THE FIRST 4 DAYS

SUMMARY OF DELIVERY

Delivery workdays are very hard.  I had been warned that by the time Erin left I would be exhausted and I am.  The work at the farm with Vidal and cats has been a Godsend.  It was my only worry and now the two are great with each other.  I think Cosmo and Vidal will be very close buddies in the future. 

On the first day Erin and I spent time just in the house with the dogs and I was able to see how loving they were to Erin who just picked them up.  This helped me to know that as the days go on our own bond will increase.  Vidal alerted with anxious behaviors.  We went through the steps for alerting.  I couldn't believe we went out in public the first day and I had to drive by myself with her.  Loading and unloading were problematic due to a new vehicle but by the end of the 4 days we are doing well.  Lunch made me nervous since the restaurant was so busy but Vi did well and I survived.  The vet appointment was great.  Erin was able to pass on history and rational for decisions and the new vet worked with my little nervous girl.

Friday was our trip to school/work and Erin was able to help me develop a list of accommodations that are needed.  We worked around huge fans and dehumidifies running in the halls and things went well.  I have a meeting on Tuesday with my supervisor and may have more questions for SDWR.  We also went to Walmart to work with shopping carts and for me to see how sneaky people are with touching Vi.  Erin was great all weekend by fielding questions about what we were doing.  I'm used to that part due to Cosmo.

The third day was amazing. I needed to be confident that Vi could handle crazy situations and the trip to the Science Center proved it.  She was great and I must admit I was pretty proud of myself.  Being bumped from behind or noises from behind do startle her but she is able to shake them off.  She even watched the whale movie without any concerns.  It was loud and crowed and she was interested in so many things but still was able to alert.

Erin required Ted Drews Frozen Custard in order to have a great day!  She was nice enough to spoon feed Vidal until Vidal figured out how to eat it by herself. 

Erin and I  were able to arrange a dinner outing with other families, which was a hit.  Vidal got spooked by the doors and as we were waiting outside she was very nervous. We know that she hit one of the D rings from her vest on the door and the noise bothered her.  Once inside she was able to get down under the table and was relaxed.  She did alert by pawing for a drop in my levels.

At first loading into the car was a problem but today  (4) Vi does it with little to no hesitation.   She is becoming a trooper of going everywhere.  This is very important since I am planning that Vi will be with me full time day and night.  In order to work on doors we all went to the outlet mall.  I learned that the reflection in the glass doors is the issue.  It is worse if the door is semi tinted.  So I have to not hesitiate and move quickly with a little correction as we pass through.  Since my school has so many of that of door we will be able to practice everyday.  I have figured out how to enter my house with the glass door.  Vi is still sometime not happy to start to come into the house and will go into a sit.  But if I keep her moving on a very short lead and keep moving she does better. 

As I am writing this Vidal is at the glass front door watching the men mow.  Yea! She is not nervous at all.

My plan is to work on basic obedience at before school every morning.  The wood floors in my house make it harder for her to sit and she slides so much that retrieving the ball is a little too wild.  The neighbors are helping to leave dog scents in the yard to make going to the bathroom faster.  She is into marking.  I'm hoping that once we get into the routine things will go faster.  She is going to the door to let me know she needs to potty.

Cosmo and Vidal are doing great.  Yesterday they both sat side by side at the door.  Cosmo laid on his back and tried to paw Vidal so they could play.  Vidal wasn't so sure about that idea.  This morning they were laying on the floor in the bedroom only a foot apart waiting for me to get up. 

Thank you for the fast follow up on the Spaying issue.

The delivery went very well and we will hit the obedience work with full force.

What a Wild Ride

I know it has been a long time since I updated the blog but a lot has been happening.  Dad fell and I left a week early.  Then I found out after getting down here that Vidal is coming a month early.  So it will be shorten trip in order to finish getting the house prepped for Vi. 

Shopping list
3 dog beds
elevated dog bowls
design a summer working vest
design a new lead
get dog food for Florida
vet appointment set
deer antler
toys

still need
baby gate with cat door
food container
??????????


I have noticed that in the last few weeks Cosmo has been reacting to my high blood sugars.  Don't get too excited, he is not reliable at all.  He has missed some extremes that were really bad.  But he is doing some things.  He will be going with me to the convention.  The humidity in Florida is never good for me and so any little bit of help is good thing. 

More updates to come.

What a great night!

I knew that the next phase of the DAD process was that a trainer would call me.  I really thought that the DAD would be coming in Feb. or March of next year. So when I heard from SDWR's lead trainer and found out a dog had been selected for me and that the little yellow furry friend would be coming around Sept. I was wordless. 

