Travelin' Pup

This spring has been a roller coaster ride but the Marra ladies took some time out last week to go visit my Grandma, Mom's Mom and Penny's Great Grandma in Indiana. We headed out last Saturday morning and undertook the 9 hour drive to Terre Haute. Penny did awesome! She wasn't a big fan of her Puppy seat belt but safety comes first. She slept the entire way and we had to question many times if the pup was even in the car. Mom and I had so much fun chatting on the way up and really had a chance to catch up. After hours of driving through corn fields we made it to Grandma's and it was so wonderful to catch up with her. We spent the next couple of days relaxing with her, touring Indiana State's campus (where mom and dad went to college), and playing with Penny at the park.

Grandma and Penny after a big afternoon at the Park

For those of you who have been following Penny's first year with me you remember that Penny came from Indiana. Kelly lives about three hours from Grandma in Hebron Indiana so we took advantage of being so close and drove up to meet her. We also go to meet Penny's mom Effie, and her sisters Echo and Epi. It was so much fun to see them all together! Echo and Penny look like twins! Penny had a blast racing around finding familiar smells and catching up with her sisters. She even got to chase a rooster, and almost catch it!!!! You should have seen the look on her face as she came around the side of a tree and was face to face with the bird....lets just say, feathers were flying!

Effie - Penny's Mom

The whole gang!

Echo and Pen playing in the pool

After our stop in Hebron we continued up I-65 into Chicago. What an awesome city! I will say, dodging taxis, the support beams for the above ground train, The L and trying to stay on upper Wacker instead of Lower Wacker (yes they had double decker roads) was a feat. I was pretty proud of myself for getting us into down town Chicago without getting lost or hitting one of those stupid beams!

We started the trip in Chicago with a drink by the river, Penny loved watching the boats and Seagulls! The weather was so hot, it was actually cooler in Georgia - who knew! We had some amazing Chicago Pizza, toured the city, rode the L, walked the Magnificent mile, met crew members of Transformer 3 and saw a Cubs game - ALL in 48 hours! The entire hotel staff loved Penny and she did so well with the hotel and busy streets. We did discover she liked to stare at people riding the elevator, opps, guess we need to work on her manors. haha!

River view of the Tribune Tower

The double decker draw bridges - so cool!

Penny resting after her morning walk along the river, doesn't she look spoiled!

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, YUMMMM!!!!

You could actually watch them switch out the score panels, how awesome!

We loved the game! Aren't we cute in our Cubs gear.

7 Days, 3 states, 2 cities and 1 dog later, we had an awesome trip! Penny had some many new experiences and loved each one. Seeing grandma was amazing and it was sad to tell her goodbye. I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead.

Miss Money Bags

Miss Money Penny received a new nick name this weekend, Miss Money Bags! This pup is determined to destroy everything I buy for her! Where did this come from? She isn't doing anything else to be a brat, is a daily joy and has never touched anything in my condo. However, In the last month she has killed any toy with stuffing, destroyed her crate liner, not once but twice (seriously, I am talking fluff everywhere!), nibbled on the window sill at Mom and Dad's house, and now shredded her travel crate. She isn't bored, she goes on huge runs, completes training exercises and is constantly getting tons of attention. Really, what is causing this? So as a mother's day present to me I got to buy a new travel crate so she can continue to go on trips and stay at her grandparent's house. Apparently she thinks her mom is made of money!

So we celebrated mother's day in Atlanta this Saturday night with my wonderful second family and had a blast. When we got home we walked in the door and had a loving puppy run up and meet us as we walked in the door. Now, you might say, what is wrong with this picture? Who wouldn't want to be greeted by a cute puppy with a wagging tail? Probably her mom who put her in the crate before she left! My brainiac puppy figured out how to chew a hole and poke her nose through the mess on the front of her travel crate to separate the zipper. Now I will say, I am so happy she managed to stay out of the crate for five hours and not do any damage!

Seeing as how mom and I are always trying to patch, salvage or fix things we decided the hole was fixable, got out the duck tape and patched the hole. Seemed to work really well so we left for Mother's day brunch and returned an hour later to once again be greeted by a smiling pup! This time, make no mistake, she made sure we wouldn't be able to ever patch the door of her crate again. She shredded it!

So now, instead of the super easy soft pop up travel crate that we had, we have a collapsible metal travel crate on the way.....Lets hope she can't figure out how to eat metal!

