Friday Night Lights

Last night DJ and I had a date night...with Keegan! It was so much fun. He's growing up to be such a good boy. I just love him so much! Last night also marked the first night he's ever slept over at my house. Christa wasn't sure if he was going to want to stay, but packed his suitcase for him just in case. It didn't take him long to decide that he was in!

So for our night out, DJ and I thought it would be fun to take Keegan to a high school football game. Now that it's the playoffs DJ hasn't been officiating much, so going to a Friday night game as a spectator sounded fun. We decided to go watch Chaparral play...for two reasons: 1. They're the best team in town and most likely will win the State Championship again, and 2. Burt went to school there. What better place for Keegan to experience his first high school football game than where his daddy went?! The best part about going to a football game with an off-duty ref is that you get to be down on the field during the game if you want. Keegan was in awe of the players, the cheerleaders and the marching band (I think he was actually a bit afraid of the band!). During halftime while they were on the field performing, he kept stepping back as it looked like they were walking towards him. I can see how to a 5 year old, people marching with large instruments would seem rather scary.

Before we headed to the game Keegan made me some artwork that I could hang proudly on the fridge. As he was coloring we turned on the Golf Channel, which just so happened to be showing the replay of that day's tournament. Our good friend, Kevin Streelman, has had a great year on the Tour and has been leading the Kodak Challenge for months. This tournament is the last of the season and his last chance to clinch the win. Right when we turned it on he was approaching the 17th hole (the Kodak Challenge hole for that course) which he birdied, winning the challenge!!! I'm so excited for him and Courtney. They deserve it after the long year they've had on the road. What a way to end the season. Congrats, Kevin!

Keegan coloring while eating dinner. I think he'd color all the time if he could!

Proudly showing off his work and some his spelling words for the week.

Oh my gosh, how precious is this?!  He kept asking me "Auntie, how do you spell 'are'?" "Auntie, how do you spell 'my'?" As I was telling him how to spell each word I was starting to figure out what he was writing. When I saw this though, he melted my heart!

And this!! (supposed to say "guys")

Showing off his new Lego storm trooper to DJ. 

Kevin being interviewed right after he won the Kodak Challenge.

It wouldn't be a trip to Auntie's without playing the piano!

On the field at the Chapparal game. The marching band is performing their halftime show in the background.

Keegan watching the football players in awe as they prepare to run back on the field for the 2nd half.

 Me & Keegan on the sidelines.

Keegan taking a picture of DJ and me.

Keegan found the plastic mini football that's on his foot somewhere in the turf and was having so much fun playing with it and pretending it was a real football.

The perfect ending to our night at Yogurt Builderz. Keegan's regular...chocolate & vanilla with lots of candy mooshed in!

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast! Our sleepover was a total success. When we got in bed I asked him if he wanted to say his prayers. He gave me a "Mmm" so I thought maybe he was thinking about it.  Not ten seconds later (I'm not exaggerating!), he was snoring. I was so jealous! I never fall asleep that fast! 

We were up early this morning. The first thing he did was start coloring again. :)

Preparing to head home with his packed suticase, Legos and artwork.

Riding in style back home with his Haloween fangs in.

Demand Better!

Once again I'm appalled at our food industry and the condition it's in. I must vent! My Chiropractor, Dr. Aaron Wiegand (http://www.spinebuilder.com/), lent me the movie King Corn last week. Yes that's right, I did say Aaron Wiegand. If you would've told me that the boy who drove me crazy in 6th grade by teasing and picking on me, would someday be my Chiropractor, I would've laughed. Or maybe cried! Now I'm grateful to have my friend taking such good care of me. I'm really proud of him too, that he has achieved his dream of having his own Chiropractic practice.