Now that it has sunk in I realize I have to get going on the doggie proofing.  So if you drive by the house and see a mound of bags and boxes out by the garage you will know that I am downsizing and getting ready for Ch`ere-Maria.  I am overwhelmed. 

Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way.

The total is now $25,000

The donation page reads that I and many others have paid $25,000 but SDWR has not gotten all the checks.  The next phase of this journey should start next week.  I need prayers that there is a cute little red lab who is about 7 weeks old and ready to start training. 

Avon sale was great.  More than $345 was raised.  The orders should be in this weekend so I am thinking of a road trip to KC the weekend of Mothers Day. That means I will be delivering to the St. Louis area crowd this weekend.  I am so thankful for all of the orders.

Now I will be looking for someone to put up a privacy fence and getting a survey completed in order to make the biggest yard for the future puppy.  So if you know anyone who will install a fence let me know.

MNEA RA

Crazy work stuff going on but this weekend is another huge event.

MNEA RA is at the Lake this weekend.  The liquor and wagon is loaded in the car.  The IPad arrived.  I have to still find to plastic containers for the tickets.  I am hoping to raise $3000 this weekend.  That would be about $10 per person.  Cross your fingers. 

I have to get a test run early Friday morning and will be going to the Lake early.  Cosmo and I will be spending about an hour putting together the wagon with all the bottles.  I am sure the entire roll of tape will be used. 

Wish me luck.

Recovered

I want to again thank everyone for coming to the dinner.  I am happy to report that the total is now $10,777.  Several times a week I get mail from strangers donating money.  Ok, so they are not total strangers they are Retired MNEA members.  THANK YOU.

The AVON fund raiser is off to a good start.  I will re-post the fliers on FACEBOOK under the event A LifeTime of Freedom- AVON sale.  You can message or email your order and I can send you my address.  Remember I get a large portion of the proceeds.  This is a great way to buy product and help me out.  I will deliver to your area if you live outside the St. Louis area.

Thanks for all the help.


Lately I have been feeling the affect of falling sugar levels with insulin on board which are causing fast lows.  On the other hand I have been having really high highs.  Not sure why.  I hate the way it makes me feel and how it impacts my energy level.  I worry that I won't catch these changes and so I am testing even more.  It stinks! 

$14,223 seems like a huge amount, and it is overwhelming to think that I have a number attached to my life.  Every single penny I have is going to this cause.  There are no extras happening in my life.  I hate to spend any money on even the smallest things unless it is a necessity.  It hurts to hear my parents voices on the phone right now.  They are so worried about me and my health and are also just missing me.  I wish I could spend the $500 to go and see them but that $500 has to go the DAD.  I'm homesick for Florida also but know what this DAD will be able to do for me. 

Even after writing the final check in May I will continue to do fundraising events.  When school gets back into session there will be a picnic "The Dog Days of Summer"  and also a Trivia night.  It is still a long road I have to travel in order to get my DAD.  But I will be so much safer with my new friend in my life.  I have never allowed my disorder to make me feel handicapped but it is controlling my life and I hate it.

Sorry I rambled but I needed to vent and say what is on my mind.

Thank you for the continued support.

Emotions are calming down

I have taken today to calm and refocus.  (MAP Testing)  I have been blessed with wonderful friends and surprised by people who cares about me and my safety.  As many of you know Friday night I was very emotional and overwhelmed.  To have total strangers come to the event and show support for someone  they do not know is amazing.  There are so many people who helped me make the event a success that I hate to name them for fear of forgetting someone.  All I have to say is that TEACHERS ARE AMAZING!

I am done with 2 events and have 3 more to go.

1. AVON fundraising
2. MNEA RA raffles
3. Dine to Donate May 16th at TEXAS ROADHOUSE  (mark your calendars for a lunch date)

I will be posting the AVON information later this week.  There are special items and the women who are helping me are donating the proceeds to SDWR in my name.

I will be purchasing  (if I can't get one donated) an IPad Mini for the MNEA RA.  I am also putting a huge liquor bucket/wagon together.  All tickets will be 6 for $20.  There will be one type of ticket but two buckets so you will be able to split your tickets in half.  The ticket for the liquor and IPad will be pulled on Saturday so that the winner of the liquor can celebrate with 300 of his/her friends. 

I will be finalizing my last payment for my DAD on the last day of school.  I will continue to fund raise in order to help cover the cost.  I just cannot wait much longer.  I need a DAD soon.

Thanks!