Georgia Bentley Lady Burns

This is Georgia. She is our very sweet 8 month old cocker spaniel/beagle mix. And she has been a perfect fit in our home!

The kids love dogs! Perhaps Lincoln the most. And we had been telling the girls that we would get a puppy when Lincoln no longer behaved like a puppy- putting everything in his mouth, playing in the toilet, etc. So lately I have been hearing from our oldest (who is much like her dad in the area of sales) "I just really feel that we are ready for a dog because we can go on long walks.... I think that we are old enough to get a puppy because we can really help you, etc, etc...." She is very perceptive and I think she knew that Kevin and I had been discussing the idea a lot lately, so I guess she decided to add her two sense whenever she could.

Well Saturday we went to meet a particular puppy we had found online who had been rescued from a shelter and was in need of being adopted.

Well, long story short, that puppy wasn't available that day to even meet, but after seeing the ages of our kids, she recommended a few that she thought might work, then she turned to Lady with an "Oh, she is perfect!" We played with her a bit, then decided to think about things, and we left without a puppy, but with kids who had been just so happy to have been able to even play with one. After much debate in my head, that afternoon we returned to bring Lady home.

She has truly been the most ideal puppy one could hope for. She sleeps through the night in her crate, she's only had one accident, she is very gentle with the kids, she has her permanent teeth so does not nip like a young pup, she is very eager to please and is full-grown yet small enough to handle. We think she may have a difficult history with a previous male owner, because she is absolutely terrified of men when she first meets them. So, we have some things to work on- but that's expected.

She came with the name Lady. By Sunday afternoon we still had not settled on a name- as the girls could not agree. Of all the names on the list, Bentley was Kacia's pick, and Georgia was Rylin's. So they picked a number between 1 & 10, Kacia won, so her name was Bentley for about 24 hours. Then yesterday, after Rylin not being able to remember the name, Kacia not always remembering it, and me saying Bentley is a cute name, but it doesn't fit her when I call her, we switched it from Bentley Georgia to Georgia Bentley. Poor girl's a little confused, but she'll get it!

She was snuggling Kacia's jammies after she left for school.

(Anyone who knows Rylin and the fear that she can have towards some dogs, can appreciate how awesome this picture is. She laughed hysterically while getting showered with kisses.)

"This is the best day of my life! I can't believe we brought a dog home and we get to keep her!" -Kacia

My Mental Game

This is the start of the day. I'm starring at that map and wondering what I got myself into! (And yes, we did take the lift up to the very, very top!)

The incredible view of Lake Tahoe from the gondola ride.

I was 24 the first time I strapped ski boots on. (By the way, could they make those things any more awkward to walk in?!) Kevin has skied since he was like 3, and we had talked about me learning the sport. Well, one day Kevin came home with the cutest girly skis in the trunk of his car, and I was really excited about this new adventure. That was at least, until I actually went to the mountain!

It took both Kevin and James just to help me stand in line to get on to the chair lift! Even the slightest little uneven ground made me lose all control. Well, I'm not sure how long it actually took me to get down my first run, but it might be a record (and not the good kind). And to say that I hated the sport would be an understatement! I was absolutely miserable, terribly embarrassed, sore and completely dreading having to go again. A part of me did want to learn, Idid want to be a mom who skied with her kids, rather than watch from the lodge, but I had no clue that what looks so easy and fun, could be so extremely difficult for me!

Since Kevin had invested in the skis I knew I couldn't just give up after 1 really hard day. Had they just been rentals, I'm quite certain I would have never gone again! But we did. That season we went up about 3 or 4 more times for night skiing. Kevin was patient and we have 2 friends who had previously taught the sport to youngsters, and they helped a great deal. I ended that season seeing how this could eventually be fun.

The next year we went on a trip to Bend. Kacia was 1, so I only went up once. I had a good day, saw some progress, and was anxious to continue practicing so that I could someday get off the bunny slopes.

That was January 2005. I had not skied since. Then we went to Tahoe this last week. I was a little nervous about hitting the slopes after such a long gap, but I was reassured that after a run or two I would pick up right where I had stopped.

What I was not told was how massive Heavenly is! The views were incredible and we had the perfect weather. But I quickly realized that compared to my comfort zone on Easy Street in Mt. Shasta- these were vastly different runs that I now found myself on.

There were some moments of panic, some "can I just slide down on butt?" and some really fun parts of the runs. But what I also learned is that this is a total mental game!

As I watched 4 year olds cruise down with their instructors- I envied them. I envied that they were learning this sport when they had no real mental awareness of the dangers, or no crazy game going on inside their heads to hold them back. Because here I was at 30, totally frozen as I listened to the snowboarders quickly approaching me on all sides and I was stuck facing left. You see, I turn to the left great! In fact, I even turn left when I don't want to, my legs just do it. But turning right is another story all together. My legs, my knees, my feet, my skis- they don't like turning right. The problem with this is, that when you are standing at the top of a run that is way too steep (for me) to just point the skis down and fly, the other option is to zig-zag your way down. And this option left me often frozen on the mountain facing left, and wanting desperately to just survive getting down. I never talk out loud to myself. But here I was on this mountain, verbally say "turn, turn, turn....you can do this, you can do this..."

It was a funny, beautiful, challenging day. I learned that I still have a long way to go (my goal is that by the time Lincoln is ready to leave the bunny slope, I too will be comfortable doing so). I saw again how extremely patient my husband can be. I saw again how when faced with a challenge, it is best to just leave me alone so I can do it, and Kevin is great at encouraging me but also at giving me space. And I did have fun! Amongst the moments of sheer panic and frustration, there were also moments of pure adrenaline and fun. I learned that this mental game can and will be conquered and I will not forever see only the left side of a mountain. And I saw God's beautiful creation from a vantage point that I have never seen before, and it is completely and totally breathtaking!

Things I Liked About Today:

The sun was out

Seeing my son wear his baseball hat

Listening to Kacia read Ramona to Rylin

Watching the girls watch the Olympic skaters, and saying things like, "Oh, I like her outfit! It's so pretty and sparkly." "His outfit is ugly- there are no sparkles." "I think I could do that."

Singing Itsy Bitsy Spider with Lincoln over and over again (with good cuddles)

Listening to more "Hi, my name is chubby, ..."

No puke!

All in all, a pretty good day

(Every time I held the camera up- he gave me this silly, cheesy smile)

(Rylin doing Chubby- "not so fast!!!")

("Hi my name is Chubby, my mama's chubby, my daddy's chubby, even my sister's chubby...")