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The real fun stuff will be coming back this week and attempting to understand all of the material that I'm supposed to know right now. :( At least there won't be another calc test for a while...but we do have a physics test Thursday/Friday.
Only a few more weeks until Christmas break...then a dog show where we get to meet Rev's sister (entering that might be a good idea...), lot's of good food, The Nutcracker with some family. That's what I'm working towards. I'm not worried about the next couple of weeks dragging on, but rather, I'm worried about them going by too fast...with the way things are going, there just doesn't seem to be enough time.
Oh. And totally just realized yesterday that one of the colleges I'm applying too (application due December 1st) has a lot more writing than I originally thought. Hah.
(I don't have any cool pictures I can scan though because I thought I'd just buy them online. Hah.)
They always start the show Friday afternoon - except this year it started at 3:00 instead of 4:00. I get out of school at 2:20, have to go home, grab the dogs and drive to the show. Do you know how much traffic there is at 3:00 in the afternoon on a Friday?? A lot. Wayyyyy more than I expected. Sigh.
Kristie was so thoughtful and moved Chase and Rev down in the Jumpers running order until we *finally* got there (just in time to run, as there were about two dogs left before we were the only 22" dogs left to run!) Lucky for me, the course wasn't too difficult to figure out (unlike Sunday's Jumpers course ;). Chase ran first and, despite not really doing agility for a few months, Q'd!! Rev was clean until the *very* end, when I pulled up because I was so relieved that it was over - bar. DOH. Stupid handler. But she was such a good girlie.
Next was Pairs. I just signed up for the draw with both dogs and we ended up being paired with two good friends. Chase ran his part of the course clean, but our partner had an off course. Young, nice dog though - and no complaining on my part! I'm just glad it wasn't OUR fault that caused the NQ ;) Rev had a clean run too, as did her partner, Q and 6th place! And Rev's first Masters Pairs Q!!
Then we had Grand Prix - just Rev in tournaments this weekend. Rev ran the course clean, HELD HER CONTACTS, and won for a bye. I was shocked she was such a good girlie on her contacts - but very very proud! Her teeter especially...I peeled off and she stuck it like a pro!
Saturday we started with Masters Gamblers. Ew Gamblers. ;) Chase ran clean, one of the few dogs to get the gamble, and got 3rd place! Good boy Mr. Reliable :) Rev did *not* run clean...and had an interesting opening when I couldn't catch up to her after a tunnel and then she proceeded to do a handstand after her first teeter (they got a picture of it too...can't wait to get that one in the mail!). Then I was so flustered with the run that I forgot to set her up for the weaves and sent her to a jump instead. Oh well. Nice warm up run :)
I think Standard was next. Chase had two bars, but otherwise a lovely run. Rev ran clean and took second - again, really nice contacts.
Masters Snooker was an interesting course. I couldn't help it and had to go for a six and 3 sevens with Rev. Didn't quite finish the seven in the closing, but it was good enough for 5th place and a SQ! Chase also qualified and had a stellar run!!
Steeplechase Round 1 was a fun, fast course. No contacts in here...Rev says holding contacts in Steeplechase is not what we do mom...duhh. I let it slide. I'll do some AKC eventually and bring the contacts back. She took first and moved on to Round 2.
Sunday we started with Snooker - number 7 was somewhat tricky. If you took #7, you had to go back and take the red you took to originally take it. So: red-7-same red. We did 3 seven's and a six again, and WOULD HAVE made it through the closing - but I was dumb and sent her to a red instead of seven at the end. Still, good enough for second place and her third SQ! Don't have to worry about those anymore! (though, I still would like to try for them). I did three sixes with Mr. Chase (courtesy of Kristie's course), but forgot to take #5 into account as we ran to get to #2....whistle. He was such a good boy though - bad Tori!
I think Gamblers followed. Gamble had a teeter and a turn away/weird thing at the end. I don't use a turning arm for Rev (as in, I don't bring up my outside arm to make her go away from me, I just turn my shoulders and use a verbal), so I looked like an idiot during that part ;) But she Q'd and took second. Chase, the good, reliable dog, got the gamble with ease and Q'd. He's so good at just understanding what I want sometimes.
