Holiday fun and a new foster friend

Happy Sunday and welcome to June.  I can't believe how fast this year is going!  It has officially been two weeks since I last wrote, mainly because we were out of town for the Memorial Day weekend last week and I just didn't have time to write.  So let's get caught up on everything that's been going on in our lives.

Two Sundays ago, we had a mid-80 degree day with lots of humidity.  I was supposed to do some work in the garden, but the weather was just too hot, and honestly, I was tired.  I decided we'd have a quiet day at home.  I was hesitant to get the dogs out for much of a walk because of the heat and humidity because Peaches just isn't handling the heat as well as she did when she was younger.  I have to keep reminding myself that she's an old lady now, at 12 1/2 years old, even though she doesn't always act her age.  

By late afternoon, I knew that we needed to get out of the house for at least a short adventure, and I decided to make the drive out to Oak Park in Grand Ledge.  I knew we could take a short walk in the shade and enjoy the view of the river.  We ended up venturing down to the the river bank for a walk along the ledges too.  I didn't have the right shoes for this added adventure, but I'm glad we did it still.

After about a mile at Oak Park we drove to the other side of the river for the short walk at Island Park.  It's not even a half-mile round trip to walk the length of the island, but it's always a good spot to see lots of ducks and geese and the dogs always enjoy the walk.  We'd had a nice little adventure in Grand Ledge.

That Monday was going to be another hot day.  I knew the girls would need an adventure, so I decided to take them out for a good run at Soldan Dog Park over my lunch.  I had a nice walk in the shady woods while they ran and explored.  Then we headed home where they spent short periods of time outside while I worked and they ate both their lunch and dinner using some fun new brain games I got for them recently.  

The weather Tuesday was even hotter, so other than some fun at home and meals using brain games, the only other adventure we had was a little drive in the country after work.  The girls happily watched me as I picked up some quick roadside geocaches.  

Wednesday night was my weekly shelter dog walk.  We walked several dogs that evening because we had a good group of walkers, but Trace is my favorite.  Isn't she adorable?

At the end of my work day on Thursday, I took the girls out to Eaton Rapids for a run at the Island City Dog park.  This dog park is always so quiet, and I love just sitting in the shade, throwing the ball for Mina, and watching Peaches explore with her nose.  She even got feisty and played ball a bit that day.  The best thing about this park is that it is on a really quiet street, so it feels like I'm sitting in a backyard just enjoying the day.  I could have stayed all evening. 

After dinner, I decided to take an evening trip to Soldan Dog Park.  I sat by the pond and just let the girls do what they wanted to do.  It was a great end to our evening.

I had Friday off for our extra long Memorial Day weekend.  The girls and I were meeting Vanessa mid-morning to make the drive North.  Since we were meeting her in St. Johns, I decided we could make a stop for doughnuts at the farm and then make a short visit to the Dewitt Dog Park nearby to let the girls burn some energy before our drive.  In our short 20 minute trip to the park, these two managed to gang up to kill a baby squirrel who made the mistake of running into a dog park of all places.  They were pretty pleased with themselves.

The traffic heading North wasn't too bad since we had left early enough in the day and we made it across the Bridge and into St Ignace for a late lunch at Clyde's.  

After a couple hours more, we made it to our final destination, Grand Marais.  We unloaded the car, settled into our rental, and then headed out for a short adventure in town.

We stopped in town for dinner at the Dunes Bar where we had some really yummy beer cheese dip and whitefish tacos, and then we headed back to the house for the girls to eat their dinner.  And then we all settled in for the night.

We woke to a cloudy Saturday morning, but even without the sun, this view was hard to beat.

Mina enjoyed a quiet morning of watching the world out the window while Peaches napped.  It was a nice start to our first day of vacation.  Sometimes it's nice to just have an unhurried, quiet start to the day.

