Pups

Can you tell I'm an animal lover? As I write this post, my adorable pup is laying underneath me...and unfortunately, attempting to clear me from the room with some very undesirable smells...
Guinness and Gidget sharing the water dish - Brewer looking on longingly

Brewer and Gidget found the largest stick in the yard and decided it was their new favorite toy. Steve doesn't need to worry about mulching any sticks - just put the pups in the yard and they'll chew them until he has the finest mulch in town.
Look closely...Brewer has a very appropriate "Sponge Bob Square Pants" scarf
All three decided they needed to play with the same stick
Awww, ain't she the cutest??
Guinness cooling off

Idiot Driver

The other night after watching a movie at Steve's house, I came home to a very disturbing surprise - someone had DRIVEN THROUGH my yard! Getting close to my house, I could see weird swerves in the ice on the street (Sheridan is known for lack of proper snow removal when we get dumped on...don't ask me...it happens every winter). I thought my neighbor had made a wide turn into their driveway, until...I drove up to my curb and saw the destruction. The pictures aren't clear, but they give you an idea of just how far into my yard this idiot had driven; had I been home at the time, my card would have been nailed.
My car is the far left in the picture. I'm not parked right next to the curb, but you can see the arc of the idiot's tires. Diagonally across the street, I could see where they had overcorrected and swerved into the corner lot yard. Luckily there were no signs of an accident.

Picture of my car (left corner) and the front of my house - the genius that did this was practically halfway up my sidewalk. I had to re-shovel...that did NOT make me a happy camper. It's a very creepy feeling to know that had I been home, things could've taken a turn for the worse. I just hope the jerk made it home safely and didn't hurt anyone or themselves.

Running

Check out my new running shoes! Aren't they fantastic? Found a great deal at www.roadrunnersports.com and took the plunge ($49! That's unheard of for decent running shoes). I was incredibly past due for a new pair and was beginning to feel the effects of old, broken-down running shoes. According to all the research I've done on running, shoes should be replaced every 400-500 miles. The shoes I ran in before this pair were from June, when I rain the Big Horn Mountain Trail Run. Speaking of the Big Horn Trail Run...this year I've decided to challenge myself and have signed up for the 50K (~31 miles). Not only was I ready to attempt this run after having run the 30K last year, but I wanted to give someone else the opportunity to sign up for the 30K. When a race is in a National Forest, as is the Big Horn Trail Run, many times the races are given a limitation on the number of runners. The most popular race, the 30K fills within days of registration. Check out the webste: www.bighorntrailrun.com It hasn't been updated for the 2008 race, but it's a great website and has all sorts of information.

Gidget!

I took a trip to the Dog & Cat Shelter on Saturday afternoon to look around and went home with a new best friend. :) When I first started looking around, I liked a smaller black lab/retriever mix and took him out in the dog run to play. Unfortunately, he was extremely hyper and not quite a good fit. I took him back inside and decided to take out the other pup I had noticed - a 1 yr 4 mos lab/retriever mix named Gidget. It was love at first sight! She's housetrained and understands basic commands - unfortunately, whoever trained her probably did so with negative reinforcement, not positive reinforcement. She's docile and quiet, but can be timid if she thinks someone's yelling at her. She needs a little more TLC than a pup that's been taken care of, but she came to the right house. Good with kids, cats, and other dogs, including Guinness & Brewer. I probably would've changed her name, but she answers to Gidget and I don't want to cause confusion. I'm so excited to be part of a long, happy life with her!

Christmas in Sioux Falls

Here are pictures from Christmas in Sioux Falls...for some reason, some of the pictures are tiny...

Being bums on the couch after opening gifts
Santa and her two elves! Steve, Keith (Steve's youngest bro), and I were headed out for a run Christmas morning and we wore these festive hats. The picture isn't so clear b/c of the reflective jacket, but you get the idea...who knew Santa was female and a good 2 feet shorter than her elves? :)
Picture of Steve and I by the falls
Awww...aren't we just so darn cute...
Apparently I really like wearing those hats
Christmas dinner
Christmas dinner (other side of the table)
A few beautiful cardinals were hanging around on Christmas day amidst the snow that fell the whole day

Christmas Tree Hunting

My apologies - it's been awhile since I've posted. A few weeks before Christmas, a group of us decided to make it an afternoon and drive into the mountains to go Christmas tree hunting. For an $8 permit to cut a tree, it was worth it, considering how much fun we had. Four dogs, five people, a camelbak of hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps...makes for a great afternoon.

Our friends Pepper, Georgia, and Shane (the rope around Shane's waist was for the tree sled)
Group shot, including three of the four dogs
I was the one that decided on the tree growing from the side of the hill...let's just say the trunk of the tree was very crooked and almost didn't fit in the tree stand...
Steve and his very symmetrical tree
Victory! Me, Steve, Georgia & Shane with our trees - I was the shortest person there but I managed to find the tallest tree (Pepper already had a tree, she just came along for the fun)

Finally finished with painting

View from front door
View from kitchen

HUGE thanks to the 'rents for helping me paint the living and dining room! We finally finished and it looks beautiful. I owe them a few meals and bottles of wine. :)