Another kick butt Zumba class, had some new faces People are getting a head start on their resolutions!

I am an object in motion....

just taught my Zumba class using my new Ipod remote and it really came in handy. Thanks Santa!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Holidays to All!!

I'm posting this virtual holiday card for all my friends out there who didn't get a real one, especially Gillean.  I'm so sorry I didn't send you one this year!! I've misplaced your address.  :(  If you're out there. Send it to me so I can get you on my list for next year!  I swear I'm trying to get more organized.  For now please accept this virtual card, and send me your address

to: Sharon.PetersonTCRG@gmail.com

Merry Christmas!!

Exhausted from excessive gift wrapping....trying to find my motivation for making cookies before mass and x-mas party tonight

ready or not, Christmas is coming!

Another great feis put in by OSC! Congrats to all the dancers who competed!

I am officially a Zumba instructor! I just finished teaching my first class and it rocked!! Thank you to my instructors Liz Connors and Ann Saldi!

listened to atleast a hundred Zumba songs today and now my head is starting to spin, but I like it! Now to get my Irish step kiddos ready for the Feis this Sunday. Talk about culture shock!

Awards Ceremony, Ready, Go!

Oireachtas day 1 Done.

who ordered all this rain?

still in the dark...watching Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on Mickey's phone. Happy Halloween!

She's was doing so well today, I wanted to see if she would still hit it correctly, even if the cone wasn't there and v-wala!!  She did it!!

She's learning so fast!  After just learning this a couple of days ago she's doing it all on her own!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uevgq27H4Jo
In Flyball a box turn should be done with all four paws hitting the box.  That is what Dallas is learning today!

came out of yoga and the sun was shining. Hooray!

I love driving in circles....

need chocolate....

It's working, for now....

Now to tighten up all the loose nuts and bolts. paint it and cover it with padding.  Almost there...

Building a Flyball Box

Thia weekend was full of projects, and none of them got completed.  Good thing it's a holiday, I have one extra day to get Dallas' Flyball Box in working order....

ahhh Saturday, I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful weekend. Before you know it we'll be shoveling snow....

is it safe to feed a dog Jasmine rice? I have some left over and don't want it to go to waste...

This is too much rain....

Dallas finally got to try FLYBALL this morning with her new team White Mountain Mayhem! I'm so glad we went, it seems like its right up her ally!

I'll eat when I'm hungry, and I"ll drink when I'm dry, and if moonshine don't kill me I'll live til' I die....

Mom couldn't have picked a more perfect day to make some of Grammie Dean's Fudge. How does she always know?

Really gotta do some laundry....

getting 55 mpg in my Prius right now

Just filled my tank up at Shell $3.39/gal thanks to my StopNShop card!

Dinner with Dallas at the Tiltn' Diner in Tilton, NH

Spent the weekend up north with Dallas, no TV but plenty of swimming!

Our Wedding photos.......

Link:  Our Wedding <3 8~28~10

We're stuck inside as boredom bears down on this very rainy evening....

Just saved us over $75 on our grocery bill with my coupons!

looks like our new gutters are holding up their end of the deal, after all that rain yesterday out basement is still dry today!

i dont think I've ever seen the sky so clear, or so blue :)

Hurricane Irene

This is what Hurrican Irene looked like when we landed at Philadelphia International Airport, and subsequently had to drive ourselves all the way home to NH, trying to stay ahead of the worst of it all the way.  We're still waiting for our luggage to be delivered from our final flight to Manchester, which was cancelled.
Saturday August 27, 2011  8:00 PM

disappointed in Irene, she and I were Bff's last night and today she just disappeared. whatev....

didn't even get to use my candles and the power's back on already :(

not home yet...rented a car and we're driving it home through the storm from Philly. What a way to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. <3

just landed at Philly airport and happy to have my feet on the ground, what a wild ride

anybody have a jet I can borrow?

Could anything else possibly go wrong today....

The other day I saw two dogs walk over to a parking meter. One of them says to the other, "How do you like that? Pay toilets!"
~Dave Starr

A Shocking Article about what's Really in your Pet's Food, and what happens to your pet when you allow the vet to 'take care of it' for you after he or she dies

Learning Treibball

Wow, You're a German Shepherd!

