Thursday Morning Thoughts: the Life of an Author's Dog

I own German Shepherds. I have my entire life. Each of them is unique in their own way, and Leida (the younger of the two I currently own) has this rambunctious personality. I call her "Puppydog" for a reason.

You know what I love most about her? Waking up to this:

Sometimes she jumps into bed, sometimes she props her chin over the edge and starts whining. Whatever the case, it's my second-favorite way to wake up (the first being in a tent on a mountain).

Puppydog also has a knack for being photogenic. She takes up a variety of poses to look cute. There's her lazy pose:

And her upside-down, I'm a total nutcase pose:

And sometimes, if I'm not waking up (or pretending to be asleep), she'll sit by my window and patiently wait. When I took this particular picture, she was staring outside for 20 minutes:

But best of all, she likes to be my editor. When I was revising the fourth draft of Embassy, I went downstairs for a moment -- then came back and found her diligently working on my book for me:

As you can see, Puppydog and I are pals. We have a nice round of tug-o-war every day and play hide-and-seek (THAT gets intense). But what's her favorite thing to do?

Lay by the fire and sleep.

Do you have pets? What sorts of quirky things do they do?

Post it in the comments!

Yet Another Snow Day

You know something I haven't done in years? Go sledding. It's been about four years since the last time I actually went sledding, down a hill, in the snow.

Well today I got that chance. I went with my sister and her friends to the McDaniel College golf course. Hole #7, to be exact. That hill is insane. Add a ramp and you've got yourself an adrenaline rush waiting to happen.

There are three hills in this picture.

And boy, did it happen.

It was 1 degree outside, and probably sub-zero since there was wind. You felt it. From feeling your fingers ache with cold, to runny noses and foggy glasses.

I tried filming a run, but it didn't save in my phone -_-

All in all, the rush was needed. It's been a long time since I've gone sledding. And don't even get me started on skiing. I miss skiing SO. MUCH. Flying down the hill, soaring off the ramps, shredding the snow...

That's the life.

What's your favorite winter activity/sport?