Tonight, I decided I need a buckeye sundae from Greaters (peanut butter chip ice cream, with whip cream, hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles.....YUM!). As I walked in, a dad with three little boys walked in ahead of me. They were SO excited for ice cream - they talked about what flavor they were going to get and were in awe of the line that had formed behind us (it was pretty long) They were really good in a somewhat long line - and lucky for them, the teenagers that run this Greaters have it down. They can move people in and out of that place like its no ones business. Did I mention these were three of the CUTEST little boys out there?
As I waited in line and watched them, I reflected on how something as simple as ice cream with dad can be so exciting to a little kid. While they will remeber the big things they did with their dad (vacations, etc) I am guessing that these little boys will remember going to get ice cream with their dad for many years to come. It was obvious this was not their first dance, and it seems like this might be a special treat for dad and his guys.
It reminded me to stop and look at the little things in life and how much those things really mean. We all get so caught up in our every day life that I think we sometimes lose perspective of what is important...I know I do.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
One year later...
This weekend marks the one year anniversary of Chelsie's return to her agility competitions. After a long, long...LONG rehab, May 15, 2010 was a glorious day in her world. We didn't get a q on that first run, but she had a great time, ran beautifully considering she hadn't trialed in almost 10 mos and all her friends gave her a great cheer.
One year later, life is a little different in our household. Ace is no longer the little flea he once was - although still a flea in Chelsie's eyes, I think she is learning to love him and would miss him if he wasn't here. (Ok, maybe that is a stretch). But as I watched them play today - her submissively on her back while he pulled on the neck she never grew into - I came to the conclusion that sometimes...not all the time, she likes him. Me too, little bean...most of the time I like him too.
One year later, we have adjusted to a 2 dog household. I think the hardest thing for me is not to humanize Chelsie's emotions. She is to the point in her life where she, for the most part, does not care where I am. She doesn't have to be right next to me all the time. Ace is still in that phase where he is wherever I am - and don't get me wrong, I am ok with that, as he is still a puppy and still should be supervised pretty much 100% of the time. But because he is always so close to me, I am definitely cuddling with him more, petting him more, handling him more. Add to that it is the time of the year where it gets hot and when it gets hot, Chelsie won't sleep on the bed. She still always gets first dibs on everything...but it is still a little difficult for me to reconcile in my mind.
One year later, we can all actually lay on the bed in harmony - with Ace touching Chelsie...at least for right now, until she gets down and goes to her cool bed. :) I have to hand it to her...whatever she has said to him about that bed, he gets it. I have never seen him lay on it...and if I did, I would kick him off and tell him that's sissy's bed.
Tomorrow, we will be going to Cleveland. We will see all our friends and have been invited to Ace's littermates house to swim in her amazingly awesome pond. At the end of the day, I will have 2 happy, tired puppies - who will be ready to go back to the hotel and crash with their exhausted mom. Yes, one year later life is different...but I could never imagine having another dog before now and could not imagine having any other dog besides my little Acie.
I promise to take pictures and post them. :)
Some oldies but goodies....
The three photos above are from Chelsie's first run back last year....I took an extra few seconds to love on her and let her know how proud of her I was. :) Her friends were still cheering for her. :)
One of Ace's first few days at home. He was a fast learner...he saw the big puppy laying there so he assumed he could lay there too. :) Approximate age in this photo is 8 weeks.
One year later, life is a little different in our household. Ace is no longer the little flea he once was - although still a flea in Chelsie's eyes, I think she is learning to love him and would miss him if he wasn't here. (Ok, maybe that is a stretch). But as I watched them play today - her submissively on her back while he pulled on the neck she never grew into - I came to the conclusion that sometimes...not all the time, she likes him. Me too, little bean...most of the time I like him too.
One year later, we have adjusted to a 2 dog household. I think the hardest thing for me is not to humanize Chelsie's emotions. She is to the point in her life where she, for the most part, does not care where I am. She doesn't have to be right next to me all the time. Ace is still in that phase where he is wherever I am - and don't get me wrong, I am ok with that, as he is still a puppy and still should be supervised pretty much 100% of the time. But because he is always so close to me, I am definitely cuddling with him more, petting him more, handling him more. Add to that it is the time of the year where it gets hot and when it gets hot, Chelsie won't sleep on the bed. She still always gets first dibs on everything...but it is still a little difficult for me to reconcile in my mind.
