I hope she knows

It's March.  A month of new beginnings, a month of rebirth, a month of awakenings.  Spring is in the air and, with it's approach, I can't help but feel re-energized and re-awakened by the possibilities that it brings with it.  This month is a very special month; a very special time of year for me.  I tend to get a reflective as it approaches.  The entire month always takes me back to a moment in time, a moment many, many years ago.  It takes me back to a place and time in life when things were so different.  It has so much significance to me and the events that unfolded throughout that month so many years ago have helped to shape me and make me the person I am today- a person I couldn't have imagined all of those years ago.

In March of 1989 I was 18 years old, just about to start the Spring term of my Freshman year of college, and 9 months pregnant.  It's been 29 years now.  In some ways it seems like a whole lifetime ago and yet, in others, it seems like just yesterday.

If I think back to that young woman, she was really still just a kid, I don't even know if I would recognize her anymore.  So naive, so truly clueless about life and the world around her.  Wide-eyed and hopeful, but also scared and unsure.  And she believed in herself and the good in the world. 

I think about this time and know that 29 years have past.  29 years!  I had my whole life ahead of me then.  A life I had dreamed about and had planned, but that plan was about to be changed forever.

I have lived a lifetime since then.  A wonderful, amazing, fully unexpected lifetime.  I had no idea then that I would end up here today, where I am in my life.  It's a life that I couldn't have imagined and yet, it is a life that I can't imagine any other way now.  It really has ended up much better than I ever could have thought it would.

I think back to that month of March, 1989 fondly.  When it started, I had no idea that before it ended my life would be completely flipped upside down.  I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was about to bring a new life into the world.  I just wanted to get through Winter term finals and go home for Spring Break.  I came back for the Spring Term, still no real grasp on the fact that before it was through, I would have a baby.  And then it happened, the first night back in town.  The 2 AM the night before Spring Term classes would start.  I went into Labor.

By the morning(as I was missing my first class of the term), I would become a mom.  From the first moment I laid eyes on her, I knew that I could never, ever love anyone else more.  My life was forever changed and forever made better. And all of my hopes and dreams became all about her.   It was a perfectly beautiful moment in time, a moment that will always be mine and mine alone, a moment that will always be the most special moment of my life.

I can't imagine my life any other way.  In my heart and soul, to my core, I am Nicol's mom.  It IS who I AM.  I have my own life, my own things, my own hopes and dreams, but really, even though she is grown and out living her own life, my whole life still belongs to her.  I would give up everything for her, do anything for her.  She is my world.  She has made me the person I am today and I can't even put into words just how much that means to me...how much she means to me.  And I love her more every single day.

I hope she knows just how special she is and just how much she is loved.  I hope she knows that my life just wouldn't be the same without her.  I hope she knows...

Out for a hike

This weekend's adventures took us a bit Southwest to the small town of Augusta, Michigan.  This is just one of the many small towns across Michigan that are home to a portion of the North Country Trail.  For the third year in a a row, the girls and I are planning to complete the Hike 100 challenge on the trail.  We have learned so much about this beautiful state we live in and about ourselves during our time on the trail and it's a great way to get out to explore nature any day of the week. Plus it's so much better than going to the gym!  So after a relaxing Saturday morning, we were off to explore.

It was a beautiful sunny 55 mile drive through the backroads of Michigan's countryside to get to our destination. With a little sunshine and a cool late winter's breeze in the air, we reached the trailhead parking lot, got the girls harnessed and me bundled up and we were off to explore this new area. 

What I love about the North Country Trail, especially the section of trail that is closest to home, is that you never know what to expect.  This trail is full of sections of farmland, fields, and forests.  There are also sections through small towns, like Lowell, Albion, and Marshall, and through small cities, like Battle Creek.  There are portions that are road hikes, some on sidewalks through neighborhoods, some that are paved or boardwalks.  There are flatlands and hills and places which are a good mixture of both.  There really is something for everyone!  And we have taken advantage of them all. 

This portion of the trail started along the edge of an empty cornfield.  And the girls loved it; their noses were to the ground taking in all of the smells. This trail was a Shorthair's dream trail with fields and fence rows to sniff.  It became very clear to me during this hike that Peaches was used as a hunter because she was in and out of the brush, sniffing and weaving, searching for the elusive scent of some upland game bird.  She even went on point a couple of times and it took everything in my power to pull her off, but boy was she happy!

After about 3/4 of a mile along the field, we reached the woods.  This is where Imke is always happiest.  Searching around trees, old rotting tree stumps, and fallen trees, she is always on the search for some small, furry four-legged critter.  Many times she has chased chipmunks, mice and ground squirrels out of these exact places and when she finds a scent her first instinct is to start to dig.  No critters were found today, but the real fun is in the hunt, so she was a happy old girl.

