Another 50th Anniversary

My parents had their 50th wedding Anniversary on September 2nd. I flew into town (unbeknownst to them) and my sister, Cori and I treated them, my Uncle Lee (Dad's brother who stood up for him when they got married) and wife Doris as well as My Aunt Jill (who stood up for my Mom) and Uncle Steve. Of course, Cori and her sweetie Al were there. It was a small but memorable dinner at the beautiful English Inn just outside of Eaton Rapids, Michigan. The English Inn allegedly has some beautiful gardens, however, it was bit rainy so we didn't really tour them. We did get to tour the Inn guest suites as they had all the rooms open. Apparently, they didn't have guest staying there on a Thursday evening. I like the place so much that the next time we go home for a family function, I may talk Matt into staying there a couple nights.

Table cam... Uncle Lee, Mom (Joan), Doris and my Aunt Jill

My Dad (Neal)

Dad and his brother, Lee (a.k.a. "Sam")

Mom, Doris and my Aunt Jill (Mom's Sister)

Mom & Dad at the English Inn

It all started with...

a statement that I made to my high school friend, Edie, at Ironman, Florida (Panama City--see previous blog about that). I think I said something like "There is NO WAY I would do that swim!!" Well, time has passed and it seems that when I say stuff like "No way!", "NFW!" and "Why would anyone do that to themselves??" — what I really mean is maybe I'll try it sometime. It also helps (or doesn't help) to have an uber over-achieving friend to plant the seed. Now that I've run a few marathons (and will run a couple more this year), I think this next adventure will really tell me how much farther I can go.

Today I signed up for Ironman Couer d'Alene, 2011, along with my friend, Edie. I'm truly looking forward to the training, the challenge and being able to experience my first Ironman along with Edie.

This fish has been out of the water a long time and I'm looking forward to getting back in and learning to swim for LONG periods of time. The bike will get dusted off and I'll fit that into what will be a pretty active exercise schedule.

I'm by no means a super athlete but I like to think I'm persistent and well... like the video says, I WILL do this!!

R.I.P. Chance

It's hard not to love a little Shih Tzu and especially Chance. My Mom and Dad got Chance after losing their first Shih Tzu, Teddy. I kind of brought Teddy to them and they loved him and discovered how much fun the breed's feisty attitude could be. They hand picked Chance and he was a suck-up from the get-go. He soon was the boss of them and where ever they were he was. He particularly liked to be where my Mom was but he his loyalty to her would go out the window if Dad was going somewhere in the truck. He loved truck rides! He also loved his white kitties that slept with him on the couch, eating at the dinner table, and herding his people on the big farm. He was extremely lucky to be a farm dog, and even luckier to be REALLY spoiled farm dog.

Chance all snuggled up with my Dad's jacket on the tractor in winter.

Although I've lived in Arizona throughout Chance's lifetime, I always enjoyed visiting and having him run in my bedroom to wake me up in the morning. He was well mannered, well behaved and lovable. I tend to get attached to my parent's animals because I feel like when I'm there, they are an extension of our family. I also just love animals and especially cute, smart dogs.

Chance passed away in his sleep just two nights ago. My parents really didn't see it coming and so they are really quite a mess losing their beloved little dog. Chance was 12 years old. So again our family has lost a special pet and family member in a short period of time. There is comfort in knowing that he was at his favorite place in the whole wide world when his time came. At home on his farm with his people.

R.I.P. little Shih Tzu. Your canine family is waiting for you in doggie heaven. Zach, Zoe and Kobi will all be happy to see you.

The First 50th...

This year is a big year for all things 50...

It's all starting with Wanda & Matthew's 50th wedding anniversary. It's also my Mom & Dad's 50th anniversary year as well. PLUS, Matt Jr. (a.k.a. the spouse and Cricket) is having his 50th birthday along with sister-in-law, Karen. Whew!!

We had Matt & Wanda's party on May 15 at Dan and Karen's beautiful home in Paradise Valley. It was catered by one of Wanda's favorite places to dine, Sophie's Bistro and the band with lead singer, Dennis Rowland, was great (Click through to his website for a few You Tube videos). They had played at Dan and Karen's wedding and they really know how to get everybody dancing.