Anyways, back to King Corn... So I watched it last week and loved it! It's a documentary about two Yale graduates who move to Iowa to find out where their food comes from. They buy an acre of land and proceed to plant and grow a crop of corn. Their discoveries are rather disturbing. Pretty much ALL of corn grown in the Midwest is inedible. It's grown solely as animal feed or to be processed into high fructose corn syrup. The whole agriculture system in our country changed in the 60's and 70's due to the push to make food more affordable. While that sounds like a good thing, it has in turn ruined the quality of food and the quality of our lives. So many people say, "Well I eat or drink this and I'm fine. What's the big deal?" The big deal are diseases and ailments like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, ADHD, depression...need I go on? Granted you might not have symptoms of illness right now or signs of disease, but over time consuming a diet of processed foods lacking in any nutritional value will reveal itself somehow. I read an article the other day that called the American diet the "diet of inflammation", meaning we consume a diet that actually triggers inflammation and pain in the body. It went on to say that prior to processed foods, our diets were balanced with healthful foods, like raw fruits and vegetables, fresh (grass fed) meat and fish, seeds and nuts, (non hormone filled) dairy, eggs, and healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, cod liver oil, coconut oil and flax oil. Whereas now that balance is reversed with 90% of our foods inducing a state of chronic inflammation or pain from foods like wheat, grains, processed oils, fried foods, alcohol and sugar. Don't get me wrong, wheat and grains can be healthful foods, but eaten in excess can have damaging effects on our bodies.

It's so disturbing to me too, that our government has basically caused this change in the American diet. By encouraging and actually monetarily rewarding famers to mass produce huge quantities of quality-less food. And now what's our government's solution to the problem this has caused? Prescription drugs and a health care system that says there's no other option. If you go to your MD does he/she tell you to cure arthritis with a prescription, or a change in your diet? I would say 99% of all MD's will write you a prescription. And since we're taught to trust our MD's why should we think we have any other option? I used to not think I did! And why is it that health insurance companies will cover your visit to an MD but rarely, if ever, to see a NMD (Naturopathic Medical Doctor) or Chiropractor? It's because the pharmaceutical industry is such a profitable business! Why do they want us to think we have any other choices? Especially such an easy choice like a change in our diet.

All that being said, it's not easy making a change in a diet that has become a way of life. I like to consider myself a pretty healthy and conscious eater. I try to get the majority of my vitamins through whole foods and try to avoid processed and fried foods. But every once in a while I want to be able to enjoy a good meal out or treat myself to some ice cream! The fact is that even if I go to a nice restaurant where they charge $45 for a "good quality" steak, I can pretty much guarantee you that the cow was fed a strictly corn diet and no grass (cows are meant to eat grass, they're cows for pete's sake!). When I went to Baskin Robbins' website the other night and checked out the ingredients in my favorite ice cream, Peanut Butter & Chocolate, imagine my disappointment (I was trying to deny the inevitable) when I found high fructose corn syrup in there. I was starting to feel discouraged and like there's nothing I can do to help make a change. But then I decided my little voice is still a voice! By telling you all about this stuff and encouraging you to start making changes for the better in your diet, by demanding something different from the government and by supporting local farmers, I can make a difference.

If you have a second, go check out the website for King Corn. There's a link on the top right that says "Take Action". It might give you some ideas like it has me. Thanks for listening and letting me vent my food frustrations. If I don't make it as the best short-sale Realtor in Scottsdale, I might make it as an outspoken nutrition journalist someday. You never know.... :)

CA Getaway: A Trip Down Memory Lane

In the beginning of September I started getting an itch to go to a race. I called my dad and let him know I was in need of some tickets. He said he'd work on it but couldn't make any guarantees. When we found out about The Show's cancer, the thought of NASCAR disappeared from my mind. When my dad called in the beginning of October and said he had suite passes for all three days of the Fontana race, I almost didn't care or want to go. I was so busy being consumed with sadness from the bleak news of The Show's diagnosis that having any fun and leaving town were the last things on my mind. I soon warmed up to the idea though realizing that a mini-vacation might do my heart good.

