Guardians of the Night 5K

It was last night at 9:00pm. 93 degrees.  Hilly. Not easy. Jon's 6th race. My 9th.  Marked mile 70 of my 100 miles in 100 days.

We raced in honor of Fargo, a 5-year-old police dog who was killed on the job in 2011.  Proceeds from the race (massive number of participants - YAY!) go to purchase very expensive bullet-proof vests for the working dogs.

There were policemen running with their gorgeous K-9 cops.  Firemen ran in full gear.  People nearly twice our age flew past us as if we were standing still: a VERY inspirational evening.

See the nice runner giving water to the K-9 that just ran with us?

The beautiful officer Fargo

The following poem is printed on the back of our race shirts alongside a photo of Fargo.  The formatting here is weird because I copied/pasted but you will get the gist. If you can read it without crying, kudos to you.

Guardians Of The Night

Author - Unknown

Trust in me my friend for I am
your comrade.

 I will protect you
with my last breath when all
others have left you.

 And as the
loneliness of the night closes
in, I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all
obstacles,

And search out
those who might wish harm to
others.

All I ask of you is
compassion, the caring touch
of your hands.

It is for you that I
will unselfishly give my life and
spend my nights unrested.

Although our days together
may be marked by the passing
of the seasons,

 Know that each
day at your side is my reward.

My days are measured by the
coming and going of your
footsteps.

I anticipate them at
every opening of the door.

You are the voice of caring when I
am ill, the voice of authority
when I've done wrong.

Do not chastise me unduly, for
I am your right arm,

The sword
at your side.

I attempt to do
only what you bid of me. I seek
only to please you and remain in your favor.

Together you and I shall
experience a bond only others
like us will understand.

  When
outsiders see us together their
envy will be measured by their
disdain.

I will quietly listen to you and
pass no judgment,

Nor will your
spoken words be repeated;

 I will
remain ever silent,

Ever vigilant,

Ever loyal.

And when our time
together is done and you move
on in the world,

 Remember me
with kind thoughts and tales,

For a time we were unbeatable.

Nothing passed among us
undetected.
If we should meet again on
another street I will gladly take
up your fight.

I am a Police
Working Dog

and together

We are guardians of the night.

The Lucas Family Visits Our Home!

This afternoon, one of my best friends from WV stopped by with her family as they were heading home from Myrtle Beach. It was wonderful to see them and the visit was fun.

Gorgeous baby Jack was feeling a little under the weather. :(

Ethan was up to his usual antics.

We attempted to get a good shot of the four kids.  Here, they appear to be saying that they don't plan to pose for any stinkin' photo.

Jack was so unimpressed that he considered jumping.

Sophie, however, was a very beautiful and cooperative model.

Oh, how lovely this child is.

This is the best shot I could muster. 

Loved seeing you today, Jason, Heidi, Sophie, and Jack! Hopefully we can see each other again very soon.

Love

Thanks, Ashley, our new friend, for capturing this.

Ethan's First Dental Visit

Thursday, July 12, this nearly-3-year old had his first ever dental cleaning/exam.  He was amazingly compliant!  (No dental professional was getting near Andrew's teeth on his first visit. :/)  We are proud of him.

He cherished his brand new "brush teef" (his term) so much that he fell asleep with it in his mouth on the ride home.

Virginia Beach with the Girls

I'm finally getting around to posting the other fun photos from last weekend's VA Beach girls' getaway.

I arrived first.  Here's my first look at our view.

I peeked off of the patio to see the cleanest, most welcoming beach ever.

I attempted to entertain myself while still awaiting the girls, who got stuck in a nasty bunch of traffic.

They arrived shortly afterward and we stuck those feet directly in the surf!

First evening

Reserved chairs the next morning at the pool

Jennifer and me

All three of us: Arlene, Jennifer, and me

Rockafeller's dinner.  YUM!

Complete silliness

Ahhhhh...

Last evening.

Monday morning, just before a final lunch and the 6-hour trek home

Parasailing!

I just returned from 4 days in Virginia Beach with my WV girlfriends! We chose that locale because it was exactly the same distance for them to drive down as it was for me to drive up. It was fun and relaxing.

The highlight was parasailing on July 15 - a first for all of us.  These photos tell the story well... excitement on the boat ride out, apprehension when getting strapped onto the bar, fear when being reeled out to 600 feet above the sea, fun while airborne, relief when being reeled back in, and a sense of bravery once safely back at port. 

Love these daring girls.

This was great fun. It was like flying. We saw sting rays and other beautiful life. We all want to go again as soon as possible!

Road to Recovery

Dora breezed through her surgery and arrived back home yesterday afternoon.  It's going to be a rough couple of weeks of crating and E-collaring (she despises both), but we're so happy her leg will end up being so much better.

Ethan and I readied the crate this afternoon.  Going in here was his choice (I swear)...

Happy girl in the car, ready to head home

UNhappy girl. :(

Happy girl again, after the 3-am hysterical, newborn-esque wake-up call followed by tramadol-laced hamburger

Surgery Day

Took this shot of our beautiful gummy girl last night. This morning, with a heavy heart, I dropped her off at the same surgeon who did her right ACL two years ago.  He determined that, although her hip is not perfect, the real thing giving her trouble is the other ACL.  So, that is the surgery she is undergoing right as I type this.

We get to pick Dora up tomorrow afternoon and then the six- to ten-week recovery period can begin.

Pool Trick