If I had a category for it, I’d file this post under ‘What was I thinking.’ We did it. Last November, we brought home a puppy.

It’s possible both Lisa and I may not have been thinking straight. We had just driven back from Las Vegas that evening and were feeling pretty out of it. I could also pin this on Abbey. She’s been persistent about wanting us to get another dog. When she gets to the point of really wanting something, she’s relentless and wears you down. So maybe that was it.

No matter the case, nearly a year after the loss of Blake, our one and only, the original family dog, we’ve added another one to the mix. Maverick has become a permanent addition in our house.

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2018 makes it 6 years that I’ve been keeping the blog. As I’ve done for each of the past five years, here’s a look back at the past year. We’re going to do the usual tour through traffic, number of posts, popular posts, performance to 2018 goals, and the goals for 2019.

For reference purposes, you can see the posts for of the previous years by clicking on any of the following years: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.

So my calendar may be off by a few days. I realize that it’s nearly mid-December, but, as they say, better late than never.

Even though I said it wasn’t going to happen again, I let the beard make another appearance this year. For this edition, I switched things up just a bit. I let it go five weeks with little, if any grooming, which is the picture you see here. I also decided to start it a little early. I usually let the beard stick around until after the holidays, but I’m not planning on it this year.

I’m still not feeling the beard, even after having done it for the last 7+ years. This could be the last year it makes an appearance.

Then again, I say that every year, so even I wouldn’t bet on it. As a good friend of mine says, I’m 85% certain this is it.

If you’re interested in taking a peak back here’s the post from last year that has a history dating back to 2012 – Fear the Beard – 2017.