Winter?

This is what Maddy has been doing for the past several weeks:

She recently determined that it is perfectly fine to sleep on the couch whenever she wants to. So, after a busy week of Matt Fest 2010, we decided to take her to the beach to enjoy the unseasonably warm afternoon.

The ocean was looking a lot more friendly than the last time I saw it:

(Remember?)

Maddy and her Tater were both very excited to see the beach this time:

Pretty much no one was there, except some others with dogs. Maddy had a fun time playing:

She still likes playing with Tater best, though. Doesn't it look like he's about to face plant?

She was actually kind of brave, going towards the water:

Then, Raftery spotted a fire in the distance:

And the sun was starting to go down anyway:

So we decided to go "stem the call". I was reluctant to leave... but Raf and Maddy waited patiently.

Can't wait to go back tomorrow, after some Chick-fil-a breakfast. Weekends are the win.

(Continued)

So today Maddy is back to her old tricks:

But here is what she was up to yesterday:

We spent another lovely morning at the beach:

The three of us parted company for the rest of the day: Raf to a VCU game with Heard, me to a jewelery party at Karen's, and Maddy to her crate for a long day of resting. The party was fun... evidenced here by Haylie and Brynn's attire:

The best part, though, was the dance party and debate that followed. Here is the skeleton herself, getting down with her bad self.

All that dancing was tiring though.

We also went to Smokey Bones for some UFC fighting, which was lovely. Today is another lazy day.

Polar Plunge

 

Polar Plunge 2010.... before pictures. Listening to BPM (beats per minute) and getting our Jersey Shore on. Check out that "faux hawk".

 

Raftery is Pauly D aka "The Conqueror" and Wendell is Ronny.

Here's Pauly D and J-Wow, pre- plunge.

 

And then it started snowing... we started to feel a bit crazy. We bundled up before we headed out.

 

(This is supposed to be an action shot of me shivering.) The girls:

 

The boys:

 

The car ride over was a little crazy... we all crammed in to Heard's car:

 

Some pictures of the road on the way over:

 

Here's Hugh Mongous:

 

A couple more:

 

  

  

  

And then we arrived.

 

Heard was our sober, non-plunging driver. We needed him desperately.

 

Conditions were crazy, for sure.

 

The waves were HUGE...

 

But we plunged anyway!

The towel head (and "coffee") were the only things that saved me. 4 hours later and I'm only just now getting feeling back in my feet.

 

Quite the crowd!

 

But overall, it was a good first plunge.The car ride home was a little rough, but...

 

Good times.

Man Vs. Beat

Wendell and Raf beat back the beat before the Polar Plunge.