Sometimes our plans aren't His plans.

Certification. I promised to write about it eventually. Now I'm going to share my story. 

Let me explain a little bit about certification and the process for those of you that don't know. There is a national organization, RID (Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf), that provides certification and examinations. Simply put, you can take the NIC (for community interpreting) or the EIPA (for educational interpreting).  NIC and EIPA are comprised of two examinations-one written and one performance. 

I passed the written NIC right after graduation (1/2010) but was terrified to take the performance exam. I kind of just put it on the backburner while I worked on starting my career and gained experience in the field.  I decided to take the performance EIPA in October of 2011 and barely missed getting a passing score to be nationally certified. I decided to take it again the following year and prayed over the test, "Lord, if I'm not supposed to be doing educational interpreting anymore, show me. Make me fail."  Some might say that is really bold to ASK to fail, but I was honestly questioning my life and God's perfect will.  I LOVE kids and really thought I was placed at Knox County Schools at my forever job. The job I would keep until I retired. Or so I thought. God is so funny sometimes.  I applied at Sorenson in Nov 2012 and was officially hired in February 2013. I finally received my results AFTER accepting the job, but before officially quitting KCS. I failed again. Of course it was disappointing to fail, but it was like a weight lifted off of my shoulders. Confirmation. An answer to my prayer. My prayer for failure. My prayer for an ok to move on to a new chapter in my life. 

Fast forward to this fall. I had been working at Sorenson VRS and in the community often. I decided to make the leap and schedule my performance test. I scheduled it a month and a half out. November 1st. Would I have enough time to prepare?  Should I take it so soon?  What if I failed?  At this point, I had failed the EIPA twice by the least amount possible. Both times, so close. I knew what failure felt like. I had really grown used to it. So I studied. I worked with some mentors. I talked to those who had taken it and discussed strategies. So much weight and emphasis is put on the NIC performance test. I don't say that to discount the EIPA examinations-it takes a special skill set to be a skilled educational interpreter.  I told everyone I was taking it. At this point, I didn't have any pride to lose. I figured, the more prayers I had going for me, the better. I took the test and honestly-I came out of that room and couldn't even remember what I did. No joke. It was all such a blur!  I just knew we would mail that puppy off and see what became of it. Once the video is mailed, it is spliced and sent to different rater's, hearing and deaf, nationwide. They compile evaluations using rubrics to ensure there is no bias involved in your scoring. It's a rigorous process that typically takes 90-120 days. 

I took the test 11/1/2013. I had people continuing to pray for those raters to see my skills and ignore the nerves. To know that I AM GOOD ENOUGH. I think a lot of interpreters go through a process of gaining some thick skin and learning that our job is ever-evolving. We never stop learning. To me, certification was a huge career goal that I've had for awhile.  Certification can be a scary, scary thing. The one thing I continued to tell myself was that God answers prayers and He knows my heart. I had some major prayer warriors taking it to God and I've never felt such relief as I did on November 1st at 5pm when I had a celebratory dinner with my husband at Litton's that included a hamburger and my favorite dessert of all time, strawberry shortcake.  After that, I just kept praying for God's will and if this was it, to show those raters that I have what it takes. Why?  BECAUSE I AM GOOD ENOUGH. Certified or not, I am good enough. He sustains us and will take care of us. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened."  Matt 7:7 

We focused on this verse about a month ago, right after the test. I knew the verse well, but learned a little extra something about it.  God doesn't just want us to pray for our desires, He wants us to seek His will and be persistent in our prayers.  We are to pray often and wholeheartedly. I really learned that and have found such a new peace in prayer and what it means to be a prayer warrior. My BSF class is comprised of 10-15 women, all different ages, and all with different backgrounds. One thing is for certain, when we ask each other for prayer, we get it. It has been so amazing to see how others' prayers have been answered.  

I'm here to tell you, my prayer request has been answered. As of Friday, (Friday the 13th, I might add; 43 days after the test) I am officially an RID NIC certified interpreter for the deaf! I couldn't have done it without all of the prayers, encouragement, and support. Thank you to all of my cheerleaders and prayer warriors!  

Decorated our Christmas tree this weekend. 

Voila!

Love y'all,

Kira

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Over the weekend, I got to spend a ton of time with Haley. Y'all. The girl just melts my heart!  Here are some pics from our recent adventures. 

