The Russell Family

Enjoying the beautiful flowers!

2011-04-17T10:37:00.001-07:00

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2011-03-11T13:06:00.001-08:00

Happy 5th Anniversary sweets! I LOVE YOU!!! -T

We're baaaaccck...

2010-09-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Cassie in Grammy's Rocker...

The krazie cousins!!!....

Cassie and Katie performing...

Mommy, Cassie, and Jillie...

Jillie and Nicky...

The S.D. Russell kiddos...

Aloha!

2009-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Russell fam had a great trip to Maui. Cassie did well on the plane ride out there(although we were glad the flight was not a minute longer as she was up the entire way until we started to descend when she finally decided to nap ;) She got a chance to meet Aunt Patty and enjoyed her time at the beach and pool with daddy while mommy worked. At night time the whole family got to hang out on the beautiful island and we enjoyed the sunsets. Daddy was happy because CJ slept the whole flight home from Maui for him! What a great trip!

Our little girl is changing so much! She is crawling and pulling up to stand with the help of her crib, tables, couches, and mommy/daddy make the best jungle gyms for sure! Her favorite sound as of today is nnnnnnn.... so "Nick" may in fact be her first real word as we suspect since he is her fav ;) Cassie can wave hello and goodbye and loves to make funny squished up faces (with mommy's encouragement ;)

This weekend we celebrated what we think is Nick's 3rd birthday at Cardiff Dog Days of Summer, a festival with lots of doggie attractions! Nick was able to complete the entire obstacle course which was a big feat after being petrified of it 2 years ago ;) Cassie enjoyed seeing her furry friends and we all enjoyed time with our friends Jen and Todd and their dog, Buddy.

We are off to Vegas to see Grammy and Aunt LuAnn in their new home! Uncle Iggy will be out to visit and of course we will get to see the Russell cousins and Aunt Shannon and Uncle Gary too!

Hope all is well with everyone! Lots of love, the Russells

Cassie, Aunt Patty and Mommy

Cassie meets Aunt Patty's doggie, Chelsea
Cassie sleeping in her "tent"
Cassie standing on her own for the first time. What a surprise to Mommy and Daddy!

The Fam at Sunset

Cassie loves her puka beads

View of Paradise from her crib...

Daddy shows her a totum pole

Cassie loves the sand

Daddy and Cassie at Sunset

Daddy and Cassie at Mount Haleakala

At the Summit

Back at home...

Cassie and Quentin

Celebrating Nick's Birthday at Cardiff Dog Days

Nick masters the obstacle course this year!

Aloha from Maui!

2009-07-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

(Posted from mobile phone)

July Visitors and Cassie update

2009-07-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July with visits from our New Hampshire buddy, Jay McKenna, our cousin, Marisa Fallone, and Grandma and Grandpa Fallone. We've had a fun-filled last couple of weeks and Cassidy enjoyed her visitors and activities!

Cassidy is quite busy these days practicing crawling and sitting up. She is now stable when sitting and is just starting to get the hang of crawling. She is eating lots of solid foods, drinking water from her sippy cup and is constantly babbling. Daddy is convinced that her most common sound is da-da. Cassidy has had a lot of outings lately and really enjoyed the animals at the San Diego County Fair.

Here are some photos over the last few weeks. Hope all is well with everyone!

Cassidy trying to sit up, laughing at Nick

2009-06-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Cassidy's half-year birthday!

2009-06-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

Mommy w/ Cassidy

Dora exploradora

Enjoying mommy's gift from her busines trip - a Kimono

The Krazy Kousins with their Kimonos...

Grammy and CJ

Cassie and her fashionista cousin Katie May

Daddy doing his best to "make it all better"

Cassidy and her cousin Molly Kaye

CJ loving life

Cassie at 5 Months

2009-05-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Reaching for Nick... my new favorite playmate!

Laughing so hard!

Running with Mom

Supporting my Favorite Team!

Getting Ready for a Meal!

Visit with RobA

2009-04-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to meet a Cronie Kid! RobA came out to visit us in San Diego and got a hot, gorgeous weekend. I had lots of fun with him and Uncle Rob.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I enjoyed my first Easter with my family in the Canyon and at the Beach. I can't wait until I can Easter Egg hunt next year! Hope you enjoyed your Easter too... Love Cassie

Nick is so funny!

