Please note the Q & A at the end of this post. 

YaYa was thrilled to finally have me accompany his class on a field trip.  I took the day off and joined several other moms and dads for a day at the Mission de San Juan Bautista. 

Everyone had a great time.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and we were lucky enough to meet a few very interesting folks.  There was a blacksmith who taught us about the properties of metal, and a guy who showed us how to make fire when there is no wood around.  Did you know that they used buffalo chips as fuel back in the pioneer days?

Leading up the field trip, I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to handle my load of kids.  Fortunately, there was enough volunteers for every group to have two parent chaperones, making it a lot easier to manage of our flock.  Even when we took them down to see the fault line (which neither of us could actually identify for them, by the way) they managed to keep within eye, or camera, shot.

Come to find out, we got the cream of the crop.  All of the "good kids" wanted to be in my group, although I think it had more to do with my partner in crime than myself. I am grateful for my blessings regardless of how they come about.

After the majority of the mission had been explored to the satisfaction of the little pioneers, we headed for the church. 

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Obedience training had been delayed due to a multiple of factors.  My sprained ankle was the number one reason.  With a healed ankle, and many of the obstacles deferred for a time, the time was finally here to tackle the beast.

On this particular Wednesday night, I found myself inhaling my tacos and leaving YaYa and his Uncle Joe at out favorite taqueria.  It was the first class, so I did not want to miss it.  Besides the fact that it was the first lesson, the topic being "behavior" was near and dear to me.  As it was a lecture format, our dogs were to be left at home. 

While I was out, Uncle Joe and YaYa returned home.  They finished up the homework and went out to the front yard to throw the football around.  Uncle Joe, who visits us when he is on business in California, is good for this sort of thing.  Even if it is a ploy to gain the "favorite uncle" title, he definitely puts some skin in the game.

Meanwhile, I was sitting in my chair in the middle of a parking lot freezing.  I was doing my very best to absorb ever bit of information that I could.  I didn’t even mind that the lecture went over by at least 30 minutes.  I was confident in two things.  I knew that YaYa was being cared for, and I knew that I would soon be taming the beast. 

And it all seemed good.

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