Her birthday gift:  matching friendship bracelets

Haley and her sister, Courtney, at a Christmas party.

Thank you to SAE and UT for hosting a wonderful Christmas party for the kids from the Big Brother program. 

The kids were all so blessed by all of the donations. I've never see a kid so pumped about a hula hoop in my life!

Haley wrote a note to Brandon and myself. She is so sweet!  "To: Brandon My new big brother From: Haley"  She automatically has added him as her brother. Made my heart melt some more. 

Visit to Chickfila

Spur-of-the-moment trip to Skatetown!

Skatetown may have been one of our more hilarious adventures yet. Partly because neither of us had been on skates in awhile, so you can imagine how funny THAT was. Add in the fact that she kept grabbing onto me, well, let's just say that I got my exercise for the day!  I know I've said this before, but I will say it again. I am so blessed to have grown up in a home where I was priviliged enough to do things often with my family. We watched movies together, baked cookies, and I even used to force my brothers to play dress up. Most of all, my parents taught me to love Christ. I may not be Haley's parent, but I know I've become a role model in her life. I'm making it a goal to show her Christ often. She recently told me she knew about the story of the candy cane; that it is an upside down J and what the red and white colors mean. It just reminded me how impressionable kids are. I hope that Haley always sees the good in me and that I can share Christ with her. 

Sunday I worked Deaf Awareness Day at Dollywood. It was frigid, but always fun!

I'm hoping to take Haley to Dollywood to see the lights in a few weeks with one of the free tickets we got for volunteering. 

Now, drumroll please.....

We bought our Christmas tree tonight!!!  I'm so pumped. We bought locally and part of the profits went to the Big Brother program. And there was a two story tall Santa there!!!!  Don't believe me?

It was fabulous!  Kind of dark, but you can see me down there. 

Here's Brandon hauling the thing to the car. He's such a burly manly man. I love it. 

Tonight I baked some (like 75!) cookies for our cookie exchange at work this week. It's my grandmother's recipe. She made these yummy cookies for my wedding and so I thought I'd try my hand at them. I think they turned out pretty good!  

For all you holiday bakers, here's the recipe. 

Grandma Jo's Holiday Cookies

Ingredients:

1c butter

1/3c powdered sugar 

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp water

2c flour

1/2c confectioner's sugar

Directions:

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla and water. Add flour. Cover and chill 3 hours. 

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll into balls and bake 15-20 minutes. (Or roll them out and use cookie cutters.)

3. Allow to cool on wire racks until barely warm. Roll in comfectioner's sugar. 

Tonight reminded me of being a kid and baking with my mom. We made cookies ALL THE TIME growing up. The cookie cutters I used tonight were actually my great great grandmother's. I love family heirlooms. Mom and I used to bake while my brothers ran around the house being hooligans and stopping in to sample the goods every chance they could.  I'm looking forward to one of these days when we have our own kiddos to bake cookies and decorate Christmas trees with. Until then, we'll just savor our time with each other. That's what life is about isn't it?  Enjoying the little things. 

Thanksgiving with the Lawson's

Thanksgiving was this weekend and boy, were we busy!  We saw lots of family on Thursday and had lots and lots of turkey!  I've been bad about taking pics lately, but I managed these few of us and the girls!

Cheyenne was being so wild!  If only we had Brandon looking, we would've nailed it!

Brandon and his dad always crack me up!

Friday was a fun-filled day of hanging out with Julie!  First we got our workout on, which was fun in and of itself. It's always more fun to workout with a buddy!  Then we went out in the Black Friday madness. We aren't huge on Black Friday, but our tradition is to at least hit Target and a few places every year together.  Needless to say, it was fun to get some girl time together!

On Saturday, Julie and I went downtown to the Fantasy of Trees.

Look how fun we are!  Besties since we were wee little tots. 

THEN we saw the strange tree with all of the white stuffed animals...

Complete with its own unicorn. Bizarre. 

That night, Julie joined us for dinner and then poor Cheyenne got sick!  So sick that we had to make a trip tot the Emergency Vet. Julie is such a trooper!  She loaded up with Cheyenne, Brandon, and I to go to the vet. Of course when we got there, Cheyenne acted normal and all playful but that didn't last very long. 

Brandon and Julie having a serious convo while Cheyenne tries to escape to meet the other dog in the waiting room. (Dear Cheyenne, When you're sick, you can't play with the other dogs!)

