SpokesDogs and Balto Half

Looking for a new BFF? This cutie could be yours - she is available for adoption. Contact me for details.
Carol came to the shoot this morning to help me handle the doggies.
With the WJZ broadcaster for the earliest shoot - 6AM!

As usual we are crazy busy here at Casa Sheely-Wood! Last weekend we ran the Baltimore Half Marathon together (thanks to Coach Bob for letting CDW be his bandit runner). This was our first race ever together! Can you believe it? It is also my first race since the Shamrock Marathon in 2007, after which most of you know I struggled with years of IT band and knee issues. Our time wasn't great, but we have both had a lot going on lately so we were not as dedicated to training and rest as we would have liked to be. In addition, I have been experiencing some issues with my hamstrings as a result of all of my yoga classes. I had a few really tough miles, but overall we tried to focus on having fun. We gave lots of high-fives to spectators and the kids out in East Baltimore (thank you for cheering us on), thanked all of the wonderful police who came out to direct traffic, and took all the beer we were offered (thanks to Matt and Tasha at mile 11). Natty Boh really hits the spot at the end of a tough race.

This morning Caele and Jackson were spokesdogs on two Baltimore morning newscasts. They each donned their Halloween costumes to promote BARCStoberfest, BARCS animal shelter's biggest fundraiser of the year! Caele was a piggy, and Jackson a lobster (there is a costume contest at BARCStoberfest). We hope that lots of you will check out this fabulous event tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 23 at Patterson Park from 11 - 3 (near the Pagoda).

In work news, Chris attended a riveting workshop this week in Philadelphia. He said that he has learned a lot that will be useful to him at work immediately. I have been trying to keep up with my yoga training, which includes at least three classes per week, and a hefty reading list. I recently finished the Bhagavad Gita, and have begun Autobiography of a Yogi. I have also been slowly reading a book by bankruptcy law goddess Elizabeth Warren (The Two Income Trap - I highly recommend that everyone check this out), and a recommendation from my vet called Calming Signals (you will never look at your dog the same way again).

Game day dogs, Blood Bank, and Caele turns 9!!

Game day with Sheely-Wood dogs.

College game day. Caele needs to put a UVa bandana on her Christmas list.
Caele and Abbi. Waiting for their celebration biscuits.
Jacks and his daddy after donating blood.
Jacks and Dr. Ann of EVBB. Lots of tummy rubs and biscuits for blood donor dogs!

We are so proud of Jackson; today he became a canine blood donor. We didn't know that there was such a thing until we saw a news story about it. We had never thought about where blood comes from if our doggies need it. The sad fact is that in many places dogs are kept alive in cages just so that they can be blood donors - and that is no quality of life. The good news is that this can change if enough doggies give blood voluntarily! That is what happens at Eastern Veterinary Blood Bank (http://www.evbb.com/). Dr. Ann and her team take blood donations from dogs like Jackson so that there is blood available for dogs when they need it. And Jackson really doesn't mind too much - he gets lots of belly rubs, yummy snacks and peanut butter, and mom and dad treated him to some Boston Market chicken afterwards. Jackson's blood has the potential to help up to 4 other dogs! If you have a healthy dog under 7 years of age, please look into canine blood donation in your area - it is something that you and your dog can feel wonderful about!

In other news, Caele turned 9 this month! I can hardly believe it; she doesn't look a day over 5. We all love her to pieces here at Casa Sheely-Wood, but I am especially thankful for her presence in my life for what is almost a decade. We had the usual celebration with a new toy and some tasty snacks. See her tonite at the pre-BARCStoberfest at Little Havana; we'll be arriving early to scope out a good table on the patio!

Admiral and Princess

Willa - now Princess Tinsleydale Schnuggalots.
JoeJoe, now Admiral Winston Purrington.

This is a really exciting week for our little Charm City Family. Yesterday we celebrated Abbi's first birthday. Who are we kidding - we all know Abbi is older than one year old, but we only count from the day she came to live with us last year. The celebration included special doggie treats, and a birthday gift for Abbi.

Tonite Willa and JoeJoe went home with their adoptive family. We are so excited - they were adopted together by a fabulous couple who lives right here in the neighborhood! They were very excited to pick up their little kiddos, and of course we couldn't be happier with how things have turned out for these little kitties; they have come a long way from a bush on Eastern Avenue!

