And I Was Doing So Well.....

I was doing so well!  I had a sort of rhythm going for updating the blog!  And then I fell off the wagon again.  It's just one of those things.  Life gets crazy and busy, and the blog falls by the way side.  Eh.  It is what it is.  But I'm motivated to get my butt back into gear and we'll see how much I can keep this puppy rolling (admittedly, I've been slightly better about updating Miley's FB page).  I'm full of vim and vigor after a fun holiday season and I've had a lot going on dog-wise that has gotten me more pumped and wanting to dog geek out all over the place!  Life is busy and hectic at times, but thankfully all in a good way.  So lets try to sum up the past six months, shall we?

It was a long hot summer that saw lots of time spent at Hagg Lake.  Lots!  Miley was sooooo close to swimming.  So close!  But it didn't actually happen.  That's okay, I've got a plan and I'm bound and determined for 2016 to be her year for swimming. ;)

In July, we had a house guest for a couple of weeks, Delorean.  This brought home for me the fact that while Miley is handling being an only child well enough, she would prefer not to be. :-/ Our training sessions had been struggling with her going into season for the first time, going through a false pregnancy and then the loss of Heffner.  It was a lot of changes going on that threw that little girl for a loop.

September saw Miley's first camping trip at the Cove Palisades State Park.  She learned about x-pens, tents, and how awesome camping is!  Oh yeah, and how to back out of a martingale collar and go cavorting through a campground (thankfully a not super full campground).  I was less than pleased by this, but she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself.  We hiked at one of my favorite places in central Oregon, Smith Rock State Park.  Fun fact, my dad was the park manager when I was little and we actually lived inside the park for five years!  Yes, I had a pretty awesome childhood. :)

September also saw Miley getting her very first point towards her AKC conformation championship!  She then went on to get another point in October!

October was a pretty busy month.  I realized that I hadn't "desensitized" Miley to all manner of things that Heffner and Bess had to put up with and I decided to rectify that.  You know, by doing things like dressing her up and exposing her to weirdly moving toys. :)

As you can tell, she loved every minute of it. ;) October also finally started cooling off enough that I could start taking her on group hikes again!  Finally!  First order of business was Mirror Lake to Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain.  Miley is finally getting to that age where she starts to naturally pose for pictures that I so badly want to snap of her.  She's not holding these poses super long, but I'm trying to be faster at nabbing these pictures.

November was a little stressful for me with some work deadlines and trying to prepare for the holidays.  My December was already pretty solidly booked, so I had a lot to accomplish during the month of November.  Miley and I settled for close to home hikes to relieve a little stress on my part and we had a fun Thanksgiving with my family down in Silverton.  We even got down there early enough on Thanksgiving to get in a hike with my dad!

Which brings us to December.  My most favorite month of the entire year. :) I love Christmas.  I love the warm fuzzy feelings.  My favorite colors are even red and green (no joke).  I love the music.  I love the decorations.  I love it all!  But seriously, this month is a freaking sprint from the beginning to Christmas and I am ready to collapse!  I love it all and wouldn't trade any of the activities or time spent with family and friends.  I'm just really tired now. :) Miley got to go on some fun little outings and we headed down to my parents' on Christmas Eve to hang out, enjoy the holiday and harass them into Christmas morning. :)

So happy holidays everyone!  We're back!  I've got plans and things to announce and am feeling rejuvenated for blogging and chatting about what we're doing training wise and in life in general.  Here's to keeping the momentum going and to a wonderful 2016 if I don't get a chance to blog before then!