2009-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Easter visit with Grandma and Grandpa

2009-04-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter! I had a nice spring break vacation with Grandma and Grandpa this past week. The weather was beautiful so I spent a lot of time outdoors at Del Mar Beach, The Carlsbad 5000 race that mommy and uncle rob ran, and outside my house. I also tried rice cereal for the first time. I am becoming a big girl!

Mommy and Daddy are Blog Slackers!

2009-04-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

My mommy and daddy are blog slackers as there has been a lot that I have done over the last month or so that they have not posted!

I just had my 4 month birthday and found out that I am now 12lbs 3 ounces and 24 1/2 inches. I am getting big!

What an adventure I had to the east coast to visit my family and friends in CT and NJ over Presidents Day weekend. I did so well on the flight to JFK and slept the whole way in both directions. I am a true frequent flyer!

I had a great time at Grammy and Luann's house in Rocky Hill. I got to meet my aunts, uncles, cousins, and the Taylor family! There were lots of babies to meet and interact with. Then I drove to NJ to see Grandma and Grandpa and meet my mom's relatives, her college friends and their kids. I also got to meet all the Cronies. What a trip!

I have changed a lot in the last month. Mommy says I am so fun. And Daddy loves that I sleep 10 hours straight at night ;) He likes to have sleeping contests with me. He always wins!

I love to talk and laugh. Mommy and I bombard Daddy with lots of talking when he gets home from work ;) We have a lot to tell him about our day. I love to laugh really loud. Especially when Mommy and Daddy make funny faces and sounds. I love to practice sitting up and standing.

I started daycare 3 days a week at an in-home daycare near our house. I love to see all toddlers run around and play with me. They all get excited when baby Cassie is arrives! Mommy and Daddy said I do so well there and are really happy.

I just went to see my cousins in Las Vegas (see photos above). They were so much fun and made me laugh a lot! I am also going to make sure Mommy and Daddy give you more frequent updates!
Love Cassie

Cassie at 4 Months

2009-03-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

My buddy Nick and I

Going for a walk in the canyon

Reading a book about Ireland for St. Patrick's Day

I finally enjoy taking a bath!

Cassie at 16 Weeks

2009-03-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

Cassie at 10 weeks

2009-02-05T15:51:00.001-08:00

Some updated photos of Cassie

2009-02-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

Cassidy is getting so active and vocal. We can not believe how much she moves around... feels like she will start running any day now ;)

MLK Weekend in Del Mar

2009-01-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

We spent a gorgeous day at the beach in Del Mar.

A photo of Guess Who?

2009-01-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

Cassie at 6 weeks

2009-01-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

I love to smile and play now! Especially first thing in the morning when I see Daddy, Mommy and even Nick... he licks my face and I smile nice and big and laugh away!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T12:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

The Las Vegas Russells meet Cassidy

2008-12-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Shannon, Gary, Luke, Molly, and Kate came out to San Diego to meet their new niece/cousin. We had a really fun visit and it was great because Grammy was also here to see all of her grandchildren!

Bath Time & Santa's Little Helper

2008-12-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

Cassidy Enjoys Bath Time!

Look How Big Santa's Little Helper is Getting!

Merry Christmas From Cassidy

2008-12-19T09:51:00.001-08:00

I am three weeks old now and wow have I changed! I am so alert, I play on my activity mat, I can turn my head to the other side while on my tummy, and I can follow objects with my eyes. The world is so fun!
Hope you all have a happy holiday! Love, Cassie, Mom, Dad and my doggie Nick

PS. Thanks Louie and Sean for my Christmas outfit ;)

Two Weeks Old

2008-12-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the good wishes!

