Bonding Time with Hughler

My dad, Phil, has a dog. This dog's name is Hughler, a black and white Australian Shepherd. Hughler joined our family about 10 years ago in order to fill the gap left by our beloved mutt, Spud, who was sadly taken away by cancer. Spud was the meanest dog ever. I mean, he was great with all of us kids growing up, but if he met up with a stranger, he'd likely end up trying to gnaw their face off. Anyway, back to Hughler. So Hughler was chosen from a large group of other shepherd puppies from the pet shop 'cause he had the most beautiful blue eyes you've ever seen. Little did we know that those beautiful blue eyes would transform into a typical brown color after a couple weeks...Oh well, live and learn I guess. Hughler and I have never really been good friends. He's just so annoying most of the time and super spoiled by Phil. My dad loves this dog like a second son. Anyway, Phil took off for Manhattan earlier this week to visit Maria. Before he left he was sure to tell me that I needed to remember to take good care of Hughler while he was gone for the week....By this he meant feeding, brushing, petting, babying, walking, and praising Hughler all week long. "Yeah Dad, okay, sure," I said. And by that I meant that I'd do the bare minimum of filling up the dog's water and food dish every night. Come mid-week, my good friend Tess invites me to hang out with her and her two super cool Labs, Howard and Sadie, at Tanner Park on Saturday. I agreed to go of course but then started complaining to Tess that it's at times like these that I wish I had a puppy of my own to bring along to the park. In reply to that Tess says, "Well, why don't you just borrow your dad's dog for the day?" What? Are you talking about Hughler? Ugh. I can't bring Hughler with me. Hughler and I don't hang out, and he's such a brat, he'd probably end up just running off, ignoring me when I called him. So I decided just to go sans puppy. But by the time Saturday rolled around, I was having second thoughts and decided to take Hughler with me in the truck. And I'm so glad I did. As soon as he saw me grab his leash and head towards the truck, he started freaking out. He was so happy, I thought he was gonna pass out from excitement. And when we got to the park and met up with Tess and her puppies, Hughler was such a good boy. It was so much fun to see him playing with all the other dogs and jumping in the water. Tess, thanks for suggesting that I bring Hughler with me. It was lots of fun. I guess Hughler isn't as annoying as I thought he was.

Here are some pictures...I was a little camera happy, 'cause I was so glad that Hughler was behaving and having a good time in the water.

Tess and Tim watching over the puppies while they swam.

Hughler swimming.

Tess with Sadie & Howard. Howard wasn't wanting to cooperate for the photo op.

Here I am with Tess. It was so hot on Saturday, I was wishing I had worn shorts.

Happiness is...

Happiness is watching Rocky while he sleeps.

Yes, Matt and Aleesha have managed to produce yet another perfect child. Look at this little guy's profile. So handsome.

Happiness is hanging out in your clubhouse made out of an old cardboard box.

Admission by password only.

Happiness is NOT driving all the way to Denver for a Foo Fighters concert at Red Rocks, only to find out minutes before the show that the concert has been postponed.

Melanie and I at Red Rocks. Look at how sad we are. We're trying to put on a happy face, but we just can't manage it while thinking about how we should of been rockin' out to the Foo right about then. Lame.

So turns out that the concert was postponed due to Dave Grohl being sick. Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I love Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters. In fact, my friend Lex and I were talking the other day about my growing excitement for this concert at Red Rocks. I was telling him all about my upcoming trip when he stops me and says, "Mon, you're like, obsessed with the Foo." Yeah Lex, tell me something I don't know. I've always loved this band and their music. Plus, they always put on really good concerts. And this Red Rocks concert was going to be the best. My favorite band at the coolest concert venue. So to lament the cancellation of Monday's concert, I've decided to mail Dave Grohl a letter. My love for Dave isn't quite as strong as it was before the bad news came on Monday night. Gosh, what a bummer. If there is anything you think I should add to my letter, please let me know. Here's my rough draft:

Anatomy of a S'more

Really there's only one reason to go camping--the s'more. For those s'more challenged folks out there, here are 4 easy steps you can take to make your camping experience much more enjoyable. Remember to follow each of the 4 steps carefully or else you'll just end up botching the whole thing up.

STEP 1: The campfire

You can't make a good s'more without the right campfire. After you've started up your campfire, you can't just jump right into making the s'mores. You've gotta be a little patient, let the fire marinate for a little while until the coals are glowing just right.

STEP 2: The mallow roast

Again, the trick here is patience. Once you have your mallow on its roaster, suspend it over the coals, slowly rotate it with care, and wait until the mallow is lightly browned.

STEP 3: The mallow transfer

Okay, this may very well be the most crucial step. Be sure that you have an acceptable wingman before attempting to execute the mallow transfer. You have to be quick, you have to be precise...Oh man, I'm getting a bit nervous just thinking about it. If you botch this step up, the whole s'more will be ruined. Once your mallow is sufficiently browned, have your wingman close by and ready with the grahams and bed of chocolate. As you can see, Melanie's an expert at the mallow transfer. Study the pictures, learn from her.

STEP 4: Mmmmm, s'mores

Once you've successfully completed the mallow transfer, you're ready to eat your s'more and enjoy the rest of your camping experience. Follow these 4 steps, and your camping buddies will look at you with awe and envy, not unlike the way Luke is looking at Melanie in the photo above.

Melanie and Luke...I told those two to take it easy with the mallows, but they didn't listen...just a couple of crazy kids.

Luke's variations on the traditional s'more. Genius.

Here are pics of the hike we went on. We hiked up to the wind caves in Logan Canyon.

Maya

I got to hang out with Maya the other night. This girl's full of personality. Even with Cheetos powder on her face, she's still the cutest little girl in the whole world. Here, I have evidence...

Saying cheez for the camera

Maya, right after finding out that a brand new episode of Sponge Bob was about to come on. Maya is SB's #1 fan.

The Foo

I'm getting really excited for the Foo Fighters concert in Denver coming up in a few weeks. This band has been my favorite since high school. I can't get enough of Dave Grohl. I've been to several of their concerts, and they never let me down. Check out this video for Long Road to Ruin. Pretty funny.

Journal

Thank goodness for journals. I've been writing in a journal since I was six years old. Well I should say that I was very faithful about writing in my journal from age 6 to about age 22, then I pretty much stopped. So thank goodness for blogging, 'cause it has got me back in the habit of recording my thoughts every week. I love looking at old journal entries, old photos, and old family videos. Being able to look back on things that you've written and thought about in years past is so invaluable. Looking through old journal entries sometimes helps me to remember old lessons learned, old dreams that I once had and have since forgotten but probably shouldn't have, old memories of little things that my friends and family have done for me that seem like really big things now. I'm so sentimental. I get it from my dad I think. Remembering old stuff has always been really important to me. Forgetting just seems like such a sad alternative.

Here are four of my old journal entries, spanning from 1986 to 1989. We moved to Panama in 1986 and moved back to the states in 1989. These early entries always crack me up.

Happy Father's Day

Here's to the best dad a girl could ever hope for. I know I could tell Phil anything, even the really crummy stuff, and he would still think I was awesome. Here's to the best dad ever. Happy Father's Day!

Dad with me, Matt, Melinda, Baby Melanie, and Maria. 1987.