2012 Officially My Best Year

Turns out there was some magic left after all! We went into the weekend needing to Q both days in Standard, which was not probable considering our recent track record in that class. In spite of that, we conquered two very tricky courses (with a first place yesterday and a fifth place today) to earn our ADCh! I am so grateful to Buster for his support, my friends and various teammates along the way, Jerri Carter for rescuing border collies, and especially Kelly Rossi for surprising me by getting it on film without me even asking. AND she cheered the loudest! :)

Thank you also to the nice photographer who was set up to do portraits but was willing to take our picture anyway and then just emailed it to me for nothing. Kevin Cartwright is super swell, be sure to check him out at future trials!

(Xander looks tortured, as usual, to have his picture taken ;)

Perry certainly holds magic for me, as that was the place where Kaylee earned her first MACH when she Double Q'd four days in a row back in 2005. This is so special to me because Xander is my first border collie, this was my first ADCh, and he is just the sweetest, goofiest, loving-est dog ever. I am so proud of my big mush and so happy I adopted that loud-mouthed, snuggly puppy four years ago. Thanks for the ride buddy!

For This I Am Grateful

Wow, what a year.

 

In light of the tragedies and difficulties that many people have faced (and some continue to face) in 2012, I almost feel guilty saying that this has been the best year of my life. However, I have faced my own share of difficulties in the past, so I will simply express the joy and gratitude that I feel for my own experience this year.

 

While not every moment of the year has been rainbows and unicorns, overall 2012 has been a steady stream of new and exciting events. Here’s a brief play-by-play:

 

February- We moved into our new rental. A townhouse with a small backyard, a full size garage, and roughly twice as much room as we had in our small apartment of the previous two years.

 

May-I married my best friend and the love of my life. It was beautiful, perfect, and story-like. We then celebrated for a week in the near paradise of Cozumel, Mexico. It was my first time out of the country (not counting our brief trip into Canada to visit Niagra Falls back in 2010)

 

June- We traded in Buster’s Mazda to get the new Odyssey van (aka perfect dog-mobile) of my dreams! I also equipped it with super-safe Ruff Tough kennels to give my pups the best form of transportation I can. The van is a luxurious ride and holds everything I need, and then some. Buster is also thrilled with driving the Element, which can haul everything he needs as well.

 

July-Through Buster’s networking; I landed a new job in the field I have pursued, and make almost 10k more a year. Best part: no more making copies!

 

September- I brought home our precious baby girl Trudy! She has been a nonstop source of love, humor, and excitement. I can’t remember what life was like before her! She has been a blast to train, has become best buddies with Xander (who FINALLY has a wrestling partner), and is just as sweet as can be. She is everything I could have hoped for.

 

November- My lucky scratch-off lottery ticket at a work holiday party scored me $1,000. I am now known throughout the office as “that girl who won $1,000.” No one believed that is was actually possible to win a real amount of money on a scratch-off (myself included), so I am now somewhat of a celebrity. So far I have paid for trips to the vet and bought a meat grinder, but we are mostly saving it toward a down-payment on a house.

 

I have also earned a bunch of titles lately with the incredible Xan-Man, began the adventure of making my own raw dog food, and done a variety of other things, but these were the highlights.

 

I am looking forward to spending Christmas with family, and then traveling to Perry, Ga to close out the year at the reportedly fun Sirius USDAA trial. We only need two standard legs for our ADCH, so we’ll see if there is any magic left in my 2012. If not, I certainly can’t complain, and it will leave something to look forward to in 2013!

 

Happy holidays to everyone. For those of you who have enjoyed 2012, I celebrate with you. For everyone else, I hope that 2013 brings you great happiness!

What's for Dinner?

It's official. I have taken the plunge.

I have toyed with the idea of "going raw" for years now actually, but the thought of it was too daunting and a bit scary. What if I don't do it right? What if I make my dogs sick or leave something important out? I read books about the BARF diet as far back as 5 years ago (and remember my friend Chris teasing me about the title of my book), but it never seemed like something I could realistically do. Frankly, given my previous financial situation, it would have been out of the question. However, years later, I have found myself in the position to give it a try, and so I have.

Part of what has given me the confidence to embark on this adventure is the book "Dr. Becker's Real Food for Dogs and Cats." I did some research and decided that I agreed with many of the good doctor's philosophies. I ordered the book, read it cover to cover twice, and have since made it my dog food bible. While Dr. Becker may not be the end all and be all in canine nutrition, the information made sense, and was presented in recipes and formulas that I could follow and reproduce.

The next step was to buy equipment. This included a food scale, freezable plastic containers, labels, a slew of vitamins, supplements, and bone meal, and most importantly: the food processor. Items still on my wishlist include a freezer chest and a grinder. Right now, I am purchasing boneless meats, chopping them into peices small enough to grind in the processor, and then adding bone meal for calcium. The most cost effective means to make food would be to purchase whole chickens and turkeys and then grind them, bone and all. As of now, I am paying more for the boneless meat and for the bone meal supplement, but given that a quality grinder is hundreds of dollars, and will need some place to live in the kitchen, I am compromising for now.

The first time I made a batch of food it took HOURS. Of course I am not used to buying organ meat, and so spent time looking for the ingredients: chicken livers, gizzards, beef heart (which I have yet to find) and beef liver. Also, I had to consider the fat content of the products I was purchasing, since these recipes call for 90-93% lean meat. I also looked for the variety of fruits and vegetables that make up a 25% of the diet, and weighing these items to procure the appropriate amounts. The next time I made a trip to the store, I knew better what I was looking for, where to find it, and how much to buy.

The prep time was a bit daunting, as I started from scratch and made 30lbs of meat (chicken, turkey, and beef mixes, as variety is important), and another 8lbs or so of vegetable/fruit puree. The fruits and veggies have to be chopped into peices small enough to fit in the processor and pureed into a soft enough blend that the dogs' bodies can process. The meat also had to be chopped and grinded and mixed with the organs, which is very messy work. Given that the processor can only handle about 2-2.5 cups at a time, this is a long process. Also, heat and air are enemies to raw meat, so the meat you are handling has to remain cold and the processor and other equipment have to be cleaned periodically during the process. I am also vigilant to the fact that I am dealing with raw poultry, so for the safety of the humans in the house, I bleached everything from the counters to the handles of the fridge and freezer. In the end though, I had a freezer full of 2lb containers of raw meat blends and veggie/fruit purees. We have just enough space to handle about a 10-12 day supply without much room for anything else. Hence the desire for an additional freezer.

At any rate, the dogs had been making the transition to raw food already, via the use of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw, which I was buying in 2lb chubs and feeding for the last month. I had started by mixing their kibble in with this until we transitioned just to the raw. I think this made it much easier for both them and I to make the switch to a homemade diet. I was already in the routine of weighing food and handling raw, but without all the prep.

In addition to the amount of  raw meat and veggies, they also get eggs and sardines added on alernating days for one meal each day. They also receive bone meal, as I mentioned earlier, fatty acid supplements in the form of krill oil capsules, and a mix of vitamins that I grind up in large supplies and keep in a mason jar. They also continue to receive Cosequin chews.

The feeding process has now gone from less than five minutes spent scooping kibble and watching them inhale it, to a fifteen minute process of measuring everything out, mixing it up, and watching them actually chew it for five minutes. As much work as it is, I feel very satisfied that they are receiving the best diet I can give them, and they have suffered no ill effects (ie diarrhea or vomiting). Their coats are looking fabulous, their energy is through the roof, and so far I am happy. It may cost me time and money, but if I can keep them happy and healthy into their teen years, it will be well worth it. Thankfully I have a husband who not only accepts my crazy obsession, but also encourages me in this endeavor. Thank you Buster for letting me fill the freezer with animal guts.

In agility news, we competed in our home AKC trial a couple of weekends ago with Xander Q'ing 5 out of 6 runs, earning his fourth DQ and his MXJ title. Considering we have only done three AKC trials this year, he is doing well! Add that to the Q's he earned from the one day of USDAA we had done the weekend before, and he earned 9 out of 10. I will take a 90% Q rate any day! We will be at our very favorite trial next weekend, Dog-On-It near Orlando, and hopefully chip away at the few remaining Q's we need for his ADCH. Also, there will be a special gamblers run involving Buster, so stay tuned for video.

Finally, I had a nice week of work last week, in which I taught two days of classes. The site we have been working at is "going live" tomorrow, so this week should prove more exciting than usual as well. Then the following week is Thanksgiving. Where did this year go?! It has been a good one, that's for sure. Married, new job, new van, new puppy (who is pricelessly adorable and precociously wonderful, as well as four months old now!). What more could a girl ask for?

