Friday morning we awoke to some VERY cold conditions: 15 degrees with wind. The other training class headed out to the mall, while we headed back to the horse shoe for more practice. This route was to be our first night walk, so we had to become familiar with it. It was bitter cold and the ice and snow were getting under doggy toes, causing alot of limping and flipping about. Traveler was disgusted by this, and at one point threw a tantrum into the snow! We were getting boots for them in the afternoon so it was a relief knowing he didn't have to stay cold, the poor pup!
I got Morgan's package around mid day; some of her homemade goodies and a book titled "Bad Dogs Have More Fun" This is another treat from John Grogan.
Jenny served at lunch, where we had an awesome pasta dish, with a cream sauce and cheese and garlic bread. The new chef Kevin has really been spoiling us! It was so nice to see Jenny again, we got to chat a little before I headed off to buy a new GDF sweatshirt and get ready for the afternoon.
After lunch we met up with Valerie, the trainer providing us with Ruff Wear boots to protect the dogs' feet. Most dogs tolerated them going on, though flipped about a little while walking around (Doug calls this "hot feet"). We then loaded into the van and headed back to the horse shoe, to try these boots in the snow.
What a sight we must have been during the first lap of this walk! The dogs did not show much fondness towards the new footwear, and let us know it. When I set out, I had to stop practically every five feet to get him to stay calm. I felt so bad for him, and thought seriously about going back to the van, though the flashbacks of this morning's sore salty paws kept me trying. By the first half of the lap he was doing well. By the second lap it was almost as though the boots had vanished, as he accepted them pretty well. I was so proud, and glad he didn't have to worry aobut sore cold paws.
After dinner there was the infamous grooming lecture, being taught by the infamous Mark! I knew we were in for a treat and Mark did not disappoint, as he rarely does. the whole thing was funny and informative, and I also found out that he loves the Zoom Groom. He let me groom him for a good 20 minutes with it, I am so pleased!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Gah! I did it again!
I want to keep this thing up to date, I swear I do. It's so hard to find the time, I know that's a bad excuse, but I really wanted to write down as much about the training as I can! So, time to play catch up...
Thursday:
As expected, we did the horse shoe in the morning, along with the strip of rounded curbs in front of the school. Traveler decided to get a little scooty during the horse shoe walk in the snow, but other than that he has pretty good. He decided to be a little speedy because the other dogs were in front of us, but we worked that out. :) I started teaching him to watch the ice, so when I say it he will hopefully slow down to keep us from slipping.
After these walks, we headed back to the school, had lunch and so forth. Doug informed us that we would be going to the mall in the afternoon, which sounded promising. During the AM walk, he mentioned that since I was in class not that long ago, that he would let me explore the mall by myself. I never forget a mall. :) And sure enough, he kept to his word, and Traveler and I set out for our very first solo walk! It was a little scary at first, I wasn't sure I was ready to do this, but since Doug had faith in me, and I wanted to challenge myself, we did it. He was a little slow at first, it seemed like he was looking for Doug. Maybe he could tell I was nervous as well so I made it a point to praise him lots and keep myself positive. As it turns out, he listened, and we walked all across the mall! This is amazing, considering I'd only known him for 2 days...we did well too, and found Claire's, bath and body works, and starbucks. The people in the mall were great about giving out directions...I'm sure they get these situations alot being so close to the school.
While I was in line, Doug came in with another classmate, so I waited for them, and went back to the food court to meet up with the rest of the group. I was glad to see them, so I could follow back. Shortly after, I got a chance to get to sears to buy a pair of khaki pants for the posh pictures coming up. I wasn't in to spending much money, so I figured sears would have a sale, which they did. Traveler handled the whole things beautifully. It was very realistic; going through Sears, the fitting room, the checkout...To be honest I was a little bit nervous about heading out on my own so soon, as we're still really just learning each other, but things were a success. Doug even had me lead the others out to the bus while he drove it up to meet us! He's really making this fun and challanging for me.
Thursday night was a lecture on how our dogs are trained and conditioned. This was given by the wonderful Jody, with Mike D. sitting nearby for "dinner and a show." It was okay, though truthfully a bit boring as I've heard it all before, and most of the lecture was filled with new students asking questions. Traveller behaved well of course!
Thursday was quite a day, things are really moving fast!
