Making Memories Of Us: Letter to Lilly

Dear Lilly,
I wanted to write you a letter letting you know how much you are loved. As you have noticed, there are a lot of things changing, in all of our lives. You have seen me change physically the last 7 months and now our house is filled with new furniture ,tons of toys, and little girl outfits. However, do not worry, all of this change is for the better, I promise.

Photo of Lilly in Florida before coming to Roanoke

I want to tell you the story of how much you changed our lives two years ago. Before you came into our lives, I was not a fan of big dogs. You probably never even noticed, because you grabbed my heart, the minute I picked you up at the airport. However, when I was a young girl I was attacked by a mean large dog, which made me very scared of dogs. However, all that changed when your granddad, Tom, got your Auntie Grace. The day came, when he had to travel for two weeks and we had the job of keeping her. During those two weeks, I grew so much in love with Grace. She was gentle, fun to play ball with, and became a nice companion to your dad and I. When we had to give her back I had a really hard time. That's when your dad and I knew that we wanted one of our own. So, for the next couple weeks we searched and searched for the right lab. However, we never found a pup that grabbed our hearts. Then, we reached out to your Auntie Grace's previous owner and found you. You were born on November 30, 2009 from the same blood line as Auntie Grace.

Grace and Lilly at the beach

You arrived in Virginia from Florida on Valentine's Day 2010 and were the best gift, we have ever given each other. The minute you arrived, you became such a big part of our family. One of my fondest memories, of that weekend, was when you were scared of snow. Since, you had come from a climate where it never snows you did not know what to do . So, your dad had to shovel our yard to make sure that you would go outside. However, that did not last too long. Since, now we cannot get you inside when it is snowing.

Lilly on her first night

First night in Roanoke

Lilly's first bath

Over the next two years, we have enjoyed many memories with you. You are definitely the most spoiled dog.( Which is fine with us) You are always travelling with us , even if it is to Kroger, and are never left out of anything we are doing. You are now golf cart trained and go on all our golf adventures. You get to enjoy going to the beach many times, throughout the year, and love to play ball and swim in the pool and ocean. It has been such a joy watching you grow up.

Lilly in a golf bunker

Lilly in her pool

Lilly at Myrtle Beach

Lilly at the beach

Riding in the car

We just want you to know that because all of our lives are about to change that we are never going to stop loving you. I do know you will get jealous of your dad and I, paying attention to baby Harper, but do not worry we will make time for you, too. I promise that you will get your daily walk, you will still be able to go to the golf course, and will continue to go to the beach. The main thing changing is that you are no longer going to be our only child/dog. I do promise that you two will be buddies even if you get annoyed with her in the beginning , since you may not get as much sleep as usual. Just hang in there, it will be worth it.