I've been humming that cheesy George Michael song all day..."Ya gotta have faith, faith, faith!" Sing it George 'cause I'm a believer.

First, a BIG shout out to Debbie V, Susan R, Amy B, Debbie S, Melinda G, and Jeanne L of the Texas Gulf Coast Vizsla Club. Aaron and I are so pleased to have shared insights and a beer or two with you fabulous ladies! Thank you for welcoming us. Susan, your frozen margaritas hit the spot! Texas hospitality ROCKS.

As many of you know, Aaron and I are road-trippin' fools. This time it was Houston, Texas for 3 days of shows, visiting with family and friends, and to finally meet our nephew Carson.

We showed Trip (CH Boulder's N Fusion's Power Trip SH) in the Texas Gulf Coast Specialty on Thursday. In a tough entry, she took Winners Bitch for a major out of the Bred By Exhibitor class and went Best Bred By in Specialty Show under breeder/judge Kathy Rust. Trip was co-breeder/co-owner handled by Mel. It was Amante's (CH Boulder's Bolder Amante JH) turn to shine on Friday. Owner handled by Mel, Amante took Winners Bitch for the major. The win puts her at 12 points toward her conformation championship (CH) title. We showed our little pumpkin, Trip, again on Saturday. Trip took the major from the Bred By Exhibitor class then went on to take Best of Winners. These girls were HOT (hee hee, pun intended--it really was hot and humid in Houston in July)!

After the show on Saturday, we headed back to Dallas with good pals Brian, Catherine, Charlotte, and Daniel McHughs (who were at the shows to watch their oh-so-talented-and-pretty Vizsla, " Dinah" BISS CH Derby's Destination Moon JH, win the Specialty and go Best of Breed Friday and Saturday). It was time for a little R&R. We caught up with family and met our too-sweet nephew Carson for the first time. We're not really into the "human-baby-thing" but this little boy is special. He laughed and smiled and was so easy to cuddle. Twin sis to Aaron and Carson's mama, Amy, is doing an excellent job with Carson.

While breeder Judy Hetkowski of Boulder Vizslas wasn't ringside (she was in NY for her daughter's wedding), it's because of her hard work and mentoring that these wins were even possible. From the many hours of pouring over pedigrees and pictures to plan the breedings that produced these gorgeous girls to the caring and training, there is no doubt Judy is a top-notch breeder. When the girls were just pups, Judy started teaching them how to free stack, to be hand-stacked, how to move on a loose lead, and worked with Mel to be a decent handler. Check out Trip's and Amante's pages on Boulder Vizsla's website.

Thanks also to handling instructor Jay Acker. Over the years Jay has patiently taught Mel how to show a dog. Jay is the very best of instructors and teaches handling classes on Friday at the Ewe R Here Farm in Arvada, Colorado.

Finally, none of of this "dog stuff" would be possible without Aaron. It was Aaron who planned the trip to Houston, entered the girls in the shows, and pushed Mel to work harder to show the girls to their best. Aaron believes very much in the worthiness of his Vizslas. He knew they would be competitive and worked hard to help get them ready. Aaron--you ROCK too!!!