Rawhide: My Dad's New Puppy

 Meet Rawhide, my Dad's new pup.

Every time I see him I squeeze him a lot. He's so fun and he likes to be squeezed so it's a win win.

My Dad has been looking for a dog for a while and found a great breeder up in Nebraska. Apparently, you have to be careful who you purchase dogs from because puppy mills still exist. So sad. =( My Dad did a lot of research before purchasing this dog and made sure it came from a good place.

So, last Tuesday we drove 4 hours up to Nebraska to get Rawhide. When we arrived, he came tumbling out of the house and acted like he had been waiting and waiting for us to come and get him. I was instantly smitten.

This picture was when we were meeting Rawhide. 

My Dad chose the name Rawhide because every President has a code name that the CIA uses, and Ronald Reagan's code name was 'Rawhide'. My Dad loved President Reagan and named his dog in honor of his CIA code name.

Rawhide is pure puppy and finds EVERYTHING in your house. He is like a toddler. He soon will be in obedience school so that will be good.

Saturday they brought him over so I could dog sit. During that time Rawhide managed to jump up on my piano, find himself in the mirror and he pooped on my floor without me knowing and I stepped in it and went sliding. It was so hilarious and so disgusting at the same time. I'm glad I was wearing tennis shoes and I'm glad I have wood floors.

If you want to see more puppy pictures feel free to follow me on Instagram. I've been sharing pup pics over there because I just can't help it. So cute!

If you got your dog as a puppy please do send me a picture!!!! 

Our Dog - Static

I know I have talked a little bit about our dog on the blog before but today I wanted to share a little history about our dog and some funny things about her. 

First, you must know how Dave got our dog. One day, Dave was at a car repair shop and a stray dog (our dog now) had come into the shop. The guys there were going to use her as target practice. How rude and awful is that??? Dave said he would take her home and see how she was. He said if she was a terrible dog that he would take her to the Humane Society. 

Dave took her home and on the first day there she learned how to sit. That was in 2004 and here we are 12 years later and she is the best dog ever. 

Dave and his sister equally shared this dog when they lived with their Mom. However, when they both moved out of the house, instead of just one person owning her they decided to do a split custody with her. 

Becky, Dave's sister, gets her one week and we get her the other week. Dave and I call her Static and Becky calls her Callie. She responds great to both names. 

When I first started dating Dave I liked Static but after I married Dave and we had Static longer I loved her! She is a good companion and is super obedient. 

Static's biggest flaw is that she loves to poop in public. Seriously! It is so embarrassing. When we are in public she doesn't go in secret. She waits until there are people and cars around and then she goes. 

That is when I slowly walk away, look at Dave and say, "She is your dog." ha! 

Static is around 14 years old and she still runs and is really active. Oh, and she is a Blue Heeler  / Whippet mix. 

She loves to travel and camp with us. Really, she just loves to go anywhere with us. She is a lot of fun. I have never met someone who didn't like her and she gets along with kids really well too. 

And now I must tell you about Dave's new adventure with Static called - The Balance Series.

The balance series is where Dave puts random things on Static's nose and tells her to wait, snaps a picture and then gives her a treat. Usually she gets to eat something she balanced, unless it's a pineapple or something she hates.

Sometimes I feel bad for her but she gets a treat out of the deal and she is pretty tolerant and obedient and really, it's hilarious! Dave and I probably have too much fun with it.

I never knew I'd like a dog so much but she is a lot of fun and I'm thankful we have her. My next animal post will have to be about the pet duck I once had named, Quack. =)


What kind of pet do you have? What tricks does your pet do? If you don't have a pet what would you get? 

Life Lately #21

Hi friends! I've been a little quiet around here lately so I thought I'd give a little update as to what life has been like lately. I'll start with the funny stuff =) 

1. Breading - Dave said he heard of this new thing called 'breading cats'. Well, it just so happened that someone had brought a lot of extra bread to church so we thought we would put it to good use on Static (our cat wasn't around at the time). We cracked up laughing! She would tried to chomp on the bread but couldn't because ... well you can see why =). Milo is next! Would you do this to your pet? 

2. Milo - Because of moving overseas I knew Milo would have to find a new home. I've been dreading finding him a home because he is a unique cat and has to be an only pet. Also, I'm super attached to this little guy so letting him go will be hard. However, God has sent the perfect person to take Milo. It's a nice lady who is looking for a companion cat. I'll be giving him away in a couple of weeks and I'm thankful he is going to a good home. However, before we give him away we will be breading him! 

3. Tomatoes - They are one of my favorite foods! My grandpa used to have a massive tomato garden and when I was a kid we would sit on the big swing and eat tomatoes. He would eat tomatoes as if they were apples and I'd eat the cherry tomatoes. All that to say that a local farm here had 600lb. of tomatoes! I got a whole bunch and they have been so delicious! What's your favorite summer produce?

