You remember Where’s Waldo. Those pictures where there are a dozen things happening, and your job is to find the little man dressed in red stripes? Well, occasionally we play that here.
In our back seat.
Right after the word, “SPRINKLES!” is yelled.
Well, let me just show you.

Yep, Sprinkels put herself there on purpose.

Last week we had the good fortune to join Kyle Jordan and Neil from Live 5 News at the Isle of Palms. Kyle was going to interview Kate, Laura, and Sprinkels about the book. This seemed like the perfect setting. Standing on the beach at 10:00 in the morning? It doesn’t get any more peaceful that than. And then….

Sprinkels learned that she actually likes the ocean. Until yesterday she ran as far away from the water as possible. I know, shameful lab behavior…but it worked for us. Until yesterday, she sat patiently on her blanket with no interest in the water. Yesterday, however, she decided to LOVE the ocean, in all of it’s sandy, watery ways. AND, to buck against any training she had had…yes, that’s right, she behaved like a ….DOG!

And then…

Kate decided that the beach was just way to tempting. That her white dress she chose to wear specifically to this occasion was just to cumbersome. So, she hiked it up, tied it in a knot in front of her and romped around in the sand…and water…in her tulip shorts.

And then…

Kyle attempted to ask Kate questions. She had reached her peak of silliness by that point. She either didn’t answer the question, or answered it in it’s goofiest form.

And then…

Laura and Kate attempted to read Kate and Sprinkels together. BUT, Kate decided that she really didn’t want to read…SO, Laura did most of the reading and Kate talked about the pictures. Until the camera was off.

SOO…

When you catch the story next week (I’ll let you know when I know) you should know that Kyle and Neil had their work cut out for them in the editing room. Those guys were great a great team. They were patient and kind and smiling the whole time.

Thank you, Kyle and Neil for helping to raise awareness.

It’s much later than it should be to post this. Let’s be real, however. We had a great weekend, the weather was beautiful, everyone was happy, I didn’t touch the computer. Then today, I got to be Kate’s driver…all day…to her many, many events.

It started this morning, with a trip to Cumulus Media for a radio interview with our friend Laura and radio show host Sheree Bernardi. Sheree is the host for Carolina Perspective. She was interviewing Kate and Laura about “Kate and Sprinkels.” Don’t worry, Sprinkels was there, too.  If you listen, you’ll hear her restlessing alerting.  Just for the record. Kate’s blood sugar was bouncing between 154 and 143…until we left the studio and were in the car.  That’s when the low of 65 showed up on the meter.

Yep, Sprinkels did it again, way before we could do anything about it, way before the meter would read that it was safe to treat Kate.  We love this dog!

So, if you want to hear the show, you can catch it locally on:

WIWF 96.9 The Wolf @ 11:00 p.m. Sunday

WSSX 95sx @ 6 a.m. Sunday

WTMA 1250 a.m. News Talk @ 7:00 a.m. Sunday

WWWZ Z93 Jamz @ 6:00 a.m. Saturday

We will try to get a link and post it, for you out of towners.

Well, it’s official. Kate and Sprinkels have out done anything that her parents have done to date. They are an officially published team…on Amazon. Now, they didn’t do it alone. Remember a bit back when I stated that Kate’s friend Laura and she were working on a special project?  Well, here it is: Through Laura’s always upbeat, friendly, loving care Kate and Sprinkels is now available in both print and on Kindle. It’s a funny feeling when a parent gets to watch their child’s dream come true.  When she was two, she told her doctor she wanted to be a hockey player.  The next year it was an illustrator  Since then she has wavered between illustrator, cupcake maker, and dolphin trainer.  So, at age 8, Laura has helped Kate accomplish one of her goals.  Thank you, Laura! Kate wasn’t sure what to do with the hard copy of her book in her hands.  She really can’t believe that it’s anything more than a single copy that Laura made just for her.  We showed her that it’s available on Amazon, but I don’t think she quite understands it.  I think she won’t believe it until she sees it in a bookstore, with other published books.  The good news is, that is going to happen for her. That’s right, Laura and Kate start their “book tour” in just a few weeks.  You will be able to catch them on Low Country Live and at their book signing at Blue Bicycle Books on June 11. This team is changing lives, raising awareness, and beating Diabetes together.

