It was gray and snowing when I woke up today.
It certainly isn’t the mountains of the white stuff that Nemo has brought to the East, but it was enough to get bundled up and bring my snow dog out for a Sunday jaunt. I got puppy kisses before we even got out of the car!
John, his brother, and his nephew are out braving the mountaintop elements, skiing away. As I pulled on my gloves and zipped my coat up tight, I sent warm thoughts up to Snowbird. I can’t imagine how chilly they must be up there!
It’s awesome to see my dog bound around with such joy. She adores the snow! We navigated around her favorite warm-weather swimming hole and crunched our way down a snow-packed trail. The singing of some birds helped balance out the sound of the highway.
I felt a little guilty about not joining the boys on the hill today. But as I blew on my fingers to warm them up and felt the cold wind on my face, I was relieved to be close to home. Besides, a smiling dog will warm you right up -from the inside!
At one point, I tried to coerce Cholula into a little Mommy-doggy photo shoot. I just wanted one shot of us both looking at the camera. FAIL. She was too interested in what might be going on further down the trail.
Hiking in big boots in snow is a good workout! I silently wished for the unlimited energy that Cholula has. One thing I love about our Shepherd/Lab mix is that she’ll forge ahead to explore for awhile, but she always circles back to round up the family. Sweet thing.
The sun tried its best to poke through the clouds as we returned back to the pond. I saw lots of paw prints all over the frozen water but only let Cholula sniff around close to shore. I could just feel her urge for springtime swimming!
Back in the car, I felt the fabulous tingle in my cheeks from exercise in cold weather. Cholula gazed longingly out the back window at other dogs just arriving for their snowy romp. It wasn’t until I pulled out a handful of treats that she came around.
The boys will be home in a couple of hours, tuckered out from Day Two of skiing at Utah altitude. It’s “make your own taco” night and we’ll snuggle in for a movie afterwards. It makes me happy to have a house full of family. This afternoon, the sun is bright, reflecting off of the new snow. Glorious!
I’ll be joining the crew tomorrow on the mountain, regardless of the weather. It will be our last bit of time with the family before the head home. For now, I’ve got hungry-boy snacks to prepare and taco fixings to prep. I wonder if I’ve got enough limes for happy hour margaritas…?
A snowy hike with the dog, that happy tiredness after a workout, a yummy meal, a cozy fire and a house full of family… I’m not sure I could ask for more from a Sunday.
Stay tuned for a family fun recap!
the usual bliss 
awwww that Cholula- he’s so damn cute with his little floppy ears!
The EARS!