German Shepherd

The Perfectionist
Doggedly dedicated to getting the job done, you don't let silly little distractions get in the way of putting in a full day's work. And after you come home, chowing down on a little grub and taking a little catnap is all it takes to get you up and at 'em for round two, whatever that may entail. Your dogma emphasizes the importance of hard work, and you swim laps around your dog-paddling, time-wasting co-workers. Your cleverness leads to you often being entrusted with some pretty important tasks, which you are always more than happy to sink your canines into. You really dig being outdoors and love a bit of exercise, but you draw the line at the ridiculous stuff, choosing a game of beach volleyball over Pilates in the park any day. Learn more »
FAMOUS GERMAN SHEPHERDS: Teddy Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth, Humphrey Bogart, Oprah
LIKELY PROFESSIONS: Professional Athlete, Policeman, Wilderness Guide, Meteorologist

I would kill for a sub right now...

where is the sun?

A Letter from Your Cattle Dog

Howdy.

I'm your new cattle dog puppy.

You probably picked me because you like my color

or my perky ears

or my inquisitive eyes

or the fact that I am so full of energy.



Like your other dependents I'll require food, water and shelter.

There will be vet bills and preventive care.

I'll need teeth cleaning,

pills for worms

and fleas

and heartworms

and ticks.



I'll need food

and vitamins

and supplements

and a comfortable bed

(and chew toys).

I'll need a comfortable place to stay out of the cold

and heat

and rain.



Like other pets I'll require a lot of care and training.

I need exercise.

I need to walk

and run

and to chase things.



Treat me right and I'll chase a Frisbee instead of your car or cat.

I might dig

or I might tear something up.

I might poop on your floor.



You can teach me to not do a lot of things, but don't forget--I still have instincts.

My instincts tell me to move things.

To herd

To bark

To use my mouth

To protect our space.



For all my faults I will give you a guarantee that I will obey, protect and serve.

I'll never talk behind your back

or serve the interests of another.

I will be loyal to you

I won't forsake you

Even if you treat me bad sometimes I will worship the ground you walk on.

I will wait at the door in anticipation of you getting home.

I live for time with you.

You will be my number one.



I will protect our home.

I'll let you know when danger is near. My ears will be our ears.

No matter how big the threat I will take the point.

My safety is not my concern.



And I'll provide you with unconditional love.

You can be in a wonderful or sour mood.

You can treat me good or bad.

We can be rich or poor.

We can live in a mansion or a tent.

Nothing matters except my unwavering commitment and desire to serve you.



So think first of all the responsibility there is to take care of me,

because I may not be there for you for the rest of your life.

But I will surely be there for you

for the rest of mine.

--by Christopher Greer

Treibball - Our friend Missy won a Treibball for Dallas at Six Flags yesterday! I can't wait to teach Dallas how to play!

Treibball – A Great New Canine Sport!

Reader Contributions (3)

Do you have a high energy, ball crazy dog? A dog that is “too smart for her own good?” A dog that you find difficult to tire even after long walks? Do you have an urban or suburban herding dog that needs a healthy, fun, and affordable outlet for his natural doggy drives? If so, you and your dog may love Treibball!
Treibball is a relatively new sport in the United States and was originally developed in Germany. Treibball involves teaching dogs to herd a number of large exercise balls into a pen at the direction of a handler. Treibball also allows you to take foundation behaviors (targeting, send out, “stay,” “wait,” directionals, settling on a mat) and proof them in a fun new way.
While herding breeds obviously tend to excel at this game, it is a fun sport for dogs of all breeds and nearly any age. Whether you have a Pug, Papillon, Pomeranian, Puli, or Portuguese Water Dog, you can participate in Treibball! We’re getting ready to launch our first Treibball class at Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training. I just announced the launch of our new class last week (coming in March) and the first class is already nearly full, my students are so excited to get started! My first class will not have any herding dogs – so far it looks like we have a Standard Poodle, a West Highland White Terrier, a Boxer, a Shepherd/Jack Russell mix (odd combo, I know!), and probably my own Chow mix.
Because Treibball is a very new sport, few instructors are offering classes at this time. While your favorite trainer may not yet be offering Treibball classes, the equipment required to do some basic Treibball work at home is inexpensive (probably less than 30 dollars) and you can do some of the exercises at home on your own with your dog. This fantastic video from one of my favorite youtubers (is that a word?) illustrates well some very basic Treibball exercises you can use to start building a foundation with your dog.

