Derby National Runoff

Ned and I are on our way to Morgantown, KY to the UBGF Derby Nationals. We have 5 young beagles that have qualified to run by placing in a derby trial this year. We have high hopes that we will place a dog. We finished second three years ago and had a dog in the winners' pack two years ago. We did not make the trip last year.

Memory Walk

Yesterday Heather, Sumer, Courtney, Jennifer, Debbie and I walked in the Alzheimers Memory Walk at Freedom Park in Charlotte. I was delighted that Mama also got to be there. We had t-shirts printed with "The Dickens Clan, Walking for the ones we love" on the back. Our team raised $1,055!!!! What a beautiful day for the walk! I am hoping for a cure so others will not have to endure this devastating disease.

Update

Since moving Mama and Daddy to Charlotte I have spent a lot of my time visiting and taking care of them. Last month, Daddy fell. There was a trip to CMC's ER and I wrecked my car on the way back to see Mama at Sunrise. Just got my car back on Monday of this week and Daddy fell again yesterday. Another trip to the ER but my car made it out of Charlotte without a scratch. Daddy is fine, bruised and sore but nothing broken. They are both worse but are doing as well as can be expected.
I have retired. I love it. I spend a lot of time with Ned. I have learned to drive the tractor, disk the field and continue to spend lots of time with the beagles. We made a trip to Vegas and have a cruise scheduled for March 2010.
We purchased a small camper trailer and have been camping a lot. We plan to spend more time camping in the spring.
Grandchild number seven is on the way. Blake, 6, is in 1st grade, Alyssa,5, has started kindergarten, Davis just turned 4, Lydia is 2, Jackson was 1 in July, Jonah was born in July and Rebekah is expecting #7 in March. We seldom get them all together but spend many hours visiting and playing with them. They all live within 40 minutes!! It is great being a grandparent.
Courtney and her "soon to be" husband, Shane, are building a house in Monroe and will be moving the end of the month. The wedding is planned for May 22, 2010. Courtney is now the accountant at Ballantyne Village.
Sumer is teaching 6th grade science and math and West Middle in Montgomery County. She and Jeff are great parents to Jackson.
Heather is still a stay at home mom taking care of Blake and Davis and her husband, Steve, and selling Avon.
Ned is working long hours for Seven Oaks Doors and Hardware. We are grateful that business is still good. He made the cover of the national beagle magazine in June with his field champion beagle, Chigger. We are proud!

LIfe

Wow! Not sure how we are going to get everything done. Mama and Daddy are not doing well so this weekend we will be moving them from Sunrise at North Hills to Sunrise of Raleigh near Crabtree. There is a two bedroom apartment available in the locked unit at that Sunrise. Daddy is wandering much more than he was and Mama has also begun to leave the facility on a regular basis. We have had their meds adjusted but it has not seemed to help.
Ned and I are trying to finish up the field trial season. The last trial will be the first weekend in May. I will be glad to finally be able to get some things done at home. We currently have 30 dogs and two litters of puppies. There are 7 nine week old puppies and 5 three week old puppies. They are too cute!
Heather and Steve have spent this week in St. John. Steve won this trip through his job. Heather has kept us updated with picture texts. Wow, the weather there has been beautiful!
Sumer is finishing her student teaching. She only has about 3 weeks. It has been a good experience but also a very demanding one. She has made it and done an excellent job. She is signed up to take the Praxis the end of this month. Now, with all the cutbacks, we just need to pray that she finds a job.
Courtney got a diamond last week and is already panicked about planning a wedding next year. The amazing thing is that she has called around and many places are already booked for most weekends in May of 2010!
Retirement is looming on the horizon and I can't wait. I love my job and the people I work with but it is time to do something different. I have been going to school since I was five! I have stacks of books to read, sewing to do, quilts to make, gardening plans, helping with my parents, and Ned needs a secretary on a daily basis. I know I will be busier than I am now.
Three children, three step-children, 5 grandchildren (and one on the way), 30+ dogs and a needy husband all tend to fill up my days but I love it.

Field Trials

We have spent many weekends at various locations with our dogs at field trials. We have been very successful. We finished Redbarn's Chigger in December. In the meantime we have purchased several new derby males and have some derbies off of our field champion, Tarboy. I am looking forward to some great derby trials in Feb., March and April.

Ned's newest project

Ned started closing in the older out building to create a workshop when we finished the barn last fall but the progress has been very slow. We have finally gotten the electricity finished and the sheet rock on the ceiling. We have purchased a kerosene heater and will be getting the insulation in the ceiling and walls soon. Ned is ready to have a place to make a little sawdust!

UBGF National runoffs

Ned and I left on Thursday after work and drove as far as Lenoir City, TN and spent the night. We got up bright and early to finish our trip to Morgantown, KY for the UBGF National Runoffs. We also were excited about getting to see the new bathroom partitions in the new clubhouse. Ned and I donated these and they were recently installed. We took Chigger, TarBoy, Stubby and one of Todd Burris's dogs named Hank. We were please with the way our dogs ran but the judges did not like them so much. There were 81 little males and it was 4:40 when they finished the first series. Chigger ran in the last pack and we were really glad when he got picked up so we could start our 9 hour trip back to Albemarle. I know we won't make it home tonight but we hope to al least make it to the east side of Cookeville. It is 9:00 now and we are close to Cookeville. It is 6 hours home from here.
The time change along with crossing into Central Standard Time has really confused us. Not sure exactly what time it is where. LOL Hopefully we will get all this straightened out tomorrow.
The leaves have been beautiful and I will be glad to get to see most of the mountains tomorrow in the daylight.