Pinch Me ~ Haddie has matched.

What happened yesterday was truly the start of everything that we have been hoping for, striving for, working hard towards, dedicated to for the last two years. The moment seemed surreal and I am sure it was visible to others that I was visibly shaking as I tried to text my daughter, who was at school, about that moment.

I have this friend - I have mentioned her early on this blog about how much she supports us in Puppy Raising, how truly amazing she is to "get" what this is all about, and yet she is not a Puppy Raiser. But perhaps more important than whether she has raised a puppy or not, is that she is a genuine person who will go out of her way to help others. She was highly influential in helping a student at the University where we met; this student had a disability and a service dog. My friend - was her human lifeline and stepped in where the dog could not. She gets it. She is truly my most dear and sincere and heartwarming friend.

God put us together yesterday. It was planned, but I really had no idea when we set the date that it would happen the way it did. We had planned to meet two weeks prior, but her sweet girl had gotten really sick and it has taken this time to reschedule.

So we were having a pre-lunch date at a coffee shop, the non *$ kind, when I shared with her that I needed to keep my phone out because it just might ring from Canine Companions; match calls were starting that day through Wednesday. She said it would be fine to answer, so long as I shared the information (wink).

We had reservations at a very high-end restaurant in this very high-end outdoor mall that we were just about ready to head to, when my phone rang. Area code-707. With pen and paper in hand I took the call.

Her name is Sharon, her husband is Marc. She enjoys reading, making jewelry, swimming, chocolate, purple, books from John Grisham, and country music. Family, kids, and animals are important to her. I will save her occupation, but it sounds like she is a very educated and smart woman. The paper side of Haddie's match sounds perfect, I know the real person will be amazing.

Haddie has made a match. Her Forever Person has been found. Haddie will be a working Service Dog. We will be leaving Wednesday for our road trip to California and we could not be any more excited to complete this week.

My friend and I continued our joyous get-together at our fancy lunch with a gift card that was part of a basket she had purchased at our recent Canine Companions Gift of Miracles Gala. She took me to lunch. It was beautiful, a very fancy treat, and I am so grateful that my Monday Match Day was exactly the way it had gone.

Thank you, Jennifer, for always being a solid friend; for taking the time to accommodate Haddie when we were together, for being interested in all-of-us, for just being you. The lunch was fabulous and a perfect memory I will always remember. {HUGS}

The rest of my day was busy filling in my friends and family about Haddie....and continuing to prep for. our. trip. We are really going. We are really going to see Haddie on Friday. We are really going to meet her Forever Person - the one we have done all of this for.

Pinch me ~ Haddie has matched.