2008-12-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all my new family and friends for the good wishes and nice comments you have passed on via blog, email, text, voice mail, cards etc! Mommy is just trying to catch up on her email now so she asked me to pass on her thanks until she can get back to everyone ;) I love my new family and friends!
Cassie

P.S. Of course Mommy has to post another photo or two with this posting ;)

Our little Monkey

2008-12-02T19:22:00.001-08:00

Family and Friends meet Cassie

2008-11-30T13:10:00.001-08:00

Grandma Fallone holds her new granddaughter

Grandpa Fallone with Cassie

Uncle Rob admiring his new niece

CJ getting to know Jen Ehlen

Rita takes a peek at the little one

Meesh with Cassidy

Hippo cuddling Cassidy

More pictures of Cassie!

2008-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Cassidy Jane Russell

2008-11-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

CJ was born at 2:45PM PDT on Monday, November 24th weighing in at 5 lbs, 15 oz, and 19.5 inches. The Russell ladies are doing GREAT!

Visit to see Las Vegas Russells

2008-09-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Had a nice visit out in Vegas to see the Russell crew... Shannon, Gary, Luke, Molly, Kate, Fletch and even Grammy and Luann were there too! Kids enjoyed playing in the pool and Luke taught Uncle Todd how to play chess.

Engagement Olympics

2008-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Happy Olympians

Trying to catch up on all the activities and events over the last month that we have not blogged about!

One fun event we had was the Engagement Olympics to celebrate the engagement of Jules and Craig. We headed to Kate Sessions Park to participate in some serious competition in bouquet toss, bags, water balloon toss, beer chugging, and of course tumbling. Great times. Congrats guys!

The Olympic Committee

Todd and Ref, Jake

Michelle in Bouquet Toss

Work in progress

2008-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend Michelle and I started putting together the baby's room!

Oliver, our neighbor's dog who we are dog-sitting, helped us test drive our new gliding chair.

November 25th is getting close!

28 Weeks!

2008-09-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

Pictures to prove it!

Nick's Birthday Celebration

2008-08-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. Nick Russell will turn 2 on Tuesday and the town of Cardiff threw a party for him this weekend to celebrate! Well perhaps it was not quite for him but he thought it was...We went down to our 2nd year of Cardiff's Dog Days of Summer festival. Cardiff is a very dog friendly town so they know how to throw a good party! There were tons of dogs, vendors with lots of dog treats, contests, and obstacle courses to entertain our furry friends. Nick made improvements on the obstacle course and was able to do 3 of the 5 tricks... a huge improvement from last year when he was not only afraid of the obstacles on the course but the fence around the course too ;)

Next we took Nick to his favorite off the leash dog park... the Park Place canyon in his own back yard! Todd and I are very lucky to live in a development that offers a 1 mile loop of off-leash walking trails for dogs. Nick is spoiled as he gets walks there every morning and night... and soon we will be taking BGR on walks there too! We look forward to it!

But the party did not end there... Nick went to brunch at the old Encinitas Train Station, Pannikin, with his parents, and that night went to a camp fire on Cardiff State Beach where our friends had a camp site for the week. We had a gorgeous sunset, great BBQ, lots of laughs and enjoyed the sea breeze filled night!
Happy 2nd Birthday Nick!

BGR's big day!

2008-08-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

Baby Girl Russell and her parents were spoiled by their families and friends this past weekend in New Jersey. Aunt Judy, Aunt ML, Kelly, and Colleen threw an amazing pink and brown themed shower... complete with matching florals, place settings, drinks and m&ms. It was a wonderful celebration and we were lucky enough to have Mom Russell and Aunt Luann drive down from CT to join in the celebration.
Thank you to all the Cronies, Middletown Crew, and Family that made this day so special for Mom, Dad and BGR. We are so lucky to have such caring and generous family that share the same joy that we do about our little girls arrival! Thank you to everyone for a wonderful day.

We also got to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad Fallone in Spring Lake. We got to see the new renovations in Asbury Park... a town my parents spent lots of time in as high schoolers. We checked out the new Beach Bar in the Pavilion at Asbury which offers a cool funky scene and gorgeous ocean views! Between the beach, good dinners and eats, and great company we had a wonderful trip home! Oh and how can I forget the 2am karaoke with my parents and my mom's dear friend, Kathy Smith. The unbelievable thing is that Todd and I were in bed at midnight and the 3 of them carried on their show! Good times!

More travels...