Masters Standard. Fun fun course. Chase was soooooo close. But I decided against a front after the teeter when he looked like he might fly off. Then he slowed *way* down and I was on top of him for the rear cross on the next jump. Bar. But he had a gorgeous serp at the end of the run, and was thoughtful on his dogwalk contact. Yay! Rev ran clean and took first. Ahem. Yes, we trained that running dogwalk. Of course...;)
Steeplechase Finals was a pretty nice course. We were wide on a turn after a tunnel (I think around #12 or something?), but umm, I just stood there, so of course we were wide. The ending seemed unusual. Two jumps straight out after the weaves. The jumps were spread WAY apart, and the weaves were offset from them. Rev had been so good in her weaves all weekend that I decided to just try and leave her in them. So I ran ahead, blind crossed (*gasp* that was really fun to do though! lol), supported the first jump with an arm and called her. Good girl! First place - picture buying time. lol
Masters Jumpers - Rocky, Chase, and Rev. Rocky was first - hahahahahahahaha. Video to come. And yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say about that. I love my Rocky. :) Chase was awesome, kept ALL the bars up, and was clean!! Rev was soooo close. Had a really nice time, but knocked a bar towards the end.
Super fun weekend. Everyone was so nice. I got a lot of 'congratulations' and was able to hang out with some really good friends. Kristie made us cupcakes! And some other friends got us a cake. They even announced it over the microphone that we had won Steeplechase last weekend, and included that this show five years ago was my first ever agility competition. That was so sweet of everyone.
Now. No agility for a LONG time. Sleep, school, roller blading, frisbee, sleep. :)
So, day 4. Team Gamblers, Grand Prix Semifinals, and Steeplechase Finals (!!!!). Gamblers - so not my thing...and it was a real gamble...sigh. lol ;) I usually handle team gambles pretty well because they're just timed and I generally know how to time things with my dogs. Let me just say though - Kathy and Roo ROCKED that course. Absolutely gorgeous run!!!! Way to go girls :) Was a blast to watch.
I think our opening would have gotten us a fair amount of points - if I had done it correctly. Rev blew her dogwalk contact (but really, who can blame her? lol) so I decided to do the dogwalk again...eating up a lot of time. However, she did stick her contact! So that was good, and for me, well worth it. Prior to Gamblers we were sitting in first for overall individual dog...don't know where we ended up, but dad said we weren't near the top anymore. That's okay though - to sit in first after three classes was insane....
Grand Prix Semis...speed course. Like so many others that weekend. It was fun, but I do wish it had been more technical. I, like Mia, was somewhat disappointed in the courses this weekend, with a few exceptions. However, this was not an exception...I knew we would need to push to make the cutoff, and we did! We ran clean and got 5th place!! I couldn't have been happier. :) AND I GOT A BLUE SHIRT :P The blue shirts are so pretty. The other ones are actually rather ugly. But the blue...oh the blue. Love that color :)
Steeplechase Finals. Wow. WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. We were seeded second, so we got to watch everyone run before us. I was in a position where I couldn't see the times, which was probably a good thing. I also purposefully didn't look at our time after we ran (not that I had anything to compare it to...but it just seemed like a bad idea to look at it lol). Anyways, the runs were incredible. I didn't watch all of them, but Gabrielle and Zing looked fabulous (what else is new). Except she was running with major pain - umm WOW!! And geez girl, way to tie Marcus and Juice with insane pain and an odd rear cross at the end that you had to throw in because of the insane pain. When I was watching I didn't see the last bar go down, and didn't find out they weren't clean until later (Of course, a bar that was only caused because, umm, Gabrielle was running with a cist. Dude, I totally wouldn't have even come. I can't believe she stuck it out, and yet, I can. Truly an inspiration and truly dedication.) So that was a bummer, but then again, a run off might not have been a good idea, considering. Besides, we all know Zing and Gabrielle will be winning plenty of future National competitions.