That’s a team I am blessed and humbled to be able to support.

There are those moments in life when you suddenly realize you have hit a milestone. You aren’t sure exactly when it happened, or how long it has been there before you noticed it, but there it is. Something great and life changing….right before your eyes.

This happens a lot with Kate. One day we realize something, like she doesn’t need a stool to get the glasses out of the cupboard, or she hasn’t asked you to help her tie her shoe. Those were pretty shocking. There is a feeling of celebration that she is becoming independent right along side a feeling of sadness that she no longer needs us for as much as she once did.

The other morning, as I was listening to Sprinkels move herself from her cushy bed in her crate to her cushy bed she shares with Kate that we have hit a milestone. Not to very long ago, if Sprinkels got out of bed and didn’t find her way to our room, one of us was up to find out what she was getting into. Typically is has something to do with sneaking up on a cat or getting into the toys or laundry. Her place was Kate’s bed at night, only Kate’s bed.

Recently we have realized that she tends to wander at night. If Kate is particularly bed hoggy (I realize I just made that word up) or if Sprinkels needs a bit more space, she moves herself to the bed in her crate. If she is feeling snuggly, or there is an issue with Kate, she finds her way into Kate’s bed. We haven’t found her in anything she shouldn’t be in for quite some time. We haven’t found her sneaking down the stairs to cause trouble in a long time.

This was astonishing. I realized that she has finally grown out of the, “Hey, no one is watching so I am going to chew up a prized possession” stage. She can be…..TRUSTED! Not just with the simple matter of indicating a life threatening problem with Kate, but also with…BARBIES! Yes, that’s right, Ariel can now rest easy that she will not lose a fin in the middle of the night. Malificent can rest assured that her evil horns will not fall prey to a black lab looking for mischief.
Now, I can’t guarantee that the laundry won’t be redistributed, but I can feel safe in knowing that when Sprinkels leaves their room it is for one purpose…to get help for her girl. Now THAT is a milestone!

While The Girls and I were in Michigan, we took the opportunity to visit Greenfield Village, this really great spot in Dearborn. Check it out here:

http://www.thehenryford.org/village/index.aspx

While walking to lunch, Sprinkels and I were stopped by a man, “Does that say Diabetic Alert Dog?”

“Yes”

“What does that mean?”

I explained, he listened, then said, “I have never heard of that before!”

“Yes, she is pretty amazing.”

“So, if someone had Diabetes and was out of range…she would know?”

“Yes, likely. She knows now that someone does, but she can’t figure out who. See her nose, she’s trying to figure it out.

Out comes his pump. “Well, she isn’t alerting me. I know I am high, I just had frozen custard.”

“Well, put her to the test. Check yourself.”

He was 146. Well within the range Sprinkels was taught to alert to. The man was astounded. We talked Diabetes, Sprinkels continued to sit calmly. The man continued to be amazed.

Then, Sprinkels gave me the paw. I checked Kate. She was going low.

Shocked, awed, amazed, excited, I don’t know which work might describe him, but he was a believer, and Sprinkels has passed his test….twice.

Great work, Sprinkels!

I am trying not yo be a “rear view mirror” kind of person.  I don’t want to be stuck in the trials and experiences of what I have already driven through. I want those experiences to guide me through the windshield view…through the next adventure.  Sometimes, however, the rear view mirror allows you to see the very real present.

We are currently on a “girls only” road trip.  With the car packed and lunch in our belly we pulled out of the parking lot at the Hanchon Mansion to the tune of, “Woo Hoo…Road Trip!”  Kate was excited!