2008-07-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

July has just flown by on us... no sooner did Michelle get back from Asia and Todd had to head off for Denver. He got back and Michelle was off again to the West Indies followed by a personal trip back to NYC/NJ that Todd joined her for.
Work took me to Nevis, a beautiful island, next to St. Kitts. Although not much easier to get too then Thailand (3 flights and a boat ride) it too was worth the long travels. The island is lush, tropical, green, and with beautiful florals around the island. Although there for work, I did get to go snorkeling off a colorful reef in St. Kitts. I think Baby Girl Russell liked being in the water ;) She will be one well travelled little girl even before she is born ;)

After Nevis, I headed to NYC for 2 nights where Todd flew in and met me. We stayed in the swanky Hudson Hotel on Central Park and decided to play tourists. Todd did the full 6 mile Central Park running loop and was impressed by the park. There is not a better time of the year to be in CP. Then we hopped on a double decker bus and did a tour of midtown and downtown Manhattan, stopping at the World Trade Center site. We went through the WTC museum which I highly recommend visiting should you be in NYC. It was very moving. Best of all, we got to spend time with the Bucknell girls in the city. We got to see Jackie and hear all about her new job and meet her great boyfriend, Mike. See Kim and hear all about her new screenplay ... I think the next time I see her will be on a red carpet in Hollywood (KimmyG it will be a hit!). And of course see my freshman roomie, Murph, and her hubby, Waldemar, who is due 1 day after us with a little girl of thier own. Murph and I got to meet up separately earlier in the day to swap prego stories! It was great to see them all!

Todd's Tri

2008-07-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend Todd and his buddy Greg Nelson competed in an International Triathlon (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) on the military base of Camp Pendleton just north of us. Unfortunately Todd got a flat on his bike with 6 miles to go but all and all he did just as well as last year which was impressive! Congrats to Todd and Greg. They kicked butt!

Thailand and Singapore

2008-07-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

It may have been a long trip (26 hours of flying... one way!) but it was SO worth it! First stop Phuket, Thailand at the JW Marriot Resort and Spa to manage a bio-tech company's Asia Pacific sales meeting. Although I did not get to leave the resort much, it was a gorgeous place set on the beach with lush greenery and wildlife (complete with turtles and elephants on the beach). Next up... a visit to Singapore to see the new life of my best friend, Jenny B, and wow what a life she has! Between the beautiful city, the fabulous high rise apartment complex that she lives in, the weekend trips to exotic islands, and the great friends she has from every part of the world, Jen is living an amazing life!

Oh and did I mention the cute Hugh Grant look-a-like (and sound-a-like) boyfriend who adores her. >The move from NYC was worth it! We had so much fun catching up, seeing her life (and grocery stores ;) and telling her all about the pregnancy. Being that we will not get to see each other for quiet some time I could not have been more grateful for the opportunity to go out there now while I can. I love you Jenny b and so glad life is treating you so well out there!

It's a GIRL!

2008-06-27T21:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had our 18 week doctor's appointment and discovered we are having a GIRL! For about an hour we were given a guided tour of our baby girl's development. She is already taking after her mom in that she couldn't sit still throughout the exam.

Apparently she already knows her daddy works for a cell phone company because she was doing her best impression of running up minutes on her cell phone.

She is also starting to master her peek-a-boo skills.

And finally here is her 'cannonball' form, getting ready for her swimming pool outings.

Salinard and Cate's Wedding

2008-06-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

A great day for a wedding with a view of Torrey Pines Golf Course and the Pacific Ocean! Dave and Cate looked so happy and so did the wedding party that included Rob Fallone.

Good times!

A very Green Wedding

2008-06-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our friends Nikki Asbury and Matt Green had a beautiful wedding at the Dana on Mission Bay. It was a super hot day but the bride looked even hotter! :) We had a great time of chatting with friends and dancing up a storm. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Green, it was an AWESOME wedding.