Until next time, eat up!

Happy Times

Sorry I have been lax about updating. Again, I cannot access this site at work, which is terribly frustrating since that is prime blogging time; and at home, I am kept thoroughly occupied with Trudy.

We are having such a blast with her. She finds new ways to crack us up almost every day, as she lives with such joy and reckless abondon. Ah, to be a puppy. She and Xander also made friends the other day, and have spent their evenings engaged in play. This makes ALL of us happy, as it both occupies and exhausts the two most demanding members of the household. Evening the fun-police (aka Kaylee) has ceased to interuppt their games, as they play so quietly and with perfect contentment. She amazes me with her confidence and coordination at such a young age as well. Xander was such a floppy muppet with long legs and seemingly no awareness of the back ones, such that I didn't feel confident doing very much with him until he was considerably older. Trudy already can leap amazing distances and land like a cat, although we would prefer that she not leap from the stairwell to the back of the couch, often on Buster's head. She can push a skateboard, put at least three feet in a bowl at this point, and can perch effortlessly on a balance disk placed ON TOP of an upside down BOSU ball. This was not intentionally set up for her to do, she just decided to offer it as I stood gape mouthed watching her. She can also stand and take a few steps on her rear legs, demonstrating without any doubt that she is aware of how to use all of her legs, although she is not necessarily practical in her application of this skill.

Other than being early to bed and early to rise, which suits Buster's schedule but not mine, she has settled into a good routine with us. She is happy to ride in the car for as long as it takes without crying, as she knows we will be going somewhere fun. She gets in her pen for meals and goes in her crate for her bedtime cookie. She knows sit, down, shake each paw, hand touch, and we are working on wait. She is making progress on potty training, and has mastered the dog door at top speeds. Her new favorite trick is to make a high speed lap of our small backyard, come flying through the dog door, onto the couch (and usually in my lap or on my computer) and then go tearing through the door again. This is amusing unless you happen to be holding a mug of coffee or something similarly unfortunate.

On the agility front, she spectated at her first trial a couple of weeks ago in Charleston, NC at the Low Country USDAA show. I had never been there before, but thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to go back. It was a small, one ring trial with a friendly, laid back atmosphere and MANY people to engage in pass-the-puppy socialization exercises. She happily made many new friends, both human and canine, and met each new person bravely with a wagging tail. Much to my joy and surprise, she was quiet as a field mouse in her crate all day and was not bothered by all the noise and pedestrian traffic passing her by. Our friend Stacey let us hang out in her tent ring side, which was great fun, as we were able to watch everyone's runs in the comfort of our little space.

Her first night in the hotel was fabulous. She took everything in stride and thought it was a grand adventure. As we had woken at 4am to make the drive Saturday morning, by 7:30 that evening we were all asleep. Xander on the pillow next to my head, Trudy in her crate next to the bed, and me enjoying the comfortable mattress. That was the best night sleep I have had in weeks, even though we were all awake by 4:30 the next morning. Although the trial did not yield any Q's, we enjoyed the challenging course and had many close calls. The friends we saw and the experience we enjoyed far outweighed the lack of results, and I found myself so happy with Trudy's company, that I didn't mind it in the least!

Fast forward a couple of weeks to yesterday, which found us up early again for a day trip to Fort White, and the home of Rachel Flately. Here we competed in just one day of the Pawsitively Fun USDAA trial. We were off to a good start before we even had our first run, as Rachel gave a bag of Zuke's treats to the first five entries she had received. We were number four.

Soon enough, we were running Standard. This was also a small, one ring trial with a great atmosphere, and we felt almost as though we were running at our own practice field. This seemed to work for us as we FINALLY got the third leg we needed for Xander's Master Agility Dog title!! What a great way to start the morning. It was also cool that we got first place, and were the only dog to qualify. Stuart was there with Ares, as were a number of other quality competitors, so I must admit that felt a little good. I keep replaying it in my mind, as it felt so good while we were running.

Apparently we were on the same page yesterday, as the streak continued. We've had horrible luck in pairs, so I've basically let go of any hopes to Q consistently in that class, as it just seems to be one thing or another. However, when Travis Wall and Krazy Kali stepped to the line, they were solid and allowed us to knock the last bar and still earn 1st place. That girl is krazy fast for sure! We also had an amazing save on the weave poles. Actually, we had three somewhat miraculous weave entries yesterday, which I must attribute to Susan Garret's 2x2 method and all the time we've spent practicing wacky angled entries. Thanks Susan!

Snooker was next up. After two HEARTBREAKING rounds at Low Country, where we racked up tons of points in the opening only to have me mess him up in the closing, I decided to follow the advice I had gotten from several people. Be conservative, get through the closing, and the Super Q's will come. I didn't really believe it, especially after I watched Stuart and Ares clean up. However, we had the same plan as Lori and Moxie, and although I had one of those miraculous saves, but time-costly call offs before the weave poles, we made it through the closing. I thought there was no way we would get a Super Q with the small size of the trial, but as I watched many others fail to make it through to the end, I maintained a glimmer of hope. I finally checked the scoresheet and stared in disbelief as I saw Xander with a third place and the last Super Q for the 22in class! Now we only need ONE MORE for our title!! Hooray!

By the time Jumpers came around, I was on such a high that I felt nothing could bring me down. We enjoyed chatting with friends and playing with Trudy in a new place, on top of our three Q's already. (I didn't enter Gamblers, as we already have that title. When someone asked, I told them we were on the ADCh chase budget plan). A Q in Jumpers would just be icing on the cake. It was a lovely course I thought, and something that we could do, so we stepped to the line and did it! As we crossed the last jump, I had such a big smile and so much pride for my goofy boy who tries so hard. We were speaking the same language yesterday, and he listened so well, I was successful in a number of handling moves that had previously resulted in a fault. It's amazing what a bit of practice will do!

I was not at all sad that I had only entered Saturday, as there was no way we could top that performance on Sunday. And even if we could, I like being able to have fun one day and still have time to do responsible things the next day, like clean up the puppy inflicted disaster zone that is my house. And to write this blog. Which I haven't done in such a while.

At any rate, the agility filled month of October will conclude next weekend with our home trial at the equestrian center, which is nice, even though it is ACK. However, we will get to arrive late on Sunday since I am taking a break from course building and the multitude of little dogs will be running first. Ah, what a novelty it will be to arrive after 9am!

In parting, I would like to wish my amazing, patient, loving, generous, smart, funny, wonderful husband a happy 33rd birthday this coming Tuesday! He took Kirby with him while he played disc golf yesterday and while the collies were with me. It was such a wonderful, thoughtful and kind thing to do for the little crazy dog that doesn't play well with our dogs, but loves everyone else on the planet. Kaylee meanwhile sat at home alone either enjoying the quiet, or more likely, disrupted it with her incessant alarm barking. Sorry neighbors. Anyway, happy birthday again Buster, and I look forward to celebrating many more!

Rewind a Bit

I realized after publishing my last post that I sort of skipped a bit between the post where I said I had puppy fever, and the post where I said I was going to pick up a puppy. Much of this was discussed on Facebook, but sometimes I forget that the entire world is not on Facebook. Or looks at my particular Facebook. All twenty or so people that read this blog...

Anyway!

Trudy hails from the same rescue that I adopted Xander from four years ago. Jerri Carter has been running Southeast Border Collie Rescue League for over 25yrs, and I was lucky enough to find her when she rescued a pregnant momma dog four years ago, and hence came Xander.

I had gotten the puppy bug and was stalking a couple of litters, but also emailed Jerri to keep an eye out. Fatefully enough, she told me she happened to have a litter of 3wk old pups, which was exactly the age when I had found out about Xander's litter. The only difference was that Xander had been the result of a border collie/border collie breeding. I knew basically what I was getting.

This litter was different. Momma dog is a very sweet, black and white, split-faced border collie. She was dumped over Jerri's fence and gave birth a few weeks later. It is anyone's guess what the dad (or dads) identity was, as there are pups with very differing characteristics.

Some pups look very much border collie, others perhaps german shepherd, perhaps lab or aussie. Who knows?

Given that I love to do agility, and knowing what type of dog you are getting helps determine structural and behavioral compatability with the demands of the sport, it is a bit risky bringing home a dog of unknown parentage. At least, that's what I told myself when I went to see them for the first time at 5wks old.

There was immediately one pup that caught my eye. I knew I wanted a female (as the testosterone levels in my house were already high enough), so that narrowed it to five puppies immediately. The other six, although adorable, had penises, so they were ruled out. No offense boys.

Of the five girls, two were tricolor, and had sweet personalities, but one was somehow special.

