Our Dogs

So most of you already know how obsessed I am with my dogs. I mean, not crazy like letting them lick the inside of my mouth, but I really love them (so does Gary!).

The tan one is a Carolina Dog named Belle who is just barely a year old. We've had her since she was 3 months old and she was so tiny then. She is independent and smart as can be. She learns new games before I can even figure them out myself and she LOVES food...any kind of food. She is my good watchdog since she barks at any sound from outside...including the wind. Not surprising she can hear so well, check out those ears!
Here she is staying cool...yep she's in the tub. So smart, she thought of this on her own...I just found her in there one hot afternoon!
The black and white one is our new guy named Ferris who is a small Staffordshire Terrier (AKA Pit Bull). We got him in July (he was a stray who had been rescued by a fellow dog park person). We named him Ferris because we thought he would be a little trouble maker, sweet but troublesome. Turns out he is totally calm and sweet, except when he tries to eat cars when they drive past us on walks (we're working on it). He will be a year old next week.

Here he is being inquisitive at the camera. This was the second day he was home. He adjusted so quickly. Look at that face!!
Here he is when he spreads out like a frog...I love it!

They love each other like crazy. They play together, they groom each other, and the snuggle all the time. It can be hard to get good pics because as soon as they see the camera they run over to say hi. Anyhow...here they are being cute.

Gary and I are....ENGAGED!

For those of you who have watched and waited for this for what seems like years (oh wait...it has been years), it finally happened...Gary proposed to me! He pulled off a great surprise, which really surprised me!

On Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 4 AM (yep...as in 4 in the morning) Gary snuggles up to me and this is how it goes:
Gary: I'm not going to work today
Me: Are you sick?
Gary: No, I want to go to Portland this weekend.
Me: What? (said quietly) I can't go, I have stuff to get done. (My head starts to run over all the things I had put off and had to get done that day).
Gary: But I want to go to Portland with my Fiancee!
Me: What!!!???? (said with pure confusion)
Gary turns on the light and as I turn to look at him he pulls out a black box.
Me: Are you serious??????!!!
Gary opens it, and says "Will you marry me?" (He might have said "Will you be my wife?" but neither of us can really remember.)
Me: YES-kiss-YES-kiss-YES-kiss-YES!
Gary: Can I put the ring on you now?
Me: YES!!!

Gary: You have one hour to pack before we have to leave for the airport.

Oh yeah, we really spent the weekend in Portland and it was beautiful. We stayed one night right on the beach where they filmed parts of Goonies (only my favorite movie). We spent the next night in downtown Portland where we ate seafood, Gary ate a whole crab and he was very excited about it! When we almost got bumped from our flight the next day we decided to stay another night spent that day hiking the Multnomah Falls, which were beautiful! Lastly, we hunkered down at a SKETCHY hotel and left Monday morning at 5 AM to come back to Phoenix.

It was wonderful!

Here is a link to some photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2320068&l=07842&id=10110065

I am very happy (as is Gary) and we can't wait to make it officially official:)

Kisses to everyone!!

I Graduated!

Yep, that's right...I officially have a Master's Degree in Public Health. Crazy right! I graduated on May 17th and am glad to have made it through in two years. Now I must find a job, gotta love that process. Wish me luck!

Time flies by

I can't believe that it has been two and a half months since I was last on here. Time really does fly by.

Well, I am two weeks away from being done with my internship. What that really means is two weeks away from beginning to write my master's report. That is sort of like a thesis, but more specifically focused on the practical experience of an internship. After that, I present at a conference and then graduate (hopefully). Although interning, research, and writing take a substantial portion of my day...something that takes an equal portion...our new puppy.

That's right, Gary and I adopted a beautiful little border collie/shepherd mix who we named Belle. Sometimes we think we should have named her foxy since she looks and acts like a little sneaky fox. But she is our sweet little Belle too, so the name stays. Plus, she already knows her name as Belle and I don't want the hassle of changing it.

Here she was the night we brought her home from the shelter...

And just a few weeks later...

Almost done...

So it seems that the busier I get the more appealing things like blogging become. So here I am. I am a little over a week from being done with this semester. My last final is next Tuesday, December 11th (side note: also my third anniversary with my sweetie- Gary B.!) Then I will have a tiny vacation before I start my internship.

That's right, I finally got an internship. I will be helping Drug Free AZ and the Arizona Meth Project build a partner coalition to help reduce youth meth/drug use. I am really excited to start and hope it will be a success.

I am sitting in my disaster of a living room wishing I could push the magic "pack and clean my house" button. But alas, I cannot. So I have resorted to putting everything into piles: the trash pile, the donation pile, the needs the be shredded pile, and the still needs packing pile. AHHHH!

Last night (while I was still in Phoenix) we had some family over to make ornaments out of foam paper and pipe cleaners. Everyone got into it!

To Keara, Alan, and Calvin (I think the only ones who read this)- I miss you all and wish you could have been there last night. I can't wait to see you guys at Christmas. Miss and love you!

To everyone else...get ready for the holidays! Whoo hoo Christmas!

School, Work, Life

So I am in my last semester of coursework for my Master of Public Health degree at the University of Arizona and it is getting busier and busier. I have tons of reading, tons of writing, and only a little over 9 weeks left. That's right, the countdown has begun! I am in the process of searching for an internship and really hope to work on drug abuse prevention in the Phoenix area. I am still waiting to hear from a couple of agencies so cross your fingers and say your prayers everyone.

What do I want to do when I graduate? Ha! Like I have ever been able to answer that question straight faced. I love so many things and really like learning about them all, I know, cheesy- but it's true. It would be great if my internship fueled me, and I really think it might. Time will tell.

Ok, enough about that. Hope everyone out there is happy!

Me and My Love.

I am blessed to have been with the love of my life, Gary, for almost 3 years now. We have spent much of that time living in different cities, but that will end when I move to Phoenix in December!! I am so happy, and yet a little sad to leave Tucson after almost 9 years. Wow! It is time to move on and I am so excited to live with Gary again. I miss him and it is about time I fix that!

First Anniversary- 12/11/05









Second Anniversary- 12/11/06