Her Life in Pictures: Five

I started blogging in this year... and Mabel managed to make her first mention in post number 3! It wasn't long before she was the main subject and chief muse of this blog. That gave Mabel Lou another reason to beg me to get off the computer as she's doing here:

I just love these very rare shots of her looking straight at the camera!

In addition to our in the furs friend, Baby, at the creek, we had an occasional hiking buddy named Cocoa. Here's Mabel showing off her ball chasing abilities as Cocoa watched.

And that summer we met our dear friends Sue and Hank...the Rhodesians that live up the street from us. Oh what a trio they made: 

I took a production job that year and Mabel did not like it and tried her best to look all cutified in the mornings so that maybe I would stay home:

But I managed to get her out for some creek time most every day:

It was around this time that this photo style started appearing:

Mabel needed a daily baptism in the creek. I finally realized she did this EVERY single day. The only exceptions were the rare extremely cold or extremely windy days. No hike was ever complete until she did this.

My business had it's most successful year ever. I had money in the bank for once and just loved being at home with my baby. I bought my first torch and started making glass beads. I was just happy to be with my girl! She had grown up and settled down and I was finally in love with her. Hard to believe now that I honestly thought she would be one of "those dogs" that would simply pass through my life and that I would not love her. Her puppy years were hell and I did not like her at all during that time... but that was long behind us.

Here she is, ready to go to the post office and on to the creek.

Having a little money meant my first grown up vacay by myself! I had never gone on a trip without friends or to visit family. It remains my only one! I went to the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee for a week of glass classes. My mom came out for an extended stay to babysit. Here she is spoiling her granddog:

And for my weird story. The day I came home from the vet's without Mabel, ^^ that photo was on my computer wallpaper. Here's the weird part. I didn't put it there! I change my wall paper when I buy a computer and I always pick the stock beachy pic that comes with the Microcrap software...that's it. I never do it again. I don't know how this pic got there. I didn't even know what file the photo was from for over a week... VERY Odd!

Later that year, I found out I had been feeding Mabel contaminated food. We caught it in time...but it was a very scary period! Here she is after her blood tests:

It took us a few weeks to get all her health issues worked out. Her meds made her groggy and unhappy.

But soon, she was back on the trails with her two besties, Hank and Sue: