Sage, It's Snowing...again!

Well, I know we already had a post about snow, but I have lots of fun pictures from today and need to post them somewhere (and besides, I told my mom I would). It is currently 11:48 p.m. and it's been snowing since around 2:00 p.m. I had just gotten out of organic chemistry lab when the snow started coming down. At first it was only small pea-sized hail, then all of the sudden huge chunks of snow started gently falling from the sky. I rushed home to find Sage with snow flakes on her head running back and forth in the snow blanketed backyard. She was having a blast! Later in the day we took a trip to the golf course on campus and went exploring. I wore my rain boots, which turned out to be a bad idea because I slipped going down a hill and soaked the back of my right pant leg! However, as we walked around the golf course, I felt like Sage and I had somehow escaped from College Station and were exploring the mountains of Colorado. It was really a neat experience. I even threw a snowball at Sage and I think she glared at me. Here are some more pictures from today.

The snow covered golf course.

Sage taking a break from exploring the golf course to take a picture.

Paw prints in the snow.

Exploring in Colorado...I mean College Station.

Sage doesn't look happy in this picture, but she really is excited about all the snow. See that big chunk coming down?

I tried to get a picture with Sage. This is the best I could come up with. My fingers were frozen.

Thanks for reading. Happy Snow Day!

My Photography Dog

As you may (or may not) know, I am a budding photographer. I got into it in high school when I took a class my sophomore year and have never really put the camera down. Now I do a lot of portrait work, mainly newborns, toddlers, kids, graduation, families...you know the kind. I'm always looking at things as if I were seeing them through a camera. By that I mean, when I see something picture worthy (something that would look good in a frame on the wall) I then go back and either take a picture of it, or try to recreate it. In order to do this I have to have subjects. Most of the time I don't have quick access to a newborn baby or child, so I use Sage. She never complains, and she's very photogenic!

Do not be alarmed...this is Sage smiling.

Modeling with some flowers and practicing color select.

Gazing off into the distance with a windmill in the background. What a natural!

More flowers. The yellow brings out the natural color in her coat.

Posing with Rita and ears blowing gently in the wind.

Action shot of swimsuit model.

So yes, I probably take too many pictures of Sage. But she's pretty cute...and it's for a good cause.

R.I.P. Nutria

Well, this is kinda hard for me to talk about. However, for the sake of the blog I will put my feelings aside and recount this story as objectively as possible. The day was Sunday, February 14, 2010 and John and I were taking the dogs for a walk near his house. It was a beautiful Valentine's Day complete with blue skies and white fluffy clouds. We were all excited for a relaxing, low key walk around the neighborhood. The walk started off at the back of the subdivision where there are a couple of little bodies of water and a retention pond. The dogs were having a blast tromping through the cat tails and tall grasses growing in the green water of the retention pond. As we were strolling around the pond, John and I noticed one of the big silver pipes that is used to drain the water from the surrounding areas into the retention pond. We thought it would be funny to see how confused the dogs got if we made noises through the pipe while they were on the other side. But we soon found out that it was too difficult to keep the dogs on the opposite side of where we were standing. So he stood at one end with his dogs and I made my way down to the other side with Sage. John called Sage's name through the pipe while Sage cocked her head to one side wondering where he was. She wanted to go inside, but I could tell something was holding her back. She was scared. After telling her it was "O.K." she found enough courage to make her way up the pipe toward John. I was sitting on top of the pipe and peaking inside. The inside was dark, so I quickly lost sight of Sage as the pipe curved upward. Almost immediately after I lost sight of her I began to panic a little bit and instantly regretted sending her in there. Then I heard her lose her footing on the slippery ridged pipe and freak out. She was stuck! My stomach knotted up and I realized that she probably couldn't turn around and come back out the way she came or continue upward toward John because it was too slippery. I yelled at John to tell me what was going on. He yelled back that Sage wasn't suck and that he thought there was a duck in there with her. I heard some grunting, squealing, and what I thought was quacking. Then I saw Sage trotting towards me with something in her mouth (as it turns out, she could easily turn around in the pipe). The first thing I could make out were two huge yellow teeth. It was a nutria...and it was still alive. Partly relieved and partly not, I ran up to John with Sage at my heels (still holding her prize). I didn't really know what else to do. As John's dogs saw Sage with something in her mouth, they chased her in order to steal it from her. But by the time Sage brought the poor nutria back to me and dropped it at my feet, it was dead. I felt bad for the little nutria. I won't be sending Sage into any more drainage pipes anytime soon. We've learned our lesson. Rest in peace little nutria, Sage didn't mean to kill you.

Happy Valentine's Day

So my sweet mom and sister sent me a Valentine's package in the mail this week with a yummy recipe, 2 cards, and a very soft teddy bear! Sage has had her eye on that teddy bear ever since I pulled it out of the box. She thinks that every stuffed animal is hers to carry around, tear apart, and find the squeaky. I tried to tell her that this is "Erin's bear, and not Sage's toy!" But she doesn't seem to believe that this soft, fluffy, snuggly bear has no squeaky! As I continued on with my afternoon, I noticed that Sage wasn't following me around the house as she normally does. So, I peaked into my room and saw Sage with her chin resting on the edge of my bed staring at the bear with an unbreakable concentration. This is the same intense concentration as when Sage sneaks upstairs at my parent's house to stare at Ginger, the cat. As I watched from the door way, I noticed Sage was quietly whining and pacing back and forth in front of the bed. Sage knows she is not allowed on the bed, but eventually it became too hard for her to contain herself. She jumped up on her back legs and rested her chest on the end of my bed inches from the bear, but without trying to steal it. She just stared at it face to face. Then, all the sudden, she grabbed the bear by the foot and took off, running through the house, almost taking me out as she ran through the door way. I quickly found her and took the bear and hid it under the covers in my bed. "Not Sage's toy." Next time my mom needs to send Sage a valentine too.