I think because it was such a nice day, we ran into many other people along the trail this day.  That's actually pretty unusual for us, but it is nice seeing other people out taking advantage of the great weather and the beautiful trail system.   Early in the hike, Peaches would lunge forward, paws high in the air, to greet our fellow hikers.  She is very people oriented, she just thinks people are awesome and she wants to say hello to them all!  It's a blessing in a way to have her with us because for some reason, people are drawn to my girls...I think people are just drawn to dogs in general, but literally anywhere we go, I get asked if someone can pet my dogs or take pictures of them.  And anyone who has met Maddie and Imke will tell you that for the most part, when we are out and about, they are much more interested in their surroundings and really don't like to be bothered by attention from any human being.  They are in constant motion, always ready to move on and keep sniffing. Unless, of course, there are treats!  However, over the years, through all of our travels and with their slowing down as the get older, they have gotten better about standing nicely while random strangers give them some love.  I even think Maddie has started to enjoy it.  But for Peaches, she craves the attention and can't get enough!

After a short hike through the woods, less than a 1/4 mile of road hike, and a small section of the trail which runs through private property, we reached the Kellogg Forest.  This section of the forest, part of the MSU Extension system, had wide trails and some informational signs regarding all of the different trees planted in each section.  As we neared the W.K. Kellogg Experimental Forest Center, we started to see even more people.  As luck would have it, we were hiking on the day that they were holding their Maple Syrup Open House.  As we reached a turn in the trail, we saw a crowd of people who, we would later learn, were waiting for a wagon ride tour of the sugar bush.  There were families with young children all around and Peaches was in heaven.  There were rounds of "You've got your hands full", "What kind of dogs are those", many "Are those Springer Spaniels", and of course, our favorites, "Are they friendly" or "Can we pet your dogs".  So we settled in to accept all of the attention that everyone wanted to give as we walked past this crowd of people.  Maddie waiting patiently for each child to snuggle into her soft fur, Peaches pushing forward to give kisses to anyone who would accept them and even a few who were unwilling victims, and Imke standing patiently by my side as everyone asked about "the old one" or gently patted her on the head and called her a sweet old girl.  

We finally made it through the crowds and I thought it would be great to get a picture of the girls with this cute little bridge over Augusta Creek.  As you can see, the girls thought otherwise.

As we headed further down the trail, it began to follow the gravel road of the parking lot and I looked down at the time and distance we had traveled and decided it was time to turn around and head back to the car.  

On the way back, there was a nice spot along the trail to allow the girls to stop and get a drink and explore the creek a bit.  This was by far Maddie's favorite part of the day.  She loves small creeks, streams, and rivers and would wade around in them all day.  

As we headed back through the woods, I couldn't resist stopping at this bench along the trail to try to get a cute picture of the girls all together, but getting them all to cooperate-well I've learned to go with what I can get!

As we reached the field again, the sun returned. It felt so warm shining down on us and I was so grateful to have gotten to spend this time with these girls. When we reached the parking lot, we had hiked 5.5 miles which was short of my goal of 6 miles, but I was happy with our accomplishment.  

We all piled into the Jeep to head home and I was sure soon I would hear the peaceful sounds of snoring shorthairs.  But on this day, Peaches and Imke were still ready for another adventure.  So I decided to make one more quick stop for a hike through Historic Bridges Park just outside of Battle Creek.  

As we started on the trail, I knew this would not be a long hike, but I was glad we made the stop. With Peaches out ahead, Imke right beside me and Maddie trailing along behind, we made a quick loop and added another 1.8 miles for a total of 7.3 for the day.  We exceeded our goal for the day and this time all three girls were happily snoring away in the back of the Jeep before we were out of the parking lot.  A very successful day on the trail for three happy girls and their mom.

Small town Girls visit the big "D"

As we slowly check things off Peaches' bucket list, new things are quickly being added to make sure she really doesn't miss out on any possible adventure in the time she has left.  An added advantage to checking things off and adding things to her bucket list is that the girls and I are being given the opportunity to revisit some of our favorite people, places, and things as well as to add new adventures to our life experiences.

One item(or actually four separate items) is for Peaches to visit beaches of all 4 of the Great Lakes in Michigan.  This is a feat not even I, as a life-long resident of our Great Lakes State, have accomplished.  We have crossed one of those Lakes, Lake Huron, off of her list with our trip to Mackinaw City a few weeks ago and I'm sure she'll get a chance to see it again in a non-frozen state when we make our next trip North.  I also already know where she will visit Lake Michigan and Lake Superior- both in more than one location since the girls and I have many favorite beaches on both of those Lakes.  But Lake Erie in Michigan, that's a goal none of us have yet accomplished, and with that goal in mind, I began to do some research late last week to plan our weekend bucket-list adventures.

