Home Again, Home Again....

I know it has been a while since I last wrote something, but boy does time fly. Every time I thought about writing about either the dogs doing something crazy, or how Casey and I's life is always changing, something else takes place and I can never seem to keep up.
I don't really know where to begin, since I haven't updated anyone for oh, about 3 months! Wow, when you write it down, it seems a lot worse! Winter is officially here, with all the snow on the ground, it is hard to ignore it. I do love the snow, but am very glad that we missed the blizzard that came through over Christmas. Our garden, horseshoe pits, and solar lights around the house are completely covered. My roses are definately getting a real taste of winter (fingers crossed that they survive) and the dogs are loving every second of it. It is rather amusing to watch them walk on the top, which is slightly iced over, and then sink to where they have to bound through to get to where they need to go. One nice thing about all the snow is the snowmen you can make. And let me tell you, they are huge!! The kids in our neighborhood made some of the largest snowmen I have ever seen. They dress them up and should be up for the rest of the season, which kind of makes you smile. I will post a picture of the one Casey and I put together in the next week.
As for being home, it is great to be back to the place we now call home, but we miss everyone dearly. We are disappointed we missed Cori's birth by a mere day, but loved seeing the pictures that everyone took. Dani and Dave, she is beautiful and we can't wait to hold and spoil her! It is comforting that we will be back down there in 7 weeks to celebrate Ryan and Missy's wedding, at a time I am sure it will be ideal to get out of this frozen tundra!
We are now off to celebrate the ending of a decade, but the start of a new and exciting one! Of course, we are celebrating more laid back than usual, since I have to work at 8 am tomorrow, but we will be celebrating with great company. We hope that everyone has a great New Year's Eve! Have a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous NEW YEAR!!! Happy 2010!!!!
Until next year...

Banning State Park...The Beauty of Fall

Let me begin this blog with a heads up...there will be a lot of pictures! Last year, Casey and I missed the leaves on the trees by one week. This year, we were not going to let that happen! We decided that we would go to Banning State Park about 2 hours North of Saint Michael. Even though we woke up at 5, so we would make sunrise, I sure am glad that we did, because it was the only sun of the day. The day itself wasn't as nice as we would have hoped, but it was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on. All of the leaves were yellows, oranges, and
reds, and the ground still had a bit of snow from the day before. It was a little colder than I would have wanted, we were dressed for it, and had a wonderful time. Here are two of my favorite pictures.

We of course brought the pups, and they were wonderful. Aspen stayed by our side the whole time and Kodi just kept trotting slightly ahead leading the way. I tried to get a good picture of Kodi, but unfortunately, he is not very photogenic when he is excited. His ADD gets in the way, and there were a lot of distractions with the off trail climbing. There was only one close call for Kodi. During our off trail climbing, we encountered a road block and Kodi just jumped up on the rock. Well, once he was on top of the rock, he began sliding down. Luckily, with Casey yelling at him to "come," and me turning my head because I can't watch (some mom I am!) he managed to not fall off the cliff. Aspen wasn't as adventurous as Kodi, very unsure of her footing, being, for lack of a better term, a girl. She was still great, and I think this is one of the best pictures of her.



Since we bought our camera, I have wanted to learn how to use it. I thought that the 2 hour car ride was a great time to start doing so. I figured, if we bought this nice camera, let's actually use some of the functions. We knew that there was a river and a waterfall, so I read up on slow exposure. While there were many pictures of a target dog I had in my purse, the practice paid off! I was rather proud of myself for learning how to do it. While the pictures aren't perfect (we had to deal with a broken tripod, and I held my hand as still as I could) they will do.

We hope that everyone is enjoying they weather, wherever they may be. We are taking advantage of living with seasons. It may be cold sometimes, but there are still enjoyable things about living so far North! We hope to go back again this Winter to snow shoe.
Until Next Time...Enjoy Fall!

Learning How to Garden...The Northern Way

This spring, when we were re-landscaping our front area, I just had to have roses. I love everything about roses and wanted a couple of rose bushes of my own, that I could cut flowers an place on our table, and that I could simply enjoy for the couple of months that they would bloom. They grew quite a bit this past season, but I need to keep them alive (and warm) for the winter. This weekend it is supposed to snow, yes SNOW, so I had to get a move on trying to keep them alive. After many questions and research as to how to keep them alive I went to work yesterday. Here is what one of my beautiful rose bushes had grown into.