Thursday:
As expected, we did the horse shoe in the morning, along with the strip of rounded curbs in front of the school. Traveler decided to get a little scooty during the horse shoe walk in the snow, but other than that he has pretty good. He decided to be a little speedy because the other dogs were in front of us, but we worked that out. :) I started teaching him to watch the ice, so when I say it he will hopefully slow down to keep us from slipping.
After these walks, we headed back to the school, had lunch and so forth. Doug informed us that we would be going to the mall in the afternoon, which sounded promising. During the AM walk, he mentioned that since I was in class not that long ago, that he would let me explore the mall by myself. I never forget a mall. :) And sure enough, he kept to his word, and Traveler and I set out for our very first solo walk! It was a little scary at first, I wasn't sure I was ready to do this, but since Doug had faith in me, and I wanted to challenge myself, we did it. He was a little slow at first, it seemed like he was looking for Doug. Maybe he could tell I was nervous as well so I made it a point to praise him lots and keep myself positive. As it turns out, he listened, and we walked all across the mall! This is amazing, considering I'd only known him for 2 days...we did well too, and found Claire's, bath and body works, and starbucks. The people in the mall were great about giving out directions...I'm sure they get these situations alot being so close to the school.
While I was in line, Doug came in with another classmate, so I waited for them, and went back to the food court to meet up with the rest of the group. I was glad to see them, so I could follow back. Shortly after, I got a chance to get to sears to buy a pair of khaki pants for the posh pictures coming up. I wasn't in to spending much money, so I figured sears would have a sale, which they did. Traveler handled the whole things beautifully. It was very realistic; going through Sears, the fitting room, the checkout...To be honest I was a little bit nervous about heading out on my own so soon, as we're still really just learning each other, but things were a success. Doug even had me lead the others out to the bus while he drove it up to meet us! He's really making this fun and challanging for me.
Thursday night was a lecture on how our dogs are trained and conditioned. This was given by the wonderful Jody, with Mike D. sitting nearby for "dinner and a show." It was okay, though truthfully a bit boring as I've heard it all before, and most of the lecture was filled with new students asking questions. Traveller behaved well of course!
Thursday was quite a day, things are really moving fast!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The beginning of a beautiful partnership, I think!
Things went very well yesterday. Our morning walk was at King's Park, and was a success, though abit icy. I think the ice helped me keep a more steady pace, good for a first walk. Patchogue went better in my opinion; on Main street there was a bit of ice, but we got in a pretty good groove and seemed to be reading each other well. Had a dog distraction along the way...two little dogs were running around, they saw us and darted towards Traveler, who was interested in sniffing them as well. Doug told me not to do anything sudden to scare the dogs back into the street where the could get hurt. I must admit Traveler did well, no barking or growling so I am pleased. :) He did show interest but I was able to keep in under control. So, overall I think we are getting there.
It's not something that happens overnight but its already better than the last time. Truthfully, I'm ecstatic. I'm trying not to get too excited as it's still only just the beginning, but I really think this time it's right! I saw Sebastian yesterday, who was pleased in the match("Oh, you got one of my babies again, have you?"), as was Mike S. He could tell how happy I was, and said that he seems to be happy with me too, and that we look like we are going to be a great team. He also said that he and everyone else really appreciate the effort I gave with Franklyn. He said they know that I tried and gave it all I could. This really made me feel good, because I was so worried someone would blame me, but they get it. They understand, and it's a good feeling because it proves that this is the right school for me, and I couldn't be happier about my decision to come back and give it another try.
Last night was the bereavment lecture. It was very emotional, more because of the stories of others than of my own. I did share what happened with Franklyn, because I want to put it behind me. It really helped. Everything today really made things come full circle, and I'm really glad.
Today it is snowing, so not sure what will be happening. We were supposed to do the horsehoe and then the mall in the afternoon. Who knows, maybe these will be switched today? We will see.
I will post more as the day progresses, in the meantime, a picture of my new boy:
It's not something that happens overnight but its already better than the last time. Truthfully, I'm ecstatic. I'm trying not to get too excited as it's still only just the beginning, but I really think this time it's right! I saw Sebastian yesterday, who was pleased in the match("Oh, you got one of my babies again, have you?"), as was Mike S. He could tell how happy I was, and said that he seems to be happy with me too, and that we look like we are going to be a great team. He also said that he and everyone else really appreciate the effort I gave with Franklyn. He said they know that I tried and gave it all I could. This really made me feel good, because I was so worried someone would blame me, but they get it. They understand, and it's a good feeling because it proves that this is the right school for me, and I couldn't be happier about my decision to come back and give it another try.
