Dogs days of summer

It was a great week to get out and enjoy the first full week of Summer here in Michigan.  Early in the week, we had some really great weather with low humidity and temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s.  Knowing that a heatwave was headed our way, we decided to get out and enjoy the great outdoors while we could.  

Our adventures last Sunday took us to Battle Creek to get in some miles on the North Country Trail.  We are working on our 100 miles on the trail again this year and are a little behind schedule, so it seemed like a great day to get in a few miles.  

The trail follows the Battle Creek Linear Path through town and has some nice views of the river.  It also has a great park with a little history of the Underground railroad and some great places to catch the girls exploring.  Peaches loves to jump up anything she can so she can see more.

After forcing them to pose for some pictures, it was back to the trail.  We met several friendly bikers along the way and enjoyed our time together on the trail.  We completed just about 4 miles on the trail that day, but we are still a little behind schedule (I would like to have 50 miles completed since we're at the end of June and we're about 5 miles short), but we have some time on the trail planned for this week, so I'm hoping to get back on track!

Once we finished our hike, it was back in the Jeep to head home and partake in a charity dog wash being held by a Lansing area rescue.  All three girls were troopers, but I can honestly say none of them enjoyed the experience.  

Maddie getting soapy

Imke being pampered 

Peaches post bath...I don't think she was happy with me

Even if they didn't enjoy it, I love that they were clean and we were able to support other dogs in need.  We always like to do our part to help where we can.

Peaches first State Capitol visit

Since we were already downtown for the dog wash, I decided we should take a little walk around the Capitol Building and see if we could get a practice session in with Peaches.  She did amazing!  Although she loves to scoot forward every time I take a step back, we finally got a good sit and stay out of both Peaches and Maddie while Imke was laying down very nicely.  I was pretty happy with our first attempt-even if I cut the dome out of the picture!

Best Co-pilot ever!

Monday was just as nice as Sunday, so it seemed like a great night to take the top off of the Jeep and take a drive, after all, half the reason for having a Jeep is so you can take the top off!  This was Peaches first ride with the top off and she had the best time.

Peaches enjoying the ride

Mom and Maddie!

We had no destination in mind and just took our time and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. Who doesn't love just going for a drive?  I know the girls and I love it!  It was a great way to spend the evening with the girls.  

Fun with the girls

Tuesday night I took the girls to watch my niece, Brezlyn, play softball.  I've got a whole other blog post planned to talk about our love of the game, but here's one picture of all three of them to hold you over until then!

Thursday, Peaches had her 6 month check-up and chest x-ray for  her cancer.  I am happy to report that the cancer is growing slowly and the doctor was very happy with how well she is doing.  Although we know our time with her is limited, she's become a big part of our lives and it's nice to know that we've still got some good times left!  

Waiting patiently at the Vet

Since Thursday was the last day of nice weather before the heatwave hit, and in celebration of the good news from the vet, we decided to get out and get a couple of miles on the North Country Trail in Marshall.  We really like the Marshall River walk, mainly because it's one of closest parts of the trail to us.  But Maddie and Peaches like it because they can splash around in the River.

After a nice dip in the River and a good drink, it was back on the trail so we could finish up our 2 miles and head home before sunset.

I'm so glad we went because it was a gorgeous night and we got to spend some quality time together, but most importantly, I had three happy girls by the end of the walk!

We finished our week with a trip to Midland to visit our dog loving friends, Shauna and Eddie, who are moving West in just few days.  They always have the best dog-friendly parties!  

While the heat (and food) kept Imke and Maddie close by, Peaches had the best time exploring their yard and hunting for critters.  A few times she was joined be her new hound friend, Ricky Bobby.

I was only able to get one picture of Peaches with Dylan...and it took some good venison as a bribe to get this one! Joey, the Beagle, joined in on that fun as well!

Imke and Maddie stayed close by on the deck most of the night.  I'm sure the heat and the proximity to food were contributing factors to that.  And Imke was happy to make people friends that let her lick their plates. 

Dylan was happy that  Auntie Trisha was willing to spoil him!

 Jesse and Joey enjoyed the air conditioning most of the night.  I can't blame them!

All of the dogs had a great time!  We were so happy to be able to see our friends before they leave.  We're going to miss having them just down the road, but now we have a reason to make a road trip to Washington!  It was a great way to end our fun first week of summer.   There's nothing better than a life surrounded by dogs!

Fun at Showboat Park

Summer has finally arrived and with it comes longer, warmer days and more time for fun!  I love that it gives me more opportunities to be outside with the girls and to enjoy our beautiful state, even if it's just more time out in our own backyard!  And this week, we've been taking full advantage of every minute.