Then, came out the gardening shears. I had to clip all of the buds, which are now in our house decorating our dining room table. Then I had to trim the plant, so all of the fairly new stems were gone, and it looked a little healthy. After that was finished, I began to pull all of the leaves off of the stems! After being pricked with the thorns several times, I finally finished! The end product was rather bare and a little depressing knowing that winter is approaching, but I felt very accomplished as well. If I can keep these roses alive, I will be able to say I can garden!! Too bad I won't be able to tell until next spring...Until Next Time...

Marathon Number 2

Sunday, Casey ran in his second Twin Cities Marathon, which I have a feeling may become a yearly ritual. We woke up at five to drive down to the cities in 40 degree weather so Casey could run from Minneapolis to St. Paul. It was a perfect day for the race! It was a little overcast, but the sun peeked out a couple of times, shinning light on the beautiful course. I would love to train to run it one year... One thing I missed was the company this year for the race. Last year I had Pops, Mama Smith, and Jamie to bear the cold rainy weather with, but this year it was just Aspen and I standing cheering the runners on (dressed properly for the cold, which made a HUGE difference). I was very proud of myself for finding the two meeting spots along the course, but failed to find the GU that he had packed to throw to him! Aspen was an angel, which I was very pleased about considering our last race with both dogs, and she received many compliments as to how great she was. She just sat by my feet, looking for some chereois as a treat. Casey ended up beating his time last year by five minutes with a time of 3:22, so he was very pleased. and was even able to give two thumbs up as he was crossing the finish line. I was most pleased at the fact he finished and he wasn't a complete waste for the rest of the day. He actually stayed awake until ten! He did lay on the couch the whole time watching TV, while I decorated our house for Halloween, but he was stilll awake for me to talk to and admire my superior decorating skills.

The other exciting thing that happend after the race was I was able to meet one of my favorite television fitness trainers! That's right, Jillian Michael's was at the race answering fitness questions and taking pictures. Casey isn't fond of her method of training, but I think she's awesome! We even have her ifit boot camp work out for our treadmill. I was so thrilled to just meet her, partly because of the famous part, since I watch her on TV most Tuesday's but mainly because I think she is so down to earth and doesn't sugar coat stuff.
Well, the weather has finally turned cool, and will not becoming warm again for another 7 months. I will be packing away most of our warn weather clothes, and bringing out the sweaters. The leaves are changing, with the beautiful reds and oranges. We hope to go hiking this weekend, so hopefully I will have some pictures of Northern Minnesota's beautiful foliage. I think that this updates everyone on our adventures for this past week.Until Next Time...Go Gators! (It wasn't a coincidence they are Gator colors.)

My Perfect Day...

So, I usually never blog this often, but today was probably one of the most perfect days ever! I have realized how much I love to make things, and the way it makes you feel when you make something, and it turns out so stinkin' cute!! This weekend was the last weekend I had completely off before the baby shower, so I was finishing some last minute projects so this week I can clean, and the following one, cook! It started out with a quick workout, and then off to do errands. I went to Michael's, Joann's, and last but not least Target. I just can't stay away! I bought all the supplies I needed to finish my projects, and Casey even bought me my very own sewing machine. (My night will continue being perfect by testing out the new toy.)

When I came home, Jamie happened to be on Skype, so I was able to talk to her for a little bit, which was awesome. Even though I never really saw her before, being in a different country sure does make you miss someone even more. After our conversation, I played with the puppies, and then began working on my crafts! I finished up the diaper cake and made a wreath for the welcome sign. (It is missing a B, but the package only came with one of each letter..weird.) Here are the final products...

After that, I attempted to finish our bedroom. We have one wall in our room, that was just a blank space. I really wanted those wall adhesives, but could never find one that really explained what I wanted on a bedroom wall. Finally, I decided I would make my own. Casey was a little skeptical, but why should he ever doubt my artsy skills!! I only made it through the first line, but it looks perfect. The whole saying is, "Laugh as much as you breathe, and love as long as you live." The second line will be underneath with love and live in bold. :)
Today was just so wonderful, I had to tell everyone about it. I guess there may be a stay at home mom somewhere inside of me. ;) Now, off to sewing!
Until next time...

