Bakersfield Dog Show...

The week before we left for Colorado, we attended a two-day dog show in Bakersfield where Ruger strutted his stuff!  We had a great time with our "dog friends" and enjoyed my parents great hospitality...

The show was held at the good 'ol Kern County Fairgrounds.  I have many fond memories of this place from my childhood.  As we walked by Building #3 there was a stage, not just any stage, but the very stage that I performed with my tap dance team when I was about 9-years-old!  Also, Ruger's show ring was held right behind the Boy Scout Baked Potato booth (ya'all from Bakersfield know what I'm talking about!)  :)

Meet two of Ruger's sisters:  Luci and Bree.  It was so fun letting them play together!!

My Dad and Axel, cheering Ruger on...

Time to do business!  Let the judging begin...

Ruger is not taking his eyes off of the "Gator Bait" aka grilled tri-tip.  Here's the story:  Gator is a champion rottweiler whose owners always use tri-tip as their bait.  They are so generous and share their bait with all of us at the shows.  Ruger LOVES it and we love Gator and his owners!  ;)

"Let me see your teeth, please..."

"And everything else..."

Here is Ruger competing against his sister Bree...it was a win-win situation!

And here's the nice show dog with his tongue hanging out ...ha!

In the ring again...check out the other dog, Ruger lost to him twice...whatever!! 

Winner of sweepstakes, Best Puppy...hip.hip.hooray!  A big thank you to Jeannie for handling Ruger and loving him as much as we do!!  :)

His sister, Bree...such a pretty girl!

Love him...

In the group ring with ALL the puppies...

Right between two furry white dogs..."work it, Ruger!"

Around and around we go...

"Hi there, Judge Lady..."

What a good boy being all checked out...he did so good!

Yep, we're proud...  :)

Time to relax at my parents house...

My dad christened his outdoor kitchen and grilled us some dinner...yum, yum!!

I had to include this picture of the faithful boy, Gunner....love him!

A before picture of my mom's garden...
She has since planted everything and I can't wait to document her progression (hint hint, for my mom:  need recent pictures please)!  :)
Derek and I (and Ruger) had a great weekend away and a big thank you to the Hogan Hotel!!
xoxo!

Fort Collins, Part 6

Well here it is... the final part in our series on Fort Collins!

We had an important mission for our last day there...secure an apartment for our boy!

After viewing several apartments the choice was obvious...

An apartment that is close to campus...

An apartment complex that only rents to CSU students...

An apartment that has top notch security (the first glass door is open  where the mailboxes and intercom system is located, then you have to either be "buzzed" in or have a key to enter the second glass door which opens to the staircases and apartments) (Dillon will be on either the second or third floor because those units have air conditioning!!)...

An apartment that is closest to campus (it is worth repeating!!) (this view of campus was taken from the parking lot of the apartment complex!)...

As you enter, to the left is the living room...

And to the right is the bathroom and bedroom...

The master bath...

And master bedroom with TWO closets...

And a built-in dresser and side table...

Off of the living room is the kitchen...

There's enough room for a small dining table too!...The apartment is about 525 square feet and absolutely perfect for Dillon!  We feel such peace about it and Dillon is beyond excited...  :)

There are ample washers and dryers which is only a hop.skip.and.a.jump away...

This was taken in the early morning of our departure.
It was a picture that I had wanted to take since the day we arrived...

A proud mama...

We dropped off the car in Denver and began our trek home...

I am so incredibly thankful for our productive time in Fort Collins.  God truly orchestrated our steps and as I reflected upon our trip I was reminded of this verse:

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps"  Proverbs 16:9

So true!  :)

Fort Collins, Part 5

Old Town of Fort Collins is the "hub" of the town and we enjoyed walking about it many times!  

Some trivia for you:  

Disneyland Main Street was inspired by Old Town Fort Collins, CO!

Disneyland...

Fort Collins...

pretty neat, huh?

The one thing that Old Town has that Disneyland doesn't is a Bike Library!
That's right, you can check out bikes by the hour for free!
I'm convinced that next to Disneyland, Fort Collins may be the happiest place on earth!
:)

Fort Collins, Part 4

The day had finally arrived...CSU transfer student tour day and academic counseling.  Here is where the rubber meets the road... all of the planning and dreaming was becoming a reality!  And we were very excited...

CSU's mascot: a stuffed "Cam" the Ram...

CSU's pride and joy...the Student Recreation Center.
This is the newest building on campus and it is spectacular!!  It has everything 24 Hour Fitness has and more!  Dillon was more than stoked to check this out...

Several rock climbing walls welcome you right as you walk in...

The main desk.  To the left is a smoothie and snack bar and to the right is the entrance to the all the fun...fitness machines, weights, courts, indoor track, studios for classes, etc.  It was ENORMOUS...

The pools were just opened three days prior to our visit!  There is a lap pool, a 32 person spa, a lazy walking river, and out of picture to the right is a volleyball net and large boulders for diving!  We stood and "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed" over this for quite some time....unbelievable!

The Library...

The Student Center that was also quite amazing....

Our little tour group...

Those beautiful Rocky Mountains again...

Our appointment with the academic counselor was not as inspiring to Dalton as I had hoped...he literally fell asleep mid-text!  And then began to lightly snore!  Luckily, the counselor had a good sense of humor and was not offended!

The appointment was very enlightening for Dillon and painted the overall picture of his remaining college years.  The only "glitch", if you will, is that Dillon will need to take one or maybe two classes this summer before leaving in order to meet some prerequisites for the College of Business.  It is not required that he take these classes before he goes but it is the wise thing to do:  less money and he is able to get them out of the way!  :)

It's not going to be an easy road but I am confident that Dillon will rise up to the challenge and do well.  I know  he would welcome your prayers, even now,  as he is preparing for this next step in his life!  

It was a great day on campus!  The tour made the CSU campus a little less overwhelming for Dillon (and me!) and the academic counseling provided Dillon with the overall plan.  I must say, I was so proud of him during that appointment.  He really takes ownership of his education and listened to everything the counselor had to say and asked many, many questions.
Dillon is going to do just fine at CSU....he is ready.