One year later, we can all actually lay on the bed in harmony - with Ace touching Chelsie...at least for right now, until she gets down and goes to her cool bed. :) I have to hand it to her...whatever she has said to him about that bed, he gets it. I have never seen him lay on it...and if I did, I would kick him off and tell him that's sissy's bed.
Tomorrow, we will be going to Cleveland. We will see all our friends and have been invited to Ace's littermates house to swim in her amazingly awesome pond. At the end of the day, I will have 2 happy, tired puppies - who will be ready to go back to the hotel and crash with their exhausted mom. Yes, one year later life is different...but I could never imagine having another dog before now and could not imagine having any other dog besides my little Acie.
I promise to take pictures and post them. :)
Some oldies but goodies....
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Better Blogger? Maybe not so much....
Um yeah, think I am falling a little short in the blogging arena. :)
So let's see...what has happened since my last post...ah, yes, Ace's family was here. 5 labs in the castle, an agility trial and a week of recovery. :)
We had a great time with Ace's siblings. I wasn't quite sure how they would all do in a confined space - I was most worried about Chelsie and Amber, Ace's mom. Chelsie gets very protective of Ace around other dogs when she thinks he is being picked on...god forbid should she play with him, but she gets all protective if she thinks he is the kid on the playground getting beat up. Ace's mom is a little snippy - meaning that she is not shy about curling her lip up and telling everyone to buzz off. Those 2 have had meetings of the mind before, so I wasn't quite sure how it would go in the black dog's territory with all the little yellow fleas around. It went fine.
Poor Chelsie was just beside herself...she had this look on her face all weekend that said...My god, when are they leaving??? Not soon enough for her. It didn't stop her from rocking the house at her trial though...she was only 5-6 and her 1-6 was handler error. Handler saw off course jump out of corner of eye, over reacted and pulled her off a jump. Oh well. She got her treat bag dumped on the ground after her run, that is the no 1 priority for her!
I would like to proudly introduce MACH MORNING STAR'S AMBER WAVES! Amber got her MACH on Friday afternoon...was 1 second short on Friday morning! Ellen hobbled around the course in a well deserved victory lap, and it was a beautiful, beautiful run. Amber had a great time. :) See photo below.
Judge Christie Bowers (the judge we got our MACH under) Amber, Ellen, and judge Don Farage. Brittany, if you ever have a chance to run under either of these judges....THEY ARE AWESOME. If you picking between 2 trials and one of them is judging, pick that one. :)
And, for good measure, a photo of mama Amber and one of her babies. Hard to say which one this is because there was no collar, but if I had to guess I would say it is Blue (aka, Blue Collar boy). Pink collar girl (Lily) and green collar boy (Ace) were really the only ones that wore colored collars when they were this small. Libby was much smaller and lighter in color, so by process of elimination, this is likely Blue. I love this photo.
On another family front, Ace and his siblings welcomed 11 new cousins into the family on April 28/29. Amber's sister McGhee gave birth to 11 pups over a period of 24 hours, causing poor gramma Melanie (her owner) great stress. 6 boys and 5 girls, all healthy, all doing well. According to Melanie, the first puppy, a boy, came out butt first...and apparently there is a "great deal of bitching by all if someone gets pushed off the faucet". According to Melanie, McGhee is a very good mom. There was about a 7 hr break between puppy 5 and 6, and the remaining puppies were born within a span of 6 hours, the last 3 being about 30 minutes apart. Initial estimate of litter size was 10-12 puppies. One of these puppies will be going to live with Ace's Uncle Sniper. He will go home over the 4th of July and will be in town at the end of August at an agility trial. We can't wait to meet him.
McGhee and her 11 bundles of joy.
