Greetings everyone!
Jen here. Sorry I have not updated in FOREVER; Mom and I have been busy with the college life! :-) We got done with our first year at Muskingum on May 7th, and since then, we've just been relaxing at home pretty much, enjoying the wonderful spring weather!
Coming up tomorrow is a day of great celebration for all; a CCI graduation! Mom and I LOVE to go to these; they are always SO FUN! Tomorrow's going to be THE BEST; we are taking Lisa along with us to experience the magic of a CCI graduation, AND we get to meet Madison and Andros (and Butler) for the first time!!!!!!!!! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!! :-D
In other news, Mom had an orthopedic doctor's appointment the other day, and now she's got some big decisions to make. See, my mom has cerebral palsy, and there's this stuff in her leg muscles called spasticity that is caused by the CP which makes it hard for her to function sometimes; we've been researching lately to try and find ways to fix her functioning so that she can walk more normally, and easily. Her doctor is advocating this surgery/treatment known as intrathecal baclofen therapy. Baclofen is a muscle relaxant that has been known to work wonders in individuals with cerebral palsy. During the surgical part of it, the doctor would go in and insert a small computerized Medtronic pump into the area underneath the skin of Mom's abdomen on one side. The pump would be filled with baclofen, and it would have a threadlike catheter attached to it that would go from the pump, around Mom's side, and into the space between the vertebrae of her back. The pump would continuously deliver baclofen to the weakened muscles from her hips down to her toes, so that she could stretch and strengthen them. She would have to go in every three to nine months to get the pump refilled, and then go in every five years to have surgery to have the pump replaced (that is how long the batteries typically last). There is a trial she will go through as well to make sure that the baclofen does not have any adverse effects and will actually benefit her.
In other news, my Aunt Kaeli is getting married next month, and Mom gets to be a bridesmaid in the wedding! I, however, will be staying home, as a church filled with 200+ people is not really the ideal environment for a service dog to be working in!
Oh, and can't forget our beach vacation to North Carolina in mid-July! By then, we may have a new (furry!) member of the family; my Grammy and Grandpa are looking at bulldog pups because my Grandpa really wants one, and they have an appointment to go look at some pups tomorrow morning while Lisa, Mom, and I are at graduation.
Mom and I think you should follow our BFFE Lisa's blog, too! :-) She can be found at http://miracleintraining.blogspot.com/ ;-)
Whew! That was a lot of update! Mom and I hope all of our friends, CCI and non-CCI, are doing wonderfully!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
5.15.2009
2.20.2009
Update!
Greetings everyone!
Jen here. Boy, it's been a while, hasn't it? So much has been going on that I just had to update! Did you notice the new look? ;-)
This month has been AWESOME! February 14, 2009. CCI NCR Graduation Ceremony. It was the most special event Mom and I had ever been to, besides our own graduation, of course. It was Tyanna's own graduation ceremony, as a Skilled Companion for a wonderful little boy named Jackson. Maddie and Mom and Maddie's Mom were all bawling their eyes out the whole time, while I got to spend some final one on one with my buddy Tyanna before she officially became an assistance dog! The proudest and most exciting moment for all of us was when Maddie handed the leash over to Jackson and his dad; ohhhh mannnn. :-D [Kara: Um, so Maddie wanted me to take pictures of the moment, and I think I failed. A lot.] The graduation was all sorts of celebrations at once: a graduation, two birthdays [Mom's and Maddie's], AND an anniversary [OURS!] In short, it was WONDERFUL, and Mom and I are so glad we got to be there to support Maddie!!
February 15th, 2009. MOM'S 19TH BIRTHDAY!!! Party! Well, okay, not really; we didn't do much that day. Mom and Aunt Josie got some presents, ate a special birthday dinner, then had cake and ice cream with the family. :-) I got put on my bed the whole time. :'-( Mom got something she called the Twilight Saga [books] that she was VERY excited about! :-) We also got a call from Mary Beth; that made the day SO much more special!
February 16th, 2009. OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GRADUATION FROM CCI!!! What an AMAZING day! Mom and I went out to lunch with our friend Melissa (Mom was all CCI'd up for the occasion, of course!) and then we went out to dinner with Lisa. We had our first public access issue that night; apparently someone had tried to bring their pet puppy into the restaurant the week before, so the management was being extra careful. We handled it beautifully though, of course. :-D During dinner, who should call but Mary Beth? AGAIN! Twice in two days? WE'RE SO SPECIAL!!! What a great day that was.
