Pack & Pride of Kristie

Dogs and Suds 5K

2011-10-17T10:20:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm a bad blogger! We've been busy with agility and this blog has just fallen along the wayside. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I'll try to get you all (5 followers) caught up. ;)

Darby and I walked our first 5K over the weekend. Not quite for sure how I ended up walking the 5K. I originally signed up to walk the 5K, tried to train, but failed. Decided to walk the 1 mile fun walk instead. Then when I got to the event they handed me my number (lucky 25). So, I just kind of decided then and there to go ahead and walk the 5K. (not the best decision). Darby and I got to the start line late, so we were behind before we even started. She and I sort of jogged part of the first mile in an effort to catch up with the slowest walkers. :) We found one and then passed her. After that we ended up heading uphill. OMD! So not ready for hills. The lady we passed, then passed us. I honestly thought about quitting many, many times during the walk but didn't. Since we were the last team we had police escorts during most of the walk. That was a bit stressful for both me and Darby. Darby did great during the walk. She loved the water stops. She had people giving her water too. And they would all reach out and give her pats as we walked by.

I know that I was not ready to do this 5K, but it was still a great time. The best part of it was hitting the finish line!!! I got a little emotional there. And then I felt like I was going to throw up (but didn't) :).

Attached are some pics that I took during the walk.

Here I am with my escorts over my shoulder :)

Here is a pic of Darby on the home stretch of the walk.

Our view of the river near the finish. This was a great way to end the walk.

Our police escorts near the finish line.

And here are me and Darby after the 5K. Darby is such an AWESOME dog!!

ACI trial in Indy

2011-02-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Our first trial of 2011 was in Indy. It was held at Pawsitive Partners, which is a place that we used to train at when we lived in the area. It was great seeing old friends and instructors. I also got a chance to meet some new people and their wonderful dogs. :)

We drove up Friday evening, which is not the best situation for me and the girlz. We don't get much sleep in a hotel room if the girlz are not sufficiently physically tired. They usually run better if we drive the morning of the trial. They sleep better after a full day of agility. So, needless to say we did not sleep much Friday night. Too many hotel noises.

We arrived at the trial around 8 am Saturday morning. The trial schedule was as follows for both days: Excellent, Excellent, Open, Novice, Open, Novice. Both Darby and Brindi are in the Open classes. It was well after 2:30 pm on Saturday before we ran. And by the time we ran the facility was like a ghost town. Even my friends in excellent left before our last run of the day. That sucked.

Anyhow...

Saturday Brindi ran standard first. She's been having teeter issues for a while now. I don't think she's completed a teeter at a trial since summer last year. It's killing me! She will complete the teeter in practice, but will not do it during a trial. I really thought she was going to complete it at this trial, but alas she bailed! After that she missed the last weave pole and then we just ran for fun. She completed all the tricky tasks of the course like a pro. That darn teeter!

Next up was Darby. Darby ran well until the weave poles, which is when she noticed that there was a judge out on the course. :) Darby was unable to complete the weave poles after 3 tries. She needed to complete them on the first try, but she had up to 3 tries before we had to move on. After that she missed a few jumps, but did well otherwise.

Next up was Jumpers with Weaves. Brindi was up first. Brindi started out very well, if not a little too enthusiastic :) She got a wild hair and ran off a bit. I was worried about the 180 the judge had in the course. But Brindi had no problems with it! She finished the course, but had a wrong course or 3 and some refusals too. After that run it was a sprint to get Brindi her treats and back in her crate and get Darby ready for her turn. There were about 5 dogs running in between Brindi and Darby. Needless to say I had barely caught my breath before it was Darby's turn to run. Darby did well, did not get her weaves the first time, but did the second. She ran around a couple of jumps, which we went back to complete. Darby also did the 180 without any problems! So proud of my girlz! And thankful to our trainer for having us practice those in class :)

It was around 5 or so by the time we finished Saturday. A VERY long day of WAITING!!
We all got some well deserved sleep Saturday evening. I didn't rush to get to the trial on Sunday, but we were there by 9 am. I enjoy watching all the excellent people run and visiting with agility friends, but it's kind of hard when they all leave as soon as their runs are over. I like to have my friends watch us run, so I can get some feedback too. You know?

Sunday went a little faster than Saturday, but not much faster. We probably ran at about 1:30 or 2 pm. Brindi ran her standard course first. I was going to try and help her over the teeter. I think that if she can succeed at completing the teeter at a trial she will be more confident and be able to complete it on her own next time. Well, she bailed too fast. I couldn't grab her. So, we went on. She did all the rest of the obstacles very well. I think she might have taken a wrong course and had a refusal or 2, but it really didn't matter. She ran like she was having fun, and that is really important to me.

Darby was next up. She was in a goofy mood for this run. She was doing the course great and then it was time for the table. She jumped up on the table and proceeded to scratch her ear. Weird. Luckily, AKC rules only require the dog to be on the table for a count of 5. They can be in any position as long as they stay on the table. Darby gave the judge and the remaining participants at the trial a little bit of entertainment. Then Darby got the weaves on her first try!! After the weaves was a tunnel. I started thinking that we were going to Q after she got her weaves, the rest of the course was easy sailing. That's what I get for thinking. After the weaves I sent Darby to the tunnel, where she proceeded to run smack dab into the middle of the tunnel. Seriously, there was an audible "THUD". Darby bounced of the tunnel, kind of shook her head and then went into the entrance of the tunnel. That got some giggles from the judge and spectators too. I was dumbfounded. After that, our run kind of fell to pieces. I still don't know what happened at the tunnel. It was a yellow tunnel. The judge thinks that maybe Darby saw the tunnel bags and thought the opening was in between them. IDK.

Our last run of the weekend was a fast and difficult jumpers course. Brindi was up first. The first 2 obstacles were 180 jumps. I'd never really seen that before and wasn't for sure how to handle it. So, I put Brindi in a stay and led out past the first jump, thinking of getting a front cross into the 2nd jump. Brindi did not see it that way. She got the first jump, bypassed the 2nd jump and went into the nearby tunnel. Brindi is a sucker for tunnels. That was a wrong course, so we just ran the course for fun after that. She did pretty good on the rest of the course.

Darby was up next (5 dogs in between). I decided to start the run with her and pull her around jumps 1 and 2, this worked well for her, but then I was not in the right position for the next few jumps, which caused her to spin. Darn it! She ran the course well, except for missing a few jumps on the first try.

All in all I'm very proud of my girlz. They did very good for their first trial of the year. And I feel bad for not handling them correctly. I know if I had thought out how I needed to handle them they would have done better. But, I think this year is going to be great!

And, I'm buying a used teeter from a friend. Brindi will soon be doing the teeter with confidence!!!

Gateway Agility Club trial November 26-27th

2011-01-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

This post is a little late, but I got caught up in trying to get stuff done for the holidays :) Hope all of my readers had a nice holiday (all 2 of my readers :)).
The girlz and I had a nice holiday. My niece had her 3rd birthday on 12/20/10. She's growing up way too fast in my opinion. She's so entertaining! Alix really enjoys opening up presents and was a very good helper elf at our family Christmas.

So, back to agility. Brindi, Darby, and I attended the Gateway Agility Club trial on November 26th and 27th. We had a lot of fun! Both of the girlz are now in the Open classes and it is proving to be interesting to run them both as they are usually near each other in the line up. The Open class at this trial was pretty small. Brindi jumps 20 inch preferred and Darby jumps 16 inch preferred. So this weekend I had to run back to the crate after running one of them and then grab the other one and run to the ring. Somehow it all worked out though :) Well, sort of...

On Friday our first class was Jumpers with Weaves (JWW). I ran Brindi first and she was a wild and crazy girl! She ran around the ring like she was crazed! So, chalk that one up to nerves. Next up was Darby. She seemed to be doing ok, I was not handling her very well and she let me know about it by crapping in the weave poles. Yep, IN THE WEAVE POLES! And we were disqualified :(

Luckily our Standard courses went better. Although nobody Q'd. They both ran a lot better.

Saturday we started of with JWW again, but both girlz made dramatic improvements from the previous day :) Still, no Q's but all of us had a lot of fun.

Next up was the Standard course. Brindi was up first and she did AWESOME, well, until the teeter. She has not completed the teeter at a trial in months! I don't know what to do about it. She really does not like our club's teeter, but no other club has one like it, so she must be generalizing that all teeters are evil. I don't know. I know that I need to take her on a teeter tour of all our friends with teeters and get her more accustomed to different teeters, but I haven't been able to do that yet. Other than the teeter, Brindi did GREAT!!

Darby was up next. I almost messed Darby up right at the beginning of the course, but she pulled it off and did GREAT! She ran like a demon and hit every contact and cleared every jump!! She came in 14 seconds under course time!! Woo hoo DARBY!! And she got her 1st Q in Open with a 1st place finish!! AWESOME!!

We had lots of fun in St. Louis. They are a great group of people and put on a fun trial!! And I had a holiday picture taken of 3 of the girlz. Unfortunately Sadie had to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for this trial, so she's not in the picture. Although I did have another holiday picture made with all the girlz. Enjoy them both!!

ACE AKC Trial - Princeton, IN

2010-11-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

Our local agility club hosted a 3-day trial November 5th-7th. Brindi and Darby were entered on Friday and Sunday. I have classes on Saturday morning, so I am unable to participate in agility on Saturdays until Spring.

