New beginnings!

New beginnings!


Firstly, this week Nampa opened the state of Idaho's largest off-leash dog park. The park is six glorious acres of grass, trails, and water. There are several shade shelters and multiple benches, a few water fountains, and lots of shade (at 7pm, anyways). The park has an ingenius design- several fenced in "chambers" provide designated areas for off-leash dogs and for small dogs only.


I was leary about letting Gunner off-leash. He's been aggressive with smaller dogs, birds, and mammals of all sorts. And the park was crowded! I can't imagine there will be this many faithful dog owners when it gets colder, and when the novelty of the park wears off. Inevitably, we'll all fall back into old patterns and misplace our leashes and tennis balls. But finally, self-conscious about being the only guy restraining his dog, I let Gunner off.


Gunner went straight for the water. It was as if he'd crossed the Gobi desert. He hit the water running and then immediately laid down like he was putting out a fire. To my surprise, Gunner was completely oblivious to the other dogs! Even the annoying little yapper dogs didn't seem to register on his radar. It was awesome! I think maybe Gunner knew that this was an important tryout.


Secondly, speaking of tryouts, I have a new job! My boss and I met today at noon to begin planning to open a new clinic. The clinic will be a "DDA" (developmental disabilities agency) and will serve children (up to 21 years old) suffering from a variety of developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. My first task is to get the agency certified. That entails lots of legwork! My boss told me to begin writing some of the necessary policies and begin laying the groundwork for our application for certification. (There are policies for EVERYTHING- transportation, unique medical needs, quality assurance, staffing, transitioning clients, etc.)


I'm pretty excited. This morning Joy told me she'd be praying for me during the meeting. I told her "don't pray for me, pray for my boss!" I feel confident I can do what needs to be done- I just needed the opportunity. But it is daunting when viewed as an overall goal.


One of the times I feel most alive is when beginning a new adventure. Working in a DDA will certainly be an adventure. I'm not taking any new counseling clients (sorry guys) so I can free up time for administrative duties. We'll begin hiring our staff later this month. We set a tentative deadline for our opening...