Spring Zanyness

OK, ok, for my good friend Mike D, whom I miss very much by the way!

I wish I could say that I've been off jetsetting to Cabo, or Font, or surfing in Costa Rica, but alas, I haven't been doing any of those things. I have, however been working a lot of weekends and evenings doing special events, event planning, and working hard. I love my job. Working in animal welfare is an avocation, as well as a vocation. Sometimes it's hard to turn it off. There is always one desperate phone call or email to return, and when it's an innocent pup that's at stake, you just do it, doesn't matter the time or place.

The next month doesn't show signs of slowing. I'll be at Strut Your Mutt with some adoptables on May 22, then I'm planning my first ever large event, Pet Bull Palooza, which will vaccinate and microchip 100 dogs free of charge, as well as provide 60 free spay/neuter vouchers, free dog food, leashes, collars, and dog toys too. I hope it's a huge success, but I haven't slept in weeks. The weekend after that, I head to NYC to help with the first ever Tri State Super Adoption, then off to the Animal Farm Foundation for an internship working with what else? More shelter pit bulls! WooHoo. June will be a crazy month, but I'm excited.

I am also trying to train for climbing alot, mostly in the gym, it's all I can really fit in, plus, WTF, the weather is awful! So, Mike D, if you are reading this, come climb with me, even if it's only on plastic!

Lastly, I'm helping take care of my mom, who became gravely ill with bacterial meningitis while driving from NY to SLC this past week, so I've been at the ICU alot with her. She is doing really well, and her prognosis is very good at this point, so thanks for all of our friends and family who have sent emails and phone calls checking in.

So, that's the Spring Zanyness Report. What are all of your Spring Zany Plans?

Capitol Hill

 

 

 

 

 

Every now and then it's fun to take time to smell the flowers. After walking some of my client's dogs, Adam and I headed out to the Capitol Hill area to photograph the sunset. It was simple and beautiful, and the dogs had a ton of fun rolling around in the four foot deep wheat grass. It was a great way to unwind after a long day.

Utah Gymnastics

We initiated Dad into Utah Gymnastics Fan Mania for his visit. We brought him to the Utah/Florida meet Friday night, which Utah dispatched with ease (well, after a slightly scary bars rotation). It was super cool because it was senior night, with two of the most favorite, successful gymnasts at Utah, Nina Kim and Kristina Baskett, compteting for the last time at Utah. Over 15,000 people came, and Dad learned the cheers. Here's us doing one of the cheers. Also in the crowd to support Nina Kim was her best friend, Olympic All Around Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin.

 

Pics from the Salt Lake Tribune.

Awesome 5.10 tee shirt.


Ikea furniture assembly...Note to self: Dad does NOT read directions or diagrams.

Upcoming movies

My dad just visited last weekend, and it went like this: Eat, drink, nap, repeat...We took a lot of video footage so we can make a tutorial on making homeade spaghetti and meat sauce, we just have to figure out how to edit it.

As for climbing, finally things are looking good weather wise- hit up Echo Canyon yesterday to climb routes with my friend Tarris. We froze, and my cold got really bad today. This weekend looks good for Joe's, and I am excited to climb in a tank top. I've trained really hard in the gym this winter, and I'd really like it to payoff outside now that the Spring is here.

Hopefully we'll have cool pics/vid to post soon!

San Diego Trip 2/08

We visited with Uncle Joe and his lovely wife Joan, whom I adore! They live in a nice little home in Oceanside. Uncle Joe and Joan were wonderful hosts, and they drove us up the coast so we could shop, put our toes in the ocean, and eat. We spent a night with them and had an amazing dinner (my favorite family meal- homeade meat SAUCE!!!).
We also visited Balboa Park while we were on a long trolley tour, which was huge and amazing, here is a shot in one of the botanical gardens.
The view from our hotel room.
We drove to Yorba Linda to visit one of my mom's best friends, "Coolie" aka Louise and her husband John. We watched the Oscars, ate great food, drank wine, and laughed. It's fun to to watch two old friends together. I had to spend the night in the "Coolie-Mobile"-see above PT Cruiser- because I almost died. That's right, I almost died. My mom neglected to tell me that Coolie has two Ragamuffin cats, to which I'm deathly allergic. I went into full blown asthma and nearly had to go the ER. But it all worked out, because I was able to milk it for alot of "I-almost-died presents."

These cute little shits almost killed me!!!
Mom and Coolie...they had a lot of rules about how their pictures could be taken. Such divas!

Our Day at the San Diego Zoo

Sausage Fest Part II: Bro-Edition '08

That's right folks, back by popular demand, it's time for Sausage Fest '08. This year is the "bro edition" with Scotty and Drew coming out for 5 days of fun to SLC. We plan on skiing, drinking some bootlegged beer, and general chillaxin'. It's kind of like a Canadian backcountry hut trip but we're in the city and there's no helicopters. Stay tuned for daily updates on this internet channel!

Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We've just been working a ton and skiing a little bit, and climbing in the gym (BLAHHHH!) to stay in climbing shape. The dogs got rope toys and winter coats from Santa (they are such wimps about the cold, and constantly shiver, especially when camping and on road trips). Adam got TWO new pair of skis, Verdicts and Voodoos, and Melissa got under cabinet lighting from Ikea, along with a new kitchen light thanks to Grandma Holmes. We also enjoyed lots of good food and friendship with friends. We missed Adam's family for Christmas, since we had to reschedule our trip to the Northwest, but we did enjoy lots of good times at home. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.

The End of Summer- our vacation to Rochester and Rhode Island

Well, we just returned from an all out food, booze, and family fest in the Northeast. We had a great time with family, and we enjoyed our side trip to Rhode Island very much. We ate, drank, then ate and drank some more, then we checked out the bouldering in Lincoln Woods, Rhode Island. No pics there, but we did get some video of the climbing there which we may be able to upload at some point.

Enjoy some of these pics that highlight our trip. Thanks Mom and Dad for the great times!

No, my boobs aren't that big. My mother was encouraging me to stuff food into my purse (and other places) in the Conceirge lounge so we wouldn't go hungry climbing the next morning!

We were able to go to my cousin Alicia's house for her daughter Gabrielle's party. Here are Alicia's other two canine kiddos- baby Lilly and big boy Rocky- sooo cute!

Gia helps Gabrielle with her birthday cake. We had sooo much fun celebrating with the girls.

Dad, Gabrielle, and Aunt Barb.

Gorgeous sunset, Newport, RI.

Our new yacht we picked up while in Newport.

Lot's of good fresh stuff out of the ocean.

Many imbibings.

The End of Summer- more pics of Rochester and Rhode Island

One of my childhood, and still wonderful, friends, the lovely Maura. Are we still 13 years old, or what???

Good times always require a Party Bus with the Lipani's. Here we are riding another drunk bus in Providence; on our way to Federal Hill (the Little Italy of Providence).

The view from the Marriot in Newport, Rhode Island.

Carraige Ride in downtown SLC

We went on a carraige ride around downtown SLC. It was really romantic but my father-in-law was sitting right across from me.