I entered Darby in Novice Standard Preferred and Novice Jumpers with Weaves Preferred. Her standard jump height is 20 inches, but she is not really happy about jumping 20 inches yet. I started her out in the Preferred classes for her first trials and then moved her to her full height. But she hasn't really developed a true LOVE for agility so I moved her back to jumping 16 inches. She is REALLY happy about jumping 16 inches. :) So, anyways she had already earned 2 legs towards her Novice Agility Preferred Title and 2 legs towards her Novice Jumpers Preferred Title. All she needed was 1 Q in each class to earn her Novice titles.
...AND she earned BOTH of them on Friday!!!! She ROCKED!! She got a 2nd place Q in Standard and a 2nd place Q in JWW!! Her first baby qq's!!
Here she is with both of the judges from the weekend. :)

I moved Darby up to the Open classes for Sunday and she had really good runs, but I messed her up. (Bad Handler). Sometimes the nerves get to me and I just mess up. I am the weakest link of both of my teams. But I'm trying to be better!

Brindi and I had some promising runs, but no qualifying scores. One thing about running with Brindi is she shows me something positive everytime (almost). I feel like we are making vast improvements in our team building. And she's a lot of fun to watch!! Which is probably why we don't Q very often. I get all caught up watching her and forget that I should be moving to the next obstacle, or at the very least try not to get lost!

Overall it was a VERY AWESOME weekend for us!! And I had a lot of fun hanging out with my agility friends and meeting some new ones too!

Border Collie National Specialty 10/21/10-10/22/10

2010-10-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back from the Border Collie National Specialty but my head is still in the clouds. We had a very nice time at this event. It was held at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri. Brindi and Darby were entered in agility Thursday and Friday.

We arrived at Purina Farms Thursday morning. The agility was supposed to be held inside, but was moved outdoors at the very last minute. They had almost perfect weather for an outdoor trial, in my opinion. I would have like to have had the trial inside, but can understand why the event was moved outside. I don't really think the floor they installed is going to be any good for agility. Rumor has it that some dogs tore the pads of their feet at the trial held there prior to the BC Nationals. So, overall I am fine with the trial being held outside.

Darby is AWESOME! She earned a 3rd place Q in Standard on Thursday. They give out lots of prizes with ribbons, so she got a 3rd place ribbon, a Q ribbon, and a Border Collie ornament. Brindi had her head in the clouds Thursday and was really just out enjoying the autumn air. She did not finish a course, but had a great time.

Darby and I also got to meet up with the lady who saved Darby from the shelter. Tracy rescued Darby (known then as Fusion) from a shelter in Ohio and allowed me to adopt her. I am so thankful to Tracy for rescuing Darby. Darby is truly an AWESOME dog, she's got a drive to play and a softer side for snuggling :)

Thursday evening I attended the Rescue dinner. I had a very nice dinner and then enjoyed the evening with some fellow BC owners. They had an auction and I "won" a new bed for the dogs. Sadie has pretty much claimed the bed and I really wanted to "win" it for her. It's a Sertapedic memory foam pet bed. Super SWEET. Then I won a silent auction gift pack which included a dog bowl, a rabbit tug toy/leash, and some flea & tick medicine. It was a super fun night!

We shared a room with a fellow ACE club member and it was a lot of fun. This is the first time my girlz have shared a room with other dogs. Everyone got along very well.

Friday morning we were there bright and early. Brindi was a little bit more focused during her standard run, but just barely. We still did not finish a course. I learned a VERY valuable lesson while running Darby in her Standard run. I, as the handler, am responsible for making sure the jumps and equipment are at the correct height. Darby happened to be the first 20 inch dog in her class. The previous dog jumped 24 inches. I didn't notice that the jumps were not set correctly. Darby has been having issues jumping 20 inches and has occassionally gone around a jump and has even gone under a jump. Well, with this course she was going under ALL of the jumps. I brought her around and had her jump them after she blew the jump off. I couldn't believe that she was blowing off every jump. I was sick. Then, when she got to the table she went UNDER it! She's NEVER EVER done that before. That's when I noticed it. Wow, that table is set REALLY high. The judge was nearby and I asked her if the table was set correctly. She asked what height my dog was supposed to be jumping, I said "20 inches". She said that the course was set for a dog jumping 24 inches. I was instantly upset. I was mad that I had made Darby jump that high. I was upset that we wasted a run, as we were not given another opportunity to run the course. I was so mad at myself I could have spit nails. I felt horrible. I almost left. I am glad I stuck it out.

After that the girlz and I took a little drive to calm down and go to Taco Bell :)
I had a nice lunch and we were READY for our last runs of the day. Darby ran first. Darby did spectacular!! She seemed really happy to be jumping 20 inches instead of 24 inches. She ended up with a 3rd place ribbon, a Q ribbon, and another BC ornament. While I was running Darby, Pam (fellow ACE member) had a little talk to Brindi. And it WORKED!! Brindi came out rarin' to go. She ran a SUPER CLEAN Jumpers course and earned a 1st place Q!! This was her 3rd JWW leg, so she also earned her Novice Jumpers Preferred Title!!! WOO HOO!!! WAY TO GO BRINDI!! I almost got lost on the course because I was too busy watching my beautiful dog run! But, I don't think it mattered because it seemed to me Brindi knew the course. She was running full throttle. I've never seen her run a course so independently. Man she ROCKED!!

So, we went up to the Event's Center and picked up all our loot. All in all Darby earned 2 Third place ribbons, 2 Q ribbons, and 2 BC ornaments. Brindi earned a First place ribbon, a Q ribbon, a New Title ribbon, and a BC ornament. It was a GREAT trip and a WONDERFUL experience!!

As we were leaving Purina Farms they were setting up for a frisbee tournament, so we stopped to see if we knew anyone there. Me and the Girlz were members of the Indy Dog & Disc Club when we lived in Indy. We ran into quite a few IDDC members! It was nice to see them again. Darby got to play frisbee and we got to visit for a bit before we headed home. I had a 3.5 hour drive to go and it was getting late. Just a note, there is NOTHING in between St. Louis and Evansville on I-64. NO gas stations, no fast food, no COFFEE, no nothing!!!

Next weekend will be our local fall AKC trial. Really looking forward to this trial, should be a LOT of fun!! I will be moving Darby back to Novice Preferred jumping 16 inches until she develops a true love of agility. She does all that I ask for but I think jumping 16 inches will be a lot more fun for her!

Terre Haute Kennel Club trial

2010-10-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

I signed Brindi and Darby up for the Terre Haute Kennel Club agility trial this past Sunday. The trip was a family affair as I also brought along Sadie and Cosmo. I also had a beautiful Border Collie girl with me that was beginning her transport to Michigan. "Velvet" is now at her foster home with Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue. She is going to make whoever adopts her very happy. She's a great girl, very sweet!! This pic was taken of her during her transport.

Ok, back to the trial. This was an outdoor trial, which was the first outdoor trial for Darby and maybe the 2nd outdoor trial for Brindi. This shouldn't really be a big deal because we practice agility outside. But, this was a different location for me and my girlz to do agility. And it's finally feeling like autumn here in Southern Indiana, which brings out Brindi's wild side :) Brindi didn't even notice me out on the field with her. She did the first obstacle and then went crazy running around the place. Another distraction for her was the little girls doing the leash running. Usually Brindi doesn't pay much attention to the leash runners but these girls kept trying to get her attention. Good GRIEF!! Brindi really wanted to play with these little girls. Oh, well.

Darby was more focused on me. We actually completed the courses. Albeit, she had some refusals and didn't qualify, but at least she was there with me.

Sadie and Cosmo enjoyed hanging out and getting all that fresh autumn air without the hassle of running and jumping :)

All the girlz were passed out for the entire 2 hour drive home and were still worn out that evening. Pretty sure they enjoyed having the house to themselves on Monday when I went back to work :)

Next trial is in a few weeks in at Purina Farms, near St. Louis. It's the Border Collie Specialty and Brindi and Darby are entered. Can't hardly wait for this one. It'll probably be the biggest show we've ever entered. There will be herding, agility, rally, obedience, and conformation (I think). Should be a LOT of fun!!

Love LOL Dogs :)

2010-10-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Saw this and had to share :)

I'm back and I'll try harder

2010-09-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

I've really let this blog thing go. I'm going to try and keep up with it from here on out.

Let's see. This weekend we were entered in our local club's NADAC trial. Brindi and Darby ran this weekend. Cosmo is experiencing stress while practicing agility and shows major stress at trials so she is on hiatus from agility. We are working with having fun!!

