Makes me happy!!!

These two girls make me so happy!!  Wendy, my wonderful niece is on the left and Cass, the girl that James was dating before he left on his mission, is on the right.  Wendy and Cass go to college together and are roommates.  The best part of that is that they're only an hour from me!  Yippee!!  I love having them so close and getting to see them all the time!  They're here for Easter weekend & I am so, so excited to spend time with them!!  Love, love, love these two girls!!!!!!!

Erin & Gabe

11.5 years ago, a sweet tri baby boy was born here.  There was always something special about this little guy.  He was always beautiful, but even more, he was always a sweet, affectionate boy.  Gabe lived here until he was almost a year old.  I got to show him and finished his championship.  He was a fun guy to show.  After a specials home that did not work out and a Juniors home where the Junior stopped showing, Gabe went to Texas to spend a couple of months with my friend Erin.  Long story short, Gabe wrapped his furry little body around the hearts of Erin and her husband Adam, and has lived with them for about 6 or 7 years.  I could never have asked for a better family for Gabe.

Erin and Gabe have made a breeder's dreams come true.  She has had an amazing show career with him, including winning a Best In Show with him.  Gabers is the only dog we have ever bred to win this honor.  I'll never forget the day that Erin called to tell us.  We were in the car and I instantly started crying.  Mom was speechless....and that never happens!  It was a high point for me, as a breeder of a dog.

But even more importantly to me is that Gabe is loved and adored by his people.  He is a member of Adam and Erin's family--and is completely convinced that he is the center of their world.  He is more happy curled up in their laps than anywhere else in the world, and there's nothing more that I could ask for than to know that this wonderful dog I bred is loved and spoiled rotten!

At the national this year, Erin and Gabers won the 11+ veterans class.  People ringside could not compliment him enough, and most thought he was about 5 years old.  It was wonderful to see this team in action again--they were the most beautiful duo in the ring!  Thank you Erin for helping to make this breeder's dreams come true.....but mostly, thank you for loving this sweet, goofy boy so much!!!

Oh, I love watching this dog move!!

what an amazing day!!

Gabers happy with his daddy

Erin & Gabe in the ring at Nationals 2011

Pretty sure the look on his face says it all!!

Snapshots of the trip to Tulsa...

  dingbat Liza realized about 2 hours into the Tulsa trip that the camera is at home!  Sheesh....but, my phone does have a good camera, so I was still able to get some good photos.  Not as many as I normally take, but I kept forgetting I had a camera on my phone!!  

Is it spring??  The day we left, it looked like winter!!

Good thing Wyoming does have some cool scenery, because I really hate that state!!

Boring, boring, boring......

 

I have never seen a covered bridge over the interstate before!!!

 

Hahaha!!  I don't know what the purpose of this 20 foot tall guy was, but it made me laugh every single time we pulled up to the show site.

Happy 125th Anniversary, CCA!!  Gorgeous cake and it was soooooo delicious!!

Love this dog!  This is Dash, who hopefully will be involved in an announcement later.....

Erin and Gabers......more on them later....

I absolutely LOVED this necklace!!  Sadly, even in silver, which I prefer, it was out of my price range, so it is not around my neck.

Hard Rock Cafe!!!

Poor Hannah was not thrilled about being on the trip with us.

Gabers, however, is happy anywhere, as long as he has a bed.....

 

 

 

And of course.....my mom's quilt.  She makes a quilt for the Collie Health Foundation to auction at their annual auction.  For the 125th Anniversary of the Collie Club of America, she did a quilt that has the names and kennel names of hundreds of collie breeders embroidered into it.  It took her 7 months to embroider and looked amazing.  They auctioned it for $800.  All together, mom's quilts have brought over $10,000 to the Collie Health Foundation.

It was an amazing trip.  I haven't been to a National since 2006, so it had been 5 years since I had seen so many of my friends.  It was wonderful to see them all again and spend time with them.  I got to spend time with wonderful people, see beautiful dogs, and have a week and a half away from reality.  It was perfect!