DJ and I decided to stay near the track this time since we wanted to go to all three days' events, and driving 150 miles round trip each day if we stayed with Dad & Sharon sounded exhausting. I won't tell you about the race right now though as my following entry will give all the details about that. I thought I'd share instead about what we did off the track, like driving past the house I grew up in and going to Santa Anita Park to see a horse race.

All and all the trip was really fun and I'm glad we went. I'm also glad that Christa, Burt and the kids were able to watch The Show for us and enjoy spending his last days with him. He really loved Keegan, Scarlett and Berkley.

Getting ready to get outta town with our "Guest Guide" and passes for the race.

Our hotel in Rancho Cucamonga, about 5 miles from the track.

The lobby area of the hotel. At night it got really crowded down here filling up with a lot of the guests. There were 3 different race crews staying there, as well as Marcus Ambrose (#47 car) and David Reutimann (#00 car). Both Friday and Saturday nights Marcus was playing pool in the lobby with his friends. Probably a good cure for any race day jitters...

Ahh, lovely So Cal.

1741 Berkeley Drive...my great grandparent's old house. I spent a lot of time at that house growing up. Mostly with Grandma since Grandpa died when I was 3. She was a great lady and more like a grandma to me and Christa than a great-grandma. She lived 96 memorable years before passing in 2002.

Every time we went to Grandma's we had to drive under these bridges. Traffic was almost always bumper to bumper and whenever we were stuck under those bridges, I had such a fear of an earthquake happening causing the bridges to collapse and crush us.

Whitney Drive...the street I grew up on.

2529 Whitney Drive...where I grew up. It was sad to see our house looking so run down. When we lived there my parents took such pride in it. My dad was always doing something to keep the outside looking beautiful while my mom was doing the same inside. I don't think it'd be voted best house on the block anymore. It was fun to see that the hole my dad made in the middle of the driveway for my tetherball pole was still there though!

Our tree whose leaves I used to rake every fall for some extra cash. I loved it when my dad would pick me up and lift me in and out of the trash barrel to stomp all the leaves down. Forget the extra cash, that was my favorite part of raking leaves!

Our neighbors across the street, Malena, April & Roger's house. I was so happy when Roger was born because that meant I was no longer the youngest kid on the block. Now there was someone younger than me to pick on! The days of being swung over dog poop by the big kids were over!!

Our neighbor Jane's house. Jane was like a grandma to us who just lived steps away. She was a retired pediatrician and was always there to calm my mom's nerves when we got sick. She also had a huge love for dogs. Every night she'd walk her dog to the end of the street and back. It was a special privilege to join her! I think she's the one that instilled in me my love for dogs. Her passing in 2004, though not unexpected, was still very sad for our whole family as we had kept in touch with her after we moved and still came to visit her.

The house my mom grew up in on Plateau.

Looking down steep and windy Village Drive from Mom's house. I've heard many stories of my dad driving down this hill on his motorcycle popping wheelies and acting like a crazy teenager.

My elementary school: San Gabriel Christian.

This is the playground I grew up on. It's funny how small it looks now because as a kid it seemed so enormous! I didn't want to take too many pictures though for fear someone might call the cops on us and think we were pedophiles.

The other race track we went to.

DJ and I just watched Seabiscuit a couple weeks ago so we really wanted to go to Santa Anita while we were out there. Some of you may know that one of the other names I called The Show was Biscuit. That name came from the movie Seabiscuit. Matt and I saw it when it came out in the theatres and immediately starting calling The Show "Biscuit" afterwards. We also called him "Showbiscuit" sometimes. I'd actually not thought about that in years and didn't even remember why I called him Biscuit until we watched the movie the other night! Interestingly enough, Seabiscuit injured his front right leg which was the same leg The Show had his tumor. It's such a good movie. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it! Tell me if it makes you think of The Show when you watch it. :)

The horses being walked around the track before the race. I've only been to Turf Paradise here in town once and am really not familiar with horse racing at all. It amazes me how fast the race is over and how dangerous (like NASCAR for the drivers) each race is for the jockey. They race each race knowing that it could be their last. One of the jockeys actually fell off his horse at the race we saw. It's easy to see how they can be trampled.

