Moving to a new home can be an exciting but stressful experience for both humans and pets. As a responsible pet owner, it's important to take extra precautions to ensure the safety and comfort of your furry friends during the moving process. In this article, we will provide you with valuable advice on how to make the transition as smooth as possible for your pets.

1. Plan Ahead

Before the moving day arrives, it's crucial to plan ahead and make necessary arrangements for your pets. Research pet-friendly accommodations if you're moving long-distance, and ensure that your new home is suitable for your pets. This includes checking for any potential hazards or restrictions that may affect their well-being.

2. Update Identification and Microchips

One of the most important steps in moving with pets is updating their identification. Make sure your pets are wearing collars with updated tags that include your new address and contact information. Additionally, consider microchipping your pets if they aren't already. This will greatly increase the chances of being reunited with them if they happen to get lost during the move.

3. Stick to Routine

Pets thrive on routine, so try to maintain their regular schedule as much as possible during the moving process. Stick to their usual feeding, exercise, and playtime routines to provide them with a sense of familiarity and comfort. This will help reduce their stress levels and make the transition easier for them.

4. Create a Safe Space

On the day of the move, it's important to create a safe space for your pets away from all the chaos. Set up a quiet room with their favorite toys, bedding, and water bowls. This will give them a place to retreat to and feel secure while the movers are busy packing and loading.

5. Keep Them Secure

During the actual move, it's crucial to keep your pets secure and away from any potential dangers. Consider confining them to a crate or carrier to prevent them from escaping or getting injured. If you're traveling by car, make sure to secure their carriers properly and provide them with proper ventilation.

6. Gradual Introductions

Once you've arrived at your new home, it's important to introduce your pets to their new surroundings gradually. Start by confining them to one room and gradually allow them access to the rest of the house. This will help them adjust to the new environment at their own pace and reduce any anxiety they may be experiencing.

7. Familiarize with the Area

Take the time to familiarize yourself and your pets with the new neighborhood. Locate the nearest veterinary clinic, pet stores, and parks where you can take your pets for walks and exercise. This will help them feel more at home and ensure that their needs are met in the new location.

8. Patience and Reassurance

Moving can be a stressful time for pets, so it's important to be patient and provide them with plenty of reassurance. Offer them extra love, attention, and treats to help them feel secure in their new environment. With time and patience, your furry friends will adjust to their new home and settle in comfortably.

Moving with pets requires careful planning and consideration. By following these tips, you can ensure the safety and comfort of your furry friends during the moving process. Remember, their well-being is just as important as yours, so take the necessary steps to make the transition as smooth as possible for them. Happy moving!

Premier Designs & Moving specializes in moving services, art installation, and packing and organization. For the past 5 years, Premier Designs & Moving have been securing your valuables and moving them with ease, handling your objects with care, and packing and unpacking your assets so you can focus on the more important aspects of moving. All our packing services are designed to make your move efficient and streamlined. We’re not just any residential moving service, we pride ourselves on providing you with the service you expect from our name. For the best home movers in Dallas, TX, call Premier Designs & Moving at (469) 859-5454.

Lyric Stage presented the 15^th Annual Schmidt & Jones Awards on May 7 at the Moody Performance Hall. The theatre company also gave the Ashley Newman-Schneider Scholarship to the best stage manager.

Scott Guenther, Lyric Stage’s general manager, “Established in 2010 and named after renowned composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones, these awards honor excellence in high school musical theatre across Dallas-Fort Worth. The evening featured performances by nominated schools, productions and performers, and they were amazingly talented.”

The winners:

BEST SHOW

Denton Guyer High School – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812                                                                        

BEST ENSEMBLE

Liberty Christian School – Singing in the Rain                                                              

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY 

Liberty Christian School - Presley Anderson & Gigi Plisga – Singing in the Rain                                                    

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Denton Guyer High School – Brayden Dorman, Roseanna Medlock, Anna Quigley – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812                    

BEST SCENIC DESIGN

Denton Guyer High School – Brayden Dorman – Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812                                                                   

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Rowlett High School - Francine Parcero & Anthony Bedolla - SIX                                  

BEST ORCHESTRA

Wylie High School – Beauty and the Beast                                                         

BEST STAGE MANAGER

Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts – William “Mars” Bartell – Sister Act                            

Winner of the Ashley Newman-Schneider Scholarship

Newman-Schneider was an influential presence in the DFW theatre community.

