An update from the apartment of Ben, Shona and Kate

Hi everyone,
There are actually some new things in my life. To begin with I am actually fairly busy. I started classes with The Animal Behavior College (clicker here to go to their website) to get a certificate in dog training. In addition, I'll be taking supplementary courses in training shelter dogs, dog massage (:D), dog walking and pet sitting and operating my own business. Vocational Rehab is paying for this for which I am very blessed.

I've also been spending a LOT of time at the Kennel Club. Let's see here are some of the classes I have finished up: Introduction to agility (Benny); Beginners Rally (Benny); Basic Obedience (Benny); Introduction to agility (Shona); Basic Obedience (Shona). In July I will also be assisting in teaching a basic obedience class and taking Shona to a Beyond Basic class. My father will be handing Benny in this class and we might switch around a bit. I wanted them both in the class but couldn't figure out how to handle both at once so my dad graciously agreed to handle Benny for me. I am also attending an Advanced Obedience one on one session once a week. I plan to show Benny at the end of July at the open class at the 4-H fair dog show in obedience. It seems fitting as the last time I was in the show ring was at the 4-H dog show and the first time I will be returning is there again.

I also am working with my first service dog client. This is an adventure in and of itself. It's going to be a mobility dog and hopefully help a young man with fetching things, opening doors, the fridge etc. It is a shelter dog that lives at their home and their resources are limited so I'm not sure how this will turn out but it's a good experience.

Let's see...Shona is now officially taking over Benny's jobs. Benny became (and continues to be) very protective of me and started to growl. This is not acceptable in a service dog so I made the very difficult decision to at least temporally retire him. Also, he is going through the teenage dog years and is a monster currently. I'm hoping he will mature a litte in the next six months to a year and perhaps resume his duties at least on a somewhat limited bases. The good news is that Shona thrives with a job. She is a completely different dog with a vest on than you see in the house. She is calm, attentive and loves to work. You won't believe it unless you see it so I hope someday you will join us on an outing.

I think that's about it for my life now. It's full and more busy than I have been in a long time but I'm enjoying it. Here are a few dog pictures for your enjoyment. :)

May Third Thursday - goofy dogs - I tag teamed them this day and they both worked.

Shona working at a used bookstore in Wichita

Shona now lives in the apartment with Benny and I. The contraptions on Benny's head is a type of cone. He has hurt himself twice in the last month.

Benny in his "cone"

Shook Report

Hello from Wichita:


While I write this, I am being serenaded by Samuel on his electric guitar.  For those of you who watch facebook, he has a link with one of the songs his band has been working on. Since we wrote last Samuel has graduated and as some of you know we found out he had mono while we were in Texas visiting Hannah.  He seems to be feeling pretty well.  We finally were able to get senior pictures taken before we left:)  The photographer is doing the touch-up work and then we will share with everyone.  Samuel is planning to teach English in China for six months and would leave after Andrew's wedding.  We are finding out details about the school set-up and starting lists of things to check on and do before he leaves.

Erik has been taking a summer class - genetics.  He is also helping with research for one of his professors.  They are looking for the bacteria in lakes that can cause children to get ?(sleeping sickness?)  He has also been playing frisbee and "cooking" for himself as the cafeteria is not open during the summer.  He has a little fridge and microwave to produce cheese quesidillas, microwave mac and cheese,and little containers of instant potatoes which he says are quite good -  and lots of cereal:)

Tim is winding down his work at Southwestern.  Summer music festival went very well this year.  He will be interviewing two people the first of July to fill the band position.  Then hopes to have a couple of weeks off.  He will have MTNA meetings in Salt Lake and a vacation in Minnesota.

My work has been busy.  In May we made the Goodville top 10 list!.  A list of the top 10 agents in regards to how many policies were sold.  We were actually number 7 due to the large number of policies we wrote in May.  The garden is doing much better this year.  I have 3 tomatoes on the two plants.  The cucumbers and beans are blooming well.  The the potato plants still look healthy:)!

I wanted to add pics from Samuel's graduation and our visit to Hannah's but Walgreens photo dept was not working today.  So check back later for pictures!

Stay cool! Vicki, Tim, Erik, Samuel

A little link to share

Betty’s introduction and a little announcement are up on my blog today!

Productivity vs Pleasure

Hello Family!

Sorry for the delay! This has been quite a year - one of which James and I both seem to be favoring productivity at the expense of pleasure. We both have just finished our first year in a new job and are currently re-evaluating how to balance work and life for the coming year. The first relaxing project for me as the summer began was planting a few herbs. Our apartment is on the second floor, but we have quite a bit of balcony space, which seems to be working well so far.

Basil and Thyme

Mint and Rosemary

James and I enjoy spending as much time as we can outside, so we are trying to actively make time to walk, jog, swim, and kayak. Our latest trip to the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail down town was full of wildlife. We saw two lizards, quite a few turtles, and a water moccasin (a big one)!

Next on the list of summer's fun activities was a visit from Mom, Dad, and Samuel! We started with a unique Austin sushi experience at a restaurant called Roll-On Sushi Diner. They have rolls you've never heard of or tasted before, but they are exceptionally yummy and help with the city's motto "Keep Austin Weird" :-)! We decided our favorite was The Grouch with guacamole - roasted chicken, green chile, jack cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, chipotle aoli, and sushi rice rolled in a soy wrapper.

Roll-On Sushi Diner in Austin, TX

As we are posting on Father's Day, we would like to recognize all of those Dads out there that have given us so much. Thank you Grandpa for showing us how to raise a family and keeping us close even though many of us are now miles away from home. Thank you to my dad for instilling in his children a curiosity that continually refreshes us as we travel and wake up to new days full of possibility. May God bless them and Uncle Randy, Uncle Tim, Dan, and David! We not only have Dads, but we have engaged and loving fathers that truly care, say it and show it! THANK YOU!!!

James and I are looking forward to visiting Andrew and Katie in Chicago this July! I plan to be back in Kansas at least once this summer although I don't quite know when yet. Until then, take care and remember to do the things that make you smile!

Love,
Hannah and James