She happened to be the smallest as well. Considerably smaller than some of her brothers. Confident, independent, curious, and balanced at five weeks, my interest was piqued. However, I cautioned myself not to make an impulsive decision, and decided to think about it for another week. As Jerri is located in Deland, around 1.5hrs drive south, I knew that deciding to make a return trip the next weekend would mean that I was seriously considering it, but still had the option to say no once I saw them again at six weeks.

Buster indulged me, although expressing valid concerns about having FOUR dogs. I thought long and hard about all the pros and cons throughout the next week as I looked at the pictures and videos I had taken during my first visit.

As I pulled into her driveway to see the now six week old pups, I finally decided to listen to my heart and let that make the decision. If I saw her again and felt that she was the one, that would be it...logical or not.

I saw her and immediately texted Buster and asked him not to divorce me.

So from then it was two weeks wait before I could bring her home. I didn't really talk about it much. I think I was afraid to jinx it.

Now that she is here, I am so thrilled. She is everything I could want in a puppy. She is condfident, affectionate, fearless, fun, bold, curious, sweet, and smart. She has adapted remarkably well in a very short time and is making my job relatively easy. Xander was the most difficult puppy ever and was afraid of everything and everyone. He is still a weenie....

Trudy is not daunted by anything and loves to make friends with new dogs and people, as well as experience new things. She does scream when initially confined, but settles eventually, and has gotten very good about her crate at night. She uses a potty patch in her ex-pen during the day, and wakes me up when she needs to potty at night, so no accidents in either place!

She LOVES to tug (which is of key importance to me) and on her very first clicker session switched seemlessly from tug to food and back and forth again. Love that! She also retrieved a ball the first few times, although now she prefers to play keep away ;) She walked happily on leash from the very first time and never looked back. She hasn't so much as whimpered for vaccines or to have her nails dremmeled. Truly nothing seems to phase her.

At 9wks and weighing in at 5.6lbs, I imagine she will be small, but I am not sure how small. My friend Alanna who is a vet is betting on roughly 25lbs. I did WANT a smaller female, but hopefully her dad wasn't a pomeranian. Either way, she is tremendous fun, and both Buster and I are completely smitten with her. Regardless of how she turns out, I am very happy with my decision, and glad I listened to my heart. I am both enjoying every second of her cuteness, as well as looking forward to what her future holds!

Very confident!

 

Tiny even compared to Kaylee!

 

I love to play!

And ocassionally sleep....

Sweet baby :)

 

Introducing Trudy!

Forgive me if this blog post rambles or loses its train of thought. I
blame that on puppy induced sleep deprivation. I passed my exit this
morning and made a costly 15min detour over a long and traffic
congested bridge this morning. Duh.
It is all worth it though!

Xander and I spent our last puppy-free weekend together at the
Palmetto AKC trial. We left Friday after work and drove to our friend
Terri’s house where she lives in Tampa. Terri very graciously lent us
her spare room and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her and
her dogs rather than staying in a skuzzy motel somewhere. (or sleeping
in a tiny tent on the ground. Although that was kind of fun the last
time we were in Palmetto almost a year ago).

We hadn’t been to an ACK, I mean AKC trial since February, and I have
to admit my mind wasn’t really in the game. For one thing, I knew I
would be driving home on Sunday and passing through Deland to pick up
our new little bundle of fun. For another thing, my mom came to visit
on Saturday and I spent the day catching up with her. And for another
thing, it is AKC, and AKC just tends to be boring. Long days, lame
courses filled with pinwheels and tiny tables and millions of dogs.
Hours spent waiting for a few runs. But it was agility, and we enjoyed
being there in spite of it all.

In addition to spending time with my mom, I got to hang out with a
number of cool people over the weekend, see lots of cute puppies (some
newer, some older), which made me long for Sunday afternoon again, and
play some Frisbee with Xander. We had a goofy FAST run on Saturday
morning, but were one of the few to get the send, so we Q’d. Although
I think I did the weaves in the wrong direction, and he knocked the
triple, so our points were not impressive. Oh well, I expected some
rust considering we hadn’t been to any trials at all since the
beginning of June. Standard was actually gorgeous except for one minor
problem. My formerly flawless table has been replaced with “gee mom,
do I really have to get on the table? And do I really have to stay on
the table?” Ugh. BUT our summer-long effort in practicing contacts has
paid off. His A-frames were GLORIOUS all weekend. Stuck. Held. Not
affected by my position or movement until verbal release. SO happy
about that. Hope I can manage not to break it again this season.

Jumpers on Saturday was just a train wreck. We pulled it together for
the second half of the run, but good god that was hilarious. It was
ENTRIRELY my fault though, since I was chatting with mom and one of my
former students and didn’t warm him up and barely made it to the line
as the were telling me “you are in the ring, NOW!” Ooops. Bad
distracted handler. Sorry Xan.

After leaving the trial, I took my mom home to their fishing village
in Bradenton, so that she didn’t have to ride the bus for another
hour. I was given a little tour of the area and made the return drive
to Tampa. My delightful GPS screwed me over on the way back and first
sent me into the Tampa airport, and then sent me back over the 7 miles
of bridge on 275. We drove over that damn bridge three times before
finally making it back to Terri’s house. Nothing a little girl’s night
our complete with an Artisian Cooler (super yummy drink) couldn’t fix.

Sunday morning I regrouped and gave Xander the focus he deserved. We
had an awesome Time 2 Beat run with a stellar A-frame again, and
earned 9pts toward that extraneous title. Standard was awesome again
with one minor flaw. A little too much momentum led to an off course,
BUT he had a beautiful table while I showered him with praise, and
another gorgeous A-frame. Love that boy.

Since jumpers wasn’t going to run for hours, and I had lots of driving
and a puppy to pick up before bed, I decided to leave early. My
friends Chris and Carol couldn’t believe I had waited that long. So we
departed at 1:30, finding out later from Terri that our class didn’t
run until 3:30 at which time it was pouring down rain. So glad I made
that decision!

By just short of 5pm, I had Trudy secured in her car
seat/backpack/rolling carrier in the front seat and was heading back
to Jacksonville. She screamed bloody murder for the first 30mins, took
a power nap, and screamed for a bit more until I pulled over for a pit
stop. She pottied quickly (good girl) and was not quite so dramatic
the rest of the way home.

Buster met us in the garage when we pulled up and was greeted
enthusiastically first by Xander. I took Trudy out to meet her new dad
and get reacquainted with Xander before subjecting her to any corgis.
Once outside of her little prison, she wagged her tail fiercely and
greeted us all enthusiastically. Xander was very patiently tolerant of
her. Finally we scooped her up and went out to the backyard with two
curious corgis in tow.

Everyone was very appropriate but intensely interested in this new
little creature. Buster was kind enough to bring out the camera as we
admired how adorable she was. Soon enough, we had pics loaded on
facebook to formally announce the newest member of the Pruett
household.

Although the first couple of nights sleeping in her new crate with her
new family have been a little rough, she is very quickly settling into
the routine and getting the hang of things. As she has gotten more
comfortable, her personality has continued to emerge. She is
confident, bold, fearless, thoughtful, brave, funny, playful, loving
and smart. She has good sense, except when it comes to heights, but is
respectful of the dogs. She has been using her potty patch in the
ex-pen during the day with great success, and we have only had one
accident so far which was my fault. She had no problem walking on
leash for the first time, made easy friends with the neighbor,
retrieved a ball several times, tugged fiercely in the face of
distractions and new locations, barked and screamed for meals before
devouring them ravenously, and overall been precociously adorable.
Buster and I are completely smitten. She has woken me every time she
needs to potty at night, and has gone from screaming like a Harry
Potter mandrake to crying softly. I have not had to clean up her crate
or her ex-pen, and she potties quickly once outside. Little Ally
McSqueal (as Buster dubbed her) does NOT like to be locked up out of
sight, but is getting better every day. She really prefers to be
directly underfoot or in your arms or lap, but she is beginning to
gain some independence and started exploring more last night.
After watching her climb like a monkey and find all the power cords
and tug on the doormat last night, we have a feeling she will be a
little terror very soon. She couldn’t be more perfect.

I am loving all of the puppy training and being sleep deprived and
looking forward to socializing her and doing clicker training and all
the wonderful things that come along with a new puppy. It will also be
exciting to see what she turns out to be. At eight weeks and only 5ish
lbs, I am thinking she will not be very big at all. Regardless, as she
gazes up at me with one soft brown eye and one intense blue eye, I am
hopelessly in love with my little pocket collie.

Welcome to the family Trudy!

