Charlotte is 2

Today my baby girl turns the big #2! How did that happen?! I look at her sweet puppy face, into her warm brown eyes (which she got from me) and I still see that adorable, mischievous puppy that I fell in love with on September 19, 2014. Sure, she’s matured a lot and tripled in size and length, but I can hardly believe she’s aged at all, it seems unreal that this much time has already passed. I’ve been feeling super sentimental and have been looking back over her puppy pictures this week, remembering all those funny little memories of Charlotte and seeing how far we’ve come.

Charlotte is right around 35 pounds, making her the most petite and fun-sized basset ever. But don’t let her size fool you, she’s a strong kid – definitely stronger than me. 😉 I’m pretty certain that she believes she is one of us – she prefers to sleep where we sleep, eat what we eat, sit with us when we’re driving, relax when we’re relaxing, and hikes how we hike. I have never met a dog with so much personality, and it doesn’t just come from her eyes and ears. I feel like we can know exactly what she’s saying just by her facial expressions and how she’s acting. (Which is why we “talk for her” all the time. She has a voice that’s begging to be spoken aloud.)

During our last vacation, I was holding Charlotte on my lap while Curtis was driving – a scene that occurs frequently while traveling. As I stroked the fur on her back, I was filled with so much gratitude that she is in my life. We obviously spend a lot of time together while Curtis is away, and she brings so much joy to every day that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I can barely stand how cute she is when she sits on the couch watching me make dinner, or when she’s bouncing off the walls excited to go for a walk. My heart feels so full when she follows me around the house and hangs out with me all the time, because I realize she enjoys my company just as much as I enjoy hers. I realize it was no coincidence that Curtis and I fell in love with this little puppy 22 months ago – it couldn’t have been any other little basset hound, because God made this one specially for us, possessing every character quality we needed in a pet to show us love, patience, inspiration, and joy. So much joy. 🙂

I feel like I do a lot of reminiscing or lists of things Curtis and I have done in our marriage, but today I wanted to celebrate Charlotte by sorting out all the things she’s done in her 2 years of life. If we had it our way, we’d take her everywhere with us – but unfortunately not every place is dog friendly, so she’s had to sit some weekends out. However, I know that even without those, she has still been to so many places and done some incredible things for a pup her age, so let’s get to highlighting those!

CHARLOTTE’S REVERSE BUCKET LIST

Mountains Summited 

Mt. Wrightson, (x2) Agua Caliente, Miller & Carr Peaks, Mt. Charmander, Atascosa (x2), Guthrie Mountain, Mt. Sniktau, Crowder Mountain, Parsons Mountain, Table Rock, Pinnacle Mountain, Sassafras Mountain, Mt. Mitchell

Areas Hiked

Santa Rita Mountains, Catalina Mountains, Huachuca Mountains, Sedona, Tortolita Mountains, Superstition Wilderness, Coronado National Forest, Usery Mountain Park, Lake Patagonia, Palisades Kepler State Park, Arapaho National Forest, the Rockies, San Juan National Forest, Curecanti NRA, Natural Falls State Park, Santee Canal Park, Congaree National Park, Sesquicentennial State Park, Poinsett State Park, Crowder Mountain State Park, Kings Mountain National/State Parks, James Island County Park, Jekyll Island, Washington Oaks Garden State Park, Sumter National Forest, River’s Bridge State Historic Site, Santee State Park, Caesars Head State Park, Jones Gap State Park, Table Rock State Park, Mt. Mitchell State Park, Pisgah National Forest

States Visited

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida

National Park Sites

White Sands, Montezuma Castle/Well, Casa Grande, Ironwood Forest, Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Congaree, Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Frederica, Fort Matanzas, Fort Pulaski, Kings Mountain, Charles Pinckney, Curecanti, Cowpens, Ninety-Six, Blue Ridge Parkway

Beaches Visited

Kiawah, Isle of Palms, Hunting Island, Edisto Island, Huntington, Jekyll Island, Vilano

Places Vacationed (vacations where she joined us!)

Sedona, Iowa, Phoenix, Colorado, Michigan, Columbia (x2), Savannah, St. Augustine, Crowder Mountain, Augusta, Greenville, Asheville

States Lived

Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina

I could add more…but I’d rather spend the day playing with my girl (and making her some birthday treats). Happy Birthday Charlotte, I hope you know how loved you are.