Going through the motions

Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions in life?  Has the daily grind ever become the norm?  I very much feel like that is where we are in life right now.  And it's got me down.  It seems like many of the things that bring me joy have been missing, the things that give me purpose are lacking, that the things that drain me have taken over.  I thrive on freedom, independence, and control over my life, and too many outside factors seem to be taking them away from me.  So every day, the daily grind continues, work and other responsibilities take over, and the ability to do things that really bring me joy take a back seat.  

The last year and a half with changes to my job, more work travel, and everything we went through with my dad last year, missed vacations, and lots of other little things have all built up to where we are today.  Starting the year off with 3 weeks of work travel within 5 weeks and a week of being sick in the middle of it all didn't help either.  But we've made it through, and I'm hopeful that things will improve soon.

I'm sure everyone has moments like this in life.  It just stinks when you're in the midst of it.  It's frustrating and exhausting.  Luckily, I have four girls in my life that make every day better and always make me smile.  And life is too short to dwell on this for too long.  Plus sometimes it helps to share.  Thanks for listening.

The daily grind was in full force this week and my work days were exhausting, but the sun was shining and the snow was sparkling, and the daylight hours are getting longer each day.  February is one of favorite months and, despite the cold, I've really been enjoying our real winter weather this year.  We can't get out for any big adventures, but the girls have been really handling it well.  We do what we can each day to keep them entertained and happy.  I think I must be doing something right.  

After a boring day at home on Monday, I was excited to get out of the house on Tuesday with the girls. 

After work, we headed to Lansing Shuffle to meet up with some fellow geocachers.  Mina and Peaches were both very happy to be out getting love and attention from someone other than me.

We stayed for awhile visiting, and after everyone left, I bought dinner from one of the restaurants there.  The girls enjoyed watching me eat, and of course, I shared some bacon with them.  We walked around both inside and outside, before I ate and after, but didn't go far because it was bitterly cold and Mina's paws got cold.  We all enjoyed the outing, though, and a little change of pace was nice.

Wednesday and Thursday were long, exhausting days.  The weather was cold but the days were sunny.  The girls enjoyed spending some time outside during the day for some short periods of time while I was working.  They ate lunch and dinner out of their puzzles and had fun playing fetch inside.  It was fun to get a chance to just be silly and play with them for a bit.  We spent our evenings snuggling.  

We were all happy when Friday finally arrived.  Mina and Peaches slept in while I started my work day.  I had several meetings, and boy was I glad when the day was over.  One thing that made the day tolerable was the beautiful sunshine and blue skies.  That and a nice talk with my daughter.  She always brightens my days.  Fiona did not want to talk to me, but just hearing her in the background, playing and talking, makes me smile.

I had to get a picture of the beautiful day and the piles of snow in the yard.  It's crazy to think under that pile of snow, my crocus are just waiting to bloom when the time is right.  They had already peeked through the ground by this time last year, but I'm glad we actually had winter this year, and I know they'll be here soon.  That makes me smile. too.

After work, I decided to make the drive to Durand for the Eagles Friday night Fish Fry because their walleye dinner is one of the best I've had.  The girls were happy to make the drive with me.  I got my food to go so I could sit in the car and eat, and of course, I shared a little of my fish with them.  

Finally Saturday morning arrived.  I was so excited for this weekend because I had no commitments.  This allowed me to finally get out to the shelter for our Saturday morning Dog Walking Club.  This is one of the things I've really been missing lately.

Due to some staffing issues at the shelter, we haven't been able to hold our Wednesday walks for a few months, and I'm not sure when we'll get back to our regular Wednesday evening schedule, so Saturday mornings are our only opportunity to get out as a group with the dogs.  Because of other commitments and the weather, we haven't been able to hold walks regularly on Saturdays since before the holidays.  This was only our second walk this year, and I really miss the dogs.  

It was pretty cold, with a frigid wind, but not too cold to get the dogs out and boy did they all enjoy themselves.  It always makes me happy to be able give them this little break from shelter life.  It was a great start to our Saturday.

While I was at the shelter, I finally renewed my pass for Soldan Dog Park, then I stopped at the Holt Farmer's Market to pick up a few things on the drive home.  After I got home we had lunch, and then we got ready to go to the park.

I love this dog park in the woods and so do the girls.  While it was a cold day, the trees blocked the wind in most spots and we stayed very comfortable. 

