I REALLY need to do better at this blogging thing. I enjoy it immensely and am going to have to find a way to make it part of my routine. Thanks for your patience with my infrequent posts. It's no excuse, but I'm going to throw it out there anyways that work has been pretty killer lately. I'm by no means in a position to complain because our company is doing really well and given the state of things I feel so fortunate to have a job (Oh...and Hunter and Wally feel lucky too...it means they're guaranteed another meal!) :). However, it has been NUTZ!

Speaking of Hunter and Wally...they are both doing well. Hunter got his first swim of the season in on Saturday. We went for a run down by the park and before I knew it, he was taking himself for a dunk in the freezing water. It's funny how 40 degrees is hot for the dogs. I always forget that they go through this period every year when it starts to warm up and they think heat exhaustion going to engulf them. Wally had a classic display of feigned overheating a couple of weeks back when the sun was actually shining and the temps were mid-40's. We ran our typical route in the park and had to run on the road more than usual due to muddy conditions on the park's dirt roads. Apparently, Wally felt that the blacktop/sunshine combo was like kryptonite to his running skills. Not only did he slug along behind me for the last 2 miles of the run (and this was only a 3-mile outing), but I literally had to DRAG HIM the last quarter mile. Mere yards from our house and I'm standing in the middle of our street pulling this "near death" dog to the point where his collar is about to slip right off over his head. He wouldn't budge! Finally, I was able to get him to move forward and we made it the rest of the way home. I'm sure the neighbors appreciated the show.

To carry on the theme or running with Wally, we had a running adventure the end of February - the 30th Annual Snow Joke Half Marathon held in Seeley Lake, MT. It's really just a fun, local run to help keep people motivated in the dead of a Montana winter. The bonus is...you can run with your dog! It was Wally's first year to participate and my second. We had a blast and Wally was such a good boy. He made me quite proud and didn't do anything embarassing or out-of-control (I know...SHOCKING!). And he even got his name in the results - Wally Anderson listed as a finisher!

Before the race - Wally was amped beyond comprehension at this point. So much excitement!

Other items of interest consuming our time includes a week-long trip to Boise for work and a chance to visit family and friends while I was there. Little niece Ava is getting so big and growing so fast! Ty was the mobile doggy-day-care that week, taking the dogs up to Columbia Falls with him each day I was gone. I'm so grateful he's willing to do this and I know the dogs appreciate it. We've also had some company in March - Ty's friend Matt came to K-Town for a hockey tournament and Bill and Wileen came to visit this past weekend.

So...I'm sure it could go unsaid but we're just antsy for the real spring to come now (ya know...the warm, sunny, flowers-are-blooming spring). However, as I type this there are snowflakes falling. Ugh! The conditions have been pretty soggy as of late. On two occasions already this spring I've had to hose the dogs down after a run. They kick up so much dirt from wet, sandy roads. And after one run, I think Ty was tempted to hose ME down after I came home caked in the gunk. For now, we'll have to simply dream of dry, sunny conditions and be content knowing that it's impossible for winter to last forever.

I'm going to try very, very hard to get back to regular updates of dog-like antics around this place. Lord knows, we have plenty of 'em coursing through this home. And just to prove my point, I leave you with this...