The icing on the Cake

Well, here we are, another year ending, which, in turn means another year beginning... I was going to say a "better" year beginning, but in hindsight 2015 had many highs as well as lows. Each new day brings new challenges, new adventures, new excitement, new joys, and, yes... sometimes tragedies, heart breaks, and, loss. 2015 was filled with all of these days, yet the year flew by as they all do with me ultimately wishing to get some of that time back, wanting to change some things, wanting some do-over's, and, wishing some days could have lasted forever. I am tempted to say that I feel "uniquely" qualified this year, almost an expert if truth be told in life's incredible roller coaster rides from the ultimate highs to the epic low's but that would be presumptuous I am afraid, knowing that it is all part of each individuals journey through life to experience these hugely random, but, very common ups and downs. So, I will instead simply say that I feel as though I had more than my fair share of amusement park adventures in 2015. The main reason I am writing this is because I need to "remind" myself of all of the wonderful, amazing things that sometimes get lost in the tragedies... I also think it is really important to realize the true goodness that can be a direct result of some of the garbage that gets piled on during the less than fantastic parts of this adventure we call life. At the end of each year I "reflect" on that past year and the first thing that always comes to mind is how incredibly lucky I am to have a great husband, 2 wonderful boys, 2 fantastic daughter-in-law's, and, a beautiful new grand baby! Owen is definitely a shining light in 2015 and more than enough reason to appreciate the year as a whole! He is a beautiful baby with a perfect outlook on life, meet each day with a smile, wide eyed and amazed at the wonders of the world around him. He is completely unbiased in his opinions, doubtful he even has any at the tender age of 2 months! Every moment of every day brings a whole new unlimited menu of wonderful things to learn, see, and do. A lot can be learned watching a 2 month old baby. I am also fortunate enough to have what I assume most everyone that would be interested in reading my blog has... the best dogs on the planet! Early in 2015 a dear friend lost is dog to a tragic accident, this dog also happened to be a pup that I bred and was very close too, it was one of those horrible incidents that you are not sure you will ever totally get over. But, out of that tragedy was born, "literally", a wonderful litter of pups that played roles in healing hearts, and, bringing joy in ways that were never imagined. Each of these pups played a part in making things "better" when it was uncertain that "better" was possible. One of these pups was Cake, although dealing with her own difficulties, she was instrumental in helping me through my worst part of 2015. I am not sure I really appreciated it until afterward, but, her zest for life and need to be acknowledged for it brought a much needed smile to my face and made me want to get up and get moving! In 2015 Geoff and I lost 2 dogs, Xtra and Rumor... All of our dogs are special and they all leave lasting imprints on our hearts and mind, these 2 were no different. Losing a beloved pet, aka family member, is always hard and definitely leaves me wishing time would move a bit slower. Competitively 2015 was another banner year! My heart of hearts, true soulmate dog SoBe and I were once again off to Europe to compete for the USA at the IFCS World Championships in Italy! It was another incredible trip, I am again reminded what an honor it is to be able to represent the US on these teams and it also proves that hard work and determination do truly pay off! It does not matter how many times I have done it, every time is equally special! It was even nicer this past year as I was able to be on a team with a dear friend who was "experiencing" Worlds for the first time! In May a very close friend and her husband lost their only son... it is very difficult to even write about this without immediately bursting into tears... there are no words, well, there is just nothing that can ease the pain of such a loss. I cannot in all honesty say there was any good that came of this tragedy other than the fact that people came together to support each other in a phenomenal way and a fantastic foundation was started to help others and hopefully try to put an end to this type of tragedy happening again... As it does time continued to move forward, life went on, many good times to be had. I am also always reminded how lucky I am to have the job that I have!!! Traveling around the World to teach agility is pretty hard to explain in regards to the magnitude of satisfaction I get from helping others! I am often asked if the traveling gets "old", my answer, NEVER! What keeps me going is making new fiends, reconnecting with old friends, and, mostly seeing someones face light up when they have just done something they never in their wildest dreams imagined they could do! I know that agility is just a game, but, it makes people happy. It makes ME happy! Thank you to each and every one of you who make my "job" so amazing! July brings another VERY successful C Spot Win camp, I LOVE camp!! And, Vivids litter of amazing puppies. My wonderful Cake was the first pup trying to enter the World and because of a overlong hard labor things did not go exactly as planned, in a nutshell my best friend and sister from a different mister, and a different mother :-) was there to help and although a little "damaged" Cake became "my" special girl. Circumstances of this delivery also saw a pup going someplace we were not planning and ultimately being the best decision ever! Sending these pups to their new homes became another highlight as it brought together friends who had not seen each other in far too long! A great time was had by all and each puppy turned out to be a saving grace in each individuals life each for different reasons. Then it happened, I got bit by a rattlesnake! You sure don't hear that everyday! I was so incredibly lucky to once again have Deb at my side... I will not recount the whole story as most of you were witness to the snakebite chronicles :-) IT was a huge turning point in 2015 as I was faced with the very first traumatic injury I have ever suffered in my entire life! There were many times that I was not sure I would ever run again, this really freaked me out! The perspective I gained through this experience was life changing to say the least, never again will I take mobility for granted. It also taught me there has to be more to life and the value we put on ourselves than just one thing! I have also learned for once for all that life is short and I will make the most of it. I will also be very choosy regarding what I allow into my life as influence. I am not interested in spending time lamenting others, or, entertaining negativity, its all up from here baby! Somewhere along the way I guess it was decided I really needed to be smacked in the head hard to fully appreciate life and all it has to offer because just days after my snakebite, my brother was in a horrible motorcycle accident that ultimately took his life. I still cant really talk about it there than to say my heart break is nothing compared to my Mom's. While her only daughter was in the hospital recovering from a snakebite her only son was on life support in another hospital. I think the only thing harder than losing a child is having to be part of the decision making process to let that child go. I still do not see any good that came from my brothers death, but, the snakebite taught me loads in life lessons, but, more than that I reconnected with some friends that I had let slip from my life, I also learned just how many amazing friends I have! The support was off the charts and for this I will be forever grateful! I will also always look back on this as the time I learned what really matters in life...As long as I have family, friends, my job, and, my health the rest is just Icing On The Cake!