Aptils showers and April flowers

This week has been all about making the most of the moments between the raindrops and enjoying all of the things we love about this time of year. 

On Monday after work, we headed out to make progress on our North Country Trail miles.  With rain in the forecast most of the week, i wanted to take advantage of any dry moments to enjoy the things I love about spring.  I was especially excited to see the trout lily along our hike.

Tuesday was a such a rainy day.  We took a lunchtime walk when there was a break in the rain, and thankfully, the girls napped the afternoon away while I was busy at work.

After work, there was another break in the rain, so we were able to get out for a little fun.  It was warm and humid from the rain, which is not ideal for walking with Peaches, so I was excited to find tiny little Millbrook park for a short walk before we headed to Padgett Park for a visit to the dog park.

This was our first visit to the dog park since they reopened for the season on April 1.  Mina was excited for the chance to play ball.  I was happy that I could get her some good exercise.

Peaches was not thrilled with the heat, but was happy to be able to wamder around the park sniffing to her heart's content.

After rain throughout the day on Wednesday, it cleared up in time for our Wednesday night shelter dog walk.  The girls rode with me to the shelter since they hadn't had a chance to get out much all day.

I arrived at the shelter to just two dogs, one of which was unable to walk due to having surgery that day.  So with only one dog to walk and four walkers, the girls got to join us for the walk, too.  All three dogs had the best time.

There was more rain on Thursday morning, but it eventually cleared up and we were able to get out for a nice walk on campus after work.

There was lots of flooding on campus, which was crazy to see.  

The Redbud trees were in bloom and we found Mayapples too.

The Magnolia were also in bloom, and the Cherry and Crab Apple trees will be blooming soon.

It was a wonderful, relaxing walk enjoying all of the things I love about campus in the spring.

After a busy week at work, I was happy when Friday arrived and brought with it some sunshine.

When I finished my work for the day, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather to get the girls out for a hike on the NCT.   

I debated where to go, and ultimately, I decided to head to Albion.  With the heat, we took it slow.

After two miles, we stopped at the car for a nice water break.  After a good drink and a little relaxation, Peaches was ready to go again, so off we went.

We slowing meandered along and added another 1.75 miles for the day.  It was a beautiful start to our weekend.

Saturday we awoke to more rain.  I started the day with a clean-up at a local carpool lot with a group of fellow geocachers. 

Then I headed home to get the girls out for a short walk, wrapped some birthday gifts,  made a salad, and then got into the car to head to Nicol's house for a birthday party for a very special little girl.

I spent the afternoon with Nicol, Tyler, my mom, and Fiona.  We had lunch, played games, opened presents, and had cupcakes.  It was a fun time spending the day celebrating Fiona's 4th birthday.

I also got to see my favorite guy, Picasso, and got to give him one of his birthday gifts too.

After a fun day at the big birthday party, I finally had to head home to the girls.  I got home around 7pm, fed the girls dinner, and finally sat down to relax for the evening.   It had been a busy, but fun day.

Cooler weather moved in for the weekend and we didn't even get out of the 40s on Sunday.  I knew we had to take advantage of the cooler weather to get in some additional North Country Trail miles, and so we headed out for a mid-afternoon hike in Homer.

Peaches was full of energy after a day of rest on Saturday and temperatures around 47.  She was doing so well that after finishing 3.5 miles, we took a little break and then decided to head out to see how much further we could go.

I didn't expect to go another 1.6 miles, but she did amazing and I really wanted to go as far as we could without over doing it.

I was really happy that we were able to reach 5.1 miles on the trail!  I was also really excited to find a Jack-in-the-pulpit along the way.

We took our time driving home to enjoy the beauty of the woods in the spring.

As we drove through Marshall on the way home, we stopped so that the girls could take a quick potty break.  The bonus was that we got another eight tenths of a mile on the trail there, ending the day with 5.9 miles on the trail.  What a day!

We have now completed 67 miles on the trail this year.  I had hoped to reach 75 miles by the end of May, but I now think we'll hit that number by the end of April.  I'm really pushing us to get done as early as we can this year since Peaches is still able to join us.  As she nears 14 1/2 years old, I know that may change, but for now, she still loves the adventure and I want to keep giving her as many adventures as I can while she still enjoys them.

On the way home from our hike, I called Fiona to wish her a happy birthday.  She spent her actual birthday today being spoiled by her mom and dad.  

She also made a special birthday cake for Picasso, who shares his birthday with her.  It's crazy to think that he is now nine and Fiona is four.  I sure do love those two!

This week our temperatures will get back into the 70s, and the forecast looks pretty dry, so  we'll definitely be getting outside to enjoy more April beauty.  I love all.the beauty that April brings.

