Greetings Fellow Aussie & Whippet Lovers!

Here is a condensed autobiography (boring stuff hopefully left out!)

I'm 55 years old now. AEEiiiiii! CRYPT KEEPER!!!, but my brain still thinks...no, no, no, I'm only 30. I moved to Topeka, Kansas in August, 2007 and live in "THE MONEY PIT!" Feel free to poke around and see how one person can lose over three hundred thousand dollars trying to create a masterpiece.
But by golly, there's magic in the house!

I've worked for the FAA (Federal Aviation Admin) since 1991 and work in Olathe, KS as an Operations Group Manager. It's a heck of a commute in bad weather, but at least they pay me the BIG BUCKS to deal with an stressful job and that allows me to continue working on "The Pit". Although there have been days when I wondered if I'd be happier being a homeless person.

I live with handsome Fyre and two whippets, the comedian Perry and beautiful Socks. I am currently showing Socks and having a blast! My dogs keep me inline and grounded to reality. Poppy is living with Deanna Cunningham, her breeder and co-owner.

I have one lovely and talented daughter, Tara. She's just celebrated her 27th birthday at the end of December. She is still living near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with her husband, Chris. On November 1st, 2010 they presented me with my 1st grandchild, a beautiful boy named Alexander and they are expecting baby boy #2 anytime now! I am so excited to be a Gramma!!!!

Finding myself single with an empty next, I've added more hobbies to keep me busy.

Besides showing aussies, my other hobbies are:
SHOWING - My whippet girl, Socks!. Due to exceeding the show limit on height, I decided to neuter Perry, late 2010. Perry is still a great companion and has brought a lot of laughter into my home and helps keep the aussies exercised.
WRITING - May have to put the BIG writing on hold till I can retire. Just NOT enough hours in my day. My fiction book is written, but awaits editing, lots of it! I also entertain myself by writing poetry. I have posted several of my works on my blog site "Dogs, Discourse, and Dementia" which I have also not maintained as well as I had planned.
TRAVELING - Western Caribbean - 2005, Alaska - 2006, Ireland - 2009 Did you know that Kansas is half way to anywhere? I can get a direct flight to Ft. Lauderdale or San Diego and it only takes about 3 hours. 2011/2012 - multiple trips to Florida for both work and pleasure. 2012 - Huron, MI, Bakersfield, CA, Las Vegas, NV are on my itinerary.
PHOTOGRAPHY - I love my Nikon D300
READING - this is how I stay sane. I actually listen to audio books while I commute, but the library in my house is overflowing, too.
I also enjoy playing World of Warcraft, internet surfing, listening to music (IPOD rocks),
and of course, my most expensive hobby, the renovation of my home. <= Ran out of money and don't have a rich fiance that wants to help me finish the place. HAHA!

I've raised and shown registered Aussies since 1982 and am permanently registered as Aladdin with ASCA and AKC. Prior to "going to the dogs", I raised and showed Morgan horses in Southern California.

The old history bio: I was born in San Francisco, CA and have been in love with animals my whole life. Many times, sometimes to the dismay of my parents, I would bring home various creatures that I found around our home. Both my parents worked for Fluor Engineers, but it was through my father that we moved to far off and exotic lands (NOT California) My 5th and 6th grades were spent in Kuwait, 7th and 8th grades were in Puerto Rico, 9th grade at an all girls school in Louisiana. So you can just imagine the kind of animals I was able to bring home. :-) In 10th grade, we moved back to California, where I finished high school (1st half of 10th grade - Rancho Cotati High, Rohnert Park, CA; 2nd half of 10th - Garden Grove High; 11th & 12th - Katella High, Anaheim, CA).
I joined the Air Force the same year I graduated and spent 4 years in Biloxi, MS on a 100 acre horse ranch and teaching electronics to military personnel. I chose to leave the Air Force after a string of tragedies rocked my world. I moved back to California, with a short 1 year stay in Colorado (where I bought my first Morgan Horse, Holly). I lived in Southern California from 1979 - 2007.

I strive to produce a truly beautiful, versatile, healthy and intelligent (goes without saying, since it's an Aussie!) companion. My personal goal is: That every Aladdin dog that goes to a new owner(s), will be remembered years from now, by family members, friends and relatives, as the "BEST DOG" they ever knew.

Visitors are always welcome to stop on by and visit. :-) I have truly enjoyed my years spent as part of the Aussie Fancy. I hope that I never forget where I started or lose sight of where I want to go in the future.

<= Not current, I'm MUCH older now!

In The Light,
Diana 
Aladdin Australian Shepherds & 1 Whippet