This was Darby's first NADAC trial and she did GREAT. She and Brindi ran in Touch and Go on Saturday, and ran Touch and Go, Regular Agility Round 1 and Round 2, and Tunnelers on Sunday. Brindi did pretty AWESOME too this weekend. :)

Darby won 3rd place in Touch and Go Saturday!! Then on Sunday she won another 3rd place in Touch and Go, a 4th place in Round 1 of Regular, and a 3rd place in Round 2 of Regular. She had a nice Tunnelers run, but we (I) are too slow. :)
So all in all Darby did a great job this weekend. No qualifying scores, but I'm sure she'll get them next time :)

Brindi did GREAT this weekend and is showing more confidence in her agility ability every run. She is doing great at working away and taking the obstacles in front of her and if I could get over watching her and start running we might get some Q's :)
I really enjoy watching Brindi run, she amazes me. I end up watching her and then I get lost. So sad about Brindi's handler :) She did have some interesting things happen during her runs this weekend, that I'm not sure we could train for. In her Round 1 Regular agility run the first 3 obstacles were hoop, weaves, jump. As Brindi was weaving, the bar on the next jump fell. It kind of spooked her a little (me too), but I looked back at the judge and he waved me on. So as we were heading for the jump, the barsetter decided he should fix the bar. So we're heading for the jump and the barsetter is heading for the jump. Brindi got super excited about this guy coming towards her. Usually(mostly) the barsetters wait until the dog is past the obstacle before they head out on the course. So Brindi is jumping up and is super excited about meeting this person. I look back at the judge and he tells me that I can try again. So we waited until the end of her height class and gave it another go. She did a lot better this time.

We had yet another interesting experience in tunnelers. This trial is held at a 4-H pole barn, with a dirt floor. Typically there are mice and birds in the building. So, as Brindi is heading for the 3rd tunnel a mouse took off running from the tunnel and headed off the course. What could Brindi do? She went after it! I was able to call her off and we finished the course, but did not place or Q. Still, I am very proud of Brindi. She is so much fun to run with!!

Saturday my sister, Amanda, and my niece, Alix came to hang out with me and watch the show. It was very nice to spend time with them. Alix really enjoyed watching all the dogs run and she is pretty sure that she could do it too. I hope to get her running agility as she grows up :)

Wow, what a weekend!!

2010-07-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

We were entered in a 3-day agility trial in our hometown this past weekend. I entered Darby all 3 days, Cosmo was entered Friday and Saturday, and Brindi was entered Saturday and Sunday. I split them up for a couple of reasons. #1 - I don't feel like Brindi and Cosmo are that into the idea of a 3-day trial. Darby is driven enough that I felt like she could handle it. #2 - I am not ready for a 3-day trial. Well, I'm not ready for a 3-day trial running 3 dogs! OMD!! I ran all 3 of them on Saturday, and they totally rocked, but it was hard on me.

So, here is our weekend recap. I'm still up in the clouds!!

Well, me and my girlz had one of those once in a lifetime weekends at the EOC trial this weekend. I am still suffering from a very big head!!
On Friday I ran Cosmo and Darby. Cosmo earned 2nd Novice leg in Jumpers with a 1st place Q.

On Saturday, I ran all 3 girlz in Novice.
Cosmo earned her NAP title with a 2nd place Q (she placed 2nd to Darby :)). And then earned her NJP title with a 1st place Q!!! WOW!!!
Then Brindi earned her NAP title with a 2nd place Q. And earned her 2nd leg in Novice jumpers with a 1st place Q!!
And then, Darby earned her 2nd leg in Standard with a 1st place Q!
My girlz Q'd 5 out of 6 runs on Saturday!!! I am so proud of them!!

On Sunday I ran Brindi and Darby.
Brindi was entered in her first round of Open Standard. She did pretty good, but did pause halfway through the weave poles and looked at me as if to say that she was pretty sure she already did 6 poles. Open has 12 weave poles instead of 6, that are in Novice.

Darby earned her 2nd NAP leg with a 1st place Q.

What a weekend!! I am so very proud of my girlz!!!

Another GREAT weekend!!

2010-06-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Buckner, Kentucky for the Derby City Agility trial. We were entered Friday and Saturday. It's a 3-day trial, but I don't feel like we're ready for 3 full days of agility yet.

Friday started off great with Darby earning her 2nd Jumpers leg with a 3rd place Q!

Saturday Cosmo earned her first Jumpers leg with a 2nd place Q!! She did great! She came pretty close to earning her 3rd leg in Standard on Saturday, but came up short. She did great this weekend. She's been having allergy issues and hasn't really been herself for a very long time.

Saturday was great for Brindi also. She earned her 2nd Standard leg with a 1st place Q!! She was great!! And it was a tough run for her. It was thundering during her run and trying to get her to down on the table during a thunderstorm was difficult. She's not usually scared of thunder, but it's not something she's used to hearing while running agility. She did AWESOME!!

Darby had some very good runs both days. Her handler really needs some work. :) She might have done better if I would have been able to handle her better. I'm learning though :)

I'm so proud of my girlz!!

They were ready to go home on Saturday though!

Brindi's 1st AKC Q!

2010-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Brindi, Darby, and I had a great time this weekend. This was Darby's second trial and she did her best to make it memorable. :) She tried to weave through the jump wings. Not once, but twice. She pulled the wing on her the 2nd time. She ran the rest of the JWW course fine, except she didn't "see" the weaves. Darby did a good job all weekend and I'm having a lot of fun with her right off the bat.

Brindi was very good this weekend. She ran well for me Saturday in Jumpers and did really well in Standard, up until she had to do the teeter. She's not for sure about the new teeter. Sunday was a different story for her. She started off with a great Jumpers run. She was a victim of tunnel suck though, it got her twice in a row. After that though she ran a great course. Her Standard run was absolutely AWESOME!! She did the teeter (still with hesitation) and did great throughout the rest of the course. Well, until her handler did something weird right at the broad jump. So she ended up having to take the broad jump again, this time correctly. (Poor dog, shame about her handler :)). And after all was said and done she had earned a 2nd place and her 1st ever AKC Q!!!! We took 2nd to John & Monet (who also got their first AKC Q!)

Check her out, doesn't she look very proud of herself? What a girl!!

This first pic is of Brindi, Judge Rob, and me.

This second pic is of Brindi in our back yard.

It was a lot of fun this weekend!!!

Um, well except the heat!!!

Darby's Mother's Day gift

2010-05-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was Darby's first agility trial. She did GREAT!! Her first run was the standard agility course. She came very close to qualifying. We got a little tripped up in the weave poles. Those are tricky :)

Her second run was Jumpers with Weaves and she did AWESOME!!! She got a little tripped up in the weave poles, but we got through them. I was truly amazed at how well she did. Ended up she got a 1st place and her first AKC Q (qualifying score)!!! Wow!

Check her out!!

Brindi and Cosmo also ran on Sunday, but didn't have as good a turn out. Both girlz had moments of brilliance and I know they are very close to earning their Q's too. Poor little Cosmo was very distracted during her runs. Her allergies are pretty bad and she's now on steroids in conjunction with her allergy shots. Poor little girl!

Next trial will be our local agility club's AKC trial in Princeton next weekend. Can't hardly wait!!

Really HEAVY cookie!

2010-04-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

I bought this Harry Potter cookie at the Vanderburgh Humane Society Dinner and Auction. Before I ate it I had Darby hold it for me.

Oh, and as you can tell Darby and I cut the grass that evening too :)

Never Welch on a Bet

2010-01-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

That's Darby's AKC registered name. I applied for her Purebread Alternative Listing (PAL) number and her application was approved. She's a Border Collie. Of course! She's neurotic about balls, frisbee, and loves to try and herd just about anything! She's a great dog and lots of fun. This listing means that she can compete in AKC agility trials. Cool! So, I will have 3 novice agility dogs, Wow!

Finished product - Finally!

2010-01-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

With a lot of help from my knitting friends I have finally finished this stocking!!! Wooo hoo!! I began this project almost 3 years ago. The bad news is that there is only one stocking and I have 4 dogs. I think they'll be happy enough to share. :) Cause, I doubt that I'll be making any more.

It so great to have friend to help you through projects. Thanks Chris!!

Alix is 2!!!!

2009-12-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my niece, Alix is 2 years old! Her birthday was 12/20. We celebrated her birthday on Saturday at my house. We had a good time. We had a Subway party platter for lunch and then we had a cake from The Donut Bank! The theme this year was Elmo.

Here are some pics of the big day!

And again, Happy Birthday Alix!!!!

Happy Birthday Darby!

2009-12-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Today is Darby's 4th Birthday!! Happy Birthday Darby!

Quick Pic

2009-11-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Saw this and had to share!

Happy Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T18:00:00.001-08:00

Alix and I spent the afternoon together today. She was given an American flag while we were at Toys 'r Us. I can't wait to tell her stories about how her Aunt and Uncle were in the Air Force and how proud I am to be an American.

Thanks to all the Veterans!!

Alix's new hat

2009-11-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

One of my knitting buds, Chris, made a beautiful hat for my niece, Alix. The hat was a big hit. Alix loves it & it looks great on her!! Thanks Chris!!!
Here are some pics of Alix modeling her new hat.
Check out the big Elmo sleeping in the dog bed by the door. Alix put him there, covered him up and told him "night, night Elmo". She's such a funny girl.

I really like this pic of Alix and Amanda. Too cute!!

The Girlz got new bonz!

2009-11-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

We got a shipment from Pet Edge today. It's an early Christmas present to my girlz. They got a bunch of bones and a new ex-pen. Now Sadie can come to agility trials with the rest of us!!! Sadie was never crate trained and has been missing out on family fun at the agility trials. So, I got the girlz a "Bumble"-sized ex-pen!! Woo hoo!
All of the girlz are enjoying the new bones.

Here is how Brindi entertains herself. She spends most of her "free" time trying to herd the water sheep. She's pretty ocd about this aquarium.

Halloween!