Too Much Cake

Please don't mistake my lack of communication to mean that I have been entirely too busy to write. It's really just that my new job, although generous with copious amounts of free time, sadly has blocked this website. The computer I am using also doesn't have Word installed, and I have not felt motivated to write on the weekend. I felt guilty for not providing any updates however, so here I am.

I wish that I had glorious tales to tell about the exciting new work, but the truth is that it is cake. As in, I am not sure why I am there, nor the other recent hire, as there is not enough to occupy any of us. We hope for this to change soon, as the days are long and dreadfully boring, but I suppose I should not complain for being paid more to sit around and chat. I just hoped it would be more. Such is life.

I have terrible puppy fever and am longing for the worst part of the summer to pass so that my dogs and I can spend more times outdoors. Our playtime has been restricted to early morning or late evening in order to avoid heatstroke, and this has left us fat and lazy. I've begun the process of shaping Xander and I up as we finally approach the beginning of the trial season again. We have not been to an AKC trial since February, and are entered in Palmetto mid September. However, I am more looking forward to working toward our ADCH beginning in October when we will venture to Low Country SC for the first time. We will have another AKC at the end of October, as this is our home trial, but then we will focus solely on USDAA after that until February when our local trial offers ACK again. Agility is agility though, and after long missing it, I will be glad of either kind. I am sure Xander will agree!

Independence

What a strange week it has been, what with a day off due to the holiday smack in the middle of my last week in my current job; but it seems appropriate to be celebrating Independence Day as I finally gain freedom from this position and move on to bigger and better things. I can scarcely believe that this is really my last day sitting here in this desk, having parked in the same garage, and driven through the same terrible neighborhood I have been coming through now for almost three years. The longest I have ever worked for one company was PetSmart, and that was at about three different locations. I have been coming to this same depressing, gray place for so long, I can't imagine what it will do to my perspective on life when I no longer have to be here. Apart from the location is the very nature of the job, being subordinate to everyone and relegated to the most menial of tasks, in spite of my capability to do much more. I hope to finally feel that I am fulfilling some of my potential, and to have the respect of coworkers, and myself. I hope that doesn't sound conceited, arrogant, or anything of that nature, but I really feel that I have more to offer than making copies and running paperwork from point A to point B.

It is strange to think that in a post not terribly long ago, I had basically snapped and decided to bail out on the prospect of a normal job altogether. Then I realized I was just terribly frustrated, and was making the same mistake of being impatient and immature that had gotten me into trouble in the past. So I endured. Having someone to tell me that it was my choice, and that he supported me no matter what happened made it possible. I couldn't quit when our future depended on both of us; it would have been terribly selfish and unfair. So I stuck it out, and made it through. Of course it was the same man who told me I could be free that facilitated me finding this position. I shudder to think where I would be, or what life would be like without him.

At any rate, I begin my new working life on Monday. I am very excited to see what this job will be like, and feel that I am finally stepping through the first door in a series of opportunities that will take me where I am meant to go. I never thought I would learn patience, but through the help of several people very close to me, patience has paid off and life is good. I think I might actually qualify as a grown up now.....

On a dog related note, we spent the early morning of the 4^th swimming and chasing Frisbees at the park so that everyone would be too tired to care so much when the fireworks began. Surprisingly we had the park completely to ourselves, as I prefer it, and enjoyed a lovely morning before the heat set in. That evening, Kirby survived the barrage of pyrotechnics by wearing his thunder shirt and hiding behind the toilet. When it began to rain around 7pm, I thought we would gain a reprieve. Unfortunately, the storm passed quickly, and our neighbors blew things up practically in our backyard until late in the night. Fortunately, Kaylee was only spooked by one particularly loud boom. Xander, on the other hand, lounged about with all four feet in the air, blissfully oblivious of the commotion. What a life my dogs have, riding around in their fancy new crates, in the van we bought so they would be safer on the road (and because it has room for ALL my dog training equipment and I can still see in my rearview mirror). Buster loves the Element and his new kayak trailer that makes the prospect of going fishing so much easier, so everyone is happy.

Did I mention life is good?

Decisions, Decisions

It has been an exciting couple of weeks in the Pruett house!

First, I officially changed my name with the Social Security office, who gave me a form and assured me it would take care of the DMV. It didn't. They were also supposed to give me ANOTHER form, so after a couple of trips, and a couple of hours waiting, I received my new license as well. The picture is not even that bad. All the credit card companies, banks, human resources, etc., were notified, and now I have a whole slew of pretty, new cards with my nice, new name on them.

After the events of my last post, I found myself rethinking the way I travel with the dogs. As much as I love the Element, it really is fairly small and forces me to crate the dogs in potentially unsafe wire crates toward the rear crash zone of the vehicle. Buster, a.k.a BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD suggested we trade in his Mazda3 and get the Honda Odyssey I'd always wanted. Then he would drive the Element, which is an automatic and not a manual (like the Mazda) and would make his life easier. Once we looked around at used, weighing the pros and cons of mileage and fuel economy on older models, we decided to look for a 2011 or 2012 base model. His car was appraised at Carmax for less than what we owed, mostly due to the high interest loan it was financed with. We ended up buying the Odyssey from the same person we bought the Mazda from 2yrs ago, got what we owed in trade in value, 0.9% interest financing, 5yrs of maintenance, a 200,000 mile warranty, and a few other extras. I now have an AWESOME new van that will allow me to safely crate the dogs toward the front of the van in their new RuffTough crash tested kennels. Very happy! the smell of a new car is almost as good as puppy breath.

Aside from new wheels, I have been awaiting a decision from my current employer on a position I had interviewed for a couple of weeks ago. In the meantime, Buster volunteered at a Pepsi function, and met with his boss's wife. Following some discussion of me and what I do, it turns out the she works for Baptist doing the very thing I was trying to get into originally here, and never got an official answer on. She also happened to be looking for another member for her team, and had almost given up hope to find the "right" person. She swore it was divine intervention, and after meeting with me informally last week, I had an official interview Monday afternoon. It was my best interview ever and I left feeling as if it was mine to take or leave. Turns out it was.

Less than 48hrs later, I got the offer. It would be over 9k more than I currently make a year. I was pretty thrilled, but had already told them at the interview I was waiting to hear back on the position with my current company.On top of that, in an effort to keep me in her department, my supervisor was trying to upgrade my position. Feast or famine, I swear.

Buster let it be known from the get-go what he thought of my current employer. They have done nothing but jerk me around and leave me hanging. However, the job at stake would pay enough for us to be out of debt in a fraction of the time. It would also involve working in a severly understaffed department, in a high stress environment, with unpaid overtime, nights, and weekends, for a company that may soon be going bankrupt anyway, and doing more technical work rather than the training and development that truly interests me. On the other hand, the offer I actually received was with an excellent company, doing the type of work I want to do career-wise, with people I seem to enjoy. I choose the bird in the hand, rather than the two in the bush. Buster is thrilled, as is the person who offered me the job, and I feel in my gut it was the correct decision.

My last day here will be July 6th before moving on to bigger and better things. Baptist EHR (electronic Health Record) Implementation Specialist. Has a nice ring to it. My boss was not happy, but still supportive and congratulatory, and made it known that I was welcome back any time I decided I'd made the wrong decision. I don't think that's the case, but appreciate the sentiment anyway.

This year has been pretty awesome so far, and it is only half way through. Even-numbered years seem to be the best for me. Wonder what the next six months will bring, not to mention 2014......

Take Nothing for Granted *UPDATED!!*

**SEE UPDATE BELOW**

I was going to write a post about my scuba diving debacle, my new job prospects, and my weekend at the SE Regional USDAA show in Perry. However, I woke up to find my Facebook feed completely dominated by an outpouring of sympathy and support for a woman in the agility community named Elicia Calhoun.

While I do not know her personally, I do know of her due to her success as an agility trainer and competitor. From what I have heard, she is also one of the nicest, most generous, and positive people in the sport. She and her six dogs were traveling home from a competition when she was involved in a terrible car accident. Her thirteen week old puppy died on impact, three of her dogs were injured and taken to the hospital, and two had fled the scene when help arrived. It was confirmed recently that Nika, her one-eyed aussie that had achieved great success in spite of the handicap, was hit by a car and did not survive. If that weren't tragic enough, Elicia has checked herself out of the hospital with a punctured lung to search for her red and white border collie Tobie, who is still missing.

This is quite literally the worst nightmare for those of us who travel with our dogs. It could easily happen to any of us, anytime.

The agility community, while at times subject to the same personality clashes, differences of opinion, and other conflicts that sporting events can inspire, has nonetheless come together with a show of support for this person that many of us do not know. Given that Elicia is self-employed, and will have staggering hospital and vet bills, a fund raiser has begun for her. Over $17,000 has been raised in a matter of less than 24hrs, with more donations pouring in.

