Happy Birthday Maggie

Today, Maggie is six years old. It's hard to believe how different life is now. When I got Maggie, I was dating Patrick Vincent, my mom was undergoing chemotheraphy treatments, my sister and brother-in-law were living with me and I was still in school. Now, I'm dating Scott Delony (one of the most amazing people I know), my mom is gone, Shelley and Wes live in their own house with two kids and I've graduated and have a real job.

It's hard to believe that my mom has been gone for almost four years now. She was an amazing woman, and I'm thankful for every day that I got to have her as a mother. I only hope that my kids can understand what kind of woman their grandmother was and how many people she touched. My mom and I picked Maggie out together. We went to look at puppies and my mom kept telling me "now we're not going to get the first puppy we see." So Maggie ran out, we played with her for about five minutes and my mom turned to me and said, "let's get her." And you people wonder where my impulsive side comes from. I hope Maggie has many more years in her, not just because she's a great dog, but she's a reminder to me of my mom and who she was and the things we shared.

I try to think about what the next six years have in store, but it's hard to daydream when your life has always been turned upside down. I never thought I'd be a part of a blended family with stepsisters and a stepmom, but here I am. I also thought that after all the bad decisions I had made along the way that I could never have such great friends as I do now or such a great boyfriend. God is incredibly faithful to me even when I am not faithful to him. Scott's kind of like Maggie in that he better be around for many years because he's a reminder to me of how great God is and the wonderful gifts he gives to me every day.

So happy birthday Maggie. I hope you enjoyed your dog treats and the nap we shared today. I also hope you have many more birthdays to come.