Last night was the bereavment lecture. It was very emotional, more because of the stories of others than of my own. I did share what happened with Franklyn, because I want to put it behind me. It really helped. Everything today really made things come full circle, and I'm really glad.
Today it is snowing, so not sure what will be happening. We were supposed to do the horsehoe and then the mall in the afternoon. Who knows, maybe these will be switched today? We will see.
I will post more as the day progresses, in the meantime, a picture of my new boy:
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
First morning with Dog
Well, I didn't sleep very well last night, and neither did Traveller. I don't know why, just not tired I guess. Too much excitement and all. :) Traveller woke up in a very happy mood today. He's not acting up; he's just wagging is tail whenever I walk about. When we first met, I didn't think he was the type of dog to really be impressed by much, but he's warming up today. Its a chillly 24 degrees out, with the windchill over 20MPH it feels like five. Five! Boy, I'm glad I brought warm stuff with me!
We're heading out this morning to either King's Park or Patchogue, depending on the icyness of Kings Park. Though a fellow classmate did bring up a good point; we all live in areas where ice is a reality so it might be good to get some practice in. Doug also mentioned that he'd like to fit all of our dogs (everyone in his "class") with doggy boots to protect against the cold and salt. This is a brilliant idea, and If he'll wear them, I know his feet will be safe. :)
That's about it for now. More to follow later on!
We're heading out this morning to either King's Park or Patchogue, depending on the icyness of Kings Park. Though a fellow classmate did bring up a good point; we all live in areas where ice is a reality so it might be good to get some practice in. Doug also mentioned that he'd like to fit all of our dogs (everyone in his "class") with doggy boots to protect against the cold and salt. This is a brilliant idea, and If he'll wear them, I know his feet will be safe. :)
That's about it for now. More to follow later on!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Dog Day, vol. 2
Soooo.... after breakfast time we met for an hour or so, discussed a few things, meeting the dogs, etc. then broke up for short handle walks. Mine was last in the group, and lasted maybe five minutes, just a quick refresher.
The dogs were scheduled to come over at ten. Well ten came and went, and so did eleven. Apparantly the dogs were taking longer to dry after the baths than what was expected. The trainers made the decision to give out dogs after lunch, so off we all went to the dining room. A few old friends from July were there, so I was pretty pleased. After all was said and done, I think we got the dogs around 1.
Traveller:
All I can say is: wow! Now, when the dogs first come in to meet us, they are usually pretty wound up. Not so with this one. I called him, and he walked on in, as though it were an everyday thing. I couldn't belive how calm he was! I mentioned this to Doug, and he said, "well that's what you were hoping for, right?" Yes it sure was!
He did a little whining when he heard Doug in the hall, and a little drooling too (does he want to eat his trainer??) but aside from that he was pretty laid back, let me pet him and all that. It was a nice first moment. :)
Our first walk was down to the basement grooming room, which involved a quick reteaching of how to do steps with a dog. I was the first one down there, so I had him find a seat, got him to lay down under it, and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
Once we were all down there, the dogs got pretty silly, of course! Whining, moaning, trying to play, and all staring at Doug with love and adoration. Too funny! Out of our group I have the least amount of experience with working dogs, but it reminded me that it's always shaky at first. We took it all in stride of course!
After a little obedience work, we headed back upstairs, where Doug told me I could let Traveller off tie down for awhile (shh! don't tell :). I did, and he was so good about it, he followed me around a bit, layed down, and stayed calm. At one point I sat on the floor calmly just to see what he would do. After a moment, he came and laid beside me, first on his side. As I pet him, he rolled onto his back, front legs way up in the air, and stayed that way as i pet him. As he became more relaxed, he leaned on my leg a bit, but still just layed there until I had him get up.
He is beautiful! He is very stocky, like some of the labs, but he has this subtle fuzziness all over his body from the golden half. Now that I am seeing more of the crosses, they are getting easier to tell apart from full breed labs. His fur is shiny and wavy. I just love him so far!
