Jam at the Damz

Today Ro and I were able to participate in the 'Jam at the Damz'!  We did the 10k course, and it was a lot of fun! :)  We raised $155 and discovered that we needed to raise $250 to earn the really cool biking jersey (bummer!)  The event had raised over $65,000 when we left!  It was for a great cause so I was really glad we went. We did get a nice t-shirt and had a lot of fun!  So when we were getting ready I had put on Ro's shoes because they said that there might be some thorns on the ground because they had mowed the grass at the sides of the sidewalk.

 (Here she is waiting before we head to the starting line)

I asked one of the volunteers how the track looked, and he said that it was clear that over night all the thorns and such had been blown to the side and as long as we stuck to the sidewalk he didn't think her feet would have a problem.  Ro is not overly thrilled with her boots, so I decided I'd just take them and try it without them.  

Here we are at the starting line!

So me and Ro were doing really well, we were heading up the 10k pack (there were other racers doing the 25k, 50k, and 100k that started before the 10kers)  along with one other fellow.  We got to what we thought was our checkpoint, but the volunteer said "Not yet, keep going you are doing great!"  So we kept going.  It was quite a large hill, I was very surprised and said to the gentlemen "I hate to think how the kids are going to manage this hill..." because there were quite a few kids in our 10k race, but they had other bikers with them.  So we kept going.  We got a little behind the other fellow because there was a large downhill, and I like to give Ro a break after a long downhill.  So we went another half mile or so and started up this hill that I thought was GIANT!  (We are used to Wash Park which is mostly flat!) 

 Here is me showing Ro where we were headed!

 A far away shot of the course, we headed up that next hill (this was a little ways after the first large hill).

 It's hard to see, but the trail goes all the way up the far hill.

So...around the time we were 3/4 of the way up the third large hill, another volunteer catches up to us and was like "We are so sorry, but the lady told you wrong, you weren't supposed to come up any of the hills, the 10k course is back the other way."  Leave it to me to get lost!!!  So we turned around and finished the race.  We ended up around the middle/front of the pack due to our extra couple miles going UPHILL!!  We laughed about it, and now Ro's distance is even farther.  There were 4 stations that you punched a checkpoint card, and at the end we had "Jam the Damz'. 

 (Another nice photo from the extra part of the race, it was pretty so it was worth going!)

 This was during one of our water/rest breaks.

After the race, showing off how our punch pass was complete!  As you can see Ro needed a long rest!  I tried to have her give me her water bowl after and she just looked at me like "You have to be kidding mom, I just ran a marathon!"

 

This was Ro after she got a few minutes to catch her breath.  My tired, but happy dog! :)

CaPR- Bow Ties and Tails Event!

Zane, Ro and I were able to attend the CaPR: Bow Ties and Tail Event on Saturday.  I forgot to take pictures...but there was a photographer there so hopefully I can acquire some of them later!  I did remember once we got home, so I took a cute photo of Ro with her bow tie on.

Ro was the lucky dog that got to pick a tennis ball at the end for the winner of the big prize for the night!  I was joking that Ro would accept bribes because she is good at the 'Drop' cue, and I could have her put the ball back if it wasn't the persons...and then she really did drop one!  Made me laugh! :)  She did a really good job behaving.  We had the normal 'arrival excitement' that comes with having such a happy girl, but overall she did fabulous.  Zane even commented after we left that she did a fantastic job.  If I do get some photos I'll make sure to add them to the post.  Have a good week!

I can't believe how far behind I am on updates once again!  I'm a happy to say that Ro and I are having a fabulous year at school so far! Much different from last year.  She is settling in nicely and not having tummy issues like the beginning of last school year.  (She does try to sneak crumbs left from student snack, but not nearly as much).  I have been very busy with work and many nights we aren't home until at least 6.  Ro developed a strange bump on her ear, but the vet checked it and said it isn't anything we should worry about and it might even disappear over the coarse of a few months.  (Apparently it is quite common for younger dogs...)  Overall her health was super good!  Her weight is perfect and she behaves really nicely.
Ro and I have been busy getting in shape for our 10k next Saturday at Jam at the Damz!  We are on the Adaptive Adventures team (the group that has been lending us a hand-cycles each week).  We set up a donation page to help with our registration fees, so if you'd like to help please check it out! http://www.grouprev.com/shannonandro?saved=1
We are now up to 7 miles without getting too tired, so we should be up for the 6 mile race hopefully running most of the way!  :)  Ro really likes getting out and running as do I!   
A few weeks ago we volunteered at the Ataxia Run, Walk, Roll.  Ro was doing such a good job I let her man the tent for a bit.