Poor girl!  After a long night, we got some meds and headed home. I think she was humiliated, but the next photo is too funny not to share. 

They gave her a doggie diaper!  

Needless to say, I learned a few things this weekend.  This whole episode was a LARGE dose of birth control!  Brandon was so great during the whole thing and I know he's going to be such a wonderful dad one day. I love watching him be sweet to the girls. Also, Julie will be a GREAT aunt one day!  We may not be officially sisters, but we are close enough!  The girl came to the vet and was with us til almost midnight Saturday night to make sure our dog was ok!  What a fabulous best friend!  We haven't had a lot of opportunities recently to hang out, so this weekend was so nice to catch up and just laugh together.  Every girl needs a good set of best friends and I am so blessed to have a great group of girls to lean on. 

Today we caught up on some much needed rest and I started putting Christmas decorations out. So much fun!  Now we just need a tree!  Don't worry, when we put it up in the next week or so, I'll probably post a zillion photos.  We also had another couple over for dinner.  It's always fun to share a meal and lots of laughs together.  We even face-timed Emaleigh for a few minutes. Love her!

Brandon has been working tirelessly at my mom and dad's house recently. Their house is over 100 years old. Look at all of his handyman work!  

New porch

New cornerpiece 

Handcrafted molding to match the original molding on the porch. 

Replaced the top

New joists for the roof 

Old and new

One of the recent pics of how it looks now. There's still a lot to do, but the progress has been amazing!  I'm amazed at the difference already!

Brandon's dad (Doug) and brother (Drew) have been helping too. It looks great and I love how determined Brandon is. I don't think this is a total secret anymore, so for those of you who don't know, we are hoping to purchase my parents' house in the next year or two to make if our "forever home". I grew up in this house, it's in Fountain City, has a nice yard, and I can't think of a better place to raise kids. 

It's funny-the older you get, the more you realize what's important in life. For me, it's about blessing others, loving Jesus, and loving my family and friends.  I've realized how fortunate and blessed I am to have such an amazing family and friends. I took that for granted for too long. Until next time, remember to enjoy those closest to you, laugh with them, love on them as much as possible, and hug them all extra tight!

The Facts of Life

I took the NIC (National Interpreting Certification) test on Friday. Whoa. Big deal. Anyways, upon completing it, I've had some thoughts about life. I know a few younger friends that have either recently graduated from college or will be graduating in the next few months. I had a hard time transitioning from college life to having a big girl job.  Here's my journey. 

I was blessed to find a job and start two months after graduation. I was excited, nervous, and a little overwhelmed. I had to move to Johnson City where I knew NO ONE. I was doing community interpreting full time; this was something I had never done before. Ever. I did my internship during college in the school system. I had a lot to learn, and fast. This new job I had was fun, but I knew it was in a city and at a place that I wouldn't stay at for the rest of my life. I learned so much about myself during the eight months that I worked there. I learned that to be an effective and successful interpreter, you better grow some thick skin. I learned that you always should stand up for what you believe, even when it defies what others think is appropriate. Long story short, I missed my family and felt like I should start job searching. One text message and email later, I found myself interviewing for a job at Knox County Schools.

I got the job that I thought would be my forever job. I was working in Knox County Schools at an elementary school, interpreting for several students on several different levels. Ya'll. The kids. Hearing and deaf both-they're so stinkin' fun. I worked there for 3 years. Year one: Team Martha and Kira. Year two: Team Martha, Kira, and Caris. (These, my friends, were some FUN TIMES!) Year three: Team Tracie, Caroline, and Kira. (These ladies kept me sane.) I had some REALLY fun times at Knox County Schools, but a lot of it was due to my fellow interpreters and the students that I worked with. Those kids. Love them. The politics? Terrible. Last year, around October, Brandon and several other friends encouraged me to apply for a different job. I was torn. Leave the kids? How could I do that? But I knew that if I left, that Tracie and Caroline would be there for them. So I interviewed. And waited. And waited. And waited. Three VERY long months later, I started a new job at the one place that I vowed I would never work at when I was in college. Ya'll-never say never. God can be so funny sometimes!

Team Martha and Caris. Love these ladies. 

LOVED this day. Last day of school. Canoe riding down the hallways.  The teachers party when the kids leave. Don't let them fool you. 

