National Post #2

Ok, so where did I leave off? I think I'll start on Thursday... Thursday was the busiest day at Nationals for us. We got to the show site early, as Jackson showed around 10:00 in the Amateur Owner Handler (AOH) class. We got him beautified, then took him in. There were only 7 in his class, so it went fairly quickly. He showed beautifully (other than the fact that I had him stretched ridiculously for a big part of it) and got a third place ribbon! It was a big ribbon! After that, we went inside and Jackson did his first leg of rally novice. He passed, but as I said before, I wasn't happy with his focus. He got another big ribbon for that though!

Thursday afternoon we gave Lemon a bath and a dry down. Then we went to dinner with friends, and then to the health auction. The auction was a lot of fun. We met some more great people, saw some cool Berner items, and watched people bid. We didn't get involved in the bidding this year, but I'm thinking next year we may be a bit more active!!!

On Friday, Lemon showed early in the morning. I was worrying that she would pull one of her crazy stunts and embarass me, but she is constantly reminding me how much she has matured in the past few months. She showed beautifully, but didn't get a placement or anything. I was just happy to see her have fun showing, as there were 40 dogs in our class, and we were probably out there for an hour. Luckily she didn't pee or poop...and some days I consider that a success in itself!

As soon as Lemon got done showing, we started packing up. Before we left, we got the chance to hook Jackson up a cart. Very fun, and I'm nagging a bit at Chris to make a cart for us! It will take a little bit of getting used to for Jackson (very odd to have something following along behind you when you walk!), but I'm sure he'll get the hang of it in no time once he has a cart of his own.

On Friday night, we stopped at a casino just East of Des Moines. It was a really fun night. We were able to stay for free in the truck/RV parking. We went in, gambled a little bit, lost some money, had some drinks and then went back out to go to sleep. Woke up Saturday morning and finished the drive.

On Sunday, I graduated from law school (almost with mismatched shoes) and then we enjoyed lunch out with family. It was a crazy week, but so much fun. Next year the show is in California, a few blocks away from the beach. It is a REALLY long drive... so we may not be taking the motor home and the dogs. But, while it is always fun to show your dogs, its also fun to relax, watch, and take it all in. So maybe we will do that next year (and go to the beach one day!). Pictures to follow.