More Lone Star

Lone Star Weekend

CDW is in Austin, Texas right now. He's there with his boys from UCLA to cheer the Bruins to victory tomorrow. Go Bruins!

JoeJoe, Willa, Yoga Training

Willa.
Joe Flacco (JoeJoe).


Something about us seems to attract stray animals. Last week I stopped by the vet's office to pick up some prescriptions. Outside the vet's office were three middle school students, and they were playing with kittens. I asked them if the kittens belonged to them (they weren't in a cage). The kids told me that on their way home from school they saw the kittens in a bush at Johns Hopkins Bayview (right off of busy Eastern Avenue!). The kids caught the kittens - not knowing what to do next they brought them to the vet. The vet's office turned them away - some ridiculousness about them not being a SPCA. So now the kids were sitting in the parking lot, wondering what to do with these kitties. I wish we heard more stories in the news about kids in Baltimore City doing great things like this. I agreed to take home the kitties, and foster them until they could be adopted. Meet Willa and Joe Flacco (we call him JoeJoe).

The vet thinks they are 4-5 weeks old now. Joe F has a case of ringworm, but that is pretty treatable. These little guys are growing quickly; when we first got them they seemed a little underdeveloped; they were the slowest kittens I had ever seen (I was able to catch them, which means that they are really slow). We've been feeding them KMR (kitten formula) and they're putting on great weight, and more playful by the day. They have been admitted into Recycled Love's adoption pool, which means that they will be placed in wonderful forever homes as soon as they are vaccinated/spayed/neutered/ringworm free. Many of you probably remember Recycled Love as the organization we worked with for our foster dog Abbi. We're so grateful to them for the work they do for homeless and unwanted animals in Baltimore, and we're thrilled to partner with them. You can visit their website at http://www.recycledlove.org/

This last weekend was also exciting because I started my yoga instructor training course. This is a huge commitment - 20 hours/weekend for 9 months, and 3-6 yoga classes per week. We also have a long reading list, and have to learn some Sanskrit. At the end of our first weekend my hamstrings were achy, but I was surprisingly energized. We ate communal vegan meals all weekend, and the energy of the class as a whole is tremendously positive and welcoming. This is going to be an intense year, but I am excited about this journey. If you are in the Baltimore area, I need lots of practice teaching and providing assists, so please let me know if you are interested! You can see a photo of our class here:

http://www.charmcityyoga.com/blog/

Labor Day Update

Abbi got her hair cut really short this summer. It has been awesome. Much less hair in the house, and she seems to feel wonderful.
Deep fried Snickers bar at the MD State Fair. Worth every single calorie.
I don't understand this one, but the Deep Fried Twinkies are popular.
Giant turkey leg at the MD State Fair. Caele was patiently waiting for a piece to fall . . . but it never happened. Caele came with us to work the BARCS booth at the Fair - she was a "representative" of the rescue dog community - but we had plenty of people asking if she was available for adoption!

We have been so very busy this summer! Turns out that job hunting was a full time job, then when I found a job that was also a full time job! I have neglected the blog, but want to bring folks up to speed on some cool things:

- I am working for the State of Maryland/Department of Health and Mental Hygiene/Family Health Administration/Office of Health Policy and Planning as a Public Health Policy Specialist. I really like it; my boss is a super lady, co-workers are good people, the work is very interesting . . . gush gush gush. Right now I'm working on a big Needs Assessment document about Primary Care in Maryland, as well as learning the process for getting areas in Maryland certified as federal Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA's). Soon I will be working in our legislative unit as Maryland figures out how to put the laws passed into action here in our state.

- We have started volunteering at BARCS (Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter): http://baltimoreanimalshelter.org/

Adoption and care used to be part of Baltimore City's Animal Control unit, but 5 years ago that part of the operation was split off to a separate non-profit agency (BARCS). Since then, adoptions are up 3000% (that's three thousand percent, not a typo!!). This is such an exciting time at BARCS as they have made tremendous progress, but there is still so much work to be done in Baltimore City where many people don't understand how to care for an animal, the importance of spaying and neutering, and that pets are lifelong commitments. We are still in training, but so far we are really enjoying ourselves. We have met lots of wonderful people who also care about animal welfare, and what a great feeling to take a shelter dog for a walk and give them a belly rub; they are so excited to see us. We hope that all of our Balto area friends considering adding to their family will look at BARCS first as there are so many wonderful animals there. If you're like us and the "inn is full," please mark Saturday, October 23 on your calendar for Barcstoberfest - BARCS's biggest event of the year. Held at Patterson Park it's a wicked awesome festival for dogs, people, and people who like dogs. We'll be there!