Mina found a tennis ball so we were able to play fetch while we were there, and she made a couple of friends who were happy to chase her as she ran at top speeds, zooming around through the woods.  She loves being chased.

We spent nearly an hour and half enjoying the woods.  I love watching the girls run and explore.  It was exactly what we all needed today.  

After we left the dog park, I made a couple of stops for a little geocaching, then we made the drive home.  The girls made a quick trip outside, got a special treat, and then both of them curled up for a nap.  Surprisingly, they slept through their normal dinner time and I just let the sleep.  I knew eventually they'd get up, ready to eat.  They had a late dinner and quick potty break and then settled back in for the the night.  I think we all got something we really needed today.  

Our Sunday will be spent doing a combination of chores around the house and getting out for a little more fun.  Then I'm hoping to have a relaxing afternoon to recharge and relax.  I hope you all have a nice Sunday too.

The weather over the next week will be above freezing almost every day, and even into the mid-40s for  a few days.  I expect the snow to melt a lot, I'm just hoping the yard doesn't turn into a muddy mess.  It's really hard for me to believe that we've reached the final week of February, we're just two weeks from Daylight Savings Time, and we're less than a month from Spring.  I love this time of year!  

Work travel and Winter storms

After a busy week on the road last week, we started Monday morning in a hotel in Farmington Hills.  The beginning of my week would be spent at a conference for work and the girls would be spending a couple of nights at daycare and boarding.

The girls woke up early for a potty break and breakfast Monday morning, so after they ate,  I decided I'd load them into the car and head over to drop them off at Canine College to take full advantage of the time I was paying for them to stay.   Then I headed back to the hotel, grabbed a quick breakfast, and watched a beautiful sunrise from my room.  I wish I would have gotten a picture. 

I spent some time working in my hotel room before making the trip to the Detroit airport for my afternoon flight to Orlando.  

I arrived in Orlando around 4:30pm. made my way to baggage claim to get my suitcase, and then requested an Uber.  I had about a 15 minute wait until the driver arrived and then a little over an hour drive in rush hour traffic  to the resort for the conference.  I arrived, checked into my room, changed my clothes, and headed back downstairs to the evening events.

Tuesday was spent in meeting sessions until around 4:30pm when we had a couple of hours for a break.  As soon as we had free time, I put on my shorts and headed outside for a walk.

I saw lots of  birds along my route around the golf course.  These sandhill cranes were not happy with my presences.   I honestly thought they just might attack me so I moved along past them pretty quickly.

I had a nice  three and a half mile walk, then I headed over toward the pool area to stick my feet in the water.  I was happy to find the family pool completely empty and, at maximum of 2 feet deep, I could safely walk around in the pool without getting my shorts wet.  It was good to get away from the craziness of all of the people and just have some time to myself.

Eventually, it was time to leave the pool, and walked over to find a couple of my counterparts who I knew would be floating around the lazy river.  I visited with them until they went upstairs to get ready for our evening event.

I enjoyed the beautiful sunset and spent a little time with my feet in the hot tub. 

Finally I had to leave to change for the evening event.  The beautiful glow in the sky after the sunset was pretty spectacular from my room as I changed for the evening. 

Wednesday morning we had some more sessions, but I left a little early to travel to the airport. Luckily my Uber arrived quickly and we had smooth travels to the airport.  Surprisingly, I made it through security in less than 10 minutes, and I was at my gate in record time.  This allowed me time to grab some lunch and get some steps in walking around the airport while I waited for my flight to board.

With some major snow moving into Michigan, I was worried about delays or even the possibility of a cancelled flight, but we boarded on time and were in the air early.  It was a smooth flight home and we arrived in Detroit with no issues.

I made it to my car quickly, and luckily, the roads around the airport hadn't gotten too bad at that point so I was able to make it to Canine College to pick up the girls before they closed.  After looking at the radar and checking on the Lansing area weather, I made the decision to stay safe and just get a hotel room for the night instead of driving home in the mess.  I'm really glad I did.

I made a quick stop at Nicol's house to pick up the dog food I had had delivered to her house in the event I was delayed getting home and she needed it for the girls. I spent a little time with Fiona, but as she sat down to eat dinner, I left to grab some take out for myself and to get checked in to my room for the night.

The girls and I settled in for the evening and they slept well all night.  We never left our room after 7:30pm until they woke up around 7am the next morning.

