my pups

 I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.  For me they are the role model for being alive.  ~Gilda Radner

 so i'm not usually a giant fan of pictures of myself.....especially when its the first thing in the morning - all those LINES are so much more prominent....but i LOVE this one...i love it not only because it turned out so great as a PICTURE, but even more because i have not been feeling so great and lila literally positioned herself AROUND me and then put her paw on my head.....as if to say "it's okay....i've got you".....and in that moment, i felt so much better :)

its been one of those days.....after work, i was supposed to drive down to the the 7th district for practice...but i was late (as usual) and feeling guilty for leaving josh home alone on a beautiful day....so i turned around.....i asked josh to ride his bike while i did my "recovery" 2 mile run - which was harder than the damn 11.5 on sunday i might add .... EVERYTHING hurt....and then after the 2, we would grab the dogs and take them for a walk.....i don't have a picture of that, but i WISH i did....if you could have seen cooper dragging me around the neighborhood....totally hysterical!!

"There's just something about dogs that makes you feel good. You come home, they're thrilled to see you. They're good for the ego."  -Janet Schnellman

i didn't think ANYTHING would make me feel okay about running today...but cooper managed it....you see, its almost IMPOSSIBLE to walk with him....he's so strong and he loves to run, so we usually end up jogging around the circle....unfortunately cooper is stronger than i am, so often we end up sprinting in places....but today, i was sore and a little sick AND with josh and lila, so i was doing my best to actually WALK....and after cooper dragging me half the circle, i broke down and started to run with him....and he LOVES it....OF COURSE i have a DOG that likes to run....which makes me feel guilty that i don't take him more often....and the reason i don't is because he RUNS TOO FAST for me!!!  how sad is that??  i actually did an okay job last summer getting him outside....but after today i really realized how much he enjoys it....so maybe, just maybe cooper will help me keep up some kind of running after my half is over....

so in the same day my little dog gave me comfort and my big dog inspired me.....i'm not sure i even talked to anyone today outside of work.....but my dogs still managed to give me the little pep talk i needed....both times.  how awesome is that??

its a funny thing.... i always told my kids when they were little that life wasnt always fair, and i wasnt going to make sure things were EVEN.....they would get what they need when they needed it....just because one of them needed new cleats, didn't mean they all had to get them.....it was just one of those things i felt strongly about and it has certainly made my life easier.....when i walk in from the store and have something for one of the boys, they never expect that i have something for everyone.....im off track a bit, but the point is.....YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT....apparently that is not just something that applies in the "physical" sense.....id say emotionally that is also the case.....and ironically what i needed today was a bit of unconditional support.....and i was lucky enough to get it in a warm fuzzy package.... or 2.

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace.
-- Milan Kundera