We took them to dinner, which was pretty quiet, suprisingly. Dinner was delicious. Beef Stroganoff with carrots and peas, and coffee ice cream!
We did leash guiding this evening, which wasn't perfect of course, but it won't be at this stage. We do our first harness walk tomorrow. I can't wait; it will be nice to get out and work him on a real route to get a feel for him. But so far things are good and I think this is the one!
Pictures to come tomorrow, havent gotten a chance yet.
Good night!
The dogs were scheduled to come over at ten. Well ten came and went, and so did eleven. Apparantly the dogs were taking longer to dry after the baths than what was expected. The trainers made the decision to give out dogs after lunch, so off we all went to the dining room. A few old friends from July were there, so I was pretty pleased. After all was said and done, I think we got the dogs around 1.
Traveller:
All I can say is: wow! Now, when the dogs first come in to meet us, they are usually pretty wound up. Not so with this one. I called him, and he walked on in, as though it were an everyday thing. I couldn't belive how calm he was! I mentioned this to Doug, and he said, "well that's what you were hoping for, right?" Yes it sure was!
He did a little whining when he heard Doug in the hall, and a little drooling too (does he want to eat his trainer??) but aside from that he was pretty laid back, let me pet him and all that. It was a nice first moment. :)
Our first walk was down to the basement grooming room, which involved a quick reteaching of how to do steps with a dog. I was the first one down there, so I had him find a seat, got him to lay down under it, and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.
Once we were all down there, the dogs got pretty silly, of course! Whining, moaning, trying to play, and all staring at Doug with love and adoration. Too funny! Out of our group I have the least amount of experience with working dogs, but it reminded me that it's always shaky at first. We took it all in stride of course!
After a little obedience work, we headed back upstairs, where Doug told me I could let Traveller off tie down for awhile (shh! don't tell :). I did, and he was so good about it, he followed me around a bit, layed down, and stayed calm. At one point I sat on the floor calmly just to see what he would do. After a moment, he came and laid beside me, first on his side. As I pet him, he rolled onto his back, front legs way up in the air, and stayed that way as i pet him. As he became more relaxed, he leaned on my leg a bit, but still just layed there until I had him get up.
He is beautiful! He is very stocky, like some of the labs, but he has this subtle fuzziness all over his body from the golden half. Now that I am seeing more of the crosses, they are getting easier to tell apart from full breed labs. His fur is shiny and wavy. I just love him so far!
We took them to dinner, which was pretty quiet, suprisingly. Dinner was delicious. Beef Stroganoff with carrots and peas, and coffee ice cream!
We did leash guiding this evening, which wasn't perfect of course, but it won't be at this stage. We do our first harness walk tomorrow. I can't wait; it will be nice to get out and work him on a real route to get a feel for him. But so far things are good and I think this is the one!
Pictures to come tomorrow, havent gotten a chance yet.
Good night!
Dog Day! Morning!
Today is the day we recieve our new partners! Just wanted to check in to say that I am totally excited about today. got up bright an early, and tracked down the nurse Donna because I don't have any Alieve on me. Had a killer headache all night and into the morning. I wanted to get rid of it before dog time, but now I'm in pretty good shape, just waiting for breakfast. I wonder what Kevin will have for us today?
So far today the agenda is a short handle walk to refresh on commands a bit, which will probably take from 8 to 10, then the dogs come over.
Woke up with that song "Just travellin' through" on my mind today. :) Funny how I thought yesterday that I travel too much...Traveller will be living up to his name if he comes home with me. :)
Off to wander a bit before breakfast. More later. There WILL be pictures at some point!
So far today the agenda is a short handle walk to refresh on commands a bit, which will probably take from 8 to 10, then the dogs come over.
Woke up with that song "Just travellin' through" on my mind today. :) Funny how I thought yesterday that I travel too much...Traveller will be living up to his name if he comes home with me. :)
Off to wander a bit before breakfast. More later. There WILL be pictures at some point!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Back at GDF, crazy but exciting!
Well, what a day it has been! I am at GDF; got here around two thirty-ish this afternoon. Here's a recap of the day's agenda.
We woke up this morning to a pretty heavy snowfall. I got bundled up and went to clean mom's car and the driveway so she could leave safetly. She left at about seven. We were soon to follow at 8. the airport is about an hour's drive, and with the snowfall and rush hour, we wanted to be sure to make it for the flight at 11:00. A stop and Dunkin was also in order.