I started working at my current job last February. It's hard to believe I've been here for almost a year! I believe I've finally found my niche. I work in the community every so often, and work at my part time job interpreting for video relay services 30 hours a week. I missed the kiddos though, so I decided to start volunteering for Big Brother Big Sister of East Tennessee. I finally feel like I'm right where God wants me to be. I'm shocked at where I'm at, but I shouldn't be, for this is all part of God's plan. 

Run for the Deaf 2013 with my work buds. 

 
So for all of you new grads or soon-to-be new grads, this is my advice. God has a plan. It may take you a little while to find your niche in the job community. Take every opportunity that you can to learn as much as possible in your environment, whether its at a job that you'll be working at for 8 months, or a job that you want to make your forever job until retirement.

I had some MAJOR anxiety the other night after my test. I was just so worried about not doing my best and what if I didn't pass my certification test?? Then I opened up to this:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

Let's recap: I graduated. I asked and prayed for a job-I was blessed to get one in Johnson City. When I felt led that it was time for a transition, I prayed and asked for a different job closer to my family-I got one back at KCS. When I felt God leading me to a new job, I prayed for guidance and asked for HIS will-now look where I am! Almost a year into a very fun job with very fun co-workers. I took the NIC-I asked, seeked, and knocked for many doors to be opened for this one. The BIG test. Ya'll. I just had this feeling as I was reading that verse and several others that it will all be ok! God knows my heart and has given me peace.  He knows my prayers and those prayers of my family members and friends. So I did what any sensible person would do: I threw all of my study lists away. I just have this peace that God's got it and it'll all be ok! So now we enjoy the next however many months until I get that fun little email telling me my results. Until then, there will be no more worrying or anxiety concerning that test.

Friday night, we went to dinner at Litton's. Of course I HAD to get a Baby Jane. Saturday was a fun day of family time and relaxation. 

Litton's date!

If you go to Litton's and it is Baby Jane weekend, you better take advantage of it!

 
Here's to a new week and enjoying the season of Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday and coincidentally, it's Haley's favorite holiday too. I asked her why it was her favorite holiday. In my mind, I was thinking, "Thanksgiving is my favorite because you get to be around your family and enjoy all of the blessings you have." Her answer? "Thanksgiving is my favorite because you get to be around your family and enjoy all the yummy food." Ya'll. That melted my heart! She called me wanting to do something this weekend. She. Called me. This is a first. It made me so excited to know that she likes hanging out with me!! Anyways, I'm sure we'll be going on some crazy excursion soon, which I'll post about. Until then, enjoy the fall temps and remember, always wear a coat in the mornings. I don't want you guys catching a cold!

Coco always sports her sweater in the cold weather months, so you should too!

Fun Fall Festivities

It's fall. You know what that means. Fun outdoor activities, cool mornings, warm afternoons, leaves changing colors, and Halloween!  I've discovered that I have a child-like spirit when it comes to fall festivities. I love enjoying this season with my honey.  This is the first year we'll have Trick or Treaters and I AM SO PUMPED!!!  So if y'all have cute little goblins or ghouls, bring 'em to my house so I can spoil them rotten!

This weekend we got to finally go out on a date for dinner. So much fun!  Sometimes life just gets so crazy that it's hard to have some time for just Brandon and myself. It was so nice to be able to go out and enjoy each other's company. 

At a family member's birthday dinner a few weeks ago.

We also got to see some friends and I took Haley to Boo at the Zoo. My grandma made my costume for me to wear. She's so crafty!  I love it!  I so wish I had her sewing skills. She MADE my skirt!  No pattern. Just an idea of what I liked. She's the best. 

Minnie Mouse and the Pumpkin Vampire Pirate after a fun night at Boo at the Zoo. Yup-that skirt is a Grandma Jo original!

Haley (bottom right) and her sisters at Boo at the Zoo

The other girls' big sisters and myself were crazy enough to take all 4 of the girls together!  Talk about madness!  There were three bigs and four littles. True life-I have no idea how my mother took all four of us kids out together often. Even more, I have NO clue how she and my aunt took all seven of us cousins ages 2-10 on adventures at least once a week. Y'all. Props to them. They took us to Dollywood and Splash Country like once a week when we were little!

