Maeby's First Week in Photos!

As of yesterday, Maeby has been with us for one week! And it feels like such a longer time than that.
Maeby has found her way permanently into our hearts. It's like she's always been there, but we didn't know it till she got here.

We seriously have the best dog in the whole world. I am still baffled every day to realize she belongs to us. She is our pup. Maeby brings so much meaning to simple every day things. Ben and I have realized that she is truly a gift from God, a tangible expression of His love for us in everyday life. We are never alone, we are deeply loved, we are cherished. It is a beautiful thing. And so is she. So check it out!

This is Maeby showing off her Christmas cape, that her grandma made for me years ago!

 

Maeby showing Mr. Ben how pretty she looks

 

Maeby and Mr. Ben having a daily wrestle

 

Pretty girl on the porch

 

Close-up!

 

Bath-time with the pupster!

 

 

Maeby and Mira making cookies together

 

Maeby doing her favorite thing on a walk: holding her own leash

 

What a beaut!

 

Maeby staring at the shadows on the wall

 

Smiling for Mama

 

And I had to include this cause of her doofy face

 

On a hike at hanging rock. She does this thing where she lays down, and then scooches her little body closer and closer to you, and Ben was laughing at her doing this :)

 

On our hike, finally at the top, tired and discovering a little pool of water

 

Standing in the pool

 

"Why, look at this convenient little water dish, just when I need it most."

 

And thennnnnn she lays down in it...to cool of her belly :)

 

And then Ben laughs at her cause of how stupid cute she is

 

Look how much joy she brings us!

 

The Fam

 

"I found a stick and I'm going to lay here on my hike and chew on it"

 

Tired from her hike, being an otter dog

Stay tuned for more posts and updates about our life with Maeby!

Breakfast

So I'm sitting her next to Maeby, trying to get her to eat her breakfast.
We just got home from a lovely walk outside through the neighborhood. Everyone comments on what a pretty and well behaved girl Maeby is.
And now we are home and she is looking straight into my eyes (cause I'm sitting on her bed, on the floor) and she is wondering why I am sitting here, and I am wondering why she isn't eating.
She drinks some water, and takes a couple bites, but mostly she just looks at me.
It's at the point where I'm scooping up her food in my hand and feeding her. I feel like I'm feeding a llama at a petting zoo.

"Maeby, we shouldn't be doing this. Why aren't you eating?"

Finally she starts taking some more bites of food, but between every bite she lifts up her head and looks towards the bedroom--where Ben is in bed. He didn't sleep well, so it's later than he usually get's up.
She takes a bite, she looks up, she takes a bit, she looks up and whimpers. Finally I realize she's worried about Ben.
Hahaha, genuinely concerned for his well-being since she hasn't seen him yet today.

We have the best dog in the world. She won't eat her breakfast, because she is worried about her family.
I love this dog so much. Stay tuned for Maeby's first week with us in pictures!

Everyday life

I have to apologize that it's been so long since I've posted about Maeby. Our time together hasn't been any less interesting, just busier.

The past week with Maeby has been incredible. Already Ben and I are in love with her, and she with us. You can tell that she knows we are her's. She isn't as quick to listen to anyone else. She looks to us for permission before going into the neighbor's house.

We are discovering she is a true Golden. In the morning when we get up, or when we come home from work, she get's so excited to see us that she starts whimpering and this low growl begins in the back of her throat. Not at all saying "I'm mad at you" but saying "oh my gosh, I can't stand how much I love you!"

We are teaching her some tricks and beaming with pride in every new accomplishment. Even though she is a two year old, there is so much puppy in her still. She is the cutest thing ever. We keep talking about how she is the best thing that could have happened to us at this point in our lives.

Later this weekend I'll post some photos of her getting used to the new settings, and celebrating the holidays. Let me just say she was thrilled to show off how beautiful she was draped in her Christmas cape.

And I'll leave you with this picture: last night I got off of work late, and didn't get home till about midnight. I just needed some snuggle time with my pup. So I got out my computer, made some popcorn, and put on Our Idiot Brother. Maeby and I folded laundry, snuggled and ate popcorn together. This movie is her new favorite because of Willie Nelson, the main character's golden retriever.

She's got a super crush on him.

Snuggles

So today after our jog, I was laying next to Maeby's mat to do some crunches. Maeby decides that this just won't do, so she proceeds to pin me to the floor, stand completely on top of me and give me kisses till I die (aka: stop doing crunches).

I guess this is how Maeby gets her work-out on. :)

The beginning

To start things off, I want to tell you a bit about our story, and how Maeby has made her way into it.

Two years ago, if you had asked me when I was planning on getting a dog, I would have said
"Oh, the day we get back from our honeymoon!"
Well, my husband and I got married a year and a half ago (tomorrow) and we just got Maeby on Sunday.
Life is funny isn't it?

This journey towards getting Maeby has been a beautifully tough one.  A few dogs have made their way into our hearts, only to slip back out of them, leaving behind an even deeper longing for the love of a dog who really gets us.


After months and months of Craigslist browsing and Petfinder, and calling kennels and texting people, Maeby kind of fell into our laps (which are as full as our hearts, since our new bundle of joy comes in at a whopping 63 pounds!)

My sister-in-law is a beautiful mother. She has two great little boys, who happen to take up a lot of her time. She and her husband got Maeby when she was still a pup, and she came into their lives when they were in a lonely place. Maeby brought them so much joy; she was a bright light in a dark room. They were in need of love, and Maeby was that gift to them. And Amy and Steve have two beautiful children who are such wonderful gifts to them. Oliver and Harrison are now their sources of light and joy, and they wanted Maeby to have a home where she would get all the attention she needs.

So here she is. 18 months and two Thanksgivings later, I'm sitting at my kitchen table with a beautiful  new friend who just wants to be with me. And I can't help but want to be with her, too.

So here's to this journey Ben and I are stepping into. The next 8 or so years are going to be filled with adventures and challenges and so much joy because of Maeby. And I want to share it with you.

So, to start it off, I'm just going to say that today on our walk, I wasn't walking Maeby, she was walking me. And not in the way that she was pulling and I was having a hard time keeping up. I mean, she had the end of her leash in her mouth, and I was holding onto it, as she led me down the street. :) (This continued for about 10 minutes).

I can't wait to continue sharing our stories with you!