day one

y'all, I am tuckered. 

today was a blast, and I am so thrilled to have started this,

but, y'all, I am tuckered. 

it's so, so lovely to be able to come back to the hotel with absolutely nothing to do but recover. tonight that looked like a little FaceTime with the Shu and his cousins, some unbelievably delicious Mexican food and a big, comfy bed that someone else made. sigh. 

we learned loads today about clicker training, the genius behind it and why SDVA uses it. Karen Pryor is a good woman to google if you're interested in learning more. then, markus and I got to try it out on ourselves. I "trained" him to take his belt off, and he trained me to put my sunglasses on-- all without words, just a "click!" when we were moving in the right direction. it's pretty hilarious to put yourself in the dog's position. 

once we had refined our clicker timing, we got to work with the dogs. my boy Cade and I were together, and markus got to work with one of the dogs SDVA's trainer Lauren (she's our Transfer Camp leader) has been raising, a gorgeous little black lab lady named Dillon. 

I know how you feel, Dillon... gingers get me every stinking time. this one in particular. 

(good girl, close your mouth, he won't see the drool...)

here are Cade and me practicing "watch me," a cue that helps develop eye contact, which in turn helps develop the relationship between person and pup. it was made more difficult because I was holding a treat outstretched in my hand. as soon as he chose to make nice eye contact with me, I clicked and gave him the treat. 

(just look at Dillon! yes, yes, she's a phenomenally trained dog... but I swear it's at least 85/15 Training/Gingeritis.)

Day One. 

In The Books.

flying high, y'all... on this big, floofy bed,

karin

everything for the "last time"

whelp,
due to some incredibly unfortunate circumstances (read: the mamaLu took a knee-twisting fall at a cookout over the weekend, tearing one, or two, or possibly three various pieces parts in her right knee. ouch.), my exit out of town has been delayed until tomorrow.

but a family of nine children does one thing very, very well: finding a Plan B, and finding it very, very quickly :)

so, mark and i will make the grand exit tomorrow morning, just as soon as the Shu's aunt Mo can swing over and pick him up. he'll be staying with a different set of cousins for the next ten days, but we're nothing if not flexible. and his Virginian cousins will be here in ten days, so it's really a win-win for him. the aunt and uncle taking him in at the very last minute? OBVIOUSLY they win, too.

(love you guys... i take back nearly all of those You're So Old Because You're 40 jokes from last weekend.)

all of this jumbo to say i've had a few more days here to really dwell on the reality of this. i stood in my grocery store this morning, stocking my sister up on red peppers for the Shu's stay, and it struck me that it was the last time i will have to go through there on my own. i nearly dropped something on purpose just to have to pick it up myself one last time.

today's the last afternoon i lay down to rest my humidity-weary, achy body down on this couch in my mom's living room without the lovely, comforting "press" of Cade up against me.

tonight's the last time i will have to take off my socks, my shirt if the fabrics are painful by then.

all these "last times" keep running through my head. a vacancy is about to be filled. 

there is so much to learn between now and then. 

gratefulness abounds

my cup overflows.

mark and i have had so many people step forward in our lives in recent months, so many have leapt forward in these recent days, to make this dream a reality. a reality that i really, truly didn't think could happen for me. sometimes even should happen for me.

you know how this girl can get: all second-guessy and intimidated by love that is greater than her, weirded out by accepting the help she so willingly doles out.

but i've been trying to learn, and i've been available to this whole falutin' process. it has felt lengthy yet rapid, like it would never end yet the time flew by. and now? now, all of a sudden, i am leaving in two days for my Transfer Camp. the details are pouring in, making my head spin and causing mild to moderate breathing issues :)

this is such a gift from you. this chunk of time spent away from everything else in life- just mark and me- learning all we need to know for our lives with this beautiful dog.

thank you, to all of you.
your support means more than i could ever do justice with words.

much love, kids.
we'll talk soon.

Post-Puppy Class Cade

happy & tired & happy

I Spy Labradors

so, this is fun,

the kennel where we found my darling little Cade now has its own website. 

i wasn't kidding when i used a sweet new friend's description: Disneyland for Dog Lovers :)

if you're anything close to the kind of Dog Person i am, you won't be able to resist spending a few minutes clicking around. The pictures of her grown up show dogs are gorgeous!

http://www.ispylabs.net/I_Spy_Labradors/Home.html

have fun -- 
and let me know who strikes your fancy!