Kidz & Dogz!

ADCH Jam!! :-)

2009-02-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? My Jam...baby Jam...earned her ADCH at the Tucson USDAA trial this past weekend. What a girl! We needed one Pairs leg and one Gamblers leg going into the weekend. My Pairs partner was a very fast, nice Sheltie who did her half of the course with ease. Jam knocked a bar, but it didn't matter as their time was fast.

The gamble was very doable for Jam and had an a-frame in it...her favorite obstacle! She barely got the a-frame contact (thank goodness I hadn't cut her nails recently!) and won the class! I am so PROUD of her!

She started her competition career in May of 2007 in Bermuda. It took her about 1 year, 9 months to get her ADCH (from start to finish). We don't get to compete as often as many of my friends, so we had to make each outing count. And she totally came through! She is truly a special girl. I am the luckiest person on the planet to own such a wonderful little Toller...she ROCKS!

What's it all about?

2009-02-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

Wishy poses a question in her blog..."why do we do agility?" I responded in the form of a comment, but felt the need to expand on that thought.

My comment mentioned cameraderie. When I first started agility in 1993, I met and befriended some fantastic people. We became the best of friends and started spending a lot of time together. The highlight of each year was roadtrippin' to Pueblo to compete in a USDAA trial. We were together for 5 straight days and rarely, if ever, got on each other's nerves. We did this for several years and have fond, happy memories of those times together. THAT is what hooked me into this sport and kept me going.

At the time, I ran a Beagle (NEA, Her Beagleness) and we weren't wildly successful. It was those same friends that kept my spirits up and helped me to see the comedy in each situation. I cherish those times and miss them tremendously. You see, each of those folks ended up leaving the sport for one reason or another. Some lost interest, some moved away, some moved on. I keep in touch with them, but miss the times we had together.

I stayed with it (agility) and my friend set changed, but the one common bond we all share is the love of our dogs. While there are no more roadtrips (having kids put a stop to that) I still feel a wonderful bond with many of these friends and cherish each moment I get to spend with them.

Another aspect of friendship is the one I share with my dog. I've blogged about my tragic losses (losing 4 dogs in 1 year) so I won't go deep into that, but one thing I came away with after that horrible year was a whole new perspective. I went 3 years without an agility dog. Three very long years. When I got Jam, I was overjoyed, enthralled and fell in love with her almost immediately. While I was anxious to get back into the ring, lack of time and circumstances allowed for precious little training time. Instead, I worked on building a close bond between Jam and I. And that was time well-spent. We don't drill, we don't spend 30 minutes a day on backyard sets...heck, we were lucky to get in 10 minutes every 3rd day! Yet when showtime came, we hit the ground running. I am taking the same route with my new puppy and come showtime, we'll see what happens!

In summary, I do agility because it truly gives me a high. I get to spend quality time with Jam and socialize with friends...two of my most favorite things to do!

Motherhood and dog stuff

2009-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Motherhood. One of those things that doesn't come naturally to me, but I figure if my kids are still breathing, fed, and generally happy then I must be doing something right! I have Erin with me all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These are actually tough days for me since she is always wanting me to just "be" with her. I, of course, have 1,000 things to do so at some point during the day she sits in front of the TV, watching Dora or Olivia or whatever else. I feel guilty.

Then there's Dani. She's in school, but if I happen to take Erin to McD's or to the park during the day, she gets upset. I feel guilty.

Course Dani gets to go to ballet, Erin doesn't. On ballet nights, Erin still puts on ballet clothes, but stays home with Daddy. Again, I feel guilty.

I head to a dog show...and this month, there are 3 shows in a row...and leave them with Daddy. They ask me if I'll be home that weekend and when I say no, they get sad. I feel guilty.

I'm convinced that no matter what mothers do, they are always feeling guilty.

Dog Stuff. We had a show this past weekend in which one of the days (Sunday) was canceled due to rain. It didn't actually rain all day, but the damage was done early on...when we all got to the show site the field was full of puddles of water and the mud was everywhere. In the interest of keeping a show site and keeping the dogs/handler safe, the club decided to not attmept to hold a show that day.

BUT, on Saturday Jam and I had 5 fabulous runs! We Q'd in everything we ran:

Masters Gamblers...2nd place and Q
Masters Standard...1st place and Q
Masters Snooker...1st place and Super Q
Grand Prix...1st place, Q and a bye!
Steeplechase...3rd place and a Q

All we need now for our ADCH is 1 Masters Gambler Q and 1 Masters Pairs Q. We have a trial this weekend and one next weekend. Hopefully we can pull it together in those two weekends! :)

I start my job next Tuesday. I'm both dreading it and looking forward to it. Dreading it because I barely have time for everything now...how will I manage when I have a job? Oh...and I won't be able to drop off/pick up Dani from school anymore...more guilt there. Looking forward to it because we need the $$ and I think it'll be an interesting job. The commute isn't that great, but I'm hoping to get in early to avoid the brunt of rush hour. Now I've got to start setting that alarm so I can actually get up AND function on Tuesday!

Things are looking up!

2009-01-27T14:35:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged in a while...I've been communicating through Facebook more these days, but you can't always put a lot into Facebook, so I'll still maintain this blog...when I remember! :)

I guess the biggest news of the day is I GOT A JOB!!!!!!! It's with a company in Phoenix that creates billing/acocunting software for law firms. My role will be that of a trainer, specifically training folks on how to install the software. The training is all done online, which presents challenges since you can't actually see the students, but with well-timed questions, I'm certain I can keep their attention...5% of the time anyway!! There may also be some opportunity for on-site training which will mean some travel.

All-in-all, it's a good thing. The company has won awards for their flexible workplace, so that is great. I can work from home a day or two a week, and I can also work 9 x 80's (8 nine hour days, 1 eight hour day with every other Friday off). The benefits are so-so, but not horrible. I am THRILLED beyond belief!

My husband is still looking to buy a business, and is close to making an offer on one of them, but he's waiting for some financial information before doing so. Meanwhile, he has a second interview with Wells Fargo for a Financial Analyst, so we'll see how that goes.

So far, 2009 is being kind to us. Let's hope the momentum keeps going in our direction! :)

Guess I should be sick more often!

2009-01-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

Like...wow! Jam and I had an agility trial (USDAA) this past weekend. And wow! I went into this trial with laryngitis, a decent cough and feeling generally poopy. I wasn't even sure I could tell Jam what to do while on course...I mean...when reading books to my kids at night, I was whispering them...that's how bad it was!

So I went in just hoping to get through the trial...and I came away with:

1 Masters Gamblers Q
2 Masters Standard Q's
1 Masters Jumpers Q
1 Grand Prix Q
1 Masters Snooker Super Q

The only thing we didn't Q in was Pairs...but that's because her partner went off course.

So, we are now 2 Gamblers and 1 Pairs leg away from our ADCH!! WooHoo!!! I couldn't be more pleased with my little red fireball! :)

This was also the first trial I was brave enough to bring Quila. I'm wondering if perhaps Quila's presence may have helped Jam to have an extra-stellar weekend...?! :)

2009 is lookin' good so far...here's hoping it continues in that direction!!

2009

2009-01-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

Funny...a year ago my title for the new year was "2008...gonna be great!" If I only knew then what I know now, I'd say "yeah, right."

Lemme get right to the point...2008 sucked. There are two good things I can think of off the top of my head that happened in 2008:

1. We had a great family vacation to Disneyland.
2. I got my beautiful, smart and wonderful Toller pup, Quila.

Other than that, it's sucked. Truly sucked. Course at the top of the list is both my husband and I being unemployed. In good economic times, not a biggie...but now, BIGGIE. Oh...and I should mention I was laid off TWICE in 2008. Nice.

Then there was the double-hernia surgery my husband had in February. His 2nd double-hernia surgery within a year.

Of course, in April Erin got stung by a scorpion. Any mom alive would NOT want to witness what their child goes through when the venom from the scorpion runs through their little bodies. It sucked.

Then there were all the other misc. things that went on...like the dryer going out which was more of a nuisance (an expensive nuisance) so I don't consider that part of the suckiness of 2008. The dog bite I suffered through was fairly traumatic, but thankfully I had a good friend who doctored me up and made me better.

Oh and the day my husband got laid off, I bent the shit out of my back passenger door on my SUV. Yeah...it sucked. I was pretty inconsolable.

So, I look forward to 2009 and hope she's a damn sight better than 2008. It's started out so-so...I have a decent case of laryngitis and my husband and I aren't speaking to each other at the moment, but it's gonna be OK (i think). I have a trial this weekend though if I can't issue commands (I can barely whisper right now) it could be rather comical!

I wish I could write something more poignant...I appreciate those who can. All I can say is with all the lemons I've been handed, I should be able to make the biggest, bestest batch of lemonade for 2009!

Snow play, puppy update, business idea...etc.

2008-12-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

We played in the snow today! We drove up to Flagstaff where they have a LOT of the white stuff. We went to a designated "snow play" area and sledded down the fluffy, white hills. I believe the girls had more fun EATING the snow than sledding IN the snow! Regardless, a good time was had by all.

We also rode a small-scale kiddie train through a light display last night. the kids just loved it and thankfully it was worth it since we had to wait in line for 1.5 hours just to get ON the train. There were other things going on so we were able to keep the girls occupied during the wait, thank goodness!

Moving on...

Quila (the puppy) is doing great! She is super smart and very eager to learn. We are working on foundational skills before I even attempt to introduce her to anything agility-wise. Things we're working on include:

* down (she is about 85% on this)
* target (LOVES this!)
* stay/recall (about 65% on this)
* "around" (going around a cone...doing great as long as I'm fairly close)
* restrained recalls (LOVES this!)
* wobble board (ADORES this!)
* leg bumps...going over my legs (she thinks this is so much fun!)

My next steps are:

* teach left and right
* build more toy drive
* circle work
* stride regulators
* 2x2 weave method
* plank work

Which leads to my business idea. I'm getting a major kick out of this foundation training. I did a similar program with Jam and she hit the ground running and progressed very quickly through the ranks (USDAA-wise). I'm thinking of working with puppies/young/beginner dogs to teach these valuable skills. I can do it with the equipment I've got so no cost to build anything. I've started compiling videos of the skills I've taught Quila and I'm going to build a website around these videos. Now, I'm quite certain I won't make a whole lotta cash offering this service, but it'll be fun to watch the dogs learn these skills and then put them to use on the agility field.

It's all very preliminary, but I'm hoping I can make something of it.

Meanwhile, the job search still continues (for a Tech Writing job) though right now (holidays, end of year, etc.) there is NOTHING out there. I am looking very forward to the new year though as this current year has totally sucked!

Just stuff

2008-12-11T11:53:00.001-08:00

Weeelll, the show wasn't as successful as I had hoped last weekend. Jam did not get any of the Q's we need. Pooh. In Gamblers, she did the hard part, but then I failed her and didn't handle the rest of it like I should've. Sooo, today we start intensive gamble training with a wonderful instructor. Let's hope it helps!!

Our GP run was going smashingly well...until a tunnel bit us in the butt...AGAIN!! She was to come to me and enter the right side of the tunnel, but instead she made a personal choice and went left. Pooh pooh.

As for Pairs, we did our half wonderfully, but my partner ended up going off course. Pooh pooh pooh.

On the upside, we got our second Steeplechase Q of the qualifying season, and we got another Masters Standard leg and a Snooker Super Q. I also was able to realize the generosity and overall goodness of the agility community. So many want to help in my time of need, and for that...I am eternally grateful.

Meanwhile, we are busily prepping for Dani's birthday and her dance (tap actually) program on Saturday. So far we have 7 yes's for the party on Sunday...I'm expecting that number to go up a bit before then. Tonight we make oh-so-fudgy brownies for her birthday treat...YUM!

Right now, a Toller (Jam) is whining at me...BEGGING me to throw. the. ball. I've come to the conclusion that Jam is slightly neurotic. She attacks the vacuum cleaner, goes nutso when you slam shut a hard-cased glasses case and goes absolutely bonkers when you pull out the fly swatter. Oh...and blow drying your hair? Impossible with a crazy Toller around.

I ended up splicing together a photo of the dogs for our Christmas card (ain't no WAY I could get them to sit still together)...whaddya think?

Ramblings

2008-12-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

I now know that I truly wasn't meant to be a Stay-At-Home-Mom. Erin has been out of daycare for a month now, and I just can't seem to get into a groove with her. I have no doubt that she's bored to tears, but thankfully she's very forgiving. We do workbooks and I come up with crafts every now and then, but I just can't fill the days with enough stuff to occupy a 4-year-old. I'm hoping we'll be able to send her back to the daycare soon. Please keep your fingers crossed that I'll be gainfully employed shortly after the new year.

Speaking of which, an agility friend who works at GD (General Dynamics) has been my biggest advocate. She keeps passing my resume around and hopefully it landed in the right hands today. I won't get too excited until an interview is set up, but at least it's SOMEthing in this sea of NOTHing.

Jam and I have a show this weekend. I was going to take Quila to get her acclimated, but she is a screamer. I bring her to class with me Wednesday nights and she SCREAMS in the crate. Tonight I had to put her in the car so I could actually hear myself tell my students what to do. I'm going to have to do some crate games with her to help. I also need Jam to focus this weekend as I'd love for us to get Gamblers, Pairs and GP Q's. with Quila there, I'm thinking she'll lose some concentration...mostly cuz she'll be pissed off at me for bringing the monster! :)

Dani's birthday is coming up. Her actual birthday day is the 13th, but since she'll be dancing to "Run Run Rudolph" at a great Christmas program that evening, we're having her party on the 14th. It'll be a "Pirate Party" and she's inviting 17 girls. I'm kinda hoping not all of them show up!

I got a decent picture of the girls for the Christmas card today. Whaddya think...?

Now I've got to get the dogs lined up for a picture of them. Mucho easier said than done!

OH, and speaking of Quila...her foundation training is coming along nicely! She targets to my hand, sits and downs and has no issues with the wobble board whatsoever. We're working on stays and recalls...she offers me downs and sits when she breaks her stay...she's so CUTE! And we're working on drive by racing to her ball. She's really picking up her speed! She's also incredibly food motivated which really helps.

Some upbeatness

2008-11-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

We had a show this weekend. It was my club's show for which I am the secretary. This is typically our small show...we usually get about 145 entries. Well, we had 193...YIKES! We offered Team/PVP, but that wasn't the draw as we had only 9 Teams and 9 PVP's.

I wasn't going to be on a Team because A. I don't need it and B. I couldn't afford it. But, I was approached by a couple people, one of which needed the Team Q, to be on their Team to help her qualify. I said Yes, but only if they pay my entry. They agreed, so Jam and I ran Team. I then entered her in just the other classes we need for our ADCH...Jumpers, Gamblers and Pairs.

Well, Jam did GREAT! We didn't get a gamble, but came mighty close. She ran very well regardless. She did get a Jumpers leg, which gave us our Jumpers Master...WOOHOO!!! In Pairs, my partner did great, I was an idiot. I ended up handling Jam on the wrong side and she took an off course. Oh well.

As for Team, Jam turned out to be the anchor! She got lots of gamble points (didn't get the gamble though), got the most Snooker points of ALL the dogs entered in Team :), won Jumpers and Standard and stayed clean in Relay! We ended up 3rd and Q'd so we helped the one member of our team who hadn't...I'm so happy for her!!

Quila is finally getting to be "of age" to come with me to shows. She gets her last set of shots on Wednesday, and then she'll be "free." She is SO CUTE!

And here's one of Jam doing what she does best...bark for the ball!

:-)

Can't cut a break

2008-11-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

I'd like to write more upbeat posts...but I can't.

My husband was laid off from his job last Thursday. He received a generous severance package, which is good, but is now looking for a job in this crappy market...which is bad. Same place I am. No jobs.

The same day he got laid off, I ended up bending the door on my SUV (long story) so it's now in the shop. Been there a while. Not sure when I'll get it back.

I had an interview that I thought was a good one, but it turns out I'm over-qualified. Story of my life right now. I was also submitted via a headhunter for another job, but they haven't called for an interview.

Erin is now out of daycare. And I suck as a stay-at-home-mom. Especially since I just want to keep looking for a job...ANY job.

It can't get any worse, can it?

The Ups and Downs of Nationals

2008-11-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

It's over. Whew. Another year of chaos by the wayside. Thank God it's over. There were some ups and downs as usual...

Downer #1:

A wonderful agility dog lost her life on the way to the Nationals. Local folks know her as Mesa, the little black dog that ran like the wind. She was loved and owned by Wishy and her family. She touched the lives of many of us here in Arizona and we will miss seeing her run with glee on each course she tackeled. It was a tough weekend for Wishy's family, but they still came and cried and laughed with so many. I don't think they knew how many lives were touched by their little "Spaz dog." We will miss her.

Downer #2 (sorta):

They did a balloon release in which anyone who's lost a dog to cancer could release a balloon in honor of their canine angels. I had 2 balloons to release...one for Fred who died of Osteosarcoma in May, 2003 and one for Chakotay who died of Myeloma in November, 2003. A poem was read and tears were shed. I miss my little Iggies. I hope they were looking down on me during the release cuz I was looking up at them.

OK...we need some uppers...

Upper #1:

Jam had an AWESOME Nationals!!! I am so PROUD of her!! She started with European Standard in which she ran clean. She didn't place, but she fared very well in the results.

Thursday she started with the Steeplechase Quarters. She ran fast and made the cut-off for the Semi's!!! I couldn't believe it! She just rocks!!

Then came Team Jumpers. Again, moderately fast and clean...no faults.

Then came Team Snooker. She ROCKED! She got 48 points...WooHoo! Again, no placement, but was within the top 15 dogs!

Friday we started with Steeplechase Semi's. She had to do the weaves twice so I didn't think she'd be fast enough for the Finals and sure enough, she wasn't. She ran it in 38 seconds though which is fabulous for us!

