No More Studying

Yesterday I passed both the National and State Real Estate Exams! So no more studying and no more tests!! I can actually get back to a normal life and not feel guilty by doing other things. For a while now, I have felt guilty if I haven't been studying. All I have left to do in order to officially get my real estate license is to be finger printed and take a 6 hour intro to contract writing class they call "boot camp". Then I will go down to the Real Estate Department office and get my license!! YEAH!!!

Christmas Crunch

My good friend Heidi has a Weimaraner, Vokey. Vokey sent Bogey and Jesse each a Christmas card. They were very excited to find that the card was an edible rawhide! http://www.crunchkins.com/ So on Christmas morning Bogey and Jesse each spent some time enjoying their holiday wishes from Vokey. Thanks Vokey...they loved them!!

Hospice of the Valley...here we come!

Yesterday Jesse and I had an interview with the Pet Connections coordinator for Hospice of the Valley. http://www.hospiceofthevalley.org/ It went very well and we are now on our way to being a pet connections team for HOV! We got our picture taken for the "badge" that I will have to wear when we are volunteering. I got my first of two TB tests that I will have to have and then January 26th I will have an all day volunteer orientation. Jesse doesn't get to join me for that but once I have completed that we will be ready to go! (Assuming all of Jesse 's paper work has gone through, I have sent it in and am just waiting to hear back)
I left the HOV office yesterday really excited. Everyone was so nice and I think it is going to be a very rewarding experience for both Jesse and I.
Wish us luck!

Halpern Holiday Open House

(In the picture Keely, Me, Amanda and Cristy at Pomeroys after Amanda's party.)
Last Saturday I was invited to an old friend's Christmas Party. Amanda and I went to elementary school and high school together. I recently met her for dinner but until then, we hadn't seen each other since high school! It was nice to be invited and it was fun to see some other people I went to high school and elementary school with as well. I have also been invited to join a kick ball team that Amanda has put together so it will be nice to reconnect with more old friends! (Yes I said kick ball...I had to laugh when I got her e-mail but I though it could be fun! Even though I haven't played since
probably 6th grade! Can you whiff at kick ball? I'll post more once that starts in January too! )

Jesse is a Therapy Dog!

Yesterday Jesse and I went out to Surprise for her therapy dog evaluation as well as her AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. I am so proud of her...she did great! She passed all the requirements with flying colors. We were able to take both tests at the same time because the Therapy Dog evaluation is basically the AKC CGC test with a few added tests. There were 11 requirements:
1-Accepting a friendly stranger (has to allow a friendly stranger to come up and talk to the handler, shake hands etc. without being aggresive or shy or overly excited)
2-Sitting politely for petting
3-Appearance and Grooming (has to allow someone to look at their feet, in their ears etc.)
4-Out for a walk (dog has to walk on a loose leash. (there can't be any tension on your leash)
5-Walking through a crowd (shows that the dog can politely move through people in public places)
6-Sit and Down on Command/staying in Place (shows that the dog will respond to the handler's commands when asked to sit and down)
7-Coming when called (dog has to sit and face the handler as they are atleast 10 feet away and when called must come directly to the handler)
8-Reaction to Another Dog (shows that the dog can behave politely around other dogs)
9-Reactions to Distractions (they drop loud things and the dog can look or be slightly startled but has to recover and not panic during this test they also added the LEAVE IT test...we had to walk by food and the dog could smell but when given the command had to leave it alone and not eat it)
10-Supervised Separation (demonstrates that the dog can be left with another person if neccessary and maintain "good manners" while the handler is out of sight)
11-Say Hello (tests the willingness of the dog to visit a person)
We can now volunteer at hospitals, nursing homes or other places. I am really excited about this and think that I will be a lot out of it and I think Jesse will enjoy it too! Bogey needs a little more work but I plan to test with him too! Wish us all luck!

Fall Flowers

Sunday I was "Happy Homemaker" doing laundry, cleaning house and doing lots of yard work. I mowed and edged my lawn in the front and the back. My mom then came over and helped me plant lots of flowers so now my yard looks so nice and colorful! My favorite are the two dog pots I got for my birthday that now have beautiful flowers in them! It is so nice to go outside when your yard looks nice! My front door is quite inviting now too with nice flowers in the blue pots as well. Now I just sit back and cross my fingers that the cooler weather is around the corner!! These are some pictures of my work....

Birthday Bash

Mitzi, Singne, Me, Meghan, Jami and Toni (Noelani couldn't make it to the pedicures but met us for dinner!)
Saturday my friends and I met at 4:30 to get pedicures and enjoy a glass of wine! It was a lot of fun being pampered together and the wine was a nice addition to the pedicure!! We then continued the evening by going to dinner and then to a wine bar called "uncorked". It was a fun night out with my friends celebrating the big 31!

Lunch at The Farm with the Leahy's!

I met the Leahy family at The Farm at South Mountain for Lunch on Sunday. It is always nice spending time with Jami and Scott and the boys but this time it was especially nice since they will be moving in a few weeks. The Leahy's are truely one of my favorite families and I have been so blessed to have been part of their time in Arizona. The Farm has always been a favorite for us both so it was a perfect place to meet and have lunch. I got a nice picture with Luke and Reid and enjoyed watching Reid's excitement when he met a friendly Golden Retriever.

Boo Bash

One of my favorite costumes, Howie Mandel and his "Deal or No Deal" girl


Me, Singne, Meghan and Mitzi

Friday night my friends Jeff and Mitzi had a Halloween Party. It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed seeing eachothers costumes. Unfortunately I did not win the prize for best costume but had fun surprising everyone since noone had a clue what I was coming as. Why noone guessed I would be a large chested "wet t-shirt contest winner" I don't know but it was a blast!