It is enough to take your breath away.

Each of us that share a special bond with our dogs can feel some of the pain and fear that she must be feeling ten-fold. And we are giving to her the compassion and generosity that we would hope to receive if we found ourselves in the same situation. Every so often, something like this happens to both renew my faith in humanity, and serve as a reminder to what is truly important. Not ribbons, titles, dollars, or bragging rights, but the priceless, irreplaceable lives of those special to us.

As we all hold our collective breath for news of Tobie being found, we can help in some small way. Here is the link to the fundraiser:

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/bK4Ab?psid=7d8bdd94ef564486a41b6d65af6e6332

If everyone just gave $5, it could mean a world of difference in the lives of Elicia and her surviving dogs.

Don't take anyone in your life, two or four-legged, not a single day nor a single breath for granted. We have no guarantee to be here tomorrow, or for those we love to still be with us.

I am so glad that I truly enjoyed running Xander this weekend and that he, my other two dogs, my amazing husband, and all my wonderful friends and family are alive and well.

That's really all that matters.

**TOBIE HAS BEEN FOUND!!**

Compassion, empathy, sympathy....these are surely among the greatest of human traits. Miraculously, through the involvment of many, many caring people, Elicia's missing dog has been found alive, and seemingly unharmed! Tragic as it was to lose two of her dogs, it is a huge comfort to everyone that Tobie is alive and returned to her mom. This picture says it all.



Hopefully, Elicia and her surviving dogs will heal as they grieve for the two that were lost. Bless the agility/dog community!

On Becoming a Pruett

Hey, so I am married now. It’s going to take a little getting used to the new last name given that I’ve answered to the same name for 32 years, but I love the sound of it. Of course, the only “official” change I have made is on Facebook, there is still the matter of navigating the arduous task of actually changing it in the eyes of the law, but one thing at a time.

I suppose I should begin this blog just before the big event.

The week leading up to the wedding was busy and exciting. There was shopping, final preparations, a bridal shower thrown for me by my surprisingly generous co-workers, dinner with out of town family, and company in our house. I was blessed to have Friday off which enabled me to take the dogs for one last trip to the park for swimming and a bath before dropping them off with their respective baby-sitters. Aunt Lara had Xander while Aunt Ashley and Uncle Mike had the corgis, which was wonderful considering it allowed me a week of leisure without any worry of their welfare. Thanks again guys!

 It was also wonderful to be able to deliver them on Friday afternoon, because I was not home following that time. We all headed out to a place in Mayport that I’d never been to before called Singleton’s Seafood Shack. A shack it was indeed, but perfectly suited for our needs and possessing the delightful sort of character we require in our special events. We held our brief rehearsal in the area neighboring the parking lot, overlooking the water. Inside, the service and food were fantastic, and our table of nearly twenty was set in a room of its own filled with nautical artifacts and conversation starters. Not that we needed any. Our crowd was playfully loud and the room filled with laughter and friendship, even among those who had never met before.

Following dinner, the girls and boys parted ways to commence with the final celebrations of bachelor and bachelorette-hood. The boys apparently did an efficient job of drinking, while I was adorned with the requisite embarrassing accessories befitting a person in my present condition. This involved a tiara, two sashes (one of which was a pose able male stripper we nicknamed Scooter), and an X rated plastic straw from which to drink my cocktails through. My bridesmaids made sure the band was aware of my pending nuptials, and I received a great many congratulations as well as a drunken counter-proposal. Fortunately, we all made it home in one piece, boys and girls alike, although some a little worse for wear than others.

Saturday morning required last minute food shopping as well as picking up our trays of food and cupcakes from Publix. Not to mention generous doses of water and ibuprofen from those of us having indulged the night before. My girls were super heroes in terms of decorating the club house where the reception would be held, and we were showered and prepped in time for Kara to do my hair and head out to the beach.

We were married at Kathryn Abby Hannah Park, the site of our official dating anniversary outing back in 2009. The picturesque boardwalk, wilderness, sand dunes, and waves all contributed to a beautiful back drop for our ceremony. The girls and I remained sequestered in the air conditioning of my Cousin Jane’s car while “Going to the Chapel” played on auto-repeat for nearly an hour as guests arrived and were led into their place on the beach. Once Buster gave the ok to proceed, I was escorted over the boardwalk by my Uncle Gary who gave me away. The moment was perfect as he wore his Hawaiian shirt and straw hat. I looked down at the small but intimate group of assembled friends and family and Gary turned to me and asked offhandedly if I’d heard any good jokes lately. I laughed and told him the only thing I could think, originating from one of Buster’s friends in the days before. Velcro, it’s such a rip-off.

After passing me to Buster and exchanging hugs and handshakes, I faced my husband to be, who had tears in his eyes. This meant I had won the betting pool with my girls, although he had already assured them that it was just the sun in his eyes. The fact that he is a sentimental romantic is just one of the many reasons I was standing before him to begin with.

Our good friend and life-of-the-party, Rob Poole, acted as officiate, with the powers vested to him by the church of spiritual humanism. He delivered the material flawlessly and with great style, as the oceans waves broke behind us. My dress fluttered beautifully in the breeze, and when Rob pronounced us husband and wife, Buster delivered a crowd pleasing dip and kiss that knocked the decorative flower from my hair. The photos are breathtaking and the event could not have been more perfect with a bright blue sky and my handsome man and I standing barefoot in the sand.

His friends Mark and Amanda, professional photographers, were on hand from New York and joined my aunt and cousins in taking photos. I still have not seen them all, but there are certainly some amazing ones. Still, even without pictures, I will never forget the details of May 5, 2012. Cinco De Mayo will never be the same again.

Our reception following was fun and laid back. We had the traditional first dance to “Time of My Life” as Buster is my own Patrick Swayze. I didn’t embarrass myself too much or trip over my dress, so it was fun, although I never realized how long that song was until I had to dance to it in front of a room full of people!

We received a toast from our Best Man and Maid of Honor, Buster’s uncle Matt and my cousin Jane respectively. They were brilliant and perfect and we are so lucky to have them, not to mention ALL of the friends and family who were a part of our day. We cut our little cheesecake and did not smear it in each other’s faces (under the threat of physical violence due to bright blue food coloring). The same food coloring on our guests’ cupcakes resulted in a room full of blue tongues and teeth. I declared that it was a show of solidarity.

We had a picture frame for people to sign, complete with a stock image of man and wife who looked nothing like us, particularly after our guests had drawn mustaches, tattoos, eye patches and other enhancements on the unfortunate pair. We came home to the delightful surprise of an actual wedding photo taken by Mark and Amanda blown up and inserted into the frame. What an incredibly thoughtful gift from our friends whom I had only just met that day.

After the reception, our friend and another of Buster’s groomsmen Tyler, with whom Buster does his scuba diving, drove us to the hotel at the airport. Since our flight was due to depart Sunday morning at 7:30am, we’d decided to stay within a shuttle ride’s distance, so as not to burden anyone for a ride at 5am Sunday morning. Tyler seemed delighted to act as chauffer and was thrilled to be the last to see us before we left. So it all worked out quite well, even though I went to bed hungry from spending too much time visiting guests, and not enough time eating. I was so excited from the events of the day and the prospect of Cozumel, that I read my kindle and played on facebook until the morning rolled around.

Our first day as husband and wife was spent traveling. In spite of Florida’s close proximity to Cozumel, we had to fly to Atlanta first in order to catch a connecting flight to the Yucatan Peninsula. In spite of the long hours and stress of going through security, and now customs due to the international nature of our travels, everything went smoothly and we arrive at the Cozumel Palace Resort by 1:30 their time. (2:30 our time)

Before we even made it to our room, we’d scheduled our week’s activities with the hotel’s planners, as well as receiving a moist towel, a welcome drink, and our honeymooner t-shirts. Upon arrival to our room, we were welcomed with a honeymooner cake, a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine along with a basket of snacks, a stocked mini fridge and alcohol supply. Our upgraded room was on the fifth floor, with a hammock on the balcony, a hot tub, and a spectacular view of the resort as well as the glorious blue and green ocean.

The resort was all inclusive, meaning that we could have whatever we wanted to eat or drink, whenever and wherever we wanted it. The staff was fantastic, and everything was beautiful and safe. We even made friends with an older couple while swimming in the infinity pool on the first afternoon, and accompanied them to the town for exploration and a little local flavor. Never did we feel unsafe, and due to the island’s dependence on tourism, we didn’t even need the pesos we had procured at the airport. We soon learned that the locals prefer USD!

