Today, Emma turns 2! She’s no longer a puppy, not quite a woman! I think she’ll always look (and act) like a puppy-in my heart she’ll always be a little girl. At about 3 1/2 pounds, she’s full grown. I had never really thought about or wanted a dog, until I met Linnae Asiel’s dog Emily, also a Maltese. Linnae used to bring Emily to bridal shows, and Emily would sit quietly in her little purse throughout the day, just as sweet as could be. Emily’s so sweet and loving and cuddly, and I just got that feeling, you know, like “I want one!” When I began telling Geoff that I wanted a cute little puppy just like Emily, he convinced me that our lifestyle could not accommodate a puppy, that we were “too busy.” So I begrudgingly accepted that answer, and all but gave up hope. Meanwhile, Geoff had decided that he would get me a puppy for Christmas, and went into over drive secretly researching breeds, breeders and so on. I had no idea! On Christmas Eve, he had to disappear for a few hours for “secret Christmas activities” which was actually driving about 3 hours away to pick up Emma from the breeder, which he had visited several weeks prior and actually picked Emma out (she wasn’t called Emma yet). Unfortunately, I was no particularly loving that day, and had actually been quite nasty to him when he asked me to do an errand for him on Christmas Eve, which was to go to Target and buy a deep fryer. We had been hosting his family for the holidays, and I guess I was a little overworked from hostess activities. There’s no excuse, I was downright mean to Geoff, and all the while he’s driving nearly 6 hours (plus paying a small fortune!) to get my Emma for me. When he got home and convinced me to come into the living room for a surprise, I finally stormed in, grumbling about being busy unloading the dishwasher. And then he unzipped his coat and Emma popped out. I fell in love instantly! And of course I was immediately horrified by the way I’d been treating him all day! He’s the best husband ever (I can’t believe he puts up with me sometimes!). Here’s Emma, giving her “naughty” look: