Happiness is a Good Dog

This is what a happy doggie looks like.

You know how a couple of weeks ago I took the kids up Millcreek Canyon and got all
desirous to go up there with just me and the doggy? Well...don't faint now...I actually did it. This is very unusual of me. My mom gave me a couple of hours on Friday morning. Normally I would do some cleaning, catch up on stuff around the house, maybe go for a walk, do a crafty thing, but I actually packed up poor old Alex and headed for the hills. I went to the same trail that I took the kids to the first time. That day we took about 30 or 40 minutes to get up the initial switch-backs of the trail, and this time I was done with that part in a few minutes, and was already sucking air really hard. Turns out it's harder to go uphill at a normal speed! But Alex and I had a wonderful time hiking along for an hour or so. He's so fun to hike with because he just takes off and bounds around like a puppy, and then he'll always check back every few minutes to make sure I'm still moving my sorry butt along. He comes roaring back down the path, skids to a halt to say hello and maybe get a little drink of water, and then is off again.

It wasn't much of a hike - I was worn out after an hour but Alex really didn't get all chilled out for the rest of the day like he does after a long hike. Hey buddy, I did my best, okay? I so loved being up that canyon - it's quickly becoming one of my favorite places on the planet. Really - the aspens were pure gold, and their leaves carpeted the trail like cobblestones. The color was everywhere, the air was crisp, I couldn't stop staring at the beauty surrounding me. I've got to try getting out into nature a little more often.

Here are some silly pictures of me trying to get a shot of me with Alex. Didn't turn out so well...















Oh well. I'll just end with a shot of a joyous sight - my puppy running right for me to see if I'm still there. He was such a good dog. It used to take some serious forsight to get him back in the car at the end of a hike - doggie biscuits in the pocket, the leash behind the back, etc, but this time (he's getting old!) he just ran up to the back of the car when we got back. Awww. Good dog.



One last note: sometimes Alex gets a little freaked out at home if Troy and I are moving around too much - construction, cleaning, playing with the kids - he just gets anxious and wants us to hold still. Here is Alex with Troy as Troy is trying to build the closet. He just squeezed in there despite the hammering. The picture isn't very good, but it's funny.



By the way, this is my 100th post! It comes just shy of the one year anniversary of my blog, which is pretty much my favorite hobby these days. I'm loving it, and appreciate friends who take the time to read it. Thank you!