Seven years ago today, we brought this girl home to join our family. And man, that first year? That was tough. But after that? We couldn’t imagine life without her. She is so funny and so smart and so … independent.

To celebrate this Queen, I shot a few images of her playing in the yard today. You guys, my heart just swells when I see her this happy. I tried to narrow down these photos, but I loved them all, so you get a lot today.

I posted a few months back about the tumor in her eye, and because of this quarantine, she still hasn’t been in to see the specialist — but her appointment is tomorrow. Fingers crossed it’s nothing serious.