Father's Day Outing

This past weekend was a little hectic for the four of us.  We drove down to the Ogden area Friday evening and spent every moment until late Sunday night visiting family and friends, running errands, and getting things ready for a family reunion that my immediate family is planning for next weekend.

Lucy's busiest day by far was Saturday.  In the afternoon, she, Shaun, and I ran around Ogden picking up items for the reunion Carnival I am overseeing.  After taking care of those errands, we went with my parents to the Ogden UTA station and rode the Front Runner down to Salt Lake so that we could have a little Father's Day celebration at City Creek.  Once we got loaded into the Front Runner and sat down, Lucy immediately relaxed right next to an AC vent and snoozed most of the ride.  (She told me that when we move she wants to have her own personal AC installed in her kennel.  I told her to keep dreaming ;))

After arriving in City Creek, we walked around some of the shops to check out all the pricey stores.  While it wasn't over crowded, it was decently busy and Lucy did a great job staying in the correct spot for her "let's go."  One nice thing about City Creek is that it's dog friendly-there are potty stations in numerous locations.

However, there is almost nowhere to actually toilet the dogs!  The potty stations with bags are right in the middle of everything and everyone and on really pretty floors.  Even on the bottom level there is a stream or creek running through, but with barely an edge for four little paws and nowhere that is "private."  While Lucy is so-so about toileting on surfaces other than grass (she'll often go on asphalt at Shaun's parents so that she doesn't mess up their lush lawn), I didn't feel comfortable taking her there in front of everybody.  So, unfortunately, finding a good location for her to do her business was a bit of a hassle.  Maybe we just weren't looking in the right places?  But, Lucy did great and held it the whole time until we could find an out of the way place.  

The main reason we went to City Creek, besides the fact that my parents hadn't been there yet, is because of the Cheesecake Factory.  

My dad absolutely LOVES desserts, so we figured the best gift for him was a jaunt down to get some fancy cheesecake.  Lucy would totally be a peanut butter addict if we let her, so she begged and begged me for a slice of this Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake.  Of course, I said no ;)

In retribution, she decided if I wouldn't buy her cheesecake, she would try to lick up all of the bread crumbs that were stuck in the grooves of the floor.  After about 15 minutes of trying to eat crumbs and Shaun and I intervening the best we could, she finally gave up.  However, besides this little block of pure bratty-ness, Lucy was fabulous before and after, taking everything in stride, even our mile long trek to the Front Runner station because Trax was closed down due to a car hitting one of the trains.  

Overall, it was a big day for Lucy, but she was a trooper and seemed to enjoy her night out on the town!