Spring has arrived!

After a long, cold Winter, Spring is such a welcome blessing.  The sun feels warm on your skin, the birds are chirping their happy Spring songs, the grass is getting green, and the trees are starting to bud.  New life and a new sense of purpose surrounds me everywhere I go.  I just love Spring! And with warmer temperatures finally returning, we have settled into a nice Spring routine over the last week or so.  There is nothing better after a day in the office than coming home and spending some time playing in the yard or getting out for a walk with the girls on a sunny day.

I love our daily walks around the neighborhood.  Peaches leaping forward enthusiastically, Maddie trying hard to keep up with Peaches, and Imke slowly tagging along behind enjoying every new smell along the way and, thankfully, making us all slow down a bit and appreciate the world around us.  They all have so much joy out on those daily walks that I can't help but smile too.  We've been varying our route and the length of our walks occasionally so that we can see some new things and they can smell some new smells.  The best walks are the ones when we take a new street and they all slow down to drink in all of the amazing new scents with their tails all wagging at about 100 mph. 

Posing for mom after a good day of playing in the yard.

But I've decided that sometimes we need to change things up a bit so we've set some new goals for ourselves.  First, we're going to be exploring some new areas locally over the next several weeks and trying more local dog-friendly activities.  Plus I'm going to be spending more time one on one with each of the girls.  Its a nice break from walking three dogs and it is great for them to get mom to themselves and to be able to just be themselves.  It is amazing how much their amazing personalities and great manners shine when they are all alone. 

Maddie enjoying a walk through Old Tow

With these new goals in mind and the beautiful weather last weekend, I decided to take advantage of some dog-friendly activities locally and attend the Old Town Doggy Social Hour.  It was sunny and gorgeous and not far from home, so it was the perfect way to get each of the girls some fun with mom.  Maddie was first and had a great time meeting new friends and walking around Old town for an hour.  She even get some special treats. 

Imke...always using that nose!

Happy Imke enjoying some time with mom.

Imke went second and was definitely happy to be able to move at her own pace, sniffing and exploring, and posing for pictures for me.  She is such a superstar!  She made some friends and had a fantastic time.

Peaches enjoying a walk with mom.

Since Peaches is a bit nervous and unsure around other dogs when she's on-leash, I waited until later in the day and took her and the girls for a walk along the River Walk with our friend Emmalee.  It was great having an extra set of hands to help with the dogs and everyone had a great time exploring.
And don't worry, since Peaches didn't get her one on one time with me in Old Town, I was sure to take her on a walk on her own the next day.  I think she enjoyed it!

This weekend I spent a lot of time at sporting events for my niece Sidnee and nephew Mason and took the opportunity for Maddie to spend the afternoon with me at a softball tournament, which I think she enjoyed! It was a little chilly and windy, but she didn't seem to mind at all.  And don't worry, the other girls will get their chance to attend a sporting event or two as well.  I've got some busy nieces and nephews to keep up with!

 

Maddie rooting on the Indians

We'll be sharing more of our adventures as we get out and see the world.  With the Spring weather just continuing to get better and Summer approaching, we'll be getting out and about a lot more and have lots of fun to share, I'm sure.  Now we're off to get in a hike somewhere in Michigan's great outdoors!

Planning, Planning, Planning!

Have you ever planned a road trip?  This week, thanks to Facebook and all of its daily reminders of what I was doing over the last several years, I have had lots of reminders about some really awesome road trips I have taken with the girls.  For the better part of the last 9 years, I have had a regular mid-April vacation with them.  I plan these trips to be post-Spring break and pre-school being out in order to avoid the crowds and to get the best deals on hotels and fun attractions.  Also, in general, for most of the country, mid-April is near perfect weather for traveling with dogs.  It's not too hot or too cold and the chance of getting snow is usually pretty low (although not non-existent).   And for much of the country, this is also the time to see all of the beauty Spring has to offer.  I love the newly budding trees and blooming flowers. 

But this year is different.  This year, there will be no mid-April trip with the girls.  This year we are planning something much bigger!

As some of you may know, this year I am planning an epic road trip.  The road trip to top all others and the longest one I have made yet.  We will be hitting the road this July for State Capitol number 49 for us, Juneau Alaska!

Alaska is a world away and I would never have imagined when we started our travels to all of the other State Capitols, that I would have gotten to the point where this trip would ever be possible.  But last year, as I realized that we were nearing the end, that we were going to finish the Lower 48, I also realized that maybe we could do it and that I really wanted to do it! After all, the girls are still in pretty good health and are really good travelers.  The initial thought was to take one last epic road trip with just Imke...after all, she started it all with me and we should do this together!  But even though Maddie hasn't been to all of the Capitols, she's been to all 48 States, so why shouldn't she make it to one more?  

