the pursuit of Happiness.

We got home from our Independence Day camping/kayaking trip after midnight last night, so it was a pleasant surprise that the fur child let us sleep until 10 a.m.! His usual practice is to demand that we shower him with attention/let him out to pee/feed him promptly at 7 a.m. But, I've never known a more affectionate dog, so that along with his puppy cuteness makes it hard to hold anything against him. Yes, I am utterly infatuated with this puppy. He is a 7 1/2 month old border collie named Arrow; a working breed whose "jobs" at our house are to look cute and keep us on our toes. When we have failed to supervise the furry monster, he has found the following ways to entertain himself:


- drag a potted plant into the neighbor's waterfall koi pond
- stand atop the bathroom sink and chew a bar of Dove soap
- destroy one green flip flop
- eat the tail and ear of his dragon toy


Overall, he's a wonderful pet. We're glad to have him.


This past weekend, in honor of our nation's birth, we visited the Payette River valley of Idaho, north of Boise. We took an inflatable kayak called a "Ducky" down two sections of the Payette River. Chris paddled in the rear and steered, I sat up front ordering him where to go, and Arrow was in my lap or standing at the bow, biting at the water. Arrow made a fine whitewater dog. He did not seem phased by the biggest rapids, even after a large rapid launched him several feet in the air and graciously back into the boat rather than the river. He also looked precious in his doggie life jacket.





Although the stress of bar exam studying made it difficult to devote 4 days to a vacation, I'm glad I did. It was wonderful to spend time with my husband, who has endured these last 3 years of my law school attendance with abundant patience. He is incredibly skilled at whitewater kayaking and enjoys is immensely, so spending a long weekend in Idaho was a blast for him. Besides, according to the Declaration of Independence, we Americans have an unalienable Right to "the pursuit of Happiness," and a whitewater river through a beautiful canyon serves up one happy day.

As for now, I better return to my bar review books so that I can pass this test at the end of the month and finally be done with studying.