BEST ACTOR

Sean Forman as Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone at North Texas Performing Arts Conservatory; Forman also received a $500 scholarship.  

BEST ACTRESS

Francine Parcero as Anne Boleyn in SIX at Rowlett High School; Parcero also received a $500 scholarship.                 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Bradford Arnold as Wolf in Into the Woods at Grapevine High School                                                                                                  

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anya Guidry as Alice Beineke in The Addams Family at Cedar Hill High School                                                 

ACTOR IN A MINOR ROLE

Hudson Donnell as LeFou in Beauty and the Beast at Wylie High School                                           

ACTRESS IN A MINOR ROLE

Grace Betts as Race in Newsies Jr at Harvest Christian Academy                                                     

MALE ENSEMBLE PERFORMER

Darren Sanders as Featured Dancer in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Denton Guyer High School      

FEMALE ENSEMBLE PERFORMER

Maria Luiza Viana as Flapper Ancestor in The Addams Family at Cedar Hill High School

A panel of judges, consisting of theatre educators and professional theatre artists, viewed 21 productions of the accepted applicants from schools in Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties. The panel made nominations and then voted to determine winners. The directors of participating schools also received written production evaluations.

The judging panel, adjudicating and awards are organized and led by the director of the Schmidt and Jones Awards,Amy Stevenson, who is well-known in Dallas-Fort Worth as both an artist and educator.

About Lyric Stage:

Lyric Stage, a Dallas-based 501c3 not-for-profit professional musical theatre company, was established in 1993 with the mission of the development and preservation of the musical, a unique art form. In its thirty-year history, Lyric Stage has produced over 125 productions, which include 21 world-premiere musicals and 2 Off-Broadway shows. For more information, visit www.lyricstage.org

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Harvey Schmidt & Tom Jones:

Native Texans Harvey Schmidt (composer) and Tom Jones (lyricist) are, perhaps, most known as the creators of  the longest running show in the history of the American theatre, The Fantasticks, which ran Off-Broadway for 42 years and 17,162 performances.

In addition to an Obie Award and a special Tony Award for The Fantasticks, Schmidt and Jones were inducted into the Broadway Hall of Fame at the Gershwin Theatre, and their “stars” were added to the Off-Broadway Walk Of Fame outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre. In 2012, they were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and in December of 2017 they received the Oscar Hammerstein Award.

What would you do if you saw a man collapse in front of you? We never really know how we would react in a crisis, but hope we would have the peace of mind and training to call 9-1-1 and offer assistance to the person in need until medical help arrived. 

Expo Home Improvement team members Jose Velasquez and his son Tony Velasquez recently were faced with that terrifying situation. They had just finished the installation of a walk-in bathtub and were doing paperwork in their truck when they saw the client fall and strike his head as he bent over to pick up a package at the curb.

“He had a big knot on his head where he’d hit it,” said Jose. “But he didn’t want help.”

They insisted on helping the man to his feet. Tony offered him support and carried the package to the garage for him. Suddenly, the man fell face down again. Tony called 

9-1-1 while Jose attended to the injured man.

“I checked his wrist and neck for a pulse but couldn’t find one,” said Jose. “He was already looking pale, so I started CPR like I’d learned in school. After about a minute he came to.”

They waited on first responders and tried to make the client as comfortable as possible until help arrived. 

“We used a piece of cardboard to shade him from the sun,” said Tony. “We put a roll of tissue under his head and rolled him to his side. He was a little disoriented. He kept asking who we were and what we were doing. We reassured him we were the guys who were just working at his house. We tried to keep him calm.”

“I’m really proud of these guys,” said Fonzie Quinonez, Installation Manager at Expo Home, who was on the phone with his team when the client collapsed. “They could’ve finished a little earlier and they would have been already gone. I thank God they were still there.”

Jose has worked for Expo Home the past 11 years and Tony joined the team four years ago. 

