Wedding pictures are in!

They will be posted on Shutterfly so you can order which ever ones you like this week! I'll post a slide show up here and some more of our favorites when I get the chance (hopefully this week).

Leavenworth Oktoberfest 2012

This year, Sean and I headed up to a famous Oktotberfest in Leavenworth, Washington.  The drive was a harrowing evening through the mountains. Between the construction (blasting they are doing to widen the 2 lane highway) and the new light rain, the white knuckle 4 hour drive was an adventure in and of itself! Sean drove nearly all of the way up, and I drove nearly all of the way back.
 On the drive up, we learned the cabin we'd booked with friends for the weekend had been double booked. So instead of a luxury cabin, we ended up staying at a large house with an amazing view. Sure, we didn't have a hot tub, and the area was too dry for a fire, but it was a stunning retreat that immediately had me thinking that it would be a perfect writing retreat.
  We checked in around 10pm on our first night and enjoyed some wine and chocolate before crawling into bed.
  Later that night, our friends arrived (another married couple) and we helped them find the way and come in. Once we were all moved in and comfortable, we went to bed because we had a big day coming up. Oktoberfest awaits!
To check out more (and lots of photos) about our Oktoberfest adventure in Leavenworth - Click here and Here to be redirected to my personal blog.

Hope everyone had an awesome October!
 

Extreme Mud Run 5k

On October 6th, Sean and I (and pretty much the rest of his division) took part in a great obstacle course through woods and field, mud pits, and obstacles built (and manned) by Marines.

It was a TON of fun and really started off the day well! The course included obstacles ranging from wall crawls to a 1/4 mild mud crawl (and they aren't kidding when they say "crawl"). We made a pretty good showing of ourselves. (Even as the only girl, Jaime didn't come in last!)

Jaime was the only Navy wife who attended and we both decided it was a great way to spend a day together. Those gals who didn't want to get muddy sure missed out!

Meet Odin - the Newest Member of our Family!

We've been talking about getting a 2nd dog for a year now.  Clydas is a Boxer and the average boxer lifespan is considered about 9 1/2 years. While Clydas is still VERY spry at his ripe old age of 8, we wanted to get a 2nd dog in time for Clydas to enjoy the company, and for him to help "train" his younger brother. 

Sean wanted a "big fuzzy dog". I wanted a large breed. We bounced around a bit and considered several breeds. Top on the list were Malamutes and NAID (Native American Indian Dogs). But when Odin turned up at a local shelter, we decided to take a look at the Great Pyrenese. While originally bred to guard livestock, we dug a little deeper and found that they are actually more like bigger, hairer Golden Retrievers. At least our Odin is! He loves everyone that is invited in and the only thing daunting about him MIGHT be his size. (He 75lbs already - but only expected to fill out from this point on.)

We felt even better about adopting through the Humane Society. To get our paws hands on an NAID, we'd have to order a puppy online through a breeder in California. They are pretty rare dogs still and neither of us (or our wallets) felt good about that situation. We're very much of the opinion that there is a heart connect that doesn't occur with all relationships and the waters should be tested whenever possible.

And that's pretty much how Odin came into our lives. After hearing about him online, we decided to go visit him. He was actually out at a local PetSmart at an adoption booth the Humane Society was putting on. So after visiting the Humane Society itself and not seeing him, we made a swing by the PetsMart. We actually caught up with him just as he was about to leave and go back to the Humane Society. We met him - and within 10 minutes he was leaning on Sean, tail wagging, and already looking quite at home. We started the adoption paperwork and asked them to hold him for a day.

The next day, we visited him and brought Clydas along. If the boys hit it off, it was kismet! They walked side by side for a few minutes and, when given leave, immediately did play bows and started to box and play with each other.

Bingo!

So now that Odin's been with us for a week, he completely feels like part of the family. He's already fixed, has obedience pretty much down pat, is well socialized, currently on antibiotics (a touch of sinusitis), and we're learning all about the joys of housekeeping with a big hairy dog around! (Let's just say, the 6+ year old Orek is really proving it's worth and is getting a GREAT work out every other day!) When we got him, we were warned about his resource guarding (meaning he'd guard food, water, and toys if allowed to). We nipped that in the bud and he's actually doing great, able to share a water ball with Clydas during the days as well without incident!

Odin is made for cold weather, so he's loving the cooler fall days, and will probably have great fun when it starts to snow this winter.  Clydas has regained lots of his puppy energy - in fact, he usually STILL outlasts the pup!

Clydas and Odin

So here are our good boys, showing off their awesome sit behavior. 

DCA day, Hen Night, and Trader Sam's Sip n' Snack!

Check out my side of the day here!

 

Wedding Recap Poptastic style, Part 2!

Just in case you haven't checked it out yet, part 2 is up today- Click here to see more of the great photos by Jenna Henderson at White Rabbit Boutique!

Future blogs include:

Extremely muddy fun, weekend pottery, and a NEW family member! Stay tuned!

Lots of Links - Wedding and Extreme Mudder Race!

  Hi all!
I have about 4 posts in "draft" mode, nearly ready to post, but this one seemed the easiest to throw up and I know so many of you are aching for wedding photos.

We've been featured on Poptastic Bride!

To be included with these amazingly creative brides and grooms is quite an honor!

Click here to see the blog post (which is FULL of pictures!)

Part 2 will be featured on Monday on the same blog!

In other news - Sean and I will be competing in the Poulsbo Extreme Mudder 5k TOMORROW!

Click here to see some photos from the course as it comes along,
Look for videos and photos from our racing experience next week!