As 2010 comes to an end…

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year; I love the music, the lights, the decorations, the smells, and the goodies. I don’t even mind the weather. But I look forward to the week between Christmas and New Year’s; the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, things are quiet at work and home, and I have time to look back over the year and plan to next one. I did great on my goals from 2010 and am looking forward to setting new ones for 2011.


As I look back on all that I did and accomplished this past year all I can say is WOW!! This is why I blog!

Here are just a few of the highlights:

• I love being an agility judge and have had some great assignments!
• Kant got her NATCH and V-NATCH!!
• I went on the most amazing kayaking adventure with my mom, aunt, and Susan; a trip of a lifetime!!!
• Kant and I won NADAC Championships, for the second time!!
• Echo and I had an incredible year in agility and our first herding trial!
• I spent Thanksgiving in New York with Erin, Madison, and Isabella!!!
• I became an empty nester!

The year was not without struggles, frustration, heartbreak, and mistakes.

This year I questioned friendship more than ever since one was tested and broken. Lee wrote it perfectly, “What is friendship? As soon as we meet our friends this question gets answered automatically. The answer to what is the meaning of friendship lies with our hearts, because true friendship can only be felt, and not expressed. Something so pure and essential is not always visible to the eye, but is felt by the heart. You..are my friend.” I will treasure these words and our friendship FOREVER!! I am very lucky to have such great friends in my life!!

Here is to another incredible year filled with all that can be dreamed!! It will not be without learning, struggles, frustrations, heartbreak, and mistakes but I hope that I use what I know, tools that I have, and handle them to the best of my ability.

Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas was a quiet one this year at our house. Jordana made it over the mountain Christmas Eve; the dogs were very happy to see her and PITA, and so was I.

My dad and Stephen came over for Christmas Day. Presents were not a priority this year but I did get a beautiful candle from Stephen. We had a great afternoon playing games before dinner. With Jordana not living here and coming “home” for Christmas it made it feel more like Christmas.

I hope everyone’s Christmas Dreams came true!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Agility and Birthdays – What a perfect combination!!

Kant and Echo spent their birthday weekend at the WAG NADAC Games Trial. Both the girls were entered in all 10 classes. Echo ran in Elite Hoopers for her first Elite class. Echo qualified in 9 of the 10 classes getting her Open Weavers, Outstanding Open Weavers, and her 1st Elite Q. She has come so far in her first 3 years and only 18 months of competing in agility. I am so proud of her. Kant is not showing her age, running just as fast as ever and having a great time. We had a smokin’ Tunnelers run where Kant ran 147 yards in 22.27 seconds which worked out to 6.6 yards per second; Echo also showed her speed running the same course in 23.05 seconds.

The weather was wet this year but no snow or flooding. WAG as always put on another amazing trial! A great judge brought great courses!! What a perfect way to end the agility year!

Happy 8th Birthday Kant and 3rd Birthday Echo – December 12

Happy 7th Birthday Slick – December 15

Empty Nester!!

It is official; I am an empty nester and loving it!! Jordana took a job in Bend which started December 1st, what a great time to move to Bend. She purchased studded tires and chains packed up her room

 

and moved in to a very nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with a great roommate. I have talked to her several times and she loves living in Bend and being on her own. But back to me…I am so happy having the house to myself for the first time in 23 years. The dogs have their own room and I have a craft room that I do not have to share with the dogs. Jordana asked where she was going to stay when she came to visit and I told her where all my house guests stay…at the local motel. Just kidding I can put an airbed in the office temporarily! The dogs are struggling to adjusting being in crate more hours than usual but we are getting in to a routine.

Congratulations Jordana; I am so proud of you!! Best of luck on your new adventure!!

Thanksgiving in New York

I got to go to New York this year for Thanksgiving!!

I arrived on the Tuesday before Turkey Day; it was great to see Erin and the girls. I could not believe how tall the girls were.

