Guiding Eyes Day 1 Sunday 26th

Guiding Eyes...Day 1 Sunday

My alarm beeped at 6:15 AM, a time usually reserved strictly for bathroom trips. Getting up that early is an acquired skill. Being retired for eight years, I've lost it. [yea] No worries since I had been awake since 4:30 AM.

I couldn't decide if I was over-thye-moon excited or under-the-sea terrified. Or some of both!  After waiting nearly a year, the time to get a guide dog was within reach.

Airport, flight- no trouble. Finding rep from the school picking me up-challenging.Rode in van withMike [family practice doc from Kentucky], Christa [researcher from Univ of Minnesota], Rachel [ researcher and about three other jobs, from Minnesota via Kansas, Brazil, Chile, and several other countries]. One of them reminded me of the kids in my classes that talk so much, I wondered if they talked in their sleep!

Arrived at 4:00, met instructors Woody and Megan, and supervisor, Miranda. Given room orientation and given thirty mins. to unpack and off to dining room at 5:00 for dinner. Schedule-keeping is a requirement, not a request around here. Wondering if this might actually be doggie boot camp.

At 6:00 PM nightly, there is lecture time for a couple hours and I was pooped (no pun intended.) Given Monday schedule- 6 AM wake up call, like over a PA system kind of call, 6:20 Obedience training ( how we can give dogs commands properly),7:15 breakfast and leave the building at 8:00 for the training center. This will be Mon-Sat. Of course that 6 AM- 7:15 will involve park-feed-water-park, obedience and get dressed, No shower time. We're told if you want to bathe, do it at night.

Back in our rooms by 8:30 PM and I was asleep by 9. I think I woke up at about 4 AM again but refused to check the clock dozed a bit until wake up call

Made it through the first day. Amen.