The Cooper Bridge Run - Charleston, SC

Battery Park at Sunset

Why do I not live in Charleston? That is a great question and I am determined to live there one day, I guess you could say its on my bucket list. Two of my best friends, Cynthia and Lauren, and I made our annual journey to Charleston for the Cooper Bridge Run 10K in April. It is such a fun run and we never need an excuse to take a road trip to the coast. It also happens to fall on Cynthia's Birthday weekend - so what better way to celebrate. The highlight this year....Penny got to go! We always have such a blast. Since we go at least twice a year, we never do the tourist things so look below for some awesome local spots that are both fabulous and dog friendly.

We loved watching her figure out all of the new sites, sounds and places. She was such a trouper and loved all of the adventures! One of my biggest goals for her is to be able to go into any environment while being calm - she did so well and is learning not to jump on everyone she sees. She is always the bell of the ball and people run up to see her - we are trying to teach her to find cute single guys with that talent, not that we don't love meeting new people, but somethings are more important than other ;). Needless to say, it's still a work in progress....

Sullivan's Island is still her favorite place and she couldn't get enough of the beach. She was one salty mess, but it was totally worth it! Enjoy the pictures!

Penny watching the sail boats in Battery Park

Chasing Banana Leaves in Battery Park - This pup has ups!

Taco Boy - Best Mexican in Charleston, Margaritas were also amazing! Apparently, they made Lauren jump for joy...

Plus, they have an awesome outdoor patio that is dog friendly.

Penny enjoying the sunshine at Taco Boy

Morning of the run, it was early, rainy and cold! We still had a blast though!

Sullivan's Island - Beaches are dog friendly and Penny loved it! She had a blast chasing other dogs on the beach. The waves took her by surprise but it didn't take her long to figure out what they were all about. Hint Hint Sam and Jean Anne- its time for a beach house!

One Salty, Wet Mess!

Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's - Dog friendly and so much fun. They have a great beer list, fish tacos and the Bloody Mary's were so yummy! The tavern is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, who used to write here.

Cynthia, David, Lauren at Poe's. It was raining so Pen had to wait in the car, sorry Pen!

Red's Tavern at Shem's Creek - Fun water front bar, dog friendly and great boat watching. We sat out and watched both the boats and storm roll in. It was so beautiful to watch the thunder clouds move in. Penny loved it!


Penny at Red's - she loved catching peanuts and watching the sea gulls. What can I say, she is a bird dog!

Shrimp Boats off the docks at Red's

Cyn's Birthday Dinner at Hall's Steakhouse. Hall's is AMAZING and family owned. The owner's great you at the door and it is such a welcoming atmosphere. The steaks are incredible, wine is fabulous and if your lucky enough to have a birthday you can order a mega cupcake from Cupcakes, Inc - a yummy bakery across the street. We had just run a 10K so we got two - emmmm!

David and Lauren's at Hall's. Watch out all, David has his game face on!

Cyn and I at Hall's

P.S. Lauren - I am so sorry you didn't win this round. Better luck next time!

Better Late Than Never....

Okay, for the record, I apologize - this blog is way overdue and I am way behind on posts. To catch up this will be a hodge podge of updates, Penny grows so fast (she weighed in at 40 pounds a few weeks ago!) that it is hard to keep up with all of our many adventures and successes. Lauren and Linds, stop complaining - here it is!

She is pictured above with her favorite Grandma at a recent Agility event. Doesn't she look like she is having fun! Her Grandma looks pretty proud as well.

2010 has been a great year thus far, Penny has traveled like crazy and is quite the car dog. She loves nothing more than to jump in the car and see where the trip leads. We have gone to Atlanta several times to see her Aunt Lauren and Niece Lily, not that Lily is excited to see Penny. (You will know why when you see the picture below). Lily and Penny chase each other endlessly. Lily's favorite game is to stalk Penny while she is asleep - she is shown below checking out Penny's crate while she wasn't looking.

She loves exploring new places and does so well on the city streets, don't be fooled though - she is a country dog at heart. We are headed to Charleston in two weeks for the Cooper Bridge Run, so she will get her first look at the Ocean. Sullivan's Beach has several dog friendly beaches and I just know she will love the water!

The beautiful weather has allowed for many outdoor adventures and Penny loves being outside. We have spent several lazy Sunday afternoons reading outside while she got the pleasure of chewing on every stick in sight! Have I mentioned that everything she sees goes in her mouth?