The week involved snorkeling, swimming with dolphins(me), scuba diving (Buster), massages (us), romantic dinners poolside, water volleyball, scooter riding, lots of eating, and even more drinking. There were nightly activities, a fire show, a Mexican fair, and music to dance to. We learned some Spanish, read a couple of books each, didn’t turn on the tv, took naps and lounged by the water. It was a week of luxury, and although it was hard to come back, I was feeling a bit homesick toward the end.

Saturday was another long day of travel, some culture shock in Atlanta, and a delightful, but one sided conversation with a 79 yr old gentleman who was returning from the 100^th birthday celebration of his 4^th grade Catholic School teacher, bringing us home after 9:30 for one last quiet night. I picked up the dogs Sunday morning, who to my surprise were as tired as we were from their own vacations! Xander had spent the week playing virtually non-stop with Lara’s dogs and the corgis had spent the week peacefully with Mike and Ashley’s cats, but were relieved to be home as well. Other than laundry and grocery shopping, we all spent the day lying on the couch trying to recover before returning to our normal routine today.

We have a plethora of honeymoon photos thanks largely to Buster, which can be found here: http://www.snapfish.com/snapfish/shareereg/p=968131336939258372/l=4260606026/g=10102282026/cobrandOid=1000/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBFB/pns/snapfish/share/p=968131336939258372/l=4260606026/g=10102282026/cobrandOid=1000/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBFB;jsessionid=B1E2FEEA03B82388CA5229B85317402E

We have a few wedding photos, but are hoping to have more eventually. Those we have are on our Facebook pages. Look for Bonnie Pruett, or my HUSBAND Buster. I never grow tired of noticing the ring on his finger. Sorry ladies, he is one of a kind, and is now officially mine.

Living it Up

The Tailwaggers club was hosting a three day USDAA trial down in Vero Beach this past weekend. Since we could not afford to do all three days, and what we really needed were standard, pairs, jumpers, and maybe a Grand Prix Q, it worked out perfectly that these classes were being offered on Sunday. We still need two snooker Super Q's, but snooker is offered more frequently than pairs certainly, and usually we only end up doing jumpers once as well. My friend Terri and her lovely dogs were there for the weekend, and she very graciously offered for me to crash with her Saturday night at the Motel 6 where Kaylee and I used to always stay. That sealed the deal.

We did some practice Saturday morning, took care of some chores and shopping, and hit the road around 4pm that afternoon. It had apparently rained buckets on the days previous, and the weather folks were predicting more. I was fortunate not to encounter any storms along the way and made great time to the hotel. The best thing, well perhaps the only good thing, about the Motel 6 is that it has lots of grass to walk the dogs on. Of course, since it is dog friendly, it is also a minefield of poop. In spite of that, we had a nice walk and stretched our legs before going into the room with Terri's dogs. Xander has been around my friend Lara's energetic dogs, and loves to play with Sting, but typically he ignores other dogs. Due to his difficult relationship with Kirby, I am always a little hesitant of his reactions to other dogs if they act dominantly toward him. I was blown away by how wonderfully he behaved in the tiny hotel room.

Terri has two border collies of her own, and then travels and competes with two of her clients' dogs, a pair of lovely aussies. Harley is a big, goofy, loveable red merle that is a little over two years old, and very much a puppy still. He and Xander had a wonderful time wrestling on my bed, and in my lap, before Harely was put in his crate to allow Bella to play. Bella is a gorgeous black tri and a huge flirt. Xander thought she was VERY sexy and put on his best show of posturing and the two of them had a long wrestling session with occassional attempts at humping.

Eventually, everyone settled down. This involved Bella pushed into one side of me, and Xander curled up on the other near my head. Needless to say, I did not get lots of sleep, but enjoyed it just the same. Terri and I talked about food and travels and dogs until late into the night before we finally went to sleep. At around 4am, Porsche, the eleven year old began pacing in the tiny bathroom. The bathroom was so small that the door would not close unless you lifted the tiolet seat first. Terri woke up fearing she was having a stroke, but we soon heard the cause of her anxiety when a loud crash of thunder and lightning knocked out our power and thus the extremely loud air conditioning unit. The storm raged for a while, but passed before our phone alarms woke us at 6am. Our power was not entirely restored however. I'm not sure how, but we had enough power for our lights to flicker dimly, but not to come on completely. It was like getting washed and dressed by candlelight. Agility is always an adventure.

The rest of the day was gorgeous. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, but the temperatures were mild and made for delightful agility weather. Although the trial is undercover, when it does rain, the tin roof makes a deafening noise and the crating areas tend to flood. I was glad I had arrived just in time for good weather. The big dogs ran first, which is always my preference since it doesn't give me time to psych myself out. We hadn't competed since early March, and at that time I was stressed out about the potential job and could not relax or focus. Our performance suffered obviously, as did my enjoyment level. This day was like a bonus and I had no expectations and no reason to be stressed out. I was only thinking of the two weeks until our wedding and honeymoon, and how much I enjoyed hanging out with Terri as well as regulars such as Kelly and Gail. I love USDAA folks. Previously, we have suffered from "one little thing" syndrome in standard and could not buy a Q. We had one, but single bars, tires, and other minor things had been keeping us from a clean run. Sunday morning we went out and had a beautiful clean run that was even good enough for 2nd place! Finally, our second standard Q was in the bag! One more and we will have our MAD!

After this came pairs, and for some reason, Xander and I have issues with it. Fortunately, Terri and Vette had issues with their half as well, so it wasn't one sided for either of us. It didn't bother me though, since the standard Q had made my trip worthwhile all by itself. Next up was Grand Prix, another class where we could never seem to qualify, although we don't run it terribly often. We had earned one last September, which was enough for our ADCH requirements, so this was just for fun mostly. We did Q, although it was not smooth enough to place and our lovely Vette won the class! Funny enough, I came home to look at our competition record and realized it was the last tournament Q we needed for his Tournament Master title! Good job Xander!

Finally, jumpers was built by around 1pm. It was so awesome to have four runs in about five hours, my kind of agility trial. We had two jumper legs going in, the course was fun and fast, and we came through with another 2nd place Q! That put us at three out of four runs for the day, a definite success! This means we need two snooker super Qs, two jumper, three pairs, and three standard Qs for our ADCH. Not bad for our fourth time in Masters. He really is such a good boy and does so well when MY head is in the right place! Best thing was, we made it back to Jax in time to go swimming at the dog park and wash off the clay. They all had "cheeto feet" after running in it. We were home before 6pm and in bed by 8pm. It was a great day.

Now Terri has convinced me to go to the regional to team up with Vette and Donna Brian's lovely dog Sting. Perry in June, our first regional event, why not?!

Time Keeps on Tickin

In a little over two weeks I will be married and heading to Cozumel for a six night stay at the Palace Resort. Pretty awesome.

In the meantime, life has been pretty steady. Making plans and slowly getting things taken care of. Buster and I bought our wedding bands a few weeks ago, and went downtown to get our marriage license. Both activities were much easier than I had expected. We have the food and the location and many of the minor logistics figured out, and things just keep getting checked off the list. I am feeling very good about it all.

I am still in the same job, resigned for the moment to a life of underachievement while I look forward to time away. Still no official word on the final open position I had applied for, but it's fairly safe to say that's not going to happen. Given the timing though, if something were to come through, I would rather it be after the honeymoon anyway. Stranger things have happened.

Buster and I have taken up disc golf, as we have a lovely course at the park down the street where we walk the dogs. After a week of chaos at his job, Buster finally enjoyed a normal evening of throwing the discs last night. He works SO hard, and cares SO much, and is still amazed when his bosses praise him for being fabulous. I just shake my head and wonder how he doesn't see it for himself.

We continue to love our townhouse, and have a backyard full of plants and grass and a garage now equipped with an inexpensive but highly fun ping-pong table. The barbeque gets regular use, and I still love every morning to open the backdoor and let dogs out to potty without having to walk them.

After devouring the "Hunger Games" trilogy, I have found an insatiable appetite for reading on my phone's Kindle (which is awesome). I just finished another reccomendation from a friend after a couple of days, and am moving on to the next one. I am also looking forward to reading another Stephen King "Dark Tower" book that is perfectly timed to be released so I can take it with me on our honeymoon.

On the agility front, Xander and I are heading to Vero Beach on Saturday evening to crash with my good friend Terri and to attend Sunday's USDAA trial. We are pairing with Terri's little red rocket Vette, as well as running in jumpers, standard and Grand Prix. We haven't competed since mid March, and I'm not sure when we will get to compete again, so this should be a fun little mini weekend before the big event.

Counting down the days until I become Mrs. Bonnie Pruett!

