A week away

It was a busy week for me.  It started Monday morning dropping Bumble off for a stay with another foster for the week.  After handing him over to Sue's care for the week, my journey continued on to drop the girls off at Canine College for their week of daycare and boarding.  Then it was on to the airport for my flight to Minneapolis 

I was shocked to get to the security line with no one in front of me, which is a first for me in Detroit.  After getting through security, I took a walk to a quiet corner of Concourse B, grabbed an early lunch, and did some work while I waited for my flight.  Then it was an easy flight to Minneapolis and an easy Uber ride downtown to the hotel once I arrived. 

I was able to get an early check-in and got settled into my room, then did some more week.  Finally, I decided it was time to shut down my computer for the day to head out for a nice walk and some fresh air.

Mill Ruins Park located along the Mississippi River was just a short walk from the hotel so I decided to check it out.  There is some interesting history of the flour mills in the area and some unique views.

Then I made the walk over to US Bank Stadium to check out the Viking ship before turning around to head back to walk along the river.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to check out a little park along Nicollet Mall.  I got back to the hotel in time to clean up before heading out for our region team event at Punch Bowl Social.  After some team bonding time, I was happy to head back to the hotel and settle into my room early so I could get a good night's rest before the conference started on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday was spent in meetings from 8am to 5pm.  When we were done, I hurried back to my room, changed into shorts, and headed out for a quick walk.  I was able to get in a very fast two mile walk before getting back to my room and cleaning up for our evening dinner event at 6pm. When we were finally done, I headed back to my room, happy to be done with my first 13 hour day.

Wednesday was another day full of meetings.  Unfortunately we finished later than we had on Tuesday, so I didn't have a chance to get out for a walk before our evening event started.  

We had a Family Fued-like competition among all the region teams and when that was complete, it was time for the relaxing part of the evening with Karaoke.  While I never participate,  it's fun to see some of our team take part.

My favorite thing about the evening event is the photo booth.  I love that can get a silly picture of our team.  Since David left the team for a promotion in March and Tricia's promotion to Region Vice President took effect on Wednesday, I had to get one last picture of us together as a team.  It's crazy to think about how much has changed since I started working with David in August 2015 and Tricia in November 2015.  They have become such an important part of my life!

And I got a picture of us with Kami, our current Regional Sales Manager.  She's a key player on the team too.  And for now, Kami and I are working through all of the changes in our team together. 

And then our region, or at least most of us, got together for a group picture too.  

I was happy when Thursday morning arrived knowing in just a few short hours, I'd be done with our conference.  For the first time all week, I actually spotted some dogs at the doggy daycare and spa across the street from my room.  It made me smile.

With severe weather moving through the area, I was worried that my flight would get delayed or even cancelled, but we got lucky and we were able to fly north to avoid the storms.  Our flight was delayed a few minutes on departure and the longer flight path took us longer to arrive in Detroit, but we had a pretty uneventful flight and landed safe and sound.  

It took forever to get off the plane, but once I got back to the car, I was of to pick the girls up at latch key pickup from Canine College.  By 8:30pm, we had been reunited and were headed home.  It was a smooth drive home and we arrived ahead of the severe storms that moved into the area around 10:30.  Luckily we didn't have the severe storms that had been predicted, although we did get a pretty good thunderstorm. 

 

I had an early doctor's appointment on Friday morning, followed by a busy morning of work.  Finally I took a late lunch to meet with Sue to pick up Bumble.  The joy and excitement he showed when he saw me was pretty sweet.  I certainly didn't expect it.  He clearly missed me.  

When we got home, I finished my work day.  I was exhausted from the week, so I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home with the dogs.  

After a nice dinner, we headed outside to spend time outside.  I played fetch with Mina and Bumble, they played chase with each other, and then we lounged and relaxed until after sunset.  We even saw our first lightning bug of the season.  It was such a nice way to spend the evening.

Saturday started slow.  We had nowhere to go and nothing pressing to get done, so we just took the morning to relax and do a few things around the house.

Then, after lunch, we headed out for a walk around Old Town and a visit to Preuss Pets.  

Following our visit to Old Town, we went for a drive around the back roads, did some geocaching,  and stopped for a special treat at Phillips Orchard. It was the best way to get Peaches some entertainment in the heat.  I think everyone enjoyed it.  

