Dog's are like potato chips, you can't have just one!

Ok guys! I know its been too long! Lets just say I've piled a little more on my plate than I can handle right now ;)

Where to begin... School is going well, I am taking 12 hours this summer. Huge mistake. But oh well, just that much closer to graduation. I'm also working full time. Lee and I are doing wonderfully! We have started planning the wedding and I just can't wait! June 2nd cannot come quick enough! We have narrowed it down to two venues, so we will probably be making the decision shortly! I have gone shopping for dresses, but haven't found one that I just LOVE yet...

I was finally able to take some time off from school and work and go down to visit my family in Texas, but I feel like I never stopped! Lee and I drove down on a thursday night and drove through the night, we got to Texas at 8 the next morning, took a nap and left for my cousins wedding in San Antonio at noon. We pretty much didn't stop from that point on until we got back to Montgomery. We went and played Fish Creek. Claire, you will be glad to know that I have not lost my golf game completely! It kind of suprised me as well! I shot a 41 on the front, and then kind of fell apart on the back and shot a 45. But I'm still pretty darn happy with an 86 after 8 months of not playing. Lee and I won ten bucks off my parents that day ;). Then I went to visit Cameron in Galveston and see his new apartment. We went to the beach and took Maddie with us so she could play in the ocean. She loved it so much! That dog just lights up around water! Lee and I are thinking that for our 3rd anniversary, we may take a trip to a dog friendly area at the Outer Banks of Georgia.
It was so nice to finally be able to see my family! It's hard to be away from them, not to mention plan a wedding from 900 miles away. Kelsey, you have any tips for me? lol

June 9th marked Maddie's 6 month adoption anniversary :) It is so incredible how much she has changed as a dog since we first adopted her. She is happy, smart, confident, and sometimes even obnoxious:) which I love. This dog is so damn mellow that I actually get excited when she starts acting like a normal crazy lab and knocks something over with her tail or shakes her butt so hard that she knocks me over, or starts to bark. You can see the difference in her face.


Maddie at Floyd County Animal Control 12/5/2010, and Maddie at the Canine Ranch 06/26/2011



It's because of this picture that we will be doing Frisbee once dock diving season is over lol

June 4th and 5th, Maddie entered in her first Dock Diving competition at The Canine Ranch. It was a ton of fun, we got to see all of the really big jumpers and Maddie was so excited. She did not jump to her full potential, but I did not expect her to. It was very overwhelming even for me and so I knew that with all of the distraction and dogs barking and what not, it would be hard for her to focus like she does in practice where there are only 3 other dogs. But she still did awesome! Here were her jumps!

Wave #1:

1: 16'4

2: 16'7

Wave #2: The second jump got Maddie into the finals where she placed 5th!

1: 16'8

2: 17'1

Wave #3

1: 16'6

2: 16'8

Catch It: Maddie won 2nd place in this! The dog must catch it for the jump to count, and Maddie caught both throws!

1: 16'6

2: 16'8

Combined score of 33'

Fosters: I am sad to say that Lee and I decided to put Ande up for adoption. It was an extremely hard decision in which we both cried for hours. I'm still not sure it was the right one, but we have to live with the decisons we make. We decided that with all of the dogs that we want to have and all of the plans that we have (we are getting one more lab for Lee's hunting dog and eventually a border collie or australian shepherd for me to compete in frisbee and agility with) we just don't have room for any more dogs. Ande went to a wonderful family who keeps her involved in everything they do. Which is exactly what I wanted for her. But I still miss her every day. Her mom is friends with me on facebook and so I get to see all of the pictures she posts, but I still wish that I could be the one watching her grow up everyday.



Ande at the beach with her family




Ande and her brothers!



The day after Ande left, I was contacted about a border collie who needed to find rescue, and in my weaker state, I agreed to take her in. This is Sammie:

She is absolutely insane, obnoxious, annoying, crazy and stubborn but she is so damn sweet and super smart. With some manners, she'll make an awesome dog for someone.

On July 24th, Lee and I will be picking up the new addition to our family, Drake. Drake is the product of an awesome breeding. The father is Lee's dad's dog, named Doc. He is a white lab with amazing hunting talent. He is busy earning lots of hunting titles. The mother is also a great hunter with quite a few titles. We are incredibly excited about Drake, he will officially be Benton dog #2, and Maddie will finally have a permanent little brother! He will be Lee's hunting dog, and we will definitely do dock diving with him as well. We are hoping to get some seriously big jumps out of him!



Drake at 4 weeks and Lee's dad

It's been so nice to read the recent posts, and I'm so glad everyone is doing so well! I miss you guys and hope I get to see you soon! I'll try to make sure that I post more often!
Bri