Handling School...

So last night Derek and I took Ruger to "handling school".  We have known about this class for over a month and just now have had the time to participate.  It is held at a local park by an expert handler and you just pay a nominal fee for each class you attend....perfect!

Our goal in taking this class is for Ruger to become more comfortable doing "show" things.  Hopefully with consistent practice of stacking, being checked out and running patterns, he will be in auto-pilot when it comes show time!!

We had a great time practicing and meeting new dog people... :)

The entire class...

"Let's see the teeth, please."  We met Dick who is a veteran handler who spent alot of time with us and Ruger.  He thought Ruger was great, of course!  heehee.... :)

Some stacking pictures...

Getting some tips from Dick...

These last two shots are my favorites...

And that's why I chose to post them Extra Large!

Such a handsome and good boy!
...be still my heart...
:)

Final Day...

We had such a productive week getting Dillon settled and I am so thankful that we got everything accomplished we had set out to do.  

But now it was time to say too-da-loo...  

brothers and best friends...

very proud parents...

this is the original Fort Collins High School...cool, huh?

On the road through Vail, CO....very cold and stormy in August!!
And might I add that the service or cleanliness in Vail was not at all what we had expected.
We stopped to get gas/coffee/food and the bathrooms were disgusting, Starbucks was out of hot water  and Dalton's taco bell order was completely wrong!  Yep, I guess Vail is only great when you stay at the fancy dancy resorts!  Which were VERY beautiful!

The drive along the Colorado River was breathtaking.  I loved every single minute.
These pictures in no way give it justice.
Gorgeous!

On the road into Utah.  I had no idea that Utah was such a beautiful state!
Even though the trip was a long drive, it sure was a beautiful one!
Once we entered California, it was very obvious that we were not in Colorado any more...what a difference!!

So that's it folks.
I am now settling into my new normal...

Campus Day...

A highlight of our stay was the University Welcome held at the Moby Arena on campus.  The arena was packed with new incoming students, their families, administration, faculty, cheerleaders, "cam the ram" mascot and the band!  It was very inspirational and filled you with CSU spirit.  In fact, at the end of the Welcome I wanted to stand and yell, "We've got spirit yes we do, we've got spirit, how 'bout you?"  

lame, i know...

After the Welcome there was a Family Picnic totally over 4000 people...wowsers!!

And some carnival rides...

I couldn't decide which picture to post so I did them both!...

The event was very well organized and I loved the way they served drinks.  They had approximately 5 old  small pick-up truck beds filled with ice and drinks....very cute, I thought.  :)

Earlier in the day Dillon got all his books and we had lunch together at the Student Center (can't believe I didn't get a shot of that!...)

It was a great day to walk around campus with Dillon and share in all the excitement of college life!

I'll leave you with this exciting fact:
The next time we will all be in that arena will be on the day that Dillon graduates!

Oh, happy day!!

Moving Day...

The day had finally arrived!  

The day we had poured so much thought and planning into...  

The day our boy moved into his very own space... 

It was a happy day.

Dillon signed his lease, received his keys and we're ready to go...

You just go up these few steps of stairs...

and on the right is his apartment...perfect!

It didn't take us long to move everything in...

I promise, I helped....I just took a break to document...  :)

We all were a little nervous about moving this bad boy in but with a little patience and contemplation...success!

Now let's put all that Ikea furniture together...

Enjoy the many shots of Dillon's apartment...

my favorite...

loving his new queen sized bed!...

I was so happy that we were able to spend a lot of time with Dillon in his apartment.
Everything just felt so right.  So comfortable.
Thank you Lord, for giving me such peace!!

We took a break from our busy moving/unpacking day and met up with Brooke and her roommate, Lauren for dinner in Loveland, CO.
We decided to go to Cracker Barrel since we all have heard such great things about it.
Well, I don't want to offend any of you Cracker Barrel lovers but let me just say that the company was better than the food.  It wasn't that bad just not worth all the hullababoo!!  Jus sayin'...

In spite of the disappointment of the infamous Cracker Barrel, it was a great time  catching up with Brooke and Lauren!

Afterwards, it was back to the apartment for more unpacking.  I think we all worked into the wee hours of the morning...

Totally worth it!

Was not Prepared...

Okay, so how come nobody told me to prepare myself for Dillon's departure ON THE ACTUAL DAY we left the house?  

It was horrible.  

I had many tearful moments of realizing that all the lasts were actually happening.  Like, waking him up in the morning with a hug and "How'd you sleep?", saying good-bye to the dogs, closing his bedroom door and just walking out of the house...

Oh dear....I think it took me until Vegas to recover.  I have such a patient and loving husband!

So, let the adventure begin...

Truck and trailer ready to go...

All of Dillon's stuff loaded...

Bye-bye Bogey....

sniff, sniff...

Ruger is really going to miss the special game these two played...

 A stop in Las Vegas for Dillon's last In-N-Out burger for awhile...

Back on the road, again and again and again...

We broke the trip into four legs over two days:
Acton to Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV to Richfield, UT
Richfield, UT to Grand Junction, CO
Grand Junction, CO to Fort Collins, CO

We were soooo glad to get to Fort Collins and begin settling our boy into his new home and life!  :)
Thank you for your prayers!