2009-11-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

The girlz and I went to Princeton for an agility trial this Halloween weekend. Brindi and Cosmo enjoyed (not really) dressing up for the costume contest. They were cute, but not happy.:)

This year our theme was the book series "True Blood". Cosmo was a vampire and Brindi was Elvis (Bubba). I wore a Merlotte's shirt. Here's our pic.

Happy Birthday Jay

2009-10-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Today is Jay's Birthday. He would have been 51. That's so hard to believe.

I miss you Jay!!!

Love always,
Kristie

Just a quick pic

2009-10-13T11:39:00.001-07:00

I love this!!!

Me and Alix - pretty in pink

2009-09-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of me and Alix from our slumber party on September 11th. She spent the night and we had a grand ol' time. She's a busy little girl. She loves coloring and playing on the swing set in the back yard. So far her fave is the slide :) She really laughs when one of the dogs goes down the slide too.
She's a lot of fun, but beginning to encounter the "Terrible 2's". How does an Aunt survive this time frame?

9/15/05 - 9/15/09 Still missing Jay

2009-09-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

9/15/09 marks 4 years since Jay passed away. Our dog Taylor passed away that same day too. What a rough day.
I think this will be the first time that I haven't planned something for the day. Last year I took the day off work and took Alix to the zoo. If anything has helped me deal with grieving for Jay it's been Alix. She's so much fun and so sweet. This past Friday she spent the night at my house. All evening she went around the house looking at pictures. She would reach out for them and I would bring them closer to her. She liked the pictures of Jay alot. He would have been so proud to be her Uncle.
9/22/09 would have been our 14th Wedding Anniversary. Who knows where we would have gone for our annual trip. He always planned great anniversary trips. We went to Estes Park, CO for our honeymoon, drove by the hotel where they filmed "The Shining". Next year is was Mesa Verde, after that Vail. Then when we moved to California we went to Redwoods National Park and Monterrey Bay. AWESOME trips. I'm so happy we did all that we did. I have lots of photo albums of all the places we went.
So tomorrow 9/15/09 will be another rough day for me. I miss my best friend and my dear sweet husband Jay Alan Davis. And our faithful dog Taylor. And our cat Thomas.

I am lucky to have my AWESOME family of pets and my human family. And I have a lot of great friends who know that I have lost the love of my life and are still there for me. It's hard to be a widow at any age, but it's really hard to find someone in a similar circumstance when you're 35.

Spiderwebs and agility

2009-09-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

How odd that these two subjects end up together? Not so odd since I feel that my agility know-how has spiderwebs. It's been so long since I've been able to run and play with my girlz. I haven't had any agility fun since mid-June and I don't know when I'll be able to run and play again. My knee is not feeling very well. Turns out that I have really bad arthritis in my knee and if I were 65 instead of 35 I'd probably have my knee replaced already. Since I'm so young, no knee replacement for me. It really sucks to have this kind of pain. I just got a new knee brace from the knee doc, I'm hoping that it will help out with the pain.

Now to the real spiderwebs. This spider builds awesome webs each night. His presence keeps me on my toes while walking around the yard. Some feel that I should KILL him. To be honest I'm afraid of spiders, but this guy is building his webs well away from my house and as long as I don't forget about him and walk into his web I think we'll be ok.

Enjoy the pics.

A day with Alix

2009-08-29T20:04:00.001-07:00

I got to spend some time with Alix today. She's so much fun. She's really growing up fast. She's really starting to enjoy the slide and swingset in the back yard. Brindi and Darby kind of like the slide too :)

Dinner with Dad

2009-08-29T10:28:00.001-07:00

Last night Dad and I went out to eat. Just me and him, it was nice. We went to a serious hole in the wall fish place in Southern Illinois. I had serious reservations about going in, but we did, and we survived. Their specialty is catfish. It was pretty good. Quite an experience. But mostly had fun hanging out with my Dad.

Here are some pics of the fish place.

A visit with Alix

2009-08-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of Alix from a recent visit. She's so pretty with a bow. :)

knees

2009-08-03T11:06:00.001-07:00

I am recovering from knee surgery. I had the surgery on June 30th and am still healing up. Doc thought I had a torn meniscus, but turns out I didn't. Doc said that my patella, which should be smooth and round, was jagged and rough. Some of the pieces had broken off and were causing me pain. So he smoothed out my patella and removed the extra pieces. Recovery time is supposed to be 6 weeks. I am heading into week 5. I am back to work part time and light duty. Still walking with one crutch. I got the stitches taken out at week 2 and it appears to have been infected. A round of antibiotics were given to fight that. I'm hoping the infection is gone. I don't go back to see the doc again until August 13th, a day before my 35th birthday. My knee still doesn't feel right, and I'm still icing it frequently to help out with the pain. I'm hoping that my knee is 100% after 6 weeks, since the doc told me it would be 100% by then.

This really stinks because I will have missed out on at least 3 agility trials since this surgery. Not only missing out on trials, but also missing out on practices. I hope the girlz remember how to play this game once I'm back on my feet!

I can't wait until I'm feeling better and can run and play again :)

Happy Birthday Cosmo!!!

2009-07-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet little Cosmo turns 4 years old!! Cosmo enjoyed a typical morning playing with Ellie-fun and her sisters and brother Fitz.

I am thankful everyday that someone reached out to save her. She was in Indy Animal Care and Control when a friend of mine took her in. I met Cosmo just a week after Jay passed away and I instantly fell for her. At that point my friend told me that this dog was meant to be in my home. Cosmo has a "J" birthmark on her belly. I am very certain that Jay sent Cosmo to me. She's kept me busy and keeps me laughing too.

Cosmo will be enjoying a special birthday treat later this afternoon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COSMO TOPPER!!!

Love ya!

Happy Birthday Brindisi Jean!!

2009-07-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Brindisi Jean and all her siblings!! Today they turn 5 years old!!

Brindi woke up this morning and woo woo'd me when I sang Happy Birthday to her. She such a great girl!!!

Here are some pics of Brindi.

These are right after she was born. Her name then was Coco.

She is one of seven pups in the litter. Her mom's name is Peaches. All the pups and mom are now in their forever homes and lovin' the good life. Peaches was taken into rescue and was heartworm positive. Peaches had one treatment for heartworms before anyone knew she was pregnant. All the pups are great!!

Here is a pic of her sis Ali and bro Danny at the Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue group's summer picnic a few years ago.

And here is a more recent pic of Brindi. She's truly starting to love the agility game we are playing.

Brindi is a very sweet girl. She's sensitive and loving. And she's kind of goofy too :)

I hope all the Peachy pups have a great day!!

Love ya Brindi!!!

And a little bit of knitting

2009-06-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have to share this pic of me and my friends on board. Amanda and Susan are working on their colored pencil pics while I knit. We're sitting in one of the dining rooms on the ship. I got a little bit of knitting done while on the cruise. I started working on a scarf. It's still not finished :)

And my poor Northern Lights Wrap has barely been touched since before my cruise. It did get carried to knitting last night, but nothing was knitted. BAD, BAD KNITTER! Too much socializing happened last night. :)

I miss the Star Princess!!!!

Some more Alaska pics

2009-06-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics from Alaska.

Here are some sea lions we saw on our whale watching excursion.

And Mendenhall Glacier as we were coming from Juneau.

While in Juneau we visited the famous Red Dog Saloon. Very cool!

Some pics from the bus ride to the Yukon Trail into Canada.

And while we were there we visited a sled dog camp. It was really hard not to adopt a pup. :) I really enjoyed the sled dog stuff. They had a sled on wheels and they took us for a ride. It was GREAT! One of the dogs was being a real pain in the butt, picking on the other dogs. Her name was Cosmo. It must be the name, because my Cosmo is the one that picks on my other dogs too.

yep, still a bad blogger

2009-06-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've just been super busy. Trying to get back to "normal" after the cruise to Alaska has been rough.
Here are some more pics of my amazing trip. These are from my whale watching excursion. It was AWESOME! We saw LOTS of humpback whales, some sea lions, and some bald eagles. Alaska is truly WILD and SPECTACULAR!!!

Enjoy!
These are humpback whales.

Here's an idea as to how big a humpback is, check out the size of the whale near this boat.

Here is a pic of a bald eagle.

And here's a pic of me enjoying the whale watching trip. It was GREAT!!!

Back home again, in Indiana

2009-06-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

I'm back home from my cruise to Alaska! It was a wonderful vacation. I think that cruising is the best way to go. You are truly on vacation when you cruise. I went on a Princess cruise. They are AWESOME!! The crew was fantastic and super friendly. The views from the ship were spectacular. The only thing missing from this trip were my pups! I missed them a lot. But they were in good hands here at home. Katie was my petsitter at home. She was left with 3 dogs, 3 cats, a fish, and a turtle. I came home to find that the house was in fine order. The pups and cats seemed to really like her a lot. Cosmo got to stay with Aunt Teresa and got some one-on-one agility training. I can tell she had a great time too. She came home tired :)

I'll be posting more pics later. For now here are a few. Enjoy!

These first ones are on Embarkation Day in Seattle. Our ship was the Star Princess.

These next 2 were taken in Ketchikan.

This is a picture of my shipmates Amanda, Doug, and I with an Orca in Ketchikan.

Darby and her ball

2009-05-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Darby loves playing with balls. She has 2 jolly balls in the back yard that she shakes furiously whenever we're outside. Her favorite game is for me to kick them and she gives chase. She's even gotten pretty good at tossing the ball to me so that I can kick it.
Darby is insane :)

And a lot of fun!

