Two Blogs In One

My little puppy Heidi is now a DOG.

A STUMP FOR A TAIL
You can't buy loyalty, they say

I bought it though, the other day;

You can't buy friendship, tried and true,

Well just the same, I bought that too.

I made my bid, and on the spot

Bought love and faith and a whole job lot

Of happiness, so all in all

The purchase price was pretty small.

I bought a single trusting heart,

That gave devotion from the start.

If you think these things are not for sale,

Buy a brown-eyed puppy witha stump for a tail.
--- author unknown ---

Where did my little puppy go? Heidi turned 1 year old today, and I can't believe how much she has changed from when we first brought her home at 8 weeks old. I realize that I blog more about my dog than some people blog about their kids, but she's my baby!














To celebrate her big day, we visited the local pet stores and got Heidi some great birthday treats. And no, I didn't get her a birthday card - the card was from Petsmart, which came with a coupon for a free toy of Heidi's choice! Some of you may think I'm crazy for loving my dog as much as I do, but I know those of you with pets understand where I'm coming from!
Here is a picture that illustrates a bit of her personality. I found her napping on top of her crate, despite the fluffy bed and blanket inside. She's surprisingly rugged despite her somewhat prissy appearance, and she makes me laugh every day! Following is an older video of some of the tricks Heidi has learned over the course of her short life. Happy 1st Birthday, Heidi. You'll always be my puppy!

Rapid City Stock Show and Ranch Rodeo

The bank that I work for is one of the sponsors of the Rapid City Stock Show and Ranch Rodeo that's been going on now for a few days. Adam and I were given tickets to the rodeo finals which took place last night. All we had to do was throw Security First Bank frisbees into the crowd between two of the events. We had a really good time, and it was definitely different from what I was expecting. I guess a "ranch rodeo" is more horse riding than bull riding. One of my favorite events was the first one called "Mutton Bustin', " where kids aged 6-8 tried to hang on to a ewe for as long as possible. It was really cute:

My other favorite was the event where the teams had to saddle a wild horse and ride it around a barrel. I felt kind of bad for the horses, but it was cool to see the cowboys hanging on for dear life.

It's fun to work for a company that provides little perks.

I love free, fun times!