Like fishes

A while back, Todd and I took the dogs out to Alcova Reservoir to let them swim around.  Todd had worked with Lulu once before to see if she had her dog paddle down, and, as to be expected - but still excitedly - we learned she can't get enough of the water.

The morning we took them out was an absolutely beautiful one at the lake.  Hardly any clouds...no scorching heat...clear water and few boats.  It was awesome.

And the dogs thought so too!

They ran, and swam, and jumped and fetched... it was an absolute heyday for them!

Here they are in the back of the truck.  They'd already gone swimming once, but were waiting to go to our next, nicer location.

I did a little playing around with photo shop on some of the photos.  I love this one.  It might just find its way into a frame...

Lulu's first time riding in the back of a truck.  She's a natural...

Looks like this is all friendly fun and games, right?  It's really not.  Getting the toy is a total competition for them.  A struggle.  A battle to be first to the toy and the one who gets all the praise when hauling it out.  You should hear them breathing while they "share" the toy and swim!  There were a few times we thought one of them might drown the other.  I love how you can see Rigby's feet underwater in this photo...

Lulu was very hesitant to jump from the dock.  She'd run in from the shore, but jumping off into the unknown was something she didn't do at first.  But one taste of the jump and she was hooked.  She jumped, and jumped and jumped some more from the dock...

Rigby, on the other hand, will barely jump from the dock to save his life.  He did it twice...with Todd's "help"...but really doesn't want to go willingly.  I take that back.  He WANTS to go, but CAN'T.  I love how he watches Lulu like he's half jealous, half thinking she's crazy...

Here's what I did while Todd threw the water toy...

And one more photoshop pic for the road...

Random stuff

It has been a long, long time since I've posted.

I have good reason(s) - I was working Cheyenne Frontier Days again!  Plus my parents were here so my dad could film a fishing show with Todd who was asked to be on Ford's Fishing Frontiers; we have a garage sale planned for this weekend; we've finished our pre-marriage class; etc.

Today, I have nothing but randomness to offer.

First random thought:  I love these pants.  Desperately love them.  They're skinny glitter pants which sounds all wrong - and probably rightly should be - but there is something about them that is so right!

I do not belong in these pants for several reasons, two of which are pretty much tied: I do not have a waif-like model body; and I live in Wyoming where I'm pretty sure glitter skinny pants will get you a few strange looks.  The final reason is I will never be able to afford Alexander Wang-designed clothing and a knock off would just look...bad.  haha

*****

I went to the mall today to hit up Walden Books that is owned by Borders which is going out of business.  Jonna told me they were having massive sales and I wanted to see if they had the book, The Help.  I've wanted to read this book for a while, and with the movie coming out the book has now moved to the top of my reading list. I typically do not like to see movies based on books without reading the book first. 

Anyway, as I was walking in through Target an old man with oxygen tubes stopped me in the parking lot.  "Wellllll...don't you look nice!"  he said to me.  "You're just all dressed up!  You look so nice!" he continued to say as I laughed and said thanks, thinking, so this is what happens when you go in public showered and not in work out clothes.  "It makes me want to pinch you!"

Wait - what?

Nevermind.  I'm not offended.  I have a way of attracting (dirty?) old men.  

I did laugh and say, "Oh...no you don't!"  

He shuffled away and I walked into the mall.

*****

While in the mall I couldn't help but notice the teeny-bopper stores had some really cute clothes.  I am not above shopping teeny-bopper stores.  In fact, I rather love it.  But you have to be picky.  Not every teeny-bopper look is going to fit my older-than-teeny-bopper age.  

After buying my book, I slipped into Vanity to check out some of the cute-looking clothes I spotted.  I mistakenly thought they'd be decently priced.  Turns out, teeny-bopper clothes can be expensive!  (Unless it's my beloved H&M or Forever21, of course).  There were a couple things I liked, but couldn't justify spending $30 on a breezy little tank top with our wedding expenses growing.  I got this cute cardi for under $15 on the super duper sale rack.

It's ruched up the back, which is different, and has droopy little pockets.  I'm happy...

*****

I had lunch today with a girl friend at the 3 Crowns golf course restaurant.  I was very excited because I had never been!  I do not play golf and have no desire to either, but the place is very pretty with a nice menu and great outdoor seating!