Then we did Team Standard. She ran that course beautifully!! No faults and a decent time. She was really doing well.

Then came the GP Quarterfinals. I really wanted to make it into the Semi's and we did!!! She ran so well and we ended up 11th...I am so freakin' PROUD!!!

Saturday was the GP Semi's and Team Gamblers. In the Semi's she had the fastest weave poles I've ever seen...they were awesome!! Then, she went into the tunnel...and popped right back out...a refusal. No Finals for us, though making it into the Finals was a longshot at best. I was insanely happy with her poles though, so no biggie.

Gamblers went very well. I think we got a bunch of points, but I never did check.

Regardless, our team ended up 67th out of 174 teams...not bad for all Tollers!!

Upper #2:

The volunteers. They were great!! They worked hard in the 90-degree heat and remained upbeat and happy. I couldn't have asked for a better crew. I don't think they know how much I appreciate them.

Upper #3:

I got to see and talk to so many people...I had a fabulous time chatting with friends that I get to see only a few times a year.

All in all, a good time. I'm glad it's over as I'm just spent, but I had a great time.

Agility folks and Nationals prep

2008-10-24T10:46:00.001-07:00

I've been officially unemployed for a week. Can't say my mood has improved too much, but luckily I've been pretty busy with Nationals and my club's upcoming show. But, I have to admit that agility folks are pretty darned cool.

The day I got laid off, Jam and I had agility class. I walked out of agility class with a job! I am now teaching 2 classes for this group and that's great. I also came out of class after talking to two other folks who said they'd send my resume on to their HR folks at their companies. Cool!

Then, I had a show that weekend and was talking to the judge about my malady. He works for a company that has headquarters in the valley and he said he'd circulate my resume as well. Wonderful! Then, yet another agility buddy said she had lots of contacts and would pass my resume around. Fabulous! And THEN, one of my blog readers had me send my resume to her as well...it's a longshot, but heck...I'll take/do anything! Terrific!! I tell ya...agility folks are truly the best folks on Earth! I haven't received any word from anyone regarding a job offer, but getting my name out there is key. I thank all of them profusely as my mood gets lifted with each and every offer of support.

And then there's Nationals prep. Most of my efforts have been focused on volunteers. I am working feverishly on getting my schedule in order and being sure that I communicate adequately to everyone who is helping out. Not to mention that I have a dog to prep as well! I set up some back yard drills today. I have a friend (and Toller teammate) coming on Monday and we're going to head over to where I take classes and do some practice. I could also go to class Tuesday night, but I think I'll spend the time with my girls instead since I won't see them (except for Halloween night) for 5 nights. If Jam and I aren't ready now, we'll never be! :)

And then there's Quila. She and Jam are playing a LOT. I think they actually like each other!! She's still not 100% on potty training, but we're close. She is still nipping quite a bit, but it's getting better. She's definitely a cutie-patootie and somewhat of a troublemaker! :)

Can't finish without pictures...

:-)

The Black Cloud

2008-10-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's settled over our heads and seems to want to stay for a while. It is amazing how bad things happen in big, huge clumps. Amazing.

Started last week. Had a hefty vet bill and some more not-so-good news regarding Calvin. His protein levels seem to be down so there is a definite possiblity that either the Valley Fever has settled in his bones, or he has cancer. We opted out of the invasive tests (given his age) and instead have forged ahead with drug therapy.

That very same day, my back right tire on my SUV went flat. Really flat. While driving. With the girls. I was able to get my husband out to help me and another kind soul pulled over as well, but this all resulted in $400 for two new tires. Blah.

We had a wonderful hike in Sedona this past weekend (my birthday wish) but in the process we hurt Jeff's mom's feelings by not inviting her.

And then, the biggie...I lost my job on Tuesday. This job was a risk when I took it, in that it depended a lot on the economy. I just hoped for the best...and got the worst. So now, I am jobless...in what has to be the worst economy since the depression. To say I'm scared is an understatement. I have gone through all the emotions, but the one that stands out is an enormous feeling of terror.

Perhaps the only good thing that happened this past weeks is that I got to do a TV segment to promote the Cynosport games (dog sport) to be held at WestWorld here in Phoenix in less than 2 weeks. Jam and I taped it on Thursday and got to watch it this morning. (Of course, I had major issues with DirectTV and finally got it resolved within seconds of the start of my segment.)

I think I did a pretty good job...what do you think?

More puppy pictures!!

2008-10-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard to get a bad picture of her! :) Day 3 and she's doing great! The potty training is progressing, though she's had a couple of oops's. She's also sleeping better and woke us up at 5:45...about 45 minutes later than yesterday. Slowly we'll work her to 6 - 6:30. She's also figured out the doggie doors...just gotta get her to use them to go outside on a regular basis!

She's also taken to the ball, though Jam is NOT impressed! Jam is still quite growly with her, but I have no doubt they'll be fast friends. She's such a cute fluffball!!

:-)

Introducing Baby Quila!

2008-10-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here she is...

And again...running in from the backyard...

And playing with the girls...

She traveled very well, never making a peep from her Sherpa bag. When I brought her home, Jam was a bit growly with her, but they are slowly warming up to each other. Quila loves her puppy toys and has chewed on every single one. She also likes to lie in wait while Jam runs out to retrieve a ball, and then pounce on her when she comes back to me! :)

She kept us up a bit of the night whining, but otherwise, she's acclimated very well. She doesn't seem to be fearful of much and is being a pretty good puppy so far!!

Kinda weird to have a "baby" in the house again!!

Alb. results and I think we've got a name!!

2008-09-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

So, like...I went to Albuquerque hoping to come away with a DAM Team Q and hopefully a couple Q's towards our ADCH. But I DIDN'T expect what we did get:

DAM Team - Q and FIRST PLACE!!
Masters Standard (Sat.) - Q and 2nd place
Masters Gamblers - Q and 1st place
Steeplechase - Q and 2nd place
Masters Pairs - Q and 1st place
Masters Jumpers - Q (no placement)

We needed Pairs, Gamblers and Jumpers for our ADCH. Before the weekend we needed 8 legs, now we need only 5! We CAN do it!!

We were so close to a GP Q. We were running beautifully, but at the 3rd last obstacle, a tunnel, I sent her in the wrong end. Grrrr. My bad.

Jam ended up getting pretty sick Saturday afternoon/evening. She had diarreha (sp?) and was vomiting. She was one unhappy Toller. She wouldn't even run after her ball...not good. I wasn't sure about Sunday. Sunday morning she woke up much more perky and happy. I didn't run her in Masters Standard (which was the first class), but I did run her in Snooker (in which I sent her over #2, and then she backjumped it), Steeplechase Round 2 (she placed 3rd...won $16!) and Jumpers (Q'd).

All in all, a rather excellent weekend! :)

Wishy and her family were at the show and thanks to them, I believe we have a name for the puppy!!! I called my hubby and he didn't pooh-pooh it right away, so I think it's gonna stick. And now, the name...

Formal name = Lakota's Tequila Sunrise
Call name = Quila (key-la)

Whaddya think??!

Roadtrippin'

2008-09-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

Jam and I are heading to Albuquerque today for a 3-day USDAA show. We'll be RVing it with a friend and her 2 pups, so it'll be a bit different this time. We're used to staying at hotels so now we're going to see how the "other side" lives! :)

Jam is ready. I think. I mean, she's been doing well in class and in my backyard, so we'll see what happens on the field. She's 100% on her weave poles everywhere but at a show. Typical, eh? Though at the West Valley show in July she was 100% on her poles...not sure why, but she was. Maybe cuz that's the show in which I returned home from Wisconsin on a Thursday and left for the show on a Friday without having done a single jump...? They say practice makes perfect, but maybe not really...?

Can't end this post without a puppy picture! They are 7 weeks old today! The breeder has been fabulous. He's had them on live birds, has had agility equipment in the puppy pen, took them swimming in his pond and has taught them how to retrieve! I'm going to have a very well-rounded pup and I'm SO excited!

Here is Ms Yellow (Green) after a swim. She is SO CUTE!

I bring her home in a week and a half. Can't believe it's coming already!!

And now a name...a freakin' name. Now I'm looking at the names of beaches in the Caribbean. Her "formal" name could be "Lakota's Life's a Beach"...! :) Anyone, anyone? (OK, so maybe 2 people read this thing, but anyone???)

Catch ya on the road....

Lots 'o stuff going on

2008-09-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

Lessee...where to begin...

Jam...NO VALLEY FEVER!!! The test came back negative...woohoo!! :) I am so happy. :)

Calvin...he seems to have stabilized. He hasn't had a nosebleed in a week, thank goodness. He still isn't nearly as perky as usual, but that's to be expected. He is still eating like a horse, so that's good. He does go after the ball, but he takes his time. I just hope he continues to improve.

Puppies...they are 6 weeks old now!! The breeder sent video of them with live birds. They were going after them like good little Tollers! (no bird dies during filming!) The breeder has pretty much picked out the pup for me...the one I've been eyeing all along, Ms. Yellow (who is now wearing a green collar). Here are pictures of her being stacked...

Isn't she adorable?!! Right now she's one big puffball, but soon her "real" Toller coat will come in and she'll be as adorable as Jam! She STILL doesn't have a name though. I looked up some Caribbean facts online and like the name "Soca," which is a type of Caribbean music. My husband was less than thrilled with the name. Ugh. It's gonna be tough naming this one for some reason.

Our air conditioner...the upstairs one...it went out. And yeah, it's still freakin' HOT. And of course, it went out on a Saturday. One trip to Lowe's and 3 fans later, we were all able to sleep well last night. And luckily I was able to figure it out this evening and was able to jump start it back to life. Ugh. Hopefully we can limp it along until it cools off...like not until the end of October.

The girls...both are doing very well in school! We meet with Dani's teacher this week for parent/teacher conferences. We are expecting a good conference, so no worries there. And Erin continues to do well in Pre-K. They are both a bit rambunctious and need to learn to listen better, but that's age-specific and to be expected, I suppose.

Me...I got sick, really sick on Friday. And this was supposed to be my day on Friday...1) wake up, 2) wish husband a happy birthday, 3) head to the scuba shop to get his gift, 4) go to lunch with my boss, 5) lead "smoothie Friday" at Dani's school, 6) celebrate husband's birthday with gifts and cake. NONE of that happened. None. I was flat on my back (or in the bathroom) the entire day. I felt slightly better on Saturday, but still not too good. By today, I felt better, but not 100%. We were at least able to celebrate husband's birthday on Saturday and do some kid-oriented stuff today.

That's about it. Jam and I are heading to Albuquerque on Thursday for a 3-day USDAA show with DAM, Steeplechase and GP. It's gonna be at least 20 degrees cooler, thank goodness, and loads of fun. I'll be staying with a friend in her RV, which'll be way cool.

Show season is starting...woohoo!!

So Tired

2008-09-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

I judged a show this past weekend in California. Nice show, nice site, nice people, etc. The show site was on a slight incline, so I was basically walking up and down a small hill all day, two days in a row. I felt it in my glutes, so there is some benefit there for me!

By the last class of the weekend, I started to feel the old familiar signs of heat exhaustion. My head started to ache and my stomach started to feel queasy. I also had a hard time focusing. Luckily I was able to stand in the shade to judge the last class, and I didn't feel too badly until the last dozen dogs or so. Right after the class, I sat down with friends and drank some water and Propel. It all ended good, but today I am TIRED.

I took Jam in for her Valley Fever test today. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the test comes back negative. She was coughing a bit after a ball-throwing session today and my paranoid mind kept telling me that she has Valley Fever. God...I sure hope not.

I haven't heard much puppy news in the past week. I am STILL looking for a name though. I just can't decide. What to do...

Valley Fever

2008-09-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

It's a disease localized to the desert areas of Arizona, New Mexico and parts of California. This disease is contracted from either the dust in the air, by digging (dogs) or just inhaling the "fungal spores." It is very treatable, though it can be fatal.

Why am I telling you all this? Because we just found out that Calvin has valley fever. :( Not only does he have it, but he has a very severe case of it. A normal Valley Fever positive titer is 1:4, sometimes going up to 1:32. Calvin's titer came back as 1:256. Wow.

The ONLY clue we had that anything was amiss was the fact that he woke up Monday morning with a bada$$ nose bleed. Like blood all over. I took him to the vet that day and they ran the Valley Fever titer. We got the definitive results today. The drug of choice is Fluconazole, so we started him on it immediately. Hopefully it will start to make him feel better soon.

Given the severity of his case, he will most likely be on this drug for the rest of his life. He's taking it all in stride...still chasing after the tennis ball, though not quite as quickly.

This disease is not contagious, rather it's environmental, so we're gonna have Jam tested. Both live in the same environment, so it stands to reason that Jam's chances of having the disease are slightly elevated. It is called the "silent killer" since there really are no visible signs.

In honor of Calvy-Walvy, here are some of our favorite pictures...

And the beat goes on...

2008-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's still hot here. Really hot. Like "unseasonably warm." Dandy. Just dandy.

Work has been slow so you'd think I'd make good use of this downtime...nope...not me. I am feeling entirely unmotivated right now and need a kick in the pants to get me going. I have courses to design which is NEVER fun so I'm practicing my avoidance tactics.

Jam is doing great, thank Goodness! I took her to class on Tuesday and she showed no signs of soreness or anything. I am very pleased. She has actually been quite a nuisance...wanting to play ball all. the. time. I finally had to give her a bone to chew on to get her out of my hair!

The girls seem to be doing really well in school. I still worry about Dani and her making friends and all that. I am trying to sign her up for socially interactive things (like girl scouts, science class, etc.) but nothing seems to be panning out. Hopefully things'll pick up soon. Erin is really doing well in Pre-K. She still has at least one "Erin-sized fit" a day (not at school, thank Goodness) so that is VERY annoying.

I have puppy pictures!!! They turned 4 weeks old yesterday, but the breeder sent pics of them at 3.5 weeks old. They are now out in their puppy yard and are getting so CUTE! He even put a couple agility items in the yard (thanks to my friend, Tammi!).

Ms Yellow (in front...green collar now)...she's the one I've got my eye on.

They have changed so much! This is a boy.

Learning 2 on, 2 off...! :)

Puppy recall...how cute is this??

I just love their little noises! Course, when I get my pup home, I have no doubt that I will NOT love those little noises at 3 AM!

Better get back to course design avoidance...

Oye

2008-09-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we went, we saw, we all came home in one piece! (Bay Team Regionals that is.)

We got to San Jose on Friday around 1ish. Got into the long rental car line and got my car (finally) and headed south for the 1 hour drive to Salinas. Jam, by the way, was the perfect "service dog." She sat on my lap the entire time and was a very good passenger. Anywho...we got to the hotel aroun 3ish, I got Jam's agility stuff out of the suitcase, changed my clothes and we headed to the show site. We were running in Masters Pairs which started at 5ish.

I had a fabulous partner for Pairs (Luka) so I was psyched. I chose the first half since I felt it was more "doable" for Jam. It did have the weaves on that half, but she's been doing them so well that I didn't think they'd be a problem. We started out beautifully, then got to the weaves. Grrrr. She popped out at 10 and I had a brainfart as to where to put her back in. We frittered away the time there, then finished up beautifully. BUT, as fast as Luka is, there was no way they could make up the time I had frittered. No Q for us. Pooh.

Saturday dawned foggy and misty. The fog stayed with us for a good portion of the day. I was a judge today, so poor Jammie had to sit in her crate under the scoretable and watch me all day long. I did go and visit her between rotations. I judged Round 1 of the GP and the Team/PVP Relay Finals. The GP course I felt was a bit on the easy side, and it showed. My Q rate was rather large! Good for all the folks who ran it and capitalized on it! I did have a lot of dogs missing the up contact on the dog walk however. I don't think I've ever called that many ups in any one trial. Very strange. Team/PVP Relay was fun! I did get ran into by a crazy BC, but thankfully I saw it coming and was able to brace myself. The entire time I was judging Relay, the other judges (there were a bunch of us) were ringside talking animatedly throughout. I told them afterwards that I didn't know which was more intimidating...having all the competitors watching me or the judges!

Sunday dawned a bit foggy, but it cleared pretty quickly. Jam and I were competitors today...yay! We started out with Steeplechase. She was a tad distracted the first 3 jumps, but then picked it up. And then came the danged weaves. This time she didn't enter correctly so I got her back in and she completed them, thank God! Then she ran very fast to finish, but pulled a bar. Needless to say, we didn't Q.

Next came Masters Gamblers. I really needed this Gamble and it was so doable! I had a plan, but then changed it midstream. We started out great...she was really running! We came out of a tunnel to a straight shot onto the dog walk...when IT happened. She must've taken a mis-step while charging across the walk because the next thing I knew she was scrambling to stay on, but couldn't, and came down hard off the top plank. I ran to her and she was just laying there with her eyes half closed, panting every so slightly. I picked her up to get her out of the ring and put her down to check her out. Others came around me to see how she was doing. After about 30 seconds - 1 minute, she got up, shook it off, and seemed perfectly OK! I got an Ascriptin from a friend and gave her half of one. I walked her out and she didn't show any signs of lameness. I was very hopeful, but worried.

Next was Masters Standard. I had others watch me trot her out and she didn't seem to have any issues, so I decided to run her. And run she did!! She did GREAT! We ended up Qing, so that was very nice. She had no issues with the dog walk and was her normal self. THANK GOODNESS!! When it was all over, I had the doggie massage/chiropracter person give her a treatment to ensure that she was OK. Thankfully, she didn't seem to have any ill effects from her fall. Whew!

I drove back up to San Jose that night (after a fun dinner with the other judges) and we flew out this morning for home. Again, Jam was the perfect passenger.

I must say that the Bay Team did a great job with the Regional. You could never tell that there were over 400 dogs there. The rotation schedule seemed to work like a charm and I had a good time. I even learned how to ride a Segway! :) THAT was fun!!