a couple laps in the pool and my brand new pedicure is already chipped, awesome

pretty sure I just saw Lara Croft driving in the car next to me

just living in the moment and not worrying about tomorow.

losing my mind in a ridiculous traffic jam on a Tuesday afternoon. AAARGH!!

Just got my butt kicked again at beach boot camp for 1 hour in this searing heat I don't know how I stayed conscious

when your a jet, your a jet all the way, from your first cigarette to your last dying day....

poaching pears for dessert...

I am so tired of my BlackBerry "correcting" me by inserting nonsense where i meant to put an actual word.

Grrrrrrr.....

Even more pet friendly places on Martha's Vineyard!!

Dog Friendly Restaurants in Oak Bluffs, MA, US

There are 4 restaurants in Oak Bluffs, MA, US that welcome dogs at their outdoor tables. Need help deciding where to eat? Check out the listings below for a detailed description of each restaurant, along with pictures and reviews from other dog owners who've eaten there. Bone appetit!

Dog Friendly Restaurants in Oak Bluffs, MA, US

SORT BY Name Popularity Rating

Carousel Ice Cream Factory

Oak Bluffs, MA, US

Carousel Ice Cream Factory scoops up lip-smackin'- good ice cream that can be devoured with your pup on their outside benches.

Overview | Map | Photos | Reviews

LEARN MORE

MV Surfside

Oak Bluffs, MA, US

MV Surfside is a stylish motelright on the water in Martha's Vineyard where pets are more than welcome.

Overview | Map | Photos | Reviews

LEARN MORE

Nancy's Snack Bar and Harborview Restaurant

Oak Bluffs, MA, US

Nancy's Snack Bar and Harborview Restaurant offers snacks and bar grub with a harbour view that dogs can enjoy at downstairs tables.

Overview | Map | Photos | Reviews

LEARN MORE

Lola's

Oak Bluffs, MA, US

More Dog Friendly Spots on Martha's Vineyard!!

Dog-Friendly Vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachussetts

April 18, 2010

Tags: dog friendly, dog friendly martha's vineyard, dogs, martha's vineyard, massachusetts

Martha’s Vineyard is one of the top summer vacation hot-spots in the Northeast. It is an island off of the coast of Massachusetts, and is full of wonderful beaches and forests to explore. There are no bridges to Martha’s Vineyard, so people and dogs need to either take ferries or fly to this island.
There are a handful of dog-friendly beaches in Martha’s Vineyard, but make sure to check if there are seasonal restrictions during your visit. There is also a huge, wonderful off-leash dog park.

Attractions

West Tisbury Farmers’ Market
This farmers’ market goes on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM. The Wednesday markets will run from June through August, and the Saturday markets will run from June through October. You can shop for lots of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms. Dogs can shop with you so long as they are on short leashes.

Beaches

South Beach
South Beach is located in Edgartown, Massachusetts. During the summer months, dogs are allowed on the beach after 5:00 PM. During the off season, from mid-September through mid-April, they can be on the beach all day. They must be leashed.
Joseph Sylvia State Beach
Joseph Sylvia State Beach is located in Edgartown as well. It is a two-mile stretch of beach.
Leashed dogs may only go on this beach in September, before 9:00 AM and after 5:00 PM; they can go all day from October 1st through March 1st. They are prohibited to go on this beach from April 1st through August 31st.
Norton Point Beach
Norton Point Beach is also located in Edgartown, and it exists as a 2.5 mile strip of sand and sand dunes. Its environment is always changing, and is affected by erosion, but there are nevertheless many outdoor activities to do here. Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on a leash at all times.