And now Mom's back to boring old school stuff, and I'm back to sleeping through her classes and snuggling with her in bed every night. :-) I love my life. :-D
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
Jen here. Boy, it's been a while, hasn't it? So much has been going on that I just had to update! Did you notice the new look? ;-)
This month has been AWESOME! February 14, 2009. CCI NCR Graduation Ceremony. It was the most special event Mom and I had ever been to, besides our own graduation, of course. It was Tyanna's own graduation ceremony, as a Skilled Companion for a wonderful little boy named Jackson. Maddie and Mom and Maddie's Mom were all bawling their eyes out the whole time, while I got to spend some final one on one with my buddy Tyanna before she officially became an assistance dog! The proudest and most exciting moment for all of us was when Maddie handed the leash over to Jackson and his dad; ohhhh mannnn. :-D [Kara: Um, so Maddie wanted me to take pictures of the moment, and I think I failed. A lot.] The graduation was all sorts of celebrations at once: a graduation, two birthdays [Mom's and Maddie's], AND an anniversary [OURS!] In short, it was WONDERFUL, and Mom and I are so glad we got to be there to support Maddie!!
February 15th, 2009. MOM'S 19TH BIRTHDAY!!! Party! Well, okay, not really; we didn't do much that day. Mom and Aunt Josie got some presents, ate a special birthday dinner, then had cake and ice cream with the family. :-) I got put on my bed the whole time. :'-( Mom got something she called the Twilight Saga [books] that she was VERY excited about! :-) We also got a call from Mary Beth; that made the day SO much more special!
February 16th, 2009. OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF GRADUATION FROM CCI!!! What an AMAZING day! Mom and I went out to lunch with our friend Melissa (Mom was all CCI'd up for the occasion, of course!) and then we went out to dinner with Lisa. We had our first public access issue that night; apparently someone had tried to bring their pet puppy into the restaurant the week before, so the management was being extra careful. We handled it beautifully though, of course. :-D During dinner, who should call but Mary Beth? AGAIN! Twice in two days? WE'RE SO SPECIAL!!! What a great day that was.
And now Mom's back to boring old school stuff, and I'm back to sleeping through her classes and snuggling with her in bed every night. :-) I love my life. :-D
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
1.28.2009
Winter is icky...
Greetings everyone!
Jen here. So Mom and I are up wayyy early this morning because the snowplows and other fun icky-weather prevention equipment are very loud and obnoxious and make it very difficult to sleep! It is very, very icy and snowy here in Muskingum County; we are on a level two snow emergency, which basically means you shouldn't drive unless you really feel like you need to. The view outside our window is very...well, shiny! It's pretty, but also very dangerous for someone who has moderate difficulties with balance and mobility, and who uses a crutch like Mom does. Luckily for us, Muskingum showed some compassion and canceled class for us today!!! (o:
I have a funny story to tell you guys too! Well, okay, so maybe it wasn't so funny then, but it is now! For those of you who don't know, Mom has a golf cart on campus that she uses to get around. Her best friend, who usually drives us around, broke her collarbone and is in a sling for the next six weeks at minimum, so Mom decided she wanted to practice driving the cart. Our friend Lisa came over to help Mom practice on Friday night, and we all decided we were hungry so we went to the cafe on campus to get something to eat. The drive over was fine, and Mom did really well. When we went to drive back, however, I made the mistake of sitting on the GO pedal of the cart and caused Mom to almost crash!! Mom and Lisa were screaming right before Mom got us stopped and this group of guys came over to make sure we were all okay. Because of my little stunt, I have now earned a new designation in my name. In addition to being CCI's Jen II, I am now also known as SDSD I, which Mom says stands for Speed Demon Service Dog the First. (o:
In other news, it's one of two big days for our good friend Maddie! The CCI pup she raised, Tyanna, made it all the way through Advanced Training and possibly has made a match for February Team Training!!! She gets one call today about Ty, and then the next on February 4th. We are hoping and praying that Ty follows in my footsteps and finds an amazing partner, just like I did! A random fact about me and Ty is that we share the same birthdate, April 19th! [Kara: Maddie informed me of this last night, and I thought it was cool. (o:] I am a year older, of course!
In addition, it is almost time to celebrate the one-year mark of Mom and I's graduation from CCI!!! We are SO excited; this time has flown by!! Here's to many more happy, healthy working years as a team! (o: Oh, and Mom turns 19 the day before our "anniversary", so we will be celebrating that as well!!
