my friends are fantastic

There are 88 days left until I  graduate. Exciting? Yes.

Casino night was thursday. Although it was a complete bore...just not my thing, it was really fun getting ready with my friends! They're precious.

The next day was morg's birthday. We went out to dinner. I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard in my entire life. It was definitely a good time! We had a dance party afterwards. And then we played apples to apples with her family. Such a great day!

Those photos are the present I gave morg. Yea, I made that quote box thing. I forgot to take a picture of it before I wrapped it, so I got her to take a picture of it. You can't really see all the detail, but it's wonderful none the less. I'm quite proud of it. I just might make some more!

Cosmic Love

{Listen Here}

The stars, the moooooon

Today was officially the first day of spring, and it was b-e-a-u-tiful!! I think it went up to 21!! (tomorrow is supposed to go up to 24!!)

The weather, of course, makes it that much harder to stay focused on school. It really makes me wanna run around in the grass with my dogs and not do bio.

I went outside at lunch time. That was nice :). When I got home, I also went right outside and painted my nails, and basked in the sun and listened to music.

My feet got dirty for the first time this year. I also got my first sunburn. LIFE IS GOOOOD.

We had a BBQ for supper. Mom made me chicken burgers :) They had cheese burgers. And we had salad.

This is our yummy supper. I ate too much.

Our neighbour called when we were finishing and asked us to go for a walk with her!


So we took all the dogs for a walk. It was LOVELY outside. So warm!

The buds on the trees are starting to come in!
Cheers to spring! And thrift store finds!

The snow is melllllllllting. I am glad. But there is snow in the forecast...sigh.

Spring!

Friday night mom and I drove down to Saint John, and visited with my mom's friend, then we were up and at 'er bright and early on Saturday for the Jess Martin seminar, for Mach and I. It was really great! I wore my in-between-winter-and-spring pants for the first time instead of my snow pants! We focused a lot on threadles, which I am so thankful for, because I really need to work on those!! Let's just say I'm not much of a fan of threadles and I neglected to actually teach them to Mach. So we struggled a little with that, but otherwise, he was a rockstar!

So things to work on from the seminar:

- THREADLES
- Straight line/varying distance jump grid (he's still struggling with striding and judging the distances between jumps)
- Tighter turns out of the tunnel (or maybe me working on calling his name sooner!)

Of course there's tons more to work on, but those are the ones that really stuck out to me during the day.

After lunch, Jess talked a bit about mental management, and even though she told us she'd never actually taken a course on any of that, a great deal of her success - and to any other successful athlete - is thanks to mental management. A point she made was that you had to be in it to win it. She said that you may win, or your may not. So what? She said that you had to go into that ring owning the place. And that whatever happens will happen. She talked about getting yourself into that space where you are focused on what you need to do to get it done and to not think about all the negatives that could happen while you're preparing to go into your run, but instead to think that you are going to go out and do it. She made a really good point, and I'm guilty of this sometimes, that most people are worrying about things that haven't even happened. They are hoping that their dog doesn't take that off course, or knock that bar, or miss that contact. I know, from experience, that if you send positive energy to your body and to your dog, excellent things will happen.

Today we woke early again and headed off to the barn.

Things to work on with Mach that weren't seminar related:

-Aframe contacts!!!
- Onside weave entry proofing
- Dogwalk contacts (of course)
- Post turns

I'm really pleased with Mach, and I don't have much to complain about with him or with Toffee or with life in general. I really am blessed with a lot of stuff. :)

Today went up to 17 degrees!! (Sadly, I was inside for most of the day:(). With the barn, then cleaning the house, then a club meeting, then homework, I was inside until 6:30!! My parents and I did, however, take all the dogs for a good long walk this evening. It was still nice out after dark!

Ahh, spring is in the air! This weeks weather forcast is looking splendid!



I finished The Order of the Phoenix last night. Sigh. I don't think I want the series to end! Two more books isn't enough! Sadly, I have to read another book for english class - but it's about "how good people turn evil". I've only been able to get through 14 pages. It's kinda disgusting and terrifying and I really don't want to read it. Oh well, such as life. I'm grateful that I only have to read it and not have to experience the things it talks about!

What a lovely life that I lead

March break was a beautiful break. On thursday, it went up to 19 degrees. NINETEEN. In march! Whaaaat. I was at my friend Morgan`s. We woke up and made a wonderful breakfast and then we decided to go for a walk. We walked across the bridge and spent the afternoon downtown. We went to ReNeu Boutique, tried on vintage dresses, went for lunch at Relish and I experienced the best veggie burger known to man. YUM. Our feet were soaked.

We took a couple of pictures, too.

This is us when we went skiing on the first Sunday of march break.

Vintage goggles, ftw.

When we arrived back at her house, I got a text from my mom that Andrea wanted me to come over and paint with her. My day got a lot better. And my day was already the best ever. So I got home a half hour later and Andrea picked me up. We got some groceries, I chatted with a friend who was working (I missed her) and then we went to A`s house.

