Four.Twenty.Eight

He barks at doorbells... on television.

This dog:

• Gets all worked up about a doorbell.  Real ones and the pretend ones on television.

• Has one ear that stands up when it wants to.  It's as if it has a mission, like confirming the WiFi signal strength.

• Has a quilt fetish.  Comfort by his definition involves covers.  We call it "burrito dog" or being in his "cave."

• Rubs his face on the carpet after every meal.  If you come over to our house, lounging on the living room floor may not be recommended.

• Gets all worked up about gloves.  I don't get it.

• Likes to have a wrestling match daily.

• Reacts to the word "walk" like he's been stuck with a cattle prod.  If we discuss it, we have to use substitute talk, like "head down the street" and "take a jaunt down to the fire station."  Sad, really, we have to outsmart a dog.

• Knows how to play hide-and-seek and loves it.

• Has more nicknames than some people's children.

• Has been known to jump for the couch or bed and miss.  We did not laugh.  Much.

• Can run down the stairs on three legs.  I swear it's true.

I'm just guessing he's a loved pet.  What do you think?

The Warrior Dash 2010

Well, we did it!  We ran the Warrior Dash.  It was a crazy race, but we did it.  Neither of us have done anything like it before, it was amazing fun.  Neither of us have even run a regular 5K, much less this.  It was a very organized race for having so many people over two days (estimated 9,000 people per day over 18 time waves daily).  It was not a difficult race, we actually didn't even run much due to all the mud.  Many areas between obstacles were so slick with mud, it was almost impossible to actually run!  As for the obstacles, they were insane.  Mud, intensive wind, hay bales, and much more.  Here's what you're really waiting for... pictures!

 Before!  Look how pristine and white Sammy's shirt is!

After!  Not so pristine anymore!

The mud doesn't actually look that bad in this picture.  It was bad!

Nasty!  Our shoes got donated immediately to an organization sponsoring the race, greensneakers.org, see below!

Here's some pictures of a couple of the obstacles.

The "Warrior Roast"

    The "Muddy Mayhem"

Now, to share some pictures of the local wildlife... um... Warriors!  Part of the fun is watching the people who wear insane costumes!

Totally.  Cute.  Getting married in 2 weeks!

 

 The Dirty Smurfs

 Okay - you win!  Best costume!  That was some paint - this was after her race!

 Yes - that is Sammy's nasty, muddy sock after we got home.

Yes, Axel, There is a Santa Claus!

...And her name is Kay (a.k.a. my mom).

Axel got three of his very own gifties and got to open them himself since they were conveniently wrapped in tissue paper.  He says thanks for the giraffe, the collar with skiers on it, and the sweatshirt!  He loved his giraffe so much, mommy already has to sew his head shut after ear-amputation and removal of all the brains stuffing.  He even got to go out in a snow storm a few days after Christmas!

 

 

 

What 4.5 Days in West Texas Can Do

You hang around in west Texas too long and you come home with these as part of your Christmas present from parents.  Yes, I surprise me, too.  But they are awesome and I can't wait for an opportunity to wear them.  No, I'm not planning on going all-out cowgirl.  I'm going to keep it citified.  But it's kind of nice to stick to your roots.  I got my first pair at age 3 complete with matching tooled belt that had my name on it.  If you're a native Texan and didn't have the boots and belt growing up, I really wonder about you! 

Where's Axel?

Let's play a little game from a classic children's book called "Where's Waldo Axel?"

So, we can start with this scene:

"Where's Waldo Axel?"

"Where's Waldo Axel?"

"Where's Waldo Axel?"

FOUND HIM!  What a spoiled little punk he is.

Goals!

All of this cool weather has gotten me yearning for the mountains!

This may not be your ordinary goal, but Sammy and I have one.  It is our goal to ski every ski resort in Colorado at least once.  We have a decent start!  To lay out the goal in writing (you know, that helps with visualizing and attaining the goal), here goes:

We have skied the following spots:

• Steamboat - 2 times (Ranked #1 so far)
• Purgatory (a.k.a. Durango Mountain)
• Keystone (Ranked #3 so far)
• Copper Mountain
• Breckenridge
• Sunlight
• Vail (Ranked #2 so far) - 2 times
• Winter Park - 2 times
• Beaver Creek (Sammy has skied, I have not)

We have not skied the following spots:

• Arapahoe Basin
• Aspen Highlands
• Aspen Mountain
• Beaver Creek
• Buttermilk
• Crested Butte
• Echo Mountain (this one is apparently pretty new)
• Eldora
• Howelsen Hill (is in Steamboat and consists of about 2 runs and a ski jump)
• Kendall Mountain (very, very tiny one)
• Loveland
• Monarch
• Powderhorn
• Silverton Mountain (this one doesn't technically count.  It is for professionals only and you have to carry avalanche gear.  No thanks.)
• Ski Cooper
• Snowmass
• Telluride
• Wolf Creek (Been wanting to do this one for a while now)

Wow.  When you put it like that, it feels like a whole lot of places we've yet to hit!  We can do it, though - I certainly want to!

