One Terrific B-Day!

I have always dreaded birthdays but not because I'm afraid of getting older. Suffice it to say, my birthday memories that are worth remembering are few and far between. So, I am thrilled that this year, other than the very best birthday I've ever had (19yrs ago), was one filled with special moments. Moments I will cherish.

We celebrated Sharayah's birthday earlier in the day with a get together at Theo's house. His parents and siblings were kind enough to host a little shin-dig for her and it brought me much joy to see her enjoying her special day.

Later that evening, everyone congregated back at the house to give me my gifts. It was a surprise that we were doing gifts at all as I thought we were going to wait till Mother's Day to celebrate my birthday. You know, kill-two-birds-with-one-stone sort of thing. Each gift was thoughtful and much appreciated.

Special Note to all my friends: My phone was beeping up a storm all day long due to all my friends wishing me well on my birthday. You have no idea how that impacted my day! Thank you so very much for thinking of me. Love you all.

Elegance:

A Gorgeous Red (my fav) Leather Purse

From my hubby - note the key fob.

(Yep! He did good this year!)

Humour & Joy

Novelty Mugs

From Logan & Sarah

"Everything Tastes Better With Dog Hair In It"

&

"I Wish The Dog Had A Snooze Button" side A

"Mornings Can Be Ruff" side B

(Made me laugh!)

Sentiment:

Picture Collage of My Pups!

From Sharayah & Theo

(Made me cry.)

Thank You to everyone who thought of me on my birthday.

Hey! I'm Still Here!

Hey, all. Been a long time...I know. And this will be a quickie. I really need to start blogging again because my free fall writing abilities are suffering. It is a huge help in that respect and plus...I really miss posting my blogs.

Life has been busy. Here's a brief list, just to familiarize yourself with my hectic schedule. I wont bothere you with all the details, though (yeah, you're welcome).

1) May complete sale of companies by the end of this month. Things are dragging on longer than either party had hoped.

2) In negotiations to purchase piece of property for training facility. The vendor is reluctant to sell so things are lurching forwards and backwards.

3) Bryan has been playing at more functions. Good to see him behind a kit again.

4) Sharayah and I are taking safety level obedience with Sadie and Olivia. Loads of fun and I can teach all this to my other dogs.

5) Almost finished the basement. Just in time to sell? Maybe. "Murphy" really likes us.

6) Pack Rules Inc is beginning to be 'referred' by people I don't even know. I started two clients in one week's time. All good. They appear to be exceptionally happy with the results.

7) Been working on the WFSC 2010 Conference. Lots of fun, especially when working with great people!

8) Grace came out to visit from Vancouver. Always terrific to see her!

9) Work on my novel, "Butterflies In The Rain" sits neglected on the desk, sadly. I must get back to it!

10) Dad Boyce had surgery for colon cancer. Doing well. Being watched closely.

All in all, busy with both the positives and negatives that life brings. Ever get that feeling? The one where you hang perilously from some precipice of life and 'it' could go either way? You call for help but life keeps passing by, seemingly unaware of your predicament. Hmmmmm, this is where my friends come into the picture. They may not be able to pull me up but they cheer me on while I struggle to get better footing. So... big "Thanks" to all my friends for their encouragement during the trials and celebrating with me when blessings come.

These are just the highlights

Friendship

One of Bryan's Nashville buddies, Chris McHugh, recently married during a scenic park ceremony. This fellow trotted by with his dog sitting 'shotgun'. We are uncertain what, if any, role the trio played in the wedding ceremony but it was a sight that caught my attention.

This is an unlikely pairing as Australian Cattle Dogs are a herding breed which are notorious for 'herding' any species that will comply. Horses, being the prey and a pure flight species, are justifiably cautious of dogs that herd them. To see these two living in harmony is a testament to how the bond of friendship can break through 'natural' walls.

I have friendships that the world may view as odd or unlikely. I am a practicing Christian, yet one of my very closest of friends is an atheist. I love her to pieces and cannot imagine my life without her. I am a staunch non-smoker, yet two of my closest friends are heavy smokers. Again, I could not imagine my life without their companionship.

It was once suggested that I can maintain these friendships because I can forgive these people. I was absolutely horrified and those of you who truly know me will have no difficulty imagining what came next! Thaaaaaat's right! I let them have it with both barrels. Forgiveness? How condescending! I know why I can enjoy these precious friendships. Because true respect and love for the individual transcends the greatest of differences.