When we finally headed out, the sun was shining. We headed out to make the drive toward Pine Stump for lunch and to do some exploring along the way.  We ended up on some really great back roads, did some geocaching in some pretty remote spots, and stopped at the Pretty Lake State Campground for a hike and some geocaching.

If we hadn't seen that there were geocaches here, we probably wouldn't have stopped, but I'm really glad that we did.  There were some really pretty lakes and it was a nice little hike with the girls.  

We finally made it to Pine Stump Junction for lunch.  The place was packed with several groups of ATVers, but we were able to get a table, and we ordered the pizza and cheese curd cubes.  Both were really good!

Now that we had eaten, we were ready to head out for more adventures.  We got in the car and headed West for a visit to a couple of spots in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

While I have visited Pictured Rocks more times than I can count, I had never visited the Au Sable Lighthouse because the trail to the lighthouse was never dog-friendly, but recently that has changed.  Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make the hike out there, especially since it is along the North Country Trail.  

It's a 1 1/2 mile hike along a wide, flat, well-maintained section of the trail, and the trip out went quickly.  

Sadly, the lighthouse isn't open until June, but it was nice to be able to walk around the grounds and check out the views.  The girls were pretty happy with the hike too!

He had a really nice walk back to the car too.  There were pretty views of the lake, and the breeze off the lake kept the bugs at bay.  

We saw several Lady Slippers along the way too.  I love these pretty little spring flowers.

After a quick walk on the beach at the Hurricane River, we were back in the car and heading toward Sable Falls.  This is one waterfall in the area that I haven't often visited because it was one of the areas that was not dog-friendly, but that has changed recently here as well. 

We walked all of the stairs out to the falls and enjoyed the view before walking the rest of the way along the trail to the beach.  We spent a little time exploring the beach and enjoying the views for the dunes, but it was getting late and it was time to head back to the house for the night.

Vanessa made us dinner and we both cleaned up after our day of adventures, then we sat down to enjoy the views.  

Everyone was tired from our day of adventures, and Peaches was ready for her evening snuggles with Vanessa.

Sunday I slept in a bit, but eventually Mina made it obvious she was ready for more adventures, so off we went.  We had some really fun spots on our agenda for Sunday and the weather was nearly perfect.

Our first stop was Muskallonge Lake State Park.  We picked up some geocaches at the park and took a walk down to the Lake Superior Beach before heading out for a longer hike along the NCT, which also runs through the park.

The NCT in the area runs along Lake Superior and offers some really great views.  It is also a pretty wooded area.

There were lots of hills, and the woods was green with new leaves.   We had a great hike through the area.

After our hike, we headed into Deer Park for lunch at the Uglyfish Bakery where we both had a frittata and some treats.  We needed to fuel up for the rest of our day of adventure.  

We headed out from the bakery along coast guard road to pick up a couple of geocaches and to hit some more remote areas along the NCT.  We did a short hike here.  

Then after a quick stop  at the Deer Park Lodge for a potty break and a couple of quick purchases, we  were off for our long trip out to the Mouth of the Two Hearted River.  Mina and Peaches both loved sticking their heads out the windows and taking in all the smells.

When we arrived at the Two-hearted, we parked and immediately got on the NCT to make the walk to the mouth of the river where it meets Lake Superior.

What a beautiful beach and such a pretty spot.  Vanessa was busy checking out all of the rocks while I explored the beach with the girls.  

We walked along the NCT back toward the car and continued on along the trail to walk the bridge across the river and out to Lakes Superior on the other side.  

I love that the trail follows the beach to the West here.  Mina was just ready to get out to the water!

Of course I made the girls pose for a picture at the bridge before we could leave.  We only did about a mile on the trail here, but we really enjoyed exploring this area.

Our next adventure would take us further east along CR412 to the Crisp Point Lighthouse.  I've heard so many times how bad this road was that we were prepared for the worst.  But honestly, the road wasn't bad at all.  We picked a day that was pretty perfect for this trip, ensuring it hadn't rained in a couple of days, and we made it there safe and sound.  But of course we had to stop at this sign, which is less than 1 1/2 miles from the lighthouse.