Life Goes On

While I have not gotten an official rejection in regards to the job prospect, the rumor mill says that our organization has changed the scope of the job and are therefore looking for people with the ability to program and do other such IT related things. Less teaching, more computer nerding. Sadly, I am not the correct type of nerd, so I am not holding my breath anymore. It is rather dissapointing, mostly because I was a horrible ball of nerves for two weeks and had heart palpatations every time the phone rang. However, it was a good learning experience, and it has made me realize some of the perks of my current position.

For example, although I have difficulty tolerating the person and place I work for, I get to go home after exactly 8hrs every day, which means I get to enjoy time with my dogs and Buster at the beautiful park five minutes from our house. I don't have to be away for weeks at a time for training, and can train my own dogs. Weekends can be spent hanging out with friends, doing agility, or planning for a wedding.

Speaking of that, my fabulous cousin Jane with the help of her fabulous sisters threw us an amazing wedding shower that was one of the nicest and most awesome things anyone has ever done for me. The people who came were SO generous in their gifts that we are able to afford a real honeymoon. In Cozumel!!!! Hard to believe we will be getting married and flying to paradise in less than six weeks! I have never been out of the country before, other than crossing the border from NY to Canada briefly....

Things are beginning to fall into place on the wedding planning, so it is another perk that I am able to focus on that instead of the job that wasn't.

The universe throws curve balls sometimes, but it forced me to reassess my situation, realize I was being selfish/immature, and that I should be patient and appreciate what I do have. Things will work themselves out.

Still Waiting

They are still in the process of interviewing. Seriously, it has been two weeks already. Let me get on with my life already!

Purgatory

Usually when I am at my most self-righteous, indignant, and defiant, something comes along and throws me for a loop. Such was the case after my last post.

I’ve been working this miserable job for almost 18 months now (and a similarly miserable one for the year prior), going above and beyond in an attempt to work myself into a better position. That opportunity had seemed to come along back in November, at which time I applied for a Training Specialist position. It would be the ideal way to do what I enjoy doing, while still benefitting from a steady source of income and all the perks of working for an organization.

Months went by, and nothing happened. I completed the professional certification, I taught classes, I volunteered and worked twelve hour shifts and sacrificed weekends of agility. Still nothing.

When I wrote my last post, I had reached the breaking point. I had had ENOUGH. No news had come on the possible great job, and I could not bear another day of making copies and serving as a trained monkey when I am capable of so much more. Ready to give my notice on a Monday, I decided it would be less stressful to break the news on a Friday, thus giving everyone the weekend to digest the information.

THAT DAY, I finally received the call to interview. Seriously?

I completed the first interview on Monday March 5th, and we spent the last 10 minutes laughing and chatting about our dogs. It seemed to go well, and after a couple of days, I received the call to schedule the follow up interview with a panel of managers.

I spent a stressful weekend of course building and trying not to obsess about the interview, while messing Xander up and costing us many Q’s along the way. He is a good sport though, and still had fun even though his handler was a space cadet.

Monday morning came, and so did my interview. Inquisitions are never fun, with five to one, but it seemed to go well, and I even had them laughing at the end.

Days have gone by, and I am still waiting for the decision. There were a total of four positions, two of which remain unfilled. My friend and colleague Sue has been waiting two weeks for the final verdict, but it seems it will never come. Three days have been torture for me, I cannot imagine two weeks.

I cannot concentrate or think of anything else. My life seems to hang in the balance. Will I remain on this path and make TWICE the money I make now? Will I travel to Wisconsin for training, and make a career out of this, or will I again find myself looking down that unworn path of uncertainty? Taking this position could lead us out of debt in a few years, and I could afford that training facility of my dreams within a decade. Buster could change his own path if he desired. The money could afford us so many options.

However, if I am not selected, how long can I tolerate this demeaning, demoralizing, and unfulfilling life? Jumping ship seemed like the only option, but in looking at how much money we spend, and the prospect of Buster being trapped where he is forever no longer seems viable.

I am stuck in limbo and have no control over what decision will be made. I have made the efforts, the connections, and presented my argument. Now all I can do is wait and see what happens.

I hate waiting.

The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


Probably the most over-quoted poem in history, but rightly so. My incredible 6th grade social studies/philosophy/life teacher introduced the students of James Weldon Johnson to a wealth of poetry, philosophy, and culture. This poem always stayed with me.

I grew up always feeling different.I know I am not the only one, but some people have an easier time fitting in than others. I spent my childhood SWEARING I would never end up in a boring, cramped office stuck behind a computer or crammed in a cubicle all day. My first jobs were all working with animals. Boarding kennels, grooming, vet offices, training....and although those jobs were physically demanding, I felt comfortable in those roles. I belonged there.

In recent years, I have betrayed who I am. Trying to be "normal" and essentially working to cram whatever odd shaped peg I am into the square hole of the corporate world. It doesn't fit.

I've been bored to tears, frustrated, anxious, and hurt from banging my head against a wall that blocks me from what is probably the wrong path anyway. Instead of ending up with a concussion and being unable to breath, I am going to turn around and run as fast as I can in the other direction. There is no path, no safe road with lights and signs and directions, just open, fresh air where I can breath again.

I am only able to do this thanks to the amazing man who loves me for who I am, even if I am not "normal" and can't do things the way the world expects or demands.

There is no guarantee that I won't end up back on the beaten path at some point, but I hope not. I am ambitious, intelligent, resourceful, and can handle a machete. Watch out unbeaten path, here I come.

Moving in, Moving Up

It was a busy weekend.

Although we took possession of our new rental townhome on Sunday February 12th, we spent that day and the following week building our new Ikea bedroom furniture and doing other prep work. This past Saturday, on the 18th, we scheduled the moving truck rental, sod delivery, and cable installation. All at the same time.

We didn’t really intend for that to happen, it just did. The sod company had non-existent customer service and essentially told me it would be delivered “before lunch.” The cable company gave us a window of 10am-12pm. The cable company is never on time though, right?

We were scheduled to pick up the Budget truck at 9am, and that was a cluster from the moment we walked in. Roughly 40mins later, we left the run-down agency with our tiny truck and I called to find out what time the sod would arrive. I had warned the salesman that we would be moving and would need notice in order to be there. Of course, my salesman was off that day, and the tobacco chewing “gentleman” who answered the phone told me the delivery truck was at the new place RIGHT NOW.

Fabulous.

I hustled over and found the delivery truck leaving the neighborhood, and the cable truck sitting in the driveway at ten minutes before 10am. EARLY. My cousin didn’t believe it when we told him that happened. It is metaphysical impossibility.

Fortunately, the sod was placed in the upper corner of the driveway near the garage and with enough room left for other vehicles. The cable guy did his thing while I called Buster and confirmed that he had the help of my cousin Guy with loading furniture. The wheels finally started turning in the correct direction once the cable man left with a job well done and moved his truck just in time for Buster and Guy to arrive with the first load of furniture.

I hustled off to get coffee (before anyone was injured due to my caffeine withdrawals), as well as several pairs of gloves which we had forgotten in our sod preparation purchasing.

Although he probably regretted it, Guy volunteered to stay and help with the laying of sod while our friend Mike took over helping Buster with the rest of the furniture. Laying 400sq/ft of sod would have been a breeze had we been able to have the pallet delivered to the backyard. Sadly, without a helicopter, this was impossible. Our tiny townhome has a wonderful privacy fence, but no gate or access anywhere but through the house.

After some trial and error and brainstorming, Guy and I developed a system of transport for the heavy pieces of earth. Using a tarp, we loaded four pieces of sod (five was too many, trust me, we tried) and drug the tarp through the garage to the backdoor. From there, we rested the tarp on an old rolling chair that was left in the garage and pushed it through the kitchen to where the carpet began in the living room. With sheets covering our unfortunately light-cream carpet, we lugged the tarp the remainder of the way to the edge of the patio in the backyard. This may not sound like much, but we had to squat, lift, and haul about fifty times in order to get the job done. Poor Guy was black with dirt from head to toe and pouring sweat. Thank goodness it was February. I was lightheaded at a few points myself, and was terribly sore for two days after.

Our efforts were worth it though, once we could step back and look at what used to be a yard full of dirt, and is now a lawn. Guy even thanked me for the awesome workout, and I thanked him for being a superhero.

We brought the dogs over that night, and they immediately christened it. They also ran up and down the stairs, bounced off the furniture, and barked. A lot. It was very exciting.

