Camping

As I was packing on Friday for our camping trip Isabelle was lying on the couch looking at me like, "I beg you...don't make me go..."

It was pretty entertaining because there were 4 girls and 4 dogs. We went to a place that allowed dogs but informed us when we arrived that they had to be on a leash at all times which was interesting. Our weekend consisted of dogs hog-tying each other and pulling out our arm sockets (except for me of course). Isabelle looked at me the entire weekend like, "Really? We're really sleeping out here? what is wrong with you people?". Every time I went to grab something out of my car she would walk over and get in her "pick me up and put me in the car" position. As soon as she realized we weren't going anywhere she would just look disappointed and walk away. She really did well though. She was definately the only Chihuahua at the lake. It was fun, I got some good smore time in, and now I am excited to sleep in a bed.

My Last First Day

School started up again yesterday. I was walking to class (in what seemed like more of a zoo than ever) when it occurred to me that it might be my last first day of school. Now, the chance of me going back to school is pretty good, AND I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. I won't feel done until the last day. But just the idea is such a relief and so exciting. So I met with my advisor today to make sure everything was in order. Sure enough, I am set to graduate and I just did my online "intent to graduate form". I'm just so excited to be done. If I really think about it, it has just been years of jumping through hoops like a circus monkey- I have felt like that the whole time, and I honestly feel more like I beat the circus or found the cheese in a maze than having gotten a higher education. Not to say I haven't learned a lot, because I have. But I feel like it's been more about the hoops. And now I am going to WIN. I am about to beat the circus. So I rule. I think when I get my cap and gown I will wear it for like a week straight.

The Moonlight Classic

Last night (this morning), I rode in my first Moonlight Classic. It is a charity bike ride benefiting senior citizens and it starts at midnight. The bike ride is about 15 miles and it is broken up with three rest stops (and for some people multiple bars). It was SO much fun. There were about 6,000 people who rode in it. It begins at the state capital and then weaves around Denver's historic areas. The streets are basically shut down and there are police at every intersection directing traffic. It is pretty crazy. People dress up in costumes and some people have pretty interesting bikes that they're riding. It's definately an experience to ride a bike in the middle of the road (and at times in the rain) with a hoard of people....a little intense sometimes...but our group didn't have any casualties. I was sometimes reminded of a steeple chase where everyone takes off at once and someone falls and the next thirty people behind them all pile up on top of each other. It was so much fun though. However, I forgot to stretch after this 15 mile ride and now I feel like my legs will never recover. They actually woke me up this morning because they were throbbing. All of my friends and I agree that the bike seats were not kind to our bums either...we're all sitting on pillows today. In one of the pics you can see some people that were in our group. They glued hair curlers to their bike helmets and had moo moos (sp.?) on.

I Went Riding Today.

My parents tell me a story about when I was a little kid and we went on a trail ride in the mountains. I was riding double with my Dad and I was so comfortable on the back of that horse that the movement lulled me to sleep, and I slept for the rest of the ride.
Not long after that I grew up on the back of a horse. I spent every available day at the barn with my friends and our horses. If I couldn't get a ride there I rode my bike, if the weather wasn't good we rode anyway. We couldn't get enough, we never tired of the horses.
Even when I was a bratty teenager if I had a disagreement at my house, people always knew where to find me-with my nose buried in my horses' neck. Horses are addicting. Ask any person that rides and they will tell you they never lose the desire to ride again, even if they haven't seen a horse in years. It just sits dormant in you until you have a ride and then you feel like a different person when you're done. I was just recently joking with a horseback riding friend of mine. We were saying that its obvious why we were such tough kids- we grew up bossing mammoth beasts around, getting tossed in the dirt, stepped on, kicked, bitten, and sometimes smashed. Talk about character building. Not many 10 year olds can get crushed under a horse, stand up bloody, and hop back on to do it again. We asked for it though. Cara and I used to play "Water Warriors" which was a game we invented down in our local stream. We would wait for the river to be up to the horses' chests and then we would stand facing each other about 100 feet apart. At the signal we would charge each other in the water and try to knock the other person off their horse. First person in the water lost. It was a great game until I almost drowned Cara and we stopped playing...but I would have made one hell of a jouster.
I went riding with Cara today. It was so beautiful, out in the middle of the plains with the mountains jutting out. We came to a bridal path that went straight and wide for a good stretch, so we raced. There is nothing more amazing than the feeling of galloping full speed on the back of a powerful horse. We take off and you feel them quickly getting speed, propelled from behind like there are two jet engines back there. Their bodies get low and their heads and necks stretch out. You lean forward (cause you want to win) and egg them on. You get a good grip on the reins just in case and you give them their head and just let them fly. You're neck and neck and you hear the sound of their eight hooves beating the ground. There is always a few seconds in a good race where you realize that you are going as fast as you can go, and that is when the danger sets in. You know that at this speed the horse cannot control their feet very well and one false step will send you flying at 30 miles an hour with a 1000lb animal close behind you. But there is something about all the other things combined with that momentary flash of fear that make it even more surreal. And then you have a choice- pull them up and feel safe, or push them on and give up the control. If you choose to push them on, you will feel more free in that 10 or so seconds than you have in years.
You know after a good ride like that, you have just gotten your therapy, and your fix.

The Short Stack

I was cleaning out my drawers yesterday and found the only negatives I have of Isabelle as a puppy. It's so stupid too, because I vividly remember making a conscious effort to take lots of pictures- I guess that only applied to this one role, that one day. Oh well. But of all of the pictures I have of Isabelle, these puppy pictures have so much character. Isabelle has always been very photogenic and very willing to pose.... She weighed 1.5 lbs when I brought her home. I remember when I was getting her, a lady in the pet store (VERY BAD! Never get a dog from a pet store, I was weak), said, "You two are going to have so many good times together". I think about that a lot. Isabelle is a great dog. I've had her now almost 5 years-and it took a while to figure each other out. For a while I thought she was put on this earth to teach me a lesson, which would be unwavering responsibility (and I guess that you should always listen to your mother....). But now, we're just best buds. There is nothing more settling than sitting on the couch with your dog asleep behind your head. She snuggles under the covers at night, and is contentedly sleeping on my lap as we speak. I just love her. She has taught me a lot about myself, and I am so glad that I didn't kill her when she ate Vitamin C and vomited it all over my sofa. Anyway, this blog is in honor of my friend Isabelle.