Finding a new normal

This week life got back to normal...or at least to a new normal.  I expected that things wouldn't seem quite normal and that there would be moments of thoughts like "I'll have to share that with dad when I see him" and then realizing that I wasn't going to see him again.  While my mind understands he's gone, it still seems a bit surreal and I don't think I'll fully feel the finality of this loss for awhile.  I know that's normal and I expected it.  What I didn't expect was just how exhausted I would feel all week.  Nicol and I talked on a few occasions over the course of the week, and both of us were feeling the same way.  I guess months of stress and a week of grieving are a lot to handle mentally and emotionally, and it all just caught up with me.  Thankfully my week at work was fairly quiet and ended with a long holiday weekend.   But, honestly, I'm still tired!  

The weather this week has been so hot and humid, but I wanted to get the girls back to more normalcy in their lives.  So on Sunday afternoon, I decided we'd get out of the house and head to Soldan Dog Park.  It seemed like a great place to spend a hot day because it is wooded, and therefore, shaded, and it has a lovely little pond which gives them a spot to cool down.  

I didn't expect to spend a long time at the park due to the heat, but the girls were having so much fun, staying hydrated, and most importantly, Peaches didn't seem to be struggling with the heat.  Mina was having the best time chasing her ball and even took a couple of short dips into the water to cool down.  We ended up staying over an hour, and it was just what we needed.

On Monday, I took an early lunch and had planned to take the girls to the dog park again, but when we arrived, I realized that I had left my fob for the gate at home.  I didn't have time to drive all the way home to get the fob and then back to the park for a run, so I decided we would just take a walk around Hawk Island Park instead, since we were already there.  For most of the walk we stayed in the shade, but we did enjoy a a nice walk on the boardwalk too.  It was a really nice walk and I enjoyed the quiet and the pretty views.

On Tuesday, I had to take my car in for new brakes.  I decided to take the girls with me so that we could get out for a walk while the car was in the shop.  I was told that the work would take about an hour, which was perfect.  So off we went.  First, we headed across the road for a visit to Soldan's Pet store just to let the girls walk around and sniff stuff, then we headed out for a walk around the nearby neighborhood.  It's a quiet and secluded little neighborhood and it is well-shaded, which was perfect for our walk.  After a nice walk around the neighborhood, we made a stop at Soldan's again, mainly to take advantage of the air conditioning.  Since the girls had been so good, I got them each a small treat to enjoy when we got back to the shop.  Then we headed back to see how things were progressing with my car.  We sat outside in the shade, and they let me get a quick picture of them while they patiently waited for my car to be finished.  After a short wait, we were in the car and on our way home.

After work, I decided to take the girls to Soldan Dog Park for a short visit.  It was a beautiful day at the dog park and I was happy to just sit for a bit while the girls explored and splashed around in the water.  It was a much needed bit of relaxation in my day. 

Over the weekend, the rescue had reached out to all of the ISR volunteers looking for two foster homes for a couple of GSPs that had ended up in a Northern Michigan Shelter.  The shelter was hoping to secure a rescue to help the girls, a 14 year old and an 8 year old.  When I saw the plea, I thought about it for a minute and decided that I'd offer to take the older female.  Since my schedule was going to be much less crazy now and I don't have any work travel scheduled for a few months, timing seemed perfect, and those sweet older dogs always tug at my heart.  I also knew that we'd all be able to handle another little old lady in the house.  

Things lined up perfectly with another volunteer able to take the younger dog, and a third volunteer who'd be driving through Northern Michigan on her way home from a trip to the UP.  So it was settled that the girls, 14 year old Mia and 8 year old Scout, would be pulled from the shelter and start their travels to their new foster homes on Wednesday.  

I was able to take a little longer lunch on Wednesday to make the drive to Flint to meet the transport and to bring Mia home with me and that is when I learned that she had ended up in the shelter because her owner had been murdered.  I was shocked by this news and felt so bad for this poor girl.  She was anxious for most of the drive home, but she did eventually settle down for the end of the drive.  

The introduction to Mina and Peaches went smoothly when we got home, and while she was still a bit anxious for a few hours, she eventually relaxed.  She enjoyed spending some time outside with the girls during the early evening, and after everyone ate dinner, it was a quiet evening.   I was so happy that she finally felt comfortable and could relax.

I had a busy Thursday morning at work, but I was glad that the girls were all happy to spend some short periods of time outside.  It was too hot for them to stay out for long, but they enjoyed their shorter trips and then would come in for a nice nap.  The day went smoothly and I had a quiet and productive day.  