We have also starting walking around Athens on Saturday mornings. Penny loves these walks as each walk is different and we always stop for brunch or coffee downtown at the end of our walk. She just adores people watching, probably because know one can walk by her without giving her lots of love. Today we did 5 miles - impressive.

Sandy Creek Park has some awesome hiking trails and Penny LOVES them. It offers her a chance to be off lease and explore new areas. She loves to tag along with Kris and her dog Wilson. They run wild and even get to take a swim.

The first time we went I was so nervous that she would run off and never come back but she totally surprised me. She will run ahead a few yards and then race back, always staying within sight. I think our bond grows stronger each day and she is always making sure I am near by.

My favorite adventure so far has been the Atlanta Golden Retriever Club's Agility Fun Day. It was Penny's first experience with Agility and she went nuts! She did so well and was not scared of any of the different equipment. The A Frame might have been her favorite out of the bunch but you will just have to ask her.... We got to work with both Terri Everline and Elizabeth Downy who are both amazing! Elizabeth has a Speaker son so Penny also got to meet one of her family members! She was the youngest dog there but did so well and her obedience training really showed.

Penny graduates from obedience class next week and has done so well in class. She is such a fast learner and trys so hard to do what you ask her to do! I am not sure which class we will take next but there are definitely more to come.

We are still struggling with her mystery bouts of diarrhea....Her vet thinks that it may be caused by an intestinal organism that causes Coccidia but her cultures came back negative. She has taken the dewormer and has one day left on the antibiotic - please say a few prayers that the treatment worked. She never is in pain, still has her appetite and doesn't act sick but the diarrhea isn't healthy!

I will try and do better about posting pictures, there are just to many adventures and not enough days! Stay tuned....

SNOW IN GEORGIA!!!!!!

It is snowing, yes snowing in Georgia! It is so beautiful and I can say I love to look outside and see all of the pretty snow covered trees. However, it needs to go very soon! I love the snow but it is nice to know that it will be gone soon. Lets face it, I am a southern lady. Penny however seems to be in love with the snow - must be that Indy Dog coming out in her.

We played in the snow after work today and she just went nuts. She rolled and romped like she was in heaven! That fur coat must come in handy, her mom was freezing!!! Check us out - so cute! She is getting so big, I can't believe it. Her coat is also turning such a gorgeous red color. What a cute snow bunny she is.

What can I say - she gets cuter every day, learns more and becomes more confidant with herself with each step and new experience. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her!

Around the State and Back

Penny has been around the state and back this month!!! I know I owe you pictures, boy has she grown a ton! We have been traveling like crazy and there is only more to come. Penny has gotten to experience so many new things! She was a city dog in Atlanta two weekends ago and had a blast, all of those heel lessons really paid off and she did great on the city streets. She got to take a road trip to Covington to see the entire Means family today and will be back in Atlanta next weekend. Her cousin Lily ( Lauren's kitty) has become her new source of amusement and she just can't figure out why Lily won't play with her.

Later this month we are headed to Norcross for an agility fun day hosted by the Atlanta Golden Retriever Club! I am super siked, we are just starting to explore the world of agility and I am excited to learn more at the event. It will be the first time that Penny will get to explore agility so she should have a blast.

We started obedience classes last week and I am really excited to see how those classes go. Penny is very good at sit, stay, come and heel while working with me but when other people or dogs appear she forgets she knows anything! The class has 16 other dogs so she should get a big dose of behaving in public.

I will post pics soon. More to come as we progress through the obedience class. Lots of Love, Penny and Jess!

Sleeping Zombie

Okay so I know, I am way behind! There are some great pictures of Penny on our hike Memorial Park but those are on my camera, and some how connecting the camera to the computer is just to much work tonight...yes, I know I am being lazy.

What I have to share with y'all is this hysterical picture of Penny sleeping. First let me say, she has the option to sleep on my bed, or her super nice dog bed, but for some reason she loves to sleep in her crate. Some where in the middle of the night she will move to a more comfortable spot but I can't get her out of the crate when we go to bed. Anyways, now that you know I am not the prison warden, here is the picture of her SOUND asleep on Sunday. She didn't move when I turned the light on at 2am to take this picture and then she stayed like this for atleast 30 minutes.

I hope you enjoyed this picture as much as I did! I am still laughing three days later.