Such an incredible team. I am in awe.
I also watched Juice and Marcus. I think the one time my stomach turned while I was waiting to run (it was so weird...I was nervous before the 22" class, but when I got Rev out I just relaxed) was when I could hear Marcus encouraging Juice on...I knew he was pushing. And then they ran clean. Again, hah, did *not* look at the time.
I was so excited to step to the line. We were running under the big lights. Oh. My. God. It didn't matter. Whatever happened during that run didn't matter...I was about to go out and have so much fun with my dog. I feel like that's why, when we won, it didn't feel real. It still doesn't. We came out of the ring, and I had just had one of the best runs of my life. I didn't feel like we were going to place, and I didn't care. Rev was so excited to be out there playing, and I couldn't have been more grateful to have the opportunity to run with her in such a fun atmosphere. The crowd was amazing. The cheering was just awesome. I knew I had several friends there who were so excited for us, and that was what made it so special. Not the fact that we won, but the fact that I came out of the ring to greet several really good friends with huge smiles on their faces (and open arms that about strangled me ;). They would have screamed their heads off and hugged me to death if we had come in dead last. I am so incredibly lucky to have people like that in my life. As I write this I'm tearing up. It meant so much to me to have them there.
What also made it special was the connection I had with Rev during that run. We had it at the SE Regionals during the Steeplechase Finals too. It is the coolest feeling in the world to be so tuned in to your dog that you both just know. I don't exactly know what it is we both "know" at those moments, but I do know that it is an insanely strong connection to have...and it takes the run to a whole new level.
So when we came out of the ring, Tim Verelli (he lives in FL and I see him at a lot of local shows) told us we had the fastest time. I wish this was on video...because I swear, the look on my face must have been hilarious. He asked how many dogs were after us...and I'm pretty sure I barely breathed "one". Karen Holik (who also lives in FL and who I see at a lot of local shows) watched the next dog run, and when they missed the weave entry, turned to me and told us we had just won. I promptly proceeded to strangle both of them with giant hugs and I'm pretty sure I went into mild hyperventilation (I can't even imagine the look on my face at that point!)
Rev was really wondering where her cookies were and if we could "go swim". ;)
The rest of the night was so unreal. It was like a dream - and yes, I have dreamed *exactly* what happened before (ahem, like when I was supposed to be paying attention in Calc the other day ;). Her song. It really hit me when they played her song. Part of me wanted to run a thousand victory laps around the ring, but I nearly went weak at the knees, I just wanted to bend down and cry. She is such a cool dog. I am so so so lucky to have her. I can't believe it...still SO unreal...
Sunday I didn't want to get up. Slept about 2 hours the previous night. lol European Jumpers was a fun course, one bar. Nice weave entry. Everyone ran clean in team relay - and we got 12th! My teammates were so nice. I do wish Gabrielle had felt better and could have stayed on :(
Grand Prix Finals was sort of a giant speed course. Fun, flowy, not technical at all. I was somewhat disappointed in that. Really wasn't challenging, except for the whole "finals" part. Steeplechase was more fun to run though - under the lights. They should do Grand Prix under the lights too. lol I was SUPER happy with Rev's run. I felt like I was a bit conservative on her contacts, but with more experience we'll get better at that. 5th place is *insane*. I couldn't have been happier!! Such a good girlie. Also, HUGE CONGRATS TO DAISY AND SOLAR!!! Killer run. Just awesome.
Plane ride home...what? There was a plane ride home? Oh, yeah. I was sleeping. haha - the entire time. Got home Monday and slept all day!! Didn't go back to school until Thursday. Probably failed a few tests. Eh. It was worth it. Nationals was amazing. I am so so so so glad we decided to go.