I also found out today that I now have a complete team for Nationals! A friend asked if I wanted to be on an all-Toller team...I was very interested, but one of the possible team members hadn't yet qualified. She had her chance to Q this weekend and thankfully, she did! All of the Tollers are 16 inchers, so it's a bit unusual. We're now in the process of thinking of a fun name. It's so nice to have that loose end tied up!

Jam and I have some work to do before Nationals...like proofing the weaves!...but I think we'll be just fine. As long as we don't take it too seriously, it'll all go well!

Prepping for a Regional (puppy news too!)

2008-08-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

I've never shown my dog at a Regional. I have to travel too far and I just can't afford it (time or money). BUT, this year I was asked to judge one day of the Bay Team Regional in San Jose, CA. I was also told I could bring my dog and show her the other days if I so choose. Well, I "so choose" so that's what I'm gonna do!

I am judging the Grand Prix Round 1, so we won't be able to run in that (phooey!) BUT, we will be able to compete in Pairs and Gamblers...2 legs we need towards our ADCH. We'll also run in a Standard class and the Steeplechase. I will be leaving very early Monday morning to catch a flight home for a BBQ with the family.

Jam and I have been working hard on gambles. She is now about 90% on her "outs" so hopefully we'll be able to capitalize at the show. She's running real well, though we haven't seen a whole lot of contact equipment lately. I ran her over an a-frame Tuesday night, but no teeter (I'm too lazy to drag mine out!) and no dogwalk. I think we'll be OK though (cross your fingers!).

PUPPY NEWS! :)

The puppies turn 3 weeks old today! Their eyes are open and they're getting more active. My friend (Toller friend) went and saw them today and confirmed that the smaller girl (Ms. Yellow...though she has on a green collar now) seems to be the most adventuresome. The breeder posted a video link that showed her escaping from the whelping box...so cute!! Here are some more pictures:

Ms. Yellow (or green...whatever!)

Ms. White (what a FACE!)

Puppy Pile!!

Junior Handlers (agility...for non-agile folks!)

2008-08-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

I just had the pleasure of judging a Junior Handlers (JH) trial tonight. Our club (Good Dog Agility) hosts 2 JH trials each summer. Normally they are fairly well attended...tonight we had only 2 handlers and 5 dogs. A very small trial, but boy...did Good Dog have the turnout in terms of workers! The JHers were treated to a nice crowd of people watching them work through the courses.

I'm not entirely sure why the turnout was so low. Could be that the heat was too stifling? Or maybe folks were just plain busy or out of town? I don't know. What I do know is that it's a cool program that allows Juniors to compete against kids rather than against adults or "professional" agility handlers. The courses at the Beginners level are fairly simple, but once they progress to the Senior level, the courses are much like what I'd put out for the Starters class in the "adult" version.

I do enjoy watching the Juniors and hope that they come out in droves for our next trial which will be held in June.

My own little Junior Handlers were spending time with Lisa, our ex-Nanny. This was most likely the last time they'll see her as she (the Nanny) is moving. We'll miss her as she is GREAT with the girls and they love her and her son. I'm glad they had the chance to see her once again.

Time for puppy news!!! They are 2 weeks, 2 days old today. Their eyes are starting to open and they are whimpering quite a bit. I have pictures, but I'm too lazy to post them tonight...maybe tomorrow night! I also have made my flight arrangements for "project puppy pick-up." I am judging a show in Michigan the first weekend in October...since the pups are in Illinois, I am going to pick them up on my return trip home. I've scheduled an almost 3 hour layover at O'Hare and the breeders wife will bring my pup to me. I can't wait! :)

Sad and tragic news

2008-08-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law earned her pilot's license last year. She grew very close to her flight instructor, Doug Kinneard. Tragically, Doug died this past weekend in a plane crash. He and another young couple were attempting a take-off, when their plane apparently stalled and came down hard. The young couple survived, but are badly burned (see cjanerun for details).

The young couple (Stephanie (NieNie) and Christian Nielson) have 4 very young children. Their road to recovery will be long and arduous. My ex-husband's nephew was burned when he was a kid. He was burned over maybe 10% of his body and his recovery was long and painful. Christian is burned over 30% of his body and Stephanie over 80%. Their medical bills will be HUGE. The family has set up a bank account and is accepting donations. You can click the following button to help:

My sister-in-law is grief-stricken, as are all of Doug's friends and family. Doug himself leaves behind a wife and 4 children (ranging in age from 13 - 25). Luckily both families (NieNie and Doug) are very strong in their faith and have a huge support system, so hopefully they can hold strong to their faith and make it through this tragic time.

Gonna give it a go!

2008-08-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the night of the first PTO (Parent-Teacher Oganization) meeting for Dani's school. I usually have agility class Tuesday nights, but class got bumped to Thursday, so I figured I would go.

I went to exactly ONE meeting last year (at her old school) and hated it. The cliques were insane. I am NOT a cliquey person, not to mention that I don't want to talk about kids/babies/potty training/domestic things all the time. I have a life outside my kids and am much more comfortable talking agility talk.

Since I do typically have agility class Tuesday nights, this'll most likely be THE only meeting I attend. I want to go mostly to see if there are any activities I can volunteer for...like book fairs, festivals, etc. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to stomach the "mommy clique."

In other news...I FINALLY got those courses done...hallelujah! I had to immediately move to revising courses for the huge Bay Team trial, and then design Junior Handler courses (for 2 handlers and 5 dogs) that I'm judging this weekend.

No new puppy news. I guess the breeder has been busy, though I hope he sends new pictures soon! I'm still searching for a name. I like Rum, or maybe even Cat (short for Catamaran...?)...how funny would that be...a dog named Cat?! Crap...I don't know. For some reason I'm having the hardest time ever with this pup whereas with the others, I had names lined up long before I met them!

HELP!

Another week, another show, and puppy news

2008-08-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

The weeks are flying by. With the girls in school and show season just around the corner, it's just gonna get busier (more busy...whatever!).

Dani is doing GREAT in first grade! She is the youngest in her class by a pretty big margin, but she's doing just fine. Her teacher told me that she would never have guessed that she was only 5! :) She even got 100% on her first spelling test! The work seems pretty basic so far and Dani is having no problems doing it, so that's good.

Erin is also doing fabulous in Pre-K! Her teachers said that she is the role model for all the other kids. She is attentive, a good listener (imagine that!) and is always wanting to please. That is such good news!! We always worry about Erin as she can have her "Erin moments" but perhaps we're moving beyond that now? Let's hope so!

I judged a show in Oregon last weekend. I was a tad bit apprehensive given the fact that the last show I judged I ended up in the hospital!! Luckily the weather for this show was very nice (though we had a bit of rain Saturday morning) and I had no issues. I wore my new hat and drank my Propel and ate some salty foods, so it all went well. Nice club too! All-in-all, a good weekend.

As for the puppies, they are doing great!! They did lose a girl last week though :( I'm not entirely sure what happened, but they tried to save her and couldn't. The breeder was pretty upset about it...and it is very sad. He (the breeder) has been pretty good about posting pictures and videos on his site. The puppies are 7 days old today...here are some pics!

This is one of the girls...she is so CUTE!!

And here is a boy...

And the rest...the other girl is in the middle...

Looks like momma is feeding them well!

This weekend it's just me 'n the girls. Jeff is going diving in San Carlos...IF they let them into Mexico! Hopefully they will cuz he is itching to get in the water!

I'm in course design hell right now. Course design is by far the worst part of judging. I'm trying to design all new courses this year, but dang...my creative energy is just not there right now. Hopefully it'll come back soon cuz I'm already a day late on submitting 11 courses to my reviewer. Blah.

Help me name my puppy!!

2008-08-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Just found out that my next pup has been born! This officially puts the birthdate as 08/07/08! :) Aren't they CUTE??

Ember (mama Toller) had 3 girls and 3 boys. I'm hoping for a girl, but it really all depends the temperament. I'm lucky to have a friend who has and knows Tollers and agility nearby (the breeder that is) to take a look at them for me and help me out with some testing.

Here's a close up of a couple of the pups...

Now I need help with the name!! I usually have a name long before I get the puppy, but this time I'm stumped. Names of previous dogs include:

NEA - named after the National Education Association (Beagle)
Saavik - named after a character on Star Trek (dobe/shepherd mix)
Fred - named Fred cuz I liked the name! (Italian Greyhound)
Chakotay - named for a character on Star Trek (Italian Greyhound)
Rysa - named after the "planet of pleasure" from Star Trek (Toller)
Jam - named after the country of Jamaica (Toller)

The Star Trek names came when I was married to my ex...he is a major "Trekkie." I would like to veer FAR away from those type of names, thank you very much!

I'm thinking my new theme is the Caribbean. Anybody got any suggestions for me?? The kennel name is Lakota, so that'll have to factor into the "formal" name.

I'm so psyched!! :)

Of school days and a bruised paw

2008-07-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

School started yesterday for both girls. Dani started First Grade and Erin Preschool. They both had great drop-offs and good days. I'd put a picture in here, but the blogger won't let me upload any. Suffice it to say, they were cute pictures. :)

Today's drop-offs did not go so well. Dani developed a tummy ache and Erin was ultra clingy. I was in tears. Despite my lack of motherly instincts, I love my girls fiercely. When I see them unhappy or sad, I feel unhappy or sad. Mostly I feel as if I've dropped the ball on finding and maintaining friends for them. I don't have any friends with kids (they are all dog people) so they don't have good friends. Dani looked so alone this morning and I totally blame myself. Gotta shake it though. Just gotta.

Meanwhile, during a practice session with Jam the other day, she all of a sudden came up lame. Her right front paw was bothering her. She hardly put any weight on it and kept licking it. I isolated it to one of her toes, but couldn't be sure what was going on. I gave her some Metacam and then ended up taking her to the Vet. It appears that she bruised her paw between two of the toes. Most likely while chasing her ball. She'll be off for about a week, though she seems to be feeling better already. I'm not gonna push it though. I'm still going to my distance training class tonight, but I'll just be taking notes.

I also just found out that I'll be able to pair with an awesome dog at the Bay Team regional. I just got word that Luka is available so Jam and I will have a kick-a$$ pairs partner! :)

hot, Hot, HOT!

2008-07-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

It is TOO FREAKIN' HOT! I am so darned sick of this heat, it's not even funny.

I HATE the heat...hate it. We had oppresive heat through all of June and it has continued full force in July. Thankfully I was able to go to Wisconsin for 10 days in early July to get out of it...and it was wonderful...but to be back sucks. I mean...set your oven to 450 degress, stick your entire body in it for 10 seconds and tell me how you feel. For real!!! Yeah...a dry heat my a$$. It's still heat and it's HOT.

Going in the pool offers little relief since the water temperature is 94 degrees. It's almost like going into the jacuzzi but without the jets.

Have I mentioned how much I hate the heat?

When I work Jam, we do a couple of repititions and then I throw the ball in the pool for her. She gets out, we do a couple more repititions, and then back in the pool. Regardless, her tongue is still dragging to the ground.

Blah.

I HATE the heat. I want it to be winter and now.

Harumph.

Distance training

2008-07-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm very lucky to have a wonderful trainer in my own backyard. She proposed a set of distance training classes for me/Jam and two of our buddies (training classmates). One of the buddies has a very nice yard for us to be able to train in. We had our first session last night and I think this'll really help us reach that goal of getting 4 Gamblers legs for our ADCh!

We are really going "back to the basics" but I think it's going to be great in the long run. Especially since Jammie needs more foundation skills in this area. We worked on "go" and "out" last night. We have a bunch of homework, but I'm up for the challenge. I want to hit the ground running when show season starts again in September.

In other news, the girls both start school next Monday! Yay...hurray!!!! Quite honestly, I am really not cut out to be a stay-at-home-mom (technically I'm supposed to be working, but luckily things have been slow lately). I just don't have the patience to be with my girls 24/7. I know that's a bad thing to say, but it's the way I'm wired. Dani starts 1st grade (we meet her teacher this Friday) and Erin will start preschool/daycare. I wish I was more "motherly" but I'm not. I go through the motions and I love them dearly, but it just doesn't seem natural. Give me a puppy and I'll spend hours with it...give me kids and I'm done after 10 minutes. :\

Speaking of puppies...my next pup should be born August 6!! I got an email from the breeder and he said mama Toller (Ember) is looking quite pregnant and they'll see just how many are in there in a week. I am getting very excited!!

I'll finish with a few pics...first Erin swimming with the snorkel...

And Dani swimming with the snorkel...

Jam leaping into the water (can't wait to do Splash Dogs at Nationals this year!)...

And finally, Calvin playing his "how far can I go" game with the ball...

Jam and I are Jammin'!

2008-07-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

After a good 2 weeks of no training whatsoever, Jam and I headed off to CA for a USDAA show. I had no expectations given the fact that I had just returned from WI and we hadn't seen a piece of equipment in a very long time.

We started with Masters Gamblers. Before this weekend, we needed 10 more legs for our ADCh...4 of them being Gamblers legs. This show offered double Gamblers. This gamble actually had a table in it. We haven't seen a table in a gamble since the advent of electronic timers several years ago! Regardless, we worked the opening and were in a great position when the gamble horn sounded. She did great on the first 3 gamble obstacles, but woudn't send to the table...pooh. Oh well, there was another opportunity tomorrow!

The next class was Steeplechase. I needed 1 more qualifier in order to run at Nationals this year. I had low expectations since the competition in the 16" class was seriously competitive. We went in and SMOKED the course!! By the end of it, we had Q'ed...WOOHOO! That monkey was now off my back!

Next came Masters Standard. We had a GREAT run up until the end...she went around a jump. I had let off on my handling and it showed. Oh well...she was running so fast that I couldn't be too upset.

Next came Masters Snooker. I needed one more Super Q for my Snooker Master title. Again, with the competition so stiff, I wasn't expecting much. I had a plan, but the times were tight and I started to waver on my plan. But, as the class went on, one 16" dog after another started to muff it up. I decided to stick with my original plan. We went in and NAILED it! We did 4 reds and got through number 6 in the closing. In the end, the Super Q was ours and we earned our Snooker Master! Another monkey off my back! :)

Last was Masters Jumpers. Jam again was very fast, but again, my handling skills went downhill. It was about 5:30 PM by that time so I was a bit tired. Regardless, we had a couple refusals but once again, I was so very pleased with how Jam ran!

Today (Sunday) we started with Steeplechase round 2. I pushed Jam for speed and she totally gave it to me! She was FAST! She did pull a couple bars in the process but in the end she placed 5th. I was so PROUD!

The next course was the Grand Prix. The course was very ugly. It required a lot of handling and it was VERY technical with some ugly angles. We started with the big dogs. NO 26" dogs Q'ed and I believe only 3 22" dogs Q'ed and only 1 of those dogs was clean. Next were the 16" dogs. Dog after dog ahead of me eliminated. I got Jam to the line and just went for it. We had a BEAUTIFUL run and ended up clean! :) Everyone let out a huge cheer! There was one more clean run after her, and the dog was faster, so she didn't get the bye (for a Super Regional), but dang...she handled perfectly and again was fast!

Next was Masters Standard. I was going to let my friend run Jam, but Jam wanted only her mommy! While my friend was warming her up, she had eyes only for me so I ended up running her anyway. Once again, she smoked it and we ended up in 2nd with the Q! I am so PROUD of her! This was her 8th run of the weekend and she was as fresh as if it were her first.

Masters Pairs came next and I had paired with Cedar, a very nice Italian Greyhound. Cedar didn't like the surface (dirt with clumps and rocks) so she was a bit slower, but still very consistent. She went first and went clean. Jam took off from the start and never looked back. She was so fast that I had no chance to get in the crosses I had planned! We ended up in 1st with a Q!

The second round of Masters Gamblers was next with a very nice, doable gamble. We got plenty of opening points and started the gamble nicely, but she was to push out to the teeter after a tunnel...she ended up coming back into me so we didn't get it. Guess I gotta work on some better "OUT" commands! :)

This weekend also offered double Snooker, but we left before the class started since it was already 3:15 and I had a 5.5 hour drive ahead of me. Since I got my Snooker Master on Saturday and was dog tired, I had no problems leaving early!

After this weekend, we now need 8 more legs for our ADCh:

4 Gamblers
2 Jumpers
2 Pairs

Jumpers and Pairs shouldn't be a problem...Gamblers will be a problem! I've never liked Gamblers, but I must now embrace it and love it!

Now I am tired. Jam came home tonight and wanted to play. I, on the other hand, did not!

A dumb blonde moment

2008-07-11T21:42:00.001-07:00

Yup...I am a natural blonde!

So we get back from Wisconsin last night around 7ish. There was quite a bit of weather in Phoenix, but they managed to get us on the ground in between storms. The girls and I had to gather our luggage alone (i.e. husband didn't actually come to the airport, park, walk in and help us out) and go out to the curb to wait for him (he hadn't left the house yet when I called him from the plane). He finally shows up, the girls go wild, we all pile into the SUV and drive home.

We get home and the phone rings...it's MY cell phone calling MY home phone. I get a puzzled look on my face, pick up the phone and talk to the person using MY cell phone. It's a security guard from the airport! Freaky. Apparently I had left my backpack on the ground by the bench where the girls and I were waiting for my husband. This backpack contained not only my cell phone, but also my wallet and my laptop...YIKES! Sooooo, I got back in the SUV, drove through DRIVING rain, stood outside the Operations building to wait for someone to give me my backpack, then drove back home in the DRIVING rain with said backpack.

Now there is an obvious silver lining...a security guard picked up the backpack...not someone who could've taken it and vanished into thin air. I am grateful for that but dang...how could I BE so blonde! Ah well...all's well that ends well!

Now I'm sitting in a hotel room in Pomona, CA getting ready to show Jammie at a USDAA show this weekend. I was home less than 24 hours before heading to CA. Crazy. And of course, Jam and I haven't practiced for 2 weeks, so we could really suck this weekend, but we'll have fun in the process!

Finally...a proper 4th!