“I just did what anybody would do,” said Jose. “I’m not a hero.” 

Which is exactly the response you’d expect from humble heroes like Jose and Tony.

Expo Home Improvement is a privately held company headquartered in Carrollton, Texas. With a focus on bath and shower remodels, door and window replacements, and home insulation services, Expo Home Improvement is committed to helping Texans create beautiful, safe, and energy-efficient homes. Serving Dallas-Fort Worth, Central Texas, and San Antonio, Expo Home goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service that will help a homeowner enhance their home. The company offers Veterans, senior citizens, public servants, and first responders discounts on all products they offer as an opportunity to serve those who serve others. For more information about Expo Home Improvement, visit expohomeimprovement.com.

Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world make the trek each year to Collin County to visit Southfork Ranch to experience what life might be like as a legendary oil baron. Now, whether they are coming to the famed ranch and mansion or entertaining in their own space, party hosts can bring the big flavors of Texas to their table with catering from Southfork Ranch Catering.

Executive Chef Juan Rivas has created an expansive collection of catering menus, with beautiful options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. While there are unique offerings representing our global community here in North Texas, some of the menu’s most exciting highlights celebrate the dining that might have been experienced by the Ewing family for their celebrations at Southfork Ranch.

Bobby’s Barbecue celebrates the character brought to life by Patrick Duffy and includes a broad array of Texas-style barbecued meats, including a mesquite smoked brisket, barbecued chicken, smoked sausage and pork ribs. The fabulous smoked meats are accompanied by all the favorite sides like potato salad, creamy cole slaw, beans and a wide array of relish options, all along with Southwestern cornbread muffins. The Ewing theme continues with JR’s Steak Dinner, which starts with a wedge salad served with a cooked-to-order rib-eye. Sides include a loaded baked potato, grilled vegetables and house-made warm rolls. Miss Ellie’s Recipes presents a delicious take on Lone Star favorites. Guests choose between chicken friend steak or chicken with cream gravy. The meal is served with a mixed salad, red-skinned mashed potatoes and seasoned green beans with sauteed onions and applewood-smoked bacon.

The menu celebrates not only the Ewing clan, but also the history of Dallas itself. Plated entrees are named after signature streets in Dallas such as Commerce Avenue, Mockingbird Lane and Greenville Avenue. To bring experiential dining, Southfork Catering offers a wide array of carving stations, including Barbecued Brisket, Whole Prime Rib and Beef Tenderloin. Small plate action stations range from Shrimp & Grits and Braised Beef Short Ribs to Pork Belly and Wild Mushroom Ragout.

All meals have the option of ending with a sweet treat. Desert offerings include a traditional bread pudding, strawberries Romanoff and JR’s Triple Threat, a dark and white chocolate chip cookie in the shape of Texas with caramelized bananas and Baileys anglaise.

Southfork Ranch Catering can accommodate groups ranging from 10 to 10,000 people and can be offered throughout the ranch property and across the entire Metroplex. Its expert event coordinators can work to craft a custom menu for any event including all food, beverage and alcohol, and can assist with rentals and other event needs as well.

Those interested in learning more about Southfork Ranch Catering can find more information at SouthforkRanchCatering.com or by calling (972) 442-7800.

Smoky… savory… sumptuous. These words can be used to describe both decadent Texas barbecue and nuanced notes of hand-crafted bourbon. This summer, guests at the acclaimed Omni PGA Frisco Resort will have the opportunity for an exclusive experience that celebrates the heritage of both barbecue and bourbon.

Resort guests can elect to participate in Texas Barbecue & Bourbon: Up Close and Personal, a semi-private education and tasting experience. Participants will gather at the resort’s popular Ice House in the Monument Realty PGA District for a cooking and smoking demonstration with the restaurant’s pitmaster. Each guest will receive a welcome cocktail or mocktail to sip on while watching how to season, trim and wrap an authentic Texas brisket before learning how to smoke the meat to perfection. The demonstration also includes an overview of the smoker, nicknamed Lucille, a Q&A session with Executive Chef Adam Solowitz, and of course, samples of Ice House brisket and a take-home bottle of Ice House’s signature Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce.