One more thing, it was so fun to meet a bunch of the LJ crowd!! You guys rock!! This blog is too cool in that it connected us with a bunch of people from across the country. Funny how something like that really wasn't possible not too long ago. Again, it was fantastic to meet everyone in person, and watch everyone's awesome dogs kick butt!!! Woo hoo! =)
(videos on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/hippiedogsagility)
Hah...lucky Friday the 13th? :P
Rev was STELLAR! Started the day with Steeplechase Semifinals - course was FAST. Very flowy. Rev smoked it, ended up second overall at the end of the day...just awesome awesome awesome girlie. She seemed to know that we were supposed to go fast, cause she broke her first frame contact without me saying anything...lol. The second one was me just releasing her early.
Sooo...onto Steeplechase Finals tomorrow night!!!! AHHHHHH!!!
Grand Prix Quarterfinals - clean!!! 5th or 6th place!! Semifinals tomorrow!!! Yeah!! =)
Team Standard...aframe broken lol, lovely dogwalk, clean!! :)
Super fun day...videos uploading to youtube now. This show is crazy. Crazy crazy crazy....
Checked placements for European Standard this morning - Rev would have been 7th without the bar. Very nice. Her time was 34.04, fastest was 32 something, and 2nd-6th were in the 33's. Really cool to compare!
Started off walking Snooker first thing this morning - man, tough course, especially if you were going for high points. 3 or 4 reds. You know how there's usually a general consensus you can pick up on as you are in a walk through, on how people will handle the course? Well, as proven by most of the runs, everyone going for "big" points seemed to decide on 1-5-1-6-1-7-1-7. That was our plan too, buuuuuuut....I watched several dogs run that clean and with time to spare. So, I decided to change our course up a bit and throw in a second six instead of the five. Ended up going wonderfully and was a blast to run!!
Later we ran Jumpers...nice, flowy, fast course. Rev rocked it! The jump before the weaves, I hesitated a bit too much to ask her to collect, and she almost pulled off the jump...but she was a brilliant girlie and saved my butt lol ;)
So, not sure on placements...will check that out in the morning.
Team Standard, Steeplechase Semi-Finals, and Grand Prix Quarter-Finals tomorrow!!!
Woo hoo for day one!! Dude, this is freaking awesome. The site is just gorgeous and it feels so awesome getting to run at NATIONALS!
Got to meet a ton of people today...Mia, Kristi, Barbara, Kathy, and some others not from LJ. Sooooo much fun!!
European Standard was a really fun course!! Tough teeter approach =/ Rev was an awesome girlie, however I caused a knocked bar after the dogwalk. She was stellar on her contacts though!! =)
I was bummed I missed a lot of runs today. It's really difficult to try and watch each ring and pay attention to when you're supposed to run. I did love Solar's "Playboy" patch on his vest. Very nice. :)
Can't wait for tomorrow. Team Jumpers and Snooker! Should be fun - hoping to stay on course in snooker long enough to enjoy it :P
(I don't know how I'm going to get homework done this week...)
:) I'm very very tired so this will be somewhat short.
Got to the airport. Got stopped by a mean Delta lady (no, she really was mean...) because our kennel wasn't appropriate for cargo. Eventually found a place to buy a kennel in the airport. Switched from the 6:30 pm flight to the 5:30 pm flight because the 5:30 flight had been delayed. Sent Rev off with her Kong, quite happy and comfortable. Rushed to get through security and get on plane.
Flying. Turbulence starts. More turbulence. Massive amounts of turbulence. Scary. Tori wants off plane NOW. Finally land in Georgia.
Wait for delayed Phoenix connection for an hour. Hope and pray Rev is okay. Get on plane. Freak out about turbulence. Get far enough away from Hurricane Ida to get out of turbulence. Plane becomes cold. Freeze because I have shorts on. Try to sleep with no leg room and no where to put my head. Fun.
Land. Rush to pick up baggage and find my girlie. Get all of our suitcases. Wait by the door that Rev is supposed to come through...wait, and wait, and wait...