Celebrating in Florida

This past week, I was lucky enough to make it down to Florida for a couple of key events. We found out David and Danielle will be welcoming a baby girl in December, and we celebrated Jamie's 21st birthday. It was so wonderful to all be together, but of course I missed Casey, who was unable to make it down. Someone had to work!
I took Jamie out to Durty Nelly's and met up with Laura, which brought back all sorts of memories. I know I'm not that old, but going back to a college town, and reliving some of those memories, sure does make you feel old! It seems like just yesterday we were all sitting the front row at Durty Nelly's singing along to "You're an Asshole," Casey and David getting into some argument about a lot of nothing, Danielle and I sipping on our Malibu and Pineapple Juice. This time, I was standing in the back, being Sober Cab for Jamie! I loved every second of it, but it sure does make you think about how your priorities change.Now, I am back home, placing some final planning on Beth's baby shower!! I can't wait to show you all pictures of the things we will be doing. Only two weeks! I love to host parties, so I am so excited for 50 people to be coming to my house, and celebrating such an exciting time in our friends' life. But before that festivity, my dear friend Jess will be celebrating a huge milestone! Hunter turns one! He is one of the cutest kids, and such a ball of energy, so we will be going over to her house, to help her celebrate her son's birthday. It seems like there is always so much to do, but not enough time. (So I wrote this before we went, but our computer with all the pictures wasn't working, so I had to wait to publish it. Here is an adorable picture of Hunter!)
Finally, Casey has been waiting for 7 months for this one....Gator football has begun!!! The attitude around the house has changed, so long as the Gator's live up to the expectations. We will be representing well up here in Minnesota, as I know everyone will be down in Florida.
Until next time...(The best ending to any blog I have realized..)

Happy Birthday Aspen and me!

Things have been very busy as I was getting ready to fly to Florida for a celebration of events.  With Jamie's 21st and Baby Roo's announcement, it should be a great time with family.  But before I left, we celebrated a couple of birthdays of our own.  Aspen turned one on August 7th, and sticking with tradition, she had her first Guiness.  We decided not to give her a whole one as she isn't quite as big as Kodi was, so Kodi was able to celebrate the festivities as well.  It is amazing that we have had her for almost a year now, I miss the puppy stage when she was too small to eat everything in sight.  Maybe it is a yellow lab thing, but this dog canliterally eat anything you put in front of her.  She has gone through an ipod shuffle, 10 pairs of shoes, cd's, a cable cord, drywall, and an iron cord.  The list continues to grow, but hopefully will end soon.  Maybe she just has separation anxiety and will grow out of it.  

Then, Casey took off for my birthday and we had a wonderful hike and golf round.  Even though I wasn't that good, we had a great time and I hit some really good shots.  We went out to Granite City for dinner, which was absolutely delicious!  Casey had an unbelievable filet, which I of course stole bites of, and I had salmon with crab meat.  It was one of the very best meals that we have ever ha

d! Casey joined the Mug Club, which was an interesting debate as to what we thought the price was.  All in all, it was just a great time to

 spend together, and it made my 24th birthday very special.

A year went by...

It is hard to believe, but a whole year has passed since Casey and I made the big move to Minnesota. Time flies! Over the past year, we have experienced so many new and exciting things. We had a special person come with us for a brief time, which made it a little easier on weekends, but even harder to say goodbye in December. Then, winter came and we thought it would never end. I don't think it is possible for anyone to understand what negative 50 feels like until they experience it, but I tried to explain it to anyone who would listen. (A funny new bumper sticker for Minnesotans regarding global warming after this winter: "We are trying to make it warmer in Minnesota!") It was an awesome experience, many times frustrating, and new excitement living where it snows. We purchased our first home and continue to make it our own. I would say that summer came, but I don't really think that it ever did, especially since it is still only 70 degrees, but we did get many visitors which made it worthwhile. Seeing everyone makes us miss Florida, but then we have so many new stories and friends to share things with. Casey is working hard and doing well with MarineMax. He has so many ideas and I know that he will be doing great things in the near future! As for me, I am still with Target, loving it a little more everyday, and currently seeking the Pharmacy Team Lead position. While I would relocate to a different store, I have faith that the friends I have made will continue to be there for me. There are also so many exciting things coming up ahead and while I would say we can't wait, we can, because we are enjoying the moment we are living in. We look forward to having Thanksgiving at our home, the little niece or nephew in December, the wedding in February, hopefully a little one of our own in the Spring, and of course Beach Week at Crescent. This next year is going to be full of adventure!