It was snowy, but the driveway at the hotel was cleaned when we went out for their morning potty break.  We even got some sunshine.

After breakfast, the girls settled in for the morning while I did some work from the hotel.  I watched as the morning progressed and the traffic flow slowly improved. 

It was a quiet and productive morning as I tried to catch up on some work after being out of the office for three days.

I fed the girls an early lunch before we checked out of the hotel at 11am to head home.  They took a quick potty break and were happy to get comfy in the car for the drive home.

We arrived home to a lot more snow than we had left behind, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the City of Lansing had already plowed my street.  So I parked the car in the street and ran into the garage to get my shovel to start cleaning the driveway.   

We got about 6 inches of snow and I spent the next 50 minutes shoveling.  When the driveway and sidewalk were finally cleared, I pulled into the garage, unloaded the car, and got right back to work.  I had a busy afternoon of calls,  but the girls were happy to nap while I was busy so it was a quiet afternoon.  I was exhausted after my busy work day, so we spent a quiet evening at home and headed to bed early.

My Friday morning at work was busy as well, and before I knew it, it was 2pm and I hadn't stopped for a break or lunch. With the potential for another snow storm moving into the area Friday into Saturday, I decided to take my lunch break and run a few errands.   I dropped off my composting on the way to the gas station to fill up the car and get a car wash.  Then I made a quick stop at Menard's before heading to Aldi for some groceries. 

Aftet I finished my grocery shopping,  we made the drive to Preuss Pets so that the girls could get in a little fun and I could buy them a few goodies for Valentine's Day.  They were excited to see Sean, their favorite Preuss employee, and even more excited to see the ferrets.   We finished our visit with a quick walk around the block before heading home to finish out my work day.

The weather was still dry after work, so I decided to take the girls downtown for a walk on the Capitol Walkway which goes from the Capitol Building to the Supreme Court Hall of Justice Building.

I love walking here in the winter because the walkways are always clean so I don't have to worry about slipping on ice and snow.  The wind was brutal as we walked back toward the Capitol, and Peaches was jogging along letting me know she was done with this walk. We ended up finishing a nice 2 miles before we made it back to the car.

Before heading home,  I picked up dinner at my favorite taco truck.  Then we made the drive over to Twisters for an special treat on their opening day for this year.

After the girls finished their dinner, I added a few dog-friendly sprinkles and some salmon skin to the ice cream for their special Valentine's Day treat.  I tried to get a cute picture of them, but they weren't cooperative.  After a busy week, we settled in for a nice night at home and our long weekend.

Originally, I had hoped that we might be able to take advantage of our long weekend to make a fun trip North, but after seeing the potential forecast for the weekend, I decided we'd just stay home.  We've been so busy the last month that a long weekend at home sounded nice.

On Thursday, the forecast was calling for snow Friday night into Saturday followed by a wintry mix on Saturday into Sunday, and I was getting excited for the possibility of just staying home all weekend while the snow fell and the wind blew.  I love a good snow storm when I'm home with nowhere to go and that's what I was hoping for this weekend.  But the forecast changed and the storm I expected for Saturday never developed.  We did get a small amount of snow overnight, but nothing that impacted travel.  We still spent a very quiet Saturday morning at home snuggled together, which I really enjoyed.

After looking at the radar around 12:30pm and seeing that snow was expected around 2pm, I decided to get the girls out for a little exercise while I could.  Sunday still had the promise of some bad weather and I was almost out of salt, so I decided we'd make a trip to Home Depot.  I quickly shoveled and then we made the drive to Home Depot.  

I walked the girls around the store and did a little shopping.  The girls loved their trip because they got so much attention.  They are always very popular on our Home Depot trips.  On the way home we also made a stop at Soldan's for a little more fun for the girls.  Then we headed home, had a late lunch, and the girls took turns sitting on me while I watched some Gameshow Network.  I also enjoyed some time playing with Mina.

I've done some cleaning and organizing, but now we are all snuggled in for another quiet night at home.  I'm hoping to have a really quiet Sunday and Monday at home maybe doing a little reading and food prep for the week.  

As I look outside and see all of the snow on the ground, I have to smile.  While I don't love winter, I realize that I have missed a real Michigan winter after our last two very mild winters.  I'm still planning to make a trip North before this winter ends because we need a good winter adventure, but I'm happy to have this nice winter weekend at home.  

