Tell Me a Story- August

Wow! How time has flown once again. Crazy to think summer is over and fall is approaching. The end of this month had been a really exciting one!! Our family grew by a little member on the 22nd of this month! My aunt (and best friend) welcomed her beautiful daughter in to the world. I was lucky to get some photos :)

Please keep the circle going by visiting: Beth Williams

An Open Letter to the Dog I Failed

Dear Carli,

The moment I met you, I knew there was something special about you. When most people look at you Carli, they see Weimaraner . . . crazy, uncontrollable, stubborn . . . I saw something else in you. I could tell when you looked at me with your sad beautiful eyes that you just wanted to love someone with your whole heart and have someone love you equally back.

Your start to life little girl was everything but fair. Someone had left you and let you wander around the unknown downtown covered in fleas, ear mites, and hungry. If it hadn't of been for a big hearted neighbor, life may have only gotten tougher for you. You were lucky enough to be taken to a new and clean home where you were taken care of. You lived in your new home just two short months before you became mine. The big hearted neighbor saw what I saw in you on a different level. He saw your sweetness and loving spirit, but he also saw "Weimaraner" and that weighed more than your other beautiful qualities. Lucky for me, that meant you got to be welcomed in to my home.

Carli, there wasn't a day that we didn't share together where I didn't love you with my whole entire heart. I'll be honest with you Carli, the moment you were welcomed in to my home, I had no intention of having you become "my dog." I wanted to find you the perfect home. I had criteria that had to be met and I wasn't going to shy away from those just because we may have had a difficult day or so.
My Carli's New Home Checklist

• Has to be someone I know 
• Has to be someone willing to feed you quality food
• You have to be the only dog
• Someone who is established and won't ship you off to yet another home
• Someone who will keep me updated on your life
• Someone who will be active with you and keep you active

I knew my checklist for you was a very select and very limited number of people I knew in my life, but I was convinced when it was right, the perfect person would emerge. 

327 days later, I found someone who not only meets all of my criteria, but someone who really fell in love with you. Almost ten months of you being apart of my life, I didn't think it was possible to find another perfect home for you. I didn't think I would find someone who would love you and see you for everything that you are and understood how to communicate with you. 327 days later Carli, I found you the perfect home. 

My Carls, the moment I let you meet your new family, my greatest fear was that you would feel like your mom; someone who took care of you, loved you, shared my life with you, just abandoned you and left you yet again with someone new to get to know. Three different homes in a one year time span can make you feel that way I am sure. But guess what Carls, my fear that I thought you'd feel like that went out the window when I dropped you off for your trial week. The second you walked in that door to the most perfect life, I knew you wouldn't ever look back on life before. 

I couldn't of asked for a better new home for you Carli. I can't even tell you how blessed we both are that there are people like your new parents in this world. You will be given everything you need and a million more things that I would of never been able to give to you. You have only been in their life for short period of time, yet it feels like you've been a member of their family forever. 

My favorite time of the day is getting the recap text of your day. I get to hear about all the fun you are having, all the places you get to explore, all the people you get to meet, and so much more. I love hearing that you love watermelon or that you have spooked yourself of the driveway, so your new mom drives you down the driveway in the car just to take you for a walk. I love hearing you have a crush on your new dad and love to make him proud by listening and showing him all you can do. I even love to hear about your new found friendship with the kitties :) 

Originally Carli, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry that I couldn't be what you needed. That I couldn't understand exactly what you needed and didn't have the time to dedicate to giving it to you. Sorry that you had to split your attention with another dog and were forced to wear yourself out most days. But as I am finishing this letter to you my sweet girl, I realized I don't have to be sorry because it led me to find you the most perfect home to be in. That feeling right there makes me feel like I did something right for you.  

So thank you Carli for letting me fail you, for forcing me to reach out and find you your happy ending. If you hadn't of let me fail Carli, I would of never gotten to make you as happy as you are now and more importantly, I would of never known what I truly wasn't giving to you. Thank you Carli for being you, for letting your heart love someone else as much as you have loved me and for letting someone else love you with their whole heart. I could not have asked for you to do anything more. 

You'll always be my Carls, Carls Barkely, Houdini, Little Shit, Sweet Pea. But most importantly, you'll always have a spot in my heart as my little girl. I love you Carli and will love you for the rest of your life. Never doubt that. But I send you off on your new adventure knowing you'll never go a day without everything you deserve and more. 

July 2016- My all time favorite photo of Carli