One thing I've come to realize over the past few months is how amazingly blessed I was growing up. We did all kinds of things. My parents gave us a great upbringing in a stable home. How often I forget that many children do not have that privilege. These past few months with Haley have been a BLAST and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be her Big Sister. It is always so fun to take her on new outings and have new experiences together. It's even more fun to see how our relationship is being molded and seeing the sweet little girl she's blossoming into.

Another thing I've learned recently is that we are called not only to be servants, but that our heart must be right.  I'll admit, sometimes I have an ugly attitude. Maybe I had a long day at work or I'm not feeling the best about myself because my clothes are a little snug due to my unruly sweet tooth. But here's what I've learned:  if I can change my attitude into a positive, grateful attitude, it changes not only my day, but everyone else's days around me.  Take time to listen to God. If you're having a crazy day, stop for a moment of prayer amidst the chaos. You'll be amazed at how your attitude will instantly change.  God knows your heart, so ask him for help with whatever it is that is troubling you. Ask him to show you how to do his will. That's how this whole Big Brother Big Sister adventure began!  I missed hanging out with kids and asked God to show me a way to get connected to a child. His answer was through this mentorship program. I'm here to tell you that Haley may be teaching me just as much if not more than what I've taught her!

"I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart."  Psalm 40:8

I've also been studying, studying, and, you guessed it, STUDYING recently for my big interpreting certification test. It's on Friday at 3:30. These have probably been the CRAZIEST and BUSIEST weeks I've had I awhile, but I have this amazing peace that God is in control. I have a background story about my journey to becoming a certified interpreter, but I'm saving it til I can write that blog post saying, "I PASSED!!" and tell the rest of the story.  Stay tuned for that. Hopefully I get the results sooner than later!  In the meantime for those of you wondering what God's will is in your life right now, be encouraged by this verse. 

"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."  Philippians 2:13

God has a plan. Sometimes we don't understand or don't want to follow His lead, but ultimately, He's got our best interests at heart. He knows our every need and every desire. Listen to him and he'll guide you to do his will. 

Bucket List: Play Radio Trivia: Check.

Ya'll. Today was one of the most exciting days! Before I begin, let me just explain something; I LOVE trivia. I love game shows. One of my bucket list items has always been to get on something like Wheel of Fortune or The Price is Right. Don't judge me. Anyways, another bucket list item is to get on the radio and win a trivia game. I got that chance this morning!!

So I got up early, had some Jesus time, and a nice quiet breakfast. I decided to run to Target before working out...and then it happened! In the car, I always listen to the morning show trivia and play along. I usually catch it RIGHT when it comes on. This morning I heard the portion where they announce for listeners to call in. So I did. Try one: busy. Try two: busy. Try three: RINGING!!! Success! I got through! Long story short, I played and won a prize! I think I got tickets to some kind of haunted house. I'm not quite sure! I was more ecstatic that I got to play the game on the radio and actually played well! (You know sometimes people call in and sound like dingdongs that don't know what they're doing...I didn't want to be THAT person.). Anyways, thanks to the vast knowledge I've gained via interpreting and life in general, I won!  WOOHOO!

More details to follow about the haunted house. I was so ecstatic that I called Brandon like three times and woke him up to tell him. He was excited...but somehow, just didn't really understand how fabulous of an achievement that this was to me until I got home and was beaming about it.

Another thing on my bucket list (or a professional goal of mine) is to become a certified interpreter. Basically, its these two BIG tests that you take:  one written and one performance-based test. I took the written one when I graduated college, but now its time for the performance test. So if you guys are thinking about me in the next two weeks, say some prayers for me!  The big day is November 1st at 3:30. 

I've recently established a newfound love for crafting. Maybe it's something I got from both of my grandmothers. Grandma Jean (my dad's mom) was a wonderful lady that loved Jesus, crafting, and playing Skip-Bo.  She taught me a lot of her tricks of the trade. My other grandmother, Grandma Jo, (my mom's mom) is another great lady that loves Jesus and crafting. She's one of the best seamstresses I've ever met. I'll blog about them one of these days.  Anyways, maybe I got some of their crafting skills. Crafting is great stress reliever for me. Check out my pics!

"I love you because..." idea thanks to Pinterest and Bible study ladies.  I need a dry erase marker stat!

Fall wreath. 

Pumpkin painting. 

Fall porch!