This is what I came up with:

It is actually my art project. I drew Ben Howard from a grid. Then I put pastel strpes on a thicker paper, painted over it in black paint, then took a screw and scratched out lyrics of his and then glued him in place.  I handed it in on Monday and then on Tuesday, it was among the posters that were hung up in the classroom! I don`t think I`ve ever had any of my work displayed before!

So yes, this is the first week back to school and though it is only Wednesday (and we have a snow day) I feel like I`ve been back for a month. It could be because I`m really tired from staying up really late at night, reading Harry Potter. I`m on Order of the Phoenix and it is so frustrating to read! Grr! But it`s so good, I can`t bare to stop reading. Though I forced myself out of bed to work on my chemistry. That`s also frustrating, but not good enough to make me want to continue doing it. So I took a break to write this.

This weekend I am heading off for a seminar with Jess Martin! I`m excited. Last time, Mach was so surprising, I just can`t wait to see what else he can do. However, I am a little nervous, because we haven`t done that much training since I last saw her in november, and last weekend didn`t go so great...

I really can`t wait for spring to get here, so I can get outside and move and train and smell the air. I can`t wait for the end of this month, where I`ll be going to my first trial of the year! (There was one last weekend, but we didn`t go) And then I can`t wait to be done school! (I got my other prom dress over the break!) And I can`t wait to start trialing more regularily and seeing everyone!

But mostly, I can`t wait for Nationals! I`m so ready for a great big adventure!

Okay, back to chemistry..because I want to get back to Harry Potter.

I said & He said

I said "Intelligence can only get you so far"
& he said "What do you mean?"
&I said "Well, your brain can only get you so far in life. You know, you have your heart and your gut, too"
& he said "How is your heart? And your gut?"
& I said "My heart is full, but my gut a little wonky."
& he said "I'm a little confused."
& I said "My heart is good. Full of good intentions and love. But my gut doesn't like taking risks...my analytical mind holds it back most of the time."
& he said "Well, that's good. You won't get hurt that way"
but I said "On the contrary. I'm lacking those experiences..those risks I should have taken, but I just let them pass me by."

"I've been worrying that we all live our lives in the confines of fear"

Happy Birthday Toffee!

My baby girl is 7 today!!
What happened to the time?!

I still remember the day we went to picked her up, way back in August 2005...
The spontaneity of it made it that much more special.

We just got back from a visit with my aunt in Nova Scotia. She had 5 shelties at the time, and all they did was bark bark bark bark bark. I found it annoying, but not as much as my mom did. My mom said, and I quote "We are never, ever getting a sheltie." And what do we do the very next day? We got a sheltie.

We were looking for a dog/pup for me. Some people in the agility community were helping us out. My mom got two emails that day, one saying there was a sheltie/border collie mix, 2 years old at the Moncton SPCA and then another saying there was a ~5 month old sheltie in Oromocto. Of course, I, who has been wanting a sheltie for a very long time, and a puppy is just way better than a 2 year old said I wanted to see the sheltie. So off we went, got in the car, and it was the first time I was aloud to ride in the front seat (without my mom telling me to get out and get in the back...) and drove off to Oromocto.

I don't know what my mom was thinking "Let's just go and look at her." Baha! Like you could bring a dog/sheltie crazy 11 year old to see a sheltie and not bring her home! We played we her, threw balls for her and chased her around. We brought her outside, which she was terrified of the grass. Yes, we got her at a pet store. I know, I know, slap us now. We like to say we "rescued her", so people think we got her at a shelter. I mean, we did in fact rescue her, just in a different way. :) We're thinking she's from a puppy mill, but of course they didn't say where exactly she came from....

 She`d been cooped up in that case in the back of the store for who knows how long, her litter mate - 1 sister had already been homed and it was just little wee Toffee all by herself, with her floppy ears and her great big chocolate eyes staring back at us. How could you not fall in love at first sight? I sure did...


I started jumping up and down, up and down beggin mom to let me take her home, but again, silly mom didn't bring any money -who doesn't bring money when bringing an 11 year old to "look" at a puppy? So we put her back, got back in the car, drove all the way home (45 minute drive), got her purse, got back in the van and drove all the way back. When we got back in the store, and when I looked at her, it was like I'd known her all my life. I truly believe we were meant for each other.

I'd never been more proud in my entire life. I struted her around like I had just won the olympics. She was *so cute*. Gah, she still is :) Her big floppy ears really give her a funny look. I didn't care that they weren't the breed standard, I didn't want to tape her ears. They give her so much personality now, I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that anyway!

Mom and I couldn't decide on a name...I remember a few...Chicklet, Summer, Bouncer (<<?? hahaha). We were walking through the grocery store not long after getting her and I walked past those "Ah, Caramel" cake things. I thought "Caramel!" because of her color. Mom sort of liked that name and we turned it over in our minds for a little while. We were sitting on the front steps of our house later that day and we talked about how I'd probably end up calling her "Care" on the agility field because "Caramel" is a mouth full. So mom suggested "Toffee", which has the same idea (the color), but is easier to say. I liked it right away, and that's what we ended up naming her. Years later I decided on her Unofficial Kennel Name which is "Sweet as Toffee".