I was happy that we made it out to the lighthouse while it was still open so that we could climb the tower.  

The views from the top are pretty spectacular.  I love how far you can see from up there.

After we climbed the tower, we got the girls out of the car to join us for a short walk and to get their picture taken here too.  With all of the adventures I've had with dogs around the UP over the years, it is exciting to still be able to find new spots to explore.  Mina and Peaches had several firsts with me over this weekend.

It began to sprinkle a bit as we left the lighthouse to head back to the house for the night, but we made it back safe and sound, ate dinner in, and then everyone snuggled up for a quiet night.

We woke to rain on Monday, which was not unexpected.  The girls both snuggled up with me on the sofa while we enjoyed a quiet morning before making our long drive home.  All too soon, we had to pack up and head out.  Of course, you know we had some rainy day adventures planned for the trip home too.

We took the back roads between Grand Marais and Newberry on the trip home and picked up some quick roadside geocaches along the way.  We were driving right by Oswald's Bear Ranch, so we decided to make the stop to check it out.  Vanessa and I had both never visited before, and even though it was raining, we were able to get out and take a walk around the property to see all of the bears.

We then made the drive to Paradise for lunch at Fresh Coast Cafe.  They have really good sandwiches, and we hadn't been there in years, so it was worth the drive.  Then we made the short drive from Paradise up to Whitefish Point for one final adventure.

We walked the Lighthouse property and made a visit to the beach.  Large sections of the beach area were fenced off for the Piping Plovers who are nesting in the area, and we were careful to avoid those areas.  

Somehow we got lucky and the rain stopped during our visit here so we were able to enjoy our time.

Sadly, before we knew it, it was time to load up the car and start our trip home, but the girls were pretty content and slept nicely most of the way home.  We had a great Memorial day weekend and look forward to next year's adventure!

This week at work felt extra busy, and I was so tired at the end of each work day that we didn't have any big adventures, but the girls did spend a lot of time outside during my work day.  

On Tuesday, I got to help with a transport for the National Brittany Rescue Network(NBRAN).  Tuck was pulled from a shelter in Muskegon and I helped him on leg two of his journey, from Grand Rapids to Lansing.  He was a sweet boy and an excellent passenger.

On Wednesday, I had our shelter dog walk.  We have some really nice dogs right now and I always enjoy these walks.  Wheeler really enjoyed his time out of the shelter.

Thursday, the girls and I made the drive out to Charlotte and took a walk around Lincoln Park.  They were so happy to be outside and checking out a new place.  It was a short walk, but an excellent weekday adventure.

Friday after work, I made the drive to visit my parents.  My dad continues to improve every time I see him and he is feeling great.  The girls got out for a nice run around my parents yard and a little exploring with me and my mom.  On the way home, we drove through Owosso, so I made a stop at Curwood Castle to get them out for a short walk before making the rest of our drive home.

It was a beautiful walk and a great way to end the week.  I'm really glad I decided to stop.

Saturday morning started with a morning shelter dog walk.  Hera is such a fun girl.  She loved her walk!

It was a small group of walkers, so only three dogs got out, but it was a really nice walk.  I got to walk Aayla.

Before leaving the shelter, I got Rafa ready to come home with me as my newest foster.  She's a sweet puppy probably 6-7 months old, and she needed a break from the shelter.  I knew that Mina and Peaches would do great with her and that she would love Mina.

The introduction when I got home went well, and the girls spent the majority of the afternoon outside playing.  It was just what I needed because I had lots of yardwork to do.  I spent the afternoon weeding my landscaping and trimming bushes.  It was a very productive afternoon.  Unfortunately, rain moved into the area around 4:30pm which kept me from finishing as much as I had wanted, but I am pretty happy with the progress I made.  