Non-craft related but fun:

Haley and I on the train in Oak Ridge last weekend.  She and I will craft one of these days!  Heading to the corn maze with her tomorrow. Should be an adventure.  Cant wait!

Hope you enjoyed the radio story. I know I did!  Can't wait to pee my pants at the haunted house. 

Change a Life. Mentor a child.

I've had this post on my mind for awhile, but I knew my heart wasn't ready.  Now I'm ready to share one of my most favorite things I've been doing over the past few months. Mentoring a child. 

If you know me, you know I have a crazy big heart for kiddos.  If you don't, here's some background. I grew up watching my momma serve at church every chance possible in the children's ministry. Whether it was Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or holding babies in the nursery, she was there. Following her lead, I grew up helping out with the kiddies too.  I also had 3 younger brothers that I would "babysit" (AKA boss around) when my parents had a much-needed date night. 

During college, I worked at Premier Athletics teaching gymnastics to kids ages 2-13. Sidenote-they have amazing programs. Get your kids in classes!  When I graduated, I took a job working at an elementary school as an interpreter. I always joked that if I didn't interpret, I would be a kindergarten teacher. (Except now I wouldn't because teachers have WAY too many evaluations, tests, and requirements to meet each year. School is a lot different than it used to be. But that's another story.)

Last February, I left my job at Knox County Schools to take a position as a video relay interpreter. Y'all. This was the first time in YEARS that my job didn't directly relate to children on a daily basis. I cried when I left Knox County on my last day. (Maybe that sounds dramatic, but I just love the children).  Long story short, I missed the kids and some work buddies, but nothing else from the old job. I LOVE my job now. 

EXCEPT. Something was missing.  I knew exactly what it was, too. The kids. The relationship you build. The fun. The silliness. Funny faces. Sticky fingers. Coloring. Joking. Playing.  Laughing. 

God put a crazy idea on my heart to join the Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Knoxville. It's a program where people volunteer to be a mentor to an underprivileged child. Here's a link if you want to learn more about it.  www.tennesseebig.org

I started the application process with some doubts. Is this REALLY what I want to do?  What if my kid doesn't like me?  What if I'm not the right match?  Y'all. These people who work at Big Bro Big Sis are AMAZING at what they do!  It took a few months, but I got matched with a little girl in August.  The first day I met her, we decided to go to a movie together. She'd never been to a movie theater in her life. Ever. It's so fun see her have new experiences. 

I want her to know it's about more than just spending money. It's about teaching her about life. About being a positive influence on this sweet girl that is oh-so-smart.  About emphasizing to her how important it is to get a good education. About showing her Jesus.  About telling her that she has a chance to grow up and live her dreams. 

Here's to the future and cherishing every moment I get to spend with this sweet child. If you're lucky, you may just get to meet her!  

Meet Haley. 

Dog park date!

TN Valley Fair!

100th Anniversary of Disney on Ice

What's Disney on Ice without cotton candy?

Until next time, consider signing up for Big Brother Big Sister.  Change a life. Mentor a child. 

The Adventures of Coco and Cheyenne

Brandon has started trying to teach Cheyenne the basics of doggy etiquette. She's a little wild and crazy, so he borrowed a shock collar (YIKES!) from our friends.  She's learning to sit, stay, walk on a leash, and not to jump on humans. I'm proud to say she's becoming an upstanding member of doggie society. 

Recently, we've been trying to take the girls to the dog park every chance we get. It feels so great outside and I know they have a ton of energy to get out!  It's always funny to watch them when we get there. 

Coco is kind of a diva (ok, a really BIG diva) and this is what she tends to do.

Explore on her own. She might be a little bit of an introvert. 

Then there's Cheyenne. This is how SHE explores at the dog park. 

She's the brown blur on the left.  Running around like a crazy girl!

Then, there are dogs like this one. I could not believe the amount of slobber coming out of this guy's mouth.  

It was NASTY!  Let's hope and pray Cheyenne never gets super slobbery like this. 

Last time we went, Brandon tried to teach Cheyenne to jump from the dock to get the frisbee.  

Instead, the frisbee just got stuck in the water. We're still working on the dock-jumping skill. 

She finally decided to jump in from the other side of the bank with some coercion to get the frisbee. 

Oh look!  Coco found a boyfriend!  She liked him a LOT.

The girls love the hanging on the deck too. 

Lots of more fun things to come!