Other than that, not much has really been going on. We are trying to stay safe and warm during this horrible weather, and our second semester seems to be going pretty darn well! We hope our friends out there are staying safe and healthy during this winter season!!!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
CCI's Jen II, SDSD I
Jen here. So Mom and I are up wayyy early this morning because the snowplows and other fun icky-weather prevention equipment are very loud and obnoxious and make it very difficult to sleep! It is very, very icy and snowy here in Muskingum County; we are on a level two snow emergency, which basically means you shouldn't drive unless you really feel like you need to. The view outside our window is very...well, shiny! It's pretty, but also very dangerous for someone who has moderate difficulties with balance and mobility, and who uses a crutch like Mom does. Luckily for us, Muskingum showed some compassion and canceled class for us today!!! (o:
I have a funny story to tell you guys too! Well, okay, so maybe it wasn't so funny then, but it is now! For those of you who don't know, Mom has a golf cart on campus that she uses to get around. Her best friend, who usually drives us around, broke her collarbone and is in a sling for the next six weeks at minimum, so Mom decided she wanted to practice driving the cart. Our friend Lisa came over to help Mom practice on Friday night, and we all decided we were hungry so we went to the cafe on campus to get something to eat. The drive over was fine, and Mom did really well. When we went to drive back, however, I made the mistake of sitting on the GO pedal of the cart and caused Mom to almost crash!! Mom and Lisa were screaming right before Mom got us stopped and this group of guys came over to make sure we were all okay. Because of my little stunt, I have now earned a new designation in my name. In addition to being CCI's Jen II, I am now also known as SDSD I, which Mom says stands for Speed Demon Service Dog the First. (o:
In other news, it's one of two big days for our good friend Maddie! The CCI pup she raised, Tyanna, made it all the way through Advanced Training and possibly has made a match for February Team Training!!! She gets one call today about Ty, and then the next on February 4th. We are hoping and praying that Ty follows in my footsteps and finds an amazing partner, just like I did! A random fact about me and Ty is that we share the same birthdate, April 19th! [Kara: Maddie informed me of this last night, and I thought it was cool. (o:] I am a year older, of course!
In addition, it is almost time to celebrate the one-year mark of Mom and I's graduation from CCI!!! We are SO excited; this time has flown by!! Here's to many more happy, healthy working years as a team! (o: Oh, and Mom turns 19 the day before our "anniversary", so we will be celebrating that as well!!
Other than that, not much has really been going on. We are trying to stay safe and warm during this horrible weather, and our second semester seems to be going pretty darn well! We hope our friends out there are staying safe and healthy during this winter season!!!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
CCI's Jen II, SDSD I
1.03.2009
It's 2009!
Greetings everyone!
Jen here. Mom and I can't believe it's already 2009! We hope that all of you had wonderful Christmases and New Year's celebrations. :) I didn't get to go hardly anywhere with Mom because Grandpa said there were "too many people" and that I would get "too stressed out" [Kara: My dad was right! At last count, my complete extended family on my dad's side numbers around 60 people, and pretty much all of them were there on Christmas Eve! I even got stressed out that night!]
Mom and I can't wait to get back to Muskingum! We miss our friends there, and the beauty of the campus. :) [Kara: It is hard for me to believe that in one more short semester, I will be a college sophomore! How time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I was moving on to high school, and look where I am now; at a great college, with great friends, and the most amazing miracle alive: my Jen Jen. :D]
We are not sure at this point if we are going to the February graduation or not; it will be our one year anniversary of TT, and one day til Mom's birthday, but Mary Beth will probably not be able to make it due to her grandparents' 50th anniversary party. So we're still up in the air on this one. I guess only time will tell. :) However, we are guaranteed to be seen at the May '09 graduation of the North Central Region of Canine Companions for Independence. Why? To support our very special friends Madison and Andros II, who will be turning in for AT at this graduation; we CAN'T WAIT to meet you guys!!! :D Mom might bring our friend Lisa with her to this graduation; Lisa is the one interested in being a PR, and Mom and I want her to experience a graduation! :) [Kara: An update on the co-raising thing: my mom said no puppy raising while I am in school, so I guess Lisa will just be raising the puppy on her own and Jen and I will help socialize it. Not really the way I wanted things to be, but I can't do much about it.]
