Our Dog, Skip

Note: this post isn't for the faint of heart, so if you don't want to read a sappy post about our beloved Skippy Dog, then that's ok :-)

Oh little Skippy, when we met you at PetSmart on Saturday, we didn't know you'd work your way into our hearts so completely.  

After you stepped through Mom's pansies and peed on a post on our back porch, and got growled at by Buffy, the pup we were dog-sitting at the time, we didn't know that you would get to com eback to us.  Taking you back brought lots of tears.  I just knew you were meant to be a part of our little family.

We brought home a small rat terrier the next weekend, but he didn't stay long.  He barked during storms and ended up biting Troy.  After we took Samson back, you came home with us the next day for good.  Your foster mom love dyou and cried when she said goodbye.  I knew we had a good dog.

You nosed your way into our lives, one nudge at a time.  When you first came to us, you wouldn't look us in the eye.  You never barked and always followed directions when we asked you to, "Go get in your bed!"

We taught you "Chocolate Shake" and "Vanilla Shake" with each paw.  You loved to please.  You were so hungry for affection.  We couldn't imagine why anyone would ever give you up.  

We brought you home in April of 2002.  That summer we found a vacation spot at Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. You weren't a fan of the boat, but I know you loved being with us.  

Troy and I used to take turns letting you sleep in our rooms upstairs.  Eventually, though, you just ended up on my bed every night.  We always knew it was time for bed because up the stairs you'd go!

You used to curl up in the crook of my legs and snuggle in for the night.  It was the best.  You slept there so long, a faded spot appeared on my bedspread, but I didn't mind.

When I left for college, you changed your ways.  You started getting fed at the dinner table (gasp!) and sleeping on Mom & Dad's bed.  You even would whine a bit to them when you really, really wanted to go on a walk.  The shy Skippy slowly faded away.  :-)

When we had parties, you'd make the rounds, nosing people to pet you.  Papa tells many stories of him dog sitting you and you'd quietly come up beside him and give him a wet nudge and startle him out of his chair.  

You'd always wag your fluffy tail when we came home, so glad to see us.  Even when we walked into the room.  We were greeted with a "Thump! Thump! Thump!"  

It's easy to see how you so easily made a way into the hearts of anyone who met you.  

You loved to run.  We think this is where you got your name because you would skip on three legs down the road!  

The last year and a half, it's been a little harder for you to get around...you were 12 or 13, though, so it's understandable!  You were just as loving and loyal as before, though.  

Oh Skippy, you've left quite a hole in our home and in our hearts, but we are so grateful for the nine years you were in our lives.  

Skippy Dog

So I'm currently in Austin for work.  Thankfully I'm hanging out with a sweet friend and she's feeding me quesadillas while I crash on her couch and watch the Rangers in the World Series.  We're debating how old the San Francisco pitcher is--he's very young looking.  It feels pretty homey around here.  Not sure what my problem is, but it's amazing to me that I studied abroad for an entire semester.  Kinda missing a whole lot of this...

Skippy Dog.

More of Skippy Dog.

 

Curled up Skippy Dog.  Love it.  (Clearly I'm missing him a lot.)

  
And come on Rangers.  Right now they're losing.  Get it together.

Ok, that's all I have for now.

Adios.

Grumpy to Grateful

This afternoon I was quite grumpy.  My day did not turn out like I had planned. (Shocking, right?)  I mentioned this to a friend who said, "Sometimes we feel grumpy when we forget to be grateful."  She was right.

I flipped through my pictures, some old and some new, and found several people and experiences that I was grateful for recently.  And I'm already feeling better.  I posted a similar story here last October about my mom singing "Count Your Blessings" to us whenever we complained.  Once again, it turns out she was right.

Here's what I'm thankful for today, at this moment:

{Amanda's wedding, August 2009}

I got to see Amanda two days in a row, since she was in town for work.  

{Baylor Basketball game, last season}

I had lunch with my cousins, aunt and uncle and a few others, on Sunday.  It was so. much. fun.  And we all know I love them.  My aunt and uncle just moved back here, so I'm excited to see them more often.

Because I didn't want her to feel left out, here's my cousin, Anna.  I've always liked this picture.  Maybe because we were just so goofy.  This was on a ski trip when my hair was braid-able...so a long time ago!

{My 22nd birthday lunch}

I had a nice little phone chat with my dad today.  It was sweet.

I got to catch up with Katie on the phone on Monday night.  Loved it.  

She starts teaching school this week.  So fun!