The last ten minutes before we got Rev were the most nervewracking minutes of my life. They ended up bringing her in from the opposite direction of the door I was sitting in front of (apparently that section was "out of order"). I was the happiest person in the entire world to see my little girl. And the best part, she was fantastic! Not spooked at all by a thing the entire trip (that I could see). :)
Now, sleep....:)
Leaving Tuesday at 7. Getting to AZ at 12 ish (assuming we don't have any ridiculous delays...oh wouldn't that be fun). I haven't packed anything yet. I haven't gotten all of Rev's stuff prepared yet. I have done nothing but think about what I'm supposed to do. Hah. I have however finished my Calc homework. Not Biology though. Psh, test tomorrow? Studying the night before is so the thing to do...
No, the test is on DNA replication/transcription/translatio
I also have this song stuck in my head because of "Supplemental Sunday" today (a bunch of us in Calc BC get together on Sunday's to work on our supplemental worksheets, really hard math problems that are graded for accuracy).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI4JLa0hb
The song is pretty ridiculous. But I can't get it out of my head. Sigh. lol
Woo!! Less than a week until Nationals!! Thinking back, I feel like it wasn't such a bright idea to be flying in the night before. Hmm...
Oh well. Was the best I could manage with both my schedule and my dad's.
I have to say, I'm *excited* about flying. Yay. :) I've never been excited about flying before...:)
At the beginning of the week I ordered a cool coat and a pop up crate from Clean Run. They should arrive Friday. I don't know why I have never previously gotten a cool coat...but I figured it would be good to have one for this event - especially since I have heard horrific things about the heat. Eh heat. It's miserable, but we live in it everyday in FL -_- Why couldn't Nationals be in the northeast? :P
Don't know how she'll do in the pop up crate, but I'll have that and her hard crate. Will probably pop her in the hard one if I walk too far out of range.
Does anyone know how the crating's going? That whole thing just confused me lol. But it's whatever. We'll find out when we get there! :)
I really am just crazy excited about this. No matter how we do in our runs, I couldn't be prouder of my Revmonster and I couldn't be luckier to have her in my life. This trip is going to be so much fun! (except for the coming home part...;) To see all of the amazing dogs from all over the country competing there in person. Just, wow. I've been to the AKC Nationals once (spectating), and what an amazing show to watch, especially the finals. But other than that, I haven't been to a National event. I can only imagine what the energy of the entire site will feel like when we first get there...
Oh! And dock diving!! Excitement :)
I think I briefly wrote about my trip to MA here last week, but I didn't really elaborate on what we were doing there (I was a bit preoccupied with freaking out over the plane ride...more on that below). We went up for a college visit, specifically to see Hampshire College (www.hampshire.edu). I found the school through a search for "Zoology" majors. The school doesn't exactly have majors/minors, but it definitely has what I want to study.
A whole cognitive science department, animal behavior, neuroscience, physics. I was in heaven. The really cool thing about this school is that you can take your different interests and try to mesh them all together. And you design your own curriculum, to an extent. I believe a lot of the basic classes are required, but after that you just...go! The school is about learning what YOU want to learn, not what a specific major tells you to learn. I have wanted that for so long...
I have no idea what I want to do as a career. I've written that here before. But I do know I want to work with animals. I want to positively affect the world in some way. I don't know how yet, but I want to make a difference. I think this school could help me do that. I would be able to learn what I want to learn...combine my current skills, skills that I will develop over time, and the passion that I have for animals and for why they do things.
Oh man, and the people. The people were fantastic. Everyone was so lovely. We ate lunch at a little cafeteria-like place in the school (not the actual cafeteria) and the woman behind the counter was just the sweetest. We got some New England clam chowder (YUM!) and got to chat with her a bit. Later in the school store (I got a sweatshirt and landyard), the two clerks were so friendly! They asked what I was looking to study and how I liked the school. And elaborated on the giant Halloween party being hosted by the school that night (which sounded insane!! :)
I had an interview scheduled with one of the students (eeek). I was incredibly nervous, but I think it went okay. She was awesome - studying neuroscience (the school is really well known for the arts, particularly film, but they also have an incredible science program).
My application will go in soon, then, time to wait. Ahh.
