Saturday morning, Nate and I were pumped to participate in the CareNet (Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Amarillo) 2007 Walk for Life. It's a great cause, and we had wads of cash to donate (thanks to Debbie and Earl). So we loaded up the kids, the wagon AND the dog and headed to MediPark. It started out well. The kids watched contently from their wagon at the festivities surrounding the check-in gate. Lots of dogs, clowns, kids on decorated bikes, a guy singing and playing his guitar... Baron wanted to talk to every dog there, and luckily we didn't cause any distress among our fellow dog owners. Baron did get a lot of attention. He was the biggest dog there, probably by about 60 pounds. All the kids wanted to pet him, which, of course, he loved.
Then the walk got underway. Rather than acting like the well-trained, obedient dog that he really is, Baron was a monster, pulling us toward the other dogs. Without having to say a word, Nate and I mustered up a burst of speed to take us toward the front and away from other dogs. Baron was better because he was "winning the race," at least as far as the other dogs were concerned. We enjoyed our walk around MediPark - it's by far the best park in town. But about three-fourths of the way around, Owen decided he'd had enough of the gyrations of the bumpy road. He was ready to be done. Soon, Evan joined in, creating a lovely duet featuring the oh-so-sweet sounds of screaming babies who are way too close to naptime. Despite the fact that this walk was in NO WAY competitive, Nate and I once again took off, this time at a pretty swift jog, praying for the screaming to stop, praying for Baron to behave. Huffing and puffing, we headed straight for the car and loaded up, sadly skipping out on all the fun food, drinks, games and raffles all the other walkers would soon get to enjoy. Nope, we were headed home with a bad dog and two cranky toddlers.
We used to enjoy doing things like this. It's a feeling that you're giving more than money - you're wearing the T-shirt and pounding the pavement in a public show of support. Man, kids really change things... Maybe next year will be a more pleasant adventure for this family of five. Or maybe we'll write a check and let someone else do the walking.
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