Best Disneyland Trip Ever!!!!!

I just got back from the best Disneyland trip ever!!!!

Luckily for me, I have dog kids, and not people kids, so when I leave, guess where the dog kids go:



Ok, they didn't stay in the crate the entire time I was gone. They are lucky enough to stay with grandma and grandma's house is nicer then ours, so when the house is empty, they stay in the crate. Not sure why they are so good for grandma, and not for me. . .must be the copious amounts of treats that they get while visiting!

After a quick, albeit delayed, flight, we were in DISNEYLAND!!!!!



We had a super awesome night hanging at House of Blues and singing karaoke



Disneyland itself was perfect! We rode 4 rides in under two hours!!!! Then we got stuck in line for an hour at the break-down king of Disney: Big Thunder Railroad. But the rest of the rides that day were fine and we were able to enjoy the park and the rides without getting bogged down in long lines. We even had plenty of time to do a little bit of shopping.



Yes, the sweatshirt is PINK! I tired my hardest to find a grey one. . . but there were no grey mickey sweatshirts. The flip-flops are a navy blue and are actually sturdy and comfy. I spent as much on these two items at Disneyland that I spend on an entire year of clothes! But a $40 sweatshirt and a $10 pair of flip-flops is actually quite reasonable for everyday life (for most people anyway!) so I figured it was ok for me to splurge!

This was, by far. the best Disneyland trip ever. But more than that, it was a nice break from normal life. It was nice to get away from work, and the kids, and just hangout with friends without having to worry about anything but having fun. I think that this needs to be an annual trip!

Poor Abby

Something happened to Abby's ear. She came up to me at work today asking for some attention. I mindlessly petted her head and tugged on her ears. Her ears are a bit dry and scabby due to old/healed fly strikes, but today, I felt a giant scab. When I looked, I found this



I was horrified and appalled that something like this would be on my dog and I wouldn't notice it. I immediately started picking at the scab and trying to figure out what happened to her. After scrubbing and examining it I came to the conclusion that something (or some one) bit her. There is a very tiny hole on the underside of the ear that looks like it might be from a tooth. . .a TINY tooth. . . there is only one creature in the house that has teeth that tiny.



I'm lucky that Abby is so easy going and oblivious because if she wasn't I would have some major small dog fights on my hands. Pocket HATES Abby. Everything that Abby does annoys Pocket. And if I'm not watching, Pocket will growl, snarl, snap, and apparently bite Abby. In some ways I don't blame Pocket, Abby is almost 3 times her size, and Abby is goofy and bouncy and doesn't understand boundaries. It would be like us living in a house with a 15 foot tall toddler - not fun! But Pocket is still not allowed to behave like that! Biting your sister is just not allowed in this house! I guess I'm going to have to be more vigilant about watching their interactions. . .

Poor Abby. . .

Wordless Wednesday: It's started!!!!!

Foto Friday: Abby Stole My Warmie!

Adopt the Internet

More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible!

Here is one of our guys that has been around for way too long:

Name: Charlie

Mix/Breed: Domestic short hair, Tabby and White

Sex/Age: Male/neutered, 7 years

Personality: Charlie is a real love...a very affectionate 7 years old guy. He was surrendered to Hopalong because the child he grew up with started developing allergies to him. Charlie is easy going and calm. With slow and proper introductions, Charlie would be fine with other cats and gentle dogs but would now probably be best suited to a household with adults only.

Two Down. . . One To Go. . .

Abby got her second leg today towards her RL1 with a score of 204 and 5th place! That is one point more than we got last time, with the same placement. We had to do another run off this time too! But this run-off was much better then her last one as she actually completed this one!

Abby was pretty stressed out again at this trial. Her tail was tucked and she wasn't her wiggly self like she normally is in class or in the Run-thrus. She was a bit wary when walking towards the crowd and flinched a bit when people laughed or cheered. But, un-like last time, I am not beating myself up over it. I realize that Abby is always going to have issues with certain things and we are just going to keep on going and hope that over time, things get better and less stressful. I've worked really hard with her, but I can't fix everything that was broken before I got her.

