The Joys of Raising an Adolescent Puppy

Sparky is about ten months old, and after talking to a few pup experts, we have discovered he is in his teenage years.  Over the last few weeks, Sparky has been testing us.  We tell him to Sit, he will walk away.  He barks at people he knows, he is starting now to chew on things and chases the cats.  It has been a little stressful.

We met with our friend Karla,  who is a dog trainer.  Over the next few weeks,  we will be working with her to get Sparky back on track.  First things first,  Sparky isn't sleeping in the bed :(

Will keep you posted on the Sparky progress.

Sparky chewing his bed... Or Exhibit A

Mudrun, Hockey, Bethel Island and More!

I realized, it has been a while since I posted.  So let me catch you up on some recent adventures.

Steve and I did a Mud Run last weekend.  It was the Rock N' Mud run (http://www.gladiatorrocknrun.com).  Sadly, because of the drought we are in, they had a lot of restrictions on water usage, and it was mostly a dust run.  They had mud at the end of the race which was actually refreshing since it was a little cold.

If you have ever been to Joseph D Grant park, you know - there is NO SHADE there at all.  It was trail running at its best.  Obstacles included:

1. Burpees with a cinderblock
2. Rope climb
3. Net Climb
4. Carrying bags of rice
5. Carrying tires
6. Carrying wood with a team
7. Crawling in mud, and under nets
8. Climbing up walls
9. Monkey bars, and more

More tough than the obstacles was just the trail running (or walking... as we did at times).  There is some pretty good elevation, steep climbs, lots of dust and loose dirt, and like I mentioned, no shade.

Steven of course rocked the course and helped push me through some of the obstacles.  I was really proud I made it through the monkey bars.  In past mud runs, I always seem to fall after the first few bars.  

I am not sure we will do this one again, but we both agree, we love Mud Runs and need to do them more often!

After the mud run, we rushed home and cleaned up quickly - we had a birthday hockey game to attend for Steve!  This was my first time playing with majority of advance hockey players.  It was a lot of fun but really challenging.  Our legs were already sore from the mud run earlier, but somehow we survived it and had a great game that night.

This weekend, the girls and I went to Bethel Island for some sun & waves!  Such a great time!  We enjoyed kayaking along the Delta.  This year we went a lot of father.  Boy, our arms were sore after!  We also got to enjoy some boating, where we go to wake board, water ski and tube.  

Up, Up and Away

For Steve's birthday I bought him a flying lesson over the Peninsula.  It was amazing.  I wasn't sure if I was going to go with him, I have a fear of flying.  I am so glad I decided to go.  Steve did a great job flying the plane and even landing it!  Here is some pics of our beautiful Bay Area:

Right before take off

Taking off, aim for the sky!

Our house is below us

Our camping weekend!

This past weekend Steve and I decided to take Sparky camping.  We decided to stay local, and went to Lake Del Valle in Livermore.  

The weekend started off a little late.  I got home late from work Friday, and by the time I got home we still had packing to do.  No matter how much prep work is done, there is always more to do.  I have to give it to Steve... He did a great job preparing for the trip.  We arrived at camp a little before 9pm.  We were able to set up camp pretty quickly.  Dinner was fantastic.  We had chicken and vegetables cooked in foil, marinated in garlic and lemon.  So tasty.

Sparky had a rough first night.  He was on high alert all the time.  He whined and growled a lot.  Trying to sleep that night was challenging, Sparky seemed to wake up with any noise he heard.

Saturday we had some great hikes!  The hikes there had a lot of rolling hills, so it was a good challenge.  Sparky loves hiking.  We were also able to get some fishing in.  Steve was not able to catch anything, but still enjoyed fishing.  I didn't get as much reading as I would have liked but overall it was nice.

Our dinner Saturday was also great!  Trout!  Yum!  Did I mention our dessert?  We ate bananas split and stuffed with marshmallows and chocolate chips, and cooked over the fire.  Soooooo good.

It was sad packing up Sunday.  But we were able to get another hike in and two more fishing hours.  

Overall,  a great weekend!  We think Sparky needs to try again.  I also want to try some backpacking.  I hadn't camped in 20 years, I couldn't believe how much fun I had.

Enjoying a hike

Fishing!

Somebody is tired