Parks

Trade Winds Preserve
This preserve is located in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, and has over 70 acres of land. There are two miles of hiking trails, which are sectioned into three loops, as well as huge fields where you can play frisbee or fetch. It is a wonderful place to meet other dogs and owners.
Caroline Tuthill Wildlife Preserve
This wildlife preserve is located in Edgartown, and has over 150 acres of pine forest and meadow. Dogs can hike with you on leash.

Outdoor Restaurants

Espresso Love
This restaurant is located in Edgartown, and it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dogs are welcome at the outdoor patio area.
Louis’ Tisbury Cafe
This cafe is located in Vineyard Heaven, Massachusetts. They serve Italian specialties, pizza, ribs and chicken. Dogs can join you at the outdoor tables.

Johns Fish Market, Black Dog Cafe, Scottish Bakehouse, Net Result (both Vineyard Haven and Menemsha), Giordanos Pizza - outside "slice" tables, The Bite - Menemsha.

"i've taken my dog to a restaurant called Coop de Ville in Oak Bluffs several times. They have a covered outdoor seating area on the harbor. Very dog friendly - they bring a water bowl and seem to appreciate having their floor cleaned of crumbs."

Dog Friendly Martha's Vineyard!!

http://www.destinationinsider.com/marthas-vineyard/blog/2007/06/pet-friendly-travel.html

I totally just saw Napoleon Dynamite walking the streets of Nashua

going through my closet....i cant believe how many things just don't fit anymore!

Days like this really make me wish I had a boat....anybody wanna get rid of one?

There he is....

what is in the air today that is making my eyes so sad and itchy?

just cut the interest rate on my Prius down to 2.74% by tranferring our loan to DCU, beat that!

after Karen's Bachelorette weekend, I can truly say I have seen it ALL.

wish it wasn't raining...

my prayers have been answered! We just hit 80*! Hooray!

Summer is here!! What a beautiful day!

boiling some peaches for dessert while Mickey starts tonight's movie

can't wait to see the sunshine tomorow

barely survived Beach Body Boot Camp this morning I better be ripped this summer or else

there is no explanation for how well this day turned out, aside from just pure dumb luck....

July can't come soon enough....

leaving dance and excited that its not pitch black out!

look out people we have hail falling from the sky!

my clothes and sneakers were soaked after Zumba tonight, thank you Connors!!

my clothes and sneakers were soaked after Zumba tonight, thank you Conners!!

FYI: my email address was somehow hacked, do not open any emails asking you to download my girlfriends video. PS what do I do about this?

Have a blessed Easter everyone!

Mickey is Confirmed! Hallelujah!

I have the best hubby in the world, he did an awesome job installing our sump pump himself and saved us about 2K in the process!

EHN, OH, NO, Thanks for playing :)

aaaand its snowing...again

aaaand its snowing....cool.

can't wait for Jamaica

watching our street turn into the Nashua river and praying our basement doesn't flood before our sump pump is installed on Wednesday

being sensitive is a bad bad thing...

teaching at a convent in the mountains of Harvard, MA this morning, man this place reminds me of The Sound of Music

its melting melting!

at the Ceili....

don't look now but it's snowing again!

baking my first meatloaf.... can't wait to see Mickey's face when he tastes it!

just peeked outside and its raining ice!

just back from a walk around the block with Dallas in the snow...my calves are burning and Dallas is sacked out in the floor exhausted

Thankful that I don't have to drive to Tilton to teach tonight!

losing it in traffic

lots o music editing to be done this weekend.....

A wind chill warning is in effect because the wind chill index is likely to fall to -25degrees or colder for atleast 3 hours. This can bring about Frostbite in as little as 10 minutes. Outdoor exposure should be limited. Thanks Weather Service, and oh yea, screw you.

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-nutrition/raw-food-diets.aspx

Benefits of feeding you dog a Raw Food Diet
http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-nutrition/raw-food-diets.aspx

are those flurries I see?

using Grammie Dean's cook book that my Mom gave me at my shower to cook some parmesan turkey tips.

even my car, which is parked well under our car port, is covered with snow!