Sage, It's Snowing!

So this week was a LONG week for me and Sage. I spent the majority of everyday in my sweet red and white stripped long johns and slippers studying for my organic chemistry quiz and test and my anatomy quiz and test. Sage, on the other hand, spend the majority of her days this week sleeping, chewing on her bone (yes, the same one from her birthday last week), killing her toys to find the squeaky, and more sleeping. There has been a lot of cold and a lot of rain all week. My week finally ended last night at 7:00 with my anatomy test. As I came out of the building, it seemed like there was something crunchy on the pavement. I didn't realize it then (because I wasn't thinking clearly from the hours and hours of studying) that it was ice accumulating on the ground! When I finally walked in the door at my house, I was greeted by the energetic Sage who hadn't had a walk in two days. As I normally do when I get home, I walked to the back door to let Sage out but she had disappeared. So I opened the back door and noticed the backyard was covered in a thin blanket of snow. I was so excited so I yelled, "Sage, it's snowing!" Immediately, Sage came tearing around the corner and flew out the back door. Once her paws hit the deck, she slid completely across and off the other side. I could tell she was so confused. She slowly climbed back on the deck and was checking out the snow trying to figure out what it was. Then, she went wild eating as much of it as she could! As she was walking the perimeter of the fence, I made a pile with my shoe in an attempt to make a small snowman. I made a medium size snowball and called Sage over to check it out. Upon hearing her name, she wildly started running toward the deck going full speed, picks up the snowball in her mouth and runs inside holding her prize. "Sageeeeee noooooooo," is what I yelled as Sage crunched down the ball of snow spreading it all over the living room carpet! Needless to say, we had a fun time with the snow yesterday. And I was reminded, again, that Sage really needs her walks.

Sage's Birthday: The Real Story

On the days leading up to Sage's birthday, my mind was racing with all these great ideas for Sage's first birthday blog post. So I went to the Dollar General and purchased some party hats, dog toys, a birthday crown (see picture) and the biggest red bow I could find. Then I went to PetSmart and found a HUGE rawhide bone for only $11.50! I had this grand vision of the most over-the-top dog birthday set-up ever where I would poke fun at how ridiculous I was for having a birthday party for my dog. So when I sat down in front of my computer armed with some great pictures and a master plan, I got off to a good start by posting pretty hilarious pictures of Sage with her party hat on her head holding that ginormous (yes, that's actually a word) bone with the red bow. However, as I started writing, I was hit with an unexpected tenderness and emotion. As I compiled the pictures from the past year, I was filled with happiness and joy for all that Sage has brought. So, I had originally planned on making people laugh, but ended up making myself cry, but it was the good kind of cry. The kind of cry that lets you know someone stole your heart, and whether it's a human or dog, it's a pretty cool thing to have happen. So as I end this post and get back to studying for the incredibly stressful week I have coming up, I'd like to leave you with something to "chew on." I hope that it doesn't take a birthday, holiday, or special event to let the people we love know how important they are to us; that they've stolen our heart and we'll never be the same again. Because in the end, that's what matters. So thank you Sage, for reminding me of what's really important in life.

Happy Birthday Sage!

This time last year, February 4th had no special meaning to me; it was just another day. This time last year I was only responsible for myself and I could pick up and go out of town with little thought at all. But little did I know, my life was about to change. One year ago today my Sage was born. As I scanned the pictures from the past year, I realized how a parent must feel as their baby girl grows up. I found myself saying things my mom says when we look through the baby books. I smiled when I remembered all the "firsts" I got to experience with Sage this year. Her first trip home with me, first toy, first duck hunt, first trip to the beach, first ride in the boat, first Halloween costume, first college house, first baby pool, first leap off the dock, and her first birthday! There are many more memories that I hold dear from our first year together. I remember laying by her kennel at night when she was a puppy until she fell asleep, crying while putting her in the car after her first surgery, missing her when I was out of town, and swelling with pride when she brought back her first duck. Sage has taught me so much about unconditional love, responsibility, loyalty, and selflessness. When I decided to get Sage I wanted her for all the wrong reasons. But now, I have her for all the right ones. I look forward to all years in the future Sage and I get to experience together. So, Happy first Birthday, Sagey. I love you so very much.
Click here to view Sage's birthday card from the vet!

Heart for the Community

One typical afternoon last semester I was procrastinating by looking up student organizations on the internet. I stumbled upon Aggieland Pets with a Purpose. Aggieland Pets with a Purpose is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Brazos Valley area residents by enhancing their physical, social and emotional well-being with the unconditional love of our pets. APWAP provides volunteers and evaluated and trained animals for educational, rehabilitative and emotional assistance purposes. This obviously caught my eye and I began to read more about it. I found out that in order for your pet to be eligible, your pet must be at least one year old. Unfortunately, last semester Sage was not so I made a mental note to check it out again next semester. Today, I was procrastinating once again and rediscovered Pets with a Purpose. But now, Sage is two days from celebrating her first birthday! So hopefully we can do a little extra training so that we too can be a part of this really neat organization. Stay tuned.