Last weekend took us to my home town of Chesaning to visit my dad for father's day.  My dad is not the dog lover I am, but he's certainly grown to appreciate the girls and even embraces the craziness that comes with three German Shorthaired Pointers.  The girls always get excited about their trips to visit Grandpa and Grandma because what GSP doesn't love some time in the country?  Of course there are always adventures and lots of things to sniff, but there are also lots of walks, lounging in the sun, petting, and treats!  Everything a good GSP loves.

This year, my parents decided to spend some time camping at Showboat Park, so that is where we went to visit them.  The girls have never been to Showboat Park so this was an excellent place for us to get out and explore somewhere new (at least for them).  With lots of wide open space to roam and very few other campers around, it was a good location to pull out the long leashes to allow everyone more freedom to explore.  And explore they did!

Peaches loved the opportunity to sniff far and wide and to drag Grandma all over the park!  Even when we were sitting at the campsite, she was on the prowl for critters!

But I think the best part of the day for all of the girls was the opportunity to splash around in the Shiawassee River.  It was a hot day, so some time in the water was very much needed!

In typical Maddie fashion, she used the river as a drinking bowl, not getting too deep in order to prevent the water from touching her belly.

Peaches ran right in at full speed.  She jumped and splashed around like a crazy youngster!  She'd then run out at full speed to run back in.  It's actually amazing I didn't end up in the river too! She's certainly not afraid to get a little wet.  She was having a great time and it was so much fun to watch!

Imke spent her time in the river close to the shore where there are lots of things to sniff.  She's always on the hunt for a critter to terrorize.  Of course, along the banks is also where all of the good grass is. Nice long pieces of grass that make for the perfect snack.  And when she's not hunting, she's grazing like a goat.

After a good walk and some time to splash around the river, it was time to head back to the campsite for a little rest.

Peaches enjoyed lounging at the campsite and watching the world around her, while Imke and Maddie were ready for a nap in the shade.  It was the perfect end to their day of adventures.

It was a great way to spend our day and I think the girls would agree!  I'm pretty lucky to have them around to explore the world with me.  I love to see the world through their eyes.  Boy have they shown me a lot over the years and it seems like I learn more every day.

This Summer I'm more determined than ever to make the most of every minute.  With Imke and Maddie getting older and with Peaches' cancer, I want to make sure they don't miss out on anything that a great Michigan summer has to offer!  We are living every moment to the fullest and look forward to sharing our adventures with you.

Now we're off for our next adventure! 

Summer is coming

After several crazy weeks and busy weekends, things have finally started to slow down and this week I've had the chance to enjoy the longer days and the warmer weather.  I always look forward to this time of year.  With more daylight hours and nice weather, I can spend more time outside with the girls every day of the week.  And I take full advantage of it!

Peaches loves to be outside and is especially enjoying the beautiful weather.  She'd spend hours just lounging in the sun with occasional breaks to bark at a passerby or to stalk a bird or squirrel.  Imke has also been enjoying much more outside time this year, now that she has a friend to hang out with her.  She'll happily stay outside sniffing every inch of the yard as long as someone is out there with her so Peaches is her perfect friend.  Maddie prefers to be outside only if mom is out there with her, so while the other two are outside, I have a little shadow following my every move.  But once I head out the door, Maddie is happy to follow and spend time watching the world go by.  She also loves a good nap in the sun.

So this week, I've spent some time out with the girls every night, working on finishing up this year's mulching, adding new flowers to the landscape, weeding, fixing the garden and laying down my annual layer of straw(although there will be now plants in the garden this year due to our upcoming travels); I even made time to just sit back and relax a bit.

 We've made sure to get out for some nice walks around the neighborhood, trying to vary our routes regularly so that the girls can experience new smells along the way.  And we even splurged and had a little ice cream one night, which was the cause of much excitement and an audience of beggars watching my every bite.

But my favorite night this week was the night I decided to have our first bonfire of the year.  It was a beautiful night with no mosquitoes and I had the first lightning bug sighting of the Summer.  It was so relaxing and enjoyable sitting in the yard and enjoying the sound of the wood cracking and the smell of the smoke. It is really beginning to feel like Summer now.  

Over the next couple of weeks, I am hoping to have more time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy all our Michigan Summer has to offer. I'm looking forward to all of the quality time with the girls enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and bare feet in the grass.  I've got to make the most of it while we can because Summer goes by way too quickly and before you know it, we'll be heading into Fall.

Now we're off to enjoy some time with my parents for Father's Day on this very humid and hot day.  I'm sure that we'll find some fun adventures along the way.  Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, but especially to mine!

Caught up in a Whirlwind

Wow has life seemed busy lately!  I've been caught up in a whirlwind of activities that have kept us on the move for the last few weeks.  From work travel to a fun Memorial weekend in the UP with friends, family time at the niece and nephew's sporting events, graduation open houses, the shelter's adopt-a-fest, and just being able to get the girls out for their daily exercise (and mine!), it seems like I've been on the move for three weeks straight. 