New Year's Resolution

I hate making New Year's Resolutions.  If you want to make a change, just do it.  Don't wait for monday, or the first of the month or the first of the year...just do it and don't waste any time.  So anyway, Dallas had her first agility class yesterday and did great.  She went through tunnels, up and down the A-frame with no problem, and even gave the baby see-saw a try.  On the way home I decided to stop in at the vets to use their scale, it's on the way and her weight has always been a problem.  Holy-Moly 53 Lbs!  That's a 3 pound weight gain which is the equivalent of me gaining 12 Lbs!  We are both going on diets...today.

How long should you broil a 1.25lbs New York Sirloin?

AKC Registration

So before New Years, I filled out and mailed some paperwork to the AKC to get Dallas registered.  Since we adopted Dallas, we have no idea who her parents were so she is not eligible for a regular AKC registration.  Instead I am hoping to get her a Purebred Alternative Listing/Indefinite Listing Privilege (PAL/ILP) registration number so that we can compete in AKC events like agility.  That is if she wants to.  I want her to because she is so smart.  I can't wait to start our agility class on Tuesday.  It's been such a long road to get here.
We started out in a basic obedience class just a couple of weekes after adopting her.  Since then we have gone through to get her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Certificate and taken a clicker unleashed class.  I remember that first class we took her to in basic obedience.  She was so afraid and nervous that she shit on the floor right after the instructor started talking.  She did a lot of bouncing around to different homes before she came to us, so it must have been stressful for her to have a new family and now be enrolled in school.

 Dallas after being awarded her CGC Certificate.  Look how happy she is, she loves a sense of a accomplishment.

just ate my last piece of left over Christmas fudge and am so sad that I think I'm going to make more :)

What a cool idea!  It's a changing table that folds up and hides all the changing stuff out of sight when you're not using it.  I'm so going to make my husband either build one of these or buy me one.

"Here it is some best inspiration ideas about decorate modern baby nursery interior design with some creative white baby nursery furniture design. Bybo Sweden famous baby furniture company brand presents comfortable and simple baby room interior design. One of the furniture designs as shown below is the baby nappy changer furniture. It has great relaxed rest pad and several shelves to keep the baby stuff like baby cleaner, soap, cotton etc and the most important point it is awfully portable. You can fold it up and move it around the home without any hassle."
I took this from: http://www.newhouseofart.com/modern-baby-nursery-furniture-design-room-by-bybo/

Shopping and Babies

Had an unexpected day off today, which was nice.  The studio I teach for on Tuesdays doesn't start back to dance until tomorow.  I had a nice "for me" day.  I spent it putting laundry away, picking up the house, and spending the remainder of my Christmas money at the Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual sale.  I use to work at Victoria's Secret and the twice a year sale is the only time I'll shop now.  When I was employed there I got 30% off of any purchase, except any sale items, you paid sticker for them...  So, when I worked there I never shopped the sale because it was last season stuff that I was tired of looking at and I didn't get any more of a discount on them.  Now that I don't work there, the only time I can tolerate shopping there is during the sale, because I refuse to pay full price for anything anymore.  This is something my husband doesn't understand.  My jaw use to drop when he would pay $100 for a couple of shirts (literally, maybe two shirts) and a 1/2 a pair of jeans. He would never even look at the clearance rack! ....I don't want to go down this path, lets just say men are different from women in many ways.
So I was purusing the aisles in Burlington Coat Factory today, where I scored some Skechers Shape-Up SRT's for only $50, and I decided to take a stroll into the baby section.  I can't believe how much baby stuff they have.  Saw a crib I reall liked, it was all white with a matching changing table.  The crib had no price on it, but the changing table was $150.  This made me wonder what it was at full price, since I know that the shape ups I bought are usually over $100.  I wish I could find the crib I was looking at online, but Burlington Coat Factory seriously needs to re-evaluate their online shopping experience.  I understand that they are like a discount store and I love their discounts, but I also like shopping online. It makes me sad to know that there's no way for me to prepare for our first baby before we are actually "expecting" it.  That really only gives me 6-7 months tops to prepare for this monumental life changing event since you don't even know you're pregnant until you're almost a full month into it.  In the 8th month there may be a baby shower, and you can just forget the 9th month, assuming ofcourse I make it that far.  My sister had her second child after only 6-7 months of pregnancy due to Preeclampsia ,which is thankfully not supposed to be genetic, but who knows.

