Happy 5th Birthday Izzy

I grew up with dogs, but none of them were ever "my" dog.  Izzy is our first dog as a family but she is really "my" dog.  She folllows me from room to room, she sleeps with me, she greets me at the door no matter how long I have been gone, and she listens to my every word.  She does have a mind of her own though and does what she wants with my words.  She has been by my side through the worst of my rheumatoid arthritis flares and her high energy level has forced me out of bed every day, even when I thought it wasn't possible.  Daily she challenges me to renew my patience as a human as she attempts to countersurf, when she gets jealous that I am hugging Steve goodbye in the morning and acts like a spoiled toddler, and as she barks at bicyclists, UPS trucks, and basically anyone and everything that passes by our house.   Yet she calms me as I sit and pet her, as she runs to the bedroom when I say, "let's take a nap", and as she listens to me when I least expect her to.  I love that in the morning she really wants to bark at dogs passing by our house but muffles her bark when I remind her "the kids are sleeping."  I love that on weekend mornings she greets Steve in bed with a ball in her mouth.  Oh, how I love watching the two of them play.  I love playing ball with her in the backyard and then watching her as your energy explodes and she runs top speed in circles around the yard.  If you haven't seen a border collie run at top speed, you have definitely missed out on a beautiful thing.  I love Izzy for all that she brings to my life.

My sweet Izzy is a New Year's baby.  Today I would like to celebrate Izzy and the joy she brings to my life.


It is amazing how small not only Izzy was when she joined our family at 16 weeks old, but also how small Alexander and Sophia were.  They both now tower over their momma.

Could she be any cuter? I warned the kids when we picked her up that if she wasn't right for us we wouldn't take her home.  The minute I saw her, I knew she was coming home with us.

Right away we switched Izzy from her kibble diet to a homemade raw food diet.  She was paleo/primal before we were.

My hiking partner.

As much as I despise the snow, Izzy loves it.  She loves sitting on the driveway letting the snow accumulate on her body.

I laughed and laughed last winter when we experienced a blizzard.  Izzy ran back and forth in the back yard until she had a path made for herself.  Until the snow melted, she used that path everyday.  It was so funny to watch her ! Oh, and of course she still wanted to be walked, even though the streets and sidewalks were covered in snow.    

Steve and Izzy on a campout.  Steve is definitely in line as Izzy's second favorite since he is her main playmate.

Izzy was with me during my first week back on prednisone in March 2010.  We hiked a different path every day of my Amazing Week.

She's just one of the family.  She loves new adventures with us.

She loves sleeping in my spot when I am away from home.

If Izzy can do it so can I.  That was my philosophy during our last hike.

Pretty Izzy keeps a watchful eye out for us.

Izzy loves to help in the kitchen.  She patiently waits to see if I drop any food and then cleans it right up!

"Did I hear food?"  Food comes before everything else, even  "ball".

Happy birthday Izzy and happy 2012 to all of you!  I appreciate you taking time to stop by and read about my adventures and I especially love when you leave comments.  Thanks so much!