The awakening world

After a rather quiet winter in our little world which transitioned into a peaceful beginning to spring, last week felt a little crazy.  I really have enjoyed the more peaceful pace of life to start this year.  It was a very noticeable and welcome difference from the last two springs.  But I have now entered work travel season, and this week was especially busy.

On Monday afternoon, I made the drive to Grand Rapids to meet with the Sales and Catering manager for Meijer Gardens.  We'll be using the meeting space there for an upcoming training and I needed to see the space since we have never used the venue.  Since the weather was mild, the girls rode along with me.

Since I hadn't had a chance for a lunch break prior to my meeting, we stopped at nearby Seidman Park on the way home for a walk on the North Country Trail.  It was sunny when we started our walk, then we experienced snow, wind, and rain as we walked along the trail.   Luckily the snow didn't last long and the rain started near the end of our walk.  Despite the crazy weather, we had a really nice 3.5 mile walk.  Then we had a quiet drive home and a relaxing evening. 

Tuesday was busy as I prepared for Wednesday and Thursday work travel.  The girls were good during my work day and joined me as I ran errands.  Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful day.

I left home early Wednesday to make the drive to drop the girls off at Canine College for their overnight stay.  Then I headed to Livonia for a work meeting. After the meeting in Livonia, I then made the drive to Bay City for an advisor training meeting on Thursday. 

Once I checked in to the hotel, I decided to change and get out for a walk around town.  Downtown Bay City is very walkable, and I enjoyed a nice 3 mile walk around tow, although it is always weird taking a walk withoutthe girls.  I grabbed some takeout for dinner, and then had to make a quick trip to Saginaw to pick up a couple of items for our meeting.

I was back and settled into my room before sunset and had a relaxing evening enjoying my view of the Saginaw River. 

 

Thursday was a busy day with our meeting.  Everything went well, and I was in the car by 5pm to make the drive back to Canine College to get the girls.  I made it in the nick of time to pick them up at 6:30, and then we had a quiet drive home.  It was a very quiet evening with two very sleepy girls.

Finally Friday arrived, and I was so ready for it! The girls were very quiet throughout my work day as they recovered from their two days of doggy daycare.  My day went quickly and I was able to end my day a little early due to all of the extra travel earlier in the week.

We took advantage of the early end to the day and the temperatures in the 50s to get in some more North Country Trail miles.

We drove to Horseshoe Bend Park in Battle Creek for our Friday night hike, and I was not disappointed with this choice. It has probably been three years since we hiked this section of the trail, and we all really enjoyed it.

The best part of this hike was seeing all of the beauty as the spring awakening is beginning in the woods.  

We saw flowers ready to bloom, green grass, and leaves starting to unfurl, and lots of birds and squirrels moving around in preparation for the coming of their young.  It was all of the the things I love about spring.

We had a lovely 4.5 mile hike on the trail.  It was the perfect start to our weekend.

Before leaving, we took a short walk around downtown Battle Creek to check out a few of the sites.

Then we made the drive home, had dinner,and settled in for a quiet night.

Saturday morning, I got the girls out for a quick geocaching event and short walk before feeding them an early lunch.  Then I was off to spend the afternoon with Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona.

I was so excited for the day because we would be heading to downtown Detroit to see Riverdance at the Fox Theatre.

Nicol and I have seen Riverdance a number of times over the years and it is a favorite tradition for us.  I was so excited to have Fiona join us for her first time.  She was excited too.

The show was great and Fiona sat on my lap for most of it so she could see better.  It was si special sharing that time with her.  

Afterward, we had dinner downtown before heading back to Nicol's house where I was able to spend a little time playing with Picasso, reading to Fiona, and playing with her for a bit before I had to head home.

The girls were very happy to greet me when I got home.  Tjankgully, after dinner, they were happy to snuggle up for a quiet evening.  We fell asleep early and had a great night's rest.  Just what I needed after my long, busy week.

We had a slow and quiet start to our Sunday.  It is exactly how I had wanted the day to start. 

The girls spent some time outside enjoying the day before lunch.  Then, after lunch, we headed out to run a couple of errands.

While we were out, I decided to make the drive to campus for a walk around the Horticulture Gardens.   It was a beautiful 75 degrees with plenty of sun.

The girls enjoyed the walk, but we kept it shorter than normal since Peaches doesn't handle the heat like she did when she was younger. 

After a beautiful 1.5 miles of wandering around the gardens, we headed back to the car to make the drive home.

The girls spent the rest of the afternoon either wandering around the back yard or napping.  It was the perfect way to spend our Sunday afternoon.   

After the busyness of this week,  I'm happy to have no travel for my week ahead.  With the warmer weather,  it's about time for all of the flowering trees to show us their beauty and I'm hoping to have several nice walks with the girls to enjoy the beauty.   The weather for the week shows lots of storms in the forecast, but I hope we'll get chances to get outside still.  As the world around us blooms, I don't want to miss any of it! The beauty of Spring is upon us!