2008-07-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

After spending a lot of crappy 4ths in Phoenix (where it's too hot to sit outside for too long) I decided to take the kids to Wisconsin to show them what a REAL 4th is like!

We arrived at midnight on the 1st (so the 2nd really) and started in on the festivities right away. My brother arrived from Boston on the 3rd. We immediately went to the zoo and spent about 5 hours there. That evening, the girls and I met with a couple of old high school buddies and their families. My best friend (since the 2nd grade I might add!) came with her two girls, who are quite a bit older than my girls...yet they all got along like peas and carrots! My girls couldn't stop talking about them.

On the 4th, we went back to my home town (Brown Deer, WI) and watched the 4th of July parade! The girls got LOTS of candy and I saw yet another old high school buddy...he was riding his unicyle in the parade...he's been doing it since I've known him! The cool thing is that his 8-year-old son was riding with him! :) We then came back to my folks house for a BBQ. The girls and I then headed over to the park where we met up with my friend and her girls again. They had snagged a great spot where we could watch the fireworks as they exploded over our heads! My folks and brother joined us later and were treated to a fabulous fireworks show! The girls had their hands over their ears the entire time, but the just LOVED it!

All this time, the temps have been in the low 70's, dipping into the low 60's by nightfall. So, SO much better than the 100+ temps in Phoenix!

On the 5th, my other brother and his family came to my folks from Illinois. We spent the day together chatting, playing ball (soccer, catch, baseball, etc.), eating, racing, and thoroughly enjoying each others company. A very nice day.

Today we just got back from visiting my cousins. They live about an hour south of my folks. The girls got to go to a beach and jump over the waves in Lake Michigan. The water was freezing cold and they loved every minute of it!

So far, it's been a great visit. Tomorrow my Boston brother heads home. The girls and I will be here until the 10th. On the 11th, Jam and I are roadtripping it to California for a show. I won't have practiced with her for 2 weeks, so we'll see how it goes! :)

I believe I've broken a toe!

2008-06-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

On my right foot...the middle toe. Ow.

We went to the lake today and spent a good long time there. I rode the jet ski a lot. When I ride, I RIDE. I torque it around in circles and figure 8's and all sorts of things. While I'm doing that, I grab on with my legs and toes. I think during one of my figure 8's, I jammed my foot into the side of the jetski, thereby breaking my toe. Did I say Ow?

Can you tell which one it is...?

Course, I have a second interview at Go Daddy tomorrow...guess I'll be hobbling into the interview room!

Back to the lake...it was a lot of fun! We were supposed to meet friends there, and we did towards the end of the day, but we couldn't find them until then. Regardless, Dani just LOVED being pulled by the tube! She went clear from one end of the lake down to the other and then some! She kept yelling "faster, faster!" When we met up with friends, they were pulling a "banana" behind them. This thing can fit 3 kids so Dani and their 2 kids rode that thing around forever. She cried when she had to get off! We got home at 7:15 tonight, so it was a very long day.

I've got ice on the toe and have propped it up for now. Hopefully the swelling will subside somewhat, though I'm afraid it's going to get quite black and blue!

My love affair with a Dyson

2008-06-26T10:13:00.001-07:00

Wow. I never knew one could actually enjoy vacuuming! My sister-in-law came to live with us in April and she brought along her Dyson. This thing sucks...I mean realy, REALLY sucks!! I vacuumed the floor 3 times and was still sucking up loads of dog hair (which, when you think about it is really gross).

By the 4th time, it had sucked up only a tiny amount of dog hair, so I can safely say my carpets are now dog-hair free. At least for a few minutes. It's funny though...I just vacuumed and now all the dogs are laying on the tile. They seem to know that the carpet is pristine and they don't want to mess it up! :)

I have no idea what I'll do when she leaves. Guess I'll have to cajol my husband into giving me one for my birthday or something!

Oh...and it would seem like the Toller mama is pregnant and the pups are due August 6th!! Stay tuned!

It's all good

2008-06-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Seems my experience with heat exhaustion is virtually past me. I went to the doctor today and all seems well. They did do a blood draw to ensure that my levels are all normal, etc. I'll get those results in a day or two.

Meanwhile, we went to the lake on Sunday and I had no problems. I did feel hot from time-to-time, but I jumped into the refreshingly cool water, and felt much better. I also alternated drinking Propel with water to keep my sodium and electrolytes up. All in all, a good day at the lake.

I have class again tonight. I'm going to go, but will be sure to keep cool and hydrated. It's course night tonight which means I'll run a course maybe 3 times, so that shouldn't be too bad. We'll see how it goes.

Jam hasn't been worked on the equipment at all. It's just to flippin' hot. We've been up to 110+ for a good week now. It's getting old...really, really old. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate, detest and CAN'T STAND the heat? Ugh. Course, seems like humidity does a number on me too. Maybe I'll blow up a big bubble, step inside and be a bubble person...?

So I went to class the other night...

2008-06-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

And I shouldn't have. I am clearly not "over" this heat exhaustion episode. By the end of class, I handed Jam over to a classmate and asked him to run her. I couldn't do it. I came home so supremely exhausted, it was all I could do to drag my weary body up the stairs to bed.

It took me until 4 PM on Wednesday to work through the nausea and the crappy way I felt all day. Today I felt good in the morning, but not so hot come afternoon. I did make an appointment with my doctor for next week, so hopefully he can help me out.

Meanwhile, our dryer crapped out. YAY! not. We don't have time to do anything about it until Saturday, so in the meantime, I've been washing the clothes and then hanging them out on a line to dry. Course, with my heat sensitivity, being outside hasn't helped, but the laundry HAS to get done. I've been downing Propel like crazy.

I did do a little research and found that I also most likely had what's called "water intoxication." Basically you down so much water that your system pushes out all the sodium and potassium and you literaly become "drunk" on water! Crazy.

We're hoping to go out on the boat on Sunday. I plan to keep in the shade, drink plenty of Propel and jump into the freezing cold water whenever I feel like it!

A tale of judging and heat stroke...

2008-06-16T12:04:00.001-07:00

Ugh.

I left to judge a 3-day Regional in Pennsylvania on Thursday. I noticed the humidity right away, but I've judged in humidity before, so no biggie.

Friday I judged LOTS of dogs. The weather was hot and humid, but there was a breeze, thank Goodness. I judged from 8:30 AM - 7 PM and felt fine, though my feet were KILLING me.

Saturday dawned somewhat cloudy, very hot and oppressively humid. Now, I'm a Wisconsin girl, but have been in Arizona for the past 20 years. If our humidty index gets over 20% on any given day, that's pretty amazing. Granted, it gets high during the monsoon season, but that lasts all of 2 months.

I'd estimate the temp on Saturday to be upper 80's, low 90's with a humidity index of 85% - 90%. The air was not moving and it was yucky. I started judging Team Gamblers and felt pretty good. I was drinking water...lots of water. I was getting new bottles every 15 minutes. By the end of the class, I was feeling a bit woozy. I sat down in front of a great fan while they built and walked my GP (round 1) course. I went out to judge that course and started feeling worse. I was still drinking water, and also dumping it over my head from time-to-time.

There were two groups...group A and group B. I barely made it through group B before everyone dragged me out of there and into some A/C. They took me to an RV where I layed down. I started shivering, and feeling generally out of it. A competitor, who is also a nurse, assessed me and determined I should go to ER. On the way to ER, I almost vomited, but held it in. When we got to ER, my friends were very pushy and got me into triage ASAP. During triage, I lost the entire contents of my stomach. I hadn't eaten a lot that morning, but a WHOLE lot came back up. They got me into a room and started pushing fluids.

After 2 bags, the doctor told me my sodium levels were dangerously low. He said I could choose to go, but it would be against medical advice. I wanted to stop imposing on a very wonderful, kind friend so I said I wanted to go. The doc said to push fluids with sodium, so my friend gave me a G2. On the way to his house, I told him to pull over so I could get out and vomit up the G2 I had just drank. We headed right back to ER. They put in 2 more bags of fluids. By 1 AM, my bloodwork showed that my sodium levels were on the low range of normal, but were good. I also felt much, much better.

My friend took me to his house at 2 AM, where we slept until 10:30 AM! We went to the show at about 11ish and I so wanted to judge! Of course, the doctor said no f-ing way was I gonna judge, so instead I sat in front of the lovely fan and chatted with friends. I also finished up my paperwork from the previous day. Luckily there were plenty of other judges to fill in my other classes.

It was a very unpleasant experience, but I felt so badly for the club and for my extremely kind-hearted friend. He is truly a saint. He stayed with me the entire time and calmed and soothed me and was a fabulous person to have around. I can't say enough for the entire club and all the competitors who were so concerned for me. One good friend told me she just couldn't sleep she was so worried about me.

I'm glad it's over but am now somewhat worried about judging in similar conditions. I've been judging for 14 years and nothing like this has ever happened to me before...ever. I was reminded by many that I'm not as young as I once was, so I suppose that plays into it as well. Not to mention that while drinking water is good, it was taking away any sodium I had, which is NOT good. I started drinking Propel on Sunday, which has some sodium and other good stuff in it.

In a previous post I mentioned the reason why I continue to judge...the people are so phenominal, it's amazing. The nurse even gave up her Grand Prix run to come to the ER with me. I couldn't thank her enough. I'll keep judging for now, but will more carefully choose the times of year and location before I say yes!

A training breakthrough!

2008-06-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Jam has a FABULOUS running contact on the a-frame. Many people would kill for her running contacts. Funny thing is, I never trained it...she just does it. I can't even take credit for training it that way. Shhhh...don't tell anyone!

While her a-frame contact is rock-solid, her dog walk contact is not. I have to slow her way down and keep telling her to "target" all the way to the end. I really, truly want running contacts on the dog walk so I told my instructor this last night. She pulled out two stick-like things...the type of sticks you use to put up the orange snow fencing...and made a "teepee" at the end of the dog walk contact. I had Jam hop up on the downside of the dog walk a couple times to let her go under this teepee. She did it with no problems. Cool! Now...let's see what she does at full speed!

I put her over a couple jumps then sling-shotted her out of a tunnel onto the dog walk. She was MOVING! At the bottom, she simply dove under the teepee and ran after the ball I threw for her. It was beautiful!! I did it a few more times and she had no problems whatsoever. My instructor also did it with her so I could truly see how she's lowering her head, without missing a stride, and diving through the teepee.

I am so psyched! Now I have to find me some teepee making poles and build myself a dog walk so I can practice this at home! I would so love to not have to worry about her dog walk contact. Not to mention that it would shave a bunch of seconds off her time, which may allow us to beat some of those darned Shelties!!

Back from Disney and the San Diego USDAA show!

2008-06-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Disneyland was a blast! We were at Disneyland for 2 days and California Adventure for 1 day. We went on every single ride at Disneyland, met the majority of the characters, dined with the princesses and had an overall great time!

Dani is a bonified "roller coaster queen" while Erin is more timid. Dani's favorite rides were:

Splash Mountain (went on it 4 times!)
Space Mountain (went on it 3 times)
Mulholland Madness (went on it 3 times)
Big Thunder Mountain (went on it once)
Buzz Lightyear
Finding Nemo
Winnie the Pooh

Erin was a bit less adventuresome. Her fav's were:

Dumbo
Finding Nemo
Autopia
Buzz Lightyear
Teacups
She liked the Matterhorn, but didn't want to go on it again

We used a program Wishy recommended to maximize our ride time and minimize our wait time. We used it and also ad-hoced a bit and had minimal wait times. It was GREAT!

The highlight of the entire vacation were the princesses. Erin was in LOVE with Ariel and Snow White. When we first saw Ariel, she was in heaven. When Snow White came out, she was over-the-top thrilled! Here are some pictures with the princesses:

Of course we had to have our official Disney mouse ears (though Dani wanted a hat instead!):

And Erin fell head-over-heels in love with Winnie the Pooh!

He's the only character she'd get close to...other than Minnie Mouse that is...

All in all, a great time was had by all! We even opened and closed the park one day! Talk about one tired bunch of people!

Friday evening, we drove down to Chula Vista (San Diego). A friend picked up Jam for me in Arizona and delivered her to me that night for a USDAA show that weekend. I brought the girls with me on Saturday and they were GREAT! A couple of friends were there with their 3-year-old daughter, so the 3 of them played together and watched movies. The dad even took them to a couple of playgrounds. At one point, they all ended up snuggling under blankets and taking a 2 hour nap!

Jammie and I did OK. We got 2 Masters Standard Q's only. In Gamblers, I was totally off and handled her like crap. In Masters Jumpers, she ran very fast, but too fast for me to keep her from a huge off-course potential. In Steeplechase, she missed the cutoff by .35 seconds. She had some issues in the weaves but was otherwise very fast.

On Sunday, she ran great on her half of Pairs, but her partner went off course. Her Masters Standard run was fabulous. In the GP, she muffed up the weaves...just like 80% of the class did. We couldn't figure out what was up with that. In Snooker, we had a wonderful opening. Then in the closing, she pulled the only bar of the weekend while going over #3. Oh well...it was the last class of the weekend so I couldn't be too upset with her.

Regardless, the entire trip was wonderful. Getting back to reality has been tough, but it's a necessary evil!

'nother puppy possiblity and my little fishies!

2008-06-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

Yup...I've already found a Toller breeder and he will be breeding the girl this week! I've seen pictures of this girl as well as a clip or two of her doing agility. She looks earily similar to Jam, though she's a bit taller. The daddy also looks good. If all goes well, by the first weekend of October I'll have a new pup in the house!

We went in the pool again this weekend. It's still a tiny bit chilly (like...86ish degrees) but swimmable. The girls are doing so well with their swimming! Dani is gonna be a fish by the end of the summer. She's swimming well both above and below water. She LOVES to "ride" on Daddy's back underwater.

Erin hangs on to a noodle as you throw her high in the air. She comes crashing down into the water, bobs back up and says immediately "again!" Too much fun.

I've got about 10 pounds of crap loaded into the SUV right now. We leave tomorrow afternoon. I think we'll be able to fit the rest of the stuff in there, but we'll definitely be packed to the gills! The girls are getting really excited, as are the adults! I love Disneyland...afterall, it's the "Happiest Place on Earth," right?!

Shoving 20 pounds of taters into a 5 pound sack

2008-05-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Yup...that's what we gotta do in 5 days.

We're heading to Disneyland next Tuesday. We have a Ford Expedition. Here's what needs to go in there...

5 people (3 adults, 2 kids)
5 people's crap
2 strollers
2 bags of scuba gear (Hubby and Sister-in-law are diving the weekend after)
All my dog agility gear (I'm going to a show with Jam while they're diving)

How the HECK are we gonna do it? I haven't got a clue. I plan to do some "dry runs" this weekend to see if we can get it all in. If we can't, we gotta figure out what can stay and what can go.

One thing we can do is leave some of the agility stuff out. My friend is coming to our house while we're gone to pick up Jam to get her to the show for me...she might be able to take some of the agility crap. BUT, I don't wanna put all that on her...she's already doing me a HUGE favor to get my dog.

What to do. We have a luggage rack, but I don't want any extra drag to screw up my already pitiful gas mileage.

Time to get creative!

Ramblings from the long weekend

2008-05-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

We had an unusually cool weekend for Memorial Day weekend...it was so NICE! I turned off the air conditioner sometime last week, though I suspect I'll be turning it on again before too long. The nice weather allowed us to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors!

We took the boat back to the lake yesterday. We picked it up from the maintainancing place on Friday, cleaned it up on Sunday and brought it to the lake yesterday. We road around the lake a bit but didn't get in the water...it was FREEZING cold. It was nice to get out on the boat again, though. Next time we'll bring the jetski and hopefully it'll be warm enough to do something in the water.

I've also been practicing with Jam quite a bit. We need 11 more legs for our ADCH. I'd like to start chipping away at those at the San Diego trial coming up in less than 2 weeks. Show season is pretty much over in Arizona, so I now have to travel to California to go to any shows. With the price of gas, it's getting a bit cost-prohibitve!

The girls are doing just fine. Dani's last day of school is tomorrow. We'll head to Disneyland June 3, then when we return, the girls will be in Club Pee Wee, a program offered by the Chandler Parks 'n Rec. They'll be in the classroom 2 hours each day, except Friday. I think they'll enjoy it.

I've also decided to wait a while on a new pup. The pup I was going to get just isn't going to happen. The timing and transportation issues got to be fairly impossible so I decided to wait. Not to mention, I'm thinking now that I'd like to get another Toller. Jam is my pride and joy and I just LOVE the Toller look and attitude. I'm totally OK with it too. I have so much going on right now, that I don't think I could do a new pup justice.

We're doing the Disney countdown...9 more days...WooHoo! :)

A Party Fit for a Princess!

2008-05-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Erin's birthday is on Thursday (May 22)...she'll be 4. We ended up having a small princess party for her on Sunday. We invited 3 of her little friends from "school" and 2 were able to come. I planned some activities and away we went...

First, Princess Erin:

We made some tiaras (and crowns for the one Prince that was there):

Then we played "Pin the crown on the Princess:"

Followed by decorating cookie wands:

Next I read Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, followed by a game of "Pass the Poisoned Apple," but the pictures aren't all that great so I don't have any of those! After that game, we had Erin open some presents:

And finally, the cake. It was an ice cream cake and it was the perfect size for such a small group:

All in all, a great party! Honestly, I'm just glad it's over! And now...a final Princess Wave from Erin and Dani:

Judging, primary caregiver, what else?

2008-05-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

Judging:

I just judged my 2nd show back from my year off and am going to be judging my 3rd show this weekend. I experienced some travel issues this last time, which left me physically and mentally exhausted. Made me again ask "why am I doing this?" Then I think back to the actual trial. This trial was in the Northeast, home to some of the best volunteers I've ever encountered. The people there are phenominal. Rarely did I have an issue in which I didn't have enough jump setters. Makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

I also have friends up there that I've known for years. When the weather was a teensy bit wet, and my tennis shoes (and socks) got soaked, one friend offered up an extra pair of rain shoes and another offered up two pairs of socks...one being a pair of gortex socks. My feet were so snug and warm! It was fantastic. Makes me realize that the reason I judge is the people. The people are great and I'm happy to say that even though I don't see these people every day (or every year) it's so easy to pick up where we left off!

