Instincts

It's quite humorous how our instincts kick in when we least expect them to. I guess that's why they're called instincsts - because you're born with that sort of behavior.

Take Chancho. Lola and Chancho play all the time. She really likes to play rough and he gets into the action, but in gentle sort of way. If she is pulling really hard for something, he lets go as if to say, "here you go, you can play with it, little puppy." He almost knows how rough he could play with her and that if he gets too crazy, he could hurt her. He knows how gentle she still is. He almost treats her like his little child. When I correct her when she's digging holes in our backyard, he comes up to me as if to say, "It's okay, mom, she didn't mean to." Ha!

I also learned that my motherly instincts kick in with a puppy. I used to be a super duper deep sleeper. I could get in bed and be completely out within 2 minutes. It was impressive! I could still fall asleep super fast, but now, I wake up when Lola makes noises. My deep sleep has left me. I wake up to hear that she's okay and that she doens't need to go potty outside. Who would have thought that I would have these instincts with a puppy! Woooow! I hope I get my deep sleep back before having kidos though. I'd like to enjoy my sleep for a little while longer. I also can't wait for the day that I get to sleep in again. It's been getting up at 5ish or 6ish on weekends to let her out... and let them back in so they could cuddle in Chancho's crate... and then be let out again in about an hour for water and more outside time.

Needless to say, I've been exhausted with my little pup. I'm enjoying her though either way. I could tell Chancho couldn't live without her. They're best buddies! Here are more picture of our munchkin:

... And then there were Two

Happy August!

It's been a happy August indeed! What a surprise we received this week when Chris got a call from the Colorado Vizsla Rescue. They had a puppy Vizsla they wanted to give us since we requested to get another little one earlier this year. Never in a million years were we expecting this type of call. After talking about all the pros and cons, we decided to visit her on Friday.

We were expecting a bigger pup, but when we saw her itsy bitsy body, we melted. She was so sweet and very much a puppy. A 4 month old puppy at that. We proudly introduce you to our newest addition to our growing family... Lola.

We decided to take little Lola the same day we met her. We just were given some of her food, some treats and we were on our way home. Chris and I were a little worried about how Chancho would receive her as he's not so great with new faces - as some of you know. They met in the backyard and they became instant buddies.

Those two played and played the whole evening. Now, Chancho is getting adjusted to his new life with his new little sister. She's quite energetic. yet he's mellowed out (even though he's only 2 years old), so he's had to bring out that zeal. She loves to follow and watch him all the time. I'm surprised I got her eyes off of her brother for this picture.

Ahhhh... so nice to see our two stinkers enjoying a nice Sunday nap together.

The mothers reading this blog may snicker at this comment - I feel that with this puppy and the 2-year old, that we have a preview of what's to come during parenthood. Phew. It's very tiring. Chris and I got to spend some time outside of the house yesterday and it felt almost as if we were on a date - just the two of us. Ha! Having to watch the puppy to make sure she doesn't get into trouble, to make sure she's not playing too rough with her brother or avoid an accident in the house - it's a job in and of itself. It's so nice when I have to get something done and she's playing with a toy. I don't even have to check on Chancho - he's such a good boy.

It's time to go to bed - so nice - on to the next day!

Mount Massive

Colorado is home to many 14ers...a term used for mountains soaring past the 14,000 feet mark. One of our Colorado adventures to do has been to summit one of these beasts. Unfortunately, Mariana decided not to take this one on, so this is the story from Chancho and my (Chris) perspectives.

A group from Church invited us to hike Mt Massive. Oh, and it is massive. This mountain is the 2nd tallest in Colorado, and the 3rd tallest in the lower 48 (14,430 by our altimeter reading). The above picture is us at the tree line. Past this elevation trees cannot grow. Any place where conditions are too extreme for trees should be a sign that humans (and dogs) should not be there as well.

Everyone in the group agreed that the toughest part of this trek was the length of the trail, nearly 14 miles round trip, and as you got closer to the top, the trail got exponiently harder. Oxygen was in short supply when you needed it the most (40% less oxygen than at sea level). At just under half the height of Everest, I had to stop about every ten steps to keep from passing out. Chancho kept looking back at me as if to say, "Come on, you can do it!" I now have a taste for just how insane Everest must be.

