February 16 Novel and I were lucky enough to get the chance to experience a CCI graduation! We live over 9 hours away from our regional headquarters in Orlando, so under normal circumstances, it would be completely impractical for us to travel all the way down there just for one day. Lucky for us, several circumstances (including my mum and I both randomly being off work
that weekend, some previously planned events that weekend being canceled, and family living in Jacksonville having a very valid reason to ask us to visit) came together to make the trip possible.
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| My Uncle, Me, Novel, and my Grandpa just behind the graduation facility |
There really is no other way to put it: the Graduation was amazing. Not only was the Graduation amazing, but afterwards there were so many wonderful people (and dogs!) to meet, we got to tour the Orlando campus, and best of all, Novel got to wear himself out playing with a bunch of other CCI pups :)
Pictures should be forthcoming. Unfortunately, my camera is in a non-working state right now due to an exhausted, cold, and apparently not fully cohesive self placing it carelessly and precariously atop my very unstable backpack which was sitting on a rock next to a stream at the bottom of a waterfall after a long hike on the Appalachian Trail. (read: a two day hike which included a few miles beside a very flooded lake, necessitating a removal of shoes and socks and a barefoot trudge through icy water before climbing a high mountain covered in snow in our soaking wet pants and attempting to descend the other side in the inky blackness of night and then spending the 19 degree night in an open shelter next to a fire that wouldn't burn because all the wood was wet, before completing our hike in the morning before school started again the next day...I mean, what's life without adventures, right??) Said backpack toppled sending said camera onto said rock lens first. Ouch. All that to say that my camera was unable to take any pictures during the graduation, and as a result, pictures are not currently available on this blog post. I DID however take some pictures with my phone, which, when I get them uploaded to my computer (which could be a while) could provide illumination to this blog post :)
Novel is doing well, except for this problem with vomiting that we are still struggling with just a little now and then. He is coming to school with me this semester, settling in to all my classes well, and everyone loves him, of course :)
***UPDATE*** We have pictures! Enjoy below \/ \/ \/
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| Take a good, long, look Novel... |
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| Look at all those beautiful examples of CCI excellence! |
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For a while Novel didn't want to settle. There were too many interesting
sights and smells, and plus, the people on both sides of him were crying
and he wanted to 'comfort' them soo bad. |
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| He was just feeling a little goofy in general |
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| Finally he started to chill out... |
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| ...and eventually fell asleep :) |
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| Chillin' at the reception afterwards with my mom |
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| "Finally" thinks Novel, "Now the fun begins!!" |
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Pile of CCI puppy awesomeness :D I know Novel is one of those
black dogs...the question is, which one?? |
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| Exhausted on the way home :) |
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Still exhausted at Wendy's later on. And he was still exhausted
when we went out for supper. I've never seen him tired for so long! |
KATHERINE!!! I hadn't heard about your camera! Noooooooo!!! How sad, sad, sad, sad!! And I hadn't heard the story about the hike either! That sounds intensely awesome! Glad you got to go to the CCI graduation!
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Rebekah, I hadn't heard about the camera either! AND, also want to confer with your thoughts concerning the graduation. AMAZING! As you know, I needed a tissue because it was so touching to see all those puppy raisers turn over their very well loved puppies to move to the level of professional training. It was very interesting to see and meet the seven people (all in wheelchairs) receive their trained service dogs. And it was also wonderful to see the excitement of the service dogs when they met their puppy raisers for the first time in nine months! What a worthwhile organization!
ReplyDeleteSo neat that you got to experience graduation/turn in before you participate! Every time I hear about graduations/AT I know Dante is just going to LOVE it down there! :-)
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