The Gift of One's Time

Kona and I had the honor of being invited to the annual VA Voluntary Service Program Volunteer Awards and Recognition Ceremony today. It was a "zoo" themed party, and it was very nice! (By the way, this was not the ceremony where we would find out if we won the award we were nominated for last week, that will come at a later date, but I don't know when.) Hubby came along, and we all enjoyed a very nice lunch and afternoon together!

We recieved a pin for 100 hours of volunteer service. Our friend Kelli, from Rec. Therapy presented the pin to us. Very cool!Kona was more interested in the "animals" than he was in the new accolade. I think the new addition looks pretty sharp on our ID.

Hey, who's king of this forrest?

Kona was a great boy, hanging out during the 2 1/2 hour luncheon, then spending the rest of the afternoon with Hubby at work, while I visited the oral surgeon for a pre-op visit. Fun, fun!

I want to share some of my favorite quote about volunteers...

Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer. ~Author Unknown

The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers. ~Terri Guillemets

Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless. ~Sherry Anderson

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. ~Tom Brokaw

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. ~Elizabeth Andrew

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives. ~Tracy Chapman

God and angels don't get paid even though theirs is some of the most important work around. Ditto for volunteers. ~Cherishe Archer

Remember - the next time you have some time on your hands and you don't quite know what to do with yourself, why not give some of your time to others? There are few things in this world that are more rewarding.

Trust me on this.

It's an honor to be nominated!

Kona and I have been nominated for an award! How cool is that? We were nominated for the 2011 Planetree Therapy Animal of the Year award at the VA. There was an essay written about us and everything! Check this out-(I've removed some of the names for privacy reasons.)

When you see him, he greets you with a smile and is always happy to see you. No matter how bad you feel or if it's your best or your worst day. Good looking with his cream - colored complexion and gentle mannerisms, he is there to comfort you. Sound like the perfect man? How about the perfect "man's best friend".

Kona is my nomination for the Therapy Animal Award. Kona provides canine care to many of our hospital wards, including Spinal Cord Injury Service (SCI), 4th Floor Hospice, Alcohol Drug Treatment Program (ADTP) and Psychiatry, to name a few.

Kona's handler, Sue S., a Navy and retired Air Force veteran's daughter, came to our facility 2 ½ years ago with Kona to join our Love on a Leash (LOL) Pet Therapy group as a trainee. Since that time she has taken over the VA San Diego program as the lead Pet Therapy handler, coordinating the LOL team on Mondays and Fridays. LOL provides Pet Therapy to SCI, Rehab Medicine Recreation Therapy Craft Clinic, and the hospital clinical waiting rooms on the first floor.

Sue was later approached by William M. to trial visiting Hospice patients on the 4th floor. She quickly agreed, although she was not sure how Kona would respond to this population. During the first visit Kona shined - providing canine warmth and caring that no human could offer. Kona and Sue now have added both ADTP and Psychiatry to their visits and the response has been just as positive.

Sue and Kona's dedication is now recognized through LOL as Sue was selected for the position of President for the LOL San Diego Central Chapter. Her duties as President are to coordinate city-wide visits to facilities in need of canine healing. I believe Kona and Sue best represent the Planetree commitment to offer Patient Centered Care to our ill, injured and wounded soldiers.

Thank you Kelli, for your glowing essay about us both. Our paws and fingers are crossed- and whether we win or not, it is truly an honor to be nominated!

Pat on the Back

It's not often, as adults, that we have someone (other than our loved ones) give us a pat on the back. When it happens, it sure feels great.

I had the pleasure of such an experience this passed weekend. My boss and his lovely wife had a dinner/informal meeting at their home with all of the reps that are working for them. We enjoyed some excellent pizza, and cool, refreshing adult beverages. We swapped ideas, strategies, and stories. It was fun and informative and it's been a long time since I been in that type of environment.

Towards the end of the gathering, my boss's wife presented me with a personalized poem, some sweet and spicy pepper jelly and a bottle of my favorite adult beverage with a "You're a Star" note on it.

It caught me totally off guard, and it was so nice! I felt like I was back in school and had won "the citizen of the month" award, without even knowing I'd been nominated.

It was an extremely kind gesture, and such a pleasant surprise! That pat on the back really made my weekend!

Thank you Ron and Carol, you're the best!

A-Z Mondays, "A" is for...

Award! Today is the last day of the "A-Z Mondays" I've been participating in for the last 26 weeks. (I started just as the group had completed A-Z going forward, and I jumped in as they started going backwards from Z-A.) Its been a ton of fun and something I've looked forward to doing every Monday! Thanks Jen, for letting me play! "A" is also for Anticipation....today I have a doctor appointment with my weight management Doc. I started a program exactly 11 months ago today. I'm hoping that the scale at the Doc's office is as gracious as ours at home has been - especially over that last couple of weeks of extra cookies and chocolates in the house, huge holiday meals, long evenings of hot chocolate and Baileys, etc. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm hoping for good numbers! *UPDATE* The doc visit was goood! - 8.5 lbs since last visit, bringing my total loss so far to 44.5lbs!