- Next weekend I start a 9-month training to become a certified yoga instructor. This is going to be pretty intense.

- We're still running. I'm registered for the Baltimore half marathon, as well as the Manchester City half marathon.

How to Feed the World

Uncle Bill shared this very cool video with us. I hope that all of you will check it out!

http://dvanw.com/video/videodisplay.html?32

Being back to work full-time doesn't leave much time for blogging . . . but I am hoping to post some updates soon. We've been up to lots of cool stuff, and are looking forward to a weekend of cooler temps here in Charm City.

I have a job!

Hi everyone. I have a job. I start next week. This is very exciting. More to come!

Summer Update

Boy have we been busy! We've been having a great summer despite this heat wave that just won't quit. A few weeks ago we had the Perkins family as house guests - how great to see them! We have been busy on the weekends seeing friends, and I've enjoyed having a little more time to cook again.

The Fourth of July was pretty low-key here - a few friends came by our place for snacks then headed to the Inner Harbor with CDW to see the fireworks. I stayed home with Jackson who is very afraid of both thunder, and fireworks. I'm happy to report that he did quite well as long as he was occupied with games and music. Speaking of Jackson, he was scheduled to give blood for the first time today, but his appointment was cancelled because the vet was very sick. I'll be sure to post the details of all of that when he does finally attend his first appointment.

The job search continues for me. I've had a few interviews now, and I certainly have a favorite place; I think they like me, too. Unfortunately, the position they would like me for is still being fleshed out . . . so I need to keep applying for jobs. That is all that there is to report there.

Indian Loot

Today we celebrated our neighbor/friend's birthday with a delish Indian lunch. After lunch we visited a Patel Brothers grocery store. This is where you can get all of your Indian groceries - what fun! I was inspired and picked up a few instant-style Indian items, hoping that it will give me the confidence to start cooking from my Indian cookbook. It will be quite helpful now to know where to get the Indian ingredients!

I have also included a photo of the rarely seen Belle kitty. She is meowing because she wants me to pet her.

TJ's Greatest Hits

For all of your special occasion transportation needs . . . Wahooptie.Saturday morning we took the camera with us on a hot and steamy 8-mile run through grounds. I thought we were going to melt - but we lived to tell the story.

(Above) My home away from home while at U.Va.

I thought this was a cool pic. The curvy walls to my left enclose the Serpentine Gardens. Straight ahead is The Rotunda at the top of The Lawn. All bow to Mr. Jefferson.
Jody - "Blah blah blah Mr. Jefferson. Blah blah blah Grounds. When I was a first year blah blah blah." On our way to Edgar Allen Poe's room on The Range.JAS kissing Homer's butt, as is ritual when streaking The Lawn. Obviously I didn't streak this morning but maybe I did a few years ago . . .
JAS and CDW hot and sweaty on The Lawn.I had forgotten this about C'ville - the cabs all have these funny slogans and mottoes painted on their trunks.
CDW enjoys an Archer as a big storm rolls over the Blue Ridge Mountains and into the Ville. We were in C'ville less than 48 hours, and managed to have Arch's frozen yogurt twice!
And we continue to eat our way through C'ville with next stop Bodo's Bagels. Bodo's makes the best bagels EVER. This Bodo's is located on The Corner in C'ville (The Corner is the actual name of a little district of shops, restaurants and bars right across the street from Grounds). For the entirety of my college experience the sign here said "Opening Soon." It said opening soon when I visited U.Va. as a high school senior. It said opening soon a year after I graduated. It finally opened a few years after I graduated. I guess that "soon" can be a relative term.
Schroeder family - you know you love St. Maartens! CDW and I split a yummy cheese turkey burger and cheese fries. Heaven! My very fave bar/restaurant hangout in Cville.
There was a photo booth at the Bat Mitzvah party. Fun!

Last weekend we headed down to Charlottesville, VA. Sadly, the hectic pace of graduate school for the last two years prevented me from my usual frequency of visits to my alma mater to relive my glory days . . . so I was pretty excited. We were there to celebrate Brie's Bat Mitzvah, which involved a few great parties, but we also had a lot of unscheduled time, and we took advantage of that.