We kept it a surprise for Wanda and she was certainly surprised to learn that we were not taking them to a fancy restaurant but bringing all the "fancy" to a place where friends and relatives could celebrate with them.

Here's Wanda with her "Queen" glass.

Group photo of family & friends

Matthew, Wanda and their boys Cricket (Matt Jr.) and Dan and the Daughters-in Law, Karen and I

The cake cutting, 50 years later!

Wanda with her siblings Jonni & Frank

Taking a break from the dance floor. Wanda, Dan, Matt & Karen

Wanda & Matthew looking good 50 years later.

Singer Dennis Rowland. He and his band were great. Really made the dancing fun seen below in photo of Cricket and his Mom. He hates to dance! But I think he enjoyed dancing at this party.

Cricket (Matt Jr.) & his Mom having a dance.

The lovely couple enjoying their party.

Daisy's Blog

Daisy has decided to do her own blog. She's decided to let everyone know about her adventures both at home and during her travels. Check out her blog, at daisydogtravels.blogspot.com.

Daisy and Lulu

Lulu is Daisy's squid toy friend. She's likes to carry Lulu outside with her. I got this toy off of Etsy when I was looking for a cute crate bed (I ended up getting some cute daisy material at JoAnn's and neighbor Jan sewed a bed for her). It's been a busy week for Daisy. She had to go get a rabies shot and thus her first visit to my vet. It was kind of weird taking her after taking Kobi there for his final hour a few weeks before. A bit emotional for me. I love my new puppy, but I miss my old "puppy" too.

This past week was also Daisy's first dog obedience class. I am taking her to the same dog trainer I took Kobi to 16 years ago, Dan Brutsche. Dan has a great memory with dogs and he remembered me and Kobi. Kobi was a great dog in part because I trained him with the basic commands within a week of getting him. My plan for Daisy is no different. I think all dogs need training to be well mannered around humans and other animals.

I have to admit that Daisy is a very quick study. She is heeling and sitting as soon as I stop. Tonight I decided to get a jump on next week's session by teaching her "stay". It didn't take long. I had her staying with the leash dropped and walking circles around her without a problem. I even got her to do "down" (lay down) on command. We had a backyard play session of Fetch with her new tennis ball afterwards. I think she's now actually starting to put the word "fetch" together with the play time and she "gives" the ball back quite nicely.

She's a lot of fun and I'm enjoying an active puppy. I'm looking forward to 16+ years with this little dog. After dog obedience, she be old enough to go up the street to Partners for dog agility. I think I'm going to give that a go. We'll both have a blast!

Puppy time...

It's day 3 since Daisy arrived and she's already showing lots of puppy "tude". There's not much that can make this little girl's tail stop wagging. She plays and sleeps very hard. She is my little shadow and has to be where ever I am. However, she likes the fact that she can still see Matt—when he is in his office through the french doors. Kobi's Cool-A-Roo bed is like her play area while I'm working. Somehow that's soothing to me to know something I got for Kobi is still useful. She just loves to lay on it and play with her toys and take naps while I'm working during the day.

She's getting lots of walking time around the neighborhood too. Today Matt, Daisy and I walked across the street for lunch. We had a slice of pizza from Brothers and coffee at Scooter's sitting outside with Daisy. I'm taking her on a little adventure each day to get her used to being around people and places. Yesterday she had a REALLY big adventure going to Bonnie's Barkery. She got a new harness, collar, crate bed, ID tag and toys. She loves her toys. In fact, she made a point of pulling off the displays the toys she wanted. Plus she had to wow the customers with her cuteness. One girl was trying to describe her to a friend on her cellphone and she just said "I don't even know how to describe how cute this dog is... and I certainly can't describe what breed it is!" That about sums it up. To me she is 100% purebred mutt. But she sure is cute and smart too! She's not my Kobi dog, but she's going to be another one-of-a-kind for sure.

We'll see what tomorrows adventure will be. For now, I thought I'd share some Cool-A-Roo photos.

I got this Blow Pop stuffed toy out of the sale bin at Bonnie's Barkery. It's her favorite now.

I don't know what toy to play with first. So I'll play with all of them at once!

I love my toys and my Cool-A-Roo bed.