Guide to busy dogs: Part I - USF

Have a busy dog? Does he never seem to run out of energy? If you see yourself saying "yes" to both these questions, this guide is for you! We've got multiple solutions that will wear you dog to the bone! This first part of the series will take you through Ultra Stick Fetching ("USF").

1. Go to the dog park. And when we say dog park, we actually mean the wilderness. Our best suggestion would be the "dog park" at Minnehaha falls in Minneapolis - you have free reign to a large chunk of the Snelling State Park. Your hyper dog can frolic freely through the woods.

2. Find the biggest stick possible. Your dog really only wants to fetch sticks that are bigger than him. So the bigger the better. This is also a psychological technique - by playing to your dog's ego now, he will feel more satisfied and will not bother you as much when you get home.

3. Have someone with a beard do the throwing. The big sticks are hard to throw - you know a man with a beard can give it a good hurl.

Here's a video so you can get the technique down. Notice that the dog has some difficulty in fetching the stick because it's so large. If he's having trouble, you know you've got the right size stick, and you have mastered USF.

Vote Day 2010

HENRY VOTED.... Did you?

In other Henry shenanigans we have exhibit A...Henry learning that he can be a much more effective watch dog if he stands on the table.

AND exhibit B...Henry finding out that the big bad bag of food will in fact not eat him- to his delight.
Keep your eyes out, I have lots of pictures so a few more posts are in order for this week. :)

Summer in Review

This summer has been very busy for Casey and I. As you've probably noticed we've been "Walking with the Incans" for a very long time because there hasn't been any time to sit and write!

Here is our summer in review:

1. We participated in many birthday and wedding celebrations this summer. Congratulations to Jenny and Jeff Erickson and Betsy and Blake McKibbin! I apologize but there is only one picture I can share of one of those events. (See below)
2. Team SherPlante participated in our first sprint relay triathlon. Unfortunately we did not beat Adam even though he ran the whole thing himself. Our next event will be our own Turkey Day 5kish run.
3. The Sherwood clan rendezvoused in McHenry, Ill to see Uncle Bill and Aunt Adele for the weekend. We had a great time relaxing and watching the fireworks shows from the dock. (As well as having our own fun)
4. Casey and I spent a week driving out to Montana to see his Aunt Pam and Uncle Dave. I spent much of the time holding on to bear pepper spray but I had a blast hiking in the Badlands, Black Hills and Yellowstone. Thanks Pam and Dave for such a great trip!
5. Near the end of the summer we went with our friends to a cabin in St. Croix State Park. It was another relaxing weekend with good company, canoe floating, group runs and delicious food.

Much more happened but those are some of the highlights. We hope you all were able to enjoy the 2010 summer months as much as we did. Now it's time to get ready for fall!

Our love to you all- Casey and Megan

Walking with the Incans

Here are a fraction of the pictures taken on our recent trip to Peru. Bottom line is that it's good to be home but we miss the fresh air and adventure. Enjoy the sample of pictures!

My Little Garden

I took the day off and my Dad came over to make a little planting space for me in the back yard. It was a really fun day. We went to Home Depot together and got all of the ingredients (or I suppose you would call them supplies). Then I hauled bags of soil and dug the trench while my dad cut and connected all of the pieces to make the box. Then we went to Bachmanns together to pick out some great things to try to plant, followed by a trip to Dairy Queen in recognition of a hard days work. ;)

This year will be tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, snap peas, peppers, cilantro, garlic chives and curry. We never gardened much growing up so this will definitely be an experiment (especially the whole idea of growing something from seed- it's hard for me to believe something as little as a seed can get to grow into a nice plant). Wish me luck. And if there are any tips out there I'll definitely take them!!!

By the way, wasn't it gorgeous out today?

Happy 1st Birthday Leah!

It was Leah's first birthday yesterday. The whole family got together, all grandparents as well as her aunties and uncles were there to celebrate. She had fun being passed from family member to family member and walking around exploring the front yard. The adults had a fun time catching up-- especially my parents! Yup, they're back in town for a bit. It's really nice to have them around.

We had burgers, beans and salad for dinner. For dessert, cake. I found out that you can get a free birthday cake from either Lunds/Kowalskis/Byerlys for your child's first birthday as long as you bring in their birth certificate to prove it. Neat huh?!

Leah thoroughly enjoyed her cake, immediately had a bath and was back out in her pjs by the end of the night.

Scott is 30!

These are a few pictures from Scott's birthday celebration. The guys went to brew some beer at the Vine Park brewery and the gals went down the street to share a bottle of wine and have some appetizers. Kim did an awesome job planning a fun afternoon together.