Chancho had his own doggie backpack and shoes, which he wore out by the time we reached the summit. He took on most boulders on his own like a billy goat. Personally, I don't think he cared for the windy, steep summit, as he was thrilled when we began heading back.

The experience was more challenging than I could have imagined. You left this place with a sense of accomplishment and respect for the mountain.

A tribute to Camo

Here here to Camo our chameleon. May he rest in peace.

Chris bought Camo when he was a little baby. He was Chris' second chameleon... the first one being Ooga - Camo's girlfriend. Camo lived a life full of change and adventure. Chameleons are mostly quite shy and don't like much attention, but Camo seemed to be a bit different. He was sort of a monkey in that he was always climbing all over his cage, was very energetic and was a bit feisty. He was guilty of "licking" my dad's nose a few times. He loved a challenge... so much so that when his food was too easy to get to he would refuse to eat. He wanted to hunt for his food. He loved being by the sun and would watch the world go by. He also loved it when he was allowed to wander outside of his cage... I remember when his cage was in our bedroom in Dallas, we would wake up and he would almost ask us if he could be let out to go see his girlfriend Ooga. Oh, Camo... little stinker. We're going to miss you!

He had quite the romantic life too. He wasn't quite the gentleman, but he did end up having two chicas...Ooga and Mona. Pictured below is Mona when she was just a baby.

Below are a few other pictures of camo...he was quite the photogenic fellow.

Camo

Approx. 2004 - 2009

Something old, Something new...

Today, I had the pleasure of rediscovering something wonderful. Something that some countries adopted as part of their culture. Ah, yes, the siesta. I really can't remember the last time I took a nap. I must admit it wasn't my idea. I was happy looking for new recipes on the net and Chris prompted me to an afternoon nap. So very nice.

But I must report the sad part of the day. I discovered something new. I usually LOVE new things, new discoveries. This is something that people get a different parts of their life, but we all get them. I'm talking about gray hair. I got out of bed this morning wanting to quickly get ready to get my oil changed and I saw something very shiny on my head. I got closer to the mirror and to my dismay found it! Well, it's not quite gray yet...it's more like bronze. But if you know me, you know that I have jet black hair. So, any other color hair on my head that came out naturally just means that I'm losing pigment. YIKES! I wanted so much to pluck it, but remembered someone told that if you pluck one gray hair out, you get 3 more in it's place. I don't really believe that, but you never know. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and have 3 little bronze hairs sticking out of my head.

I wish the "gray" hair was borrowed.... but it's not. So, now I'm blue.

The Need for Speed

This will probably be the shortest blog entry I'll write because the title and videos say it all. This is how Chris and I express our need for speed:

Ha! Gotta love it!

The Mind

I am so amazed at the power of the mind. Your thoughts really do play a huge role in what happens. I'm really realizing that more and more. I've heard it said before, but it hadn't truly sunk in. Take skiing for instance... I'm a big weenie when it comes to speed and falling. When I think that I can fall and hurt myself, I go so slowly and am so cautious. I get stares from people. I could see them thinking to themselves, "What's wrong with that girl?" But when I let go and enjoy the mountain, the crisp air, the snow, the laughter of people around me, the time I get to spend in a place where so many come far away to be at... I tend to go faster, make less mistakes and truly enjoy myself. Chris would tell me, look and focus on where you want to go, not at all the "bad" things that in ahead.

Also, take mountain biking. I remember the days when I would take big risks when going mountain biking. I remember just thinking that I wanted to give it my all when in the middle of a challenge. Then... my mind started to interrupt my courage and would make me think... "I don't want to hit that tree and if I do I'm going to fall and really hurt myself." And what would I do? Hit the tree.

You get my point.

There is so much out there that you can't control. So many uncertainties that I just hope that you look at situations on a positive note. In a way that makes you excited about the possibilities and ready to take on any challenge in front of you. Changing your way of thinking (I think) can truly change how things end up happening.

I can't say that I'm great at thinking positively all the time. But my prayer is that you start to, if you don't already. Just think to yourself - I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Tomorrow is a new day. Enjoy it!