Scrapbooking fundraiser

Mom got an email today from Liz Hicks who headed up a fundraiser for me at a scrapbooking faire this weekend. The vendors from the faire contributed to a gift basket that was raffled off with the proceeds going toward my dog. It brought in a total of $595, and the winner of the raffle was the store owner who organized the faire, so she has decided to donate the basket back and have it re-raffled at her store (thank you Sophia). If you would like to buy a raffle ticket contact Strictly Scrapbooking they'll hook you up. I'll keep you posted with the results!

Wanted posters

One of the places we went on our vacation was to Astoria, OR where we stayed in a KOA. Knowing my tendency to wander off, mom made a little poster "just in case". When she checked into the KOA she gave a copy of it to the staff (she called the campground and local police department ahead of time to let them know I was coming). They asked for permission to give it to their staff and if they could put it up. Within a half hour there were dozens of my "wanted posters" all over the campground. It was quite funny. It was nice to know they were keeping an eye out for me, although most people thought I was already lost. :)

On vacation

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. We took a vacation to the Oregon coast with another family and had a fun time. I LOVED the ocean, and even though it was freezing I played in it until I was pink. Then Mom and Dad decided to drive to Montana to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins. I am out of my element and having a little bit of a hard time, but considering the circumstances I'm doing ok. I have 15 mosquito bites on my legs (that's what I get for running outside with no clothes on) right now so I'm a little crabby, but I think I'll be better as soon as the benadryl kicks in. I'll have a couple of pictures of my trip to post once I get back home (one is of a "wanted poster" that was hung up all over the campground), so make sure you check back.

Also, there are three BIG fundraisers coming up. Today there is a scrapbook vendor fair in Southern California where they are selling raffle tickets for a gift basket with all of the proceeds going toward my dog. :) I'll keep you posted. Then on August 23rd there is going to be a scrapbook crop in Stanwood (I'll post more on that when I get home). And finally, on August 30th there is going to be a car wash at the Stanwood Haggen's with raffle baskets and things. I'll also post more on that as I know more.

I'll post more when I'm back home!
Aaron

Successful visit to Brigadoon

I have to say that today was the best visit so far! It started out with me, Mom, and Denise inside with Gypsy, but the weather was too nice, so we decided to go outside. This turned out to be a fantastic move. I was able to run around and do things I like (play in dirt and rocks) which made it easier for me to be with a dog. It was pretty cool to see the way Gypsy paid attention to me even though Denise had all the treats (Mom and Denise were pleased with that). Denise would tell Gypsy "find Aaron" and then Gypsy would come running to me. She would hang out with me for a minute and go back to Denise for a treat. She did this over and over again. Gypsy followed me around and smelled me a bunch, and I allowed her in my space and gave her some love. It was pretty neat for Mom to finally SEE the beginning of the possibilities of having a service dog. So here's where we're at: at this point is I'm going to continue meeting only with Gypsy to see how the interactions go so we know if she will be a good fit. Mom is working on scheduling another day to go up there for a visit. Hopefully we can get a bunch of visits in while the weather is still nice. Here are some pictures from today--have a good night!

Hanging out on the big tires in the doggie play park in the backyard.

Gypsy is playing in the dirt with me

Gypsy is running toward me after Denise said "find Aaron"

Gypsy following me around

Hanging out in the play tube

Gypsy is watching over me in the tube

Me & Gypsy

Storytime

Camp Prov

This week I got to go to Camp Prov, which is a camp for kids with disabilities. I got to go swimming, do crafts, sing songs and all kinds of other fun stuff. I had a special friend who was my buddy all week long. She was great, but of course no match for my escaping abilities. She DIDN'T lose me--I just made a bee line for the ice cream truck and hopped in it before she could catch me! I wonder what that ice cream truck driver was thinking?

We head up to Brigadoon on Tuesday, so I'll give you an update then. Have a great day!

Going to Brigadoon soon

We're headed up to Brigadoon again on July 15th, so I'll have a new update for you with some new pictures. Denise at Brigadoon is doing a newsletter that is pretty interesting, so if you have the time you should check it out: http://brigadoondogs.com/news/. You can also sign up to get her newsletter via e-mail. It's pretty cool and has some doggie treat recipes and other fun stuff. Hopefully it'll be a quiet week this week. Saturday will mark the 5 year anniversary of the first time I wandered. (Yes, it was on a 4th of July camping night) Have a fun and safe 4th!
Aaron

Devastating weekend

Mom has been thinking over the weekend trying to decide what to share on this blog and what shouldn't be shared. She decided to go ahead and share even the really-not-so-fun-stuff. On Friday mom got a phone call from CPS with a complaint that she leaves me unsupervised in an unfenced yard for 6 hours at a time (all while being in the buff). She was in total shock. There is just NO WAY she would leave me unsupervised--I would be out of there. What was even more upsetting was that whoever reported it knew my name and that I was autistic. It was the most insane allegation ever (with the exception of the naked part--but that's not illegal). After mom talked with the caseworker for 15 minutes he told her he was closing the file that evening. The good news is the file is closed. The bad news is that if someone (or they) calls CPS on her again there will be a record of a previous complaint. What she has learned from this: if you have a complaint or a concern with your neighbor call them or pay them a visit. Dealing with CPS is a BIG deal, and it's going to take a while to recover from this one.

The car wash results are in...

Thank you so much to the Explorers Search and Rescue for donating their time today washing cars, and raising a total of $900!!! There were at least 15 people there (13 of whom had never met me) to wash cars! I hung out with them for a couple of hours in Granite Falls, and although I wasn't much help, Cameron and Madison were, and Mom was able to talk with some of the people who were donating to my cause. I've got some pictures that show our fun day! So between the car wash and other donations over the past two weeks, our new grand total is $4,120! We are so close--only $880 left to go! Mom is going to talk to Denise this week to see when I can go up again to see the doggies. I'll keep you posted!
Love,
Aaron

Carolyn is helping me wash cars--I thought it was more fun to watch the soap squeeze out of the sponge!

Cameron and Madison (my brother and sister for those of you who don't know) are bringing the people in with their great sign holding abilities.

Cameron and Madison posing for the camera

A good line of cars going on!


That's how you get it done!

Playing in the bubbles instead of working!

They had the Search and Rescue truck out there with the lights flashing!

Here I am sitting inside the Search and Rescue truck. Hopefully this will be the only time I'm inside this thing!!!

Car wash on Sunday

For those of you who live in Washington, there is going to be a car wash fundraiser this Sunday (June 22nd) at Oso Lumber in Granite Falls from 9:00-3:00 or 4:00. The Explorers Search and Rescue are putting this on to raise money for my dog. If you want to help you can come and wash OR stop by and get your car washed! I'll be there around 12:00 and will stay as long as I can make it without melting down. I hope to see you there!
--Aaron

I'm on a roll!

The weather is nicer, and that's when I do my best escaping. I've got three consecutive days, I'm going for four! My adventure for today was to wait until my sister left the front door open. (I love human error). Mom was in the back room, and of course, it got quiet. She came out to find the front door wide open, and the search ensued. I was hanging out in the car. AAAHHH! Now I couldn't let Mom and Dad off that easy, so I decided to sneak a can of shaving cream outside when they weren't looking. Mom snapped a few pictures of my fun before hosing me down. Enjoy the pictures. I think the next thing we're going to do is raise money for hair coloring to cover the gray hair Mom now has!

Discharging the shaving cream

Shaving cream feels good between the toes...

Squish the cream

A trail of shaving cream