dogs, work, and life

Well Kota is being a great sport about all this hematoma crap - doesn't seem to get him too bad, until I go to wrap his ear back up into a standing position. I figure if I can help in any little way possible so that 1) muscle memory stays, 2) no creases form or 3) it provides some protection, I'm good.

I'm taking him to Companion Pet Clinic tomorrow to get checked out and get an estimate for surgery (and to get the blasted thing drained again). I've got to make a decision pretty soon on what to do - I can't keep just getting it drained. If there were a way I could keep pressure on the ear, I wonder whether I'd be able to keep it from coming back... but since it's a friggin CORGI ear and INSISTS on standing upright, it's hard. :(

This is Kota today - after work - after taking off the wrap...

I'm trying really hard not to get down about it, but it bums me out.... I just want him to be 100% of course. :(

On the positive side, he's kicking agility butt, and I'm so excited about it :) He pooped out early last night (I think the stress and discomfort of the ear thing got to him after a while), but he's doing SUCH a good job, and is one of the "stars" of the class most times :) I'm going to enter him in a DOCNA trial this summer and run him in jumpers and gamblers :) It'll be a load of fun! :)

Work is in the process of wrapping up - we have 19 days in May and just one week left in April.... the light is at the end of the tunnel and teachers and students alike are starting to crawl the walls.... We're all tired and ready for a nice long break. :) I'm volunteering (I'll get paid) to work over the summer for Preschool evaluations and such - it'll give me extra money and more experience :) And heck, Preschoolers are cute, as long as I don't have to work with them every day! :)
I'll be moving to a new school for next year - a really nice school with a nice big speech room :) It's half the size of a regular classroom, as opposed to my closet I have right now. I'm not sure what I'll do with all that room! I'm having fantasies already! :) In addition to working a K-4 school, I will also be sharing the new "Intermediate" school (grades 5 and 6) which is going to be at the school *I* went to for 7th through 12th grades! A little weird, but kinda cool at the same time! I'm just happy to have a job in this economy, and am SO thankful I got out of Telecom when I did! Yay! :)
So i'll be packing up my stuff and taking it home over the summer, I guess... just more stuff I might have to shuffle when/if the house sells. *sigh*

Been feeling kinda sad about Dad in the last few days... This is the longest I've gone without talking to him, and I've been wanting to... knowing that I can't. I try not to focus too much on it, but I know it's a stage in the "process"... so I'll let it take it's course. I miss the old grump tho. *sigh*

I've been blowing through the Twilight books... I picked up Twilight 2 weeks ago this weekend and zoomed through it. Then I bought New Moon last weekend (Saturday) and had to buy Eclipse on Monday! I finished Eclipse last night and now am borrowing Breaking Dawn from a co-worker since I can't find it in the stores right now! I resisted for a long time, but I decided I just needed to suck it up and see what all the hype was about. NOW I KNOW! I can't put the books down! :) They're great! If you haven't read them, you really should.... they're wonderful! :) Another co-worker told me today that I'll probably finish Breaking Dawn this weekend... not sure about all that - it's over 700 pages long! Whew!

I entered the kids in the Rio Grande KC shows in Albuquerque in May - majors in both dogs and bitches.. Keep your fingers crossed for the kids.... Sis is in GREAT condition right now, and Chance is just ready for those majors to start flowin' in :) It should be a good time :)

Wish Ko and I luck tomorrow at the vet - I might get ONE MORE quote (they always say to shop around), and then make a decision... *sigh*

Oh, and a Tupperware party tomorrow - FUN!!! :)

next steps in life

Ok world... I'm 33 and still a renter... I've been kicked out of one house due to foreclosure, and when I recently got 4 (yes 4) certified letters for the property owners, I started worrying the same thing might be happening again.

I started looking around at what home prices in my area are going for and I dropped my jaw.

I've been talking to a Mortgage Broker and a Real Estate agent, and it looks like I might be taking that next step!