50K...and a couple other things

So, I know it has been way too long since I have updated this thing, but I finally had a moment to write about everything I have wanted...so here it goes!

The weather is beautiful right now, so Casey and I have been trying to enjoy as much of the outdoors as we possibly can! Many days we spend working in the yard and playing fetch with the dogs. It is also nice that it doesn't get dark until 10 o'clock!! That way when we come home, there is still plenty of time to be outside. Kodi is still the big baby he has always been and tends to over heat because of his thick dark coat, so I decided to purchase him a little 10 dollar pool (which we discovered today has blown away). He was so excited and eventually Aspen even came around. I think she is more afraid of water than Kodi since we had to give her baths so often in the cold when she was a puppy since Kodi marked her every day! She kept trying to eat the shapes on the inside of the pool. But they didn't pop it, so that was impressive!
Then we had David and Danielle up for what was supposed to be a lovely visit, until they brought the rain with them! It was great to see them and catch up on life, like old times! Boy do I miss our weekly dinners Danielle! Other than the rain, it was wonderful. And just a side note, it hasn't even rained since that weekend! I can't wait to see you guys again in August!

Finally, the main purpose for this blog, the 50K. I don't think I will ever understand what possesses anyone, especially the Smith family (Pops, I blame you), to love running so much, that you want to run 31 miles. But, Casey did this past weekend. Although I didn't understand it, and had two pain in the butt dogs to take care of for 7 hours (bring on the kids, I bet it will be easier!), I was very proud of my husband when he crossed the finish line. I was there waiting and cheering him on to finish his first ultra. Even though it took him a little long than he wanted, without training, I don't think he could have asked to do much better. He was in the top 100 and I had a great time exploring the paths of the St. Croix river. It was a beautiful setting, just an extremely tough course. We were looking at the map and noticed that in a span of 3 miles, he climbed a 500 ft elevation twice and within the first 9 minutes of the race, he climbed 500 ft. On the website, they give you an elevation map and the quote says "Believe us when we tell you, it's worse than it looks!" which is rather amusing. Here are before and after pictures, I'm sure you can tell the difference...
Until next time, we hope everyone is doing well, and will try to update a little more often!

Our felon of a dog...

So many already know the story of little ol' Aspen, but for those of you who haven't, let me enlighten you. For those of you have met Aspen, you would probably agree that she is one of the laziest dogs ever. She sleeps all the time, loves to cuddle, and every once in a while gets a little hyper. Well, we were lucky enough to already have an electric fence in our yard when we purchased the house, so all we had to do was buy a couple of collars. Considering the last post, Aspen being a bad ass and all, she doesn't exactly care about the dinky ol' fence. She has come to realize that if she runs fast enough, it really doesn't hurt all that bad. Unfortunately, we have neighbors who's children are deathly afraid of dogs, and one morning, apparently Apen "attacked" her 8 year-old granddaughter. When really, the little girl was afraid, ran the opposite way, and fell down. Now, I don't have any experience with the law, but I am pretty sure using inappropriate verbage is a fraudulent accusation, and has anyone ever heard of a pur-bred lab "attacking" anything other than a bird? Our two-year old neighbor isn't even afraid of her! So, after I left for work, and Casey is about to walk out the door, he gets a pleasant visit from the police. Oh yes, the crazy African woman called the cops on Aspen! Not even Kodi! The police informed Casey that Aspen is the "aggressor" and needs to be under voice command or on a leash. This has slightly put a damper on letting the dogs run around, and I am dreading the winter, but all in all, at least we didn't have to go to court. So now the joke at work is that we have a felon dog...here is her mug shot.

We love visitors!

