Moving along into August / Birthday Surprises

Kim helps littermates Starr and Wylee get reacquainted!

A couple of months ago I made the comment "I'm taking August off!"  Of course here at ATB there actually is no such thing as taking time off unless your definition of relaxing actually is enjoying the therapeutic benefits of a multi-Brittany dog family.  Which mine is.  Even so, such dog ownership brings with it much responsibility regarding the purpose of ownership in the first place and this includes active participation in the dog loving community around us.  A good friend of ours told us years ago if we wanted to be taken seriously then we should 'get out there' with our dogs.  We have done this, and then some!  Getting 'out there' for us meant becoming involved at various levels with several dog clubs and associations, most of which are listed on our "About Us" link on our Maine Brittany site. The more we became involved the more we found ourselves in places of leadership and in a position to make a difference in the lives of dog owners, breeders, and especially in the lives of the breed we know and love so well - the Brittany. Along the way we discovered how enjoyable it can be to train for various competitive events in addition to preparing our crew for each upcoming bird hunting season.  And then there are the various events themselves such as weekends away at dog shows, months of field trials and all the meetings in between, including the legislative end of things and physical labor at bird dog grounds etc.  Phew!  No wonder I feel a need to "take a month off." 

The fact of the matter is however that the recent fun day at our home brought it all back together for me  when friendships were being renewed and in many instances established for the first time among other Brittany owers.  One first time Brittany family commented at how great it was to learn their dog was 'not the only one' who behaved a certain way.  I assured her indeed, the young and crazy fun-loving, exuberant Brittany at the end of the lead was perfectly normal!  Those who have been here over the past few years returned with expectancy to add another tool to their bird hunting training skills and were not disappointed with Bob's demo of how to steady up a Brittany who is on point.  A couple of Brittanys were lovingly captured by our friends who happily persuaded the owners to let them cut the 'flag' off of the end of their dog's tail.  The top notch agility training/demo by Helen was enjoyed by all who participated at the several 'stations' set up around the ring, especially fun for the kids.  There was a lot of food brought in and shared, and overall it really was a great day, one which left me looking forward to what we'll do for 2011.  53 people with 25 Brittanys adds up to a lot of fun.  And 'momma Ann' also enjoyed the ultimate fringe benefit of being reunited with some of her very special Brittany babies :o) . 

Yesterday I was blessed with a little surprise family party to celebrate my birthday, thanks to my wonderful husband!  My day began with John pretending to forget what day it was - which really would have been okay because you see, I am at "THAT" age where I'd just as soon not remember my birthday. But he did remember.  As soon as I heard his truck drive off I happily discovered a large gift bag of my favorite things on the kitchen table and a card from ATB.  When I called him to say thank you John asked if I really thought he would forget. Later in the day he brought home my favorite sandwich, a "Moes" , something anyone who has spent time in Southern New Hampshire/Maine should be familiar with.  And later on John gifted me with another bag filled with favorite things.  There had not been any discussion about cake, ice-cream, party or dinner and that was fine with me, honestly. But my happy birthday continued when our daughter showed up with her three children. (Her husband would have been there but his full time work schedule would not provide for that.  Speaking of birthdays though he hasn't received the birthday card yet that we sent to him in April and we all just figured it must still be in the mail, maybe?!) A little while later my day of birthday surprises continued when two of my nieces arrived and shortly after that our daughter in law who brought her four children. (Our son had something important going on at his church but I really missed hearing from or seeing him on my birthday. Even so, one of my greatest joys is seeing all 7 grandchildren playing happily together such as they were last night which was truly a gift unto itself.) This little surprise party planned by John to celebrate my birthday ended up being so much fun all the way around.  And my final gift from John was the biggest surprise of all - two boiled lobsters!  YUM!  The evening was spent outside and the kids ran and played together for a long time as dusk approached.  Soon it was time for lots of kisses and hugs and goodbyes. I then released my entire canine crew who had been so patient while we were having dinner at the picnic table outside.  They bounded up and around the yard then made it back to me, one by one, waiting a turn to jump up on me for a kiss, a hug, to interact personally in their own way.  I sat outside with them all as it became dark enough for the stars to be seen. Looking up into the nightsky, I said a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude to God, for my parents who are with Him, for my family now, and especially for this wonderful man who I am blessed to spend my life with.  The dogs and I enjoyed ourselves until the mosquitoes determined that the night belonged to them alone. 

As for taking time off, I think that may have to wait. 

Take care and God bless you and yours, and as always, we appreciate your interest in All Things Brittany - John, Ann and our canine crew

PS : Another added joy of my birthday was the many wishes from friends and family on the Facebook social network who otherwise I may not have heard from, it was too cool!