Favorite Clip from "The Office"

I guess I am missing one of my favorite shows, The Office.  This clip might very well be one of my all-time favorites.  Enjoy.  You owe me one Stanley Nickel for watching.

Knock, knock.

How To Outsmart A Window Covering

Axel always finds some way to surprise us with his smarts.  This window is where he likes to look out and "hunt" rabbits.  He lounges over the cushion and will watch for hours if we let him.  Often I will close the blinds so he can't look out.  He will turn into a lunatic if he does see a bunny, and my heart can't take it much longer.  The shock from the sudden ear-splitting barking is sure to kill me soon.  In addition, he has gotten into a habit of standing on the cushion (see photo below...), and that is not allowed.

As you can see in the photo below, he has now called our bluff.  Yes, he has figured how to bump up one of the blind slats and look out with one eye.  He doesn't do it very long, but he somehow discovered the work-around.  Silly boy!  What a stinker.

Vacation: The "Entertainment"

One of the fascinating parts of vacation (at least in my opinion) can be the people watching.  It's always great entertainment, but there were some passengers on our boat that were a spectacle.  Every day the entire boat was up for a new show.

Turns out, we had a large group of guys who decided to go on this cruise for a bachelor party.  They not only went on a cruise, they played the part.  Every day.  I wish I had gotten more photos, but our first glimpse at the guys was, um, interesting.  In the terminal where you board the boat we noticed some guys in the most puzzling get ups.  They looked like they belonged on the Love Boat.  Short shorts, pink polo shirts, knee-high socks, converse sneakers, fake mustaches, wigs, and captain-style hats.  We never figured out the reason why they were around until much later in the cruise.  At this time, we thought they might work for Royal Caribbean and dressed in these ensembles to entertain the guests.  Little did we know that they were guests themselves!

A first glimpse.  Who are these guys??

The second day, we caught them at the bar near the water at the Atlantis Resort.

Last but not least, we came upon them all on the last night posing on the stairs for everyone to photograph and it was a sight.  Tacky, tacky 70s gear (complete with authentic platform shoes) and they played their parts well!  I only wish I could have caught better photos - the lighting in the area was not very good, and I had to work quickly to avoid missing the "event" all together!












I can tell you one thing, these guys were having a blast!  What a fun time.

Operation: Island Engagement

Well, now that I have officially declared OPERATION: CONCEALMENT a complete success, I will fill you in on my latest covert operation, OPERATION: ISLAND ENGAGEMENT.  Sammy was my co-conspirator in this procedure, and we have officially declared it a complete success, effective 6.12.09.

Enough with the official talk, let me fill you in on the last couple of days.  I've been here:

By way of one of these:



Our friends, J. & J. traveled with us on this little jaunt into the ocean, and there were some whispers, private conversations, and risky exchanges.  It was espionage at its finest.  Here's how it all went down.

Sammy really did his finest work on this mission.  It was scheduled to occur on the first day of the trip, and the maneuver was scheduled with the concierge desk by the primary planner, Sammy's friend J.  J. "left" dinner to go to the room and came back "sick."  Apparently it wasn't good to eat fried clams for lunch.  **wink, wink**  He gave us the scoop and we were ready to receive our "unexpected gift."  He also made sure that Sammy had secured the critical element to the operation in his pocket.

Next, it was important to secure a proper location for the maneuver to occur.  We finished dinner and headed up to the deck, but the wind was making a roaring appearance and it just wouldn't work.  We reworked the plan and decided to have a drink or two in the lounge that is also the highest point on the ship.  There weren't many people, so it was a nice, quiet, intimate setting.  The maneuver was about to transpire.  Suzanne was misinformed of the actual final mission plans, but eventually caught on and was able to play photographer.

Here's our "unexpected gift."  Sammy played his covert role VERY well.  He brought it in and said that it was, "delivered" to our room and he had no idea how.  He figured on a mix-up and hoped they didn't charge our account for it.  But heck, why not eat and drink it?  There's no way we could manage to give it back now.



But this unexpected "treat" held an unexpected secret.


That's right.  So, we ate some, drank a little, and enjoyed.  Funny how this delicious treat just "showed up."



Then, we encouraged everyone to eat "just one more."  We emphasized that we should eat more since there were enough for everyone in the group to have two.  So, she did.

Hidden under that chocolate and berry delicacy was one very fine diamond ring.  Planted by none other than Sammy.  I almost missed some of the pictures due to my own ability to get all teary-eyed at the whole thing!








CONGRATULATIONS!  What a fun moment that we got to help plan.  I loved it.  Sammy had her ring in his pocket the whole night and we were prepared to receive the strawberry-champagne treat in our room that evening.  Sammy did awesome with all the pretending.  It worked out seamlessly, and was a perfect, intimate gathering.  She wouldn't have really enjoyed a lot of attention, so the setting was just right.  It was fun and we are happy for y'all!

More Bahamas photos to come... I took a little over 300 shots in total, so I need some more time to sort!