Toffee...National Champion!!!

Yes! I cannot believe it. Well, I can, because it's Toffee, but I can't.
This is so exciting.
I couldn't even get home before the interviews started. I did an interview over the phone on the drive home wednesday!

Then I did another one yesterday with The Gleaner...it's out today. Here it is... http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/cityregion/article/1431270
I might have said "like" too many times, but hey...whatever.

SO
Sunday.
Toffee went 3/3 on sunday as well! They courses were definitely more difficult than Saturday's, but Tof was up for the challenge :)
As it turned out, I was 1st going into Sunday. Cool, eh?
And Tony was 2nd and Cheryl was 3rd.
Yeah, maritimers represent!

I would say the only thing that I wasn't completely satisfied with her over the entire weekend was that on her second gamblers run, the dogwalk was the 5point obstacle, and a mini, so it was worth 10 points. I sent her over it the first time and she missed her contact..10 points down the drain. (then the little bugger went over it a second time and actually did a 2o2o...I don't remember the last time I had to actually release her off a contact in a trial!) But still...it was a stellar run.

In the end of the day, I came out with 1st in jumpers, 1st in standard and 5th in gamblers.
Cool, cool, cool, cool , cool, coooooooooooool!

Never have I ever placed in so many runs before! If that was all that I had won at nationals, I would be super happy.
But wait, it gets much better!

Wait, here's a picture.


"Mom, I just won gamblers!"

 Anywho, through out a series of events during the day, I sorta kinda maybe a little bit knew I had a very good chance of...don't say it.
I only quietly expressed this with my mom, and wished I hadn't because I had said it out loud and I still had one run to go. Anything could happen, right?

Before I go there, though.
STEEPLECHASE!!!
Woah! That was fun!

It's been a while since I've been either that excited/nervous. I'm not really sure what the emotion was, but all I know is that my legs felt like jello when I was walking the course, and my heart was pounding very fast. I'm pretty sure I could hear it...

The atomosphere was crazy though. It was like everything that I had ever wanted to do with Toffee was happening at this nationals. I super ready though. We just went out and ran! RAN! I don't know if I was really running harder than I usually do, so maybe it was the nerves that made me SUPER out of breathe and I came off the course. hah. (okay, maybe it's because I'm super out of shape...shhh)

As that turns out, I won my division! Coolio, indeed.
Toffee ran the course like a Champ (duh, because she is one!) and was one of the few that ran it clean. The weave entries were hard for a lot of the dogs! Couldn't believe it.

Here...just watch the video.
On top of that, she was one of the faster dogs.. (okay, if the other dogs actually ran clean, i.e didn't screw up the wevae poles and had to go back and fix them, she would totally not be one of the faster dogs...but she was!) Not complaining! She's a good little wirlie :)

ONWARD.

Mach's bro came up for a visit.
It was cool to finally meet him! And Cheryl (different one than above) Cool bunch of people!

The award cermony finally came and poor little Toffee, after running 8/8 she was tired. Look.

They finally got to my division and started with 10th place.
After each person, naturally, there would be lots of screaming and clapping and so on.
That, however, took time. So it was a long way to the top (if ya wanna rock n' roll) Side bar, sorry.
They finished calling 4th place, so I knew I would be on the podium. 3rd place.
OMG.
2nd place.
*insert crying here*
Look at me.

Trish was sitting beside me and I think she took my hand and pulled me out of my chair. So I blame this one on her. (now that I'm thinking about it, I might have got up myself..oops)
I can't see a thing, there are too many tears in my eyes, I can't hear anything, because I'm laughing and sobing and my ears are plugged because of it. Also, there are a million people screaming all around me, so I couldn't hear anything anyways.
So there I go, running up to the stage all excited. Crying like a fool, laughing. I still can't see anything, but my golly, I found the steps up to the stage!
So I'm up there shaking Claude's hand, Lynda gives me the best hug ever, then Rick goes "I didn't hear them call your name!!...what did you place?!"

and I think in my head "didn't he hear? what's wrong with him?" but I hug him anyways, then I'm in front of the lady who has the trophy and ribbon and she's kind of looking at me funny.
Then that's when I hear "And the first place winner, blah blah blah". I then realize that they hadn't even called my name, and there I was ready to take claim of my prize.

woah.....big oops.
At the time, I didn't care, I was like DUDE! I just won!
But now I just can't stop thinking about how awful that was.
Whoops the big one.
I couldn't stop crying, so all the pictures of me up there are digusting. Lynda yelled to me to breathe, but I answered back "I CAN"T!!" Ah, jeeze.

I got so many things, like a back on track jacket for Tof, a million Omega Alpha products and a leash for Toffee.

I was shaking for a while after. But I finally calmed down.
At the very end when they had finished giving out all the aggregate placements they do the special awards for teh history and the future of the sport.

Yeperoni, Tof and I got Top Junior Handler again this year!!
This time I waited until they called my name and I wasn't hysterically crying.
Good.

Poeple were so nice to me. So many people that I had never seen before, or had never talked to were coming up to me and congratulating me! The lady who got second place, Sandra Bourne with Rayne was so sweet and hugged me twice!
I just love cool people like that!

Not to take away from her awesome success, but I won by 70 points. Dude, 70 points. That's a lot of points, man!

(You can see Tony in the back...Congrats dude on your 7th!!)

Ah dear, I just love Nationals.  (<< that's the video. Watch it. She's awesome)

Mach...it's your turn now buddy!

bahahaha, he's worried.