UAGI Brindisi Jean!

2009-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is a little late, but we've been busy! We've been having fun trialing and going to classes.
We entered the UKC trial in Newburgh on April 25th & 26th. It was held on our home turf, our trainer's place. It was a great weekend. A little on the warm side, but overall it was an AWESOME outdoor trial! Brindi was entered in the UAGI and UAGII trials each day. Brindi had earned two legs towards her UAGI title at the UKC this past fall, so all she needed was one more leg for her UAGI title. :) She got it!!! She got a first place Q on Saturday to complete her title!! That's Brindi's first title!! Woo hoo Brindi!!!

Brindi also earned one leg towards her UAGII title on Sunday with a 4th place Q. That darn box got the better of us almost all weekend! My goal is to work on this obstacle and have it down pat before the UKC trial this fall.

Brindi also won 1st place in UAGI on Sunday.

Grandma came out to watch Sunday and we've learned that Brindi finds it difficult to run agility if Grandma is near. She would much rather go visit with her Grandma than to run with me. Maybe Grandma should run her? :)

It was indeed a great weekend. I'm so proud of Brindi!!And so very happy we have such an AWESOME trainer!!! Thanks T!

And thanks to my friends for taking such cool pictures of me and Brindi!!

Egg fun, watch out for the Easter Bunny

2009-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a nice Easter. I had a nice time Saturday morning watching Alix at her first Easter egg hunt. Her Great-Grandma has been training her on what to do so she looked like a pro Saturday. :)

Saturday evening we had a very nice dinner at my parents' house. Mom is a great cook! Thanks Mom. Alix likes pie!

Alix is really growing up fast. I still have a hard time grasping the fact that she can walk :) She's really a lot of fun to be around too. Can't wait until she's old enough to go to agility trials with Aunt Kristie.

Hope you enjoy the pics :)

Knitting for your health

2009-04-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

Thunderstorms & Knitting 4/5/09

2009-04-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a stormy day today. I got caught in the pouring rain trying to cut my backyard. So I headed into the house and tried to get some knitting done while 2 of my girlz vied for lap space. Cosmo won out only because she's small enough. Poor Sadie is too big for that :) Cosmo and Sadie are super scared of loud noises, which can ruin a good thunderstorm or fireworks.
I am knitting a Northern Lights Wrap. I ordered this kit for my upcoming cruise to Alaska. It is knit with Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair in Rain Forest and Trellis.
Here is a picture. I am starting to really make a dent in the project.

Yep, I'm going on my first cruise soon. Heading to Alaska and can't wait!! The trip is really falling into place. I even have a pet-sitter all lined up. She has met the "Pack and Pride" and didn't run away screaming :) Cosmo will be going to stay with our agility instructor for the week that I'm gone. I can't wait to see how much Cosmo enjoys her week of agility camp. :) I'm sure all the mules will enjoy their week's vacation from me. I am super excited about the trip. Don't worry I have the cameras ready for the trip.

Louisville Cluster

2009-04-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger. Just too busy doing other stuff instead of blogging. The good news is that we've been having fun. Brindi and Cosmo and I are having a great time in agility. Seems like I learn something new about them every time we run. This really is a learning experience. Sadie is enjoying her Obedience II class. She is pretty quick :) And Darby is still a frisbee maniac. The neighbors walking by the house are entertained when she and I are out playing. She's nuts ;)

A friend and I went to the Louisville Cluster on March 12th. The cluster is a dog confirmation, obedience, and agility trial. Oh, and vendors galore! There was just about everything a dog owner would want and that place. I enjoyed the shopping a LOT! We also got to see some of our hometown agility buds run. It was a great day!

Here are a few pics from the day.
These are some of our agility buds.

This is Pepper Ann.

And her "little" sister Cayenne.

I am also an official member of the Bumble fan club :) Not a Bumble stalker at all!

And I just had to take these dogs pictures. :)

Here is a picture of Brindi showing off my shopping treasures.

Finished a project

2009-03-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

I just finished a quilt for Alix. Woo hoo! Here are some pictures.

Alix is WALKING!!!!

2009-03-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the proof!

Cosmo's Standard Run

2009-03-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

Check out the insanity that is Cosmo! :)

AKC A-Match

2009-03-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our first agility match of the year. Brindi and Cosmo were both entered. We had a great time. I really enjoyed hanging out with all of my agility friends. It's been a long time since we've all seen each other and our dogs. Cosmo was running in the 16-inch jump class and Brindi ran in the 20-inch jump class. They both ran in the Standard and Jumpers with Weaves classes. This is the first time Cosmo has run in a trial since we moved to Evansville. She did really good. She got the zoomies a few times during her first run, but all in all she did good. Many were impressed with her speed. Brindi did pretty good too. It was clear that she was having a great time and glad to be playing this game again. Both of them were more focused during their 2nd runs.
Here is a video of Cosmo's Jumpers with weaves run.

Smilin' Slick Mischief, CGC

2009-03-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

On February 25th my Lab Smilin' Slick Mischief, Sadie, took and passed her Canine Good Citizen test!!!

Now she and Cosmo are both CGC's!!!!

I'm so proud of my pups. Sadie also graduated from Beginner I Obedience at the Evansville Obedience Club. She began Beginner II Obedience this week. We both really enjoy taking classes at EOC. The instructors and assistants we have taken classes with are wonderful people and trainers!!

Morning

2009-02-20T14:02:00.001-08:00

I'm not a morning person!

A new hat

2009-02-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

I just finished another hat. This one was gifted to our agility instructor. Of course, Brindi got to model it before it was gifted. She's such a good sport.

I got to watch Alix this afternoon. She was really good! She is getting sweeter everytime I see her. She is so much fun to be around.

I need this sign

2009-02-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

We were talking about this last night at knitting. I need this sign!

funny pictures!

2009-02-13T06:32:00.000-08:00

I've been surfing a bit and found some funny pictures to share!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-02-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

My Mom's birthday is today. Monday, February 9th. Happy Birthday!!!!

I hope you have a GREAT day!!

We love you!
Kristie

Sadie, Brindi, Alley, Cosmo, Darby, Fitz, and Evie!

Time with Alix

2009-02-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

I got to spend a little time with Alix this weekend. She's so much fun! Here's some video of Alix. This first one is funny. I think she's speaking Techno or Klingon. :)

Snow Day!!!

2009-01-27T06:24:00.001-08:00

We have snow! Yeah, it's mixed with ice, so it's a bit crunchy, but the girlz don't mind.

reading

2009-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Nothing much going on with us. We're going to our weekly agility classes. Cosmo and Brindi are doing really well! Sadie and I are taking an obedience class for the next 6 or so weeks. She likes getting out by herself.
I had to add this picture from LOL dogs. I just finished reading "The Catcher in the Rye" today. How fitting?

It's a Hat Christmas!!

2008-12-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

I did it! Well almost. This year almost everyone got a knitted hat from me. I'm still working on Alix's hat, but I have already made her 2. :)
I barely finished all the hats on time but I did it. Brandon's was the last to be finished on Christmas Eve.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the gifts. Some may be too big, but they're original :P
Here's a family photo of everyone sporting their new hats. Alix is wearing one that I had originally intended for my brother, but it turned out a bit too small. Brandon was lucky enough to win the extra hat.

Alix's First Birthday!

2008-12-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Alix's first birthday. Her mom and dad had a nice little party for her in the afternoon. Alix got some really nice jewelry and some cool new toys. Alix did seem to like Great Grandma's wrapping paper the best though :)

Alix was not a big fan of her birthday cake. She got pretty upset when we put her hands in the cake. She doesn't like to get dirty. She liked eating her cake with a spoon though.

Hard to believe that Christmas is only days away. I don't feel like the Grinch, but I don't really care too much for the holiday. My mood seems to get worse each year. I miss Jay and our life together and the holidays make me miss him more.

Oh, well.
Hope you all have a nice holiday.

A Pack of Wheel Watchers :)

2008-12-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have to admit that I am a BIG fan of Wheel of Fortune. I love the show. I've watched it since the beginning. Last year when I went out to California with my Grandma I made sure we attended a taping of WOF! It was GREAT! Grandma really enjoyed it too. So this week is Pet Lovers Week on WOF and I decided that I need to get a picture of my girlz watching the Wheel. So here is their picture. I haven't sent it to WOF yet, but I am happy just to have proof that they love WOF as much as I do :)

My girlz humor me so!

On the knitting front. I am still on my hat trip, although progress has slowed down. I'm afraid that the hat I have made for my brother is probably too small for his head, so I'm making him a different one. I'm sure that the smaller hat will find a home with someone in my family.

I am also working on an Einstein jacket for Alix. And by "working" I mean that I take it to knitting with me on Thursday nights. I haven't gotten much done in a while.

Not for sure what I've been doing with my time, because I am not getting ready for Christmas either. I'm really not in the mood for Christmas. About the only thing that I am even excited for this Christmas is seeing Alix enjoy her 1st real Christmas. Last year she was only 5 days old. I don't think that really counts.

Agility is going really well with Brindi and Cosmo. Both of them are enjoying the cooler weather. Brindi is really doing good. And Cosmo is starting to get some focus too. I really enjoy our weekly classes.
Hope you all have a nice weekend.
I am going to see Santa with Alix tomorrow. That should be entertaining.