We had a glass of wine and the Southwest salad on the deck which overlooked the course.  It was more than I would normally pay for lunch, but I would go back.  The food was good, the atmosphere was nice, and the service was amazing - which is something you don't always get around here.  

*****  

I took virtually no photos during Frontier Days.  It's kind of sad, but I was so busy taking media around or doing social media that I just didn't add the camera to the stuff I was already hauling around.

I did take this during slack, however.  

I like the photo because everyone - rider, horse, cow - are all arced the same way.  

I want to show off my new Frontier Days jewelry from this year, but I don't have a photo of that yet.  That will be a post for the future!

And that concludes my random thoughts for today!  

The writing's...in the flowers?

Todd and I took the dogs up to Casper Mountain last weekend to get them out - and wear them out.

At Bear Trap Meadow there's a loop we like to do that's easy and fun for the dogs to run around.

We stopped for a bit for me to take some photos of all the pretty meadow flowers.  When I finished I realized Todd had been staring at a little bunch of flowers off the path.

He said, rather casually, "You know, if a person looked at 'em just right...you could imagine them spelling out 'I love you.'" (As in "I ♥ U")

I gasped!

"You're right!  Holy crap!!

And this is what we were looking at...

This is a 100 percent undoctored, unplucked, untouched in any way photo of those flowers.

I bet you're saying holy crap now too!

Explain it how you like, but my take is two-fold: Todd is truly the person I'm supposed to be with; and God was telling us he loved us.

There is no other way, in my mind, flowers growing like that can be explained.

Semi normal operations

As you know, we've been going to town on the house with renovations.  Over the last couple of weeks we've made some major leaps toward being civilized!

Namely, we have appliances.

Beautiful, hooked up, working appliances that are all located in the kitchen and not in the living or dining rooms.  

Ok...we still have one major appliance in our living room.  I have to get it cleaned out to post on Craigslist...

And the hood for the new stove is in that cardboard box next to the old fridge. Once that is moved out we will be appliance free in the living room!


Let's take a look at all our beautiful appliances...


Todd readying the new dish washer...

When the drywall went up in the kitchen it wreaked havoc on the dishes in there.  This is only a tip of the iceberg...

No more dish pan hands...!

Thank you new dishwasher for coming into my life.  I love you forever...

Next, the thing that helps turn my clean dishes dirty...


I mean the stove, not Todd, though he certainly has a hand in dirtying dishes...

It's a convection oven.  I've never cooked with convection before.  I had to do some serious reading up on how to use it and why I would want to.  Turns out, it is wonderful for cooking certain things certain ways.  That fan blows the heated air around to help food cook more quickly and evenly.  It will make the outsides crisp while keeping the inside juicy.  I've never made better french "fries" before..."

Todd hooking up the gas line...

Drum roll, please...

And let there be light...!  

Oh, happy, happy day!  A WORKING stove and oven and it's GAS! I hate electric stoves. Gas is the only way to go.  And anything but the Fabulous 400 is totally the way to go!  Even electric...

The last lovely appliance. Our nice, extra-large fridge...

I'm still not sure what I think about the freezer being down below. I mean, I like how much space it gives us up above, but it's kind of annoying to have to dig around all bent over...

So, the kitchen is getting there.


All we need now are the cabinets back in!


One day...

Digging her own grave

Lulu is digging her own grave - quite literally, I'm afraid.

Over the past week or so we've had issues with her and this little plot of dirt in front of our porch...

There's a nice clematis there we're trying to coax into filling out.  But curiously, we keep finding puppy tracks in the dirt...

And annoyingly, we keep finding holes at the base of the vine. Big holes.  Not scoot-the-dirt-around-while-something-was-sniffing holes.

Little clues such as this...

And these dirty dog prints across my somewhat clean floor have tipped us off to a fresh digging...

Consequently, we've been on hole patrol any time she goes outside.

Todd has repeatedly filled the holes and repeatedly rubbed her face in the dirt while sternly telling her "no!"  The digging has subsided some, but today, after a particularly loud punishment yesterday, we saw two little holes...

These holes are nothing compared to some of the others we've found.  Whole root systems have been exposed by holes ironically large enough to fit a small dog.

If I were Lulu I'd be cautious of a guy with a shovel standing over an empty hole...