Boy how time flies

It is crazy to think that two years ago we didn't have Abby. 

On Saturday May 29, 2010 my husband and I went to the NHSPCA in Stratham, NH in the hopes of welcoming a dog into our lives.  In many ways I feel like Abby was meant to be ours that weekend.  I've told you before that my husband knew we were coming home with a dog that weekend because of the preparations I had done for her arrival.  We had literally just moved that same week and although I had taken two days off to move and pack, I had the majority of our stuff unpacked and the house put together in the course of those two days.  This is how my husband knew we would have a dog that weekend.  However, when we walked through the NHSPCA, there were many dogs that were already adopted or had pending adoptions.  Additionally many dogs were fearful of men.  Before we made one more pass through the shelter, I had resigned myself to the fact that we had not found our dog.  And then Abby approached the door to her kennel. 

"Baby," as the NHSPCA referred to her, had been outside on a walk when we had made a few passes through so we had missed her.  But she came right over to us and was so sweet and adorable that my heart just melted.  I mean, look at this face?  How can you not fall in love with her? 

We were in love.  In spite of reservations my husband had about bringing a puppy home, he fell in love that day, too.  It really is easy to see why.  But for all of the preparations I had done inside of the house, we were completely unprepared with things that Abby would need (food bowls, toys, food, etc.)  So our girlie rode in the back of my Corolla with my husband while we made the trek home and stopped at Petco to get things for her.  Petco was a blur of people wanting to say hi to her, us not knowing what the heck to get her, and Abby being in overload.  It was not at all surprising that she threw up in my car on the way home two miles from the house. 

Abby checked out her new surroundings, and we did our best to try to make her comfortable. 

Abby slept the majority of the afternoon with us.  What a tired girl!  And for the most part that day some part of her was touching us - her paw, her tail, etc. 

Abby quickly fell into routines, and inevitably became such an integral part of our lives.  I cannot imagine a time when we didn't have her.  I love this sweet girl so much, and as we approach the anniversary of her Gotcha Day I am so proud of the girlie that she is. 

She really does have the most beautiful smile.  Pictures like the one above and the ones below here remind me that there was a time in her life where these smiles weren't possible, and I always feel so lucky that we were able to give her reasons to smile.