Vote for us!

2008-12-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hello All,
I have entered the Pack & Pride in a holiday photo contest with Johann the dog. Just click on Johann's name and it will link you to the photo contest page!

And you can vote as often as you like!!! So vote for us ALOT!!!!

Here's the picture I submitted. It's labeled Davis Dogs & Cats.

Thanks!

Happy Howlidays

2008-11-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

We hope you all have a Happy and Healthy Howlidays!

All About Brindi

2008-11-25T19:59:00.001-08:00

I just got some pictures from the photographer that was at our most recent trial. Here are some pictures from that weekend.

Enjoy!

My Weekend

2008-11-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

I had a nice weekend. Saturday morning we had agility practice. Brindi and Cosmo had a great class. It was SUPER cold, but the dogs enjoyed it. After the class I visited my Mom while she was babysitting Alix. I got there right when Alix was eating lunch. :)

Sunday my sister and I went to see "Twilight" with a group of ACE friends. The movie was ok, I suppose. I wasn't that impressed. Anyway, I enjoyed hanging out with Alix, Amanda, and Brandon before and after the movie. Alix has really gotten the hang of crawling, she can move FAST when she's on a mission.

Another hat

2008-11-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

I've finished another hat. This one is for ME! It a Jayne hat. I really love it!

Help around the house

2008-11-20T06:16:00.001-08:00

I think this is HILARIOUS!!!
This is probably the only way my animals would help out around the house.

On a hat trip

2008-11-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

I am currently having a great time making hats. I made Alix a modified "Jayne" hat. This was a super fast project. And fun too. Here's a picture of Alix modeling her new hat. That's Brandon's hairy arm in the picture :)

I am making other hats in attempts at possible Christmas presents, so there won't be any pictures of those projects until after the holidays. Bummer, I know.

I've also been working on a quilt for Alix. I started it early summer, but never really got into working on it. Now it's almost done. I think I did all the work for this in one day. I just need to decide on the binding. I bought some tie dye purple cotton fabric and some satin binding, I just need to pick which one I'll use. Decisions, decisions! Here's a picture of the quilt.

The weather around here really sucked this weekend. We didn't go to agility class Saturday. The weather was just too bad for me. I'm sure the girlz wouldn't have cared too much about the rain and cold!

Yesterday was kind of nice. I got out and picked up leaves in the back yard. The girlz got a kick out of the leaf blower. And Darby loved hiding her jolly balls in the pile of leaves. That dog is OCD about balls!

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T06:44:00.001-08:00

Always Remembered

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been accused of being a Halloween Grinch. Is that really possible? I just don't enjoy having the dogs react to the doorbell. I have not trained them to "ignore" the doorbell. Oh, well. Perhaps I am a Halloween Grinch. :)

I have finished yet another hat for Alix. :) It's a cookie monster hat. I delivered her newest hat to her this morning. Gosh, she's about the cutest baby EVER! I know, I'm totally biased, but seriously look at her. :)

Hope you have a Happy Halloween, but don't ring my doorbell and expect anything except to be barked at by 4 scary dogs :0
Does Bah Humbug apply to Halloween?

Remembering Jay

2008-10-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jay!!

I would have loved to throw you a 50th Birthday party today! Everyone would have had a great time!

I miss you and love you forever,
Kristie

monkey love

2008-10-23T06:31:00.001-07:00

Thought this was too cute!

see more puppies

What a weekend!

2008-10-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

I had a really great weekend! Brindi did too! We entered a UKC agility trial this weekend out at our trainer's. It was a lot of FUN! This is the first UKC trial we have entered in. Each day there were 2 trials, made up of 3 categories. I entered Brindi in AG1, which has most of the standard agility equipment and a couple of unique pieces of equipment, and AG2, which has more unique equipment. The categories are a bit confusing for me. :)

I can see improvements in every run me and Brindi have. Small successes like getting 3 obstacles in a row are HUGE in my book. She ran well Saturday, and then Sunday morning she ran with drive like I've never seen. She won second place in the 2 AG1 trials that morning. And those were Qualifying scores too! So she won 4 ribbons! Plus she earned 2 legs towards her AG1 title. I think she has to have 3 legs before she earns a title in UKC. I'm still trying to learn all about titling in these venues too. Lots to learn! Brindi did pretty good on her remaining 2 runs on Sunday. No "Q's" or placements but she ran well and we learned a lot. I really enjoy playing this game with her, and I think she likes it too!

On the knitting front. I have finished an Elmo hat for Alix. I dropped in on her Sunday to give her the hat. I think she likes it. I know it's a big hit with her mom and dad. I think Alix likes the hat better when it's not on her head though. She likes to look at it and smile. !!!! She's so CUTE!!!

Hope you all had a good weekend. I'm actually looking forward to next weekend. I actually get to sleep in! No agility trials. I do hope we have practice on Saturday though!

Brindi's first "Q"

2008-10-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

We had a GREAT weekend at the trial in Princeton. I can honestly say that I think Brindi and I are becoming a better team. The weekend started off too early for me though. The walk thru for Touch and Go started at 7 am and all classes (Novice, Open, and Elite) walked at the same time. I am NOT a morning person. I am even less of a morning person on the weekends, even when the weekend is full of dogs and fun. :) So, I got to the trial a little late and by the time I had my stuff set up (crate, chairs, mat) the time for walk thru's was over. So, I had to watch the Elite, Open, and other Novice handlers to learn the course. I don't recommend that. Brindi did well considering I wasn't prepared. I think she finished 7th of about 10 dogs. Then we had a lot of time to watch other runs and hang out with some really cool people and their dogs. I am new to the ACE club and still meeting members. They are a great group of people. :)

Brindi and I were entered in 3 events for the day, and the last 2 were the very last 2 of the day. Regular agility 1 and 2. I was more prepared for those runs. Brindi did great in both runs. She finished 5th in round 1 and 4th in round 2. We gained a lot more experience and had a great time too. (oh, and she got a ribbon for placing 4th :)

After those runs, we headed home. It was about 5 pm when we got home. Brindi and I were both dog tired. :) The girls at home were just raring to go though. So we played a while and then calmed down for the evening.

Bright and way too early Sunday morning we headed back to Princeton. This time I brought Cosmo along to help cheerlead Brindi. Walk thru's began at 7 am again. Luckily for us the first events of the day were Regular agility 1 and 2. Regular agility has different obstacles for different levels, so the Elite group walked and ran their courses (both round 1 and 2), then the Open group walked and ran both their courses, and then it was time for the Novice group to walk and run their courses. We're in the Novice group. Brindi was ready to go and have a good time playing this game we call agility. We had 2 great rounds of regular agility. I was very impressed with the way she ran. I am starting to see some real improvements in how we work together and ways to help me be a better handler. And Brindi is doing much better taking sequences of obstacles. It's really cool to see improvement. Brindi placed 4th in round 1 and 3rd in round 2. It was great. Our next run would be just about the last run of the day. I had her entered in Tunnelers. So we got to spend the afternoon cheering on the others running. I'd say Tunnelers is Brindi's most favorite class. She LOVES tunnels. She is a true Tunnel sucker! She has a hard time passing up tunnels. So Tunnelers is AWESOME! Brindi didn't let me down. She even put wheels on. She had speed like I'd not seen. Our friends watching had never seen it either. It was AWESOME!! Brindi did great. I even baubled and almost sent her to a wrong tunnel, but she listened to me when I called her back. She did GREAT!! That was her best run ever. Some of the people we have trained with came up and told us how well we had done. I even heard the judge cheering for us. It was very COOL. And I swear Brindi was smiling while she ran.

And when the results were posted Brindi had gotten her first Qualifying score!!! I am still very new to agility and haven't really learned all the ins and outs yet, but a "Q" (to me) means that she met the course time. So she now has 10 points toward her NADAC Novice tunnelers title. :) She earned a purple "Q" ribbon and she also placed in 2nd, so she got a red ribbon for that. I cried and my agility friends were there with hugs and congratulations for me and Brindi!

It was a GREAT weekend.

50th post - Fitz the dog whisperer

2008-10-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to say that the following blog is TRUE!

From the name of my blog you can probably guess that I have dogs and cats. I have 4 dogs, 3 cats, and a turtle. They are my family, they are who I take care of, and I enjoy my life. The dogs are usually more entertainment than the cats. However, I have a cat, Fitz, who must think he's a dog. He comes running to me when I call his name. He is sociable and cuddly. Alley and Evie would never stoop so low.

Here is a picture of Fitz and Gracie,one of our buds from Indy.

Ok. So I have been doing the dogs dinner times different lately. 3 out of 4 of my dogs are overweight, and the 4th dog is on different food than the others. I feed them twice a day and they are very eager to eat when its time. I have also been making them sit by their stands and wait for me to fill their bowls. I gather the bowls and measure out their kibble and they are to sit and stay. I try to mix it up so that sometimes Cosmo (special food dog) gets fed first and sometimes Darby gets fed first. I am trying to teach Darby to have an energetic response when I say "ok" (for her agility training). So I put her kibble in her stand and tell her to "wait". For some reason this causes Sadie and Cosmo (on the other side of the kitchen) to scramble (on linoleum) over to see what she's "waiting" for. This causes me to yell at them to get back, sit and stay! After that I return to Darby who is waiting (with drool falling out of her mouth) and tell her "OK". This causes Sadie and Cosmo to lose their minds once again. I tell them to get back, sit down, and stay. All the while Brindi is being good and staying at her station. I feed her, then move to Cosmo, and then Sadie. Well the other night Sadie was having some problems understanding me and she kept breaking her stay. So I kept sending her back, telling her to stay, etc. I even walked her back to her spot and reminded her what I was asking her to do, when all of a sudden Fitz jumps up on Sadie's back and bites the back of her neck. He's like "Would you listen to her so she will shut up!". I have never seen anything like this before. Sadie is my lab and is so submissive she bows to puppies. She just laid down when Fitz did this. It was weird.

