Doggie Bath Time

Saturday was a nice hot, sunny summer day. The perfect weather for a front yard bath for the dogs. It's funny because they both love the water and love to swim, but get so nervous and antsy when it's time for a bath. I guess water is more fun when it's on their terms!

Jonah was the first to get a bath. He was shaking like a leaf when Bryan started to hose him down. Smile, Jonah!

my soapy labrador

scrub a dub dub, or maybe it should be scrub a dog dog

Next up was Hannah. She HATES getting baths, but I'll have to admit that she did really well this time. Usually she runs and hides under the truck when we pull out the hose, but this time she only tried to escape once.

The escape attempt. She thinks we don't notice her slowly inching her way away from us!

She loves to play in the towel.

After their baths they are both really frisky and love to run around the yard like maniacs. A refreshing bath has got to feel good on their skin (and it definitely is better on OUR noses).

Time to chew on some sticks as we dry off. Thanks for giving us a bath Dad!

Smile, Salem!

I went to visit the Mauldins on Saturday and asked Lauren to snap a picture of me and Salem. We gave it three tries before she started to get fussy...

Attempt #1

Attempt #2

Attempt #3

Oh well, maybe next time! Too bad I didn't get a picture of her big smiles when I was playing with her after this. She is such a sweet baby and she sure does love her new swing! Can't say I blame her because it looks so relaxing :)

Lunch with Keli and Cecilia

Today I had a great lunch with Keli and Cecilia at Panera. I haven't spent time with Keli in a good while, so it was nice to catch up. Cecilia was so good the whole time and I was really proud of her!

Cecilia doodling while Keli ordered lunch

Cecilia, that plate of food is as big as you are!

You grown ups are boring, so I'm going to play under the table.

Salem- 5 weeks old

Saturday night I babysat Salem for the first time so that the new parents could have a night on the town. Salem was very sweet and I loved every minute I got to spend with her. It was the first time I had her all to myself and she was great! She didn't want to sleep in her crib, but I eventually got her to fall asleep in my arms.

"Aunt Lisa, get that stupid camera out of my face and give me my bottle already!"

To sleep, or not to sleep, that is the question...

A Fun-Filled Fourth of July

A long weekend in Emerald Isle over the 4th of July holiday was just what the doctor ordered for me, Bryan, and the dogs. We had a great time with friends and loved every minute of it! Thank you Catherine and David for hosting us this weekend! I am very fortunate to count you as friends!

Hannah and Jonah spent lots of time playing on the beach and retrieving tennis balls in the water. They are both perfectly at home in the saltwater and sand!

Sandy-faced Jonah
and sandy-faced Hannah after rolling around in the sand (I think she looks so darn cute and fuzzy after she's been swimming!)
They always compete with eachother to see who can get to the tennis ball first.

Notice all the paw prints in the sand- these dogs put some miles on that beach!

Jonah crashes through the waves like a wrecking ball through glass! He is unbelievably fast, but that comes as no surprise because he comes from a long line of dogs with superior field trial abilities (meaning they are very smart, great retrievers, and highly skilled at running fast).

Best buds...tired after a long afternoon of playing on the beach.

David took us for a quick ride on the skiff on the 4th with new dad Trey.

Time to chill on the beach for a while. The weather was so nice and pleasant! Here are new parents Trey and Carrie, David and Catherine, and of course ECU boy Bryan. Not pictured is Catherine's daughter Hailey, who was having a blast playing with a new friend on the beach.

Baby Addison, 5 months old, took a nap on the beach in her stroller, curled up with her giraffe toy that she loves. She is a real sweetie!

San Antonio

Last September I went to San Antonio, Texas for a marketing conference. I was really excited to go because I've always wanted to visit Texas. It was such a neat place. The people were extremely friendly and the food was fantastic!

You can't visit San Antonio without going to the Alamo. Luckily it was only a few blocks from my hotel, so I was able to walk there. It was much smaller than I had imagined it would be.

There were markers on the grounds that were so beautiful.

Hey, I think I know that girl!

My Alamo tour guide Tina walked us through all the ways to use corn.

I couldn't get over all the exotic plants around the Alamo. There were lush gardens everywhere and full of cacti of all sizes. I enjoyed the gardens more than anything because I had never seen most of those kinds of plants before.

This was the view from my hotel room on the 23rd floor. If you look carefully between the two highrise hotels, you can see the top of the Alamo.

More than anything, I wanted to ride on the River Walk through downtown San Antonio. Luckily the River Walk ran right next to my hotel. Again, it was much smaller than I thought it would be, but beautiful all the same and lined with great restaurants and shops.

This is my hotel as viewed from the River Walk and a handmade mural next to it that was a gift from Mexico. The mural is a visual history of Mexico and was handcrafted from stones found in the region. This picture doesn't do it justice but I can tell you that it was very impressive. The craftsmanship and vivid colors were remarkable!

The river was full of ducks which I really enjoyed watching. I had dinner every night at a different restaurant on the River Walk. If you are ever in San Antonio, I highly recommend dining at Boudros' on the River Walk. The food there was by far the best I've ever eaten. Also try out their Prickly Pear Cactus Margarita. YUM!

The bridges over the River Walk have been featured in many films and were all very unique. Many of them featured carved stars which represent the Lone Star State.

This old mission on the river was the featured in the film "Miss Congeniality". The bells have some historical value, although I can't recall exactly what that was.

Many of the buildings along the river have great historical signifigance as well.