 And here is just a cute photo of her! :)

We are headed to the Bow Ties and Tails event for Canine Partners tonight, so I'm sure we'll take some more photos! 
I am very grateful for how flexible Ro can be.  Our lives a very full and crazy most days.  With work, three kids, and everything else we have going on it's nice to know she can handle it.  I thought for sure the beginning of the school year was going to be crazy.  A week before school started my grandmother passed away and we drove all the way to Salt Lake to attend the funeral and back over the coarse of only 2 days, and the next day had to start work.  I was so glad she was able to manage all of that (and me worrying!). I know there is so many more things I meant to post about, but at this moment I can't think of any of them!

It's Official...!

Last Wednesday, July 25th, Ro and I took our final PAT for me to be able to officially adopt Ro.  She did wonderfully and we signed all the paperwork afterwards at a celebration lunch!  Ro is settling in pretty well around here, Riley even accepts her as part of the family.  They even share the same water dish now! :)

Today we all went to the Denver Aquarium with Zane's mom.  Evidently there is a tiger there...so we had to get an escort through the middle area since Ro was with me.  I thought there was supposed to be just fish!  What is a tiger doing at the Aquarium?!  Anyhow, basically they just rushed me and Ro very quickly through that part and we waited for the rest of the family to get through before continuing on.  This was one of the more difficult outings I've had with Ro.  She was VERY curious and was trying to smell a lot, but after awhile it got easier when she realized that I wasn't going to let her off the hook and she needed to pay attention!  I did let her sneak in a few good smells on some of the fish.  In this photo you can't see but there is a weird looking fish right by her nose, it was very funny and cute!

Overall, we all had a great time...but it is very difficult to have the entire family look at the camera and smile for a photo...this was the best we had (even with a few attempts at different locations!).

Ro, Zane and I stopped at my work yesterday...we have a lot of things to get ready before next school year.  Ro had to give the room a good smell down as it's been all cleaned and things were moved all over.  I'm excited and nervous for this coming year, but glad that Ro is here to stay and that things are going well.

New Collar!

I noticed the other day that the clip on Ro's collar was broken (it cracked and was barely hanging on).  So I ordered one online and it came in today!  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to transfer the license and rabies tags...maybe it's because my hands nerves aren't that great...but it took forever!  I even got her a new 'Quiet Spot' to match and keep the tags quiet! Doesn't she look beautiful?!

Also...she has a bad habit of sniffing the floor at home (which we've been working on).  Well, yesterday she came up to me and I was like "Ro....have you been sniffing the floor again??!"  She gave me her cute eyes, but also this "Uh....maybe..."  She had a green sprinkle on her nose from Anya's cookie, so there was no denying it.  Silly dog.

We made it to the summer!  Our first working year together has gone pretty well.  Ro and I work really well out in public.  The only difficult time is when I am with the whole family!  I think it gets a little overwhelming for the both of us, and I think Ro feels a little responsible for Zander as she helped teach the little guy to walk!  It isn't all the time, usually just when the kids are really excited about something.  Now when I go out without her, which isn't often, it feels like I've forgotten something. 
So...it has been incredibly hot here lately, which doesn't bode well for me because my legs don't regulate my temperature very well.  We've had entirely too much time indoors...and here are some pics to prove it! :)

 Any guesses on whose hiding under the blanket with a dragon?!..........

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That's right!  A smiling dog named Ro!

We have managed to get out occasionally...but it seems so complicated!  The ground has been so hot for little Ro's feet, so I really have to be careful because I don't want to burn them. And then to top it off, we took the girls to dance class and because it was so hot I thought we'd wait in the car with the AC on.  Well we were PARKED for a good 40 min (relaxing...listening to music...talking...), and then a car came along and hit the van.  SERIOUSLY??  Argh...so now I have to figure out how to work in a repair.  The good thing though was that Ro was relaxing on the floor and it only jogged us and the kids weren't in the car.  Some paint damage and front quarter panel (something like that).  But still...I have terrible luck I think.  I'm just glad that neither of us were hurt.  

I have also been trying to get in shape more, so I have been heading to the gym each morning.  I haven't taken Ro yet as I only go for a short amount of time and it's usually during her morning nap! :)  But we are scheduled to go on another hand-cycling ride this Saturday!  I really hope it isn't like 105°F...that would be crazy!  I wish it would cool down so I could go out and practice more with Ro, we have our Public Access Test coming up and I'm super excited for this one!  As long as we pass, Ro officially becomes a part of our family!  She already is...they'd have to drag her away I think...

Handcycling

Today we tried hand-cycling for the first time.  Ro did a great job of figuring out where to run next to me so that we didn't get tangled.  My best friend June came along for the ride, she did one of the hand cycles as well! I only got stuck once when I tried to turn around because we were going the wrong way.  A nice cyclist by us helped me get turned around and we were off again.  We were able to ride a total of four miles!  Ro was pretty tired at the end, but we had a lot of fun! :)