So I apologize for really slacking on updating the blog. We have been busy with all the visitors, and have thoroughly enjoyed their company. We first had Jamie up here, which was a wonderful surprise when she got out of the truck with Casey to surprise me. I was so excited to see her! I am disappointed we didn't take more pictures, but we loved just hanging out like old times with her. Sitting on the couch, making fun of Casey...the usual. Then, my daddy came to visit. He helped us finish the outdoor lights, put in a new kitchen sink (which is awesome!), and changed Casey's brakes. He and Casey played some horseshoes to close out the night. I loved having my dad here, but of course am sad to see him go. At least this time I know he's sneaking out tomorrow morning. That's really all that is new with our lives up here. We are settling into being married, and owning a home, which seems to be your new project every day. We are also enjoying the unbelievable weather. For the first time this year, we hit 80 degrees at around 6 this evening. The only other thing that is new is my bike!! I must admit, it is pretty kick butt. Casey brought it home last week, and surprised me. We went on a 10 mile bike ride that night, before I went to work all night!
PS....Aspen is a bad ass...for lack of better words.

Happy Earth Week!

Today is the first day of Earth Week and we just wanted to remind everyone to start making small changes each day to make a difference. Since Casey and I moved up to Minnesota, we have been trying to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint. No more plastic bottles or bags, all fluorescent light bulbs, shorter showers, we are even starting to grow our own veggies! They are starting to sprout, which we are very excited about. Unfortunately, we can only enjoy them during the summer months, but even just a few months can help. There is a great carbon footprint quiz online at: http://earthday.net/footprint. While I know everything isn't possible, it is a great wake up call, and it explains how you specifically can change some things to reverse your footprint. I love this year's Earth Day poster, as it reminds me of a Planet Earth episode where the Polar Bear could not find food because the ice was melting too early. Remember, take care of your environment, all our children have to deal with what we leave them. Now that we know the effects of our actions, we can stop and reverse them.

Interacting with the Locals

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter. Casey and I spent our first holiday as a married couple grilling burgers and playing a board game. Scrabble, in case anyone was wondering, and I, of course won, also in case anyone was wondering. The Easter bunny was very good to Casey, and even left a few treats for us to share (also known as I bought some treats for myself).
Now, for the real purpose of writing tonight's blog, Casey and I wanted to share the two significant events with the locals that we thought everyone would enjoy. As I mentioned in the previous blog, Casey and I ventured to St. Lucia, and had the opportunity to interact with the locals on two separate occasions. The first true interaction was on our taxi ride, where we saw the beautiful island of St. Lucia. On the way up the winding mountain our taxi driver pulls over to the side of the road and this is the character we met. He had a boa constrictor pinned against the mountain, and if we tipped him, we could take his picture. Well, we of course couldn't resist this picture of a thousand words. He even offered to allow us to hold the snake, but Casey had enough. Especially since he held the snake's mouth about 2 inches away from his face, arm, and leg on countless occasions.
On our last day at the resort, we ran out of cash, but still wanted a few more souvenirs. Let me preface this trade that will occur...the first day we were in St. Lucia, Casey wears his board shorts. These aren't just any board shorts, these are the "Bob Marley" board shorts that all the locals comment on. So, since we spent all our money on the horseback riding on the beach (much to Casey's enjoyment) and the taxi around the island, we needed something to barter with that they would want. We tried a bottle of the "local viagra," which was a bottle of rum that we won the night before in karaoke, but that didn't work. So, we pulled out the shorts. At first, he was a little hesitant, but in the end he couldn't resist the "Bob Marley" shorts, who? Casey was sad to part with the shorts, but it was so worth the story.

We're Hitched!

As many of you know, Casey and I were finally hitched a little more than a week ago. While nothing really went according to the countless hours of planning, it was perfect. The 30 mph wind, the sunny day, the wedding party, the guests, and family made everything exactly what Casey and I always wanted. I want to thank everyone who was apart of this special day. I know I have said all of this before, but thank you. Thank you to Jamie for planning so much stuff that I don't think I will ever know how hard she worked. Thank you to Danielle for being by my side, despite our differences, but the day made us closer than before. I can't wait for our future and nieces and nephews. Thank you to Missy for being apart of the day and understanding my crazy side, your bachelorette party will be next girl...get ready. Thank you to the entire rest of the wedding party, it wouldn't have been as much fun without everyone. Thank you to both of our parents who worked so hard preparing, and making sure things were as perfect for us as possible. Well, enough of the thank yous...

After the wedding, we went to the beautiful island of St. Lucia, and had a wonderful time. We survived the crazy taxi rides, went to the only drive-in volcano in the world that smelled like rotten eggs, went horseback riding on the beach, had massages, and just enjoyed the first week of married life. We even mastered the art of bartering with the locals for some souvenirs. Here are a couple of pictures to show you a glimpse of the fun and love we shared and will continue to share for a lifetime.

