Sunday, March 29, 2015

A Dream Come True: The Dog Days of ... March?!

I was never as thankful for the two-hour time change than I was on Saturday morning: Our alarms went off at 7:00 but for us it felt like 9:00. Really, even if we hadn't had that benefit, getting up early that day wouldn't have been too hard with the knowledge we were headed to DogFest Walk 'n Roll Phoenix! DogFest is a community dog walk that supports the mission of Canine Companions for Independence.

 DogFest events occur all around the country (Click here to see if there is one coming up near you!) but Dash and I have only ever attended the Cleveland event. We were very excited to participate in another city's big day of celebration of Canine Companions for Independence!

We were also excited because it was a chance for Julie and I to reunite with our cousin Andee (and meet her husband and son) for the first time in at least 20 years! It was so great to meet as adults and really get to know each other.


Shortly after we arrived our attention was drawn to the pavilion, where there was a service dog demonstration going on. I am Facebook friends with the woman giving the demo, and she did a great job representing Canine Companions for Independence and showing off how her dog helps her.
Buddy and her dog, Andy
Once the presentation finished, people began to gather for the "walk" part of the Walk 'n Roll event, which was a pleasant stroll through the square, lined with blooming roses and sparkling fountains. (That's a sentence a Clevelander never has the pleasure of saying in March!)


After the walk we knew we had a few activities we just couldn't pass up! To begin with, I finally caved and let Dash get his first tattoo... and he coerced his doggie cousins to get one, too!

Then we admired the antics of the frisbee-catching dogs. Dash was in awe of how high they could jump!

Watching those dogs gave Dash the itch for a new challenge so we headed over to the agility course, where he and Julie totally rocked it!
I had a feeling Dash would enjoy the course because his puppy raisers told me they had exposed him to it and he really loved the tunnel, even as a puppy! Don't tell Dash but one of the gifts we got for Christmas was an agility course to set up in the yard this summer. Can't wait for that!
Only in Arizona do cowboys roam
the street strumming guitars!








By the time we felt we had conquered DogFest we were all quite hungry! We found a yummy restaurant with an outdoor patio where Andee's pet dogs were welcome and settled in to revive ourselves. I had the most surreal moment as we waited for our food, realizing i was sitting on a patio, completely comfortable, gazing at a cloudless blue sky and palm trees, listening to a Jack Johnson song (the summeriest music of all time) ... and it was MARCH SEVENTH. It was like a dream!

Post lunch, we strolled around the town and did a little shopping. 
Cowboy boots? When in Rome...
 By the end of the day we were all sun-baked and exhausted, but so glad we got to go to the Phoenix DogFest! My only regret was not getting any pictures with Steve, Helen, and Pluto who were the ones that invited us in the first place. I guess we were just too busy having fun!


Sunday, March 22, 2015

A Dream Come True: Is this real life?

Little did I know at the time of my previous post that our trip would be such a whirlwind of fun and adventure (and time change!) that I would not have the energy or words to post daily, as I had planned. But better late than never...

We were greeted by my sweet Aunt Karin upon arrival at her and my uncle's house in Scottsdale. We immediately felt right at home, including Dash, who made a beeline for the sun-covered patio.
Another example that Dash and I are a perfect match: We both adore sunbathing! 

After a tour of their incredible house, we spent that first evening eating a delicious meal and talking over all the many things we hoped to do during our week in Arizona. I actually went to bed feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of the things we could possibly do, but could never have time to get in!

Friday morning I woke up to this view and wondered if I was dreaming:


I continued to be in awe as I cast my UGG boots and sweater aside in exchange for TOMS and a t-shirt, and began our first real day of vacation!

After a fun visit from Steve, Helen, and Pluto, we headed off to the Desert Botanical Garden. We were in luck, because the desert was just beginning to bloom - as if it wasn't incredible enough to begin with!


Us Ohioans were all astonished by the varying specimen of cacti - some of them looked as if they belonged underwater, some looked so soft and cuddly that it was hard to resist touching them (but we certainly did resist!), and some looked downright lethal! 

And as he does everywhere he goes, Dash was quick to make a new friend:
Do you see him there? A little ground squirrel was perched on the ledge, just as fascinated with Dash as Dash was with him. I think it thought it was having an Androcles and the Lion moment, and was offering Dash freedom from his leash!

After wandering in the desert for a while, we worked up a powerful hunger ... and need to shop! Thankfully the on-site restaurant is conveniently located on the other side of the gift shop!

Once we got home we retired to our rooms for the night, knowing that Saturday would arrive bright and early with one of the most exciting things on our calendar for the week! Stay tuned...


Saturday, March 7, 2015

A Dream Come True: Up in the Air

 I actually have flown before. When I was maybe 5 I flew to Florida. And around 10 my dad somehow won us a round-trip on a little 4 seater airplane that took us to Put-in-Bay, probably a 20 minute ride each way. As I recall, we got off on the island, had a Coke, and flew home.
Things were much less complicated at 5 and 10 years old!
At 33, life is definitely more complex! Thankfully, I have an incredible support team of family and friends who go above and beyond so that I can do things I only dreamed I would do. Without them, I would not have boarded a plane to Phoenix a few days ago. 
So, with enough luggage to look like we were going to live abroad until Cleveland thawed, my mom, sister, aunt, Dash and I began our big adventure!
We arrived at Cleveland Hopkins Airport early enough that we had to wait to check our bags. Once that was done we advanced to TSA. While I got the pat down service Julie and Dash passed through the metal detectors. Julie put Dash in a down, took off his collar, and walked herself through. She then called Dash through separately. Onlookers were in awe and the TSA worker said he did better than most humans! I was so proud of my prince. 
Our flight went extremely well and I was much more comfortable than I ever expected to be! I was so proud of Dash as he almost never moved a muscle from our very scrunched seats - about 5 hours total!
It wasn't until about the last 20 minutes that the man in the row ahead of us laughed when he looked down to find something rather unexpected: 
Even the man in the row directly across from us who had a clear view of Dash had no idea he was there until we had landed! He represented Canine Companions for Independence extremely well!
The only thing more exciting than not seeing even a hint of snow on the ground upon landing was that my wheelchair was returned to me in perfect condition.
With a sigh of relief from each member of our party, we worked our way toward baggage claim and my awesome uncle who was waiting to escort us to his and my aunt's home, where we are staying. 
More on that and much more tomorrow!

Friday, March 6, 2015

A Dream Come True: Prologue

Long long ago I made up my mind that flying wasn't in the cards for me. Between the discomfort of having to sit in an airplane seat without the support of my custom seating system and the risk of my wheelchair being damaged as it is stored with the luggage, it did not seem worth the risk for me. Besides the tediously long hours of yellow lines and orange cones and the days you have to subtract from being at your actual destination, what's wrong with a good old-fashioned road trip. Right, Clark Griswold?!
These have been my strong opinions for many years. Little did I know, all that was about to change. 

The Culprits
Meet Steve and Helen. I met these two goofballs in May of 2012 at Team Training for Canine Companions for Independence. Steve and I were both getting our first service dogs. 

Meet Pluto, who was lucky enough to be matched with Steve. Basically a droolier version of Dash. A droolier version of Dash who loves to travel. 

The Crime
For the past two and a half years I foolishly thought that this Steve and Helen were just new sweet, innocent friends. Then, out of the blue, Helen assaulted me and my firmly held beliefs. 
Obviously, Helen and Steve have flawless logic. There was clearly no way to get out of this one…