds and hearts all along. It went something like this:

"Can we just agree that we are adopting Hazel?"

hubby: "I assumed we were!"

Yes, it was "assumed", but I cannot tell you the joy I felt to hear the words out loud. Hazel will be a part of our family.....Forever.