There’s no better way to cap off an amazing barbecue experience than walking through four decadent pours of Garrison Brothers Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the first legal bourbon to be produced outside of Kentucky. For the final hour, a Garrison Brothers distiller will teach guests how to properly taste the family’s acclaimed portfolio of spirits, while regaling them with Texas bourbon lore!

The excitement continues once the guest returns home, where Garrison Brothers will send a custom 3L barrel, perfect for making batched, barrel-aged cocktails.

Texas Barbecue & Bourbon: Up Close and Personal is limited to 12 people per experience and is only available to resort guests 21 and over on Saturdays, May 25 and Aug. 31. A portion of the $250 per person fee will benefit Frisco Family Services. Guests interested in reserving this experience should reach out to a resort Experience Planner at 469-305-4552.

Omni PGA Frisco Resort is a great place to spend summer vacation – whether on a couple’s getaway or with the entire family. With 13 destinations to dine and drink, a curated collection of unique retail outlets and an array of golf experiences for players of all ages and abilities, the 660-acre campus truly offers something for everyone.

This summer, guests at Omni PGA Frisco Resort will experience the “Summer of Glow,” which features exclusive, resort-guest-only activities including weekly drone shows, Glow Parties, Glow Golf on the 10^th Fairway Terrace, pool games, complimentary s’mores and more.

“Summer of Glow” experiences run from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Reserve your stay now at omnihotels.com/hotels/pga-frisco/specials.

EVENT INFORMATION

What: Texas Barbecue & Bourbon: Up Close and Personal

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday May 25 and Saturday, Aug. 31

Price: $250 per person

Tickets: Book through an Omni PGA Frisco Resort Experience Planner at 469-305-4552

About PGA Frisco

PGA Frisco is a public/private partnership between the PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco, and the Frisco Independent School District. The 660-acre campus is a unique destination that includes: two world-class 18-hole championship golf courses, collectively known as Fields Ranch, and a state-of-the-art clubhouse; the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, featuring 500 guest rooms and suites and 10 exclusive four-bedroom Ranch Houses, four pools, destination spa and 127,000 square feet of meeting and event space; the Monument Realty PGA District which features The Swing, a lighted 10-hole short course, The Dance Floor, a lighted 2-acre putting course and an expansive retail, dining and entertainment district, including an outdoor area for concerts and events, the high-tech, data-driven PGA Coaching Center; the Home of the PGA of America and the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House.

About Omni PGA Frisco Resort

Opening May 2, 2023, Omni PGA Frisco Resort offers a reimagined destination resort experience for the ultimate getaway. With a wide selection of unique experiences and remarkable year-round programming and activities, the resort provides a diverse and fun-filled destination for guests of all ages. The oasis of the 660-acre PGA Frisco campus, this luxury resort will be both one of the world's leading meeting and conference destinations as well as a bucket list leisure destination featuring two championship golf courses at Fields Ranch designed by Gil Hanse and Beau Welling. With comprehensive resort amenities featuring a signature spa, 13 restaurants and bars, and retail shops - there's something designed for all. Featuring subtle nods to Texas culture, each of the resort's 500 guest rooms and suites and 10 exclusive four-bedroom modern-Texas ranch houses, offer sweeping views of lush surrounds. The resort features more than 127,000 sq. ft of indoor and outdoor space for meetings and events, including 2 ballrooms; 19 meeting rooms; 9 outdoor event venues; and Panther Creek Pavilion, the ideal venue for weddings. Visit omnipgafriscoresort.com or call 469-305-4500 for more information and room reservations. Follow Omni PGA Frisco Resort on Facebook and Instagram.

About Monument Realty

About Monument Realty: Founded in 2017, Monument Realty is a next-generation, full-service real estate brokerage based in Frisco, Texas, headquartered at The Star. Named the Number One Best Large Company to Work For by the Dallas Morning News, Monument is the Official Real Estate Company of The Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dak Prescott, and PGA of America. For more information, visit monumentrealtytx.com and follow Monument Realty on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the PGA of America

The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 28,000 PGA Professionals who work daily to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.