Val Henry is my friend!

Hey everybody!
Yesterday my mom kept telling me I was going to have fun today! So, she got up really early but didn't get dressed for work - yeah! I got to go in the car with her and no one else. We drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and I finally got tired of all the driving when she said I was going to have FUN so I started complaining a little bit. Come on!! So she stopped after awhile and we started walking on this nice trail. I was totally into it thinking this was my fun, when she turned around and headed back to the car. WHAT?!?! NO WAY! All that driving for that ridiculous walk?!

Mom said it wasn't the fun part yet and on she drove. When we finally arrived, I started to get an inkling about what my fun might be. It seemed like maybe there was some agility stuff way over on the other side of the field from where mom parked (What is *wrong* with her? Other cars where much closer! Does she not understand how to drive and park?!)

Well, I thought my fun was about to begin when mom set up my screen house and then she put me in it and LEFT me. She started going over to the agility stuff WITHOUT me. Boy, did I let her know she was forgetting the most important piece, but despite my wild barks and pitiful howls, she kept walking away.

Well, it took forever and ever and ever and ever and ever but FINALLY she took me out and we slowly began making our way to the agility stuff. I got to go swimming in Auntie Abbie's tub first so I'd stay cool. Then I met a NEW friend! I know she is my friend because she let me do agility stuff! Mom says her name is Val Henry and she is from Austin, TX, I think, she said. I don't know where that is but mom says it's far away and a big place.

Anyway, Auntie Val was really cool. She had my mom and me do lots of jumps. I love jumping but it can get kind of crazy with those bars flying everywhere! Why they don't fasten them in place is beyond me! Auntie Val said I was all about extension and that I needed to learn to compress.

She also said my mom needed to learn to move and to draw straight lines and to stop being so late! She helped us both! That's good because I can tell you, my mom needs all the help she can get!

Auntie Val had me jump into a wall. Well . . . not exactly but she put the jump right in front of the wall, and mom stood at the side finishing a front cross so I could learn to jump and turn and not smash the jump everywhere. And when I didn't send the bar flying everywhere I got a cookie AND my FIZZ! Yeah!

We also worked on some compression grids. The jumps were 6 feet apart. I did some like that at home but my mom wasn't part pf the picture and today she was so that made it harder. But I really concentrated and I finally must have figured it out 'cause everyone was really excited and I got treats and my FIZZ again! Woohoo!

Finally we went back to the jumps and tunnels we had started with. This part was for my mom. The bars were already on the ground so we didn't have to worry about them going flying everywhere. Mom had to learn to move and turn and make straight lines and tell me the right things. She did pretty OK and I liked going through the tunnels and then I went swimming again in the tub and we were done! Whew!

On the way home I was so tired I slept the whole 3 hours and never woke up. Mom took a picture of me. My brain needed to rest!

I can't wait to practice all our new lessons!

Good Night!
ArthurGOOD!