You probably can't tell from the picture, but this horse was trotting around the stable with his tongue out! I wasn't sure if he was sticking his tongue out at us the spectators or if he just liked the taste of the air!

The statue of George Woolf, one of the country's best and most respected jockeys in the 1930's. He also was the jockey who rode Seabiscuit to victory over War Admiral when Red Pollard was unable to ride due to an injury. George died in his 30's after falling from his horse during a race but was always a fan favorite at his home track of Santa Anita.

Goodbye dirty smoggy L.A. It was very refreshing to come back to Phoenix and really appreciate the cleanliness of our city and our smooth freeways!

I know it's hard to read but I've done my best to enlarge this picture so you would be able to read the street sign on this bridge. This bridge in on I-10, I think it's on the AZ side but close to the CA border (I can't believe I don't for sure after all these years!). Almost every summer when we were in high school and college, Rachel and I would go to Lake Arrowhead or Laguna to cause trouble and wreak havoc on anyone or anything we encountered. We were wild and crazy girls always looking to have fun wherever we went. Oh the stories we could tell...but that's for another day. You can read about it in the book we publish someday, right Rae? Anyways, the name on the street sign is "Sore Finger Road". We thought that was so funny (I guess I still find it really funny) and everytime we passed it got such a kick out of it. We were determined to get our picture with it somehow. But how do you take a picture when you're on a busy interstate? Leave it to us to figure that out!

Yep, that's us at Sore Finger Road! I think this picture was taken the summer of 2000. We were driving home from CA and decided this time we were pulling over for a photo. We put the camera on the top of my car, put the timer on and hauled butt across the highway to make it in time! This was before we had digital cameras though so we took one shot and hoped for the best. Imagine our disappointment when we got the picture developed and saw that we didn't get the bridge or street sign in it! I've never taken another picture of it since until DJ was able to get the one above on our drive home. What fun memories!

Almost home. I practiced my racing skills both there and back though. Poor DJ.

The sun setting on our trip in the rear view mirror.

NASCAR's Pepsi 500 at Fontana 10.11.09

DJ and I had the opportunity to attend one of our favorite events together the weekend before The Show's passing... a NASCAR race! My dad's friend gave us his suite passes for the weekend since he couldn't use them. Three full days of NASCAR is what we enjoyed while at The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. My dream come true! It was great to get away for a few days, have some fun and feel like we were on a real vacation. I think this was the first trip I've ever taken to Southern California without seeing or staying with family. While catching up and seeing my family is always great, it was fun to feel like a stranger in a familiar place for once.

Although I have three days of pictures, I'll only bore you with the pics from Sunday, the day of the Pepsi 500 and 4th race of The Chase for the Sprint Cup. We had a blast!

The "48" car making it's appearance out of the garages before the race.

Christian Slater (the pace car driver for the race) being interviewed.

I may be a big NASCAR fan, but if I ever start dressing like this I wouldn't fault you for not wanting to go in public with me!
This cute little girl is apparently a Kyle Busch fan. Unlike the lady in Jeff Gordon garb, I don't think she got much say in her outfit. I wonder why her parents weren't dressed like M&M's too!

Checking out "Victory Lane".

Getting my picture with the 42 car's tire changer. He thought it was very odd that I wanted my picture with him.

This picture is from the February 2008 California race. This guy finds me very odd too. Maybe people don't get their picture taken with the tire guy very often?

DJ has suddenly become very loyal to Max Papis, driver of the 13 Geico Toyota, due to his recent switch to Geico auto insurance. Yep, that's his insurance card he's displaying proudly!

