Rebekah and Sabrina // 10 Years Together

Ten years ago today, my mom and I pulled up to our little town’s post office, not knowing that my life was about to be changed. I got out and walked over to peruse the bulletin board. There, in one of the corners, was a 3×5 card with a few details about some Golden Retriever puppies and a phone number. I called that number, and less than 24 hours later, my mom and I were driving over to see those puppies.

They were all corralled in the bed of a pickup, so I hopped up and sat in there with them. They were all sooo cute and sweet, but practically impossible to tell apart. But then I noticed one of them had gotten a little wet, and the wet hairs on his/her head had gone super kinky curly. And that kinky curly haired puppy kept coming back to me. So, I brought her home.

My sweet Sabrina Marie has been with me through literally everything. Hard days in school, boys that I thought had broken my heart, moving out on our own, hiking through forests and up mountains… The memories we have together are wonderful and so special and emotional and precious. She turned 10 years old in April, and while most of the time she still acts like a puppy, I can see my girl slowing down.

And so I wanted to celebrate our time together by having professional pictures taken with my Golden Retriever. I asked my friend Heather, from Whistling Dixie Photography, if she’d be willing to take these photos for me. Then I sent them off to my amazing editor (love you forever, Alisa!) to be edited to match my style. And I gotta tell you…when I received the final edits from Alisa, I just about started crying. These photos perfectly capture Sabrina’s personality and our relationship, and I know that I will treasure them FOREVER.

I know dogs can’t read, but if they could, here’s what I’d want to say to my Sabrina Marie:

Thank you for being by my side for 10 years. We’ve had the best adventures a girl and her dog could have. Living in the cottage, just the two of us? Dream come true. Hiking forests and mountains together? I’ll never get tired of it. The way you lean your head on my leg? It melts me. You’ve never wavered in your love and devotion to me, even when I haven’t deserved it. “If I could bottle this up, I could make a million” has never rang more true than it does right now. You hold my heart, and I love you so, so, so, so much.

P.S. I made a reel over on Instagram with some of my favorite pictures from the past 10 years, so make sure to head over there and check it out.