I arrived at the airport just before ten. Got to the ticket counter, and come to find out, the plane is little. It was one of those flights where you have to walk out ot the plane on the ground. There were only about fifteen people on the plane!
Once we finally got to laguardie (after about twenty minutes of circling overhead) the airline had someone to help me to baggage, where we quickly found Doug.
We trudged back to the van to pick up another class member to head back into the airport for lunch, since we had to wait awhile for the third pickup. We all had a thai peanut salad, which was pretty darn good. Once the third arrived we headed to the foundation. Once we got here, I saw a few trainers, Mark and Dan, and had a tour of the building (didn't need it, but whatever). Then was dinner, a new "chef" and the food was great. We had a breaded chicken patty with gravy, garlic potatos and asparagus, with a brownie. Got to see a few more people. I'm surprized that they all remembered me.
After dinner was the Welcome chat/lecture. We went over a whole lot of things, all in the company of Mars (a lovely dog). Then...we all found out the name and breed of our dogs!!! I was a little nervous, but very excited too, because I know now!
His name is Traveler, and he is a black lab/golden cross!
Doug pulled me aside earlier in the day and mentioned that he had a great dog for me, but warned me that he is a little older, and has been matched twice before. With one person the pace was off, and with the other left class early.
I started not feeling well after that and got a little worried, because this is my third black lab golden now, and the first two didn't work out. I pulled Doug aside and asked him if Those problems were becaquse of the breed; should I be worried? He quickly assured me that each dog is different, and he thinks I will be very happy with this dog. I sure hope so!
So, its up early tomorrow morning, breakfast at 7:30, then a short handle refresher on commands, then dog time is at 10:00AM! I can hardly wait!
Getting to bed now, more to come tomorrow. :)
We woke up this morning to a pretty heavy snowfall. I got bundled up and went to clean mom's car and the driveway so she could leave safetly. She left at about seven. We were soon to follow at 8. the airport is about an hour's drive, and with the snowfall and rush hour, we wanted to be sure to make it for the flight at 11:00. A stop and Dunkin was also in order.
I arrived at the airport just before ten. Got to the ticket counter, and come to find out, the plane is little. It was one of those flights where you have to walk out ot the plane on the ground. There were only about fifteen people on the plane!
Once we finally got to laguardie (after about twenty minutes of circling overhead) the airline had someone to help me to baggage, where we quickly found Doug.
We trudged back to the van to pick up another class member to head back into the airport for lunch, since we had to wait awhile for the third pickup. We all had a thai peanut salad, which was pretty darn good. Once the third arrived we headed to the foundation. Once we got here, I saw a few trainers, Mark and Dan, and had a tour of the building (didn't need it, but whatever). Then was dinner, a new "chef" and the food was great. We had a breaded chicken patty with gravy, garlic potatos and asparagus, with a brownie. Got to see a few more people. I'm surprized that they all remembered me.
After dinner was the Welcome chat/lecture. We went over a whole lot of things, all in the company of Mars (a lovely dog). Then...we all found out the name and breed of our dogs!!! I was a little nervous, but very excited too, because I know now!
His name is Traveler, and he is a black lab/golden cross!
Doug pulled me aside earlier in the day and mentioned that he had a great dog for me, but warned me that he is a little older, and has been matched twice before. With one person the pace was off, and with the other left class early.
I started not feeling well after that and got a little worried, because this is my third black lab golden now, and the first two didn't work out. I pulled Doug aside and asked him if Those problems were becaquse of the breed; should I be worried? He quickly assured me that each dog is different, and he thinks I will be very happy with this dog. I sure hope so!
So, its up early tomorrow morning, breakfast at 7:30, then a short handle refresher on commands, then dog time is at 10:00AM! I can hardly wait!
Getting to bed now, more to come tomorrow. :)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The last few hours...
Just about all packed. Had to check my email one last time so I figured a quick post. Hard to believe that tomorrow is the day. I will do my best to keep a chronicle of things while I am getting to know my new partner.
The next post shall be from New York!
Good night!
The next post shall be from New York!
