Focus

It is just two more weeks until we are getting ready to leave for Portland and our week at the National Specialty. I am feeling good about where the dogs are in terms of training, and also my decision to "only" take four dogs.

I have been focused on this show for months, and it has been good for me. My weekly charts with the check-off boxes help me to feel as if some things are indeed under control, and I have something short-term and realistic that I can accomplish. Living and working in a new state, missing my husband and friends, and living in an unfortunate rental -- these things are actually not very easy but they are things that must be endured. Time will take care of each thing -- I hope -- and so my Specialty training/focus has helped fill up my time and been a nice distraction from things that could be real downers.

Instead, I diligently work towards the weekly goals and in doing so, I focus on something other than what could be seen as problems. I think it is important to acknowledge the hardships and sorrows of our lives -- but dwelling on them overmuch does not change anything, and only encourages focus in a downward direction. The Specialty training has forced me to look beyond myself, and reminds me that I am capable and able to accomplish things. And so I guess it doesn't really matter how we do at the Specialty -- all the training has already proven a success.

The remaining two weeks of training will soon be over, and it will literally be show time. On Saturday, April 25, I am joining my friends, Kris and Clark, at an agility trial in Helena. They are driving to the Specialty from Minnesota and stopping in Helena for the weekend at that trial, judged by another berner friend, Jean Munger. I will take Cadi and show her for that one day, and Kim will be driving up to Montana on that same day; the next morning we leave for Portland (Sunday, April 26). We will be celebrating our wedding anniversary during our week in Portland -- what a good sport Kim is :)

We return on Sunday, May 3 and are supposed to close on our house on Monday, May 4. I sure hope things go as planned -- otherwise I will soon be homeless as my lease here is up at the end of May and there is no way in heck I will renew it. So please continue to think good thoughts that Camp Montana will soon have a new bunkhouse :)

How about a few pictures?! This is a group tug session -- Cadi, Faith, Zoey and Syd.


You can see the Montana Pine Cone Moving Company is back in business! This is Zoey hard at work.


This is Halo who is Zoey and Faith's mom.


I took this is Syd from the deck - she is definitely entering the Super Model stage (tall, thin, long legs ;)


Check back tomorrow -- I plan to post pictures from our new tracking site. In the meantime, have a delightful day!