Catching up...where has the time gone?

I'm sorry I haven't written in two weeks, but life keeps lifing.  Let's catch up on the happenings of the last 14 days.

We start the blog on Sunday, August 10.  The girls and I had a busy morning preparing to be away from home for a few days...me for work travel and them at Canine College.  Because my flight was early on Monday, we stayed the night in Farmington Hills so I could drop the girls off as soon as Canine College opened on Monday and then head to the airport.

This allowed us to make a visit to see Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona.  While it wasn't a long visit, we enjoyed getting to see them.  I always love when the girls get to spend time with Fiona.

It was a warm and very humid evening, but we needed to get in a walk after our visit, so we did just that.  Then we headed back to the hotel where we all had dinner, and then the girls crashed for the night.

Monday we were up early.   I left the girls in the capable hands of the staff at Canine College. And then I headed to the airport.  My flight was delayed a bit,  but eventually I made it to Denver and grabbed an Uber to the hotel where our meetings would be held.

I checked in to my room without a view, and then headed downstairs to grab lunch with our team before the meeting started.  I spent the rest of the afternoon in our meeting.

After the meeting finished for the day, we had a team dinner at a nearby rooftop bar.  I was happy to head straight to my room after dinner, and I was sound asleep in no time.  It had been a very long day!

Tuesday started with another meeting.  When we finsihed at noon, we had a small break before a fun team activity that was planned for the afternoon.  I had been given a very important task to complete while in Denver, so after eating my boxed lunch, I went for a walk to do some shopping.

My trip was successful as I was able to find a few Denver Broncos items to bring home for Fiona who has proclaimed herself a Broncos fan, much to the disappointment of her dad who LOVES the Detroit Lions.

I was back just in time to meet up with the team to take the shuttle outside of downtown Denver for an afternoon guided team hike.

This was probably one of the best team activities I've ever taken part in! The hike wasn't too difficult and the scenery was pretty nice.  

I could barely even tell we were at an elevation of just over 8,600ft...a mere 7,850 feet higher than what I'm used to at home!

Some of the scenery actually even reminded me of parts of the UP.  And I had a really fun conversation with one of our guides who was from Dublin.

After our hike we were taken back to the bar owned by the guide company where they had dinner for us.  We also had the opportunity to try axe throwing while we were there. 

I discovered that I have a hidden talent!  Who knew I'd be any good at axe throwing.   It was fun trying out something new.

We then were brought back to our hotel, and since I had a later flight home on Wednesday, I stayed out for a while with some of our group.  It eneded up being a much later night than I had planned, but it nice to be able to spend some time with some people I don't see often. 

I was excited for Wednesday morning because I had time for a visit to the Colorado State Capitol and I was going to be able to take one of the guided tours there.

The building is beautiful inside, and we learned a lot about the history of the State and the building.

It was also interesting to learn that this building was designed by the some person that designed Michigan's Capitol Building.   I could definitely see lots of similarities. 

The best part of the guided tour is that you are allowed to go up into the dome of the building.   Not many Capitols allow that, and I was pretty excited about it.

And a big thank you to the boss for joining me.  He got a lot of nerdy information on the tour, and I'm sure he wasn't nearly as excited as I was about it, but it was nice to be able to spend the time with him.  He was a good sport about the whole thing.

As soon as I was back at the hotel, I had to pack up and Uber to the airport to make the flight home.  We were delayed on the return flight, but thankfully I got home in time to pick the girls up from Canine College before the latch key pickup ended for the night.  I think they were both pretty happy to see me!

Before leaving town on Sunday, I had promised Fiona that I would read her bedtime stories to her the night that I got home, and she anxiously awaited my arrival.  She even got to stay up late to wait for me.  After quickly going through her bedtime routine and getting her tucked in for the night, I grabbed a very late dinner and checked into the hotel for the night.  I had an audience while I ate. 

But soon both girls were sound asleep for the night and so was I.  I worked from the hotel until check out the next morning.  It was a very quiet morning and a quiet drive home too.

Friday finally arrived and after a whirlwind day of work, I was able to get the girls out for a nice evening walk.

We enjoyed our walk along the Sycamore Creek Trail and through Scott Woods.

After all of the browns of Colorado, I was happy to be back home where everything was very green.

My Saturday started out with a quick transport to help this little Chihuahua get from Ingham County to the Shiawassee Humane Society.   She was an excellent passenger. 

Saturday afternoon I got to spend time with Fiona while Nicol and Tyler were out.

We played games, went to the park, and read stories.  It was a busy afternoon. 

Then we went out for tacos for dinner.  What a fun day we had!

