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| Trying to get Cory to come out of the pool |
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| Too busy enjoying the water to listen to me! |
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| No problem going in! |
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| Do I have to come out? |
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| Husband prefers things that have engines. |
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 (NKJV)
Another long absence from Blogger. I have plenty of ideas for blog posts, but by the time I get around to writing the, I have forgotten what they were. I sit down at the computer and start chasing my people or lollygagging on Facebook, and before I know it my time is up and I haven’t posted. So, I will do a quick update on three cool things that happened this weekend and perhaps by tomorrow, I will have remembered what I wanted to blog about. Or I will remember to make a note about it anyway.
Cool thing number 1: I took Cory to Tampa for a dock diving class yesterday. A few weeks ago, I caught a dock diving competition on ESPN. Dock diving is where dogs jump off a two foot high deck into a pool. Their motivation is to chase a toy and the one who gets the most length across the pool wins. Some of the dogs on television were leaping 25 and 30 feet. I know how much Cory loves the water so thought it might be fun even if she never learns to dock dive just to give her some time in the pool. Because she is still so little (only 4 ½ months even though she weighs over 40 pounds) she could not dive because of worries over her joints and muscle development. But, she was able to go in from the ramp. No one told her not to jump though and she was making flying leaps into the air off the ramp just not as high as she would have been if she had been on the deck. I had no problem getting her into the water or retrieving. My problem was getting her to come back! She just took off swimming around the pool, holding the toy, refusing to even consider that her turn was up and another dog was waiting. I finally had to go in after her. Then, she sat beside the pool and howled until it was her turn again. We will probably go back again when she is older after we work on recalls and I can be sure she will come back when called!
Cool thing number 2: Last night was a moonlight horseback ride at Little Manatee State Park. There was a BBQ first and then, ride out at 8:00 just as the moon was coming up. We rode until about 10:00 and the moon cast such great light that the sand trails were bright white and we could see each other clearly. Usually when I ride, I trailer with friends or my husband has to sit in the truck and wait on me. Last night, we rented a horse from a woman who does trail riding so he got to go with me. It was so nice to show him the park that I love so much and fun to be out on horseback together. It had rained just before we rode out and the rain brought a nice breeze that drove away the bugs. Night rides are my favorite because it is so much cooler at night and you can hear the birds so much clearer. The best part of riding for me is listening to the woods and being quiet. You don’t get that on daylight trail ride as lots of people are talking, but at night, people (well, most people) tend to be quieter. We saw a whole herd of deer, heard owls and whippoorwills. It was a lot of fun.
Cool thing number 3: This afternoon, we went to the Outlet Mall to return a pair of shoes I got husband for Father’s Day. They did not fit so I wanted him to go with me and try on shoes to make sure I got the right fit. While he tried on shoes, I wandered around the shoe store looking for reasonably priced children’s’ shoes to take to Guatemala. I cannot imagine why a pair of shoes smaller than my palm would cost $35 or $40! I found some girls shoes for $14.99 and asked a sales clerk, Yesenia, if they had any for boys. When she asked what size and I replied, any size, she looked at me funny, so I explained about the malnutrition center and how the children outgrow their shoes so fast. She was so touched that she went and got her manager to ring up a pair of shoes so that she could buy a pair for me to take with me! That really made my day and was such an encouragement to me.
So, what do these three cool things have in common? They all brought me joy. Whether it is laughing at my dog, riding my horse with my husband on a clear summer evening or seeing someone give selflessly, my heart is renewed and refreshed!
All of those things are cool, but the moonlight trail ride sounds AMAZING!!