[lisaly]

Mother's Day has always been a day of mixed emotions for me. In many ways it is difficult for me because I lost my mother before I turned twenty years old. We were very close, and I still miss her dearly. It is also a day that I always celebrate the bond we shared, and I am reminded of the infinite reasons why I was so blessed to be loved by such a special woman. I now have one more reason to celebrate Mother's Day. Last year, Katie began her journey on May 12th to her new home with us. It is because of my dear friends Gemy and JacquelineBabco that Katie is in our lives, and we will never forget their acts of kindness and friendship. Jackie made the long drive for us to get our Canadian little beauty that Saturday a year ago, and the next day, on our very first Mother's Day together, Jackie presented us with our little doll. It was a weekend I will never forget, sharing it with my special friend Jackie, two of her precious babies, Abby and Wyatt, and also with the little girl who had already stolen my heart.

What a difference our special little girl has made in our lives! Her love of life, precious little heart, and love of training and playing has transformed our once quiet home to a lively life filled with love and laughter. We had been so lonely after losing our little girl, Ashley, almost two years before, and Katie helped to heal our hearts. Katie's other mom, breeder, and trainer did such a wonderful job raising our little girl, and the love and devotion to Katie is so apparent. Katie is a confident, loving little girl with such an amazing temperament, and she was so quick to bond with us, even though she came from a loving home before she came to us. I have followed photos of Katie's babies, and they are very beautiful, but I'm so grateful that she was retired from breeding at the age of three. Most of all, I hope her babies are loved the way Katie is. We feel so honored that Gemy vouched for us and that our breeder entrusted us with our precious little girl. Katie has uplifted our spirits, shown us unconditional love and devotion, and brightened our lives and hearts. YorkieTalk has brought so many hearts together, and I feel so blessed that because of this loving community, ours lives have been changed forever. Our lives will never be the same again because we have been loved by Katie and we have found such wonderful friends here.

It was difficult for me to choose photos to show our life with Katie this past year. The first three of her were given to us by her outstanding breeder, and the next ones show four seasons of Katie's life with us.