A New Year a New Hobby!

    OK, wow.  Now I'm a blogger.  This is something I never thought I would do. It's like an online diary, that anybody in the world can read. This is my first post ever. A quick background on me is: I am a socially inept dance teacher, who is newly married and lives in New Hampshire.  My favorite thing to do is spoil my dog Dallas because I feel like, if she is happy then somehow it will make me happy.  Dallas however is happy doing anything.  Sleeping on the couch (like she's doing right now) running around chasing balls, and eating of course.  We have just enrolled in an agility class which starts on January 11th because I feel that she needs to be fulfilled in her life.  Don't get me wrong, I have a wonderful life: I work with children for only a few hours a day and I make more money per week now than I did when I was a full-time paralegal, go figure.  I have a great guy for a husband, who spends several hours each day playing video games (like he's doing right now), but yet is terrified at the though of having children.  We have this plan to take a "babymoon" this summer for our 1st wedding anniversary, but I think it's just his way of pacifying my desires to start a family and it's working.  I'm starting to doubt whether or not it's a good idea to have children.
    We live in a cape style home that my husband bought for "us" before we were even engaged.  He's been living here now for about 4 years.  I moved in last year.  It's a nice little home with a fenced in yard for Dallas to run around in without us worrying about her.  The fence, ofcourse, is more for keeping other animals and people out, rather than keeping Dallas in.  She has no interest in straying from the house or our side.  We technically only have one bedroom though, which is on the main level with the kitchen, dining and living rooms.  That bedroom is where I am sitting right now, starting my blog.  We don't know what to do with it since his brother moved out of it a few months ago after our wedding.  At first it was so empty it echoed, but we have since filled it with miscellanous crap from around the house, including our computer desk which we got tired of looking at in the dining room.  When it was empty it was easy to imagine it as a nursery, but now it gets harder and harder to see it as such. 
  My husband just walked in an asked what I was doing.  I'm flattered he's actually interested... I told him I was starting my own blog and he kinda got irritated because, I changed the screen so he wouldn't see what I was typing and he took that as being secretive.  I told him what I was typing wasn't a secret, but it was private.  He didn't understand.  I explained to him that I didn't want him reading what I was writing, while I was writing it because these were my private thoughts.  He still didn't get it. So he did the only thing he could do, he went to take a shower.  I wish this blog would tell me how many words I've typed so I can set a limit.  Without limits I run the danger of rambling on and on. 
    Where was I?  Oh yea, our house...technically one bedroom, two full bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, kitchen, mudroom and an unfinished attic.  I didn't count our basement because it is not technically considered livable space.  There is only one way in or out of the basement, the stairs.  None of the windows are big enough to squeeze out of, so if there was ever a fire we'd be screwed.  I bought him the biggest fire extinguisher I could find, as a housewarming present because our bedroom is down there; as is a second living room, full bathroom and laundry room.  We just refinished the whole basement last spring because it flooded.  We replaced all the carpets and the bottom halves of all the walls.  Luckily we were able to save all the furniture and appliances down there by cramming it all upstairs onto the main living room;  Remember at this time his brother was still living here, so we didn't have this extra bedroom to use.  If it happens again this spring, we'll probably move up stairs for good and then all hope for raising a family in this house will be squashed.  This bedroom isn't even big enough to fit our bed, nevermind both our wardrobes.  There is the remote chance we may finish off the attic, but then where would we store all of our Christmas stuff?  Remember, we're already using the basement.
  Wow.  It feels good to talk  to someone.  I like this bloggin idea.  Maybe I'll do it everyday...well, we'll see.  Here's a video of Dallas from this past year she is six years old now.