Michelle also made her final attempt at fitting in one of her regular sized dresses (see belly photo below). We hope to find out Thursday if we'll have a Red Sox fan (boy) or Yankee fan (girl) :)

U.S. Open @ Torrey Pines

2008-06-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Michelle was able to get us tickets to the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines through one of her work clients! We were able see both Saturday and Sunday's final round. Tiger Woods ended up forcing a Monday playoff round with Rocco Mediate by sinking a long putt on 18! What a great event and great weekend in San Diego!

Kate turns ONE!

2008-06-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Our niece, Kate May Russell turned ONE today!

Her big sister Molly and big brother Luke helped her celebrate.

Happy birthday Kate!!!

Welcome Nora Sophia Lewandowski!

2008-06-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Congrats Cousin Colleen and Peter who welcomed Nora Sophia into the world on Friday, June 6th!

Jane turns 60!

2008-06-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend Mom Fallone celebrated her 60th birthday! Her friends and family created a special memory book with pictures and notes that she was very touched by. She also had another birthday surprise - a trip to Ireland next year! We love you Mom!

Celebration of Life

2008-06-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend our Uncle Bob held a unique event, a "Celebration of Life" Party on the grounds of his Meadowbrook Farm Outdoor concert venue near Lake Winneapesaukee in New Hampshire. Diagnosed with lung cancer over a year ago he was told he wouldn't likely see the year end. Since then Uncle Bob has "Rocked On!" and decided it was time to throw a bash to celebrate his life with family and friends. In his words, "The Irish have a tradition of doing stuff like this. What good is it to come see me when I'm in the ground and can't talk to you?". It also was great to catch up with all of the Harding Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and kids!

An extra special Mother's Day

2008-05-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

We're pregnant! Our due date is November 25th. The baby is 12 weeks old (picture below is at 9 weeks). Michelle and baby are doing very well. Dad and Nick are super excited!

Groundhog Day

2008-04-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

Nick has been obsessed with groundhogs lately. At least I think it's a groundhog. We have a ton living in and around the canyon near our house. He is so funny to watch. If he sniffs out just one hole in the ground he will cautiously wait until one of his furry friends appears. At first his reaction seemed predatory but lately he has been dissinterested in harming them. He likes to challenge them to a staring contest more than anything. Look at how brave this groundhog is in picture above. At one point they both touched noses, I'm not joking!

Marathon Monday

2008-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we traveled back east for the 112th running of the Boston Marathon! Todd fufilled his goal of qualifying for the prestigious race this past December by running the Las Vegas Marathon in 3 hours and 9 minutes.

The weekend began with a visit with our good friends The Taylors. It was great to catch up with them at their new home in Windham, NH, a few short miles from where Todd and Jason grew up. Their son Jake is so cute and he's growing up so fast!

On Sunday we headed down into the city to meet up with our families. We walked through the marathon expo to pick up Todd's race packet and afterward found our way to Government Center for the pre-race pasta dinner. From there it was back to the hotel to get Todd to bed early!

Race (Monday) morning came quickly! We were able to see Todd at two spots during the race. The first in Newton (Woodland) and finally at 25-26 miles just before the finish. Both times we were able to get Todd's attention and got a high five and a kiss. What a great race and the energy in the city was amazing!

On Tuesday we grabbed lunch in the city before flying back to San Diego. It was a beautiful day in the city and Quincy market.

We want to thank all of our friends and family for their support of Todd. What an amazing weekend!

Livin' on a Prayer

2008-04-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Michelle here... my first blog posting and appropriately it is about one of my biggest passions in life... Bon Jovi!!! ;D For my birthday, Todd bought us tickets to their Lost Highway concert up in Anaheim, CA. We had fantastic seats, right on the floor about 18 rows back from the stage. Imagine our surprise when during a Richie Sambora `I'll be there for you` solo, Jon appears from under the arena floor just 10 yards away from us with guitar in hand! We, along with the surrounding crowd went NUTS! He sang two songs from what seemed like arms reach away. Todd was able to get some great photos (we posted a few). Can you believe Bon Jovi has been making records for 25 years and they still completely ROCK! Needless to say there is no better birthday gift in my book. Todd, a closet Bon Jovi fan, enjoyed the concert just as much as I did! :D

Also this weekend we welcomed back my brother Rob from his trip to southeast Asia! He is staying with us for awhile and we missed him greatly.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Birthday Surprise, Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed across the Mojave desert for Las Vegas, Nevada to surprise Uncle Gary Fallone for his 50th birthday!