While it has taken some getting used to, we are all settling in. Moving is always hard, but in this case, we have really moved up. I can’t believe the difference in my stress level with not having to walk dogs around a crowded apartment, avoiding unfriendly neighbors and other dogs, as well as the piles they leave behind. We have a nice park about five minutes down the street for longer walks and Frisbee playing, and lots more room in the house for staying out of each other’s way. We increased our number of bathrooms from one to two and a half, we have a huge, attached garage, and lots more closet space. Counter space in the kitchen outweighs the loss of our fancy, newer appliances at the old place, and we have a mantle over a fireplace on which our tv now rests, creating a cozy little living space. It is also nice having two floors, the bottom one for living in, and the top one for sleeping and showering. So much space. Ahhhhh. Oh, and we mustn't forget the new king sized bed that could sleep a kingdom. Or a pitiful dog who is afraid to sleep downstairs alone and barks at 3am and whose name is Xander....

We still have a weekend’s worth of work ahead of us to get the rest of our stuff from the old place, as well as giving it a thorough cleaning before our lease expires on the 28th. Moving is no fun, but it has made a huge difference in my outlook just in a few days. The best part is, we are paying the same in rent as we were before! Old apartment, you can take your amenities and rate increases and shove them up your…..ummmm, have a nice day.

The NearlyWed Game

So, the Nearlywed Game was played on January 12. Although we didn't win, we did have a great time and enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. And we got to be on TV. Check out the various peices of coverage from Channel 4. Congrats to Sherry Ann and Gill, they were an awesome couple and we were very happy for them!

Pregame
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The First Few Minutes of Our Fifteen Minutes of Fame

We didn't win the contest, but we did enjoy the process. See our Great Wedding Giveaway interview aired on Channel 4 here.

Rusty or Rested?

So I wrote last week that Xander and I had not competed since early December and that I expected to be a bit rusty for this weekend's trial. Turns out, a little rest seemed to do us good!

I also mentioned that I was dreading the trial just a bit. Being a chief course builder is always a bit stressful, and you never know what will happen. It turned out that we did have a few issues to deal with resulting from our newly rubberized contacts, but we worked them out on Thursday. I will admit that my stress level was outweighing my fun level toward the start of the weekend, but by the end, that had shifted completely. Waking up at 5am, scrambling to build courses before the trial begins at 8am, and being on point all day for course changes is tiring, and I often tell myself I won't ever do it again! However, by the end of the weekend, I feel satisfied (and tired and sore), but also that my efforts were worth it. Much thanks to my fellow course builder Peter Lui, and to all the people that pitched in (especially Alicia and Keiko). Buster was in Michigan at the wedding of our friends Mike and Ashley (a completely different story), so I didn't have his muscles or video taping skills. Still, he had a blast on his own, and I am very glad that he was there since I could not be.

This trial was one of only two four day trials that Xander and I have ever participated in. It was also AKC, which admittedly is not my preference anymore. I really love USDAA, but would still like to get a MACH, and enjoy the large amount of competition at an AKC trial in the 20in class. I had originally entered Kirby, but due to a persistent limp, I pulled him. As much as I hate to do it, I am officially declaring him retired due to perpetually gimpy knee. Poor guy, as much as he loves the game, and as blazingly fast as he is, it's not worth it to have him limp for days afterwards. He is over six years old, and it's not going to get any better. So he is Kirby, OA, AXJ (with 1st and 3rd place MXJ legs to boot ;) and he is retired along with MACH 2 Kaylee, OF, AAD.

Xander came into the weekend having not done AKC since early November I think it was, and had four Q's toward each of his masters titles, as well as his Excellent A FAST title. On Thursday we ran STD, JWW, and Time2Beat. We earned our second Double Q with two 3rd places, and just had one bar down in T2B. On Friday, we ran FAST, STD, and JWW, and earned a 3rd in FAST (I miscalculated the number of jumps to take, and held his AWESOME a-frame contact in the send with a gooooood boy! so we went over by one second ;)We had a bit of a communication breakdown in standard, but lovely contacts and a good chance to reinforce some things in the ring. We also had a blazing JWW run at around 22 seconds, but were beaten by a fraction and earned 2nd place. On Saturday, we got our first ever triple Q with a 2nd place in FAST(80pts and a super fantastic send over the triple to the weaves) and JWW (again a smoking time, but edged out a fraction by Singe, who beat us two days in a row althoug we were both around 23 seconds!) However, we got a 1st in standard which felt really awesome against the great amount of competition. Finally on Sunday, we only had STD and JWW, and we were both exhausted. He had a fabulous STD run, but I caused him to knock the triple. We laid down another smoking JWW run, although he felt a little slower in the weaves, so we again missed 1st place by a fraction of a second and settled for 2nd place. Although we couldn't quite capture that 1st place in JWW all weekend, we were four for four on Q's, and he placed in every run that he qualified all weekend long! The final tally was four JWW legs, two STD legs, two master FAST legs, and only three NQ's (two were bars, and one was a minor train wreck to keep us humble ;)

He now only needs two JWW legs for his MXJ, four STD legs for his MX, and has two MXF legs toward that title. He also has three DQ's and 264 pts toward his MACH. There is a nice three day trial in Palmetto at the end of May where we could camp again.... ;)

Most importantly, I had FUN in every single run with him. I think for the first time ever, I was able to truly let go of any expectations and just ENJOY each run for what it was. They were great courses, lots of opportunity to run fast, especially in JWW, and he was happy to play every time I asked him, even at the end of four long days. I LOVE that boy of mine. He just makes me smile every time we get ready to run, and every time we go celebrate afterwards. He is so pleased with himself, and greatful to me that I take him to play this game that we love. He was also beyond ecstatic when he came home Sunday to find that Buster had returned. He mauled him with love for about thirty minutes before he was finally too tired and went to sleep.

I also was pleased to watch some former students have great success, and enjoyed hanging out with so many great people over the long weekend. It was a very well run trial with great judges, tons of help from exibitors, and a fun, positive atmosphere. Not much more you can ask for!

So next up we have two USDAA trials in March to look forward to. One of which I will be course builder for. I am going to stock up on ibuprofen.

Hello February

So we survived the EPIC implementation of our new electronic medical records system here at the hospital. It involved many days of waking up at 4am and working a 12hr shift, a couple of lost weekends, and a fair amount of anxiety and grumpiness, but it is over. The process actually went much smoother than anyone anticipated, thanks to the fact that Gainesville was the guinea pig of sorts and we managed to avoid most of their pitfalls.

I haven't had much energy to think of things other than work. Between finishing up my online certification in December, teaching classes here at work, and trying desperately to move up in the ranks, dog training has gone to the wayside. Of course Xander has not been neglected, in that he demands activity and exercise on a nearly daily basis, so we have continued playing frisbee and going to the park, and have made it to the practice field at least once in the last few weeks. We haven't competed, however, since early December, and will be doing a four day show here in town. I was almost dreading it, considering that I will be chief course builder, which is an exhausting job. However, it has been quiet here the last two days at work, and given me enough of a reprieve to build back some stamina and a desire to go play. I have no expectations for the weekend, aside from being a bit rusty, but it should be fun neverthless.

Agility has shifted in my mind in the last few months. It is an expensive sport, and more of a luxury than a necessity. I have found recently that life goes on regardless of whether we are earning ribbons and titles or not, and that money is needed for a great many other things in life. Buster and I have talked a lot about where we are, where we want to be, and the sacrifices it will take to get there. It is hard to justify spending hundreds of dollars playing a game when we have so much debt to get out of. If we can sacrifice some things now in order to get to a place where we can actually afford more things in the future, it will be worth it. Besides, we can play the game in training with friends, and I will still get to go to the home club trials (such as this weekend) as well as a couple of others that Buster and I both enjoy.

We are also moving in a couple of weeks, to a bigger place for the same amount of rent, and to a place that has a backyard. A teeny, tiny backyard, but a backyard nonetheless. This means an extra 20 minutes of sleep for me in the morning, because I won't have to walk the dogs to go potty, I can just let them out the back door! And we will have an attached garage, and lots more storage space, and even a spare bedroom! Very exciting. And then there is our wedding in May, which will be here in no time I suspect. Our friends Mike and Ashley are actually getting married this weekend, in Michigan. Yes, they are insane. Ok, their family is there, but seriously, who goes to Michigan in FEBRUARY?! Oh yeah, Buster. Who is in the wedding. I am a little bummed that I won't get to be there for them on their day, but we couldn't both afford to go, and someone had to take care of the dogs, and go to play agility....

My birthday is also coming up, and I guess Valentines Day the day after, but who has time to think about that? We get our new place that week, and I have to reserve a rental truck, and shop for a new bed since we are upgrading to king size to accomodate our large bodies, and we need wedding rings, and to figure out how our wedding day is actually going to go, and do taxes, and clean our old apartment, and update our address with all our bills, and make sure to pay all the bills, and get a marriage license, and figure out how I change my name......

Being a grown up is hard work!