Reviewing race strategies with Matt Kenseth's crew. They said I could come up the ladder to get a picture with them. I felt like I was part of the team!

In Michael Waltrip's pit box.

Every race DJ and I have a running joke about Michael Waltrip. No matter how well he qualifies it's pretty much inevitable that he's gonna wreck and not finish the race. When we saw his crew sorting through a pile of car parts in preparation for the race we started cracking up (no one else was doing this)! Looks like his team expects him to wreck too so they come prepared to patch him up!

The Jack Daniel's 07 crew of Casey Mears.

DJ with the Red Bull Racing Team (Brian Vickers #83).

The track has a lot more slope than it appears from a distance. Granted it's no Bristol, but it was still a bit steep.

Almost time to go racing!

Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let's go racing boys!!

Our view from the terrace above the suite.

Kelsey Grammar served as Grand Marshal and gave the starting command, "Gentlemen, start your engines." DJ ran in to him in the bathroom and asked him how he was going to say the command. He told him he wasn't really sure so DJ used this as his opportunity to offer him some tips. A couple people this year who have given the command were a bit over exuberant. DJ suggested to Kelsey that he not go that route but play it cool. I think he heeded DJ's advise!

A green flag pit stop.

Fuel and four tires for the 07.

Fuel and left side tires only for the 39.

With 6 laps to go of the 250, there were 2 cautions, one which resulted in a 20 minute red flag to clear the track of debris.

Oh no! The whole track appeared to be falling apart!

I met and became friends with Kasey Kahne's promoter from Budweiser at the Vegas race this year, so when we saw him in CA he said if Kasey finished in the top 5 that he wanted us to be down in Victory Lane and part of the celebration. I was on my feet and glued to my headphones at the end of the race. Kasey had been running in the top 10 and making headway as we got close to the finish.

I was pretty disappointed when his car came sputtering down pit road looking like this with only 3 laps to go!

And in the end it came down to the robot taking the trophy once again. I was happy (not as happy as DJ though) to see Jimmie Johnson win as he is one of my favorites. People say he's like a robot...he's just too good! Will he be the first 4-time consecutive Cup champion this year? With only 5 races left, we'll know soon enough!

All raced out. Until the next race, that is!

"Gentlemen, start your engines!" If you turn up the volume and listen carefully at the end, you can hear DJ say "He did it just like I said!" :)


Green Flag and the start of the race.

Goodbye Show, you'll be missed.

The Show Dog's happy life came to an end this morning. After being diagnosed with cancer just two weeks ago, he lived his last days here to the fullest. I thought I was going to have to let him go last week, but changed my mind when he seemed to be doing so much better.

That all changed yesterday though when standing up suddenly got a lot tougher for him and putting weight on his front leg was no longer possible. Last night as he was going to bed I could tell he was fighting through a lot of pain. This morning it took him 2 hours before he would get up to go to the bathroom. It was hard for me to see him like that. I had told myself last week that I was gonna do my best to help ease his pain and fight for his recovery, but I also told myself that I would take it one day at a time and be prepared if he suddenly got worse. Part of me believed he was going to be ok and get better and that his cancerous tumor was all a bad dream. The reality of that not being true is painful. It's been a really tough day, but DJ and I were with him until he breathed his last breath giving him comfort and love.

That guy brought me so much joy and happiness throughout our nine years together. He saw me almost completely through my 20's and through some really good and bad times. He was the one thing in my life here on earth that always stayed the same throughout it all. His love was always unconditional.

I've compiled some pictures as a memorial to him. Some old, some new. I was able to scrounge up some of his puppy pictures and scan those in. I miss him already so much, but I know he'll always be in my heart. Looking through all his pictures today has really helped ease some of my pain and helped me to smile through the tears.

The Show Dog: August 17, 2000 - October 13, 2009

Our first meeting! He was my 20th birthday present from Christa.

Chester and The Show. Chester taught him how to be a man.

