The Lean, Mean Runnin' Machine

Oh, did you think this post was about me?
(I can see why you assumed that from the title. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for the compliment. ;)

This is all about Brooklyn, the one who was born to run!

I was advised that large-breed dogs should not be run consistently until one year of age. Some research even shows that large-breed dogs are not fully developed until two years of age. For instance, Brooklyn is nearly full-grown, but she will likely fill out and become more barrel-chested by age two. The crux of the matter is the growth plates - hardcore owners even do X-rays to make sure they are closed. High-impact sports (like running) could damage the bone structure of a dog not yet fully developed. One veterinarian even told me that an undeveloped muscular system cannot support even a fully-developed bone structure.

Whew! Do you feel overwhelmed? I'm sure that's more information than you ever wanted to know about the bones inside my dog. I have so enjoyed learning all sorts of new things that come along with dog ownership, but it can certainly be overwhelming. The folks I run into and chat with seem to be very far on the "dogs and humans are equals" end of the spectrum. Maybe they don't openly admit it, but they become quickly angry if they feel you aren't treating your animal humanely (read: humanly). So many opinions!

All that to say, I have been very careful about overworking Brooklyn in the running department. And it has been hard to wait! All the while I was training for my almost-marathon, I wished so much to take her out for a long run. She ran the occasional mile or two (at most) with me, but nothing consistent.

Now that she is nearing the eighteen-month marker, Brooklyn is learning to be my running buddy. I haven't been running as consistently since my auditions, so it's been fun for me to get back out in the mornings, too. Over the last two weeks, we have been doing a combination of run/walks, and I have monitored her closely throughout. Weimaraners don't have an energy shut-off switch, so I have to be the one to make that call for her. She'd run a half marathon tomorrow, if I let her.

This week, she has made great progress in her running career.

Today she ran her first 5K! Time: 25:30 (8:14 pace).

I have always loved running in my parents' neighborhood, so this morning I loaded up the wagon and drove to their house. It was early, so we just hopped out of the car and took off. I accidentally forgot my house keys and didn't want to wake anyone, so we did what any polite person would do: we went through the backyard and hopped in the pool! We may or may not have startled my mom when she stepped outside to take Tootsie out. "Oh, hey! Just your grown and married daughter swimming in the pool at 8AM." Totally normal. Oh, and thanks for the breakfast!

Happy pup, post run!

First swim of the season!

"Can we please stop taking pictures, so I can get back to swimming?!"

And just so you don't think we're too active and over-achieving...

This is us right now.

Rest and recovery, right?

Not pictured: second cup of coffee

Weimaraner Wednesday: The Sixteen-Month Update

Hi, friends! Due to the weightiness of my last post, I thought we'd go for the more light-hearted this time around. 

It's Weimaraner Wednesday! This article on the breed is so hilarious (unintentionally, I think), and oh-so-true! I've shared a small portion for you below.

The truth:

If you can't say no and mean it or set boundaries of good behaviour, don't get a Weimaraner. It would run the place. If you want an intelligent, stimulating companion that will require daily sessions of attention, training, togetherness and fun, the Weimaraner might be for you.If you want a dog that sits quietly and waits for you to notice them, you should look at another breed. (Source: http://www.dcweimclub.org)

The favorites:

Hunting anything that crosses her path - she does this hilarious "stalk-walk"
Barking at squirrels and our "menacing" neighbors through the front window
Visitors
Nap time with my niece (we caught her snuggled up to Alice on the bed!)
Running with me - She's up to 3 miles!
Sticking her head out the sunroof and letting her lips flap around - this makes us laugh the hardest!
BACON
Our bed, perhaps more than anything else
Hearing Dad's motorcycle drive up and knowing he is home from work
Playing with Scout and Missy
The Wubba strip - she still has a tiny piece of her blue Wubba, and it remains an old favorite.
Being close to us at all times.


The skills:

She knows how to sit, lie down, settle, roll over, shake, wait, stay, catch on the count of three, find toys (or people) by name, and she is getting better at a sequencing game we made up.

The dirt:

She has a great dislike for vacuums, even though we tried the socialization process when she was a pup. I missed balloons altogether, and that would explain her terror of them.
She is great at running after balls, but not so great at returning them.
She still bolts into the front yard (and down the street) on occasion.
She is a mooch. If you're eating it, she wants it.
She is a bed hog.
She stuffed two tennis balls and a t-shirt toy in her mouth to keep Scout from taking them. And they were Scout's to begin with!
She has a skin infection right now, and it caused her to chew a bit of her fur. We may or may not be referring to her as "Patches."

The reason you clicked on this post:

Brooklyn the Lion

Brooklyn the Babushka 

A penguin from her friend, Asia. Said Penguin has since been "loved to death." She seriously carried this guy around everywhere for about two weeks. And two weeks is a long time for a Weimaraner to keep a toy. (Which is why she only gets hand-me-downs. Thanks, Sia!) 

She loves my parents' backyard! Please can our next house have a fenced yard?!

Learning to coexist with Tootsie. Some days are better than others, but she's had plenty of opportunity to practice. I'm at my parents' house a lot these days, soaking up the quality time!

