Kitten Connection

I don't want to jinx myself, but I think it's safe to say that Kitsune (the Kitten, if you will) is our dog.

I mean, technically she has been ours for about a year. But just because you feed it, shelter it, and scoop up its poop with your hands doesn't mean it loves you back. Pounds would be much happier places if this were the case. Maybe this only makes sense to Shiba parents. I'm not sure.

Bear went through a warming-up period where Casey and I would ask each other, "do you think we're his people?" It's not surprising that the first time we answered, "yeah, I think so" is a world apart from the ooey gooey love-fest that he has turned into a year and a half later.

Bear time is clearly much faster than Kitsune time. It took him a matter of a few months to get a, "yeah, I think so" and she has taken approximately a year. Kit surveys, analyzes, inspects all situations with great caution - including us. The only exceptions I've ever seen involve cheese, chicken, or Bear, all of which she loves recklessly.

Some of the signs that we are part of Kitsune's family:

• She tends to do what we ask (side note for all labrador or retriever owners: this is a BIG deal)
• During a thunder storm, she will seek us out for comfort as opposed to the dark recesses behind/under our furniture
• She has revealed that she prefers to be the little spoon
• When caught in a social pickle at the dog park, she will come to us when we call instead of making us chase her around like fools
• We are certain that her tail wags - because we've witnessed it
• She clearly prefers us to strangers

Maybe there will be a day in the future (and I hope there is) when we look back and think, "and we thought she had warmed up then." Until that day, I'm quite pleased with the fact that she likes us alright.

It's funny to think, but it's hard to remember what our lives were like before we were 4.

Another One Bites the Dust: 13x13x13 - 8

Surprise!
I ran another half marathon!

It was really hot outside, so I started in the wee hours of the morning and got as far as I could before the sun came up because it just makes no sense to run in the sun during the Texas summer.

Do I sound like a broken record to everyone else?! Because I feel like I've written this blog before...

I have been starting my half marathons so early, in fact, that the app I use logs them as nighttime runs. This time around, RunKeeper lost its marbles and despite keeping track of where I was in the moment, showed nothing on the display and then told me I had not burned but gained (?!) a hundred and some-odd calories. Then, it must have decided the details weren't any good and recorded my breakneck pace of 0.0 miles in 00:00:00. For this reason, I have only an approximation of my final time.

Some highlights of HM#8:

• It's done!
• There were lots of people out and about at the park where I ran, making running by myself much more tolerable.
• Favorite t-shirt spotted said "Get it girl!"
• Swimming with an ICEE afterward.
• Post-run meal complete with pão de queijo (look it up, it's spectacular!)

Not my favorite parts:

• It took approximately 2 hours and 54 minutes.
• After feeling like I had forgotten something at home, I realized I actually had: my water bottle.
• It's August in Texas.
• My phone interprets "shuffle" as "please shuffle the same dozen songs for 3 hours."

I think the water bottle takes the prize of Least Favorite for a variety of reasons. First, it's annoying not to have water available to drink whenever you'd like some. Don't worry - there were water fountains everywhere! Unfortunately, using them requires stopping. This means I not only lose time, but also break my stride (or groove, if you will), and I don't necessarily get to pick when I drink it. In my case, it also undid the careful water bottle/cell phone balance I have going on with my running belt (which slowly danced in circles around me as I ran).

Proof I remained hydrated. There was even 1 more I didn't get a photo of.

At the end of the day, I can't believe Sadie and I have run EIGHT half marathons since the first of the year! I know we committed to doing this, but it's another thing entirely for it to actually be happening. WOW!

THE dry spot on my shirt by the time it was over.

What more does a girl need than a pool, an ICEE,
and a couple of good luck charms.

Our lunch spread at Emporio Brazilian Cafe.

Dessert: Passion Fruit Mousse
SO good!