My Sweet Gracie

This may be one of the hardest thing I have ever written about, but I want to have it here so I can look back later and read it.  This morning around 7:30 Wes called and said, "I think Gracie was hit by car.  I hate to ask you to do this, but drive down there and see." Our neighbor called Wes and that is how he knew.  
I immediately started crying before I even knew if it was true.  So I went down there and it was her...right in the middle of the road.   I know this sounds weird, but she looked so peaceful.  It looked like she was just sleeping, but I knew that wasn't the case.  I was a wreck, I called Wes and he drove home from work to get her.
Before I even got to my house, I called my Mom.  Who else would you want to talk to beside your Mom right?  I just cried and cried.  Loosing Gracie is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  I have lost dogs before, but none were ever as special as this girl!

So, in memory of my first baby...I don't want this post to be all sad and depressing. So here are some of my favorite memories with my sweet baby girl.  If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Gracie, you would see her and think, man..she is a pretty dog! Then you would try to pet her and Gracie was gone!  You see, Gracie was extremely picky about who she liked.  She LOVED me, she liked my mom, Jodi, my old roommate Kim, my mother in law if I was out there with them, and Wes of course.  It took her 4 years to like Wes though, but they finally bonded.

How about a trip down memory lane!

I got Gracie on New Years Eve of 2005.  She was around 9 weeks old.  She was my roommate at Clemson while I job searched..

Sweet cuddly baby girl.  She was nine weeks old when I got her.  Her birthday was this week!

Shows her personality here

She is the main thing that got me through living in Aiken...

Playing with my roommates dog 

We lived in Aiken for a few years and then I moved back to my parents house until Wes and I got married.  This was a huge adjustment for Gracie.  She went from being a city dog to learning to live in the country!  She learned to love it...and loved being outside!

She was there for my bridal portraits...she loved fresh pine straw!

                                                   
We finally were able to move in with Wes...another adjustment for Gracie.  She doesn't like change too much.
    She loved being outside but she loved being able to come inside every once in a while too...
 
Loved going for a ride more than anything in this world!
 
We decided to get Gracie a little sister Callie..

She always looks sad...but I promise you she was happy!!

My favorite picture ever...this was Christmas two years ago when I got my new camera and she was tired of getting her picture taken...
I took this picture the other night...Paige absolutely loves Gracie.  She gets so excited to see her and just waves really big.  Now that she walks, she tries to catch Gracie.  Gracie kept her distance until two nights ago.  I loved this picture on Monday but now I will cherish it forever!  Even though Gracie was terrified, she realized it was worth getting close to someone other than me or Wes to get that goldfish! {I am dreading the next wagon ride with Paige when she wants to go search for Gracie on the front porch}

I don't think I will ever forget my Gracie girl!  She was with my for the biggest parts of my life...leaving Clemson,my closest friend in Aiken when I wanted to be somewhere else, getting married, and having our first baby. Gracie was attached to my side wherever we went, she was the best guard dog ever, and the best friend!  I love knowing that she was outside and night protecting our house.  She looked mean when she barked and those people that didn't know here were usually afraid of her, little did they know that Gracie was afraid of her own shadow!

She was more than just a dog to me and I am so thankful to have had her for the past 8 years...I just wanted a few more years with my Grace!  I will miss my sweet baby!  So if you have a fur-baby at home...go love on them and spoil them rotten for me!