Journal Entry #3

Journal Entry #3

Feb 13^th, 2013

It was hard to wake up this morning! However I had a meeting at 6:30 so had to get myself going without dillydallying! (Ok if that doesn’t date me then nothing will!)

I got a good morning text from Kelsey first thing and they were in Northern Arizona! This means they should be to the grounds in pretty good time today!

Liam and Glor were still sleeping when I left the house so other than a text back and forth with Glor regarding Kelsey we have yet to communicate this morning.

I have completed my meeting and am going to run and collect a check first thing! It’s a bit of a hike, however the check is large so it all works out!

I have to research a new sport flooring product and get my head around it. I will see what I can find out and pass this information on to the powers that be! Funny it’s tough for my old brain to learn something new! Oh well I will work at getting my head around it and see what happens next!

I also have to work at the start-up of a new contract for NAIT in Edmonton! We bid on this a few weeks ago and received our letter of award yesterday! This is exciting and will make it busy!

Just got a text they are passing Phoenix and so the end destination is in sight! New excitement is building! Lol… part of me so would like to be there! They are getting so close now and I get regular texts ticking off the last few milestones!

It’s no wonder my kid struggles with focus! The last couple of days have been a struggle as I find far too often my mind wants to wander south when I should be focusing on the task at hand!

A friend asked me about this adventure of Kelsey’s and what it means and while I’ve explained it to a number of people in person I haven’t put it down on paper! So today I am going to try and type this out here in an analogy that might help make it clear!

Kelsey and Rebecca have been diligently training as show jumpers very determinedly these past few years. This to the point where we were at the barn generally five times a week and sometimes six and seven times a week. I alluded to earlier that I should have been journaling the stories and experiences of these years and some of it can be pieced together by reading over my Facebook timelines etc. However I didn’t really make an effort to journal, but now I am due to helping support Kelsey by doing what she’s doing! If you ever get the chance you can watch a movie that tells in part the storey of Rebecca and Kelsey! It’s called a Knights Tale… lots of similarities between that fantasy storey and the storey of our girls! Is this adventure a big deal, well yes it is! First the girls get to work and share with two of their mentors and hero’s whom they’ve looked up to since they started riding. They are essentially apprenticing for their chosen vocation in the truest old school sense possible! They are living and working for the next two months immersed in the world of show jumping at the most elite levels. The coach for the girls they are with is a former coach of a nation’s Olympic team! He himself competed at the highest levels with notable success! They will learn for sure if this is where they can go and what they can do! Kelsey will ride and learn lessons that I as the loving and supportive father could never on my own afford to give her! How much it will mean is something that only time will truly tell! It is I suppose to use a hockey comparison like making it to the WHL or NHL farm team! They aren’t competing at the top levels yet but they are now being trained for it!

Well I flew home, changed and went and walked the old boy! He wasn’t nearly as happy as usual tonight and while he was grumpy wasn’t as prone to make an issue. Seemed to mostly want to stand still and even his roll wasn’t as enthusiastic as last nights!

Cub did an awesome job of getting the cleaning started at home; I helped a little when I got back here, ate a quick supper of leftovers and then washed the floor and had to stay in my barn clothes for meeting. I don’t think it really made any difference for anyone else and it certainly didn’t affect me! What a comforting feeling to have the cares of the day set aside for a little while!