Becky's Wedding Festivities

This week Kyle and I got to attend all sorts of celebrations for one of my good friend's wedding. Becky and I were grad school classmates for two years and roommates for over half of that time. While we were roommates, Becky, Rachel, and I made Porter's Place our hangout. They are an old Western themed restaurant named after Orrin Porter Rockwell. They are known for church history named dishes and great virgin drinks. Any momentous occasion, be it good or bad, called for a trip to Porter's Place. For Becky's last girls' night out, we couldn't go anywhere but there.

(Becky, Me, Trisha, and Rachael slurping our virgin drinks at Porter's Place.)

Even though were were on a girls' night, one boy did get to come along. Kyle behaved like a perfect gentlemanly escort. Most of the time he slept under the table. Truth be told, Kyle is wonderfully behaved in restaurants and sees them as a great napping spot.

(Kyle lying on his side and sleeping under the table at Porter's Place.)

Before we moved on, Kyle had to sneak in a little time with the bride-to-be. The first time Becky and Kyle met, he decided she was alright, curled up in her lap, and went to sleep. They've been friends ever since.

(Becky kneeling down with Kyle next to her just before we left the restaurant.)

After the drinks, we headed to Rachael's parent's house so that we could have a large backyard to grill dinner and watch and outdoor movie. Instead of the movie, we ended up watching the dogs. Kyle rarely gets to play with other dogs or be off leash, so he had a blast. He and Jasmine, a seven-year-old Australian Shepard/Lab mix played for two and a half hours almost nonstop.We are definitely going to have to set up more play dates for these two.

(Jasmine nipping at Kyle's neck while he jumps in the air.)

Since Kyle and Jasmine wouldn't hold still together, I had to get one of Jasmine alone when she took a break to watch the young buck run laps.

(A pretty shot of Jasmine looking off in the distance.)

Rachael's parents have a trampoline sunk in the ground. At first Kyle didn't know what to make of the bouncy surface and avoided it.

(Jeremiah bouncing on the trampoline while Becky lies on it. Jasmine and Kyle are looking on.)

It didn't take long for him to decide he liked to bounce. Kyle spent a good amount of time jumping on and off with Becky and Jeremiah.

(Jeremiah is lying on the trampoline while Becky sits next to him. Kyle is jumping on the trampoline with his ears flying in the air.)

Wednesday was wedding event free, but we sure made up for it today. In our church, weddings are performed in temples. This is the only place I don't take Kyle because everything inside is pale colored or white. As a result, while I went to Becky and Jeremiah's sealing, Kyle got to go to our club leader's house and play with her two puppies, Sugar and Mara. Mara, her female black lab, is headed to Oregon tomorrow for harness training, so this was a great opportunity for Kyle to say goodbye. Good luck Mara!

With Kyle at the puppy sitter's, I had a stress free day. It was weird to have an empty left hand and not worry about what my dog was doing every second. I managed though, and had a blast with friends. Becky was a gorgeous bride, and Jeremiah looked stunning in his chocolate tux.

(The single girls and the bride had to pose for a picture. Me, Becky, Rachael, and Jenny right after Becky got married!)

When all the morning festivities were over and I'd taken a trip to campus to meet with my thesis chair, I headed to get Kyle. It warmed my heart to see how happily he wagged my tale when I walked in the front door. He had just eaten dinner and gotten back from a long walk. My brave club leader is amazing. She walked Kyle, Sugar, and Mara for two miles at the same time! I know Kyle had a great day.

In return for puppysitting Kyle, I agreed to take Sugar for a couple days while my leader drops off Mara and attends a family reunion. Sugar is a beautiful white golden retriever who is only two weeks older than Kyle. She is a sweetie through and through.

I thought Kyle would be excited to have a friend along for a few days, but I think he got jealous of sharing my attention after leaving him all day. When we took off, Kyle did something he has never done before. He curled in a tight ball with his back to me. Kyle wouldn't even look at me when I said his name and patted his head.

(Kyle curled in a ball on the front passenger floorboard looking away from me.)

Of course, while Kyle pouted, Sugar looked unfazed in the backseat. So far, she has proved to be a really easygoing girl.

(Sugar sitting in the backseat with her tongue licking her nose.)

Back to the wedding celebrations... I got home with the puppies, relieved both of them, kenneled Sugar, and raced out the door with Kyle. He shouldn't have pouted because I had already chosen him to attend the reception with me. Since Becky knows him, Kyle was the obvious choice for the outing.

Becky and Jeremiah have tons of nieces and nephews, so there were adorable children running everywhere at the reception. About halfway through the evening, one little five-year-old, Louisa, came and introduced her self and asked to pet Kyle. She was my shadow the remainder of the night.

(Louisa kneeling in the grass next to Kyle and petting him.)

Louisa was an incredibly intelligent little girl who wanted to know all about Kyle's training. I told here the commands he knows, and she had a blast telling Kyle sit and down. However, she was disappointed that he doesn't know shake or roll over. I explained that he is only half trained so far, and that we have to teach the most important commands first. Louise proceeded to explain that concept to all her cousins for the remainder the evening.

After several rounds of puppy push-ups (successive sits and downs), Louisa wanted to try something new. I taught her lets go and let her walk Kyle along the edge of the yard. Kyle did pretty well until he found the wood chips and tried to eat them. After that, we avoided that section of the yard.

(Louisa walking Kyle around the edge of the yard on a loose leash.)

After a while several cousins noticed that Louisa was having all the fun, and they wanted a turn with Kyle. At one point he had four or five kids trying to walk him at once. That didn't last long because it was too overwhelming for Kyle. As a result, all the kids ran away except Louisa. She stayed at Kyle's side until Becky and Jeremiah drove off. Once again she proved that kids and puppies belong together. I also think she is convinced to raise a puppy in ten years or so.

(Two flower girls walking Kyle into the tall grasses at the edge of the back yard.)

Becky and Jeremiah were pretty busy all night, but Kyle and I snagged a few minutes of their time. I'm so happy for the two of them. They make an incredible couple who had a beautiful wedding.

(Me giving Becky a hug while Jeremiah looks on. Kyle is sitting patiently in the foreground.)

Weeks like this one make you believe that happily ever after does exist!