Do you have a friendship that would be perceived as odd or unlikely?

Pups In A Bag

Pups In A Bag

Molly and Pixie

(6 mos/7mos)

"This bag is my favorite hidey-hole."

"But there's room for one more!"

"Big sis, Pixie, joins me for some fun..."

and a kiss from her baby sister."

"Quiet Solitude."

*photography by Sharayah

Me 'n George

This is George, a 3.5 month old female boxer. Isn't she adorable? Her owners contacted me because they really wanted to start their pup off on the right paw. I looked forward to each session with an anticipation of a young kid waiting for a birthday! She was a joy to work with and her people were a breath of fresh air; wanting to know everything they could about dog psychology and worked diligently to implement the practices I taught them.

George is nearly a year old now and has already been to several spots deep within the rockies with her avid out-doorsey people. She carries much of her own camping equipment as they hike from camp sight to camp sight. She listens to her pack leaders which keeps her safe and sound.
On last report, earlier this week, George was enjoying romping in the snow and energetic games of fetch with her favorite wubba (a cloth wrapped kong with 'tails'), a big favorite among dogs of all sizes. George stole my heart during our first session and secured a very special place in my Pack Rules experience.

Find Another Dream

I was talking to a friend from Manitoba today. We haven't talked in such a long time. We worked at the same day care facility when we were 19 yrs old. Anyway, she mentioned her son was playing junior legue hockey but that this would be his last year as he was getting too old. She went on to say how sad she was for him as it was his dream to make it to the majors.

This put me thinking on a familiar topic. I have always considered myself to be quiet fortunate that, although many dreams have been crushed throughout the years, I have always been able to find a NEW DREAM. Perhaps I am resourceful, versatile or just desperate to find a purpose in life. Regardless of the reason, I could not imagine surviving life if we were only allowed a single dream. Furthermore, I do not know how a person can live, day in and day out, nursing a single dream. To me, that is paramount to 'putting all your eggs in one basket'.

Although I have managed to find these new dreams and am living happily, sometimes wondering which new dream will find me next, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the ones that got away.

Here are a few of my dreams that either never came to fruition or were dashed mid-stream:

1) Never had a dog as a kid (We all know how that one finally turned out but I really could have used a doggy friend when I was young).

2) Never had a sister (I now have freinds that are close enough to be one).

3) Finally realized my dream of owning my own horse and learning to ride but a wicked car accident buried those aspirations. (It remains to be seen what, if anything, lays ahead for me in the equine world. I'm ok with attending shows and watching movies for now. I can always appreciate their beauty.)

4) Aspirations of starting up a kennel just came waaaaaay too late in the game. (I still have "Pack Rules Inc.")

5) Visit Scotland - Hey, it could still happen.

There are others, too personal to blog about or too painful to recall, but there is always hope and I'm struck by the thoughts of all the great dreams that have come through for me. I feel fortunate for those but that's a list for another day.

Would you like to share a short list of some dreams that passed you by or are yet to be realized?

William Goes To The Vet

Will has been acting increasingly 'odd' for the past couple of weeks. I called the vet today and got him in to see Dr. Hannan (he's an excellent vet!). To make a long story short, he has infection in both ears, worse in the right. This explains part of the face rubbing on his right side. He also has a chipped tooth on his lower right side. It has been chipped for over two years but has never bothered him in the past. I knew it was likely taking a turn for the worse. He also had impacted anal glands (yummmmmmy!).

I wrote in my journal before I left the house: "I predict that Will has an abscessed tooth, the one that is chipped and something is up with his anal glands. Possibly some intestinal upset."

I was shocked that he had the ear infections. Did not occur to me. Course...I don't have one of those fancy 'look-see' thingies the Doc uses to peer all the way down the dog's ear canal. lol

$89 later, Will has empty anal sacs (which we hope rectifies the discomfort he was showing around his back end), anti-inflammatory/antibiotic drops for his ears which have to go in each ear, twice daily for the next week. Then we will check to make sure he is all clear. If so, he is scheduled for surgery to extract that tooth - ASAP!

I felt bad for him so I took him to the pet store (I was running low on kibble) and bought him a peanut butter cookie with yogurt icing. Now THAT really is 'yummy'.