Primary Caregiver:

Our Nanny resigned and her last day was last Friday. This left us without childcare for Dani's last month of school. Since I'm not about to pull Dani from school to put her in a daycare, my husband and I decided to forgo daycare this month and do it on our own. Since I work from home, the bulk of the burden rests squarely on my shoulders. This is the first day (for me since I was on a plane much of the day yesterday) and so far, it's going OK. They're maybe watching a bit too much TV, but they're happy and quiet. I had Erin create a picture with all the art supplies I could find this morning and she had a ball. I need to come up with some more creative efforts though cuz we could all go crazy pretty quickly!

What else?

Just trying to get my head and house in order. I'm feeling a bit frazzled lately. I think judging two weekends in a row, prepping for Disneyland, prepping for a new puppy, designing courses for a Regional in June, work, the girls...everything is starting to overwhelm me. I've never been a very organized person...I tend to thrive on chaos, but dang...I'm crying UNCLE right now! It'll all be good...I have to keep telling myself that...it'll all be good...right??!

OH...and here's a pic of the girl puppies in the litter...they're 4 weeks old now!

Zippy

2008-04-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

I so wish I could say that Zippy and I are well on our way to training for agility, but I can't. My husband does not want him in the house. He wants him gone. Zippy has been just fine, but my husband closed his mind right after "the bite."

I fought bitterly to keep him, but it's either the husband or the dog. Tough decision...trust me. I am a DOG person. I do not give up on dogs. I just don't. To do so goes against every grain. I am extremely peevish about the whole thing. Extremely. I am also very sad because Zippy truly is a sweetheart. He has some annoying habits (like ripping apart every single dog toy) but otherwise he's a very good dog. The girls just LOVE him. They grab him to hug him and he doesn't bite or nip at them. Honestly, I think he's an awesome fit for the family, but husband does not.

We actually got Zippy under the premise that we would foster him for my friend (she has about 15 dogs at her house right now and needed the space freed up!). Eventually I figured we'd be keeping him. Not. So my friend is going to put him up for adoption after all and hopefully he'll go to a great home. I personally think he's in one right now, but I must give up on that.

So, husband is now opened up to the idea of getting a puppy from the litter of Border/Staffy's that were born about 3 weeks ago. I reminded him that puppies can and do nip...will he want to get rid of this pup too?? I reminded him that dogs are NOT disposable and any puppy that comes into this house STAYS in this house. He's on board, so we'll see how it all pans out. I know I'll be the one responsible for everything with the new pup, and I'm OK with that.

Just wish Zippy was gonna stay too. He's a sweet, loving dog who just wants to please.

Scorpions suck

2008-04-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

Erin got stung by one yesterday. I had no idea the effects scorpions have on young kids. It was awful. Erin was inconsolable. The venom was spreading through her body, causing pain every where. At the ER, they tried to put the IV in her right arm but the vein kept rolling. She was screaming. They had to put it in her other arm. I had to leave the room. She didn't even know if I was there or not...she was in her own little pain-filled world.

She was given sedatives and Benadryl. She finally calmed down, but was spasiming on and off. After about 4 hours, they were able to give her the anti-venom. We spent another 4 hours in the ER for observation, but she slowly got better. During that time she was pretty dillusional...she was telling the dogs to get off her and she kept calling me by her teacher's name.

By the end of the ordeal, we were singing songs and she was chowing down on popsicles and Oreo cookies. My husband brought her a cheeseburger from McDonald's that she happily ate.

All in all, a terrible ordeal, but Erin is just fine, thank God. The scorpion was in my Nanny's house, not ours. My Nanny had her house sprayed yesterday so I'm now the primary caregiver for the girls.

I hope to God we don't have another incident like this. It was simply horrible to watch your child go through what she went through. Thankfully she really has no recollection of the awfulness of it all. I do, but that memory will fade too.

2008...weren't you supposed to be great?!

2008...gonna be great, right??

2008-04-16T10:57:00.001-07:00

At this point, 2008 has been so-so. Here's the low-down so far...

January: not much happening. I had a show or two and we went on our 6th Caribbean cruise, so not bad.

February: Jeff got yet another hernia. Ugh. His operation was at the end of the month. I had a HUGE show in which I was secretary for. It went well but was seriously exhausting. The girls...I have been trying to figure out where Dani will got to school next year. It's no small task. I do not want her to go to her "home school" since it's just not a great school. There are a couple options...1. get her tested for the gifted program (CATs), she'd then go to Conley school and be in CATs at a Kindergarten level, 2. hopefully get into Sanborn, a really really good school, and be in 1st grade...she'd be one of the youngest, if not THE youngest in her class, so it's not optimal. Erin has just been Erin...we thought her fits (tantrums) were getting far and few between, but they still rear their ugly heads every once in a while.

March: Jeff is in recovery mode. Karen does everything...EVERY thing...ugh. Dani took the gifted test...we now wait 6-8 weeks for the results. Why does it take so long to score a bubble test? I have no clue. I head to another show in Albuquerque. On the way, I meet my next dog. Which brings us to...

April: The new dog is here, but Jeff and he do not get along. Since I've been home from the show, he's been doing just fine. I, however, seem to have an extremely short fuse when it comes to the girls...need to work on that. Jeff is going to get the boat tonight with his sister (we kept it up at the lake...time for some maintainancing before the season begins) so that'll be nice. Just wanna get back out on the lake... the girls love it and so do we!

Course, I've been taking pictures, so here's a few of the girls, etc...

Some trouble in paradise

2008-04-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I was gone for 4 days judging a rather large agility trial. 4 days. Hot sun. LOTS and LOTS of dogs. All in all, it went just fine, but by the last day, I was fried...mentally and physically. Just fried. I was quite happy to climb on a plane and head back home, where there was some trouble brewing.

Zippy, the new addition, apparently had a tough weekend. He ended up biting every member of the family, which of course, is NOT good. He must've been in a situation previously in which the male member of the family did some bad things to him, cuz he does NOT react well to Jeff at all. If Jeff tries to discipline him he growls at him. This past weekend, Zippy kept climbing into the girls laps at dinner time. Jeff went to put him in his crate and he started growling. Jeff got him in a submissive position and was petting his tummy. When he went to pick him up, Zippy went postal on him and bit him. NOT good.

Then while my younger daughter was playing ball with him, he bit her cheek. Now, I think he may have been over-zealous and actually jumped up to get the ball, but missed and got her cheek. I have no clue...but he did bite her. Apparently, a similar thing happened with my older daughter as well.

I'm getting all this over the phone, so I have no Earthly idea what the heck is really going on! What I DO know is that we picked him up on a Sunday. I left that same Wed. night for 4 days away. In retrospect, I should've had my friend hold on to him until I got back today.

At this point, I'm going to watch him and see how things play out. I know my husband is ready to give up on him. I must admit that after hearing about the bites, I was ready to as well. BUT, I wasn't there and I didn't get to witness everything that went down. I need time to see what's up and see if I can work with him on these agression issues with my husband. I'm not too sure how long I'll give him, but time will most certainly tell.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get back into the routine and get on with it. Easier said than done!

Our New Addition!

2008-04-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

I wore my hubby down and he FINALLY agreed to open up our home and our hearts to a new addition!!

Zippy, the mini-Aussie I mentioned in my previous post, will be joining our family on Sunday! I am over-the-top excited! There's going to be some adjustment for the Princess (aka, Jam) and the girls will undoubtedly have some adjustment time of their own, but in the long run, I think this is going to be a great addition. Here is a picture of him...

Isn't he CUTE?! :)

He's slightly smaller than Jam so he'll be jumping 16" in USDAA-style agility. He has MAJOR ball drive and tons of enthusiasm. At first his training will consist of foundational work...hand games, target games, etc. Eventually I'll start introducing him to the obstacles, but I'm going to take my time. He's about a year old...we'll most likely put his birthdate as April 6, the day we pick him up. That'll make him eligible for competition October 6. We'll see how he progresses.

The girls are very excited as well. They've seen his picture and can't wait to see him in person!! What fun! :)

The Funk is Gone!

2008-03-31T08:52:00.001-07:00

I had a great time in Albuquerque...my funk is gone! :)

Jam and I traveled with our friends, Jane and Tizzy to the show. I haven't been to Albuquerque in 4 years, so I was really looking forward to going and seeing friends I hadn't seen in forever. When we got there, it was just like old times. I talked, laughed and cried with people I hadn't seen in a while, and it was great! A couple of my friends have young kids, which is a rarity in this sport, so we spent tons of time comparing notes on our wee ones.

The entire atmosphere of the show was very laid back...very nice! Jam and I had our successes, and of course, our failures. We started out with a completely out-of-sync Masters Gamblers run. I wasn't handling her properly and we were all over the place. We put that our of our heads and headed into Masters Standard. We SMOKED the course and took first place...woohoo!!! Next came the Grand Prix. Again, we smoked it and ended up taking 2nd to a VERY fast Sheltie. In Masters Pairs, Jam had a tunnel/a-frame discrimation in which she had to take the tunnel. You can set ANY obstacle next to an a-frame and Jam will take the a-frame 99.9% of the time...this run was no exception! Oh well...better luck next time. We ended with Steeplechase. Jam found an off-course that I never would've expected, so yeah...no Q for us!

Sunday I set a goal of going 3 for 3. We started with Masters Standard. She did 1-14 beautifully!! I was so proud!! Then came 15...she had to come out of the chute to a jump, then to the dogwalk...there was a tunnel under the dogwalk so I had to pull her towards me to get her up the dogwalk. I think I moved too soon to pull her and she went around the jump. Pooey...there went our goal!! Next was Masters Snooker. I NEED a Super Q, so I planned a course with one 6 and two 7's in the opening. We were moving...did the 6, did the first 7, then on our way to the 2nd 7, she pulled the Red and before I could even react, she was already in a tunnel...TWEET!!!! Game over. None of the 16" dogs Q'd so we left a Super Q on the table. We ended with Masters Jumpers and Jam came away with her only Q of the day.

On the way back, I had to drop off my friend. She does Aussie rescue work and has about 6-7 Aussies and Mini-Aussies at her house. I fell in love with one of the Mini's, Zippy. Zippy is adorable!! He has attitude to burn and LOVES the ball. He is too cute for words. We introduced Jam to him and Jam at first was OK but then went into "bitch mode." My friend is really good with introductions, so she taught me what to do in these type of situations. By the time I left, Jam was tolerating Zippy, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Next I have to convince my hubby that we NEED this dog!! I do have a prospective puppy coming to me early summer, but I would be happy to give that one up for this one. I really, really like this one. There is something special about him. I'm talking my hubby into fostering him, and if he works out, we'll keep him. Cross your fingers for me! :)

Our Easter and other ramblings

2008-03-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

We had a decent Easter. We took the girls to a community egg hunt Saturday morning. Essentially, they get their faces painted, look for a dozen eggs and eat candy. Guess it's pretty typical! Sunday we had our own little Easter egg hunt with Jeff's mom and sister joining in on the fun. It was windy enough to fly a kite, so we did that too!

Saturday night a friend from Texas came over with her two children. A few other friends also came over and we had a great time chatting and catching up. I really miss having her around (the Texas friend) since she's one of the very few people I know who has kids. Our roots were in dog agility, but then her and her hubby had kids and we followed that pattern. Not many folks who do dog agility have kids (except for Wishy of course!) so it's always a treat when you're friends with someone who not only shares a common bond in the sport you love, but who also can talk about poopy diapers and potty training...all in the same conversation! :)

I'm still in somewhat of a funk. I can't seem to shake it. My Hubby and I aren't communicating well lately, which adds some stress. Work is OK, but still kinda weird. The girls are fine, but they are definitely picking up on this funk. I HAVE TO shake it. I'm hoping that the Albuquerque show this weekend will help to lift my spirits. It'll be some much-needed bonding time with Jam and the good people in Albuquerque. I'm really looking forward to it.

I think another thing contributing to this funk revolves around a friend back in my home state of Wisconsin. I've known her since 2nd grade and we were extremely tight in high school. Essentially, she's my BFF. I may not see/hear from her for weeks, yet when we get together about once a year, we're able to pick up where we left off. It's so comfortable. Well, I haven't heard from her for a few months now and I'm worried. Typically when I send an email, I'll get a response within a day or two. I've sent three emails in the past three months and have heard nothing. I'm really worried about her and hope she's OK. I'll have to search for her phone number and give her a call.

Ugh. I hate funks. I need to lose this one and fast.

Weeds, work and life in general

2008-03-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

Weeds. I HATE them. We've had a lot of rain this past winter, which is good and bad. Good because we are in a 10 year (or something) drought and need the rain. Bad cuz the weeds have overtaken my yard, and they have won the battle. My hands are dirt-stained and sore from pulling these nasty things out of my yard. Use weed killer you say...yeah, right...these weeds are immune to weed killer.

Work. I am now a consultant. I work when there's work, weed the yard when there isn't any. For the first couple weeks of this gig, there wasn't a whole lot of work. I freaked out and called my boss and told her that I wasn't sure about all this since I only get paid if I work. She put me on an annualized salary which reduced my pay by about 20%. OUCH! Course, now I have all sorts of flexibility, which is nice. Except when a meeting is scheduled on a Friday...the Friday I am driving to Albuquerque for an agility show...and now I will have to leave much later than I had hoped. And this also impacts the friend driving with me. ARRRRRGGGHHH!

Life in General. I'm in somewhat of a funk right now. With the pay cut comes some re-trenching in terms of our finances. My hubby has a "master plan" that we are trying to adhere to, but life happens and you can't always spend according to "the plan." I don't spend a lot, but to know that I CAN'T spend a lot kinda puts me in a funk! Blah. I am really looking forward to the Albuquerque show. It's been a long time since I've been there (see Ponderings) and I've missed it. The people are great, the show is great and it's always a lot of fun. I'm hoping this show will put me in a better frame of mind cuz right now my attitude stinks.

With Easter this weekend, the girls will do a couple egg hunts, so that should be fun. An old friend is coming into town with her kids and we're having a party for her at our house with other friends, so that should be fun too. Maybe my funk will clear even before the Albuquerue show...let's hope so!

OH...and Happy Easter from Jam, the Easter Toller! (can you feel the love from her radiating in this picture...?!)

Demos are so much fun!

2008-03-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Jam and I were a part of an agility demo our club did today for the school where our practice site is. There were about 12 of us that showed up to do the demo. I set a nice, easy course since the majority of the members are at the Starters level. We also had a GREAT sound system. One of the club members works for the school system and got the guy who does the sound for all the assemblies to do the sound for this one as well. Of course he played "Who Let the Dogs Out" among other rockin' tunes!

There were about 400 kids in attendance...they were being rewarded for accomplishing an accelerated reading program. We started with the 8" dogs and went on up from there. As I mentioned, the majority of the dogs were at the Starters level...Jam was the only Masters dog there. When we got to Jam's height (16") she just RAN...I mean...we SMOKED the course! :) She got all sorts of "oooohhhhs" and "aaaaahhhhhs" from the crowd. We were asked to do an encore! :-) Jam really does love agility so she was perfect for this type of event.

I also brought her ball so I was able to combine the two things she loves the most in one single place...sheer heaven for Ms. Jammie! And of course, I just have to throw in picture of her with her ball...

It was fairly warm out so her tongue was dragging by the end of it. Of course, that didn't stop her from wanting to play fetch for a good 30 minutes this afternoon...both in and out of the pool!!

Demos are really fun. You're showing the sport you love to a group of very receptive kids. What a way to spend the morning!

Class tonight :(

2008-03-11T22:06:00.001-07:00

Jam can be bitchy with other dogs. I tend to keep her away from dogs with whom she's had "words." One of those dogs is in my group at agility class. It's a very sweet GSD who is a good girl. Long ago, her and Jam locked eyes and neither one of them liked what they saw. Since then, I keep Jam away from her.

While I walk the sets, my instructor holds Jam since she doesn't have the best down-stay. Tonight was no differnt...I was off walking a set and my instructor had Jam. During the walkthrough, Jam's littermate broke her down-stay, so my instructor grabbed her. No problem...Jam respects her sister. But then the GSD came over to see what was going on. My instructor said Jam gave her a warning growl, but she continued to move in on Jam. More growling ensued, but the GSD kept sniffing at her. I saw this happening from about 30 feet away. I started to walk over there cuz I could sense that this wasn't good. Just as I started to say that she should keep the two of them apart, the fight started. I just screamed. I didn't know what else to do. I DO know that you shouldn't reach in to break up a dog fight, but I didn't realize you shouldn't scream...and I screamed loud.

The other instructor came over and grabbed Jam (there was a slight lull in the fight) and pulled me into a hug. I was crying and shaking. I was worried about and mad at Jam...all in the same moment. I apologized profusely to the owner of the GSD, packed up and left. On my drive home, I was bawling so bad, I had to pull over. I pulled Jam onto my lap and hugged her. My emotions were all over the map.

Jam is fine. She has a scratch on her left hind leg. I'll give her a Traumeel before bed tonight.

I'll be fine too. I hate that my dog will now have a bad reputation. Up until now, I've always told people to keep their distance...that Jam does have a bitchy side. I guess something like this was bound to happen. :(

Play Ball!

2008-03-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

My brother and nephew (my brother's son) are in town for the weekend. They came from frigid Illinois to watch a few Spring Training games. Luckily, our weather has been spectacular and they are enjoying themselves immensely. Even though they live in Illinois, they are both Brewers fans. They treated the girls and I to a game yesterday. We had a ball!! In fact, Dani actually GOT a ball! Someone riding around the warning track saw her standing by the fence and threw a ball up to her. Here she is doing her best model pose to show off the ball.