...and last, but not least, "A" is for Aggravation. I've been aggravated with my computer for the last couple of days. My "MyBook" is having major issues - keeping me from posting pictures, uploading video, etc. Hubby worked for hours and hours on it, and it helped a little bit, but it's still funky. Hopefully he'll be able to finish soon and I'll be up and blogging like a wild woman again. Already only 4 days in to the new year, and I have so much I want to share!

A-Z Mondays, "D" is for Dogs on Display, and it's my Special Day!

Over the course of the last week or so, we participated in two different Christmas parades with our Golden Retriever Group. The dogs were dressed up, and looking divine in their holiday best. Our group was a huge hit with the crowds at both parades!


I mean seriously, how could you not love these dogs!

Our group from the La Jolla Christmas parade.

Kona in his Christmas best!

Our friend Shad makes a great Santa Paws.

Kona was dying for a hot dog!

Waiting patiently for the results from the Escondido judges...Would our group win a trophy?

While we waited, a special visitor stopped by!

Yes! Our group won the 1st place trophy for our division! This was our second year in a row to win. Sweet!

Can you tell Kona was over the costume stuff? (Get this friggin thing off me!)

And...on a different note...as I mentioned....today is my special day. Today is the 25th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Yup...my birthday. It wasn't that long ago that I looked like this.... Or this...

or this.

Seriously, I was one cute little girl! Thanks Mom and Dad, for having me.

If you'd like to see what other bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays, be sure to stop by Jen's blog here!

Thanks Miley!

Many thanks to Miley for passing on the Honest Scrap award to me! I am suppose to list 10 things that are true about me and pass it along to 10 bloggers.

Here goes.

1. I am a sincere person. If I give you a compliment, I really mean it.
2. I am very soft hearted.
3. I love chocolate.
4. I hate dieting.
5. I love my family beyond words.
6. I enjoy searching out and reconnecting with old friends.
7. I love throwing big parties.
8. I get my feelings hurt easily.
9. I will forgive pretty much anyone for anything, but I never, ever forget.
10. I LOVE blogging!



Here we go with who I'd like to pass this on to.

1. Val
2. K&S
3. Curt
4. Kim
5. Milo's & the girl's Mom
6. Mason's Mom
7. Bogart
8. April
9. Golden Samantha
10. Allison

Feel free to post this in your own voice, or, if you'd prefer, in your canine's voice.

Honored

I was honored with two blog awards this weekend. The first one came from K & S of Dugan's Barkery. The purpose of this award is to serve as a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through our posts. The goal is to seek the reason why we all love blogging, so as we pass this on, we ask that you share the reasons you love blogging, and how it has impacted your life.

The reasons I blog are pretty simple. I enjoy writing, taking pictures, and combining the two to share with my family and friends. I find it comforting to have a central place to pour my heart out about things, and I thoroughly enjoy the feedback I get from my readers. I suppose that's it in a nutshell.

I would like to pass this tag on to all of my blogging buddies who would like to share thier reasons for blogging.

The second award came from Chris of Diet Coke Rocks! If you've never checked out Chris's blog, stop by and take a look. She is a hoot - and totally tells it like it is. The award she passed on to me is called "The Passionate" Award. For this award you are supposed to tell about 5 things, besides your blog, that you are passionate about.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Write 5 things you are passionate about apart from blogging.

3. Tag 5 people on your list and let them know you tagged them.

Pretty simple right?

OK, here goes...

I'm passionate about...

1. My family - that's an easy one, no need to explain.

2. My dogs - they actually fit into the "family" category too. I love them so much, and I couldn't imagine a household without fur on the floor and furniture, and a fresh pile of poop in the back yard. (Just tellin it like it is folks...)

3. My friends - I wouldn't say that I have a lot of friends, especially good friends, but the friends I do have are very near and dear to my heart.

4. Helping to find a cure for Breast Cancer. I've walked in two of the 3 Day, 60 Mile Susan G. Komen walks, and helped to raise over $11,000 between the 2 years I walked. I hope to walk again in 2010. (I didn't get that "Pink Ribbon" tatoo on my ankle because I don't care...)

5. Photography - one of my absolute favorite things to do is take pictures. (I bet you couldn't tell! Ha ha!) I never leave the house without a camera. You just never know who, or what you'll run into when you are out and about, and I don't want to miss a good opportunity for a picture. (And as I've mentioned many times, I just know that the day I leave the house without a camera is the day I will run into Brad Pitt in line in front of me at the 7-11 getting all of those kids of his slurppies. Oh, how I'd hate to miss that!)