Madison is as tall as me and

Bella is no shorty.

Wednesday the girls had half a day of school so Erin and I ran around in the morning getting the shopping done. It was a beautiful day so after lunch we picked up Madison’s friend and headed to the park.

 

 

 

 

It was so great spending the day with my sister and nieces.

Thanksgiving started out nice and lazy

but Erin, Bella, and I did get a 3 mile walk in.

It was fun walking through town and along a creek where we saw

geese,

ducks,

and more ducks.

 

Along our walk we went past Old Navy and it was open. I needed some jeans for the weekend so Madison and I went shopping before dinner.

Nanda and Carmine came over for a wonderful dinner that Erin prepared.

Like most Thanksgiving meals there was way TOO much food. But it was all incredible and I ate way too much.

Friday we were up and out of the house heading to Hershey, Pennsylvania.

We only had a couple of hours to spend in Hershey and we made the most of it; taking a fun tour of where chocolate comes from

and the process to become candy. We also got our picture put on a candy bar

and syrup bottle. Hershey was a fun place and worth going back.

 

While I was judging in Maryland, Erin and girls went to visit friends and tour Washington DC. They had a great time!

Sunday afternoon we drove back to New York and I flew home on Monday. It was a quick busy trip but I was so glad I was able to make it out to visit; it had been way too long since I had seen the girls. I had a great time!! Thank you Erin, Madison, and Bella for such a great week and I miss you so much. Love you all lots!!

Scrapbooking with FRIENDS!!

A group of us have been going to the Portland Scrapbooking Expo for years and we get notices for the Expo in Seattle. This year when we got the notice for the November Scrapbooking Expo in Bellevue Heidi and I started planning a weekend of scrapping in Seattle; we quickly invited Lee and she was able to make it. Thursday was Veteran’s Day so I headed over to Dallas in the morning and picked up Lee from her dad’s house and Heidi from hers with ALL their scrapping stuff, too much food, and a few clothes and we were off for the weekend. Of course we had to stop at Bobbi’s a do a little shopping before we left Oregon.

We had an easy drive to Seattle after finally getting out of Oregon and got to the Extended Stay Hotel we were staying in. We unloaded the van and hauled EVERYTHING to the 2nd floor with no elevator. We were cozy but it was very workable.

Friday we headed to the Expo. I have felt the one in Portland keeps getting smaller and smaller and has much of the same stuff at each booth; I can get through the Portland one without getting tired. The Seattle one was huge and full of fun stuff. We got there when it opened at 10am and shopped until 2pm; I was exhausted and ready to leave. We stuck with our traditional post Expo lunch at a Mexican Restaurant where we talked about all the stuff we got, what was our favorite, and what was the one item for this year which I have forgot. We were back at the hotel for an afternoon and evening of scrapbooking.

Saturday was an all day scrapping day. We brought food

since we had a kitchen so we did not have to leave. I got 55 pages done (no journaling), Lee got 35 pages done, and Heidi got 24 pages done. I forgot to take pictures because I was too busy trying to get the August kayaking trip done!!

Sunday it was a day of packing

and

hauling all that stuff back downstairs and loaded the van. It was a perfect weekend spent with the greatest of friends and tons of fun. There was lots of laughing, singing and burping, well burping from one. I cannot wait to go again next year my friends!!

Happy Very Late Howlingween!

I lost computer access when Jordana moved to Bend (that is a whole other blog entry) so I am doing the marathon blogging while she is visiting. I am hoping Santa brings me a laptop for Christmas.

On Sunday on my way home from the WAG October agility trial I stopped in Independence and picked up a couple of pumpkins. Then after Jordana got off work Stephen came over and they carved the pumpkins

while I made roasted pumpkin seeds! They both did a great job!

The carved pumpkins survived the week before Halloween and were a great addition to the very few decorations I put up.

Just like last year we gave out full size candy bars; I love the reactions we get!! The pumpkins were also very well liked especially Stephen’s cat.