With this ring, I, Casey Smith, vow to take Rebecca Edwards, the love of my life, and the girl who rescued me from myself, for eternity. I promise to be the rock when you need me to and the water when you need to drift away. I promise to always do everything in my power to give you all you deserve, mentally, physically, emotionally, and with any luck, materially. I promise to be the husband you have always dreamed of and more. With you in my life, I have become complete, there is no on in the world I would rather be spending this moment with than you.
As we stand here today, I, Rebecca Ashley Edwards, give my heart to you, Casey Taylor Smith. I promise to uphold every value we have built, and will continue to build as a family. I promise to love you endlessly and unconditionally. I promise to be the one you can turn to when things just aren't going right. I promise to make you proud as we build a life together. I promise to always be the person you fell in love with, even when I am a little older, a little wiser, and little grayer. I promise to stand by you even if I don't necessarily agree, because from this day forward we will be a team starting a new journey on our own. From "Sleeping to Dream," to "Somebody Loved," I will love you forever.

We have neighbors!?

Today is the reason people live in Minnesota. It was one of the most beautiful days I have ever seen. It made me completely forget that for the past five and a half months, we haven't seen temperatures above fifty. After coming home from work, we took the dogs on a walk and just enjoyed our deck, and the beautiful view, which I am sure you can see! How wonderful is it that we can look at that and not have to drive anywhere. The dogs loved every second of it, and the temperatures are just a reminder that spring is on it's way! While we are looking forward to coming home, it is sad that we have to leave during this beautiful weather.
On a side note, last weekend, Casey and I ran in a race for the first time since the Marathon, and the first time for me in a year and a half! It was so much fun!! I can't wait for more races this summer. I did beat my last race time by a whole minute, which is pretty impressive for the 30 degree drop in temperature, and my head cold. However, by beating this time, Casey promised me money to go shopping!! He is already learning how to motivate me, this will be a match made in heaven! This is a picture of us after we ran, so pardon the no makeup and the hairdo.

Let it snow.....and snow....and snow!

Lately, it has been a warmer Minnesota winter, but yesterday we were slowly welcomed to the beginnings of spring. Thank goodness it is coming! After going ice fishing last weekend, which I will have to update everyone on, yesterday was every little kid's dream. Schools closed in anticipation of the 10 inches we were supposed to get, wich began "dumping" around noon. (For all you southerner's dumping means to snow a lot to us northerners.) While I think it ended up being only about 8 inches, it was still A LOT of the powery white stuff. Casey had a blast shoveling the driveway, since he couldn't even make it into the garage with his jeep. I am so thankful I had to work a little bit later than him!!
Later on, we were watching the news, to see if we could expect any more snow in the forcast, and they began talking about being "heart healthy" while shoveling the snow. Apparently yesterday's snowfall was a very wet one. The snow contained about a 4 to 1 ratio of air to water. They did a very scientific test on Karr 11 and figured that a mere 6 inches of snow, was equivelent to receiving an inch and a half of rain! That's what we have to shovel off the driveway. How do people get fat up here?? And the next morning I remember because I am awoken to the sound of our neighbor's snow blower.
Only 19 more days.....(for me anyways)....until warmth and family!

Eating Contest

I just wanted to brag and tell everyone that I beat Casey in a small eating contest. He will claim that I didn't because he is a sore loser, but we will all know the truth. Casey made delicious chili for dinner, what a good man, and while we were waiting for it to simmer, we had an eating contest with saltines....ten in 1 minute without drinking water. While we didn't even get close to the 10, I ate 1 more than Casey within the time limit. That's right....I ate five, while little ol' Casey could only put down four. How sad is that?!?! He again was beat by a girl. Haha.

For Jamie...

