Day #56: Is it Fall?

I saw 2 Nissan Leafs in the last 2 days!  I'm back in Tucson for the weekend - hence why I could catch up on my posting.
In case you don't remember the Nissan Leaf is a 100% electrical car.  I test drove one about a year ago with my parents.  So awesome, possibly my future car ;)

Day #55: Wiener Madness

My unspoken goal was to have <50% of my posts be of my dogs.  Not sure if I'll make it, but there has been a new addition to the wiener pack...
Introducing Bernard...

This is my friend BJ, who usually watches Penny and/or Bart when Sarah and I are gone.  Well she fell in love with our wieners and wanted one of her own!

He's a little guy - about the size of Penny and a little mangy, but she's fixing him right up!

I'm in big trouble now - 3 wieners and their names all start with B.  I already got Buster and Bart mixed up, now with Bernie in the mix, only Penny has a shot of knowing her name! :)

Day #54: Doggy Park Day

Day #53: Double Trouble

Does that puppy look familiar?  Maybe a little like my sweetheart, Penny Princess?  

I thought so!  I had to take a double look when I got the first card, wondering how my mom got a picture of Penny.   Then I realized it was a look alike.  I got the second card this weekend when I got home.  Thanks for the Valentine's present Auntie Ed!

Day #52: Argyle

Day #51: Scenery

This is one of the curtains that closes off a room/doorway in the Emergency Room, there is also an ocean scene as well.   So much nicer than what is usually found in an ER.  

One of the nurses caught me taking this picture and looked at me like I was crazy.  hehe

Day #50: White Chocolate Mocha

Tastes so much better when the closet Starbucks is 20 minutes away and it is not even a real stand-alone SB - it's one inside a Safeway.  This was bought early in the day, reheated, put in my mug and enjoyed throughout my shift!  mmm...

Day #49: New Lanyard

For Valentine's Day - my parents got me 2 new lanyards to wear my ID cards on.  This is the more colorful one.

Me prior to starting a 12 hour ER shift.

Day #48: Brunch Out

Below are the signs to "The Breakfast Place" for brunch.  The place had good reviews on Yelp.
Little did I know that it is "The Breakfast Place" in the morning and "Waldo's BBQ by day and night.

Day #47: made my day

Guest photographer, Oday. Sief sent me this picture yesterday.
It's Buster's new trick.
Oh so cute!

Day #46: Yum

How could I forget to post my first meal here. If you did not know before, I will tell you now - meatloaf is one of my least favorite meals.
That was what was for lunch my first day. The food has gone up from there. Not much but some.

Day #45: My Room

I know you were curious.
Don't worry, I made a trip into Show Low today so the lamp by my bed will work and I can move my sole lamp to a more appropriate position.
Also - in fairly certain the house is haunted. Every night there is creaking that sounds very rhythmic like footsteps. I've bought ear plugs today.

Day #44: Home Sweet Home

My digs for the next month.
I know you are jealous.

Days 43: IOU

Made it to Whiteriver and was welcomed with snow!

Day #43: IOU

I owe you a picture from yesterday.  It was crazy busy and still is.
Heading up to the Indian Reservation today.  I will be there for a month - without internet and possibly without cell phone reception.  I will take a picture everyday and have a mega-posting session when I get back!
I'll try to stop in and get some pics up around the halfway point!

Happy Valentines Day!

Day #42: Surprise Early Valentines Dinner

Guest photographer - Sief.
Me at surprise Valentine Dinner at Wildflower having scallops for dinner. Yum!

Day #41: A Wienerful Day

Today was an exciting day.  It was the qualifying race for Wiener Nationals in Tucson.  It is hosted by Wienerschnitzel and the winning wiener from Tucson gets to go to San Diego to the finals!

Sarah, BJ (another good friend of mine), Penny, Buster, and Bart all met down at the softball stadium at the U of A for the race.  Jokingly we entered Penny into the race.  If you know Penny, then you know she is the slowest out of all 3 of our wieners and thus the least likely to win a race.  Buster and Bart are both pretty quick, but can be easily distracted.

This is the race track.  The wieners are each put into one of 8 lanes at the end.  On the announcers cue the little gates are open and in theory the wieners race out and across the finish line.  The catch is they MUST cross the finish line within the red rectangle that you see above.

Barts game face! Grr...

Penny was in the first heat.  The gates open and..... all the dogs except Penny ran off the course.  Penny, being Penny was terrified and stood there for a second.  They she started walking (yes walking, not running, not even jogging or trotting, just plain old walking), she started to veer left, then she decided to veer right.  I'm screaming her name at the top of my lungs.  She slowly makes it down to my end, while the other competitors in her race have left the field. She stops about 6 inches from the finish line and then finally when I pull out a treat she crosses and is named the winner of her heat!!!  Hahahaha

It was sooooooo funny.  I didn't video tape it, because I thought it was all going to happen so fast that I wouldn't have time.  Who knew she was going to walk across the line.

Next up from our group was Bart.  I got a tape of his race.  See below.  Bart came out of gate 7, I believe.

Then it was Buster's turn.  Let's just say he was in a similar group to Penny's, but even more dysfunctional.  Buster's heat got to race 3 times before a winner was announced.  The first 2 races all the dogs left the field.  Buster wasn't even close - he got too distracted with other things!

As the winner of her heat, Penny got to be part of the University of Arizona Men's Basketball halftime show.  If she won this race, then we would be off to San Diego.  As you can see from the video of Bart's race, there was some real competition out there and the chance of Penny winning was pretty slim.

Pre race pictures (waiting for halftime):

Penny resting before her big race.  Please note she was very polite and went up to her competitors while waiting and sniffed their butts.  She did not growl as did some of the competition.

Penny's race support team.

It's show time:

Does she look terrified to you?

Our goal at this point in the game was that Penny did not poop or pee in front of thousands of people, like she often does when she gets nervous and/or scared.

The halftime set up.  Penny is in slot #1!

Video of Penny's Race - watch spot #1!

Please note Penny did leave her slot before the winner crossed the finish line!  According to Sarah the only reason she left was because she pushed her little booty out of there!  hehe

Oh well - we had a great time and I got a free Wienerschnitzel t-shirt out of it.  yeah.  

Day #40: Beep Beep

Do you know what it is? Beep Beep!

Day #39: Two-fer day!

This is Penny in her Doxie Dapper Dud Fit Model - made by Baxter's mother.   I have to measure Penny in this and take some pictures and pin somewhere (not sure where yet) and then Baxter's mom will make Penny her very own Doxie Dapper Dud - which will be her new harness.  Penny and I are super excited. She is going to be sylin'

In other exciting news - another box of organic fruits & veggies was delivered to my doorstep today.  

Above is a Delicata - which is a winter squash, not sure what the small ones are called.  I just think of them as the mini-pumpkin-like-squashes that are used to decorate tables at Thanksgiving time.  So, I've wikipedia'd Delicata and learned something about this winter squash and hopefully will make a dish out of it this weekend!

Day #38: Golf Now - Quarry Pines

Day #37: Snuggle Buddy or ... not

He does this all on his own. What a silly boy!

Day #36: Stamp of Approval!

Day #35: Seven Falls

Hiked ~7 miles today to see 7 falls. Don't try counting 7 because 2 more are behind the photographer. :)

Day #34: Dessert anyone?

Oreo Cream Pie
Cherry Pie a la Mode
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Tiramisu

Day #33: Sizzle sizzle

Making dinner with my new shiny pots & pans. This is the calm before the smoke detector went off. Oops!!!
Thankfully it only stayed on for a minute. :)

Day #33: Pretty Penny Princess

Day #32: Coffee Time