Shortly into the trip the tune changed to a slightly annoyed, “Mommy!  Sprinkels is bothering me!”  The reflection in the rear mirror proved that she was, indeed, bothering Kate.  With a silly grin on her face, and her tongue hanging out of her mouth, she was using her back end to sit on Kate’s shoulder, smacking Kate’s face with her tail.

Later in the trip…same tune, same face, Sprinkels was now trying to push Kate out of her seat with her hind end.

Even later in the trip…same tune, same face, Sprinkels is attempting to sit in Kate’s lap.

When we reached North Carolina there was silence.  The rear view mirror showed this:

This is a pretty great view of the present.

Since the very beginning of her life with us, Sprinkels (like all dogs) loves to steal our laundry. it isn’t uncommon to wonder where that sock that matches the one on your foot went. Sometimes, it creates confusion…it makes you wonders if you actually left the original location with both socks.

It isn’t uncommon to have her nosing around the laundry basket…clean or dirty…just to see what she can steal. She doesn’t actually chew anything, she just relocates it. She wants to help put it away, I think.

So, imagine my surprise when I found a whole new load of dirty laundry in the basket waiting by the washing machine:

There are moments in the day in which Sprinkels, like all of us, has to entertain herself. She does this a number of ways:
Taking toys that are not hers from people walking through the room
Taking toys that are not hers from toy boxes
Digging up freshly dug wires that may or may not be attached to utilities
Throwing her own ball in the air, then hitting it with her body to make it go
under/behind furniture
Digging/moving aforementioned furniture to retrieve previously mentioned
ball
Staring out the door, then letting us know when another friend has
entered her favorite playground, thus loudly begging to go play
Staying right at one’s feet until it becomes so cumbersome that one must stop what one is doing to give
attention

Upon reflection, I feel as though I should clarify that I was writing about Sprinkels, however many of these same traits may or may not be seen Kate as well.

Have a super Monday!

Sprinkels LOVES other animals. I mean, she REALLY, REALLY LOVES other animals. She will do what ever it takes to get to another animal…they are, after all, all created for her to play with….right?

The other day I was talking with a friend in the yard. Sprinkels was racing around the yard like a crazy banshee. She should have been tired, after all, she had just walked a very long walk at the First Hanchon Family 5k. Her energy is pretty astonishing.

In an instant she perked up, from mid run, and raced across the parking lot to a fenced in area we call, “The Swing Park.” The swings are actually outside of the fenced in area. The fenced in area is this great space, with a few toys, were parents of children and dogs take their loved ones to romp and play in an enclosed space. Apparently, Sprinkels had noticed action over there and just HAD to see what it was.

Now, it could have been one of the neighborhood children that she loves, it could have been one of her doggy neighbors that she loves to play with…it wasn’t.

Instead, it was a brand new set of dogs that we haven’t met. We haven’t met their owner/handler either. I could tell while I was walking (so that she didn’t decide to run even faster…she likes that game) that the dogs (and their parent) at the Swing Park were not so pleased with this black hellion disrupting their peaceful Sunday afternoon. Apparently, Sprinkels figured it out pretty quickly as well. As a note, she chooses not to come on command when her focus is meeting other dogs.

She ran to the fence. The dogs inside barked like crazy. She paced the fence, sniffing. The dogs barked like crazy, their own (probably cursing me under his breath) tried to calm the situation down. She decided quickly these dogs must not have liked her there, she turned around just as quickly and ran back home, tongue happily hanging out of her mouth, prancing in this, “Nope, I don’t know those dogs, and wouldn’t DREAM of wanting to meet them again” way, and went back to racing around the back yard.

The funny thing is, she has seen those dogs at the park since then, yet makes not a move to get down there. It makes me wonder. Can she smell which dog is down there? Is she able to smell which of her friends is visiting her favorite spot on campus? Is that why she could care less when those two dogs are down there?

Sometimes I wish she could talk.