We got home in time for dinner and spent some time outside after we ate.  It was a beautiful evening.  

We had a rainy day to start our Sunday which allowed us to enjoy some quiet time together inside.  Eventually the day cleared up and we made a late afternoon trip to the greenhouse in Eaton Rapids to replace the broccoli plants in my garden that the deer ate while we were out of town

Then we took a walk around Island Park.  The dogs were very interested in all of the smells around the park, and we hit a whole other level of excitement when a duck appeared just a few feet away from us...and then we discovered her nest.

It was a little chilly and breezy, but it was nice to be out enjoying the fresh air.

We continued our walk around town and over to Howe Memorial Park along the riverwalk.

I attempted to get a picture of everyone, but Peaches wouldn't stand still and I barely got Bumble to cooperate.   At least you can see his face!

We then headed back to the car to make the drive home in time for dinner.

And then Mina and Bumble had a post-dinner wrestling match before they settled onto the dog bed together for their evening chew.

It's back to the grind tomorrow, but after the long week I had last week, I'm thankful this will be a short work week.  The weather will be cooler which will be great for Peaches, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Bumble will finally find a home of his own.  

And just like that, it's June

Monday came, and just like that, it was June.  

We had beautiful weather to start our week.  Daytime temperatures were in the mid-70s with nighttime temperatures dipping into the low 50s.  It's the perfect kind of weather that I dream about all year.  Nice enough to spend time outside, and cool enough to sleep with the windows open all night.  No need for the air conditioner, perfect for shorts, t-shirts, and running around barefoot.  It is Michigan perfection.

With many things at work in flux right now, my days are filled with far too much to do.  We are still down a team member two months after David took a promotion. And this week, my co-worker,  Angela was out on vacation, and I was working as her back-up while she was out, and my amazing boss, Tricia, is doing double duty as she prepares for her own promotion, which I'll share more about another day.  So my work life is crazy, and it probably won't get better any time soon.  Such is life.

While work is crazy and I have lots to do around the house and yard, we still had one very important thing to do this week.  I had committed us to the North Country Trail Chief Noonday Chapter's Hike Every Mile for National Trails day.  This required people to sign up and commit to completing a section of the trail between June 1 and June 6, and I had committed us to two sections.

With the weather reasonable for a hike with Peaches, I knew we had to get out early in the week to complete our sections.  So Monday after work we made the drive to Albion to complete the first section, a 1.15 mile road walk.  We parked the car along the side of the road and headed out to finish our section.  It was a lovely, quiet walk which we did pretty quickly.  Then we turned around and did another 1.15 mile walk back to the car.  2.3 more miles finished putting us at 97.4 miles for the year

It was the perfect little walk for our Monday night, and when we got back to the car, everyone had a nice drink before we headed back home.  I even had time when we got home to spend time working in the garden before we settled in for the night.

On Tuesday, Fiona finished her first year of Nature Preschool.  She loved school this year and is looking forward to going back for her second year of Nature Preschool in the Fall.  I can't believe how much she had grown since her first day of preschool last Fall! I also can't wait to spend some time with her this summer. 

I was excited that we were going to be able to get out to complete our second section of the NCT on Tuesday, especially since Vanessa was going to join us so we could complete the 3.1 mile section without having to walk back to the car.  

Unfortunately, Vanessa was not feeling well on Tuesday, but she was able to get one of her co-workers, who is a former GSP owner, to offer to help me stage my car.  What a big help that was!

She dropped us off, and we were on our way to complete the 3.1 miles, at whatever pace felt comfortable for Peaches.  At the one mile point, we stopped so everyone could take a dip in the river and get a drink. Then we continued on.

I was happy that we had some lovely shaded spots along our walk, and at the two mile mark, we were still going strong.

Then we reached the grasslands, and at the 2.6 mile point of our hike, Peaches, Mina, and I reached our 100 miles on the trail for 2026...and our pace really slowed down!  

This is the eleventh time that I have completed the Hike 100 challenge, starting in 2016.  Peaches has joined me for nine of those years starting in 2018.  It is pretty impressive to think that at 14 1/2 years old, she finished strong this year.  But sadly, I think this will be her final 100 mile year.  It's hard to think of hiking on the trail without her.  But we've had a really good run.