There you go. Those are the things I could think of off the top of my head. And actually I'm proud of myself for not having listed one food! Because I'm passionate about 1. Chocolate, 2. Peanut Butter, 3. Fried Chicken....and the list goes on and on!

OK, I would like to pass this little ditty on to:

1. K & S at Dugan's Barkery (right back atcha Girlfriends!)

2. Val at My Boo Bear

3. April at April's Reign

4. Curt at While Walking Duncan

5. Kim at The Chit-Chat Room

4th Photo Tag

I was recently tagged by Tami over at The Miller Family Blog. I love Tami's blog, she posts lots of great pictures, and it's always fun to see what's going on with her and her family.


Ok here are the Rules....Go to your 4th album where you store your photos post your 4th photo in that album. No exceptions! Here is mine.

This was taken in my backyard on a beautiful summer evening. It's looking west at the sunset, through my morning glory. I liked it because I thought is showed a bit of "the silver lining."

TAG YOURE IT!

(You have to tag four people)
(Anyone I didn't tag - please feel free to begin your own tag game!)

Valerie at My Boo Bear

K and S at Dugan's Barkery

Joey at Joey the Golden Retriever

Monika at An Australian in Florence, Italy - from G'day Mate to Ciao

Bloggy Award!

I received this lovely little award from Tami over at The Miller Family. Tami and I have quite a bit in common, we each have 3 children, love our dogs (and husbands!), scrap booking, and gardening, among other things. Thank you Tami for the award - you made my day!

Here's the Friend Bloggy Award Scoop:These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. Here are eight bloggers who I adore! Thanks to you all for always being the best blogging buddies a girl can ask for!!

And now, I shall bestow upon 8 of my most favorite blogs, this very same award...Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Valerie at My Boo Bear
2. April at April's Reign
3. K & S at Dugan's Barkery
4. Chris at Diet Coke Rocks
5. Thor at Thor's World
6. Paco and Mila at Paco e Milo...i nostri Amori
7. Curt at While Walking Duncan
8. Joey at Joey the Golden Retriever

I am honored!

The wonderful K & S of Dugan's Barkery gave me this adorable award. Thank you! Thank you!

The rules for this are as follows:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Nominate at least seven other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

But... I'm not going to follow the rules on this one, my little brain is tried, even though it's still pretty early here. I'm going to take a cue from my blogger friend Coffee Bean, and do what she did with one of the awards she recently received... So, I just want whoever reads this to consider themselves bequeathed with this award. Please let me know in the comments if you are taking it so I can go sneak a peek at your blog.

...I'd like to thank the Academy...

My wonderful friend Curt, of While Walking Duncan, very graciously bestowed upon my humble little blog, a Brillante Weblog Award. I was both surprised, and very honored with his gift, and will do my best to live up to the expectations of having a Brillante Weblog, whatever they may be.

There are a few rules that go along with accepting this award, which include the following:

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

First two rules....check.
Rule 3...might be tough, not sure if I regularly read 7 other blogs (especially that Curt hasn't also nominated.
Rule 4 will be easy once I figure out what I'm going to do about rule 3.
Rule 5, see rule 4.

Ok, so here goes...

I hereby pass on this award to the following...please follow the above rules, or just relax, have fun, and enjoy the kudos.

1. Valerie's MyBooBear - Sweet, fun, and adorable, Joey and Val romp through life with a sense of adventure that I can't live without.
2. The "Queen" of blogging April's Reign -April has a sense of humor that is unsurpassed, and somehow she manages to make even the smallest of daily happenings funny. She is full of fun, insight, and wit.
3. Chris from Diet Coke Rocks! - Chris tells it like it is and makes every day seem like an adventure. Her blog is just plain ol fun to read. Colorful and crazy, I don't go a day without checking in to see what she's up to.
4. Coffe Bean's The Righteous Buzz is a blog that is more than entertaining, it's educational! Coffee is open and honest, and enlightening. She is raising awareness, and helping to open the world's eyes to Spasmodic Dysphonia.
5. Chris & Mackenzie's Mackenzie Speaks cracks me up on a daily basis. Posts through the eyes of a Golden, translated through a caretaker. Too friggin funny.
6. Anniessa's Ramblings are witty fun. Flaming Nachos? Gotta love them. Anniessa just needs to carve out more time to blog! New job you say? Eh, the police will understand!
7. Alicia's Brown Eyed Blues is warm, wonderful and full of great pictures. Alicia has a wonderful way with a camera, and catching the cutest expressions...and knitting, don't forget the knitting!

Well, there you go! Done! And much easier than I thought. Hopefully no hard feelings to anyone I didn't mention. I know most of you have probably already recieved awards like this before, but I hadn't, so it was kinda cool for me to do this. You may not be interested in doing all of the rules, and certainly nothing is set it stone...I just wanted to let you all know that you are appreciated!