After work, we made a quick stop at the South Lansing Farmer's Market to visit our favorite vendor, Fur Real Dog Snacks.  I knew she'd be excited to meet Mia and that the girls would be happy to see her.  Of course they were all spoiled.  The girls are pretty popular at the Farmer's Market.

After our stop at the Farmer's Market, we made the drive to Preuss Pets for a little more fun.  

Mina and Mia were both pretty interested in the Koi pond inside the store.  

All of the girls were excited to be there and I got dragged all over the store.  While we love to visit the ferrets and chinchilla, Mina's new favorite spot is the outdoor Koi pond.  So of course we had to head outside for a visit.  Peaches decided the pond was the perfect spot to lie down and take a drink, and then Mia jumped right into the pond!  These girls can be so good sometimes, but they definitely have their crazy moments.  

After our trip to Preuss, we took a walk around the block just to see how everyone would do walking together.  I'm pleased to say that it went really well.  After our walk, we headed home for dinner and a quiet night at home. 

Friday arrived, and I had the day off for the 4th of July.  I was really excited for my long weekend.  I had made no plans, and was looking forward to three days of just me and the girls at home.  

We started our Friday slowly with some quiet time at home.  I had plans to do some yardwork over the weekend, but the temperatures were forecasted to be in the upper 80s to 90s with high humidity, so I wasn't sure how much I'd get done.  I decided to start our day by getting the girls out for a trip downtown for the 4th of July parade.  

I wasn't sure how Mia would do, so we parked close to the parade route so we could leave quickly if we needed to, and then we walked across the street to the Capitol Grounds to stand in a nice shady spot and wait for the parade.

All of the girls did such a great job.  Mia wasn't bothered by any of the noises or the people, and we were able to stay for the entire parade.  But we were all definitely ready to get back into the air conditioned car when it was over!  We took one more short walk downtown before heading home for a very quiet 4th of July.  

The temperatures on Saturday were even worse than they had been on Friday, and so I just couldn't force myself outside into the sun to work in the yard.  

We spent most of the day inside with the girls continuing their trend of short trips outside and then coming in for a nap several times throughout the day.  I was able to get some things done around the house, but I also took advantage of the quiet time to just relax.  

After dinner, I wanted to get the girls out for some short adventures, so we made the drive to Williamston to check out the chainsaw art at McCormick Park.

The chainsaw art was pretty cool, but I really enjoyed all of the beautiful summer flowers.  

The girls had a great time on our half mile walk around the park, and due to the heat and humidity, they were pooped after our short walk. 

We drove the backroads home from Williamston, and made a stop at Harris Nature Center for another short walk.  I didn't get any pictures while we were there, but I enjoyed this evening walk and watching the lightning bugs in the woods.  It was a humid 6 tenths of a mile, but I was sure glad we had made the stop.

This morning I checked the forecast and saw that we were expecting storms in the early afternoon, so I wanted to make sure to get the girls out for a little fun before the rain started.  

I debated what we would do, and I finally settled on making the drive to Albion for a walk on the North Country Trail.  We haven't been on the trail since April and are so far behind on progressing toward our 100 miles this year, I just needed us to get onto the trail today.

I didn't care how far we could go, I just wanted to get out there, and I knew that a walk in Victory Park in Albion would be perfect because we could stay in the shade most of the walk and could walk in the grass to avoid the hot pavement. 

We walked southeast for a short bit until we reached the end of the park, then we turned around and walked northwest through the park.  I knew this section of the trail was going to be a big hit because the trail parallels the river here and all of the girls found their way into the water for a cool down and a drink.  

When we reached the end of the park, we turned around to head back to the car.  Of course we made another stop for a dip in the river. 

We finished our walk with a total of two miles on the trail for the day.  The girls got a nice drink of water before we loaded up the car to make the drive home.  It was the perfect little adventure for our day.

By the time we arrived home, it had rained and was already starting to clear up.  The girls and I all had lunch and then they settled in for a nap.  Another storm moved through a little later in the afternoon, and I did some work around the house, and then sat down to relax a bit.  While I didn't get to spend much time out in the yard this weekend, I'm okay with that.  It was just too miserable to spend time outside in the sun.  While the weeds may currently be winning, I know in the end, I will win that battle.  

I wasn't nearly as productive as I had thought I was going to be this weekend, but that's okay.  I'm feeling pretty good about how our weekend went and it felt really good to be able to spend the weekend at home and getting some more rest.  I'm hoping that I feel less tired in this coming week as we continue to try to find a normal rhythm in life again.