We were unable to get the ball signed as many of the players didn't seem to be in the signing mood. My brother and nephew are heading to another game tomorrow so they'll try to get it signed then.

Erin enjoyed herself as well. She brought her blankie with her and was as happy as a clam.

Right now they are at a Suns game. They scored tickets at the very last possible moment. They are in sports heaven!

I'm fighting off something yucky. My throat is raw, my nose is running and I'm feeling rather run-down. Yuck. Yuckies go away!!

I'm famous! :)

2008-03-05T08:51:00.001-08:00

Heh...at least I'm enjoying my 10 minutes of fame!

I just got the issue of Dog Sport magazine that highlights the USDAA Cynosport games that were held in Phoenix last November. I was asked to write a "Trial by Fire" article about my first-time experience at the Nationals. I had to remind the editor that this really was not my first experience at a Nationals, as I have run previous dogs at 3 previous Nationals and have judged at 4 previous Nationals. She said that was fine...that this was my first Nationals with a new dog.

So I wrote my article, submitted it along with a picture (of course, Jam's eyes are closed!) and it got published!

How fun is THAT?!

Gonna bet back into the mix

2008-03-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

My year-long break from judging (USDAA-style agility) will be coming to an end soon. Of course, I picked one of THE largest shows as my first show back...I'll be judging Haute/TRACS 4-day show in north central California. They are hosting a DAM, Steeplechase and GP. Not to mention all the other classes for all levels. It'll be quite a circus, but I have no doubt the club will pull it off with grace.

Course, this means that I have to design courses again...ugh...now I remember what I dislike the most about judging. To begin with, courses need to be turned into reviewers a month ahead of time. So I have to start working on them a good month before then. For this show, I'm judging all levels (Starters, Advanced and Masters) so I have to design courses accordingly. I'm used to judging Masters primarily, so this is a challenge in and of itself.

I must admit that during my year-long hiatus I did NOT miss judging whatsoever. Instead, I was able to start Jam and bring her from nothing to MAD in 10 shows...had I been judging, I would've had to pick and choose shows to attend since I have to somehow maintain a balance between judging, showing, kids, husband and job. Now that I'm back judging, I'll have to choose again, which sucks. BUT, I am hoping that my break has given me a fresh perspective for judging, as my desire to stand out in the middle of a field during all kinds of weather for 8-9-10 hours was wearing thin.

Who knows...maybe I'll finish out the assignments I've accepted this year and decide to retire for good. For now, I'm hoping that I will get the same "buzz" I used to get when I was a "newbie" judge back in 1994. Time will tell.

Endings and Beginnings

2008-02-29T20:25:00.001-08:00

Today was my last day at the company I've worked at for 2.5 years. When I left my previous job, I was in tears. Mostly because I would miss the wonderful people I had befriended over my 7.5 years working there. When I left this job, I was doing a happy dance. The environment with my high schoolish co-workers just didn't suit me. In fact, I was ready to run far, far away after the first month at this job. I didn't only because I was willing to give it a chance. I gave it one too many chances! BUT, it's over now, and will reside forever as a part of my past.

My next job is as a consultant with a consulting agency that hires only documentation and training experts. I'm being hired on as an instructional designer so my career path will shift slightly back to my first career and first love...teaching. I taught for 5 years in a Montessori school and enjoyed my stint there. Too bad teachers don't command the type of salaries they should. :(

I came home today and my husband and I toasted to a new beginning...let's hope it's the start of something beautiful!!

So tired...

2008-02-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

My agility club just hosted our final USDAA show of our season...we do three USDAA shows in 4 months...not an easy feat!! This show was the biggest with 270 dogs and 3 rings. I did the show secretary work like I always do. This is actually a part-time job as there are a LOT of tasks to complete beforehand, not to mention all the tasks you need to complete DURING and then after the trial.

This show also featured a DAM tournament. Essentially, there are 3 dogs on a team and you all compete in 5 classes throughout the weekend. The goal is to qualify, which means the top 25% of the teams that fall within the average of the top 3 teams (make sense??) qualify. You need one DAM team qualifier to show your dog at the Nationals. My team at our first trial fell short and did not qualify. Soooo, I was pretty stressed out at this trial since I didn't have any plans to go to any other trials that offered the DAM team event. My teamies consisted of one very consistent dog and one young pup like Jammie. We each had our ups and downs, but in the end we not only qualified, but we placed 2nd!!!! There were 24 teams, so that was a pretty big thing for us!

So, combined with the stress of qualifying for Team and the Show Secretary job, I was pooped. I came home last night, played with the kids a bit, then hit the jacuzzi for my sore muscles, put the kids to bed and crawled into mine. I was soooo tired.

Funny thing is I think Jam had had enough of my stress too. The last class of the day was Masters Standard. After the 4th obstacle, she took off out of the ring and went looking for something. She'd never done this before so I was yelling..."Jam!! Whaddya doing????" She finally found what she wanted (her ball) and brought it back into the ring with her! :) Everyone busted out laughing. Even I had to admit that it was pretty darn cute! :)

I'm glad it's over though. I'm tired.

Good News for Jammie!

2008-02-22T06:45:00.001-08:00

I've been taking Jam to see "Dr. Todd" for her structural issues. Dr. Todd specializes in canine acupuncture, chiropractic care and herboligy. He came highly recommended to me by many local agility folks. His office is a 2 hour drive from my house, but given the kudos he's received from so many, I decided to give him a try.

My first visit was in December. He evaluated Jam and discovered that her left pelvic bone was locked and the cause was an issue in her mid-back. He noted a few other issues as well. We originally went because of her diagnosis of elbow dysplasia in November. He evaluated her elbows, though he wasn't as concerned about them as he was about her hind-end issues. His initial assessment was grim. He was shocked that a pup of her age (she's a young 2) would have so many issues. I came away from that first appointment concerned, and with an armful of herbs.

The second visit was 3 weeks later. He noted some improvement and administered a treatment to her (chiropractic and acupuncture). He added another herb to increase her "Yin." I was encouraged, though guarded.

We had our 3rd appointment yesterday. He was AMAZED at her progress!! He could not believe how well she's doing! The mid-back issue is wayyy better and the elbow dysplasia is just about non-existent (it'll always be there, but the degree of severity is minimal). The only tightness she had was in her left hip. He was thrilled that she came around so quickly. Of course, I was pleased as punch! :)

I am continuing with the herbs, but won't have to see him again for another 6 weeks, and then most likely we'll fall into "maintenance mode" in which we'll see him once every 3 months or so.

I am so relieved!!! Jam is an awesome little girl. She has everything and more that I was looking for in a pup. She's energetic, got attitude, is smart and is so darn cute! If I could've crafted the perfect dog, Jam would be it. I am so lucky to have her in my life! :)

Bike riding and other thoughts

2008-02-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

My 5-year-old has reached another milestone!! Sunday we set off to the park with the express purpose of learning to ride the bike without training wheels! She rode there with the wheels on. We went to the rather large (dead) grassy area where I proceeded to take the wheels off. I gave her one small push, and she was off without training wheels!!! She practiced for quite some time and by the end of our session, she was able to start herself, though stopping was a bit more tenuous!

She rode home and then around and around our cul-de-sac to show off for Daddy. She ended up falling and hurting her thumb (teeny, tiny scratch...though the world was ending for her!) but we had her get on again in the afternoon. She was so excited!!! We're making a big deal out of her achieving milestones...such as riding without training wheels and the fact that she's starting to read...woohoo!!! I'm so proud of her!!

Otherwise, Jeff and I are prepping for the end of my job. My last day at my current company will be Feb. 29. Then I am supposed to start a consulting job the following Monday, but haven't gotten any real details yet. I'm starting to get a tad worried, but am hoping for the best. Meanwhile, we are scaling back and trying not to spend needlessly.

Course, I still want to enter agility trials, which is where hubby and I need to talk. I have scaled back on my agility trialing considerably since meeting my hubby, and then even moreso since having kids. Course, the loss of all my dogs in a short timespan aided in me not attending trials for 3 years, but now I have a very promising youngster with whom I LOVE to spend time on an agility course. He knows this, but is hesitant on me entering too many trials. I understand where he's coming from, but DANG! I wanna trial my dog!! She's so much fun and has so much promise. Not to mention she has some structural issues and I have no idea how long it will take for those issues to catch up with her. Ugh. Just how does one "have it all" anyway?! :)

What a Weekend!!

2008-02-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

I need to start off by saying...I am SO PROUD of Jam!!!

We had a USDAA show in Tucson this past weekend. Jam and I went into the weekend needing 1 Masters Standard Q and 1 Masters Gamblers Q to earn her MAD (Master Agility Dog title). We also needed 1 more GP Q for Nationals.

And guess what...WE DID IT!!! Jam is now a MAD dog and got a couple extra legs towards her championship! She also got the last Grand Prix leg and can now compete at the Nationals...WooHoo!!! She turned 2 Nov. 2, so she's still a baby dog in my eyes. Not to mention that this was only her 10th ever USDAA show. Did I say how proud I am of her yet?

We also won another award that completely caught me by surprise. People who have been in agility since the "old" days (early 1990's) will remember Ray Weick and his Schnauzer, Meaghan Deer Chaser. Meaghan and Ray were awesome. They were the first Arizona dog/handler team to attain the highest titles USDAA has to offer. Meaghan was tragically killed in a run-in with a coyote a few years ago. Since then, the Meaghan Deer Chaser award has been given in her honor to the highest scoring Masters dog...and Jam was that dog!!!! Ray has always been an inspiration to me and has always been there for me in the "old" days when I was running my stubborn Beagle, NEA. He encouraged me to NOT give up...NEA and I went on to be 1 of only 2 Beagles who have their ADCH.

To say this weekend was a success is an understatement. It was fabulous. Jam is my hero! :)

Just another day in paradise

2008-02-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

That's my typical response when anyone asks me how I'm doing when I'm at work...oh yeah...paradise. I am so ready to leave my current company. Back in September, I was "given" an end date of March 4 (my current job is being eliminated). When I found out about this end date, I was actually thrilled beyond belief!! This meant that I had 6 months to secure employment, PLUS they are giving me a bonus AND severance pay!! How sweet is that?

I have already secured employment for after March 4, so I am now anxiously awaiting the day when I can say GOODBYE to this place. When I started here in Aug. of '05 I thought it wasn't too bad...but then it started to get bad. One co-worker started scrutinzing my every move to the point of bullying. One day she finally made a very inappropriate and rude comment to me (in front of another co-worker) and I went to my boss. It got resolved, but of course my comfort level here went down.

Then, a few months ago another co-worker accused ME of harrassment and creating a "hostile work environment" for her. Why you may ask?? Because I tried to joke with her...you know...to make light of things by making some fun, lighthearted comments (in this case about alcohol consumption...this co-worker is known as the Happy Hour Queen). Apparently she didn't take them as such. Course when another co-worker known for his jokes and humor makes the same jokes with her, she doesn't call him out. Whatever.

All in all, I am seriously unhappy here and have been for a long time. The only happiness I got was from working with the development team in the UK, but they are also being kicked out at the end of March.

It's amazing...this is the first place I've worked in which I've had any issues with co-workers. I've been working since I was 16 and am now forty-somethingish! :) I had the BEST working environment at my last place of employment and still keep in contact with those people. They were all great to work with and we all had mutual respect for each other. At this place I feel as if I have stepped back in time to my freshman year in high school. No fun.

So, I'm going to start focusing on class tonight...that is IF we have class tonight. We got a ton of rain yesterday so I'm hoping the practice field isn't saturated. Jam and I have a show this weekend and we need to work on our weave pole entries. She's been missing the first pole lately so I plan to drill her every day until the show. I couldn't yesterday since the yard was way too squishy!

Puppy envy

2008-02-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

I am having serious puppy envy. So many people I know are either getting new puppies or have just gotten one. I want a new puppy SO BAD! I still refer to Jam as "my puppers" but she is 2 and isn't a pup...though she certainly acts like one every single day!

I am on a list for a litter of pups that was to be ready to go home late spring. I have been bugging the contact I have who knows the breeder and he got back to me yesterday letting me know that the bitch (er, female dog!) is in season!!!! I am SO excited! It'll be a Border Collie/American Staffordshire Terrier mix...in other words, a Border/Staffy. Basically I'll get a short dog with drive...which is my ideal. I already have a short dog with drive (Jam) whom I adore, but I want another! I'd get another Toller (which is what Jam is) but there are no guarantees that I'll get another Toller as short as Jam...Jam's height (or lackthereof) is NOT normal.

My next step is to convince my dear husband that he really wants to add another dog to the household! I keep reminding him that when I met him, I had 4 dogs...that should've been an indication that I really, REALLY like dogs and didn't mind having that many. When we married, we added his dog into the mix so we had 5 total. We rapidly went down to 1 (Calvin...my stepdog) and are now sitting at 2. I personally think 3 is ideal. Not to mention that by the time this new pup is ready to compete, Jam'll most likely have attained or be close to her Championship in USDAA-style agility and I'll be ready to let the girls run her in Junior Handler matches.

Now that I've typed it out, it sounds perfectly reasonable to me, don't you think?!

Most agility-folk that I know have upwards of 5 - 6 dogs. Granted, they don't have kids, but what's 3 dogs when you already have 2...! :) I have no doubt that my husband will see my way...it's just gonna be quite a battle, but one that I am willing to fight!

The vacation afterglow

2008-01-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

Most people dread coming home from a vacation. Getting back into the grind can be daunting, but for me, it's been all right.

I think it's because while on vacation I gained some perspective and have applied some of what I gained to my daily life. For example, I am a yeller...I yell at my girls, I yell at my husband, I just yell. While on vacation, I realized that yelling is accomplishing nothing (with the exception of raising my blood pressure) and since I've been back, I haven't yelled once and the world has continued to turn!

I am also always in hurry to get things done. For example, around the house...I don't mind some clutter, but when it gets out of hand, I go crazy. We haven't quite put everything away since coming home so there is some clutter. Instead of cleaning it up right away, I decided it was more important for me to spend time with the girls and the dogs and have left all the crap untouched. I pick things up here and there when I'm able, but I'm not fixated on it.

These aren't huge revalations, but for me they are a good place to start. I also found out after I came back from vacation that I will have some form of employment when my job at my current company officially ends March 4. I have been able to line up a contract gig and am pretty happy with that. I think underlying everything has been the fact that I would be jobless...I never panicked about it, but it's always been there...in the back of my mind.

It's the little things. And I'm working on it! :)

Back from vacation

2008-01-29T07:06:00.001-08:00

Jeff and I just got back from a week-long cruise vacation in the Caribbean. The girls stayed with our Nanny and had a great time! They were very well-behaved and overall good little girls. Erin can be the wildcard, so this was good news!

Our vacation was very nice. We went to St. Maarten, Dominica, Grenada, Margarita Island (Venezuela) and Aruba. We dove in every port except for Margarita Island...we swam with dolphins at this port! Underwater we saw seahorses, octopuses, big HUGE green eels, sea turtles, scorpion fish and one frog fish. The diving was the best in Dominica...really pretty reefs and good sea life.

We met some nice people on board the ship, though the serivce on board was less than spectacular. The crew seemed tired and somewhat rude. This was our 6th cruise so we have an idea as to what to expect.

As nice as our vacation was, we were both happy to be home. We missed the girls and the dogs and were thrilled to see all of them!! Now it's back to reality though. I have a show next weekend so Jammie and I have to get back in synch. It's been raining a lot here so I'm hoping we'll still have class tonight. Jammie is as wired as usual and has been bringing her ball to me over and over and over (and over) again. I think our next show will be quite a ride!

Reflections on a show weekend

2008-01-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

My club hosted a USDAA show this weekend. I, unfortunately, was quite sick. I came down with a wicked cold and by Saturday, it was pretty bad. I did show Jam, but took a few naps in between classes. By Sunday, I felt better and was actually able to work!

The rain held off, thank goodness! We had a brief shower Saturday afternoon and some misty rain early Sunday, but it had all tapered off by the time we started running.

Jam did great! We had our issues, but she did great nonetheless. She got her first Grand Prix qualifier! :) She needs one more to participate in the USDAA Nationals. We have a few more chances to get one so I'm hoping we'll be able to do so before the cut-off. She also earned a Master Jumpers Q, a Master Pairs Q and another Snooker Q. She is only 2 legs shy of her MAD (Masters Agility Dog) title! I'm so incredibly proud of her!!

She did have some weave pole issues though, so we'll be working on that in the next few weeks. She also got really silly on me during a Masters Standard run...all I could do was laugh at her!

Given all of Jam's structural issues, I cherish every single show I get to compete with her. She has elbow dysplasia and issues with a locked sacrum (pelvis) which stems from a very tight mid-back. I've been taking her to a holistic vet who specializes in chiropractic and acupunture therapy. He also has Jam on some herbs to help with her "Yin" whatever that is! She still runs with glee, but I am very careful with her and don't overdo.

All in all a good show. We really had fun, even though I couldn't breath through my nose the entire time!

2008 is gonna be GREAT!

2008-01-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

At least that's the jingle I've taught the girls to say! Personally, I am partial to even-numbered years, so I am optimistic.

We had quite a busy holiday season. We headed back to Wisconsin for Christmas with my family Dec. 20. We stayed a week. The girls got to have snowball fights, go sledding, build a snowman, make snow angels and eat snow...YUM! We had one bitterely cold, blizzard-like day, but otherwise it was all good. The girls LOVED "Uncle Crazy" and had load of fun with Uncle Jim. Dani is definitely a "Grandpa's Girl" whereas Erin is partial to Grandma. All in all, a good time.