But man, Massachusetts. Gorgeous. Just absolutely stunning. I could live there - definitely. Oh! And Clean Run was 20 minutes away!! :)
As for the plane ride - terrified. My biggest fear was my ears hurting afterwards (when I flew on a plane at 9 years old my ears hurt like no other after we landed, I loved the actual flight though). Good news - my ears didn't hurt! Bad news - I seemed to have developed a fear of flying in the past 8 years. :( Too many movies...
Anyways. I did not die...woo! ;) And I really think the trip was excellent preparation for our Nationals trip coming up. I'll be less stressed, meaning Rev will be less stressed. :)
Yes, I understand that there are many different things that could endanger myself and my loved ones. It's called life. That's how it goes. Unexpected stuff happens all the time.
I understand that the USDAA is in a difficult position right now. How can they require proof that the dog no longer sheds the bacteria if they don't require it from *everyone*?
However, assuming what I have heard is true. Assuming that a competitor plans on bringing his dog who is very possibly shedding leptospirosis bacteria through her urine, I have to say, I am extremely annoyed and disconcerted by this. How could you be so selfish and irresponsible?
I've heard the reference to a witch hunt concerning this issue. Witch hunt? No. Concern for the safety of those I care about? Yes. If it is true that this dog is shedding the bacteria, then I'm sorry, but no, I am not a big fan of people putting their personal desires (i.e. competing) over the well being of others.
Solution? Do the right thing. Think. Be considerate of those around you.
I got a 90% in physics. It's supposed to get a lot harder. Bye bye A...
Don't know my final grade in Bio, but it will be either a B or a C, depending on how I did on the exam. I felt confident on most of the exam, I studied for this class so I'm hoping that wasn't useless studying that could have gone to calc...
I have college apps due soon, transcripts being sent off tomorrow, and I'm leaving Thursday afternoon for Mass. to visit Hampshire College...I hate flying, so hopefully I won't scare myself before nationals, and instead just be more confident. Speaking of nationals...holy crap, 2 weeks. Where did the time go?!
Government and Anatomy exams tomorrow...should be much much easier than today's awful load.
Saturday Standard - HAH. Got running contacts? Rev does...:P Little booger. We hadn't done any agility in over a month however, except Friday afternoon, but we did no contact work. I didn't pull her off for the frame. I kind of didn't realize it had happened at first, it was just so flowy and felt so right lol. However, I told her specifically to stop on her dogwalk contact...naughty puppy ;) She was a very good girlie minus the contact confusion :)
Saturday JWW - Okay course...insanely tight towards the end. I don't want to hear "AKC people" tell me how "tight" USDAA is ever again. Ridiculous. Anyways, Rev was brilliant! And I managed to be there for her, Q and 1st place! She also got her MXJ :)
Sunday Standard - Q and second! With contacts. :) Rev was told she was a VERY GOOD GIRL for doing her job :)
Sunday JWW - FUN course. One of the best courses I have run in AKC in a long time. NQ - pulled her off a jump in the middle-ish. Rev was a super star in her weaves though!! I ditched her in all of her weaves this weekend, challenging her to stay in on her own. And actually, there were *several* dogs who had weave popping problems. Including dogs who usually have no weave issues.
I have three exams tomorrow. I hate school. I'm off to take a shower right now and meet some friends to study Calculus. Yay...
And a bonuse Hemi video :) FIRST PLACE :) :) :)
Happy Birthday my dear boy.
Toby came to us seven years ago from a backyard breeder. He was the cutest puppy you could have ever seen. So much puppy skin. Such droopy eyes. Such a stunning chocolate coat. He was a terror, but had that perfect puppy way of getting whatever he wanted and getting out of trouble by just looking at you...
When Toby was two years old we went to our first agility class together. Oh how I wish we had had a video camera back then...;)
Toby was the best in his class (in my eyes anyways :) He learned how to weave first, learned the contacts first (hah, err, walk across them? ;), progressed in his jumping quickly, etc. etc. We entered our first show in November of that year (2004). Toby was going to ROCK. I was sure of it...
I won't deny it, I cried. After the first day, I cried. I didn't want to go back the next day. I wanted to give up and go home, train harder, and come back and do better.