Anyhow, we are still working on keeping Cosmo and Sadie in their spots at dinner time. Maybe with Fitz's help they'll learn soon.

Busy weekend ahead

2008-10-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

Brindi and I have an agility trial this weekend. It's a NADAC trial and will be held in Princeton. I really like the NADAC trials, they are a lot of fun. They offer a wider variety of classes, they have standard agility, tunnelers (nothing but tunnels), Touch and Go, weavers, jumpers, and a new class called hoopers. I think Brindi likes running NADAC too. The last NADAC trial we went to had hoops instead of jumps in the Touch and Go class. She really liked that. Brindi is not a big fan of jumping yet. This weekend she's entered in 2 rounds of standard agility each day, touch and go on Saturday, and tunnelers on Sunday. It's bound to be a fun weekend!

Knitting helper

2008-10-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

One day about 5 years ago I came home to find my sweet Sadie in a similar situation. My house looked like a spider web of yarn. It was too funny!
Of course I learned a valuable lesson. I now keep my projects under lock and key :)

Afternoon with Alix

2008-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Alix spent the afternoon with me and the Pack & Pride. I watched her while her Mom and Dad worked on packing up their apartment. Yep, they closed on their house yesterday! Woo hoo! Congrats Amanda & Brandon!! Can't wait to hear how the cats love their stairs and I know Rufus is going to love having his own back yard. Alix has become a little motorboat. It's hilarious! Here's some video of her antics.

Agility

2008-09-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Brindi and I had a very busy weekend on September 20th and 21st. We entered a NADAC agility trial in Princeton. We are new to the world of agility so I am constantly learning or trying to learn what each venue offers. NADAC offers 2 rounds of traditional agility, tunnelers, touch and go, weavers, jumpers, chances, and hoopers. I entered Brindi in one round of agility, touch and go, and tunnelers for Saturday and Sunday. We had a great time. The trial was hosted by Agility Club of Evansville (ACE). We are also some of the newest members of ACE. They are a great group of people. Very friendly, helpful, and fun! Saturday everyone was supposed to wear their pajamas. There were both dogs and people dressed up in their pjs. Not me or Brindi though. I didn't have a chance to go out and get some pjs for either of us. Oh well, I think Brindi might have bitten me if I would have made her wear pjs. :)

Sunday was "Q for the Cure". A lot of people wore pink and tie dye for the occasion. I didn't have any pink but wore my trusty agility tie dye shirt. The group also held a half pot drawing. With half of the proceeds going to the Komen foundation. As it ended up the other half ended up going in my pocket as I held the winning ticket. :) That was cool!

Brindi really enjoyed the weekend. Her fave was the Touch and Go class. There was contact equipment (her faves), tunnels (another fave), and hoops. Hoops were new to us, but she liked them because they weren't jumps. :) Because of her height she has to jump any where from 20 - 24 inches. She's a little over weight (we're working on that) so it's harder for her to jump those heights. So for her to go into an agility ring and not have to jump she's in heaven. I definitely caught her smiling this weekend. She had such a good time Sunday morning that she actually won a ribbon! She got 3rd place in Touch and Go. It was great! This is the first thing she has won. It really was AWESOME. I can tell that we are coming together as a team and it's amazing how much more fun it is.

Brindi had a wonderful weekend and is almost all rested up from all the excitement. I am raring to go again. I can't wait for practice this weekend.

Cosmo update

2008-09-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well Cosmo is hopefully on the mend now. She went through 14 days of antibiotics and had a relapse with her uti. The evening of the September 16th, which was the 14th day, I had to take her to the Emergency Vet. She was whining, moaning, and shaking. And of course trying her darndest to urinate constantly. Poor pup! A few hundred dollars later we left the E-Vet and headed home. She had gotten a shot of antibiotics, a bag of subcutaneous fluids, and a new prescription for antibiotics. On the way home she also lost her dinner while sitting on my lap. I thought I was going to hurl too. OMG. I've seen and done a lot, but until then have never had anyone up chuck on me. So when we got home Cosmo sat outside while I cleaned out the Pilot. It was a horrible night!
I had decided that she was going to her vet's office for the next day. I wanted them to get samples and try to figure out what's going on with her. Plus, I didn't think she should be unsupervised for the day. She really felt horrible. Her vet did an ultrasound and luckily didn't see any stones. He took a sample and sent it off to be cultured. We are still waiting for the results of that but she appears a bit peppier and happy. Although she still tries to pee alot.
I am hoping that she is feeling good this weekend so she can go back to agility practice. She LOVES to run the courses.

Back from the zoo and remembering

2008-09-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Monday September 15th was the third anniversary of Jay's passing. I also lost Taylor (our Aussie pup) the same day. I had special plans for the day. Alix and I were going to go to the zoo and then we were going to go to the mall. I have not been to the zoo since I was very young. I can honestly say I didn't like the zoo when I was a kid. It seemed cruel to have the animals pinned up like they did then. I still have a hard time with zoos. Even with all of their attempts at making the zoo a more natural setting for the animals it doesn't seem right to me. So, anywho. It was the first time for Alix to see the zoo and my first time in a long time to visit the local zoo. I must say that they have made some vast changes since I was there last. Still not a big fan, but that's just me.

We had a nice day and Alix did notice some of the crazy monkeys at the zoo. I would guess that her faves were the Francois Langur monkeys and the Cottontop Tamarins. They were all wrestling and generally having a good time. My fave was the baby langur monkey. TOOO CUTE!!!

We stopped and sat at a bench on a way out, where Alix had a bottle. A peacock showed some interest and was trying to see if we had anything to offer. Nope, sorry. But it got close enough to keep me on my toes. Birds (any kind) make me nervous and scare me. Irrational fear of birds is right up on the top of my list!

After the zoo, Alix was pretty much done for the day. I got her back into her car seat and we then drove to the mall. Out of the car seat and into the stroller and she barely woke up. She slept through my shopping experience. I haven't been to the mall here since I was a senior in high school. I always hated malls! So, I went in looking for some Birkenstocks, found them, bought them, and we were out. Back in her car seat we headed to my house.

She loves dogs. Of course. :) And my dogs love her. So we spent a little bit of time visiting with the dogs and then she got back in her car seat and I took her home.

We had a very nice day. And a lot of firsts for this Aunt. I had never driven her anywhere. I had to borrow the Alix-mobile, but it was nice. I've not driven a jeep before and my sister has a nice one. Then I had to learn about putting her in the car seat, removing the car seat, and then had to learn how to manuever the stroller. :) It was a day full of new stuff and we both survived :)

Our day together started around 10 am and ended around 5 pm. Whew! What a day. But it was GREAT to spend the time with Alix and see some animals.

Alix also got a new stuffed monkey toy and a zoo t-shirt. Lucky chick. Brindi tried to steal her monkey, but I made sure that Alix got her toy back. It's kind of an honest mistake really. Brindi has a toy monkey, named Tug and they look kind of similar. Alix's is grey, while Brindi's is brown.

After I took Alix home, I had to run home and get Darby ready for her agility class. I had just enough time to get a water bucket and some treats and we were off. Luckily we live only a few minutes from where our agility class is held. Darby had a great time and is picking up the agility stuff pretty quick. It was just her second class and she is doing pretty AWESOME. :) In my opinion anyway :)

So, I had been non-stop going since about 7 am when I got up until about 8:30 pm. Had to get some chores done around the house and stuff before I went to bed.

Thanks to Ike (without power Sunday until 10:30 pm) I had some quiet time on Sunday to remember Jay and our life together. He was my best friend and I miss him so much it hurts. I still feel him with me. Whenever I need a sign he provides one. It seems like his rosebush will bloom right when I miss him the most. I am thankful for that. I am very lucky to have done so much with him. We have numerous photo albums of places we went and things we've done. It's great to have those to look back on. I am sure that he is with Thomas and Taylor and they are having a great time at the Rainbow Bridge.

I miss you Jay,
Love Always,
Kristie

Hopefully someone will find mine!

2008-09-17T08:20:00.001-07:00

more animals

Fido Walk

2008-09-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Brindi and I attended the Vanderburgh Humane Society Fido Walk this morning. It was a very nice day. Hot, but nice. I got to meet up with some of my knitting buddies and their pooches. It was a fun day. Here is a picture of Brindi at VHS.

I am starting to feel a little more human now. Just left with a very bad cough. It should be fun trying to survive our 2 hour agility class tomorrow morning. That should help clear out my lungs. :)

I'm still working on the crochet-along, sort of. I have been ignoring my sock though. It's just too small and tedious.