We came home to chaos, in that there were 4 extra dogs at our house (3 we knew about) and 6 extra people. Jeff's family decided to help his mom out by remodeling her home. They took all the furniture out, repainted, put in new window treatments and put in new baseboards. They had tilers replace the carpet and linoleum with tile. Since Jeff's brother/SIL and kids are from California, they stayed with us. Jeff's other sister who is local also stayed with us since Jeff's mom stayed at her apartment. It was pretty crazy. They all left by New Year's Eve so we rang in the New Year quietly.

Meanwhile, Jam and I are prepping for a USDAA show this weekend. And of course, rain is predicted. So far every local show has had rain threatened or has been partially canceled due to rain. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

We're 4 days into 2008 and so far so good! Jeff and I are off cruising the Caribbean again in a couple weeks...woohoo! :)

Been a while...

2007-10-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Not sure why, but I just wasn't into blogging for a while. Guess I got kinda busy!

At the moment, I am in the process of scheduling over 200 volunteers for the Cynosport World Games to be held in Scottsdale. What's a Cynosport you may ask...? It's "dog sport" in greek (I think!). Basically, this is the USDAA Dog Agility World championshps combined with other dog sports such as flyball, disc dogs, splash dogs, herding, lure coursing, etc. There's over 1,000 dogs entered in agility alone, so it's a HUGE event.

Jam and I are also running in this event! We qualified on a Team at our show in Bermuda, so me and Jam, Jane and Tizzy and Rose and Kelly are "Two Tollers Having a Tizzy!" I'm doing it more for the fun of it rather than to be serious!

Speaking of Jam...she earned her Advanced Agility Degree (AAD) and is now in all Masters classes!!! She has only been in 6 USDAA shows, so I'm pretty proud of my baby puppy!!

The girls are doing well. Dani is doing great in school! Her teacher told us she's ready for 1st grade! We'll most likely put her in 1st grade the next school year, though we'll keep tabs on her progress throughout this year. She's still somewhat of a talker, but is doing better at controlling it!

Erin is a devil...Plain and simple! She can be a cute little imp one moment, then put on the devil horns the next. She's also doing well academically, but needs to work on her social skills. We're going to start working on that in earnest and soon!

Job-wise, I found out in Sept. that my position will be eliminated March 4! It's actually quite a blessing as I am not really happy here. Haven't been for a while. I've been bullied by a co-worker for about 1.5 years now so to be away from her will do me good! I've decided that Technical Writing is NOT my bag, rather I'd like to do training instead. I sat with a person who hires consultants for training and I'm hoping to make something work there. I've also started to teach an agility class one night a week. We'll see how it all pans out.

Jeff is in budget-hell at Freescale rigth now. Hopefully it will all end soon!

That's it in a nutshell. We're prepping for Halloween...and the World Champs. The Champs start on Halloween so I will be VERY busy!!

A month's worth of updates...

2007-08-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

We've been a bit busy the past month. It's still hot, so that hasn't changed, but we've been getting creative on figuring out ways to get out of the heat!

We spent a weekend up at the lake last weekend. That was very nice. They have hotels with kitchenette's so we stayed in one, played in the water and had a great time! The girls are true "lake rats" and love the jet ski and tubing behind the boat!

Jeff spent a week diving in Belize with his brother at the beginning of August. The girls and I did some shopping, got our pictures taken in a photo booth and did a lot of crafts and painting.

Jam and I have been to a couple shows and we did GREAT! She is now one qualifying leg shy of being in Masters! :) She did earn enough Jumpers legs to compete in Masters Jumpers at the next show (not until October) so she's getting there. Cool thing is she's only 21 months old! She's truly one special little dog!

September is a little less busy, though we are planning another trip to Legoland since the girls (and us!) truly enjoyed themselves. I'll also start sending pleas to every agility person I know to volunteer to work at the USDAA Nationals. I'm the volunteer coordinator again (4th time) this year and need all the help I can get! :)

Dang, it's hot!

2007-07-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Not only do we have temps in the 110's, but now there's a fair amount of humidity...YUCK! The monsoon season is here, sorta. This means we're supposed to get evening thunderstorms, but so far we've gotten a whole lotta nothing. We've had some wind which kicks up the dust, which coats my SUV, but that's it. Blech.

As a result, we've been spending a lot of time in the pool...all of us. Typically we (the humans) go swimming first, then when we're finished, the dogs get to dive in for their balls. It helps to cool us all off, though the water temperature is 93 degrees!

This intense heat has curtailed what I had hoped to be some progress in Jam's agility training. It's just too hot to even THINK of going out and practicing. We have a show this weekend...I don't know how it's going to go, but I'll hope for the best.

It's just too hot. Too Flippin' Hot.

School daze

2007-07-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

I took Dani for her KIST test this morning. It's a test to determine her readiness for a Kindergarten envirnonment. She'll be starting school in 1.5 weeks...she'll be in Kindersteps. This is a program geared towards children who are 4, but who will turn 5 between September and December. It's a half-day program that follows the Kindergarten curriculum. At the end of the year, we sit down with the teacher to decide whether Dani will go to K the next year, or to 1st grade.

I asked Dani how the test went when she was finished, and she gave me some specifics, but overall, she said she had fun...which to me is really good to hear. The tester just said she did great, though with other parents sitting in the office, I didn't expect to get too many specifics. I'm so excited for her to start school!! I'm hoping to volunteer (as much as a working parent can) and encourage her as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Jam and I went to an open practice last night. It was hot and somewhat sticky, but she performed like a champ! They had a jumpers course set up, which several of us improvised on. The contacts were set up around the outer edge of the field, so we moved them a bit to incorporate them into the course. Jam's nemesis is the down dogwalk contact, so we worked hard on that and she did great! I also did some gambles in the course and she sent out nicely. She also pulled a few bars, which was a result of me giving her poor signals. I have to get better with that.

All in all, a great night and fun morning with Dani! :-)

Why I took a sabbatical from judging...

2007-07-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

OK, so work is a little slow...hence the second post in the same day! :)

Anyway, I thought I'd set the record straight, even though I doubt many people read this blog. Mostly I write this so that if I get asked this question again, I can point them here and people can discover the reason themselves!

I am midway through my year-long sabbatical from judging. Many people speculated on why I took time off. Most people figured I took time off because of what happened at the '06 USDAA Nationals (more later) when in effect, that was simply the tip of the iceberg. I had long since been contemplating a break...the Nationals simply clinched it. Besides, I've been doing this since 1994...I think I deserve a break! :)

The two main reasons why I took a break include:

1. My girls
2. Jam

The girls. I realized that I was spending a lot of time away from the girls. Not only the weekends in which I was physically gone, but also the evenings in which I'd agonize over course design. I found myself telling them more times than I was comfortable..."Mommy's busy...you need to find something to do"...and that didn't feel good.

Jam. She's my new puppy. The first dog I've had to run in 3 years (see
Ponderings for the reason why). I wanted time to concentrate on her and getting her career started. She turned 18 months ("of age" for USDAA agility) in May so I wanted to be able to get her started without having to juggle around judging weekends.

And now, the '06 Nationals. It was stated that the call I made on Blast's teeter performance was questionable. It then came out that I also "missed" a call on DeCaff's teeter performance. These calls were then magnified in a frame-by-frame sequence on a popular site that hosts agility videos. My credibility as a judge was being questioned, which yeah, left quite a chink in my armor. Honestly, I felt that the videographer had no right to do what he did on his website (neither did USDAA), but I have no control over that and will take my lumps.

Speculation flew that this video was then the reason why I "quit" judging. People were saying that I needed a backbone. That I needed to not put myself "out there" if I didn't expect some criticism. I learned early on that a strong backbone is necessary when you become a judge. I have a backbone. And it is strong. And, if you can believe this, I actually begged the USDAA president to judge this Nationals. I WANTED to do it. Now I know why so many judges turn down the offer of judging the top dogs in the big ring. The scrutiny is amazing, yet expected. And I was ready for it.

Bottom line, I will always stand by the calls I made in the split second that is available to me to make the call.

There. Now you know. I did NOT take a year off (yes, only a year...I'll be back in the middle of the ring in '08) because I was slinking away from the public bashing of my calls. It did factor into my decision, but it certainly wasn't the leading and only reason.

Gonna start a practice journal

2007-07-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

OK, so I've been slacking lately...really slacking. Class ended last week and Jam hasn't been on a single piece of equipment since. It could be because it's over 110 degrees here, or it could be because I'm too lazy to set up the equipment!

Starting tonight, I'm going to start us on a path to practice a lot more than we do. I'm going to set up the equipment and start working on our weak spot...gambles. We also need to tighten our turns and work on some accuracy! :) My challenge...I have only the following pieces of equipment:

1 teeter
5 jumps
2 sets of 6 weaves
1 tunnel
1 chute tunnel (that's falling apart)
1 tire (sorta...I need to fix it)

I need to be creative to come up with some sets to work on the items I mentioned above. I'm also hoping to go to a couple fun runs to fill in the gaps.

Our next show is in two weeks. There'll be a lot of classes each day (Adv. has a couple double games, plus the GP and Steeplechase) so I need to also build up Jam's stamina in the heat...I'm sure it'll be 90+ degrees. We play ball in the heat almost every day, then when she's hot, she goes in the pool and we play some more ball in the pool. I'm hoping that will help to keep her muscled.

That'll be our last show for quite a while. Our show season in AZ doesn't start until October, so traveling to California is my only option. BUT, it's really hot everywhere and I'm not too keen on sitting outside in the intense heat all day. Sucks cuz now that I've finally got a dog to compete with, the show season has come to a screeching halt. Oh well...I'll pout for a while but I'll get over it! :)

Celebrating the 4th in 110+ degree temps!

2007-07-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yup...it was 115 here for the 4th. Not much you can do outside when it's that hot. We did spend some time in the pool (the pool temp was 92!) so that helped us to beat the heat somewhat. We also BBQ'ed, though we didn't spend any significant time sitting outside. Just too hot.

At night, we drove to the fireworks display of a nearby town. We ended up parking on the side of the road to watch a display 1 mile away. I brought a blanket and we all sat on the hood of the SUV while the fireworks boomed and popped in front of us. By that time, it was only 97...woohoo!

I have fond memories of fireworks displays and 4th of July celebrations from the midwest (Wisconsin). I used to picnic with friends on the lake front (Lake Michigan) for the big Milwaukee fireworks display on the 3rd of July. We were so close to the launch area, that burnt-out shells would rain on our heads! It was fabulous. Good friends, good food, good fun and great fireworks!

On the 4th, our small village had their own celebration. A parade, games at the village park, BBQ's, and the fireworks display that evening followed by more parties with friends and family.

I told my husband that one of these years, I want to take the kids back to Wisconsin for a good old fashioned 4th. I'm not too thrilled with how we have to celebrate in the hot desert...I'd like them to see how to "properly" celebrate the Fabulous 4th!

I'm not a natural mother

2007-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is my second marriage. I was married to my first husband for 9 years. We discovered the wonderful sport of dog agility together and acquired 4 dogs together. We always thought we "might" have kids, but it just never came to fruition. And to be honest, I was perfectly happy NOT having kids. I had my dogs...what more could I hope/ask for?

Shortly after our 9th wedding anniversary, my then husband said he wanted to move out. And there was nothing I could do. A friend once told me about a book called "Uncoupling." In this book, it mentions how the person who wants to leave has been thinking about leaving for a while and there is nothing the person left behind can really do about it. The Leaver has come to terms with it while the Leavee feels blindsided. I, as the Leavee, was most certainly blindsided. Course, the fact that he was interested in another woman (a woman I had considered a friend) was the final blow.

Regardless, a few years later I met my current husband. I met him on the internet. There...I said it out loud...I met him on the internet. We met in person at a lake with our dogs. He has a big, goofy Golden (Calvin) and I brought my then dog, Rysa (she has since gone to the Rainbow Bridge). We hit it off and started dating. During our talks and time together, he mentioned that family was important to him and that he would like kids some day. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't have kids since I was pretty darned old (36 at the time) and set in my ways. Besides, I really enjoyed my life of heading to agility trials whenever I wanted and judging any trial I felt like. BUT, I hadn't completely closed the door.

We were married in August, 2001 and a few months later, we thought we'd give it a go. We got "lucky" the first time we tried and Dani came along 9 months later (I was 38). We decided she needed a sibling and before you know it, Erin was born when Dani was just 17.5 months (I was 39...I was determined not to give birth after 40!).

I had a hard time adjusting to my new life. I now found that I couldn't just head off to any and every agility trial...that I had to consider my family first. This became a balancing act to which I was unaccustomed. I muddled through, but today realize that I'm not doing so hot. Maybe it's because dog agility is a world in which 85% - 90% of the people are either childless or their children are grown and out of the house. I always find myself envying them...because after a show they can go home, prop up their feet and revel in a good day. I go home, sort out what went on throughout the day, then take over from a tired and weary husband.

I find that with my girls, I reach a boiling point much quicker than with the dogs. With the girls, I am impatient and can't stand it when they cry. With Jam, I have endless patience and encourage her to bark (I taught her "talk to me" and she does...with wild abandon!). I am not the type of mom who can think up fun, cute or craftsy-type things to do with them on a dime. I have to force myself to play with them since I truly find it quite boring. I love them and would fight anyone to the death for their rights, but I always feel awkward and unnatural when I do anything with them. It's not a good feeling and I'm trying so hard to work through it.

I seriously doubt I'd ever win any Mother of the Year contests, but for me...I'm doing the best I can. I can only hope that I'm not permanently damaging my girls.

Expectations and dog agility

2007-06-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

I competed in a USDAA agility trial with Jam this past weekend. It was our first weekend in Advanced. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. We breezed through Starters rather quickly, so I knew she could "do" agility, but once you get to Advanced, it gets a little harder. The courses are less forgiving and the rules are somewhat stricter. So, Jam and I drove the 7 hours to Moorpark, CA (thank goodness for audio books!!) and had a whole lot of fun!!

Going into this trial, I basically had no expectations other than having fun with Jam and perfecting our on-course skills. The first class was Steeplechase. I had hoped to qualify, but instead we crashed and burned. BUT, her tail and ears were up, she was happy and so was I. The next course was Advanced Standard. We had flashes of brilliance, followed by flashes of silliness...in other words, another non-Q. Again, since I had no expectations, I wasn't disappointed, rather I came away realizing that we have some things to work on and she is a completely different dog than any other dog I've ever run before! Not to mention that she's still considered a baby dog...she's only 19 months after all!

Next came Jumpers. Jam was fast, happy and we were even accurate! :) She pulled the 3rd to last bar so we didn't Q, but her time was fast enough so had she not pulled that bar, we would've won the class. A HUGE positive in my opinion!!

The next class was Pairs. We had a draw partner who turned out to be a very nice Sheltie. We each had a nice run and came away with a Q...Woohoo!!! Our first Q in Advanced. A great way to end the day!

Sunday dawned chilly and misty. I had goosebumps on my goosebumps!! The first class of the day was Gamblers. Jam and I had a fabulous opening, earning more than enough points. The gamble was a jump to the teeter to a jump...you had to push the dog out for the last jump. We did great until the push out...I didn't give her a clear signal so instead, she came into me and barked as if to say..."mom...what do you want? why are you waving your arms??"...oh well!!

Next was Standard. The course was a nice course, very "doable." We ran it, and were clean and 20 seconds under time!! Another Q! :) In fact, we were the only team to Q in Championship on that course. How cool is that?! :)

The final course of the day was Snooker. By then the air had thickened with humidity and the temps were in the low 80's. I had a headache and my tummy was queasy...probably from the trail mix I couldn't keep myself from eating! I plotted a course, then found out I could do 4 reds instead of 3, so I re-plotted the course! Then I watched a few others go before me and changed my mind mid-stream. This can be dangerous, but I look at it as a challenge! When it was our turn, we went in, ran fast and came away with 58 (out of a possible 59) points and another Q!! What a rush! :) We even had 12 seconds to spare!

All in all, we ended up with 3 Q's in Advanced!! How cool is that?! BUT, the most important part is that we had fun in the process. I am competitive, but have learned over the years that if you get tense and put unrealistic expecatations on you and your dog, you will come away disappointed...and so will your dog. Why put that much pressure on when this is supposed to be fun?

I firmly believe that in agility, attitude is everything!

The first lake outing, my new ride and Father's Day

2007-06-18T08:18:00.001-07:00

We finally got the boat out on the water...woohoo!! There were a few kinks in the process, but once we got on the water, all those kinks were forgotten. It was HOT (about 110 degrees) and windy, but the cold, green lake water felt refreshing after the initial plunge into it! We were able to do some waterskiing (found some muscles I haven't used in a while) and the girls had a GREAT time swimming in the "cove." Dani jumped off the back of the boat repeatedly and even threw a frisbee around to others in the water. Erin was freezing while in the water, but didn't want to come out! Eventually, she came out and we sat on the back of the boat and watched the others play some frisbee. All in all, a great outing!!

And now my new ride! On Saturday, I traded in my 2001 blue Ford Expedition for a 2004 burgundy Ford Expedition! It's got only 30,000 miles on it and is pretty spiffy! It has a buil-in DVD player (I wasn't looking for that, but this one had it) and some other bells and whistles I didn't have before. I really do love it! We took it to the lake yesterday so it's already got it's first coat of dust on it! :) Thankfully the suspension is better so our trip out to the lake wasn't quite as bumpy. I'll take it to California this weekend for another dog show! :-)

Then, of course, yesterday was Father's Day. My husband loves the lake so for him, getting the boat out in the water was the best gift. We really don't do gifts, so the girls and I gave him cards in the morning and then headed out to the lake. When we got home, he wanted brats, so we got some brats, cooked 'em up and ate a yummy meal (the ONLY red meat I will eat is a brat...that's it!). After the girls were in bed, he wanted to sit in the jacuzzi for a while, so he took his iPod and headed out for some jacuzzi time. All in all, I think he had a very nice day!

Now we have a long, hot summer ahead of us. Hopefully between the pool, lake and sprinklers, we'll be able to keep cool!

The Once-in-a-Lifetime dog...