She really is a sweet little girl - full of love and enthusiasm.

Toffee and I have really been through it all. She came into my life when I needed her most. She helped me grow and helped me mature and helped me learn. She helped me learn a lot. More than any person could have taught me. Agility training may have been really easy for her to understand, but the whole "Dogs are good" thing...well, she didn't really grasp that. We had a really hard time with her around other dogs. She was so unbelievably reactive to everything around her, I could hardly take her out anywhere.

It was fustrating, especially all the trouble we went through with Snooker, my first dog who we had to rehome because she was so aggressive. (She's doing great now, living with a lady who spoils her to death and now she actually gets along with some dogs!!). But I was determined to help her. We went to a Brenda Aloff seminar in October of 2006. I'm not sure if all of the techniques that she showed me helped, but I think it was more of a matter of exposure. A group of us from Fredericton got together once a week through the winter and worked on just being able to "be" around the other dogs. The exercise I remember the most was the crate. Toffee still freaks out when someone - dogs especially, walks by her crate, but that's something I've come to live with.

Our frist Nationals, in 2007

I'm proud to say that now she can be off leash around other dogs and not mind them at all. She even started playing with dogs (very briefly). I can tell she's just so much more happy than she ever was when she was younger. And that makes me happy.

If Toffee has taught me anything, it's that you can do anything you set your mind to. We pulled through her issues and we rose to the top. How? Determination. That's one of the many values that she has implanted into my soul, and I am forever grateful for that.

Our latest Nationals, 2011

She is my heart dog.

Happy Birthday Toffikins!

march breakin'

alas, march break is upon us. YAY!!

I'm ever so excited that I have this next week off! Finally a time to relax, and only do a little homework (Ms. Gesner.....)

We went to the barn, as per usual, on saturday morning. Both dogs were fantastic! Mach is really starting to mature. I commented to mom "Isn't he being all grown-up, lately." He really has been. Since he was a puppy, his confidence was the lowest on the spectrum. Commotion terrified him, noises, new places, new dogs or people - everything. He was a wreck. He would run away and not come back (okay, partly my fault for not focusing on recalls when he was a pup....), he'd sulk away in a corner and you'd have to wonder if it was possible that he was depressed or something. He'd be slow out on the agility field if he was worried about any of the things stated above.

BUT. I can see everything clicking together now and there isn't a better feeling than that. That I persevered when things were a little on the rough side. I've had my share of behaviour problems, but timidness was the hardest to get through, however, the one that has been almost ultimately overcome. Toffee still has her moments with other dogs, but mostly if she's on leash going around the block with me. At agility trials/training, it seems as though she's most comfortable there, and perhaps it's because that's where I feel where my home is, too.

Long story short, I'm ecstatic that things in all dog training is coming together :)



I finally did watch Chamber of Secrets and I watched Prisoner of Askaban, too. Man, I just really love Harry Potter. I really do.  I'm about half way done Goblet of Fire right now. A lady who trains with us said she'd let us borrow the last few movies, because we only have up to Goblet of Fire. I'm so excited!! Now so many things in the world make sense. There are lots of Harry Potter references in the world, jussayin.


On Sunday, I went up to Crabbe (ski hill) with my bestie.We listened to Ben Howard and City and Color while laying in the back, maybe dozed off a few times and partly soffocated from all of my layers.  I haven't been skiing since grade 8. I think I went once in grade 10, so that doesn't really count. I used to go skiing all of the time, but basketball got in the way and then I was so busy with school and agility that I didn't know how to make time for it.

My whole family loved it. My oldest brother, Tyler, especially. He was right into the whole jump-off-a-ski-jump-and-do-flips-and-almost-kill-yourself sort of thing. I miss him. Anyways, I was hoping that skiing would be just like riding a bike, and I'm very glad it was. It felt SO great to get back out on the hill. I think it helped that yesterday was such beautiful day - 7 degrees, clear sky, no wind. I wasn't cold at all. AH! I'm just thinking about how great it was. It was so great. So great. I think I needed to be away from skiing all of the time to really appreciate the sport. I want to go back!!

I think it must have been either grade 6 or 7 that we rented a chalet up at the hill over march break. It was cool to be able to just wake up in this cute log cabin, eat a warm breakfast that dad cooked, put on your gear, walk up the road a bit, put your skis on, and be at the top of the mountain. Way too much fun! I remember that the owners of the chalet had that game with the bean bags - where you throw them into a target with holes..you know that game? Everytime I think of that game, I think of the chalet and of skiing. Also, Tyler was getting right into Jack Johnson at the time and that's all we listened to those few days. So, everytime Jack Johnson plays, especially his older songs like Banana Pancakes, Sitting, Waiting, Wishing and Better Together (which were on repeat) bring me back to that chalet.
Definitely one of my favorite memories.