a dog tale

i think I'm going to start by blaming it on Mrs. J.

to this day i still remember things she taught us 2nd graders about dogs. when other projects weren't in need of the wall it was usually covered from top to bottom in pictures of different dog breeds. and after listening to stories about her own two dogs she would bring them to class to meet us all. and my second grade self thought that was pretty freeeekin awesome. (i even bought a hat with a black lab on it)

however, she probably just sealed the deal since it actually probably all began at my grandparents' home. my dad grew up in a family that had many dogs (in fact my earliest dog memory is of my grandparents' malamute, pepper, eating his own poop - i think it just terrified a 4-5yr old me so it never left) also, my uncles artwork has always had some sort of influence on me/my own art and some of my favorite pieces of his are still displayed in my grandparents' home- he illustrated some memories/stories of two of the family dogs. (stories i am quite familiar with thanks to my dad)

so anyway, i basically didn't have much choice. my little developing child-brain was just wired with a lot of dog.

so it would only makes sense that my current state of adult life is also wired with a lot of dog. AND that i didn't have much choice about it...

chuck- a case of "what's mine is yours".
henry- a spontaneous surprise from jon.
cooper- abandoned  dropped off by a brother-in-law.

and my 25yr old self thinks it's pretty freeeekin awesome.

the past few months in instagram.

the victory's been won.

easter sunday has always been one of my favorites. i honestly just enjoy spring in general.

and one of our weekend activities included a death defying hike. to find deer antlers (antlers are cool and all, but I still struggle to understand the "antler lovin'" in it's entirety... however, i think i may have talked jon into letting me do this to some of them). for instance, at one point during our hike, i refused to follow along the deadly trail that jon was blazing up the steep, rocky, face of the mountain. my mind was thinking along the lines of if it was hard to climb up, it would obviously make it that much worse to go back down(and run/tumble away from giant angry woodland creatures -moose/coyote poop was everywhere). i was just not quite ready to become fast food. (i worked myself up so much that i even yelped something sounding similar to "bear!" when we startled some chukar birds from out of hiding.)
but despite being the ultimate size EE boob, as we approached the end of our hike, i had to admit i had had quite a good time.

and i did get to snap a few shots of my awesome mountain top view.

another good time i had on the hike? laughing at jon's "old man trudge" that i captured. 

"....i was looking for antlers!"

snow as hard as rock

today, my knees are covered in bruises, and i sit down a little more gingerly...
yesterday, i hit the slopes with 2 of my nieces.

a few years ago i worked at a small ski resort as a snowboard instructor, so the girls have been wanting me to teach them.
the snow was rather icy and very VERY hard, but the sun was out, and we basically had the slopes to ourselves. it was a very successful, very fun day.

as i followed along behind them i remember feeling so blessed. i was so happy i got to be spending a day doing something i really enjoyed. i was grateful for the opportunity to be an aunt. and i was grateful that they wanted me to join them. i knew one day i would look back and cherish this day that i got to spend with them.

and to finish off this post, i have a few more updates. 

first on the list? jon's new car. 

he has been getting a lot of crap for this one... but he couldn't pass up the diesel engine and the price.

as you can imagine, growing up in a house full of boys, jon and his car have been the butt of a lot of his brother's jokes. one of jon's aunts even got in on the bug bashing; telling him that he should probably sell it and trade for a more "manly" car. 

i personally think it's great. its automatic, so that means i can drive it. ha ha. (i have never been able to drive stick very successfully...)

jon's just thrilled to have heated, leather seats, and a nice looking dash... even if that dash does come with a built-in mini flower vase...

next? i FINALLY chopped my hair. it has SO been needing an update. 

i went and visited an old friend from high school. she and her husband put in a lot of hard work to build her her own home salon -it was so cute. and it was really great to talk with her and to catch up a bit. 

we decided to lighten it up a bit too. i decided to forgo an A-line cut and she added long choppy layers.

it was definitely a needed change. 

henry wanderlust barker

henry ran away. again. but this time he took his travels a little more seriously...
the problem with this scenario is that i like that dog way too much.

my dad once told me about one of his childhood dogs named ipo (hawaiian for sweetheart). one day my grandma had finally had enough of this "sweetheart's" chronic wandering ways and ultimately just let her run...

sadly for henry, at least for right now, i do not see myself following in my grandmother's footsteps and henry will therefor, most likely, get to be tied up for the majority of his lifetime.

but despite his wanderlust, i also feel he is very happy at home with his buddies coop and chuck. i also have a feeling he kinda has a thing for me too.
so i guess all we have to do is figure out a way to get past his apparent "out of sight out of mind" mentality and we'll be golden.




p.s. big thanks to the sweet family that found him. they spoiled him. he got to be an inside dog for a day and it sounds like he got smothered in love (and blue nail polish) by lots of kiddos.

jon snapped a few pictures of the return home