RIGHT THERE: "train harder, and come back and do better" I had never been so devoted to something to fail miserably at it and actually *want* to keep doing it. Yes, I cried, but I didn't want to quit (I just wanted to quit for that day ;). I don't know what it was, but I thank Toby for that. For putting up with me for the past 5 years as I tried desperately to make him the perfect agility dog.
We almost didn't run pairs that first day (the last run of the day). But the woman we were paired with (who is now a good friend) told me if we didn't run with them they wouldn't be able to run at all. I, not knowing the rules, didn't think that sounded right, or fair, but nonetheless, I believed her. ;) We didn't Q, but the run was much better than our previous runs that day.
The next day Toby had another slew of hopeless runs. The starters snooker judge was going to give out shirts to three teams who bombed the run. I was so excited. Sure, we sucked, but we were going to get a SHIRT! :P Hah, no. Apparently the dog running out of the ring didn't count as bombing the snooker run...it was only for those who got confused and lost on course...
But then there was jumpers. We had a bar, but we got second place :) And a ribbon!! We got a ribbon at our very first show! I couldn't have been happier. I was on cloud nine! In my mind we had just gotten our ADCH (I didn't even know what an ADCH was back then...)
Toby was moved down to performance for part of the next year. Our instructor thought it would help with his focus issues. Then my dad pointed out that he had no trouble jumping the 26" jumps, so we moved him back up.
Three years after Toby and I started competing in agility we got our Agility Dog title. OUT OF STARTERS FOREVER. It was a miracle. We had worked for so long to get that title. I'm sure I was hilarious coming out of the ring. I was so incredibly excited about what had just happened. I told the judge and thanked him several times :) I was one excited 15 year old :)
This past year Toby has slowed down a lot. He hasn't shown for nearly a year now, a decision I made based on possible arthritis and money. I had always contemplated throwing him in a random run this next year, but now I don't even see that as a possibility. What appeared as an onset of arthritis last year seems to have taken over. We have not gotten it confirmed by the vet, but he's much slower than he used to be. That same tenacious spirit is there, but he can't chase the frisbee as long anymore, or play tug as long with Rocky.
It worries me to see my boy getting older. But it makes me realize that I need to appreciate every single moment I have with him. I skipped out on homework this afternoon to spend some quality time with him...and it was worth it. Every second of it was worth it.
Happy Birthday Toby...and here's to many more :) 
So it's very cold out. It's currently 52 degrees. I am so excited. This freaking rocks. Now, if only it would stay through next weekend...
Homecoming was a bust. Shocker. I didn't want to go. My friends dragged me along. Sigh. Now I'm stuck with a ton of homework for tomorrow. Eh, I probably wouldn't have done it tonight anyways. ;)
Congrats to Mia and Max on Max's offical last show. He seems like such an incredible dog and it sounds like he had a rocking day today :)
I made pumpkin pie this afternoon! It is amazing. I have to wait to eat it tomorrow, but I am so excited. And the house smelled SO wonderul after I made it. That combined with the lovely fall air made the day perfect.
I also used a credit card at Publix today to get pumpkin pie ingredients. Who knew you had to push a button? The guy at the cash register must have thought I was a complete idiot...;)
I think it is amazing that President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize. That is such an honor and tribute to not only him, but also to our country. There is no doubt in my mind that he deserved this, however, I do feel like had the award come later there would be less backlash. Oh well. I think our country should be proud of our President. I mean come on, YOUR PRESIDENT WAS JUST AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. How FREAKING COOL is that???? But that's just me. A lot of people who live here were excited when Chicago got turned down for the Olympics...country pride is overrated anyways ;)
I have two biology labs to complete before Monday. Woo.
I want a new phone. I don't care if it's the same model, but mine does such weird things. I swear, one day it's going to just randomly explode.
Oh, I cut my hair on Friday. Now I have bangs. *exciting*
I think that's it really. I'm tired. :)
Got this from one of my friends at school. Sooo funny. I literally can't stop watching this:
