Birthdaversary weekend...

A month or so ago I mentioned to Chris that there was a Wag It Games trail coming up, but it was on 3/31, so I couldn't go.  "Why not?" he asked.  "Because it's the Birthdaversary," I replied.  We were married on my birthday, 34 years ago. It's a special day for us.  "Sure we can go," he said. Because he is just that way. "A nice drive with  my best girl, dinner out, a romantic hotel...." He was grinning like a cat as he thought about it, and the wheels of a good weekend were set into motion. 

We got up long before dawn on  Saturday, and did all the animal chores. They take much longer this time of year, because of all the baby goats, so we were  hustling to try to leave by 6:30. As it was, we didn't get out of the place till 7. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive to the dog trial, and we managed to get a little lost, so we rolled in a bit late.  "Hurry!" My friend Rita called from the door. "You are going last, but there are only 4 dogs ahead of you."  I let Bravo go for a little walk, unloaded the car, carrying his "pup tent," dog bed, water, treats, etc. into the building. Then I watched a few teams run the course. I realized that since we had not practiced what this class was about for months, and we had arrived late and were in a hurry, we probably wouldn't do too well, but I grabbed my puppy and we began. The first class of the day was "Obstacles."  I chatted Bravo up as I took his leash off and gave him a few cookies, "We're gonna do some work, ok, buddy?  Stay with me." 

And he did. Look at his concentration on me!  This exercise is called, "Cavaletti's." The dog goes over each little jump, sits, then goes over the next, sits again.  Normally he gets distracted. Forgets to sit, or sits sideways. He did it flawlessly. I was gobsmacked.

In this exercise the dog has to carefully step through each rung of the ladder. No racing about, no skipping a space.

Then up the steps, over the bridge, and down. No missing a step, either.  There was more, and he performed each obstacle so nicely. We ended up scoring 110 out of a possible 115 points, (he sat when he wasn't supposed to on the final, bonus, obstacle. It was adorable.) We won first place. What a fun way to begin! 

Later he did some excellent heeling in the "Shadow Skills" class, earning us a second place.
Look at him smiling up at me. It is like he is saying, "This is fun. We got this!" He won a first place in dog ball and did well in Quarry Quest, too.

My friend who runs the trial surprised me with a delicious carrot cake to celebrate my birthday. How sweet!

We ended up with a nice haul of ribbons, and points toward future titles. And it was fun, every bit of it, for both Bravo and me. 

Chris picked us up when it was done and spirited us off to North Conway. We did a little shopping, they have some marvelous, unique, stores there.  Then he took me to the hotel he had chosen, Stonehurst Manor.  He was looking for something with character, and he found it.

Beautiful views of the White Mountains, cozy rooms with antique four poster beds, a marvelous restaurant with flames dancing in multiple fire places, great service and delicious food. They also had very fancy drinks and I indulged in one.  Yum.

All in all it was a delightful time.  Pleasant drives through the mountains, fun with dogs and friends, and a romantic stay with my love in a character-filled hotel.  What a way to celebrate 34 years together. 

Chris made it all very special. Just like he has every day since the day I met him. Yes, it was an excellent birthdaversary weekend.