2007-06-11T13:31:00.001-07:00

Yup...I've found her...and I'm one lucky human!

This past weekend, Jam and I competed in our second USDAA trial. She completed all the requirements at the Starters level and earned her first-ever title! Her official name is now Jam, AD! :) (AD = Agility Dog)

This little dog gives it her all with enthusiasm and joy. She bounds through the course with a smile on her snout and her little ears flying behind her! The ONLY thing inhibiting her would be me...the handler. You see, when an error is made on course, 99.9% of the time it is the handler's fault. And knowing this I rarely, if ever, blame my dog for a run gone sour. It's just not fair to the dog who is on the course with you giving it their all.

I have some things to fine-tune with Jam and we will, but in the meantime, we're moving on up to Advanced-level classes! I know Jam's ready...but am I? We shall soon see as her next trial is in two weeks!!

Life is a roller coaster...

2007-06-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

...And it's getting pretty crazy!

We are still in the depths of tonsilectomy recovery with Erin. She is getting better, but not by leaps and bounds...more like fits and starts. She and Dani start "club PeeWee" today...a program offered by the Parks and Rec dept. I'm hoping she'll make it through the 2 hour timeframe without any issue.

Yesterday we just found out the sad news that one of Jeff's Aunt's died unexpectedly. She wasn't in the best of health to begin with, but apparently she laid down for a nap and never woke up. Jeff's entire extended family lives in Iowa, so this morning Jeff's mom and sister (who live near us) got on a plane to fly there for the funeral. Jeff hasn't decided whether he'll go back yet, but will hopefully sort through everything soon. The funeral is on Friday.

And of course I'm supposed to head to an agility trial in San Diego this weekend! Soooo, I've already talked to a friend who is willing to take the girls Friday night for a sleepover. Jeff would catch a late flight back Friday night and pick up the girls Saturday morning.

CRAZY!!!

Oh yeah...and Jeff is having an abcessed tooth extracted today!

I think what amazes me most is how calm I've been through all this. Erin's surgery was a big deal, but I didn't let myself get all worked up. The recovery has been difficult, but I've held it together for the most part. The death of the Aunt...I went into a mode in which I wanted to find solutions that would work for everyone. I got online and got a good airfare for Jeff (should he decide to go) and I talked with my friend about possible childcare...all without losing it or shedding a single tear.

Hopefully this means that I can take lemons and make some pretty sweet-tasting lemonade! :)

Tonsil Removal

2007-05-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Erin had her tonsils and adenoids removed on Tuesday. I think I was more nervous than her! We were both worried about how she would deal with not being able to eat in the morning, but thankfully she understood that she couldn't eat and didn't even ask! The only thing she asked for once we got to the hospital were popsicles!

She went into pre-op and seemed a bit overwhelmed, but she happily put on her pretty pastel orange jammies and her purple surgery hat. A child advocate person stopped by to show pictures of the OR to Erin and to give her a mask (the one they use to put her to sleep) to play with so she wouldn't afraid when they put it on her mouth. She initially shunned it as well, but ended up putting stickers on it and holding it over her nose! They eventually came and wheeled her off to surgery in a wagon.

25 minutes later, they came to get me from the waiting room...surgery was over! In the recovery area, they wheeled in a recliner for me and I held Erin while she slept. When she woke up, she had a green popsicle waiting for her...she wolfed it down happily! She then dozed a bit more. They ended up admitting her so we were soon whisked off to her room in the pediatric ward.

Throughout the day, she ate several popsicles, a few containers of ice cream and some jell-o. She was so happy to be able to finally eat that stuff!! She was an awesome patient. She only complained about the pulse ox monitor attached to her toe. By the end of the night, she wanted to go home, but understood that she had to spend the night. She slept well, even though they woke her throughout the night to take vitals and give her meds. I slept very fitfully since a hospital at night is a VERY noisy place!

This morning Jeff came to relieve me so I could come to work. She was released by 9:30 AM and has been home with daddy and Dani all day. Hopefully her recovery will go well...only time will tell!

All in all, she was a model patient and a very good girl! :)

Bermuda, agility and life in general...

2007-05-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Simply put...Bermuda is one of THE most beautiful places on this Earth! When you fly in, you see the white-roofed houses all painted in different colors of pastels. It is so pretty! The water is turquoise blue and oh so inviting. And to think I was headed there with my husband and my dog!! We stayed with friends I had made on a previous trip...Frank and Kathy. They have a 200 year old house with an incredible view of the ocean off their back patio. It was spectacular!

We arrived on a Wednesday and within 3 hours of touch down, my husband was off diving and I was off with my friends practicing agility on their beautiful agility field. Oh, and we had already had a dark 'n stormy or two! :) Five of us traveled from the states to show our dogs, so we enjoyed a lazy afternoon with our dogs and our Bermuda buddies. At night, we had dinner at one of the Bermudian's houses.

Thursday I went shopping in Hamilton and at the Dockyards with agility friends, Darlene and Jane. We had fun "power shopping." We ended up missing two ferry's because my watch was 5 minutes too slow! :) My husband went diving with Frank again, though the water was a bit choppy. That night we had dinner at the Bermuda aquarium. I got to pet a grouper (!) and dance with a skeleton (long story). Many rum swizzles and dark 'n stormies were available.

Friday we woke up to a pancake breakfast cooked by Frank and Kathy. We then headed to the show site (the Botanical Gardens) for the first day of the show! The first day was the Team event. I was on a team with Jane and her dog Tizzy and Rose and her dog Kelly (Rose is from San Diego but has been living in Bermuda with her husband for the past 8 years). After the first two classes (there are 5 total) our team (Two Tollers in a Tizzy) was in last place. By the end of 4 classes, our team was in 1st place!! The last class is Relay in which all three members of the team are running at the same time. All of our dogs ran clean and we ended up winning the gold and qualifying to run in the National competition in Phoenix, AZ!! :) I was elated! :) Friday night we went to Rose and Jonathan's for a wonderful dinner and swizzles!

Saturday we woke up to rain...LOTS and LOTS of rain. It rained all day. Despite that, Jam and I ended up earning 3 of the 7 qualiying scores towards our first USDAA title! She Q'd in Snooker, Jumpers and Pairs. We crashed and burned in the Grand Prix, but that's OK. She is a baby dog after all! Saturday night we were supposed to have a beach party, but the rain prevented us from doing so. We ended up at a Bermudian's house for BBQ chicken, burger and dogs...and more swizzle! :)

Sunday it was misting in the morning, but then cleared up by afternoon. Jam and I earned 2 more Q's towards our title!! We Q'd in Gamblers and Standard. She needs only 2 more Standard legs at the Starters level to earn her Agility Dog (AD) title! :) I couldn't be more proud of my baby dog. She is awesome!! After the show, Jane and I walked the dogs down to a small beach and let them play in the water. Jam barked and bit at the water and had a blast! Sunday night was the big farewell party. More swizzle, stormies, good food and dancing with the skeleton! :)

Throughout the weekend, my husband was diving and eventually earned his Advanced Open Water Scuba certification!! He was thrilled to be able to do so...especially since his cert. card will say he did it in Bermuda! :)

We left, grudgingly, on Monday. We had a nice leisurely morning of sitting on the back patio and taking in the view before departure. Leaving was so hard, but I also missed my girls and was anxious to get back home to them.

We came home (to Wisconsin) when they were asleep. The next morning, Dani opened our bedroom door and her face just lit up! :) Erin was right behind her. It was Erin's 3rd birthday so we had a small celebration with cake and presents. We flew back to Phoenix in the afternoon. My parents were thrilled to be able to spend a birthday with one of their granddaughter's!

All in all, the trip was a HUGE success for everyone. I got to show Jam in her first USDAA show and qualify for Nationals, my husband earned his scuba cert., my girls had a ball in Wisconsin, and my parents got some much-needed/wanted bonding with the girls. We didn't get to go for that romantic walk on the beach, but that's OK...it'll give us another reason to go back!

Holy Smokes!

2007-05-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

I went to the vet last night to get Jam's International Health Certificate. I had called on Monday to be sure they had it. After some searching, they assured me that all was well and they did have it.

I got there last night and the first thing we noticed was that Jam's microchip may be of the wrong type. On the instructions I had, the microchips listed did not include Home Again, which is Jam's microchip. We had maybe a little panic, but I was pretty sure it would be OK.

The vet then brought in the health cert. and said that this was a state cert., that they didn't have the International certs. I FREAKED! I told her that I had called before coming in and was assured that they did indeed have the cert. I needed. She said she'd go look for it, but I didn't have a high degree of confidence. I called another vet that I had frequented before and they told me they did have what I needed and I could walk in last night...to a tune of $132 JUST to walk through the door!

Meanwhile, my vet came through the door and said "we found it!" Thank goodness! We got it all filled out and faxed to the Bermuda government. They sent me on my way 1.5 hours later. I called Bermuda this morning to be sure all was in order, and thankfully, everything is good and I should have my import cert. to get Jam into the country by today! :)

But wow...talk about a rollercoaster!!!

Ponderings...

2007-05-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

As I am set to embark on an agility adventure with my new dog, I cannot help but remember how it was with my old, now departed dogs.

I used to own 4 wonderful, absolutely fabulous "fur kids." They were each special in their own way...

First there was NEA. She was my Beagle and had attitude to burn. She was once nicknamed "Her Beagleness" by a friend in New Mexico, and it stuck. I unwittingly got her from a pet store. I started her in agility in 1993 and she went on to earn her Championship in USDAA-style agility. She was only the 2nd Beagle to attain that title.

Next came Fred. He was my rescue dog. I rescued him from Italian Greyhound rescue. He had personality plus! I "tried him out" for a week and during that week, everyone I saw said they would take him if I didn't. Needless to say, I kept him! He started agility in 1994, and quit in 1996. He had a degenerative eye disease that left him blind in his left eye.

Then there was Chakotay. He was my second Italian Greyhound. I saw him as a puppy while I was in San Antonio at the USDAA Nationals. He was so CUTE!! I wanted to take him home right there, but I didn't have the means nor the $$. Turns out that he was still available several months later and at a reduced price. He broke his leg 3 times, but these breaks never broke his spirit. He was and always will be my buddy. He competed successfully in agility, falling short of his USDAA championship by 4 Gamblers legs.

Finally there was Rysa. She was my big Toller girl. I loved her with all my might. She was sensitive, but would do any and every thing for me. She was my princess and went just about everywhere with me. She did agility, though she always seemed to have a "hitch in her giddyup." I had many specialists and vets look at her, but no one could figure it out. She ended up 3 legs shy of her Championship.

In 2003/2004, each of my dogs died one by one...

First Fred. He had osteosarcoma. He died in my arms at the age of 11 in May of 2003.
Next was NEA. She stopped eating and walking. We let her go gracefully at the age of 14.5 in Sept. of 2003.
Then, Chakotay. He also had cancer, myeloma. We were treating it, but it spread to his kidneys. He died at the age of 8 in Nov. 2003.
Finally, Rysa. She collapsed one night and never regained conciousness. She had Addison's...that's what was wrong with her the entire time, but no one knew. She was only 7...she died on June 23, 2004.

Just before and in between this timeframe, I was giving birth to my two daughters. My hormones were off the map. I wanted to die. I felt as if I had betrayed my dogs by having these human kids. Thankfully, a good therapist made me realize that that was not the case and that these animals were a huge part of my life and always will be in my heart. I just hadn't allowed myself to grieve properly. Luckily she helped me through that and I am in a much better place right now.

I last competed with Rysa in April of 2004. Now I am starting with Jam, my young Toller. I thought I'd feel more emotional when I stepped to the line with her the first time, but I didn't. I think mostly I felt numb, but happy to finally have my own dog to compete with again! The show in Bermuda will be my first USDAA show with her. USDAA is my preferred venue, so perhaps the emotions will show themselves then!

Regardless, I am looking very forward to the years ahead of fun, silliness and agility with Jam!

Whew!

2007-05-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Started with agility practice for Jam and I at 6:15 on Saturday morning. Then a trip to the park with the girls, followed by naps (for the girls) and then a trip to downtown Phoenix to see Sesame Street Live! featuring Elmo's music. We then decided to have dinner out at Applebee's and finally came home and collapsed.

Today (Sunday) we started out by looking to replace the two ficus trees we lost during the frost this past winter. We ended up purchasing two red plum trees and a palm tree for another corner of the yard. The rest of the day was spent planting trees, fixing drip lines, taking the girls to get their hair cut, a trip to Lowe's and grocery shopping.

I think we need a weekend to recover from our weekend! :)

Prepping for our Bermuda trip!

2007-05-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Getting a dog into Bermuda is no easy task! Humans need only a passport...dogs need:

an import certificate
an international health certificate
a rebies vaccine given more than 30 days ago, but within a year
a microchip
a tick/flea treatment from the vet (not from the owner)

It's crazy!! Luckily a friend of mine has been through this process a couple times and gave me all the information I need to safely transport Jam into the country!

Now...I've got to get Jam ready for competition! Today she "comes of age" for USDAA-style agility. Dogs have to be 18 months old in order to compete...Jam's 18 month birthday is today! Our training is sporadic at best. I have limited equipment to train on in my backyard and I have 2 kids to work around! We head to class once a week, but as any agility enthusiast knows, you need more than once a week practices before competing so you won't be laughed off the course! :) She's competed successfully in a few trials now, so there is hope!

The girls are anxiously awaiting their airplane trip to Wisconsin. Every day they ask if it's time to go on the plane...and when they're going to Build-a-Bear with Grandma and Grandpa! They've already packed their backpacks (Dani has a Dora pack, Erin has a Hello Kitty pack) with breakfast bars and raisins for Grandma and Grandpa...oh, and a few toys too! They can't wait to get on the plane and have it go fast, fast, FAST into the sky!

Jeff is researching dive sites in Bermuda and I'm looking forward to simply having fun! As a friend said, this is the ultimate vacation...agility, kid-free, beaches, tropical drinks...all in a romantic setting...couldn't ask for any better!

"This is awesome!"

2007-04-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

The above words were uttered by Dani as she stood with her feet on the edge of the Pacific Ocean as the water came rushing in around her! :)

This past weekend we headed out to California to visit Legoland! We went to Legoland on Saturday and had a great day. We've discovered that Dani is the roller coaster queen, whereas Erin is a bit more timid. Dani went on a roller coaster called "The Dragon" 5 times!!!! She then headed over to another coaster that was a bit more scary and went on it once with daddy. After the first big drop, she turned to Jeff and said, "no, I don't want to do this one again!"

After a great day at the park, we went out for pizza and then headed to the beach. Suffice it to say, the girls LOVED it! Dani loved having the water rush in over her feet and Erin enjoyed running up to the water's edge, and then running back towards the beach, screaming, as the water came rushing in. They played with their sand toys and had a great time.

Sunday morning we went to Balboa park in San Diego. We ended up at the Science museum and let the kids play and explore. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the family! Jeff has proclaimed that he is now ready to conquer Disneyland with the girls next year! :)

Here we go again!

2007-04-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

Looks like I'm part of yet another company that is being sold! My company (Inter-Tel) just announced that we've been sold to another telephony company, Mitel. We don't know the details yet, but I'm sure it'll all come out soon. One thing we do know is that Mitel is a private company so the shareholders will get some $$ out of this...too bad I don't own any Inter-Tel stock!

I went through a similar thing when I worked for Motorola. I was in the SPS division that "spun off" to become Freescale. That was a time of uncertainty, but in the end it all turned out OK. Course, recently Freescale was sold to a private company, so Jeff has had to deal with that.

Lots of my fellow writers are freaking out. I'm not, only because I can't control the situation and most likely, there won't be any significant changes. The only thing I can hope for is that we adopt Mitel's vacation policy...they get 3 weeks vs. the 2 we get here! :)

We'll see what transpires in the coming weeks!

Lots going on

2007-04-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Seems like time passes so quickly. Since my first post, Jam was in two more shows, though I was unable to compete in both days of the AKC show as I came down with pneumonia the second day of the trial. Regardless, Jam once again did awesome in both shows and came away with some great ring experience and a few Q's!

Meanwhile, the girls are getting bigger and cuter. Erin's personality is really starting to shine! She can be so cute one minute, then full of the devil the next! She turns 3 in a month. We'll be in Wisconsin the morning of her birthday, then on a plane headed back to Arizona that evening. Dani is amazing us with her academic skills! The Nanny has her doing addition and subtraction in her head! She LOVES this stuff and is soaking it in like a sponge.

Our trip to Bermuda is fast approaching! We leave May 15 to drop the girls off in Wisconsin, then Jam, Jeff and I board a plane for Bermuda. While there, Jeff will dive and I will show Jam in a USDAA-style show! We'll also do some site-seeing and party with the ever-friendly Bermudians. We are so looking forward to it! The Bermudians are fabulous people who really know how to have a good time.

Jeff had double hernia sugery on Friday the 13th (April) of all days! The surgery went well and he is almost completely recovered. He still has some minor issues, but for the most part, he's doing well.

We also found out that Erin needs to have her adnoids and tonsils removed! We've scheduled the surgery for the week after we return from Bermuda (the day after Memorial Day actually).

I'm hoping to keep this updated fairly regularily, so sit back, relax and enjoy!

Jam's First Show!

2007-02-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

I entered Jam in a DOCNA-style agility show yesterday. I put her in only two classes...Jumpers and Strategic Gamblers. I didn't have any expectations other than to have fun.

Not only did we have fun, but Jam did GREAT! She won her division in the Jumpers class and qualified, and she also qualified in Strategic Gamblers (not sure if she won...I left before the results were out)!

I am so PROUD of her! I cannot train nearly as much as I'd like due to full-time job and full-time Mom responsibilities, but I am blessed in that Jam has a lot of natural talent. She is truly an amazing little girl and I am lucky that she came into my life!

Her next show is in 2 weeks. It's an AKC-style show. Again...we won't set any expectations other than to have fun! :)