I really Live in Utah: Life's Daily Adventures

I often wake up and pinch myself not believing that this really is my life these days. I still cannot believe that I am working for Best Friends or that I get to wake up to the sun rising over the red cliffs every single day. Lots is happening all the time and for the most part it is all good! Work is going great. I have to send out a big congratulations to Lance, Lucas, Layla, Mya, Ellen, Squeaker and Oscar all former Vick fighting dogs who have earned purple collars and can now interact with volunteers at the sanctuary. These dogs have been through so much and it is so nice to see them recovering more and more every day. I am also extremely proud of some of the dogs in my area. Starlight, one of my project dogs, makes more and more progress everyday. She is still very very shy with new people and places but she comes out of her shell a little more each day and I know that together we will overcome her fears and once she overcomes her fears I have no doubt that she will be adopted in a heart beat! Vegas makes more and more progress with me each day as well. She is tolerating her feet being touched!! Any day now we might be able to trim her nails :) Whoever adopts her is one lucky person because she is one of the most loyal dogs I have ever met. Cecilla is overcoming her reactivity one walk at a time and she has even started going to play groups with other dogs. This girl is very smart and will make a great companion for someone looking for an active and intelligent companion. Bessie is overcoming her fear of humans as well. Several staff members can actually pet her on the head now!!! I can't wait to watch her continue to grow and progress. Meryl has been doing a lot better with her reactivity lately as well. I love her so much. She is the best golf cart rider! And Rexy comes out of his shell more and more each day as well!!! This guy was so shy when I started and now he takes meat balls, comes up for attention, splashes around in his pool, he even came up and flopped down for belly rubs the other day! (I have a soft spot for him anyways, since he is the closest thing I have to a pointer.) My days off have been filled with lots of adventure as well. I have started hiking with some people from work on Tuesdays. Last week we hiked Lookout Canyon and it was so so beautiful. The canyon made me forget that I was in northern Arizona. Green everywhere, birch trees, even some patches of snow that the dogs really enjoyed. We even found rocks with fossils in them!!! This week we hiked Snake Gulch-Kanab Creek Trail which didn't disappoint either. The canyon was breath taking and I found myself more and more excited to discover what was around the next corner. Wildflowers and cacti were in bloom everywhere. But the coolest part of yesterday's hike was that we found cave drawings!!! It was a wonderful surprise and it gave me a crazy connection with our ancestors. Thousands of years ago people were standing in the very same cave that I found myself standing in!!!! Crazy!! I also hiked the Squal Trail last week with Haylee and Pepper and it was incredible. Although parts were a little frightening we persevered and made it all the way to the top. The view was incredible, as is everything here, but neither one of us had cameras so we will have to hike it again when we do. Family. I am learning more and more each day that family is what you make it. I am so very grateful for my biological family and all of their support since the move. Happy birthday again mom! So sorry I couldn't be there in person. Anyways, family is more than just your biological family. I also have my college family, my life group family, my HATS family, and now I have become a part of the Best Friends family. Thank you again to everyone who has supported me since the move. My life would not be the same without you all. I really appreciate the care packages and letters and phone calls! I hope you can all visit soon :) The furry family is doing well also! We just said goodbye to the bunker and hello to our new house equipped with a fenced in cattery. Riggs is in heaven and Oreo and LadyBug are learning to deal with this new found outdoor access. Trinity often gets the zooms and runs from one end of the house to the other. She is also continuing to make great progress with her training. She can sit, lay, and wait just like before but we are also working on her social skills. She is meeting new people everyday thanks to my coworkers and new friends and their willingness to help us! She has also been meeting other dogs and learning how to play! She really loves Pepper, a handsome shar pei and possibly rottie boy. I think they are going steady now ;) It's so great to see her make so much progress so quickly. Every time she meets someone new without any issues I smile to myself and think, people really wanted to euthanize this dog. Wow. So grateful that we found each other and that I can be a part of her transformation from scared, awkward kid to confident, goofy dog. I think the only other thing is that as much as I love this place and am settling in I still think it's weird that I will not be celebrating my birthday with any of the people that are back home. So many wonderful birthday memories from the last 5 years!!! For those of you who have been asking what to get or what you can send I would really love it if you sponsored one of the dogs from my area! Just visit the Best Friends website and click on giving to Best Friends. For those of you who feel you have to send tangible things I would love some honey wheat pretzel rods, mint cookie balance bars, feista ranch dip mix, meijer brand raspberry water, sun screen, socks, and bandanas. All of those things are super useful and most are not carried here. You could also donate to Invisible Children or send me something for the house since I have very few house items! But a phone call would mean just as much as a gift so keep that in mind. Now I must decide what to do with myself in this new place with my new friends to make the day memorable! Challenge accepted.