Papa and I had a little text session last night.  I love that he can text.  

And I also love this pic from earlier this summer when Troy was in town.  They love each other.  

And I love them. 

I'm looking forward to dinner with this chicky tomorrow night!

Isn't he just the sweetest dog ever?  

Tonight I had a good catch-up chat with Claire, and she let me play in her makeup.  She loves anything sparkly.  I watched her put on four different shades of shimmer this evening.  Hilarious.

  

These flowers next to my sink greet me every morning.  They are still so pretty after more than two weeks!  They make me smile when I think that this guy gave them to me...

AMP:  You make me laugh. 

I'm thankful for our run in the rain sprinkles 

last night, and the "dinner of athletes."  It was yummy.  

Thanks for being my most faithful reader.  

So now I'm feeling a lot more grateful--thanks for reading down this far!  :-)  My lesson for today: gratefulness often outweighs grumpiness.

1 Graduation + 1 (2 Mile) Relay + 1 Pup = 2.5 days of Weekend Fun

This past Friday, Adam graduated from the Fire Academy, so that makes him an official fire fighter and paramedic now, after a year and a half of training!

{All the guys wore their Dress Blue Uniforms for graduation...so handsome!}

We celebrated all weekend long with this delicious cake that Adam's parents brought down from Iowa.  (They brought corn, too, haha.  It was seriously the prettiest corn I've ever seen.  I haven't tasted any (yet!) but it looks delicious.  Seriously...don't laugh!)

It's crazy to think that when Adam was moving down here in October 2008, I was here with these sweet friends, not knowing what life would look like after Baylor.

{Me with Katie and Smoo--Fall, 2008}

During that time, we made tons of good memories and are still close friends.  It's comforting to know that some things stay the same, and yet some things change...

Like me running a two-mile relay with Adam last Saturday!  

It was quite a challenge, and I was so nervous.  We walked up to this much larger event than my first 5k, and there were all these RUNNERS there.  (As in legit runners who've done this before.)  I was really intimidated and didn't say much at all. 

Adam ran the first and last legs of the relay, and I ran the middle part of it.  I knew it would be different than the 5k because the course was on grass and dirt, not to mention trying to run with a baton.  There were hay bales to jump over, and it was super hot.  It was hilly, too, and I ended up walking more than I anticipated.  Needless to say, I was frustrated at myself during my two miles because I walked a bit.  And I stepped in a pile of ants, too.  Oh man.

BUT, we finished, and Adam told me afterwards that I ran my two miles in 20 minutes and 30 seconds.  I was shocked!  Seriously.  (By the way...he ran his much faster!)  Apparently my nerves and frustration had quite the effect on my running ability!  

In the end, I was really glad we ran, and it was fun to do together.  :-)  And now I can say I've done a relay!  Last time, I didn't get to keep my number, but I did on Saturday!  It's the little things in life, right?

Speaking of little things...the rest of the weekend was just really relaxing and low-key.  It was so nice not having anything much planned!  I stayed at my parent's house and took care of Skippy while they were out of town.

My favorite thing is when I walk out the garage, and he usually follows me right to this spot.   He peeks his head around the corner and just sees me to the door.  Such a gentleman, that Skippy!  So ignore the laundry basket and toilet paper...welcome to our real life.  :-)  I just wanted to capture Skippy Dog and the little things he does.  Isn't he sweet??

Skippy (Fox) Dog in the Snow

Last week I mentioned that I was thinking about going to take some photos of Skippy in the snow.  The Pioneer Woman gave some very helpful tips about how to get some great photos in the snow.

I was inspired--enough  to change the settings on my camera.  I usually just leave it on automatic, but I decided to be a little more adventurous, and I got a few that I'm pretty happy with.

I know I've talked about him before, but Skippy Dog is the most loved dog you'll ever meet.  He is getting up there in age, and with that, he's become a little (a lot) more stubborn.  I've started to come over to my parents' to take him on walks, and he always greets me with a wagging tail.  Medicine for the soul.

This is my favorite.  I think Skippy looks like a wolf or a fox in this photo.  It was taken in our backyard.  If you can believe this, the snow continued far into the night, and we really did get a ton of it.  

Blurry, but I still like it.

Also in our backyard--my mom is really good at making flower beds look great.  She has a green thumb that I lack (maybe that comes with age?).  You can't see any flowers right now, but I really loved this snowy butterfly.

These trees are right outside my apartment door.  I thought they were so beautiful with all the snow on them!

There's the possibility of snow again tomorrow.  This is really crazy.