On the Road

Boy oh boy, it has been quite a week.  I have been busy and I feel exhausted after running around all week.  With the exception of Monday, I've had to travel out of town for work or personal reasons every day this week.  Luckily, I was able to be home every night, but all that travel certainly makes you tired!  Unfortunately most of that running around wasn't for fun and I feel like outside of work we didn't do much.  The next few days won't be any different, either.  But boy do I hope to add some fun to our lives soon!

Monday morning started quietly with the dogs napping while I worked.  Mina happily stayed snuggled in bed most of the morning, while Peaches and Smokey chose the dog beds for their naps.  It was pretty quiet for a Monday, which was nice.  

At the end of the day, I knew we all needed to burn some energy.  With slippery sidewalks and cold weather, I decided our best bet was a visit to Hone Depot.  I had to buy some salt for the sidewalks so we all jumped in the car for the trip.  The dogs love these kind of visits to big stores because they get to sniff lots of new smells and always get lots of attention from employees and other shoppers.  We always walk up and down every aisle to make it more interesting for them.  By the time we finished, we had walked about a mile.  It's not as long as we'd normally like, but the extra love and attention seem to wear them out and they always come home happy after our visits.

Tuesday I had to travel to Troy for a lunch meeting for work.  I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to drop the girls off at Canine College for a half day of doggy daycare to burn some energy.  I love their drop in doggy daycare and so do the girls.  They got five hours of fun with friends while I worked, and I had two tired girls for the night.  I just wish this place were closer so I could do this more often.

Smokey enjoyed a quiet day at home since he can't attend doggy daycare as a foster dog, but I made sure he got out for his own fun adventure after I was done with work for the day.  We made a visit to Tractor Supply Company and then walked across the parking lot for a long visit to Lowe's.  Smokey is such a social butterfly, he was thrilled to get lots of love from all the new friends he met while we where there.  

On Wednesday I had to make the drive to Toledo for work and I decided to bring the dogs along for the trip.  We had a great drive there and everyone was settled into the car when I went in for my meeting.  When I was done, I got back to the car with all three dogs sound asleep.  They are such good travelers.

The North Country Trail runs through Northern Ohio with several trailheads not far from Toledo, and it was my plan to find a nearby trailhead to get out for a couple of miles on the trail on my lunch break before heading home.

Ultimately, we ended up a little farther from Toledo than I originally thought we would, but I found a great trailhead in West Unity, Ohio that would get us closer to home, and allow us to get in a hike on a section of the trail we had never hiked before.  The Wabash Cannonball Trail runs concurrently with the NCT here for many miles.  It's a natural path along an old railroad grade and it was the perfect spot to stretch our legs and add 3.4 miles toward our 100 for the year before heading home.  Despite plenty of gray skies, we actually saw some sunshine while we were there and stayed warm with the trees blocking the wind.  We all really enjoyed this hike and I hope to get back to do more of the trail in this area this year.

A wintry mix of ice and snow was expected to arrive in Lansing overnight into Thursday morning, and I was concerned about how much ice we might get.  When I let Mina out for her final potty break of the night, a little freezing rain had just started, but it quickly changed to sleet which then ended as quickly as it had started. Luckily, when I woke up on Thursday we had only gotten a dusting of snow that was covering some slightly slippery spots.  What a relief.

As long as the travel conditions allowed, I had to drive to Grand Rapids for work on Thursday mid-morning, and I was thankful that the roads were clear when I left home.  The dogs stayed home for the day and were all very happy to see me when I got home.  They had a late lunch as I finished my work day.  Sidewalks were too slippery for a walk after work, and I was exhausted from my busy week of work travel.  Thankfully everyone was happy with their brain games for lunch and dinner, so it was a quiet evening.  I made a nice dinner and was able to do three loads of laundry, dishes, and get some paperwork done I needed to complete for the rescue.  It was a very productive evening.  I had been feeling overwhelmed with all I  had to do, and I was very happy with everything I had gotten done that night.  

Friday morning I was so happy that I didn't have any more work travel for the week.  I had a productive morning of work while the dogs spent a few short periods of time outside playing with the neighbor dogs.  Over my lunch, I headed out to Patterson's with Smokey for his final post-surgery check-up.  Peaches came along for the drive while Mina decided she wanted to stay home.  Everyone at Patterson's said their farewells to Smokey and wished him luck in finding his new family.  After his appointment I stopped at Amanda's Grooming to get both the old dogs a nail trim before heading home.  