The Show and his auntie. Christa was the one who picked him out. Who would've known at the time what a treasure she'd found.

Whoops! The Show wasn't always perfect. His first experience with Christmas was a bit too exciting for him.

Graduation from obedience school (we almost didn't pass).

The Show and Chester.

Moving from CO to UT...The Show riding shotgun.

Getting up in bed with me was a rarity but real treat for him.

Showing his teeth. He's so ferocious!

Cooling off after a long hike!

Our favorite thing to do together.

Living in Salt Lake was his first experience with snow. He loved it!

Playing with Scarlett.

The Show and DJ.

Eating with the tortoise.

Hanging out with Rusty at Christa & Burt's.

The x-ray of his tumor.

At the vet finding out the bad news two weeks ago.

Hanging out with Keegan.

Spending time with Nicholas & McKenzie.

His last howl this morning.

Berkley telling him goodbye this morning and giving him love.

Not feeling good this morning.

His last car ride.

I love you Show!

Say It Ain't So, Show!

The Show Dog has been limping for a little over a month now. Since I haven't been happy with the vet we'd been seeing, I found a new one last month that offers a holistic approach. He even does chiropractic adjustments! The other nice thing is that he comes to the house. The Show always gets so anxious once we enter a vet's office. He knows nothing good ever happens in there. Especially that thermometer up the butt trick!

The Vet on Wheels (aka Dr. Tom) came over to see The Show two weeks ago. His first inclination was that he might have Valley Fever. I guess it's very common in dogs in the Southwest, often times getting in their bones and causing a limp like The Show is experiencing. He took some blood and called us this week with the results. Phew, no Valley Fever! His next suggestion was for us to get x-rays to see if there's a sprain or fracture. DJ and I took him Friday and were shocked with the news we heard. There's no bone fracture, but instead it appears that The Show may have bone cancer! Fortunately and unfortunately, the vet we met with Friday has a background specializing in bone cancer in dogs. While she didn't want to tell us for sure that's what it is, we could tell that she was almost certain. I've been devastated by this news and am still in such shock. We're meeting with a surgeon on Tuesday that's going to talk to us about what this all means and where we go from here. While a biopsy is an option to be 100% certain that it's cancer, it sounds like it can be extremely painful for The Show and probably just an extra expense at this point. With Valley Fever ruled out, it really doesn't look like there's anything else it can be. It sounds like the best option and the only thing that will relieve The Show of pain completely at this point is amputation. We've read that dogs carry two-thirds of their weight on their back legs and fortunately this is his front right leg. With three strong legs to balance him, life could resume back to normal after his recovery.

I'll keep you posted as to what we hear on Tuesday. Please keep The Show Dog in your prayers. He's been my son and loyal companion for the past nine years. I can't imagine life without his precious little face looking at me lovingly everyday.

Me & my son.

Yep, his legs are crossed and he's sleeping next to the toilet.

Hanging out with his friend, Lucy the tortoise.

Meeting Vanson for the first time.

Watching over Berkley when she was a wee baby.

Spending time with little Scarlett.

Sunbathing on the front lawn with his daddy.

Checking for his presents under the tree at Christmas.

Eating snow the day after Christmas at the Casita.

Fresh from the groomers with Keegan. Looking and smelling good!

Being silly.

Showing off his new car seat!

Like his mom, he loves the sun!!

Under my desk sleeping...His favorite place to hang out with me while I work.

Watching NASCAR with me and DJ.

At his mommy's feet.

B. Woods' 30th Birthday Party

B. Woods (aka Brian Woods) turns 30 this week! His wife, Anna, threw a bday party for him Friday night. It's hard to believe Brian and I met and became friends in the 6th grade, 18 years ago!! We had a really good time at the party. It was fun seeing some friends I haven't seen in a few years, including Brian's parents. Happy Birthday, B!

Brian & Anna

DJ & me

B & me

The moon that night