Good night!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Happy Saturday
Today was a very nice day, as mom and I got to spend time out of the house. We went all over town, just having a good time. We went to Petco where we spend at least an hour, and walked out of the store with fishes.Two female bettas. I also got a skane of red yarn for Marlene's scarf, and I'll probably bring it with me to New York to work on it during the downtime. We also went to Chili's for lunch. Today was just so much fun!
Last night I even got to spend some time with Dad watching Twister. Mom says he's starting to turn around but I really don't know, as he just came home a efw minutes ago from drinking again. I really don't know, but I'm not going to let it bother me, because I'm keeping my distance so as not to get let down again. That's the best way.
We are expecting a snowstorm overnight tonight. One new station says 1-3 inches this morning, though the Weather Channel is sticking to a 5-8 inch prediction. We'll see. I have a feeling there will be alot of shovelling involved, we're going to have to dig out to get to church in the morning.
That's about it for now. I've pretty much just been doing alundry and getting things ready for GDF and school after that. I won't be coming back here inbetween, so everything has to be ready. I am very excited about it all though. I think I will be ready for the new dog.
Last night I even got to spend some time with Dad watching Twister. Mom says he's starting to turn around but I really don't know, as he just came home a efw minutes ago from drinking again. I really don't know, but I'm not going to let it bother me, because I'm keeping my distance so as not to get let down again. That's the best way.
We are expecting a snowstorm overnight tonight. One new station says 1-3 inches this morning, though the Weather Channel is sticking to a 5-8 inch prediction. We'll see. I have a feeling there will be alot of shovelling involved, we're going to have to dig out to get to church in the morning.
That's about it for now. I've pretty much just been doing alundry and getting things ready for GDF and school after that. I won't be coming back here inbetween, so everything has to be ready. I am very excited about it all though. I think I will be ready for the new dog.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
First Post of 2009! And alot of catch up to do!
Here I am still alive! It's been quite awhile, while in PA with grandma there was no internet connection I could catch. I got home Tuesday night, after a long trip on Amtrak. The train ride was really very nice. It was comfy and quiet, and gave me the chance to crochet. I've been doing alot of that lately. Grandma wanted a scarf, so I made her a blue and white one. When I was done there was even yarn left over to make a matching hat. She loved it. So, to catch up a bit on things...
Wednesday: New Year's eve.
As it turned out, we were snowed in at my aunt's house, so we could not make our plans for the night. We stayed inside, since it was frigid outside, negative 8 with wind. We baked cookies and played board games. Kevin made yummy homemade pizza for dinner. Then another game marathon and we toasted in the New Year with champagne. It was quiet, though nice and relaxing. I feel bad for the people who went through the trouble of going to New York city, it was just too cold. Maybe next year. :)
Thursday: New Year's Day.
We got up early to say goodbye to everyone and pack the car. Grandma lost her wallet so we ended up looking for that for a good 45 minutes. Come to find out, it ended up in my purse! She had given up looking for it, and when we got in the car I reached into my purse and there it was. Someone must have found it laying around and thought the purse was hers.
We made our way to Danbury CT to have breakfast with Bob and Debbie. It was great to see them and breakfast was tasty. We exchanged Christmas gifts. They surprized me with gifts, two really nice ones. A digital photo frame and light up led clock. We left there about 1 and set off on our journey to PA. We got there around Five and made dinner, unpacked and watched a little tv before heading to bed.
Friday: We ran a few errands, bank groceries, etc, in the morning. We had chicken salad at home for lunch, and then set out again, for the Casino. :) We only brought 20 dollars each, for the cheap slots. This was alot of fun. We were there a good while. I lost about ten dollars, before winning 28 so I managed to walk out with more money than I brought. After that we went to see Marlene. The lights in their dining room were very bright; by the time we left my eyes were stinging, and stayed that way all night.
Saturday: Shopping at Boscov's. I got a lovely new coat, and some sweaters. We had lunch out, at this diner type place, but it was like a four course meal for a very good price. We had seafood. We also went to an aisan market, which was intresting. At night, we had a drink and watched movies. I did more crocheting.
Sunday: We went to Wal Mart for more yarn. Lunch at a chinese place, and in the afternoon we invited the neighbors over for a little while. I honestly can't remember what else we did this day...
