Doggie Dip Swim Day

It's no question that our dog loves to swim. We started taking him to the beach when he was really little and he loved it so much that we've taken him back many times since. Our apartment complex also has a pool that we may or may not have tried to coax him into as well but don't tell.

So during our vacation home we took full advantage of Doggie Dip. At the pool where J and I first met (at least 6 years ago) they host a day for the dogs. It's the last day of the summer/outdoor pool season for the year so they don't care about hair in the filters or anything that comes along with a dog in a swimming pool. We have both worked this event many times so it was fun to go back with our pup this year.

It was so much fun, absolute madness and everyone had a blast, Ollie included. While we never did teach him to jump off the edge into the water (silly timid pup) he did swim up a storm, play with tons of other dogs and run around in the grass like a wild animal.

Do you see all those dogs? That's one thing that I love about being back in CO. So many more people have furry friends.

And it doesn't hurt that the whole time we were watching him swim (and swimming with him) that we had a gorgeous view of the foothills. 

I love being home.

Vacation Home to Colorado pt 1

About two weeks ago J, Ollie and I took a little vacation back to the good ol' Colorado. We hadn't been back in quite some time and some of our very close friends were getting married so it was the perfect opportunity to take a week off and head home.

However, now that our little family includes the fur baby, it makes traveling a little bit more difficult. Because of flying regulations it is basically out of the question for us to easily fly with our pup. And since we live in an apartment and don't have any family out in SD, it makes it hard to leave him behind without having to board him or pay someone to watch him. (Both of which we don't want to do)

So what does all this mean?

It means we all hop into the car and drive home. From SD to CO. And for those of you wondering, its between 15-18 hours of driving depending on the conditions. Here's a peak into our road trip.

This is the typical view of the inside of my car. And yes, I told J we should make funny faces, we don't always look that goofy.

Ollie decided to sun bathe for a while when the sun was low enough to get to him in the back seat. We never really knew if he was sleeping or just closing his eyes because it was bright. What a weirdo.

Our trip takes us through California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and eventually Colorado. With my car getting good gas mileage we have to stop three times along the way to stretch and get gas. This was in Prim, Nevada. Right at the border between CA and NV there are already casinos.

O-dog does surprisingly well in the car and we are very thankful for that. Most of the time he sleeps, sometimes he looks at us and catches some of the AC directly. We bought a car hammock for him in the backseat and it is definitely a purchase we would do again. It makes the back seat a lot bigger/more useable for him and makes it a bit safer for him back there.

Finally we made it to CO and I always do a little happy dance when we see the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign.

Because finally we get to see views like these. Rolling hills, bright blue skies, white clouds and mountains in the background.

Rain clouds filled with thunder & lightning (something we don't get here in SD).

Mountain tunnels, steep rock walls, waterfalls and pine trees.

We had a fabulous time while we were home and as much as we dislike the drive it takes to get there, we'd always do it again to spend quality time with friends and family. I'll be posting some highlights of our trip within the next few days as well as new updates about our new house so stay tuned.