And though today is going to be busy as well, with a full day of graduation open houses and some friend's going away party, I am thankful this morning to have two whole hours on this peaceful Saturday morning to sit and relax with the girls.  So I thought while Peaches is outside on a squirrel hunt, Maddie is still in bed, and Imke is curled up at the other end of the couch snoring away, that I'd take a few minutes to just sit here and enjoy the moment.  I'm going to ignore the buzzing Fit Bit telling me that I should get up and move and the load of laundry sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded or the other load waiting to be washed.  I'm just going to listen to the sound of raindrops hitting the windows, the birds chirping, and the dogs snoring.  I'm going to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and soak it all in because we all need time to refresh and recharge with no commitments and no to-do list. 

Life gets busy for all of us, but it's important to remember that life is short and it is precious and that it is important to slow down and enjoy it!  Some of the best moments of life are found sitting in quiet reflection with those you love best in the world. 

Happy Saturday!

Gratitude-The quality of being thankful.

Becoming a blogger has been an interesting experience for me.  I regularly have ideas rolling around in my head...many things and experiences I'd like to share.  That is the main reason I decided to start a blog, as an outlet for all of those thoughts.  But the reality is that life interferes and many times I just don't make the time to share them.  I've had topics pop into my head over the months I've been doing this, but by the time I sit down to write, they seem less relevant, no longer important, or just plain silly.  But I've had one topic that has been top of mind for a couple of weeks and it's importance isn't lessening; it seems to be growing. 

Life has been busy the last few weeks with travel for work, three four-legged girls who require a lot of my time, volunteer responsibilities, family commitments, and my attempt to live a healthier lifestyle and truly be present.  Every time I have a quiet moment when I think I might find time to write, something has pulled me away.  But not today!  It is Sunday morning, the day I dedicated to spend a little time writing each week, and it's gloomy and raining.  So as I sit here watching Imke sleep (she's pretty cute when she's snoring!), I figured that this was the perfect time to share.

I'm sure most of you have at some time in your life felt grateful for what you have.  I can't imagine any human being not feeling gratitude at some point in their lives.  I know that there are people who take time each day to write down the things that they are thankful for and there are other ways that we express thankfulness to ourselves and to others.  But are you truly grateful?  Do you realize just how much you have to be grateful for every single day?  Even when life knocks us down, and maybe especially in those moments, we need to remember how fortunate we truly are and be thankful for every day we are given; everything we are given.

It was a Sunday a couple of weeks ago.  We had a rather boring day at home, the weather wasn't very nice, and I was feeling a little blah.  Early evening arrived and the sun came out for a bit and I decided to take the girls out for a walk.  As we rounded the corner just a block away from home, I realized what a beautiful evening it was and just how fortunate I was to be out enjoying a walk with these three amazing dogs with all of the Spring trees flowering.  The smells of Spring, the feeling of the warm sun, and the joy of Imke, Maddie, and Peaches as they explored the world, all combined and I felt this feeling come over me.  It was that warm, fuzzy feeling you get that hits you right in the heart and makes you realize how amazing life is and how fortunate you are to be living it!

Just another day in the life of a dog mom!

I couldn't help but think "How fortunate am I to be out on such a beautiful day?"  I was truly enjoying the simplicity of life and the beauty that Mother Nature shares with us every Spring. 

Over the last two weeks, I've had so many other times when that same feeling has just come over me in the strangest of moments-like walking out of my office to see the blossoms starting on this tree. It smells amazing when it's in full bloom and I look forward to it every year. 

Or spending time at my parents in the country and watching the joy experienced by my sweet old Imke as she explores, and then after all of the fun, she and Maddie lying down to enjoy the fresh air.

And watching Peaches discover it for the first time.  She got so much joy from just listening to the birds chirp.  It really reminds you how important the little things are.

I'm especially grateful for Nicol and all she has taught me.  To this day I am still learning from her and I love to see the world through her eyes.  Every minute I spend with her is special.  She is pretty amazing!

Or experiencing something as simple as the circle of life when you discover a robin's nest full of beautiful little blue eggs. 

And how about the simple gratitude you feel when coming home after a couple of days on the road for work.  I do feel so fortunate to live in such an amazing place as Michigan!

But mostly, I'm just grateful for every day that I get with these three beautiful girls who make every day an adventure.  I am truly fortunate and so very grateful every single day.  I hope you realize just how much you have to be grateful for as well.  Don't take one minute for granted!  Life is a special gift!

“So you think this is just another day in your life? It’s not just another day. It is the one day that is given to you…today.” ~ Br. David Steindl-Rast