It was not a quiet night at my house because Mina and Rafa spent most of it wrestling.  If they weren't playing, they were following me everywhere I went while I did some house cleaning and laundry.  It was an especially productive Saturday and I was really happy with everything that I was able to get done.

Our Sunday started with Mina and Rafa playing and Peaches wondering why I brought this crazy youngster home with me.  I had planned on getting out to do some more work in the yard today, but the weather wasn't fully cooperating and neither were the dogs.  I have a few errands to run this afternoon and I still plan to get in a couple of hours of work in the yard too, but right now I'm right where I need to be.  I started the blog early with Peaches on my lap, and now I'm finally finishing it several hours later with Rafa on my lap.  In between I've kept myself busy with checking some to-dos off my list. The dogs have all settled in for a nice nap after a busy morning of play, so I think I'm just going to sit here a bit and watch a little game show network because it is okay to take some time for rest.  

I hope you all have a great week!  I know it's going to be a fun one at my house with Rafa here.

Let's go to the Dog Park

This week we spent a lot of time at dog parks. I'm not sure why, but that was just how things went.  It was a pretty quiet and uneventful week around here, even work was quiet.  Aside from a little rain, the weather has been decent, and the girls have spent a lot of their days outside during my work day.  I love when they can do that.  The days are getting warmer and the bugs are becoming more evident, but I like this time of year because it's daylight until around 9pm and we can actually get out for some fun during the week.  Tonight's sunset will be 8:59pm.  I've always loved the late sunsets.

As I said earlier, it was a dog park kind of week here, and after my busy Monday at work, the girls were ready for a run.  We made the drive to Soldan Dog Park for a little fun.  There was plenty of sniffing and running, splashing around the water and ball chasing, and we were having such a good time that I completely forgot to take any pictures until we were leaving.  Of course just before we left, Peaches found the muddy muck near the entrance and decided this would be a great place to explore and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get her attention and keep her out of it.  So both girls got a good rinse off with the house just outside the park.  Peaches was not happy with me!  Luckily I was able to get them to stop for a quick picture on the path back to the car.

Tuesday was another good day.  The girls were in and out of the house all day long enjoying our excellent weather.  I tried to take a little break and quiet time to myself after work, but I had two girls staring at me ready for some fun.  I was able to convince them to relax for a bit, and then I decided to take a drive out to Dewitt for a dog park visit there.  We saw a couple of their favorite friends from this park and Mina spent the next hour happily playing fetch while Peaches sniffed around all by herself.  There were games of chase and lots of other fun for Mina, and Peaches even decided she'd like to play with a ball for a bit too.  Finally it was time to go, even though Mina was not ready to leave.  

Wednesday I decided to get the girls out for a walk on my lunch.  I decided to make the short drive to Moore's Park for a walk along the Lansing River Trail.  It was Mina's first visit to this park and exploring this part of the River Trail.

It was a little warm, and Peaches doesn't seem to tolerate the warm weather as well as she used to, but she did great.  It was a beautiful day along the river, and we all enjoyed our walk.  Mina was really distracted by the geese when I stopped for a couple pictures on our way to the car at the end of our walk.  And of course, Peaches found a shady spot in the grass to enjoy.

After work, I headed out to the shelter for our dog walk.  What a beautiful evening to walk our shelter dogs.  It is always one of my favorite parts of my week.  

The weather on Thursday called for some rain showers in the early evening, so I decided to take the girls to Soldan Dog Park over lunch to burn some energy just in case we couldn't get out after work.  It was another great visit to the park for them.   I enjoyed watching them run around and explore.  Sadly, I experienced my first mosquitoes of the season there on this day in a quiet corner of the park where I like to sit and let them explore a bit.  We didn't sit there long before I was swarmed and decided we'd just keep moving.  Our visits here may become less frequent during the mosquito season, if they get bad.  But for now at least, I was able to avoid them for the most part.  

