Charlie

It was a bright, crisp October Saturday in 1999 when we drove the Paseo to North Raleigh, NC to pick up our puppy. It had been a long two weeks since we had last been there to choose which one we wanted. Of the three females in the litter, one was bold and could climb the steps. One was so laid back and did not even try. One gave it a good effort but could not quite make it.

We chose the third one.

At the time Charlie joined us we were still newlyweds enjoying the life of a young married couple with no kids. She saw all that change when first one, then another baby joined the family. These were mixed blessings since they moved her out of the spotlight, but also became good sources of food and love. She was with us for two moves to eventually wind up in Maryland where she got to know a whole new set of people, and she loved them all. She survived two cats and left a kitten behind. She saw the Paseo replaced by a station wagon which was then replaced by a minivan.

Through all the changes, she was a constant source of companionship and love. It has been two weeks since she's been gone and no one here has totally gotten used to her absence. I doubt we will anytime soon.

When I started on this overly sentimental video my plan was to make it just look at her life. By the time I was done I realized that it was actually a look at all our lives through these past 11 years. This shows how much of a friend she was.