I came, I saw, I camped.

Well it's been a few days since I've been back, and I can confidently say that work has kept me busy. That, and Justin is getting me to play tennis! I'm definately awful, but he keeps telling me that's what practice is for. Anyway, that's a whole other post.

Camping was great! The weather behaved very well, with a few small rain storms on Saturday, and we got some nice walks in around Manitou Lake. It was nice to be so close to Woodland Park and close to the Springs because the drive up and back was practically nothing. When it rained, we took cover in the tent and caught up on some good reading.

Bailey was a little stir crazy for the first 12 hours or so, causing himself to get bronchitis and a bout of diarreah. But Saturday afternoon he got familiar with his surroundings and and calmed down. I think the next trip he'll do really well. So catch up with the pictures posted below!

Camping Postponed

Justin and I will have been dating for 1 year (I know – hard to believe it’s already been a year) on Thursday, April 30th. That was the first night we hung out and met up outside of work – he invited me to his hockey game. In order to “celebrate” that, we thought it would be fun to go camping as our “gift” to each other. Among buying materials and planning, we figured it would equal out to how much we’d spend on a gift or dinner or something similar. So we were planning on going this weekend from Friday through Sunday.

However, it would appear that we will be canceling our camping trip this weekend and will be postponing it until a later weekend. There are several reasons:

- weather reports call for rain on Saturday, through Sunday morning, in the area we’d like to camp
- most camp sites that take pre-registrations for a site are booked, and those that are “first come first serve” will not work for us because we can not get out of work early enough on Friday to be “first”
- some campsites don’t allow dogs, and I’m DEFINITELY bringing my little “monster” with me. I wonder if those sites allow horses, and I could just say he was a pony if I get caught? (Haha…)
- we still need a tent, tarp, supplies, etc, and would like more time to look into buying/borrowing things
- this gives us more of an advance notice at work if we’d like to ask for a full day or half day off on the Friday we go
- my dad and mom will be out of town this weekend, and I have offered to dog-sit so they don’t have to pay to have him kenneled or keep him in a kennel all weekend

I’m a little bummed, because although it was a week out, it was definitely something spontaneous and we would have spent all week rushing around planning and packing and probably would have had fun. BUT . . . this way allows for MORE time for planning/looking into things to make sure that it’s the camping trip we wanted all the way around! We’ll get to pick a better campsite, the weather may be better, the tent we use may be better quality, etc. Plus, if we wanted to go Memorial Day weekend, we would have plenty of time to reserve a site and plan for that, and how much fun would THAT be?

So my dreams of camping with my new dog will be coming true … just slowly. But they will happen, if we have to camp out in my parents backyard to do it!

Camping anyone?

It’s starting to get warm here, and not to get ahead of myself, but Justin and I are in the middle of planning a camping trip this weekend with his parents!!! Normally, Colorado Springs weather tricks you into thinking it’s ready for Spring and Summer for a week or two and then out of nowhere you get 8 or 9 blizzards. And usually on the weekend. But…I want to go, and I want to take Bailey!

Anyone who’s met him knows he has been quite the, uh, handful. But, over the past year he’s grown up mentally *and obviously physically* and now follows verbal and hand commands easier. He’s amazing off the leash, in regards to coming when called, and he always stops to make sure I’m still there behind him. It’s like he’s saying “hurry up, Mommy!” When he runs ahead and then stops to turn around and look at me, I say to him “I’m coming! Wait for me!”. It’s actually pretty funny, that instead of using the words “stop” or “heel”, I just say “WAIT” and he will stop and wait for me. Or at least slow down.

My earliest concern about taking him camping when I had him last year was that he wouldn’t do well cooped up in a tent. Which was true. However, in camping and especially when it’s warm, he will spend the majority of the time running around in the mountains and woods. And I know *obviously first hand* that after he’s had a lot of physical activity and mental stimulation, that when we get home, he crashes. As long as he can cuddle with me or lay on something fluffy or comfy, he will be fine.

And if we have to stay in the tent for some reason, I feel he’d do fine with that too. I live a pretty slow paced *some would say lazy* lifestyle, and while I take him to the dog park often, I don’t really do much at home. So he’s adjusted to that. If he’s got a bone or toy to chew on, he normally just sits at my feet and entertains himself.

I’m ready to take my Bailey Monster camping. I will definitely post any progress on the planning of the first camping trip of the season! Justin and I are going to Woodland Park tonight to eat dinner with his parents (tacos - mmmm) and plan all the details!