Again, Mom and I hope everyone had a safe and blessed holiday season, and welcome to 2009!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
Jen here. Mom and I can't believe it's already 2009! We hope that all of you had wonderful Christmases and New Year's celebrations. :) I didn't get to go hardly anywhere with Mom because Grandpa said there were "too many people" and that I would get "too stressed out" [Kara: My dad was right! At last count, my complete extended family on my dad's side numbers around 60 people, and pretty much all of them were there on Christmas Eve! I even got stressed out that night!]
Mom and I can't wait to get back to Muskingum! We miss our friends there, and the beauty of the campus. :) [Kara: It is hard for me to believe that in one more short semester, I will be a college sophomore! How time flies. It seems like just yesterday that I was moving on to high school, and look where I am now; at a great college, with great friends, and the most amazing miracle alive: my Jen Jen. :D]
We are not sure at this point if we are going to the February graduation or not; it will be our one year anniversary of TT, and one day til Mom's birthday, but Mary Beth will probably not be able to make it due to her grandparents' 50th anniversary party. So we're still up in the air on this one. I guess only time will tell. :) However, we are guaranteed to be seen at the May '09 graduation of the North Central Region of Canine Companions for Independence. Why? To support our very special friends Madison and Andros II, who will be turning in for AT at this graduation; we CAN'T WAIT to meet you guys!!! :D Mom might bring our friend Lisa with her to this graduation; Lisa is the one interested in being a PR, and Mom and I want her to experience a graduation! :) [Kara: An update on the co-raising thing: my mom said no puppy raising while I am in school, so I guess Lisa will just be raising the puppy on her own and Jen and I will help socialize it. Not really the way I wanted things to be, but I can't do much about it.]
Again, Mom and I hope everyone had a safe and blessed holiday season, and welcome to 2009!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
12.17.2008
We are CCI Recruiters! :-)
Greetings everyone!
Jen here. These last couple of days have been good ones for CCI! Mom has a friend at Muskingum who is REALLY interested in becoming a PR for CCI, so she hooked her up with Suzanne [Kara: The North Central Region's Puppy Program Manager, or PPM] and Mary Beth (who we thought would do a better job of explaining the whole puppy raising thing, since we're grads and not PR's!)! Hopefully this summer she can start her journey of being a puppy raiser! [Kara: Lisa is my very good friend, and we've discussed her and I maybe being co-raisers; another special and FUN way to get involved with CCI!!!] That's not the only development though! There's a little boy that goes to our home church here; he was a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome, and he is in a wheelchair, non-verbal. Cutest little guy EVER, though, and he really seems to like ME! :-D [Kara: Of course he does, Jen, who wouldn't like you?] So Mom and Grandma told the little boy's grandpa about CCI, and he said he would look into applying!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Mom and I are on a roll!!! :-D
[Kara: I REALLY hope that Lisa and I can be co-raisers....REALLY, REALLY, REALLY!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited about the prospect of doing this!!!!! Sorry, just had to get that out.] :-)
Other than that, things have been rather slow here; we've just been watching the snow fall! I LOVE the snow! [Kara: Jen, it would be more ACCURATE to say that you love EATING the snow!] I can't WAIT for Christmas!!! :-D
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
Jen here. These last couple of days have been good ones for CCI! Mom has a friend at Muskingum who is REALLY interested in becoming a PR for CCI, so she hooked her up with Suzanne [Kara: The North Central Region's Puppy Program Manager, or PPM] and Mary Beth (who we thought would do a better job of explaining the whole puppy raising thing, since we're grads and not PR's!)! Hopefully this summer she can start her journey of being a puppy raiser! [Kara: Lisa is my very good friend, and we've discussed her and I maybe being co-raisers; another special and FUN way to get involved with CCI!!!] That's not the only development though! There's a little boy that goes to our home church here; he was a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome, and he is in a wheelchair, non-verbal. Cutest little guy EVER, though, and he really seems to like ME! :-D [Kara: Of course he does, Jen, who wouldn't like you?] So Mom and Grandma told the little boy's grandpa about CCI, and he said he would look into applying!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Mom and I are on a roll!!! :-D
[Kara: I REALLY hope that Lisa and I can be co-raisers....REALLY, REALLY, REALLY!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited about the prospect of doing this!!!!! Sorry, just had to get that out.] :-)
Other than that, things have been rather slow here; we've just been watching the snow fall! I LOVE the snow! [Kara: Jen, it would be more ACCURATE to say that you love EATING the snow!] I can't WAIT for Christmas!!! :-D
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
12.15.2008
The holidays are here!