I've also been reading a lot. Brooklyn's a good reading buddy. As long as she gets to sleep on the bed.

Our family hangout night of motorcycle repair and Mockingjay. I read aloud while Ty tinkered with his bike and Brooklyn sniffed around the garage.

Naturally, we've been cleaning out a lot in preparation for the move.

She thinks she's helpful.

She has to be involved in everything.

Like Cousin Missy's face.

And Ty's face (while he was trying to watch The Masters)

In her spare time she's been learning some Beethoven.

And trying out our new futon. Guilty!

And stealing all of Scout's toys. We told her that's not the best way to make friends and influence people, but she's a stubborn one.

She's also been honing her tug-of-war skills. Who am I kidding? She was born a professional!

Taken while blogging! Ty was working on his resume, and Brooklyn just had to know what was so exciting on our little screens!

 Hope you enjoyed this installment of Weimaraner Wednesday!

Direction

I took these two photos just about a year ago. I snapped only two and did so quickly - thus the blur - so as not to appear too interested. Because, really, there was no way I could let myself dream that big.

Even the professor I played for told me I wasn't at the level of the school.

Deep down I had to admit that I had fallen in love with this school since I first stepped foot onto its grounds. Everything about it was warm and inviting. But still out of my league.

Even so, I decided to audition, knowing that any doors that opened would only do so because the LORD had ordained it. I did my part with the hard work and all, but so many things were out of my control. I was blessed with an incredible teacher who helped me through this entire process.

I heard in early February that I passed my audition.

I was thrilled, somewhat surprised, and entirely anxious!

Then began the long wait.

Two months of wondering why God would open doors just to seemingly provide no direction.(Impatient much?) The national commit date for graduate music programs is today, April 15. One week ago today, I still had no idea if and where I'd be going to school. I had been accepted to two other schools, but Tyler and I had decided not to move on account of either of those options.

Still, I had this nagging feeling, this prompting, this small voice that said, "I haven't closed the door." I believed God would open the door, but in all honesty, I was confused. I wanted to have faith that God could do more than we ask or think. But was that "faith" just my own selfish desire?

There were a lot of quiet battles that took place in those two months of waiting. Lots of prayers, encouragement, lots of hard days. Just when it appeared the door was not going to open (and when I had stopped checking my email every two minutes), I received an extremely generous scholarship offer from Southern Methodist University.

Yesterday, I signed my offer and committed to attend this coming fall.

I will be pursuing a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the Meadows School of the Arts. (Read about it here!) And yes, I will be studying with that same professor I played for last year.

I am thrilled, somewhat surprised, and entirely anxious!

:)

Seriously, though, it is a mixed bag of emotions! Tyler and I are going to step out in faith and believe that the LORD will be our Jehovah Jireh through this process. We are going to miss everything about our home. It will be hard, but it will be good. There are so many implications to this decision, and we are just beginning to sort through them.

If anything has been evident through this process it is that it has been entirely God's doing.

I am stunned by God's Goodness to us. He treats us far better than we deserve.

He has shown the way, now we have only to walk in obedience.

Surprise, Surprise

Ty turned 25 last week!

In the span of ten days, I came up with two crazy ideas:

1. Throw Tyler a surprise birthday party at his parents' house

2. Buy him a fishing kayak (also a surprise!)

Neither of these ideas would have made it past the brainstorming phase if it hadn't been for Ty's mom! She grabbed onto my ideas and ran with them! Thanks, Mamacita!

This post is about idea number 2.

Originally I had wanted to have the kayak at the house when he arrived for the surprise party. I found a used kayak - the exact model I had researched and chosen! - with all the fishing bells and whistles (read: rod holders, anchor, etc.) about an hour and a half from home. In order to accommodate all our various schedules, we loaded Ty up in the wagon and told him he had to take us to pick up his early birthday present. Heh, heh. Trailer park, cash deal? Let's just say we felt safer with him along. 

But first! Dinner, handed to us by CFA's cutest employee!

Here she is!

Ty was so funny when we arrived at the owner's home. He still had no idea what we were purchasing, though his best guess was saddle bags for his motorcycle. He was utterly surprised. He looked it over and approved it, so he loaded it up on our wagon and we drove on home. About twenty minutes down the road, his face lit up and he erupted in a sincere, "Thank you so much, guys!" He's a processor. I knew if he liked it when he saw it, he'd fall in love with it even more as time went on. (In fact, he's out enjoying the kayak right now, for the second time today!)

When we arrived home, he looked over every inch of the boat. This is his, "Really? You need a picture of me in the kayak in the garage" face. (Why yes, yes, I do.)

In action! Wish I had some of his bass pictures, too!

Brooklyn and I have enjoyed sitting on the shore while Ty is on the water. Brooklyn swims, too!

This lake backs up to our favorite dog park. Win, win!

(Except for me, maybe, since I was covered in mud...)

When I decided to climb a tree (you know, just to make it the quintessential Florida day!), Someone tried to join me!

Happy birthday, Tyler!

Glad you are still (this very minute!) loving your gift!