I was much more comfortable at this trial. I wasn't as stressed out, and I know that Abby sensed that, and I think that it helped some. For starters, Abby wasn't walking 10 feet away from me this time. My voice was in normal range instead of how it was at the last trial when it was so squeaky I'm sure I could only be understood by bats! I was calm enough to remember to treat my dog when appropriate. I was also able to remember the course which helped me stay more connected with Abby instead of trying to figure out where we were going next.

I think that this was a much better trial for us. I was much more comfortable and, while Abby was still stressed, she recovered really well. The people that were at the trial were great. Everyone is super supportive and encouraging. And I think that they are just as proud of Abby as I am!

Good job Abby! I'm super proud of you!!!!!

Running Again

Many lifetimes ago, I used to run. And when I say run, I don't mean 2 or 3 miles one to two days a week. I mean 10-14 miles 4 day a week with an 18 miler tucked somewhere in there. I used to run a lot - mainly because I needed to. I had so many things going on in my mind that the only time I could think clearly was out on a run. I really wanted to run a marathon, but my body always seemed to break down past 18 miles. But I still kept running. Then I took a job working 6-7 days a week working 9-12 hour days and my running got put on hold. I missed it, but I was too tired to go back to it. Starting a running program all over takes more dedication then continuing the one you are already on.

Fast froward a few years to last year and Tough Mudder. A super awesome event with a measly 7 mile hike through the hills. Yeah, right! It wasn't as tough as they made it out to be, but I think too many people said that on their post race questionnaire, because this year looks much tougher. After seeing it, I figured that I had better start training for it. I don't want to fall apart before finishing. Training needs to be done in a few phases, but one important part of this event is running on trails. I probably won't end up running during the event itself, but I think that running our low hills will be great practice for my legs.

One of the best things about running as a sport is that there is no equiptment needed, and you don't need a certain number of people in order to do it. Some people say that the only thing you need for running is a good pair of shoes, but even that is debatable now. Last week I bought a pair of minimalist trail shoes, but couldn't seem to get used to their unique design. I returned them yesterday and was planning on buying the other pair that I liked, but they were out of those. I have some of them on order, but while I was waiting for them to do that, I fell in love with another pair of shoes.



They are lightweight and flexible, and they have a super awesome grip. When I first got them, I wasn't entirely sure that I was going to keep them, but after running a half-mile on pavement this morning, I think that I am going to keep them. I need to rip out the soles, add some arch supports, and re-do the laces, but I think that these bad boys are going to be hanging around for awhile. I'm looking forward to my first trail run in them. I'll let you know how it goes.

Abby is A Dog

Abby has had so many amazing accomplishments since she has come to live with us; but I think that the one I'm most proud of is her becoming a dog. I know it sounds silly, but Abby has turned into a dog in the past two and a half years, granted she has turned into a very spoiled dog, but she is a dog none-the-less.

In the past few months Abby has had a few more dog-like qualities. She has started giving kisses and she also sits in my lap when I'm knitting or reading. Most people take these things for granted, and I admit that I do with my other kids, but when Abby started doing it, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. These are things that real dogs do, and up until recently, Abby wasn't a real dog. Sure, she could do some super cool things, but the everyday-ness that makes a dog a dog wasn't there with her.

I think that all the extra work we've been doing with training has really paid off. Not only has she learned to work and to think, but she has also learned how to settle. She has learned to read my body language and has learned the more subtle commands of everyday life that we never actually teach our dogs, but we still expect them to obey anyway. She solicits attention without being overly frantic or needy about it. She can settle in a chair and sleep comfortably near me without always having to be on me. She started fussing back at me when I try brushing her or grooming her for too long. I think that she realizes that she is home and that she will always be loved and cared for here. At least, that is what I hope she feels.

In a world of throw-away pets, this one could have easily been discarded. When I got her, she wasn't social, she was terrified of everything, she was extremely destructive, she had no self-control; and if I had decided to give her away or have her euthanized, no one would have blamed me. But I didn't do that. Instead, I found a way to work with her and to manage as many problems as I could. And after all that work, two and a half years later, I finally have a dog.