4. Jamberry - I have a new obsession you guys! I hosted an on-line Jamberry party and got 11 sheets of nails. That means I have 22 manicures which will each last me two weeks. I'm excited! Have you ever tried Jamberry?

5. Blogger Friend Hangout - Last week I went to OKC to hang out with Amanda (The Lady Okie). We have become good friends over this past year and occassionaly we will get together to hang out. I'm so thankful for her and our friendship. This time we rode bikes and walked around downtown OKC. We also exchanged b-day gifts and check out this awesome gift! It's a coffee table book all about Burma. The pictures in there are beautiful and I just love it! It makes me more excited to move over there. 

6. Burma - I'll be honest and say that moving overseas is stressful for me. I think being anxious and stressed out is a choice and I haven't been choosing joy and peace lately. I've been going back and forth from knowing God will take care of me to extreme anxiety with drama and tears. I finally sat down today and wrote out some verses on God taking care of me as well as verses that focus on the main things, like seeking the Kingdom of God and loving others rather than planning, planning, planning, planning. =)

Also, I ordered some super cute bags from Samantha for Christmas gifts for people. You should check out her shop. She has really cute pouches as well as great blogger resources.

____________________________________

How has your life been lately? 

Are you enjoying these last few days of summer? 

The Great Sand Dunes - Visit #2

Hi friends! I'm here to share some more pictures of the Great Sand Dunes with you. We went last year for Labor Day and this year we went for Memorial Day! Dave asked me what I wanted to do and the option of hiking in Oklahoma didn't sound marvelous to me so I suggested the Sand Dunes. We invited Ryan and of course took Static again. This is one of the few National Parks that allow dogs so we take full advantage of it. If you haven't been to the Dunes I highly highly suggest it! It's only 2 1/2 hours south of Colorado Springs. You could even make a day trip out of it if you are in that area. It's about a 7 1/2 to 8 hour drive for us which I don't think is too bad. 

There is just something majestic about driving in the Rocky Mountains and seeing the beauty God has made! The first day we got to camp it rained. It rained all day and we ended up staying in a ghetto and gross hotel! The second day though, BEAUTIFUL! We started hiking around 10am and hiked to the tallest sand dune - Star Dune. The hike starts by crossing a little stream and Static found a ball and immediately chased it down and popped it. I'm guessing some kid left it from the night before so finders keepers, right??? I don't talk much about poop on my blog but you guys ... Static decided to do her business right in this stream and let me tell you there were kids playing in it! I was mortified when I saw her squat and immediately looked at Dave and said "This is your dog not mine", and walked away. It was so embarrassing!!! After that little incident everything was fine. Hiking in sand is hard but the view was 100% worth it. I also am super happy because last year I just about died going to 'High Dune' which is a much shorter hike but after a year of crossfit I can tell that I had much more strength and energy to hike farther. wahoo! I also took pictures in manual mode, which I didn't do last year because I had just gotten my camera. It was fun and I just love taking pictures, lots and lots of them. Hope you enjoy them too. 

Have you ever been to the Sand Dunes? 

Where is your favorite place to hike? 

________________________________________________

Linking up with Nicole for Treat Yo' Self Thursday

Friday's Letters . 5

Dear Mt. Wheeler, thanks for only being 8 miles instead of 14. I think a 13,000 ft. mountain is a good reintroduction to mountain climbing. Dear Sister, I'm beyond thrilled that you are coming to visit for the weekend. Don't let this small town fool ya, a fun schedule is in order: roller blading, crossfit (bring a friend day, whoop! whoop!) and a local concert by a fantastic artist.  Dear Static, you are super cute and all, but please, quit eating bathroom trash as well as the whole bag of cat food when I'm gone. Dear Crossfit, this week I got my first open blister and as much as I never wanted one, I earned it! I PR'd my dead lift and couldn't of been happier. I have some awesome crossfit friends who cheered me on and pushed me. Thanks!!! Dear Woodward, this week I was driving down the road and it hit me that after living here 6 months it felt like a familiar place and like my 'temporary home'. Don't get me wrong some of your weird OK cultural is still odd to be but I'm getting used to it. Dear Dave, Thanks for helping me hike up a big mountain and for going 'Beka pace' even if it did slow you down by 1 1/2 hours. You're the best. Dear Sandy, Can I just say how glad I am I wore the Korean scarf you bought me up this mountain!!! I neglected to pack a jacket or a long sleeve shirt for the top of the mountain and the coldness was extreme. The scarf was my saving grace, so thanks!

What are your weekend plans? Have you ever hike a 13,000 or 14,000 foot mountain? (you totally should!). Hope you all have a great weekend.