Surprise Visitors

So one random Thursday afternoon I get a text from my cousin that says "3 hour layover in your neck of the woods." Jess and Marc were en route to NYC, and got stuck in Baltimore for a few extra hours on account of some bad storms. Bummer for them, awesome for us! I picked them up at the airport, and we were able to hang out for just about an hour before I had to drive them back. Oh well - it was wonderful to see my West Coast cuz and her husby even if only for an hour!

Memorial Day Weekend

CDW and Charles enjoy homemade potato chips at the SoWeBo Arts Festival.
We went for a hike at Sugarloaf Mountain. It was hot. Really hot. We rewarded ourselves afterwards with a trip to a winery. Score.

That is one beautiful girl doggie.

It was really hot this Memorial Day Weekend. I mean crazy hot. We had fun anyway!

Homemade Ice Cream

The ingredients.
The tools.
The gooey goodness.
The finished product. I'm not sure which I will like better - the little popsicles from the ice cube trays, or the dixie cups. I'll get back to you on that.

As most of you are aware, we will be making some changes in our house while I am not working. We'll be trimming the fat anywhere we can expense-wise. One fatty piece is ready-made doggie ice cream. I will not mention a brand name, but for many years I have purchased a certain brand of ready-made dog ice cream in the freezer section at my grocery store. It is the perfect treat for Fido after a long hot walk, a tramp in the woods (right, Aunt Joan?), or a play date. But these bad boys will set you back. No more of that for a little while!! Ingenious Aunt Sarah found this recipe online, and today I decided to give it a try. I give it an "A" in these categories: ease, preparation time, availability of ingredients, doggie interest in taste-testing.

Ingredients:

32 oz. plain yogurt

1 mashed banana

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 Tbsp. honey

Directions: Mix all ingredients in your blender. Pour into ice cube trays or dixie cups. Freeze. Let your mutt enjoy.

This Week's Achievement

So far my biggest achievement this week is getting Abbi a haircut. Why didn't I think of this before? It's been a long time since I had a dog that needed haircuts (Bessie), but someone else I know was talking about their dog's haircut, and it came to me. Abbi has always had a rather shaggy look which was cute, but her hair tended to get little tangles, which I had to comb out to prevent matting. She was covered in matts when we found her. In any case, brushing is not her favorite. It is actually the opposite of her favorite. So I packed up a bundle of treats and took her to the groomer. I held her and fed her treats while the groomer shaved and trimmed as much as she could. The result has been an adorable Abbi, and I swear that she feels very cute and very cool (both temperature, and otherwise).

Graduation Day

I did not actually get my diploma on Friday. Contained in this envelope was a very cool drawing of a turtle.
The four MPH grads from our department - Talya, Megan, JAS, and Ranwa. I've had a lot of classes with these very smart ladies!
SKN and JAS.
JAS and CDW.
Talya, Anne, and Jody. I worked for Anne at my assistantship. Boy will I miss having her as a boss. She is the coolest.
Uncle Bill, JAS, and Aunt Joan.
The whole fam! Aunt Joan, Gloria, CDW, JAS, Sue, Uncle Bill, and SKN.
JAS and SKN, pre-party.

Last Friday I graduated. I am now a Master of Public Health (MPH). Truth be told, the graduate school experience has been quite humbling, and leads me to feel like a master of nothing . . . but I will take the degree anyway.

We were fortunate to have lots of loved ones make their way to Charm City to celebrate with us. My mom, Chris's mom, Aunt Joan and Uncle Bill, and my oldest and dearest friend Sarah. What a contingency! The joke of the weekend was that our house was like a clown car. If people were standing outside and watching us they must have been thinking "How did they fit all of those people?? . . ."

In addition to the actual graduation our visit included a wonderful Indian dinner, a fabulous lunch on the deck at Little Havana, and a rockin' graduation party. Again, we had no idea what the maximum capacity of our home was before this weekend! Aunt Joan and Uncle Bill weren't able to stay for the party, but Sarah and the Mom Squared team were the best party help ever. If not for them everyone might have arrived only to munch on frozen pizza bites or something. Instead, these ladies helped me assemble an overly ambitious menu of homemade hors d'oeuvres, and did an amazing job of clean-up. I'll bet they were happy to get home, and away from all of the work here in Baltimore!

So what am I doing now? Well, I'm unemployed. I'm torn because the idea of a summer off really does appeal to me, but the idea of not having a paycheck does not appeal to me. So, this week I will start the job search. I will keep you posted.