After work, I made the drive to St. John's for the visitation for my great Uncle Jim who passed away Sunday at the age of 97.  He was my grandma's last living brother-in-law and a very nice man who lived a good, long life.  My parents were there as well and we had a nice visit with some of my dad's cousins.  After the visitation,  I had dinner with my parents before driving home.

I was up early Saturday morning to get ready to make the drive to Chesaning to attend the funeral of my sister-in-law Robin's dad, Chuck, who died on January 30.  It was a sad occasion, but it was nice to visit with Sidnee, Mason, and Brezlyn.

Since the forecast was calling for snow to start late afternoon, after I got home from the funeral, I wanted to make sure to get the dogs out for a little fun and exercise.  After feeding them lunch and doing a couple of things around the house, we loaded up the car to drive to Old Town.  

We visited Preuss Pets so that Smokey could say goodbye to all of his friends there, and his favorite employee, Sean, got a little choked up saying his farewell.  Each dog got to make a trip into the store, followed by a short walk around Old Town.  I bought a few treats for the dogs and picked up some Girl Scout cookies from the cookie both outside before we left and then we were back in the car for more fun.

Next, we made the drive to Eaton Rapids, as the snow started to fall, so I could get the dogs out for a quick visit to the Island City Dog Park.  I really wanted them all to get in a little running before we headed home.  We weren't there long before everyone made it clear they were ready to head back to the car.  Then we stopped and took a short walk around downtown Eaton Rapids which was all decorated for Valentine's Day.

The best part of our day was that we were finally able to throw Smokey his ice cream party!  We stopped at Mooville while in Eaton Rapids to pick up some doggy sundaes and they ate them outside while the snow fell.   

It's crazy to think that Smokey has been here 3 1/2 months. He was with us through our Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas fun, and finally, his big day has arrived!  It was nice to have this little celebration for him.  Everyone loved their special treats.  Then we made the snowy drive home, ate dinner, and settled in for the night.  It was still hard to believe this would most likely be his last night with us.

We were up early on Sunday morning to make the drive east along I-69 to meet Brian in Imlay City.  Brian is an older gentleman who has patiently been waiting for two months to meet Smokey to make him part of his family.  He is a previous adopter of two other ISR dogs and has owned GSPs and GWPs his whole life.  Now that he's older, he likes to adopt older dogs to give them a home, and I knew he'd just fall in love with Smokey.

It was an emotional morning as Smokey headed off to his new home, but I know he is going to be well loved and will live a happy life with Brian.  It's certainly going to be quieter around here without him, but it will be nice to get a little break from fostering, especially as we come into some busier times at work with some additional work travel in my future.  I think Peaches is ready for a break too, and I'm hoping with Smokey's departure, maybe some of the anxiety she has been experiencing lately might get better.  I guess we'll see.

While we struggled to find anywhere good to hike due to ice and snow, the girls and I made sure to make time for a little fun on our drive after Smokey headed off to his new home.  The best spot we found for a nice walk was the Oakland Community College campus.

We're spending tonight in a hotel near Nicol because of my travel tomorrow, and I was excited to be able to give her a break and have Fiona come stay at the hotel with us for a couple of hours.

The girls were a bit overwhelming for her at first today, but eventually she decided it was okay to play fetch with Mina.  Then she helped me feed them dinner before we climbed up onto the bed to read some books.

No one was happier than Mina that she could get in some good snuggles with Fiona.  

Just look at these sweet sleepy faces.  I just love them!

We ended our time together watching the puppy bowl and sharing which puppies we thought were cutest.   She went home to watch the Super Bowl with mom and dad and have some special Super Bowl food while the girls and I picked up some takeout.  Now we're settled in for a quiet evening.  

I have more work travel again this week, so it's going to be an uneventful start to our new week.  I'm really hoping that time and weather will allow us to get out for some real adventures next weekend.  I am feeling the need for some fun!

As a bonus today, here is an adorable picture of Fiona from earlier this week at her ballet class.  She loves to see her friends there and is growing up so fast!  She's been a little challenging lately for her mom, pushing the limits and showing her independent side.  It's hard to believe she'll be three in just over two months.