a year of blog, a year of dog

Today is Sawra's first birthday.

It's also been exactly one year since I started this blog. Both experiences have brought me a long way, and have taught me things that I didn't know I needed to learn. For the 2,000-odd visits, emails, comments, and most importantly, conversations, surrounding this blog, I owe immeasurable gratitude to all of you.

Thank you.

And as for puppy, it's hard to describe in words the laughs, the joys, the exasperation, the frustration, and the love of raising your first puppy... so I'll do it in pictures instead :).

Meeting puppy for the first time. Three months old on Memorial Day weekend.

Things Sawra likes: style.

Things Sawra does not like: sunglasses.

Things Sawra likes: displacing me from my bed.

Things Sawra does not like: being displaced from my bed.

Things Sawra likes: clothes (albeit not for the same reasons that I do).

Things Sawra does not like: shoes (or rather, booties, in this case).

Things Sawra likes: Halloween.

Things Sawra does not like: Halloween costumes.

Things Sawra likes: chewing.

... and chewing...

... and chewing.

Things Sawra likes: Aunt Andrea (but then again, who doesn't?).

Things Sawra does not like: cold weather.

If you'd like to use any of these pictures, feel free, with credit.

Sawra is the Aramaic word for "hope." Here's to puppy and the hope of things yet to come.

Happy birthday, puppy!