Even the dogs got in to the Halloween spirit!

A Sweet Little Angel

And a Red Hot Chili Pepper

WAG October NADAC Trial

After a couple of weeks of no agility and getting caught up on things around the house I was looking forward to the NADAC Trial in Corvallis. Last year one of the judges had to spend too much time at the airport waiting for the other judge to arrive. I told her I would have picked her up and so this year that is what happened.

The flight arrived at 9:47am and we did not have to be in Corvallis until 4pm, so many options. Where do you take someone that is from Calgary Canada? The beach of course! So that is what we did. Straight from the Portland Airport to Lincoln City; we got there at lunch time so we stopped at Kylo’s for a hot crab sandwich and clam chowder, yum. After lunch it was time to take a walk on the beach with the dogs. The judge had her border collie and I had Kant, Echo, and the foster puppy Bing! Everyone had a great time chasing sea gulls and waves,

and running on the beach.

It was a beautiful day at the beach, no wind or rain.

Time to head to Corvallis came too quickly and after getting some of the sand off the dogs we were loaded back up.

As we were driving through Lincoln City on Hwy 101 we passed a surf shop with a fake “tube” with a surf board. Someone was having their picture taken and I said to Keri wouldn’t it be fun to take pictures of the dogs, she agreed so I turned around. It was great fun!

Beach Bums!

Hang Ten!

Bitchin’

We did manage to see a couple of lighthouses in Newport before heading inland and to the trial. We did not quite make it by 4pm but we were there before 5pm.

Friday night we ran two classes; Touch’N’Go, and Tunnelers. Neither Echo or Kant got TNG,

they both had off-courses but not the same one. I tried running Kant from the Tunnelers bonus line and we did pretty good but I had to step in and help, we still Q’d.

Echo had a smoking, qualifying Tunnelers run. I took home three very tired dogs.

We were back up before the sun Saturday morning to head back to Corvallis for a full day of agility. Hershey came along to celebrate his agility retirement. He was very happy to be there and share his gluten free dog treats with all his four-legged friends. I heard that some of the two-legged friends also gave Hershey a treat.

Jordana and PITA were there on Saturday; Jordana was only able to run PITA in Chances before she had to leave for work. They did not qualify in Chances and we did not Q in Regular 1.

But PITA and I did go one to Qualify in all the other classes

which finished her Novice Hoopers Title and PITA got 1st Place in Novice Jumpers. I am glad I made Jordana enter her on the one day, she had a great day!!

The girls and I did not have a very good day; they were both entered in all 6 classes: 2 Regulars, Chances, Weavers, Jumpers, and Hoopers. Kant started out great with a beautiful Regular 1 run but then knocked a bar in Regular 2 and a bunch of bars in Jumpers. She did redeem herself in Weavers and Hoopers with two beautiful runs and a 50% Q rate. Echo on the other hand did not qualify in either Regular or Chances but there were pieces that were great.

She did have beautiful runs in Jumpers, Weavers, and Hoopers, she ran Weavers in 5.92 yards per second and finished her Open Superior Hoopers Title also having a 50% Q rate. My baby is going to enter her first Elite class at the next NADAC trial.

I would like to say Sunday was better but out of 5 classes the girls were entered in Kant only qualified in Regular 1. We had an off-course in Chances

and 1 knocked bar in Jumpers. Weavers we ran in the dark because of a storm that had blown in and Kant could not find the weave poles causing us to be .5 seconds over time. Echo’s Q rate was a bit better qualifying in 3 of the 5 classes. She got a Regular Q, another Jumpers, and another Weavers. She also struggled running Weavers in the dark. Thank goodness the lights came on right before Novice started.

Even though we did not take home a bunch of ribbons I had a great time with friends, outstanding judges that brought great courses, and the best dogs in the world. WAG once again put on a great trial. And of course Thanks to Joe Camp for capturing the moments for me!!