Big Saturday for Cali

This Saturday Cali got to go on our errands with us and was rewarded with a trip to Jordan Lake for a swim. First we stopped at Mike's lab to print out a shipping label for his broken home theater system. Since it was the weekend, we decided to take Cali into the building with us. Probably not allowed but we didn't see anyone so no harm. She was a bit scared of the elevator and when it started to move she lied down.


Then we went to Jordan Lake to go swimming. Some people at the dog park told me about a fishing access to Jordan lake where there aren't a lot of people. It was a very nice and secluded cove so we let Cali off her leash to swim. As with the last time we took her to the creek, she was a little hesitant at first but after one or two times swimming out to the get the ball she was a pro. She really loved it. However, she didn't like the bath after. It was a necessity though. Just look at how disgusting that water is! The best part was that she slept most of evening.

The Big 3-0!

On August 11th, I turned 30 years old. Its a bit of shock to me but I also wonder if its a bit of a shock to my parents. I am their baby and if I'm 30... I had a wonderful day with some cookies from my new labmate Ginger, followed by dinner at Panzanella with a surprise group of people, and finished with lots of cake and drinks at the Wine Bar in Chapel Hill. It was so nice of all of my friends to make it out on a work night. I really appreciate all of you!! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the evening. However I did get a few of Cali and the cow balloon Amir and Brandy gave me. She was totally freaked out by it for at least a day and wouldn't be in the same room as it. And in case you are wondering, it is still inflated and floating above my desk as I type this.

Catch up...

Wow, I didn't realize that my last post was over a month ago. Y'all must be wondering what we've been up to. I celebrated being done with my grant by taking a day trip to Wrightsville Beach, NC with Mike and his lab. It was a great day and I only got a little sun burnt. Here is a picture of us enjoying the ocean. The water temp must have been at least 78. We could have stayed in the water all day!

Finished!

In case you've wondered where I've been lately, the picture below is where I have sat each evening and all day on the weekends. Notice my faithful companion below the table. I am happy to report that the fellowship application is complete. I can now have my life back.

Frisbee Dog!

When we got Cali Mike told me two things he wanted her to do. One was play Fetch. (no problem there!) The second was catch a Frisbee. It took her a few times but now she catches about 50% of them. Don't get me wrong, she is not one of those dogs that do acrobatic jumps in the air but she does get her front paws of the ground when she catches them. Here are some pictures of her and Mike playing before one of his Ultimate Frisbee games.

Cali's Water Adventure

We went to the creek today so Cali could play in the water again. This time I brought the camera. She was sooooo happy. You should have seen her. Running and jumping and splashing in the water.
She went after this ball and then realized that she couldn't touch the ground anymore so she turned around. Eventually she got to the point that she would kind of swim to get it but not before I had to retrieve one or two because she sat there whining. Here are those pictures.


Here we are having a chat about how I was not going to go get any more balls so she better start swimming. And she did!
She is soaking wet but extremely happy. She wasn't so happy when we got home and she got a bath.

Busy Busy Busy

Sorry I haven't posted in two weeks. I've not only been extremely busy at work but in my free time as well. Wedding stuff is moving along. With the help of my friend Laura we have designed most of the decorations/programs/place cards for the wedding. I just purchased most of it this weekend and in a few weeks I'll try and organize an afternoon of paper crafting with some of my girls! Mike and I will be putting together the invitations this week and hope to mail some out a week from today.

Our little girl, Cali, is still doing well. We are trying to break her of her shyness and she seems to be gaining some confidence in new social situations. I also have discovered that she is very suspicious of statues and considers them to be real (very funny incident with a concrete cow). We also have found that she does, in fact, love water! I took her to a stream today back by our house. In places the water was deep enough to swim but often it was only up to the middle of her legs. She had a great time running through the water, exploring the stream bank, trying to pick up underwater sticks, etc. She was filthy so when we got home I gave her a bath. Not 3 hours later we let her outside to play fetch and she wandered into the woods off of our yard into a huge mud puddle. So she got another bath! We have one clean dog today. Sorry I don't have any pictures. I didn't think to bring the camera. Next time, I promise!