Blessing of the Animals

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

The above is from a hymn, All Things Bright and Beautiful that we sang yesterday in church. My mom and I attended church and brought Bogey, Jesse and Casey for the blessing of the animals. This is tradition in many churches in honor of St. Francis who is the patron saint of animals. Hopefully with this blessing we'll have another happy, healthy year ahead with our furry friends!

Spa Girls

Me, Mitzi, Meghan, Toni, Noelani, and Singne

This week is spa week and many of the spas in town are giving certain body treatments including massages for $50. Who can turn down a $100 savings on a massage? So the Grayhawk Girls met at the Phoenician Spa for 5pm massages and then a glass of wine at Windows on the Green. It was a great treat for all of us and as always fun to spend time together!

Theta Fall Fling

Saturday afternoon the Phoenix Alumnae Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta had the first event of the year, Fall Fling. It was a nice event at a beautiful house in the Biltmore area. It was nice to see some familiar faces that I haven't seen in a long time and nice to meet some new people as well. After a few years of not being involved it was actually fun to be a part of it again.

Saturday Swim??

Saturday morning I met my friend Jami, her husband Scott and their boys Luke and Reid at Cosmo dog park with Jesse. The goal was to introduce Jesse to a "lake" to swim! She wanted very little to do with the water and swimming but at one point got in farther then she ever has. That was a step in the right direction and I see we are just going to have to take this slow! We'll definitely go back once the weather cools off!


Jesse and Reid were posing nicely for a picture but I waited too long and they both got restless!

Yappy Hour

Last night Bogey and I went to "Yappy Hour" at Three Dog Bakery at the Biltmore. We met my friend Lisa and her Chihuahua, Rex. Bogey did well and enjoyed it. The owner actually has two beagles herself so she loved Bogey and actually gave him a big cookie! She even said he was the perfect Beagle! (I am trying not to let that go to my head...but I am a proud mother!) Bogey made friends with Scout and Bentley, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Springer Spaniel. We will definitely return and Jesse will get her chance to go as well.

Tomorrow Jesse and I are venturing out to Cosmo Dog park in Gilbert. It was just voted by Dog Fancy Magazine the #1 dog park in the country. There is a big beach type lake and I am hoping Jesse will get over her fear of water there. I have been told taking dogs to a lake or beach where there is no "edge" and they can just walk in helps them over come the fear. We'll see, but I am bound and determine to get this dog to like the ball and the water like most labs do! Either way I am sure she'll have fun!

Midwest Tour

Last Tuesday I flew to Omaha, Nebraska to spend a few days with my friend Jen and her husband Jim! We had a good dinner on Tuesday, lunch, shopping and a tour of the city on Wednesday and a great home cooked steak and potato dinner Wednesday. I hit the road Thursday and headed to Missouri. I stopped in Kansas City and enjoyed lunch with my friend Heidi and then continued onto Columbia where I met up with Julie! Friday Julie and I played in a golf fundraiser tournament for the Women's Golf Team.

My Team for the tournament...we didn't win but we had a lot of fun and drank a lot of beer!

Then Saturday Julie and I hit the road and proceeded onto St. Louis where we watched the tigers play Illinois in their first football game of the season. It was a great game that almost gave me a heart attack!

Scoreboard before the 3rd quarter...when Illinois scored 21 points and I was almost in tears! When I took this picture I thought it was a sure win....but it ended up being a close call. A WIN non the less!

Great seats..40 yard line...10 rows up!

Final Scoreboard! GO TIGERS!!

Then Saturday night Julie and I met up with Linda and her husband Steve and their friends Amy and Justin. We went downtown for a jazz festival.

Linda, Steve, Amy and Justin

Julie and I

It was a great trip filled with my favorite things....Missouri Tigers and Good Friends!!

Murder and a Meal

The 7 of us with the cast of the play!

Saturday night found six of my friends and I celebrating a birthday by enjoying dinner and trying to solve a murder! It was an interactive play including dinner and cocktails! It was a fun night filled with lots of laughs and good times with the girls!!

Happiest Place on Earth

This weekend my friend Carrie and I went to Anaheim, California! It was a fun filled weekend with rides, pictures, laughs and great memories! Now it is back to reality and being 30 years old not 10!

Saturday we went to California Adventure!

Sunday we went to Disneyland!

Our friend...Winnie the Pooh

Our friend..Minnie Mouse

Soul2Soul

Last night Toni and I went to see the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Soul2Soul concert! It was awesome! We bought tickets last minute on craigslist and got quite a deal! We ended up getting seats in the second row at the end of the stage! It is fun being that close!

Husband and Wife

Here are a few great pictures of the new husband and wife...Mr. and Mrs. Doherty! Also a pic of Toni and I when we were introduced at the reception. (You can see all the boys wore their sunglasses...boys will be boys!)

Linda Buchheit...Now Linda Doherty!

This weekend I was in St. Louis for the wedding of my friend Linda to Steve Doherty! It was an amazing weekend with lots of great memories and fun! I am thrilled that I was able to be such a big part of their special day!!
Linda and Steve at the Rehearsal
The bride and I before the ceremony
The bride and I at the reception
The mother of the bride, Laura Buchheit and I

Reid Leahy's Baptism

Sunday I enjoyed supporting the Leahy family at the baptism of their youngest son Reid. Their family has become such special friends to me and it meant a lot to me that I was invited to the blessed event. Luke and Reid are both special boys that I have enjoyed see grow up and I look forward to many more milestones!



Luke and I

Reid and I

Presley arrived!

My friends Meghan and Trevor Wilde welcomed their second baby to the world on Thursday. Her name is Presley Lynn Wilde. I enjoyed going to visit the proud parents and this new little angel in the hospital. What a beautiful family!