Last week end I had the great opportunity of running the Seattle Rock n Role half marathon, with my two sister's Sandi, and Jaime. It was an exciting time especially because this was Sandi's first full marathon! She was supposed to run the marathon with me last year but had to watch from the side lines because of an injury. Also this was Jaime's first "real" race that she had been in. Jaime signed up for the full, but had pulled her quad in April and was going to see how it felt. So as luck would have it we were all in the same starting corral! Number 14! After an early rise, and eating our power snacks, and Sean dropping us off at the start, we found ourselves in #14 with about 30 thousand other runners all excited, adrenaline pumping ready to start! We were together as sisters and it was really exciting. As soon as the gun went off, we were off! Jaime and Sandi both run a much faster pace than I do, so I soon saw them both disappear into the distance, which was fine. I new that was going to happen, and we all agreed to run our own race. i was just so excited for us all to be there. Jaime did the half, she finished about 1:40, I can't remember exactly, and Sandi did the full in about 4:22. Which she would've done better, but her knee gave out on her around mile 22, and she had to walk just about a mile, then she was able to run the rest of the way. Mom and Dad were there to watch us all cross the finish line, so that was fun, and I finished the half in 2:10. Which I'm happy with.
This is Hershey. The Sunday I was still in Seattle, my friend Annette Deakins asked me if we could watch their dog while they went on a family vacation. So they brought her over on Tuesday, and we would have her till Saturday. We put her in one of the Kennel runs out side by the other dogs. Annette was hoping to get her used to other big dogs, because her experience with them so far has not been a good one. So we let her out and she ran around, and just to be on the safe side I put her on a leash while I let the big dogs out. Which are Cody, Velvet, Mocha, and Buster. I wasn't too worried about my dogs just because I know they wouldn't hurt her but, I just wanted to have some control over the situation, and didn't want Hershey running off. She's a very small dog. All went well with our first encounter with the big dogs. Mocha seemed very interested in her and wanted to play, with this little toy dog, but Hershey just snapped at her and wouldn't let her near. The other dogs just kinda ignored her after they all came around and said hi with a sniff of her back side. I don't understand why dogs have to do that. I'm so glad we don't have to say hi to someone like that! Anyway. After about an hour we put all the dogs away and went about our day. I had to prop up the kennel dog door because Hershey wasn't strong enough to push the door open so she could go in and out. Inside I had bowls for her food and water, and gave her a nice bed to sleep on and also a Sponge Bob toy to chew, and play with. She was fine that night. Didn't hear a peep out of her, and I checked on her the next morning. I had some errands to run in town, and Bret had the day off. When I came home Bret was doing the chores and all he dogs were out running around. I went into the house and was going to go check on Hershey when Bret came into the house and said "What's that dogs name again? I can't find her." I freaked! "You let her out????? and didn't watch her or put her on a leash?????!!!!!! Oh my gosh she could be anywhere!!!!!!" I was thinking this dog hasn't even been here 24 hours and we've already lost her!!!! We all go outside and start calling and calling and she isn't anywhere to be seen. I walk down the dirt road calling for her and praying out loud at the same time. "Please let us find her, don't let her run onto the hi-way and get hit by a car or lost in the corn field!" She was in a strange place and would have no idea how to find her way back again!!! We search and search with no luck, then I hear Ben yell "There she is!" We all run to the big pine trees in the back yard where Ben saw her running, and she heads out into the soybean field. After another hour or so of no sign of her, Sam sees her running west in the bean field, Bret and Ben take after her running and calling her. She's a fast little dog and neither one can keep up with her, and she disappears again. Now it's like 90 degrees and very humid so we were all hot and tired. Bret and I get into his truck with the binoculars, and go drive up and down the roads around this 80+ acre field. The soy beans aren't tall enough yet to cover Hershey but they do make it hard to see her. We had no luck. Couldn't see her anywhere. I'm thinking she's gone forever, and I'm going to have to somehow tell my best friend that I've lost her dog! I was going over and over in my mind different ways to tell her, none of which sounded good, and I thought how rude it would be to just text her that way I wouldn't have to "hear" her crying her eyes out! I was thinking also, 'Why isn't Heavenly Father answering my prayer?! We have to find this dog, I'm doing everything I can to find her, and why isn't He making her stop running so we can get to her, or guiding her back to our house right now!' Bret didn't want to spend his whole day off looking and chasing after this dog, and I didn't want him to have to either. So still praying in my heart, and telling all the kids to pray, we went about our day. I went outside about every half hour to call her and see if I could see her, still worrying my head off of what I was going to tell Annette. After dinner Bret went out on the back deck and there she was sitting in the back yard! He called very nicely to her and walked towards her and she took off again out into the field. Bret yells at me that he had seen her and to come out and walk on the road to cut her off. Well after Bret ran after her she with the speedy little legs was gone again. I was not happy! How could he lose her again! I was more mad at Bret than the dog, because this was all his fault!!!! So I suggested since she did find her way back once she could do it again. But how are we going to catch her. She won't let us near her. We have a big live trap that we've used on occasion to catch bad animals getting into our pigeon pen, and I suggested we put that out in the back yard and maybe we could catch her in that! So we set it up, and I put some cheese and pizza crusts in it to lure her in. Then we went into the house and waited. It was getting dark and I was worried for that little dog out side in the dark all by herself, hoping nothing would eat her, or run over her. I went out on the deck to look around and was talking to Amber, when I looked over at the dog kennel and thought I saw a little brown dog standing in there. I said to Amber "Is she standing in there?" I couldn't see very well because it was getting dark, so I walked a little closer and saw that it was her standing in there! I yelled to Amber "She IS in there!!!" I ran over to the kennel before she could run out again and shut the gate! She looks at me and then runs inside and peaks her head out the little door. I was both happy and angry at this little dog, also extremely relieved and thankful!!!!! She had made it back safe and sound, and I could now tell Annette she was home safe and not to worry. Bret had been texting her, asking for advice on how to catch her, because I couldn't tell her that I wasn't doing a very good job at watching her dog. So now every time I see a Hershey Bar its going to remind me of my adventure with this little brown dog.
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