Recent Photos & A Big Upcoming Weekend...

Ok, Mimi....here are your recent photos of little Acie boy. :)

Big weekend upcoming! This weekend, we are showing at a three day trial in Zanesville. Ace's breeder is coming down from Grand Rapids to show his mom (Amber) and is also bringing his brother Blue and sister Libby! So...the phrase "more lab than living room" will take on a whole new meaning this weekend! I have seen Blue a couple of times since bringing Ace home, but have not seen little Libby since I picked Acie up. Libby is definitely the runt, tipping the scale at a mere 34 lbs. I promise to take pictures.

It is a big weekend for Ellen and Amber - they are 14 pts away from their MACH. I know they will do great...I hope the do it early in the weekend - Ellen's foot still isn't quite right and there is a good chance I will get handed Amber's leash after the MACH run.

Also, we wish the BEST of luck to our friends:

Sally & Aussie - one QQ from MACH 3

Jan and CJ - one QQ from PAX

Ellen & Cailin - less than 20 pts from MACH

We can't wait to celebrate with you and cheer you on in your victory laps.

More photos to come from this weekend...be sure to check out the video below of Ace's Wednesday night adventure with Scoobi the kitty.

 Mom and Acie at the CATC trial in April. :)

 Um, hello - I am walking you, not the squirrel. He has some, um, distraction issues - birds, bunnies and squirrels in particular. In his quest to "see" them, he gives not one care to the fact that he might rip your arm off in the process....

 Bird, squirrel and bunny alert. He did however come back and sit when I called him...

 An oldie, but one of my favorites....Chelsie, pre MACH and pre torn ACL...

And still smiling...loving her mom, loving agility and loving her new 16 inch jump height. My loyal, obedient, trusting girl. You are the BEST Chelsie Belle, every run with you is so special and I am so proud of you for coming back like the great dog you are!!!

Acie & The Moveable Toy

Grampie calls kitty the "moveable toy". Acie and kitty's adventure tonight....

CHECK...one off the list

I have decided there are a few things I am going to do this summer, whether or not anyone else wants to do them with me. :) I am going to keep the list to myself and I will share with you as I accomplish each event. :)

First order of business...a game at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. It was a gorgeous night and I went with 2 people I met at my conference I am here for. We are about 5 blocks from the field, so we could just walk. The weather called for some potential showers, but mother nature was in a good mood for a change. The Reds gods, however, were not in a good mood, they lost 9-1. You know its not your night when 2 of your 3 hits come in the bottom of the 9th. :)

Even though the Reds lost, it was still fun...nice to be outside in the fresh air and think about what it would be like to play in a facility like that. :) Check one off the list. Stay tuned for other activities coming off the list. :)

Begging and Pleading....

Dear Mother Nature,

Obviously, you are not over it yet. Something must have really irritated you today...you couldn't make up your mind earlier this morning whether to allow the sun to come out or allow the clouds and rain to take over. You teased us...some sun, then clouds and repeated the process until about 3 PM when you settled on rain - windy rain at that. You are still aggravated with us because you are huffing and puffing like you want to blow my house down...and it ain't warm air you are blowing either, sister.

Can we settle on a truce? I am tired of being chilled to the bone and having nasty weather. Maybe could we start tomorrow? It is supposed to be our inaugural trip of the season in the boat...but at the rate we are going, the trip will be blown out before we even start.

I am begging and pleading with you...please let spring show up soon.

Very Sincerely,

A freezing camper in Columbus

14 mos...

Today, little Acie pup is 14 mos old...I can hardly believe it. He is sweet and spicy, saucy and sassy, spirited and spunky all in one.

He has quite the little personality...ALL BOY!!! He is pretty good most of the time, but still likes to get into things...he hasn't quite figured out how to be a little more sly when he hasn't something he shouldn't. He really wants to play with his sister, but his play turns more into harassment and usually results in him getting the spray bottle method of discipline. :) He tries really hard in agility, but is a little distracted. :) Ok, a lot distracted. However, he is still a very young dog and will hopefully grow out of it. Once the game of agility clicks with him...look out. Every thing he does, he does with great gusto. :)

Ace's top ten at 14 mos:

1. Breakfast is still the most important priority in the day.
2. He LOVES his frisbee.
3. He is still a CHAMPION car rider.
4. He loves going out and doing his "practice" at his sister's agility trials and in our basement.
5. He has turned into quite the snuggler and literally gets into his sleeping position by laying on top of me and rolling down into the final sleeping position.
6. He has improved dramatically in his pedicure behavior.
7. He has successfully learned to beg...hard for him because he has a really long, unstable body.
8. He loves to have his belly rubbed.
9. He has springs for back legs.
10. He is very jealous of any other dog that has his mama's attention...including his sister.

So happy birthday little buddy...I can't believe you have been home for a year. You make me laugh every day and are the cutest little stinker I know....

Happenings and Such...

Well, it seems I have failed miserably in my attempt to be a better blogger...here is a snapshot of what is going on in our world.

1. Mother Nature continues to be a craba**. We are so tired of cold, rain, snow, hail and whatever other weather incident out there exsits. Need some sun...pronto.

2. We finally got out of preferred Open purgatory in agility. We are now back in excellent, which means we are running with all our friends again. Looking forward to a 3 day trial this weekend in our own backyard.

3. Pups doing well. Acie continues to grow up and into his own little personality. He is a little turn head sometimes, but he is so darn cute it is hard to get mad at him. Case in point...last night, he snaked part of my avocado off the counter when I went to check on the chicken. He walked into the living room licking his lips and I knew what he had done. Chelsie really likes the new method of discipline I have started with Ace...the spray bottle. I ask him when he is harassing her "Are you supposed to be doing that?" Usually picking up the spray bottle is all I need to do. I am not sure Chelsie has been feeling well as of late..she is actually engaging her brother in play. This is good for my guilt, but not good in the sense that there is more lab than the living room can handle.

4. My trainer continues to kick my fanny...twice a week at 6 30 AM. If I am not in need of a lung transplant when I am done, he is not doing his job, according to him. No worries there, Casey....I am looking for 4 more lungs after 30 minutes. Your filty 40 the other day that is a precursor to the filthy fifty? I might even need 6 lungs after that. My clothes certainly fit better, that is for sure!

5. I continue to be amazed at what a difference paint makes. I painted the top half of my kitchen and my bedroom this weekend. It was just the change I needed. Much thanks to Maggie for the assistance on the bedroom today. It looks fabulous.

6. I have been house hunting as of late thinking I might want some more space. Looked at an AWESOME house on Friday with one huge problem...the pool. Case in point...there was a garden of mulch and rocks 18 inches from the edge. Um, hello? Not to mention a tree in the yard (and the neighbors yard for that matter) right over the pool that was dropping red things. In my prior life, I was a pool man (we had one growing up) and I know how much work they are in the best planned circumstances. Add to that there was an attempt to keep a tree WAY too close to it...I took a look at it and asked my dad "Um, do you see any other possible places for the roots of that tree to go other than through the side of the pool?" He said no. My realtor accuses me of hating trees because I cut them down. :) I do indeed cut them down...but in my defense, the first one was making a mess out of my walkway (roots lifting it) and the second one was just out of place. I mean, come one...who has a Christmas tree at the end of their driveway???

So that is the 411 of what has been going on there. Mama Nature needs to get over it...it is April and the boat needs to go in the water. Not to mention I don't want to freeze for the first session of SB....and my house needs some fresh air going through it.

Hope everyone is well. :)