After hitting our 100th mile, we still had a half-mile to go to finish the section and arrive back at our car.  Somehow, near the end, Peaches and Bumble got a burst of energy and finsihed well.  Mina never slowed down and probably would have walked another three miles.  It was a great way to finish our year on the trail.

I was happy to get a picture of me and Peaches at the end of our hike to celebrate all that we accomplished this year and all of the years past.

And like magic, some hikers showed up just in time to take a picture of all of us together.  So proud of us all for finsihing in just 5 months this year.  Woo hoo!  We did it!

With no shelter dog walking club on Wednesdays any more, I was able to take the dogs out to the greenhouse in Eaton Rapids after work  to buy the plants that I still needed for the garden.

The dogs were all very good and enjoyed this little outing, especially since the temperatures had gotten into the 80s, and they didn't get to spend as much time outside during the day while I was working.

We got all of our plants picked out, made.our purchase, took a quick walk around Eaton Rapids,  and then headed home.

While I worked in the garden.that evening, Mina and Bumble played and Peaches just wandered around the yard.  Then they all spent time watching as the neighbors built an enclosure for their new chickens. Mostly, they were watching the chickens as they wandered around the yard.  Chicken TV is pretty exciting. 

Thursday was hot and I finally had to break down and turn on the air conditioner.  

We made a quick visit to the South Lansing Farmer's Market after work, walked around the block there, stopped for a visit at Feeder's Pet store,  and then headed home.

We took another walk around the neighborhood when we got home, then we all had dinner before I headed outside to work in the garden.  

On Friday, Bumble discovered that sometimes it is okay to stay out in the yard, even if I'm not outside with him.  Normally he doesn't let me out of his sight and won't stay out any longer than he needs to if I'm not with him.  But Friday, he settled into his favorite spot in the lawn and chewed on one of his many chew toys while I watched from the dining room as I worked.  It didn't last a long time, but it was progress. 

Somehow Friday was my busiest day of the work week, and when I was finally done for the day, I was exhausted.  We didn't do anything exciting that evening, but we did spend more time outside working in the yard.  It was nice to have a quiet evening at home.

After a slow start to out Saturday morning, we headed out the door to attend a geocaching event at the MSU Children's Garden.  Bumble was so excited to meet all the new people and two new dogs.  He had a great time.

Then we headed out for a walk around the gardens to find the geocaches hidden in conjunction with the event.

It was a lovely morning for a walk around campus.  I love when all of the students are gone.

Peaches took a dip in the fountain while Mina climbed walls and Bumble greeted everyone who walked by us.

After a really nice two and a half mile walk, I tried to get some pictures at the butterfly bench, but only Mina would cooperate.

At least I was able to get a picture with Peaches as she relaxed in the shade while enjoying a good drink of water.

Before going home, I stopped to pick up lunch at Raising Cane's and sat in the air-conditioned comfort of the car to eat.  Then we drove to Old Town to pick up a couple of items at Preuss. 

Of course we had to take a quick walk around Old Town while we were there, and Bumble and the girls met several ladies all dressed up as Mrs. Roper for the Old Town Roper Romp.  I was impressed that Bumble wasn't afraid at all and let everyone say hello.

We finally made it home, and the dogs had a late lunch and then settled in for a nap.  Later I gave them all Kongs so that I could run a few errands without them.  We finished the day with some time outside and the settled in for a quiet night.

On Saturday, we also learned of the passing of our friend Sherman earlier this week. He hadn't been himself the last few weeks, and sadly he died of cancer.  He went peacefully surrounded by his little family of Tom, Barb, and Ruby.  Like Peaches, he is a 2018 ISR alum, and I am so glad that I got to know him over the years.  He was a funny, sweet boy who will be very missed.  

Our Sunday is going to be spent mostly at home.  I have lots to do, and I'm just going to take the day to get things done.  I'll probably get the dogs out for a couple walks around the neighborhood, and we'll spend some time out in the yard.  I'm also hoping to have some time to simply relax.  I'm really looking forward to the day.   

But first, we're heading out to get some strawberries!  It's strawberry season, and I haven't been able to make it out to the farm for the first couple of days they were available.  I can't wait any longer!  Strawberries are absolutely my favorite things about June and it's time to eat a year's worth in the next few weeks.  I love strawberries 🍓!!