Greetings everyone!
Jen here. So I know it has been forever, but Mom and I have been so super busy with college (and FINALS!!!) that we haven't had time to post! Here comes the good news, though: we're finally home for Winter Break! So I should find time to post, if not every day, every other day!! You'll be hearing a lot more from me now. :-)
Mom's final grades are almost all posted, and it looks as if she will be getting a term GPA of 3.57! Way to go, Mommy! I'm so proud of you! *wags tail excitedly* [Kara: College is a lot harder than I thought! I feel blessed and extremely lucky to be getting a 3.5 this semester!!!]
Our Christmas shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, and the tree is up and decorated! It's amazing! [Kara: I can't believe how fast time has flown! It is going to be our first Christmas together, Jen and I, and I'm SO excited!!!]
On another note, Mom and I got the email from Mary Beth the other day that my little brother, Jengo, has been released from the CCI program for high prey/chase drive, and distractability, among other things. We're sad, but we know that God has a greater plan in mind for Jengo, and that he'll be happy doing whatever God has in store for him! [Kara: Mary Beth also had her 23rd birthday this month; Jen and I were very excited about that!] We didn't get to go to graduation like we'd hoped, because I got sick, but Mom and Grandma took me to the vet and she made me all better!
Mom and I hope that all of our readers are healthy and happy during this holiday season, and we send you much love and many holiday blessings!!! We love you guys!!!!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
Jen here. So I know it has been forever, but Mom and I have been so super busy with college (and FINALS!!!) that we haven't had time to post! Here comes the good news, though: we're finally home for Winter Break! So I should find time to post, if not every day, every other day!! You'll be hearing a lot more from me now. :-)
Mom's final grades are almost all posted, and it looks as if she will be getting a term GPA of 3.57! Way to go, Mommy! I'm so proud of you! *wags tail excitedly* [Kara: College is a lot harder than I thought! I feel blessed and extremely lucky to be getting a 3.5 this semester!!!]
Our Christmas shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, and the tree is up and decorated! It's amazing! [Kara: I can't believe how fast time has flown! It is going to be our first Christmas together, Jen and I, and I'm SO excited!!!]
On another note, Mom and I got the email from Mary Beth the other day that my little brother, Jengo, has been released from the CCI program for high prey/chase drive, and distractability, among other things. We're sad, but we know that God has a greater plan in mind for Jengo, and that he'll be happy doing whatever God has in store for him! [Kara: Mary Beth also had her 23rd birthday this month; Jen and I were very excited about that!] We didn't get to go to graduation like we'd hoped, because I got sick, but Mom and Grandma took me to the vet and she made me all better!
Mom and I hope that all of our readers are healthy and happy during this holiday season, and we send you much love and many holiday blessings!!! We love you guys!!!!
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
9.23.2008
It's been a while!!!
Greetings everyone!
Jen here. I know it's been forever since last blog, but Mom and I have been SO BUSY!!! We've got an Education class, a Math class, an English class, a History class, some freshman seminar class, and a wellness class this semester!
Classes are going well, and we've made lots of friends here! We are going to be in the college's newspaper, the Black and Magenta, this week! The food continues to be at least halfway decent, though Mom is WAY lacking in sleep. :-(
Mom says we might go to CCI in November because my little bro Jengo is getting turned in, and we wanna be there for Mary Beth! :-)
Sorry this blog is so short, but Mom and I have to go do field experience at a local elementary school for our Education class now...bummer. :-( [Kara: I NEED A NAP!!!!!!!!!]
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
Jen here. I know it's been forever since last blog, but Mom and I have been SO BUSY!!! We've got an Education class, a Math class, an English class, a History class, some freshman seminar class, and a wellness class this semester!
Classes are going well, and we've made lots of friends here! We are going to be in the college's newspaper, the Black and Magenta, this week! The food continues to be at least halfway decent, though Mom is WAY lacking in sleep. :-(
Mom says we might go to CCI in November because my little bro Jengo is getting turned in, and we wanna be there for Mary Beth! :-)
Sorry this blog is so short, but Mom and I have to go do field experience at a local elementary school for our Education class now...bummer. :-( [Kara: I NEED A NAP!!!!!!!!!]
That's it for now.
Until next time,
Jen
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