Second Month Home

Wow! Time has flown by. I cannot believe Eve and I have been home for two months. This month started off with Eve and I completing an observation in a classroom at an elementary school, so I could complete two assignments. The kids that I was working with loved Eve, and even asked “Is the dog coming back tomorrow?” The teacher of course responded that Eve would only come if I did. I thought this comment was really cute, as there is another guide dog that works on this campus. Once the kids went to recess, Eve got to make friends with this other guide dog before we had to head to the office for work that day. 

Eve laying in a reading corner in a classroom.

As a result of the fee hikes, one of the days this month as I was leaving work, I was stopped by a local news station because I had a cute dog with me. The reporter proceeded to ask me if I had any opinions on the fee hikes. Although I am a student at SFSU, which is another one of the 23 CSU’s, I opted not to comment as I also work at CSULB and was not sure how that would impact work. 

One project at home that I was eager to get my dad and brother to finish during this month was replacing the flooring in the rest of the house, as it was much needed and I knew we did not have much time to complete this project, as my brother would be getting married at the end of the month. To get this done quickly and without incident, I opted to complete class on campus for a few days, so that Eve and I would be out of the way. This seemed to work out great and the flooring was done in a matter of two days.

Eve laying down on the fifth floor of the library at CSULB.

It would not be another month home without another Disney trip with @shelbi_nichole and @kristentheguidingeye. I have to be honest though, this Disney trip was definitely rougher for Eve and me. The afternoon started with my paratransit almost not finding Eve and I on campus after work, so I was not sure if we were going to make it to Disney. Thankfully we were found about ten minutes after the driver arrived on campus and were on our way. Unlike our first Disney trip Eve was very interested in all of the smells and popcorn she could find. As a result of this behavior this Disney trip was a little more stressful for me, as I knew that I would have to constantly have to correct this behavior. As a result of the number of corrections and treats I gave for good behavior people were constantly asking if Eve was still in training. I was so glad to get this question rather than people pulling their phones out to film the challenges that we were facing. Although Eve and I had a tough Disney day I was extremely grateful for the Disney Railroad, as that helped us navigate through the different lands without having to try to get through too many crowds of people. It was also helpful that @shelbi_nichole’s dad offered to take us home prior to planning this trip. I do not know what I would have done if he did not offer this prior to the day Eve and I had. I do not think I could have mentally dealt with two or more @Uber denials similar to what @shelbi_nichole and I dealt with on our previous Disney trip.  

The morning after this Disney trip I got a text from a GDMI that was going to be in my area in the coming weeks asking if I needed help with anything. After the challenges that I had the night before I quickly said yes, because I had seen small instances where Eve would sniff certain areas, but it was not all the time like it was for this Disney trip, and I wanted to nip this behavior in the butt before it got worse. I not only wanted this behavior looked at, but also the behavior in which Eve stops randomly, as I had recently seen it happen on stairs, which was quite scary since I do not have depth perception. 

Toward the end of this month my family and I prepared to fly to Utah for my brother's wedding. Overall, the flight there was uneventful. The only challenge my parents had was keeping up with Eve and I, as we seemed to walk faster than them. This was especially apparent when I lost them in the Long Beach airport after going through security. I was surprised I managed to do this as the Long Beach Airport only has eleven gates and all boarding happens on the tarmac. Once landing at Salt Lake Airport I also had to give my parents the lesson that Eve and I could not go on the people movers as they are extremely dangerous for Eve. 

In addition to all of the events this month Eve and I participated in Guiding Eye’s WAGATHON. This WAGATHON is one of Guiding Eye’s largest fundraisers of the year and the goal is to walk or run 26.2 miles in the month of September to raise funds for Guiding Eye’s important mission. Close to the end of the month I have so far completed 99.57 miles in total this month.