And then I looked that the map...the 60 hour trip, the days of travel just to get there and wondered if it was really possible.  I looked at flying and considered that as an option, but with old girls, flying becomes more dangerous and I couldn't stop thinking about all of the things we would miss along the way.-the sites, the people, the Canadian Rockies.  But could I really do it?  Could I make this trip?  Would I have enough time?  And I realized that I really could do it.  I'm lucky enough to work for an amazing company that gives me plenty of vacation time and I work with amazing people who are so supportive in my desire to reach this goal.  So it was settled!  It was going to happen.

So this April, I will make memories at home.  There will be no road trips, no new places to see.  Instead, there will be planning, lots and lots of planning, for the amazing summer trip to come.  

I have to admit that big or small, a good road trip always makes me happy.  And the reminders of all of the things we've done on or previous trips makes me smile.  But a large part of the fun for me is in the planning.  The research and my nerdy excel spreadsheet itinerary so we can stay on track every day and see as much as we can possibly cram into 24 hours.  And when you are traveling with dogs, this planning is even more crucial.  You have to know the places that can and cannot go, the rules and regulations of all of the dog-friendly locations, the best dog-friendly places to stay.  It takes some serious effort to make sure the trip is a successful and enjoyable one for all of us.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  

So for the next few weeks, I'll continue to be immersed in all that I need to know to travel across Canada and back for our week in Juneau.  I can't imagine a better way to spend this April and I can't wait to share our epic journey with you. We'll have some other exciting announcements along the way and of course we'll still get out on smaller Michigan based adventures, but the focus this year is all about Alaska.   Are you ready?  July will be here soon!  

The April Ice Storm

It's been awhile since I sat down to write; life has been a whirlwind of stuff and I just haven't taken the time to do it.  But today, as the freezing rain and sleet fall and cover everything with ice in mid-April, I have nothing better to do than sit down and share a bit of what's been happening in our world. 

Although I wasn't looking forward to the potential power outages or other damage that could occur because of this storm, to be honest, I was a bit excited about it because it was going to offer me the opportunity to sit back and relax for the weekend and not feel guilty for not finding 1000 ways to keep us all busy.   The opportunity to stay home with no commitments on a weekend is a rare occurrence at my house and I cherish the times when the chance comes along.

Friday's are always filled with errands and to-dos, things I have put off throughout the week. Most weekends, they are followed by a Saturday which includes volunteer time in the morning, a stop at the grocery store on the way home, and then laundry, yard clean-up, and keeping dogs entertained.  Many of them include a dog-friendly mini-adventure, like a trip to the park, or pet store, or both.  They also include special projects-things that seem to only be able to be completed on a Saturday.  And even when it doesn't seem like I have a lot to do, they fly by and, before you know it, it's Saturday night. 

Sunday's are the one day of the week that I can sleep in and have a lazy morning, if the dogs allow it.  But after a peaceful, quiet start to the day, it's time to clean the house and complete other necessary chores.  I reserve Sunday afternoon for a fun adventure with the dogs, generally a short trip to get in some miles on the North Country Trail or participate in some other dog-friendly sort of event.  And then, the weekend it over in a flash. 

I determined early on Friday that this weekend was going to be different.  I have been waiting for months for the perfect Winter Storm weekend.  These are weekends that force you to stay home, stay inside snuggled up with a warm blanket and a warm dog or two(or three), and forget about your commitments to the outside world.  This weekend was going to be my chance, finally! Probably the last chance before the long-awaited sunshine and warmer temperatures of Spring...which, by the way, I hope arrive by next weekend (I have Spring yard work to do!)

So based on the impending storm, we made the decision to cancel our Saturday morning dog walk with the shelter dogs and the dream of my storm induced lazy weekend at home was becoming a reality.

Since the Friday weather was still good, it was important to get the girls out for a long walk and some other activities so that they wouldn't be raving lunatics with too much pent-up energy by Saturday afternoon.  After a nice walk, I loaded the girls up in the Jeep and we were off to get some things done and to give them some additional fun and mental stimulation.  I made several stops-Walgreen's for paper towel and some other necessities, then on to Kroger, and a couple of other stops, and finally a stop at Soldan's Pet Store. 

One-by-one I took each of the girls on their trip through the store.  They walked around sniffing and exploring and getting love and attention from the employees.  They love these trips.  Each one includes a little one-on-one time with me, some training, and a special treat at the end. 

By now it was nearly 8pm and I still hadn't eaten dinner, so I picked up a quick soup and sandwich combo at Tim Horton's and headed home.  We were prepared and ready to settle in for the weekend.

Saturday morning started with cleaning, laundry, and other chores because I needed to get them done in order to relax.  It was raining, but no dangerous weather yet, so after I finished cleaning, I made a quick run to pick up a couple of last minute items I had forgotten,  The girls were happy to get out for a ride and once we were home, we were all ready to settle in for the storm and my much anticipated Jeopardy marathon (thanks to weeks worth of Jeopardy on the DVR). 

Although the storm didn't produce all of the ice and dangerous conditions that were predicted, I am so thankful that I got my weekend at home.  Sometimes just staying at home on the couch for a do-nothing weekend is just what you need.  Thanks to Mother Nature for the break!  I'm now relaxed and ready for all of the adventures that Spring and her warmer temperatures with bring.