Morley

Morley has gotten quite comfortable in his new surroundings. He has tons of energy, so we enrolled him in daycare.  Yes - daycare.  It is such a great outlet for all of his energy.  When he comes home at night he is quiet and calm and can focus on training or just on snuggling.  There are many things I do for this dog that I would have never done in the past.  The fact that I bought two dog coats in one weekend is case and point.  During the first few cold days I felt sorry for the little monster.  He did not want to be outside and frequently hid by the door out of the wind.  The moment we got him a coat the weather got warmer.  Shocking.  Along with the cold weather he has finally gotten used to the snow.  I would not say he loves it but he does play in it for short periods of time.  We have had much shorter walking adventures in the recent months mainly because he enjoys barking through the entire walk.  It is embarrassing and also really annoying after a while.  We are working on it :)  He is a very smart dog, however, and his repertoire of tricks is very good.  We are learning more each day.

Morley's First Adventure

P & I adopted our first dog together.  We researched all kinds of breeds to see what would fit best into our life.  In the end, P found the most adorable Plott Hound puppy at a local shelter.  He is 6 months of age, sweet and gentle, but has some puppy energy.  The best part is the baratone bellow that rattles the windows.  We had our first walking adventure this evening in the dark and I could not help but laugh the entire way.  This hound, which I assume has never seen the city, got a taste of  the busy life city folk lead. He jumped at everything, terrified of trucks and buses, sirens and horns, and falling leaves.  He dodged in and out of the shadows with his hackles raised.  A man running with a light frightened Morley and in return Morley let out a bellow.  I am not sure who was more frightened.  As we neared home he began to relax and fell quietly by my side. After fetching his treasured duck and some training he now peacefully slumbers beside me. Welcome home Morley!

Idle Hands

I have found many projects to complete around the house in the past few weeks.  My one obsession has been these two chairs I received from my grandmother. These chairs have been in the family forever and I absolutely love the way they look - even though the finish leaves much to be desired.  I have never liked the covering on either of these chairs - ugly green fake leather- just not my style.  So I decided to learn how to sew and make covers for these pieces of furniture.  They are not perfect but they definitely allowed my idle hands something to do while watching pointless TV.

Sugar River Triathlon

Today I completed my second sprint triathlon of the season.  Caught up in the excitement of my last triathlon I signed up for another.  This triathlon was held in Belleville, WI.  When I read the description I thought it would be fun "A bike course of rolling hills is followed by a run on gravel trails and quiet neighborhood streets."  However when I received the race update I was concerned. "The bike course is fun, challenging and scenic."  Well, today was challenging. The swim was pleasant, the challenging portion of the bike was not exaggerated,  once I got my legs back the run was nice.  I finished a bit slower than my first tri, but that was not the goal.  As always I wanted to finish and eventually complete another tri.  It has been a fun season.  Now to relax and take a bit of time off!

Goodbye

A piece of me has gone today,

A friend of mine has gone away.

Once clumsy and youthful

Now loyal and wise.

There is no mistaking the pain in your eyes.

Asleep on the bed

Waiting for me to arrive

An animated greeting only you could contrive.

Silent and strong

You lick away my tears

Believing your job is to alleviate my fears.

Today as you leave you take part of me too

Thank you for your years of friendship
There is no more for you to do.

Triathlon

Completed my first triathlon yesterday.  A friend and I have been training for about 8 weeks.  At the beginning of training I thought the toughest part for me was going to be the 1/4 mile swim in murky lake water, but after yesterday I could have swam forever.  Even though there were a few weeks of light training :)  we managed to finish the race.  Not only did we finish but once we cooled down we started looking at when we could do the next one.  I need to improve on the bike.  There is always something to improve upon.  Had such a great time and the weather was amazing compared to the previous days.  I think my next triathlon will be September 2nd in Belleville.  Why not!

Indianapolis Half Marathon

For those of you who noticed the count down is finished for the half marathon.  On May 5th we traveled to Indianapolis and ran in the 500 Festival Half Marathon.  We got the opportunity to run around the Indianapolis track and "Kiss the Bricks."  Neither of us actually took the time to do this although it might have been worth it (when will I get another opportunity)! Maybe next year.  We had a ton of fun visiting the city and many of our friends.

Today was my first day of my sprint triathlon training.  I will be completing my first triathlon in July.  I am looking forward to a new challenge - and a challenge it will be!