While both Picasso and Fiona are always happy to see me, they were pretty excited when mom and dad got home!

When Sunday arrived,  I was ready for a quiet day at home.  The girls were happy to oblige for most of the day but eventually I could tell that they needed to get out for a walk.

I decided to take them out to the East West Pathway for our walk.  We always enjoy this trail and I knew it would be a good spot for a shorter walk which we needed because of the heat and humidity and the chance that it was going to storm.

We saw interesting fungus and lots of deer, including this little buck who wasn't more than 30 feet away from us.

After we were finished, both girls seemed happy and satisfied with the adventure so we headed home for a restful evening. 

It was a good way to end a busy week of travel and work.

Monday it was back to the grind and another busy week of work.  But we made sure to get out every evening for a little adventure.

We headed back to the East West Pathway on Monday night, but this time we headed East, not our normal Westward hike.  This allowed us to see some areas we hadn't been before which was perfect to allow us to slow down and let Peaches sniff as much as she wanted.  It was a really nice walk.

Tuesday evening was spent at Peaches' monthly vet appointment.   It was a quick and easy appointment with one little poke, and she was happy to be done quickly.

We had taken a walk with Minaa before the appointment, but I thought I'd treat Peaches to another walk after her appointment.  We had a nice time along the Hayhoe Trail.   It was nice to spend some one on one time with her.

When we got home, I took Mina for a walk around the block before heading outside for a few rounds of backyard fetch.  I think she was happy with that decision.

I spent my lunch on Wednesday at Mina's annual vet appointment.   She was so wiggly and happy to see everyone, but she was not happy that she had to get shots.  She did a good job, though.

Then after work, we took a walk on campus to take advantage of the quiet before all of the students return.

I love campus in August because it lacks all of the students, but we normally get to hear the drum line practicing for tje Marching Band season ahead.  That always makes me smile.

While I have tried to give the girls plenty of fun and adventures this Summer, it has been difficult. With the hot and humid temperatures we've had, extra time spent with Bumble, and everything going on at work, I don't feel like either of them have gotten the attention they deserve. 

So Thursday we headed North for a quick trip to Yappy Hour at the Crooked Vine Vineyard, which is owned by one of our Ameriprise advisors and her husband. 

The drive nice, the weather was perfect, and the views were beautiful, and most importantly, the girls had the best time!

I enjoyed some wine and cheese, which of course was shared with the girls.  They got treats, everone gave them love and attention, there were balls for Mina to play with, and some live music added to the atmosphere. 

But I think their favorite part was our walk aroud the vineyard to end the day.  It was just perfect.

After our walk, we made the drive home because I had a busy day of work to finish the week.  But that quick trip made us all very happy.

And it was a very quiet drive home.

Boy was Friday busy!  Not only did I have a really busy day of work, but after work I had several errands to run and things to get done.

I was able to squeeze in a short walk around Reo Town before heading to Mason where we were able to take another short walk around the courthouse and downtown at sunset.

There were lots of good smells, apparently,  because we didn't get anywhere very fast!

I was able to get everything done that I needed to do which made me very happy because for the next week we're on vacation and I told myself if I could get everything done and get packed, we'd leave a day earlier than we originally planned.

With everything done and the car packed and ready to go, I made a quick call to confirm the availability of a room for the night in our favorite spot in Manistique.  Jackpot!  There was a room!  So I got the girls into the car to start our trip.

We made a quick stop at Preuss Pets for Poncho's 50th Birthday party, got some treats, and then we were back in the car to start our travels North.

It was smooth sailing all the way with only a slight delay at the Bridge and then a nice drive down US2 to Manistique for the night.

We settled into our room and then went out for a walk down to the beach, the best part of where we stay.  It felt great to stretch my legs after the drive 

The girls were also happy to stretch their legs, get a drink from the lake, and sniff around a bit.  Then we took a short rest in our room before dinner.

Of course, dinner was at Clyde's, but as a bonus, I got to have dinner with Tyler, Nicol, and Fiona who are spending their week of vacation in the UP too.

It was a special moment for me to be there as Fiona had her first Clyde's experience on her first trip to the UP.  I'm so excited to hear all about her trip when I see her next.  I just wish I could have been there when she saw Superior for the first time.

After dinner, the girls and I spent some time at the beach at one of the local parks.  We had the whole place to ourselves for most of our visit.

We had such a nice walk along the beach, and Peaches and I splashef around in the water a bit.

It was just a perfect beach evening with blues skies, sunshine, and the perfect temperature. 

We've now settled into our room for the night and I expect we'll all sleep well after enjoying the beach and some fresh UP air.  

Tomorrow our journey continues.  It should be an excellent week.