As it has done the entire month of April here in Ohio, it rained all weekend Ace's family was here. April has been a record setting rain month, and those of us that live in Ohio can certainly vouch for that. Today was the first day we have seen sun in a week, and won't see it again until Sunday/Monday. Everyone's grass, while very green, is very overgrown. On a positive note, I busted my can on Saturday to get my flowers in the ground ahead of the rain all week - it was well worth it. I will try and take some photos...treated myself to a new wind chime at Kroger tonight that matches some yard decorations I got. Hopefully, my yard will be burgeoning with color in a month or so. Pictures to follow. Because of the rain, we have not been able to start the spring softball season, nor have I had my inaugural trip on the water. I hope to change the latter this weekend and the former on Monday...but given the forecast on Monday, I am not holding my breath.
Still working out with my trainer....some days are easier than others, but most days I think my heart is going to explode and feel like lactic acid is oozing out of my legs and booty. :) I like the way my clothes fit, although I did nothing for that tonight by eating a pint of Graeters Buckeye Blitz. It was worth every calorie.
I hope this post finds everyone well. I will try to get some more recent photos on here. :)
So let's see...what has happened since my last post...ah, yes, Ace's family was here. 5 labs in the castle, an agility trial and a week of recovery. :)
We had a great time with Ace's siblings. I wasn't quite sure how they would all do in a confined space - I was most worried about Chelsie and Amber, Ace's mom. Chelsie gets very protective of Ace around other dogs when she thinks he is being picked on...god forbid should she play with him, but she gets all protective if she thinks he is the kid on the playground getting beat up. Ace's mom is a little snippy - meaning that she is not shy about curling her lip up and telling everyone to buzz off. Those 2 have had meetings of the mind before, so I wasn't quite sure how it would go in the black dog's territory with all the little yellow fleas around. It went fine.
Poor Chelsie was just beside herself...she had this look on her face all weekend that said...My god, when are they leaving??? Not soon enough for her. It didn't stop her from rocking the house at her trial though...she was only 5-6 and her 1-6 was handler error. Handler saw off course jump out of corner of eye, over reacted and pulled her off a jump. Oh well. She got her treat bag dumped on the ground after her run, that is the no 1 priority for her!
I would like to proudly introduce MACH MORNING STAR'S AMBER WAVES! Amber got her MACH on Friday afternoon...was 1 second short on Friday morning! Ellen hobbled around the course in a well deserved victory lap, and it was a beautiful, beautiful run. Amber had a great time. :) See photo below.
On another family front, Ace and his siblings welcomed 11 new cousins into the family on April 28/29. Amber's sister McGhee gave birth to 11 pups over a period of 24 hours, causing poor gramma Melanie (her owner) great stress. 6 boys and 5 girls, all healthy, all doing well. According to Melanie, the first puppy, a boy, came out butt first...and apparently there is a "great deal of bitching by all if someone gets pushed off the faucet". According to Melanie, McGhee is a very good mom. There was about a 7 hr break between puppy 5 and 6, and the remaining puppies were born within a span of 6 hours, the last 3 being about 30 minutes apart. Initial estimate of litter size was 10-12 puppies. One of these puppies will be going to live with Ace's Uncle Sniper. He will go home over the 4th of July and will be in town at the end of August at an agility trial. We can't wait to meet him.
McGhee and her 11 bundles of joy.
As it has done the entire month of April here in Ohio, it rained all weekend Ace's family was here. April has been a record setting rain month, and those of us that live in Ohio can certainly vouch for that. Today was the first day we have seen sun in a week, and won't see it again until Sunday/Monday. Everyone's grass, while very green, is very overgrown. On a positive note, I busted my can on Saturday to get my flowers in the ground ahead of the rain all week - it was well worth it. I will try and take some photos...treated myself to a new wind chime at Kroger tonight that matches some yard decorations I got. Hopefully, my yard will be burgeoning with color in a month or so. Pictures to follow. Because of the rain, we have not been able to start the spring softball season, nor have I had my inaugural trip on the water. I hope to change the latter this weekend and the former on Monday...but given the forecast on Monday, I am not holding my breath.
Still working out with my trainer....some days are easier than others, but most days I think my heart is going to explode and feel like lactic acid is oozing out of my legs and booty. :) I like the way my clothes fit, although I did nothing for that tonight by eating a pint of Graeters Buckeye Blitz. It was worth every calorie.
I hope this post finds everyone well. I will try to get some more recent photos on here. :)
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