I hate surprises. Don’t tell me that you have a surprise for me. And that I have to wait for it. Or anything remotely similar. Because I can’t wait. And I will tear up the house looking for whatever this surprise might be.

Well, as it turns out, I don’t like to give surprises, either. Because I decided on something for my husband for Christmas. And it is handmade, custom. And it was going to be really special. I was going to plan an unveiling, and everything. And I blew it.

It’s a portrait of Lola. And the woman who painted it is the same woman who, over a year ago, also designed my website. She is fantastic. In painting and in web design. But back to the portrait. She posted entries about it on her blog, and it was done in stages, which was very exciting to watch. The first stage was a rough sketch, the second stage was the first round of paint, which is the background color (which I didn’t know, until now, is my favorite color). The third step was the underpainting. I have no idea what that means, but don’t I sound like i know what I’m talking about? And then, the masterpiece. The final portrait of our little Lola.

We have a wall in our family room that has portraits of other dogs that have graced our lives. Atticus, the World’s Largest Border Collie, and our beloved Chamo, the World’s Most Awesome Dog Ever, who passed away a little over one year ago.

This portrait of Lola will be the next portrait to hang on the Doggy Wall of Fame. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Oh, and the whole surprise thing? I sent my husband a link to the finished portrait as soon as I saw it. I just couldn’t wait for him to see it.

And I would post a picture of our Doggy Wall of Fame, but I can’t find my camera anywhere. I think the dog ate it.