Second and final week of team training..

Monday was another great day. Karen got me up and we had another test but today it was at this Schultz Museum, of course in Santa Rosa. I was there in 2009 when I got Robby but I was so nervous the whole time I don't even remember it. I was nervous this time also but not nearly as nervous as I was last time. I'm finally getting a handle on my anxiety and it feels great, Ferrari has taught me when you get confused stop and reset. Stanley drove Karen and I to the museum and back after and then went and got something to eat from El Pollo Loco while Savannah put me to bed, they had one here in Santa Cruz and I always wanted to try it but never did and now it's gone. I had chicken and a salad and it was really good.

Tuesday was another great day. Karen got me up and we Worked on a new command, "fix it", when the leash gets caught around the dog's leg you give him the command and he picks it up and fixes the leash. Then we had had an outing at the mall, practice for Thursday's ADI test… A test to make sure we can handle our service dogs in a public place. We had lunch and a place in the mall called Jack's and it was really good, I had a steak salad but I was so nervous I could eat very much. We were all supposed to get together in the dining hall at the end of the day for a potluck but I have my caregiver coming in at 4 PM, it kind of sucks having to go to bed so early because I don't really get a chance to get to know everyone else and they all seem so sweet. One of the ladies team training came here with her mom and her uncle enter uncle restaurant and he was making veggie pasta, I'm sorry I didn't get to join them But bear made sure that both Karen and I got some, such an awesome man.

Wednesday was an awesome day! I was officially matched with Ferrari, I am so in love with this little guy.  He has already taught me so much and he is so young.  They had us think about a command that we haven't learned that we would like our dogs to do, I wanted Ferrari to open my doors. This involved teaching them to put a couple commands together. The first command was shake, then you put your hand up behind the doorknob and get the dog to eventually push down the handle, he did great. Another one I wanted to teach him was "go to" where I sent him to get somebody to help me if I get stuck, of course, he did excellent with this one also.  Savanna came in and put me to bed, I really going to miss this girl, she is so awesome!

Thursday was really nerve-racking day.  Karen got me up and in the morning we had an eight-page test on everything that we have learned the last two weeks followed by our ADI test in the mall, the eight-page test was pretty easy and I was really happy with the result when I turned it in. While I was taking my test I got a text from Omar saying that we are not going to be able to come back into the house until Tuesday, we are supposed to check out of here tomorrow, so between these two tests I need to call hotels in Santa Cruz and see where we can stay for the next five days. I called a lot of the hotels and they were pretty much booked, I thought there was something going on but I guess it's just another weekend in Santa Cruz. I finally found one and they said there would be plenty of room for my cot but there really wasn't, it was so small. Stanley came by and we all had lunch and then we were off for the ADI test at the mall. I was so nervous but I had so much confidence in Ferrari, he knows what to do and he calms me down. I wasn't as flustered as I thought I would be and we did pretty good, I made a couple of mistakes but all in all, they said I did great… Ferrari makes me look so good!  Savanna came in and put me to bed for the last time, I hope we are able to keep in touch.

Friday was a really awesome day! Karen got me up and we got to meet and have lunch with Ferraris Ppppy raisers, it's always so nice to spend time with the puppy raisers and get to hear about your new dog and all of his quirks and habits. They brought me a photo album, a little black Ferrari match car and really adorable ornament that somebody made. After lunch, we cruised over to where the graduation was in the puppy raisers got to spend time with the puppies that they raised until it was time for them to have the puppy over to us during graduation. Through this whole experience, I'm just so surprised with myself, I was a little anxious and nervous but nothing like I usually am. I sent it before but everybody here is so nice and sweet it just makes it a great experience. The ceremony was so amazing! After graduation, we went back and loaded up the van and headed for home… Or the hotel in our hometown. We took the scenic route over Highway one and it was really beautiful but I slept through most of it, I was exhausted and couldn't wait to get back home to my bed but that won't happen for a while. We made it back to the hotel and realize how really small it was, there was already a bed in it and we had to move a lot of stuff around to fit my cot. Theresa came in and put me to bed, or is it put me to cot?  It was really nice to see my mom and she stayed with me in the hotel. I was so exhausted I fell asleep immediately.

 Saturday was a pretty good day, Cindy misunderstood me and thought I was coming home on Monday so thank goodness for Karen… After two weeks of being away from home, she agreed to come in and get me up on Saturday and Sunday. I don't know what I would do without that girl sometimes, she's pretty amazing! My first outing in Santa Cruz with Ferrari was heading back to my house and I guess I didn't realize how much noise Santa Cruz has, he pretty much freaked out over everything because it's all new to him. I wish our first outing didn't have to be down a busy street but I am proud of him. We made it home and there was a bunch of construction going on and Omar had all the windows open and a bunch of fans in the house to try to clear out the smell faster.  I went across the street to my uncle and aunt's house to say hello and to check out their garden, they have an amazing garden, they also took me across the street to their triplex rental unit to show me the garden they are building over there and it is also awesome! My morning caregiver, Karen, lives in the unit closest to my house. Teresa came by and took me to Adele's daughter's wedding, everything was so beautiful. We only stayed to eat, the food was amazing, and until they introduced the bride and groom… It was so unbearably hot in there. Teresa drove me back to the hotel and put me to bed and again I was pretty much out as soon I hit the bed.

Sunday was a pretty good day also. I got up and cruised Ferrari through the lagoon and down to the end of the wharf and back, it was a little hard for him to try to get used to all these noises but I know he will get there.  it is so awesome to be back in Santa Cruz and it will be even better when I can get back into my house again. Omar said they were going to start moving the furniture back in the house today so if I keep the windows open I will be able to stay there tonight or probably tomorrow night. It's just going to be so much nicer when everything is back to whatever was normal before I left. Theresa came in and said she would take me to Costco to get me some things to get through the week and while we were on our way Tim messaged me and said they were on their way to Costco and did they want us to bring Robby by the house so we decided to meet them there, they said it was better to introduce the dogs in a beautiful place before bringing them both home so it worked out perfectly. Theresa put me to bed and I was out.