After much research, what I have found is that my options for taking the dogs to Lake Erie in Michigan are pretty limited, but thankfully, though limited, not impossible. The one State park that has Lake Erie access doesn't allow dogs on the beaches or in the water and the Metropark which allows dogs does not allow swimming in the lake and dogs aren't allowed on the trails. Both a bust. Finally I found one small little lake access area that is dog-friendly and looks to be the place we'll finally all reach our goal of visiting Lake Erie in Michigan, but it doesn't appear to be somewhere that will make for a full day's adventure.  So I decided to delay that trip until later in the Spring and find some other things that we can do in conjunction with that beach day. 

Belle Isle

During all of that Lake Erie research, one place kept popping up on the map, and so it was decided.  We were going to head Southeast to the big city of Detroit and visit Belle Isle.  With lots of paved areas for walking as well as a dog-friendly nature trail, it seemed ideal.  Plus, after a good hike with the girls, I could make a visit to the Aquarium while they rested up for the next adventure.  I had never visited Belle Isle and was excited for our adventure.  While preparing to leave for the day, I decided to text Nicol to see if she would be available and interested in joining us on our trip-I know she can't resist a trip to an aquarium!  It was quickly settled, she'd be joining us for the day and I was excited for the trip!

Just a bird dog and a bird

After a quick stop to meet Nicol in Novi, we were off on our Saturday adventure.  We arrived at Belle Isle, and with Nicol acting as our navigator, we made it to the parking lot near the nature trail and lighthouse.  Of course, as is always the case with three GSPs, there was much excitement as we all climbed out of the Jeep in this new and interesting area.  And there was even more excitement as we passed Blue Heron Lagoon and all of it's swans, geese, and ducks. 

Blue Heron Lagoon 

With the Lagoon on one side of the trail and the Detroit River on the other, it quickly became clear to me that I was under-prepared for this adventure.  Due to the recent snow melt, rain, and high water, the paths were mud-covered, and in some locations, under water.  This would normally not be an issue since I am generally prepared on any adventure with at least 2 pairs of boots, extra pants and socks, a towel for the dogs, and other adventure necessities.  But for some reason, on this day, I was not prepared at all, comfortably wearing my jeans and tennis shoes...after all, we were going to Detroit, not the UP, right?.  My daughter, on-the-other-hand, was fully prepared with water-proof hiking boots. 

The Detroit River and Canada

Boy did I feel like a fool!  How could I be so unprepared?  But we were there and I was determined to make the most of our day, so I powered through, following Nicol's advice on when to avoid an area and doing my best not to get pulled into the mud by two very happy shorthairs.  Maddie and Peaches were having a great time sniffing and exploring and paying no attention to the fact that I was attached to the other end of their leashes. 

Lucky for us we found some gravel covered portions of the path that were dry.  Although the path reached a dead-end and we had to return to the parking lot through mud and high-water.

After a nice 3 mile hike, it was back into the Jeep to see what else we could find.  We headed to the public beach for a view and quick picture of the Detroit skyline followed by a quick stop at the Carillon.  Then it was on to the Aquarium.

Detroit Skyline

Nancy Brown Peace Carillon

Aquarium and Conservatory

With the girls comfy and settled in for a nap in the Jeep, Nicol and I headed in to visit the aquarium and conservatory.    The aquarium is small, but I still found it worth a stop. We learned some new things and enjoyed our time watching the fish, starfish, rays, eels, reptiles and amphibians.

Coral

Fresh Water Sting Ray

Then we headed outside to walk over to the Conservatory to explore the plants. I know Nicol was happy to see the palm trees.  It was definitely interesting to see all of the different tropical trees and flowers.  I especially enjoyed the corpse flower, which I had heard of, but had never seen before. 

Bananas

Interesting Bark on this one

Corpse Flower

After seeing all there was to see in the Conservatory, we headed back to the Jeep for one more stop with the girls near sunset point.  I wanted to be sure to get a picture of them with the Detroit skyline in the background.  But as is the norm with my crazy girls, the perfect picture was not meant to be...thanks to the geese floating by on the River and all of the other distractions.  But, hey, we gave it a try! 

It was now time for our Belle Isle adventure to end, but after all of the excitement at Sunset Point, the girls were anxious for one more chance to explore somewhere new.  So as we headed out of Detroit, we made one more stop at the William G Milliken State Park.

Peaches checking out the Lighthouse

Maddie and Peaches doing a little rock climbing

Imke exploring with Nicol

The Marina

I wanted to give the girls one last chance to stretch their legs and explore before we headed home.  I knew with this one last stop, they would settle in nicely for the drive.  We made a quick walk around the park stopping in a few spots to enjoy the beauty of the day and then, with this one last adventure complete, we headed back to the Jeep to head home from our fun-filled day.  I am so glad I got to spend such a great day with all of my girls and can't wait until our next adventure!

Time to head home