At the request of Jamie, I decided to write about Casey's new toy. Casey decided to purchase a training collar for the dogs. It is one of the craziest things you have seen. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the dogs learning from "stimulation," but you will definitely get the idea. Casey of course wants his dogs to be the best at everything, so we are training them like hunting dogs. Aspen is of course smarter than Kodi, being a girl and all, so she is learning quickly. But enough of my dog is smarter than his, let me explain what happens. We put the collar around the dogs' waist and say, "sit." Well, both dogs know sit, but sit is supposed to mean stay as well in the hunter's vocabulary. So, here we are in the front yard with a bright orange collar around Aspen's waist getting her to sit as soon as the command is stated and she does not move a step after. She almost just walks around dragging her butt, which is a humorous sight to see. The dogs don't seem to mind it, but I can't seem to get it out of my mind that we press a button and it sends "stimulation" to them. We basically have a remote control shock collar.
On a side note, Minnesota is treating us very well. This weekend was beautiful! It was so funny to wake up on Saturday morning, and everyone is outside. For the first time, we met our neighbors when we took the dogs on a walk around the neighborhood. We are looking forward to more of the warm weather that should be coming our way in the next two months!!

Surviving the Cold

So. this week, I wanted to share what the Minnesota weather has been like. Up until about three days ago, Casey and I thought it wasn't so bad, and quite frankly all these Minnesotans were a little bit of wusses. Well, we were wrong, they were all just in a bad mood because they knew what was coming. If anyone watches the world news, I'm sure you heard about the front that made its way from Alaska to the wonderful state of Minnesota. This front decided to hang out for a little bit (about 90 hours to be exact) and make our lives miserable!! My first experience with it is when my gas tank almost froze over. I like to push my car and wait to get gas even after the light has come on, but up here in the cold country, you can't do that, because your gas tank will freeze. That morning, I broke down and filled up my tank, since I didn't want to be stranded on the road in negtive FIFTY wind chill....and no need to double take that temperature, because I will gladly say it again...NEGATIVE FIFTY!! The moral of this story is don't push your car to the limits in the cold, it just can't handle it. Luckily, that front is gone after spending 90 hours in below zero weather, we are back to normal with beautiful snow flurries, and the warm weather of 20 degrees. And for all of you Floridians, no one better complain to us that it is cold. :)

Taking advantage of the sun! - and GO GATORS!

This weekend Casey, the dogs, and I decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather we were having and go on a hike. While it was a little cold (about 20 degrees) it was so much fun! For those of you that know us, you know Casey and I love the outdoors, and love to hike. Well, this time was no different. It was amazing to see the snow cover the trees, and ever cooler to see the lakes and river frozen. While the river was mostly frozen, there were a few thin spots where Kodi and Aspen fell in, but not to worry, it is only about an inch deep. I, of course, start freaking out, until I realize they are fine, and love every bit of it. As we were hiking up a path, that is definately harder to do in the snow, we get a glimse of one of the largest white tails we have ever seen. Unfortunately, we were not prepared, and missed a picture, but Kodi was definately on it's scent. Casey and Kodi went to look for it while Aspen and I took a break, and just enjoyed the solitude. Sometimes you forget how beautiful nature is, until you take a minute to just stop and take it all in. We are looking forward to going again, prehaps after next week, when the high is below zero. Until then, hopefully you enjoy the pictures... And yes, that is Aspen walking Kodi. As we all know, women are the bosses!

On a side note, as many know, the gators did play and win the national championship. We just wanted to let everyone know they were represented well up here in Minnesota. Lots of phone calls home, and even a few brewsky's were accounted for. I even rubbed it in at work, since most of them were rooting for the sooners. They didn't have much to say that Friday morning. :)

Happy New Year!

After a long and busy holiday season, it is finally back to normal. Don't get me wrong, we loved almost every second of it! We had our wedding shower with friends and family. Then, we ate Christmas Eve dinner at my cousins house. We woke up early to go open presents at my parents house,so we could get back just in time to open presents at the Smith house. Santa was very good to us at both houses, we have never felt luckier. It was wonderful to see Casey's grandparents Mama Jean and Papa, since we don't get to see everyone that often anymore. While we left just before the new year came in, Pops came up to drive Jamie's car back to Florida on New Year's Day. It was great to spend time with just him and be able to talk to him about everything. We had a wonderful time with his short visit, but it was hard to say goodbye in the morning. This year was a little harder to say goodbye, since we knew we wouldn't be seeing our family in 3 months, but living so far away also allows us to appreciate everyone just a little bit more. We appreciate what everyone did for us this year, and hope this new year treats everyone with as much love, health, and happiness as it has us so far. We look forward to seeing everyone in March, for the big celebration, until then, let's remember not to sweat the small stuff! Things could always be a little worse.