Excited

For the first time in a long while, life is pretty good for me. Today, I'm in a great mood :)



As my master's degree work comes to a close (I will be DONE in a week and a half--ahh!!), I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. In spite of what happened with my thesis, and the annoyance of having to come back for an extra semester, I am glad that I did so, and didn't just leave it unfinished. I am feeling really good right now about it all. I am glad that I will be able to leave the program with positivity instead of a chip on my shoulder.

Dog stuff is going amazingly well, too. Back in October, I applied to be a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluator with the AKC, and just found out this morning that my application was accepted! I took the test earlier today and got 100% on it... so that means I am now totally approved as an Evaluator :D I am excited to see where this takes me.

Agility is going great. After our last trial, I feel really good about the progress Cedez and I have made this year. I think we are both a lot more confident in our skills, and I have been working really really hard on my attitude. I am excited to work hard over the winter so that Cedar and I can aggress the courses together with a vengeance next year!

After some not-so-good experiences with herding, I thought my love for it had died. It felt more like a job that I HAD to do out of obligation than something fun and interesting to do with my dog. Thankfully, as I've discovered over the past few months, I was wrong. I found a new group of people to work dogs with up in Eastern Washington, where I (technically) live and will be moving back to in just a few weeks. I had the opportunity to go out and work Moss several times over Thanksgiving break, in addition to the few times I worked him on my weekends back in town this fall. I am having an absolute blast. Moss and I are learning and progressing, and there is no pressure. I love it. I can't wait to do more once I am out of school and back up in WA full time. I would like to do a few herding trials (USBCHA and maybe ASCA or AKC) with Moss next year... but only if I feel we're ready. It feels great to take control over my own destiny.

I know it's early to be thinking about this stuff, but I already have my new year's resolution picked out. Next year, I resolve to stop being afraid... afraid of putting myself out there, taking chances, making waves. Stop being afraid of feeling good about myself or of being successful. Try not to stand in my own way. Bravery is good, right?

Oh, and also? I'm getting a puppy early next year. Details to come soon... ;)

I think 2012 is going to be a banner year for me. I can't wait.