Keith ran a Half Marathon!

I recently finished the Chicago half Marathon! The weather was perfect I was able to finish in 1:49:18! Huge thanks to Ryan for giving me a Garmin GPS watch, it was super helpful in training. It makes it very easy to both adjust run lengths on the fly and maintain a set pace. It was hilarious during the race there were the telltale beeps from all around me at each mile. There also was an especially hilarious sign a spectator was holding saying, "Don't worry baby, if you pass out I'll pause your Garmin." 

I based my training on the Hal Higdon novice program condensed into eight weeks with the Wednesday cross training as intervals. The hardest part was consistently making time to run four times a week, but the miles added up, I ran 105 miles in August! 

I have no plans for doing a full marathon, but some friends and I are going to do the hot chocolate 15K  in November and I'm really excited to run a run the Monster Dash 5K in October with Rebecca. Costume suggestions anyone?

--------------------------------- Did you take any pictures at our wedding? Please send them to us!

Pooch Park

We have gone to the Pooch Park many times since this video was filmed. Indy continues to love Agility but he is now afraid of the balance beam. I think it has a lot to do with him jumping off at the top a few times (including one epic leap into my arms.)

The park is fun when it isn't filled with mud. Sometimes our very white puppy comes home brown!

Normally everyone at the park is very friendly, and Indy has a lot of positive interactions with dogs and people. Indy is too shy to drink out of the public water bowl (he takes possession seriously) so we bring a water bowl for him. He will growl if another dog attempts to drink his water. He also can be "protective" of us at times. Unfortunately, last weekend these two issues combined in a confrontation with a chocolate lab which resulted in the lab accidentally biting my leg. The two dogs where growling/snapping at each other, Indy under the bench and the lab on the other side of me. The dog wasn't trying to bite me, I just happened to be in the way. The owner of the lab was really friendly, and the bite didn't break the skin (although I have a nasty bruise) so we did not need to seek medical attention. This is my first first-hand experience with a dog bite, and shows that even the most friendly dogs may accidentally bite someone. I still plan to go to the dog park, I will just avoid sitting on the bench!

Keith's Birthday

February is the month of birthdays and we celebrated accordingly. Rebecca gave me a lego star wars advent calendar which meant I got to open something almost every day in Feb. The picture below shows some of my bounty (including a subscription to a pickle of the month club!).

We ended up celebrating on the 27th with some delicious Mexican food as I had a big presentation that day and taking the day off the week before didn't seem prudent. Rebecca gave me the new Uncharted game which is great because it plays like a movie and is therefore fun for her to watch (and really fun to play). For a cake she made frosted star wars shaped brownies and cupcakes!

In other news ,the final two first author papers from my graduate work came out recently (here and here). I'm still working to publish some of the work I did with undergraduate researchers, but that's almost wrapped up too. Life in the new lab has been very different from my graduate studies, but a great learning experience. 

-Keith

---------------------------------
Did you take any pictures at our wedding? Please send them to us!

Evanston Public Library

I finally took the time to join the Evanston Public Library. The library is located in downtown Evanston so I walk by it every time I have an errand in town. I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS. The best part? I didn't have to jump through hoops to prove my residency, I only had to show my driver's license. There are so many benefits to have your legal address be where you are actually living!

I found the COOLEST book, Knit Your Own Dog. There are fairly accurate representations of many common breeds. (Unfortunately, no American Eskimo, Newfie or Golden Retriever...) I haven't looked at the book options online yet, but I am excited to be able to request books online again!

My friends Caroline and Alan are running the Boston Marathon in April to raise money for the Museum of Science Traveling Programs. Please support them as they train to run for such a worthy cause by donating in honor of Alan's birthday!

Indy at 8 months (almost)

Indy is just shy of being 8 months old, and today he weighs 22.1 lbs! We hope he will be 23+ by spring because right now he is between sizes for the flea prevention medication.

We took Indy to the "Pooch Park" yesterday. The park was HUGE and he had some great play time with the other dogs there. When we arrived, he even greeted the humans well! (By the time we left, he was barking again... but there is some hope.)

The park has an agility course, and Indy is an absolute natural! The only piece we have worked on at home is the tunnel (we set it up in the hallway) but he was climbing on balance beams, jumping through hoops and (with a lot of guidance) weaving through poles. We have some videos that I hope to get edited to post soon.

I hope everyone is having a happy February!

The end if an era

Guess what? We have had Indy for 6 months now! And yesterday, we used up the "Lab Notes" We have been using to keep track of Indy's outdoor activities.

It is hard to believe that Indy has been part of our lives for half of a year. So much has happened!

New Indy Videos (Indy at 7 months)

As promised, here are some great new Indy videos! Here we will show off some of his latest and greatest tricks.

Indy knows how to go many places. He knows his bed, basket, chair (the only furniture he is allowed on in our living room) and Jail. We named the crate Jail because when I read it in a book as a suggested command I thought it was hilarious. Indy spends less time in Jail than he used to because we can trust him more around the house. Even so, he spends a fair amount of time in Jail (unlocked) just hanging out or napping.

We taught Indy this trick so that when we get excited, he can get excited, too.

This video isn't really a trick, but is a really cute Indy habit. He always runs up the stairs first, and then gets really excited right outside our back door:

Indy at 7 months

Indy is finally over 20 lbs! Today he weighed 20.9 lbs.

Earlier this month, Indy was neutered. The surgery went very well, but Indy HATED his no bite collar. He wore the collar for almost a week, but we finally took it off when we realized he was getting a sore under his chin from it rubbing.

Indy is born to be in the snow. We have had two big snow storms in January, and Indy could not have been happier romping through the snow. He runs along with his mouth open eating the fresh powder. He also burrows and sniffs in every hole he can find.

People often ask us how we keep Indy so clean. He really doesn't get that dirty, even when he splashes mud on him it wipes off very easily. In the snow, Indy no longer looks like a white dog, but more like a yellow dog!

We hope all is well with everyone!

Another Cute Story - Indy at 6.5 Months

Last night around 9, Keith and I were talking when we realized we didn't know where Indy was. We walked into the bedroom to find him sleeping on the bed. After we went and cuddled he asked to get down (he still can't jump off on his own), and followed us into the living room. He then led us (standing and sighing until we follow) back into the bedroom and jumped back on the bed. I think he was telling us it is time for lights out!

Indy still fits in the basket... barely.

Tomorrow Indy is going to be neutered. He is giving his Lady bug some extra love... do you think he knows? There are some really funny videos of this "affair" that I intend to edit and share soon. (I know that I keep promising videos and pictures from our travels... they are coming, I just haven't taken them off of my camera yet!)

Indy and Xylabone... the only toy he knows by name

My friends Caroline and Alan are running the Boston Marathon in April to raise money for the Museum of Science Traveling Programs. Please support them as they train to run for such a worthy cause by donating.

Happy New Year

We are home, Indy is home. Everyone is happy to start off 2012.

Indy was very happy to see us. He has never looked so beautiful, after his first grooming appointment. (I will take pictures later today once he calms down a bit.) He is running around the house like a wild man inspecting and sniffing everything. Surprisingly, Indy weighs the exact same amount as he did when we left! It is nice to know that he didn't get super fat while we were gone.

We have many pictures from our travels to the Caribbean and Boston which we will be sharing over the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

---------------------------------

Did you take any pictures at our wedding? Please send them to us!