I agree with a lot of what RD said. =)
I fell in love with Border Collies when I was about 8 or 9... I have tons of relatives in Texas, and 3 of them have multiple Border Collies (2 of them have large horse/cattle farms). I LOVED those dogs so much, and it was my dream to have one since I was that young. My Mom still has pictures of BC's that I used to draw for art classes and everything. I didn't think I could get a BC, because my Dad said they were too active, and when I was 13 I was actually set up to get a GSD from an awesome European-line breeder... but then I found out about Gonzo through a rescue friend, and I begged my Dad, and he gave in because he knew I had wanted a BC for so long.
My advice is DEFINITELY don't go to shows to check out Border Collies & BC breeders!!!!1 No offense to show breeders, but the majority do not own real working BC's, and for many show BC's you might as well just look at the Golden's personality and apply that ;]. The best place to see REAL Border Collies is at herding trials, farms, agility & flyball tournies, Obedience, etc. A well-bred BC literally wants to work all the time. You will see awesome examples of just how into their jobs these dogs are, how much energy & drive they have, how freakishly smart they are, and how hard their handlers do have to work. Some people do not realize how true this is, and just think "active" means 30 minutes of fetch a day. Nooo. Their mental & physical energy is definitely manageable for some people, but it's impossible for most (hence the tons of neglected/neurotic BC's in rescue).
Gonzo actually just lazes around the house for much of the day, but that's because he gets 2-3 long walks, 1-2 hours of intense exercise, at least 20-30 minutes of training, plenty of stimulating toys/games, and playtime with Fozzie, everysingleday. For me, I love playing with him & training him, but it has absolutely taken a while to get used to and to set a schedule. When the weather is really bad or I don't have time for a few days, and he gets less exercise, I can tell he's getting on edge.