Aunt Patty made it all the way from Maui, HI and Mom and Dad Fallone made the cross-continental flight from New Jersey.

It was great to be able to spend the weekend with our cousins, Aunts, Uncles and parents.

The boys were even able to get in some golf thanks to cousin Marisa's connections with Troon!

As an added bonus Todd's mom came out from Connecticut to visit Gary, Shannon, and the grandkids for the Easter weekend! It was great for us to be able to split time between both sides of the family over the holiday weekend.

Luke, Molly, and Kate are growing up so fast! They took turns beating their aunt and uncle in mini-golf, Wii tennis, and Disney board games!

Doggie discovery

2008-03-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

While walking Nick in the canyon today he emerged from the brush with an interesting discovery. He'll usually find a lost tennis ball, large stick, or clothing item... but a necklace as fashionable as this!?

2 Years

2008-03-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe but two years ago today we got married!

An atypical day

2008-02-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

On this day three years ago, Todd & Michelle went out for an afternoon run on the beach. This was a typical activity for the happy couple who had been dating for a little over a year, but what was about to transpire was anything but. About 15 minutes into their run it started to rain... no, it started to POUR! The two decided it was time to turn back and head for shelter. As they approached life guard tower 18 on Pacific Beach the rain started to let up a little. About this time Todd starting having some knee pain (wink wink) and had to stop and get down on one knee. He began to write something in the sand. Michelle looked confused at first but after looking closely at the words and then hearing them from Todd's mouth she understood. W I L L Y O U M A R R Y M E ?

In the blink of an eye the sky opened up and the sun came beaming down. And so it began...

President's Day Weekend

2008-02-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

Another great weekend! On Saturday morning we decided to take Nick to San Dieguito Park. Though situated right in our backyard we had never visited the park or explored the trails overlooking Rancho Santa Fe valley. It was a great day for a hike.

In the afternoon we went down to Mission Bay park to watch the USA Cross country championships. The top men and women in US distance running were on hand to run the bayside course. Among the participants were Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein, the top two finishers in this year's olympic marathon trials.

Some notables from the women's field were Shalane Flanagan and Katie McGregor. Ritz and Flanagan ran away with the XC titles in awe inspiring fashion.

Ryan Hall, Men's olympic marathon trials winner.

Mom & Dad Fallone visit S.D.

2008-02-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Mom & Dad Fallone came out to visit. The weather was spectacular and we took full advantage.

We took Nick for a walk less than 2 miles from our house, up the coast between Cardiff and Encinitas. The views of the state beach and the bluffs at Swami's surf spot were spectacular.

On Sunday Todd ran the San Dieguito half marathon to gauge his fitness level for the Boston Marathon in April. He ran a 1:32:33, 95th overall. The course runs through the town of Rancho Santa Fe, a beautiful community just southeast of Cardiff.

After the race we headed downtown to do a cruise around San Diego harbor.

What a great weekend!

Nick graduates Obedience school, Intermediate Level 2

2008-01-30T14:34:00.001-08:00

Wow, my first blog posting. You'd think being in Software/Web development this would be old hat but not true. Here goes...

Last night Nick graduated from Petsmart Obedience School, Intermediate Level 2! Mom (Mich), Dad (Todd), and Aunt Rita were all on hand to witness the final test and graduation ceremony. If I get a chance to scan the polariod I will, otherwise here's Nick's adoption photo which was sitting on my computer.

The coursework:

Heel
Wait
Touch (his nose to your hand, a simple change of focus technique)
Sit, Lie down to stand (on all fours)
Long Sit/Stay (1min +, w/ distractions, hiding, etc)
Go to your Bed (AKA Park it)
Bow (AKA Downward dog)
Fetch me a beer from the fridge. (Ok, so that really wasn't included, but apparently they teach a class of *just* tricks in which it's a possiblity. Hrm...)

We got a little more out of the beginner class but it was a fun semester. It's a great bonding experience if anything else, so we'll see if we continue to the next level.