The whirlwind

Boy have we had a full week!  It is Spring, and with the change in seasons comes the season of work travel.  Luckily the late March through early May travel is just local to Michigan so I'm gone overnight and then back home the next day, but the prep work leading up to these meetings can be a lot, especially for the first one.  Luckily our meeting this week was in Livonia so it was close to Canine College and close to Nicol.  

I left home early and did my first call of the day while I drove.  Then I dropped the girls off at Canine College for their full day of play and fun before their overnight stay.  Next I headed to a coffee shop close by to join my next meeting and to get some work done.  After a couple hours there,  I had to stop at one of our advisor offices to make a drop off, and by then it was time for lunch.

I stopped at Picasso's Cafe in Novi for a quick bite and then headed to Nicol's house for a visit with Nicol, Fiona, and Picasso.  I got some love from Picasso and then played games, played hide and seek, and played with Play Doh with Fiona.  I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.  But all too soon I had to leave so I could do some final preparations for our Tuesday meeting, finish a little work from my hotel room, and then head out for a work dinner.

I ended the evening by leaving dinner before dessert to drive to Nicol's so that I could read Fiona's bedtime stories and tuck her into bed.  And finally, I headed back to the hotel to head to bed myself.  

Tuesday I was up early and busy with our day training.  Finally after the meeting kicked off, I sat down to get some work done.  Of course I also had to check in on the girls to see how their day was going.

It was a long day with the meeting followed by a social hour, and then finally being able to pick the girls up to head home.  I got home after dark and I was tired, but happy to be back with the girls and done with our first of five meetings.

Wednesday was extra busy, and I didn't slow down all day.  I was happy when 5 O'clock finally arrived so that I could head out to the shelter for our Wednesday night dog walk.

The weather was beautiful and the girls came along for the drive.  They waited patiently while I was on the walk with this really nice group of dogs.  

Then, after all of the shelter dogs were safe and snug in their kennels, I drove to downtown Mason and got the girls out for a nice walk.  I grabbed a slice of pizza from Westside Deli for dinner and then headed home for the night.

Thursday morning was warm with temperatures in the mid-60s.  After a busy start to my work day, I stopped for an early lunch to run a couple of errands.  I was so excited to see the bees gathering pollen from my crocus!

The rest of the work day flew by, and before I knew it, it was 5pm.  I had plans with my nephew Mason after work, and I was excited to see him.

We were originally supposed to take the dogs for a walk at Fenner and then have dinner, but rain had moved into the area late in the afternoon so we skipped the walk.  Temperatures had also fallen into the 40s.  It definitely wasn't the best weather.

We had a nice visit over dinner and then we drove around and I showed him some of the highlights of Lansing before heading back to campus and dropping him off at his dorm.  I had such a nice time with him.  He's really a great kid.

Finally Friday arrived, and with it, another busy day.  I had so much to get done that I just made myself a sandwich and then worked through my lunch.

When I was finally done with work for the day, I knew we had to get out for some excercise.   I debated on what to do, and ultimately, I decided to make the drive to Albion to work on our NCT miles. 

Temperatures were in the 30s and the wind added an extra chill, but this is the ideal weather for walking with Peaches, so we took full advantage of it.  We finished the evening with 3.4 miles on the trail.  It was the perfect way to start our weekend.

Saturday morning was cold, but that didn't deter us from getting the shelter dogs out for a walk.

These three were full of energy, but did a pretty nice job on the walk.  I know that they were all very happy to be out of the shelter for awhile.

When I got home I fed the girls lunch, made myself a sandwich, and watched some of the Michigan vs Louisville women's basketball game.

Then we headed out for some fun in the sun.  

It was 38 degrees when we arrived at the Paul Henry Thornapple Trailhead in Middleville, but the sun was shining , and when the wind wasn't blowing, we stayed pretty comfortable. 

I always forget about this section of the NCT and I don't know why because it is such a nice portion of the trail.  We saw a couple of other people out, but for the most part we had the trail all to ourselves. 

I was pretty excited when I spied several little Trout Lily leaves peaking out through the leaves and grass.  I couldn't get a better picture without Peaches stomping all over them, so this little leaf is the only proof I have that Spring wildflowers are coming soon.  

We walked at a nice pace for some of our walk, and we took a more leisurely pace for portions too, so that Peaches could smell all of the smells.  Mina even joined in on some of the sniffing.

It ended up being a really nice time on the trail and I was so happy that we had gotten out to enjoy it.  We finished with 3.5 more miles on the trail which puts us over 40 miles for the year!  While I decided last year that I would be okay if Peaches couldn't do all 100 miles with us this year,  I am trying hard to get miles done early this year while she is still up for the hikes and enjoying them.  I'll modify hikes, shorten them if necessary, and do what I can to keep allowing her to join us as we move through the year.  While knows, maybe she'll go strong until we finish.   I sure hope so!

On the drive home I did some geocaching, and when we got home, Peaches was so sound asleep that she didn't even move when I opened the door to let them out of the car.  I had to gently wake her up and help her jump out of the car, but she was soon her crazy, silly self again, especially once she saw her dinner was ready.  

After making my own dinner, I did the dishes and a load of laundry, and settled in for a very quiet evening. What a perfect way to spend our Saturday. 

This morning as I write, I  have been thinking about this morning 37 tears ago,, the day that my amazing daughter came into my life.  It is crazy the details I can remember from that day when  sometimes I can't even remember what I did yesterday.  🤣

At this moment on that cold, gray day in 1989, I was at the hospital awaiting her arrival, not knowing how much she would change my life.  She definitely made an impact! 

I'm looking forward to the day because I'll be joining Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona for a trip to the Detroit Opera House to see The Lion King.  I'm excited to celebrate her day with her.

It's been a quiet and lazy day here so far, but it's time for me to get moving soon to head out for the day.  So I'm off to snuggle with the girls a bit before I have to leave them.  Hope you all have an amazing day!