Monday, we went Everywhere, shopping, hair salon (got my hair cut :)) And in the evening we went to see Tish, my cousin, grandma's aunt ( not exactly sure how we are related, but we are, and she is alot of fun). We got hone late, so I packed up my things for the train trip.
Tuesday: Left early to head to Trenton NJ for the train. Like I said, the trip was pretty quiet, and I was home around 5:30. I really had a great trip. It's nice to be able to see family, especially since I haven't seen most of them in years. Grandma seemed to enjoy it too.
So since it's the new year, I have a few resolutions. They are:
- Make the most of everyday, spend less time worrying and more time just enjoying life.
- Think more about others.
I also heard that it's good to learn two things every day, even little things, so I've decided to try it. I have a little notebook that I am writing them down in. It's a fun little book.
Yesterday was the conference call for GDF. I can't believe I'm leaving on Monday, this is so exciting. I can't wait to meet my new partner! As it turns out, I have the same room as last time. I know the building well, so it's good! I called consumer services and asked about the puppy walkers; since I am doing a combination training I won't be able to go to Celebration Sunday. I think the way this works is GDF sets up a phone call so you can talk to the PW's, I hope so anyway. Only a few more days, and I will be on my way.
Wednesday: New Year's eve.
As it turned out, we were snowed in at my aunt's house, so we could not make our plans for the night. We stayed inside, since it was frigid outside, negative 8 with wind. We baked cookies and played board games. Kevin made yummy homemade pizza for dinner. Then another game marathon and we toasted in the New Year with champagne. It was quiet, though nice and relaxing. I feel bad for the people who went through the trouble of going to New York city, it was just too cold. Maybe next year. :)
Thursday: New Year's Day.
We got up early to say goodbye to everyone and pack the car. Grandma lost her wallet so we ended up looking for that for a good 45 minutes. Come to find out, it ended up in my purse! She had given up looking for it, and when we got in the car I reached into my purse and there it was. Someone must have found it laying around and thought the purse was hers.
We made our way to Danbury CT to have breakfast with Bob and Debbie. It was great to see them and breakfast was tasty. We exchanged Christmas gifts. They surprized me with gifts, two really nice ones. A digital photo frame and light up led clock. We left there about 1 and set off on our journey to PA. We got there around Five and made dinner, unpacked and watched a little tv before heading to bed.
Friday: We ran a few errands, bank groceries, etc, in the morning. We had chicken salad at home for lunch, and then set out again, for the Casino. :) We only brought 20 dollars each, for the cheap slots. This was alot of fun. We were there a good while. I lost about ten dollars, before winning 28 so I managed to walk out with more money than I brought. After that we went to see Marlene. The lights in their dining room were very bright; by the time we left my eyes were stinging, and stayed that way all night.
Saturday: Shopping at Boscov's. I got a lovely new coat, and some sweaters. We had lunch out, at this diner type place, but it was like a four course meal for a very good price. We had seafood. We also went to an aisan market, which was intresting. At night, we had a drink and watched movies. I did more crocheting.
Sunday: We went to Wal Mart for more yarn. Lunch at a chinese place, and in the afternoon we invited the neighbors over for a little while. I honestly can't remember what else we did this day...
Monday, we went Everywhere, shopping, hair salon (got my hair cut :)) And in the evening we went to see Tish, my cousin, grandma's aunt ( not exactly sure how we are related, but we are, and she is alot of fun). We got hone late, so I packed up my things for the train trip.
Tuesday: Left early to head to Trenton NJ for the train. Like I said, the trip was pretty quiet, and I was home around 5:30. I really had a great trip. It's nice to be able to see family, especially since I haven't seen most of them in years. Grandma seemed to enjoy it too.
So since it's the new year, I have a few resolutions. They are:
- Make the most of everyday, spend less time worrying and more time just enjoying life.
- Think more about others.
I also heard that it's good to learn two things every day, even little things, so I've decided to try it. I have a little notebook that I am writing them down in. It's a fun little book.
Yesterday was the conference call for GDF. I can't believe I'm leaving on Monday, this is so exciting. I can't wait to meet my new partner! As it turns out, I have the same room as last time. I know the building well, so it's good! I called consumer services and asked about the puppy walkers; since I am doing a combination training I won't be able to go to Celebration Sunday. I think the way this works is GDF sets up a phone call so you can talk to the PW's, I hope so anyway. Only a few more days, and I will be on my way.
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