Crochet-Along with a cough

2008-09-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I have been down and out for a while now with a sinus infection turned evil. It's now moved into my chest. X-rays are ruling out pneumonia. That's great but I still feel like crap. I spend most of my nights coughing and hacking. It's gotten so bad that a couple of the girls head into the guest bedroom at night. I mean it's pretty important for them to get a good nights sleep right. :)

Anyway. I've been working on my Lion Brand Crochet-along a little. I have completed one each of the 3 blocks that this afghan requires. Only 27 more to go. :) I can see that a big problem is going to be that these blocks are different sizes. One is a lot bigger than the other 2. Hopefully this will be an easy fix. We'll see. Here are pictures for ya.

And I'm off to bed. Cough, cough, cough, hack, hack, sneeze!

Sinuses!

2008-09-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I've been down and out for about 2 weeks now. The sinus infection has moved from my head to my chest. Hooray. I only hope that this stuff clears up soon.

Good news. Cosmo is starting to feel better. She still has tons of antibiotics to take, but it looks like they are working for her. :)

Darby starts her first agility class tomorrow. That should be fun. She needs a job that doesn't include bringing me a ball or frisbee to throw. I can't wait to see what she thinks of this agility stuff.

Sadie and Brindi are doing well, as are the cats.

I'm working on a crochet-along with Lion Brand yarns. I am using Vanna's Choice for the afghan. 3 different blocks, 3 different colors. They are linen, toffee, and taupe. I am also working on a little bit of knitting too. Funny how much time you have to knit or crochet when you're under the weather.

And I'll of course leave you with a picture of me and Alix. :) Her first tooth is finally almost in! Woo hoo!

Happy Birthday Brock!

2008-09-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Today is my brother's 31st birthday. Happy Birthday Brock!

We had a really nice get together at Mom and Dad's this weekend. It was great to see everybody again!

Been a while, here's a post with Cosmo's news

2008-09-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

But we have been keeping pretty busy.

Cosmo graduated from her obedience class. And the "topper" is that she earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate!!! Wow! Of all my girlz I wouldn't have thought she would have earned her CGC first. :) She did great in class. She shall now be known as Cosmo Topper, CGC. Woo hoo!

Since Cosmo graduated from her Beginner Obedience class she is now going to agility classes with Brindi. Cosmo is doing pretty good. She hasn't been on any agility equipment for about a year and it looks like she hasn't forgotten anything. Brindi is improving also. Running 2 dogs in class is wearing me out twice as fast though:)

Right now little Cozzie is curled up at my feet. She has a wicked urinary tract infection. Poor pup. She saw the doc today. He gave her a shot and is now taking antibiotics. I sure hope she feels better soon.

Trial stuff

2008-08-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Brindi and I entered an agility trial here on August 16th and 17th. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some of the local agility club members. It was a really great weekend. It was also a very long weekend. We are in the novice division. Brindi and I are both very VERY green in agility. But, we are practicing and with the help of our trainer I'm sure it won't be long until we get our first "Q". :)

Over the weekend we had lots of friends and family members come to see us, but because the trial was so big I don't think any of them got to see us run. Not that they really missed much. I got a kick out of watching all the expert dogs and their handlers run. And my friends and family enjoyed watching them too. Luckily, some of my new agility friends were kind enough to video me and Brindi during our runs. I still haven't downloaded the video from my camera, but I just got this footage from one of the agility girls! So here it is. Ta da. :)

My Birthday

2008-08-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty cool birthday this year. I had a nice dinner out with my parents. Then my knitting buds threw me a little shindig at knit night. The party at the shop was really nice and very unexpected. Check out the loot. They gave me some wonderful chocolate. I bought the yarn at the shop too.

This weekend I am going out with my sister, her boyfriend, and my niece!!! I can't wait to see them all.

Thanks again to my knitting pals! You all ROCK!!

My Birthday

2008-08-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my birthday! Woo hoo! Whatever.

I had a nice dinner with my parents Saturday night. They got me a really cool card that has a bunch of cats meowing "Happy Birthday"-the dogs love it. Alley is checking out in the photo above. And they got me a present that I've been wanting for a while. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Check it out!

I'll be spending my birthday evening at the knit shop :) Then this weekend Brindi and I are entered in the local agility trial.

Looks like I'm going to have to get a six foot privacy fence. Just the other day I thought, "wow, maybe I won't have to buy a new fence". I guess I forgot to knock on wood. Last night I was out front with Sadie visiting with our neighbors, the rest of the girls were in the back yard, next thing I know Brindi's out front too. She jumped the fence! It's like a 3-ft fence. Dang it. Well I am going to remind her about it if she refuses to jump her 2-ft jumps this weekend at the agility trial. What a BRAT!

Day at the spa for Brindi & Cosmo

2008-08-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Brindi and Cosmo are wiped out tonight. They spent all day at the spa, getting beautified :)

Of course, they put bows and bandanas on them and that made me get my camera out. :)
Poor pups. No one was safe from the camera. Sadie, Darby, and Alley even got their glamour shots done up. :)

Enjoy!

My favorite picture is of all 4 of my girlz. :)

Knitting and yarn

2008-08-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally put the buttons on Alix's sweater. I also added a decorative button to her matching hat. Alix tried her sweater on while she was here and it looks like there is room for her to grow into the sweater and hat :)

Also, today I received my first order from Posh Yarns. It's beautiful yarn. Sadie likes it too :) No worries though, this gorgeous yarn is safe and sound from the Pack and Pride.

Sunday sleepover with Alix

2008-08-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Alix came over Sunday morning and stayed until Monday morning. She is growing up so fast. She is really enjoying playing when she comes over. She loves her Baby Einstein jumpy thing. And she is still a very big fan of Dr. Seuss (aren't we all?).

Not only did Alix spend the night, but she brought her dog Rufus with her. My girls love Rufus! Well, everyone enjoyed him being here except for Evie. It's been over 12 hours since Ru left and Evie is finally coming out from under the bed :( Poor girl.

Alix video 2

2008-07-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here is some more of the video of Alix. A little too long for most people, but our family will enjoy it. :)

Alix video!!

2008-07-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

I finally got my video camera out. Here is a little movie of Alix playing in her Little Einstein jumpy thingee :)

Sunday afternoon with Alix

2008-07-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

I had a very nice visit with Miss Alix today. She is so much fun!
We read her favorite book. "Six by Seuss". We both gave it 2 thumbs up! Here are some pictures of her book review.

The dogs and cats enjoyed seeing Alix again too! Alley, one of the scaredy cats, even came out to play with Alix. :) Maybe Evie will come out and play sometime soon.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-07-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Surprise!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Love,
Kristie
and the Pack and Pride

BC in sheeps clothing?

2008-07-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is Brindi and her new fave toy. The toy people had her in mind when they came up with this one. I am really surprised that she humors me by tolerating these little photo sessions. :)

Alix is growing up way too fast. I got to watch her this past Sunday and she was absolutely wonderful. She is getting to the age that is fun. I took a couple of pictures of her (of course). Enjoy.

Then later in the week I get this picture from her Mom. OMG! I didn't think she had enough hair for this little top knot. Then Amanda tells me that Alix is drinking out of a sippy cup! What!! I don't know if I'm comfortable with my niece growing up this fast. SLOW DOWN Alix!!

As far as knitting, I'm in a lull. I've lost my knitting mojo so to speak. I can't seem to get going on a project and it's really bugging me. I went to the knit shop last night for knit group, but I didn't knit anything! It's got me wigging out. Maybe it's the weather, I was sick early in the week, maybe it's that? I don't know but I want to get past it. A few of the girls went to a winery and brought me back a basket for my knitting. Thanks!!! It is beautiful. Here are some pictures of the basket and one of Sadie checking out the handles. I have already made a vow to keep this basket in the closet as I think the dogs would eat the handles if I left it out. :(

So, I am going to try and learn how to make socks this weekend. Perhaps that will bring me out of my knit funk. Wish me luck.

Time with Alix

2008-07-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

I've got some new pictures of Miss Alix. :)
Enjoy.
Mom and I got to watch her this morning.

Happy Birthday Brindisi Jean!!!

2008-07-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today is Brindi's 4th Birthday!!! Happy Birthday Brindi!!

Love ya lots!!

Attached are some pictures of Brindi from the beginning. :)
Brindi was adopted from Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue. She was named for a town in Italy where Jay was stationed for a short time. Brindisi, Italy.

And with her goofball ears.

Brindi's first Halloween.

Brindi demonstrating water safety.

And here are a couple of pictures of her and her siblings, as pups and as adults. Peachy is her momma. Don't you see the family resemblance of the pups? Their foster mom jokes that she went to the pound and said she take one of each kind. ;)

Now here are some family pictures.

Here is one of Taylor and Brindi.

Sisters Brindi & Sadie.

Sadie, Brindi, Cosmo, Darby, and the new monkey.

Brindi & Cosmo

And here's a couple showing off her jumping skills!

Playday at Grandma & Grandpa's

2008-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today we went to my Mom & Dad's. I took Sadie and Darby with me. The girls got to play in the lake. Sadie and Darby both did really well retrieving. I even got them to run and jump into the lake. Sort of some dock diving practice. Both of them are worn out now. :)

Brindi and Cosmo checked them out thoroughly when we got home. Sadie and Darby also got a bath since they had played in the lake.

Here are some pictures from our fun day!

Pictures

2008-07-04T19:24:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of my pack and pride from my new camera.

Sadie

Evan the turtle

Darby

Cosmo

Brindi

Alley

Evie

Fitz