I've been pre-qualified for a loan and now just have to send in some paperwork... after that, I can actually go start looking at houses! OMG.

The amazing thing, is that houses out here are selling for CHEAP!!! They told me the max amount I would qualify for and I laughed and said "there is no way I'm going to buy a house for that much... there are so many cheaper options!!" I'm finding homes for $69,900, people!

I'll be able to buy a house and keep my mortgage payment low low low :) And given that I live in a "rural" community, I will qualify for a special program :) Yippee!

I will keep you all updated on this as things progress, but it's pretty exciting, thinking that I might be a homeowner soon! EEK!

the little things

With the change of scenery on my blog, it got me to thinking about being thankful for the little things. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day stressors that we call life... Often times most of us don't sit down and really think about the GOOD in life. I want to try and make a point of doing that this year.

While yes, I'd like to lose some of this weight that found me, I'm not "resolving" that this year. Hell, I've "resolved" it for the last several years and I've always failed. This year I am resolving 2 things...

1) take better care of my finances
2) find one thing a day that can make me smile

I'll also work on losing the weight that found me, but I'm not resolving it anymore... I hate being disappointed in myself! LOL

Speaking of disappointment, I think I can publicly say that I am disappointed that my breeding plans have been put on hold.

Breeding Sedona has been a heavy decision to start with, given the hip situation and the fact that she's got a whopping 3 points to her name at this stage in the game. I'm going to keep showing her and keep trying... and I do hope to breed her still, as I really believe she's got some LOVELY qualities.

All that being said, I think I will be putting myself back on the "puppy market" here in the near future.

I'm still investigating a couple of dogs who could possibly be good matches for Sedona, but it's likely not going to happen for her as soon as I had hoped (her next season - summer/fall).

What I AM thankful for, however, is to have 3 healthy happy dogs who share every aspect of my life... Sedona sleeps on my pillows, Chance sleeps beside me, and Kota at my feet. I always have a dog near me. I can't imagine life any other way.

I'm also so VERY thankful to have a job that makes me happy to go to every day. Don't get me wrong, I love my vacations, and sometimes I want to drop kick a kid or two, but overall, I LOVE my job and most of the people there. I'm VERY thankful to finally feel this way about what I do every day.

I am also thankful that my parents are still with me. By the grace of God, my Dad is still alive (somehow). I call most every weekend and talk to him... "I have good days and bad days" he always says. My step-mom tells me the bad are out weighing the good these days, but I'll take what I can get. He's 70 and in horrible health, but his will keeps him going. Stubborn ole goat! ;-)
My mom's health isn't great, but her stubborn streak keeps her moving too. Thankfully she's not terminal, but she's got a debilitating condition that will only worsen over time (Multiple Sclerosis). I am thankful that I had the week with mom, even if I did get annoyed with her ;-)

There are things that I'm thankful for that I need to remind myself to be thankful for sometimes... I think we probably all could use to remind ourselves that from time to time. Maybe this will serve as a reminder to be thankful for something in YOUR life.

What a difference a year makes....

Last year I didn't enter Flagstaff... Sedona was nekkid and Chance was just a wee one.... It was a supported entry, so I felt bad, but eek, was she as nekkid as a jaybird! :)

A year later she's in beautiful coat, and Chance is no longer a wee one :) I decided to go back to the same spot I took one of my favorite pictures of my guys and take another shot... below is what you get :)


I know... I know... I'm kicking myself in the butt.... I SHOULD have taken those silly leashes off of the older two also.... UGH I hate when I do dumb things to ruin awesome pictures ;-) I have another couple of really good pictures I'll post.... I'm just whipped.... the stress from the AEPA and then the dog show (even for just a day!) ... the three hour drive each way and OMG the price of gas... On my way out of town I paid $4.15!!!! In Flagstaff I paid $3.93 and saw it as cheap as $3.89. Sad that we think that's cheap... :(

More pictures of our adventures to follow...