After work, the sun was still shining with no rain in sight, so we headed out to the opening day of the South Lansing Farmer's Market.  I picked up a few baked goods, got my egg rolls from Ming Dynasty, and picked out some spring produce, and I got lots of compliments on how well-behaved the girls were.  After I was done at the market, the girls got their trip into Feeders' (formerly Soldan's) to check out all of the smells and treats.  It was a successful first Farmer's Market visit .

I then headed home to mow the front yard before dinner.  Luckily, I was able to finish despite the fact that I had to do the last few swipes in the rain.  It had been a very good and productive day.

Friday was hot with a chance for some evening showers, so I made plans to get the girls out before the rain arrived.  I debated on where to go and what to do, and I changed my mind a few times before we got in the car and headed out toward Eaton Rapids.  I had planned to make a stop at the Dog Park in town for a quick run before heading on to another destination where we'd get out for a walk.  But as we got close to town, I decided to stop at The Flower Garden, which is my favorite local greenhouse, to look at the vegetable plants.  They are dog-friendly, and they always have a great selection of plants. We left with $29 worth of awesome veggies that will spend the summer in my garden and provide us with lots of tasty meals and fill my freezer in the fall.  

We then headed over to the Island City Dog Park.  It was completely empty and ours to enjoy!  It is on a quiet street and I don't know that it gets a lot of use locally(we've never seen another dog here), so it's a nice spot to enjoy some quiet time with the girls.  

I walked around and threw the ball for Mina for a bit, until I eventually took a seat in the shade under a maple tree.  Boy was it hot in the sun!  Mina and Peaches ran around and explored, and finally Peaches joined me in the shade.  Eventually Mina came for a rest in the shade too.  She alternated between chasing her ball and lounging in the shade, while Peaches and I decided the shady spot was exactly where we wanted to be.  We stayed for quite a long visit because it was so nice and peaceful.  

Finally, we left the dog park to make the drive home.  I took the long scenic drive through the countryside and picked up a few geocaches along the way.  Then I picked up dinner to treat myself and headed home.  It had been an excellent evening adventure.  

I had a full day planned for our Saturday, starting with a Saturday morning shelter dog walk.  We had a fun walk with Trace and three other puppies at the shelter.  It's always a great way to start my Saturday.  On the way home from the shelter, I made a quick stop at the Holt Farmer's Market to pick up a some dog treats from our favorite treat lady, and then had an interesting visit with a couple of my neighbors when I arrived home.  

I did a couple of quick things around the house before I had to load the girls into the car to head out for a fun meet-up at the dog park at Joey's Pet Outfitters on the other side of town.  One of my fellow volunteers at the shelter reserved the space so volunteers and employees at the shelter could bring their dogs out for a little fun.   Mina made friends with Duncan and they spent a lot of time running and rough-housing.  Mina also had a great time exploring the shore of the pond and chasing birds.  Meanwhile, Peaches spent her time exploring or just hanging out with all of the people.  They took full advantage of our trip and had a blast.  

After 90 minutes of fun, we were back in the car so I could get them home and then I headed out the door for Mason's graduation open house at my brother's.  Before going to the open house though, I met Nicol, Tyler, and Fiona at my Uncle Charles and Aunt Dawn's farm so Fiona could see the cows and chickens.  She loved it!

Then we were off to the party.  After eating, I spent most of the rest of my evening chasing around Fiona.  We stuck our feet in the pool where she loved kicking and splashing, we took a ride in the golf cart with Sidnee driving and Fiona sitting on Nicol's lap, and we watched lots of games of cornhole.  It was nice to spend some time with the family.  My dad was there and wheeling himself all over with his walker, and he even made it up the steps to the pool deck to watch Fiona splash around.  It was a good evening.

It had been a long Saturday with a majority of my day spent outside and I was exhausted when I got home after 10pm.  Luckily the girls were happy to have a really late dinner and then settle in for the night.

I was excited when I realized I was going to have my entire Sunday to spend at home and had made lots of plans for all of the yard work and gardening I was going to get done, but it is now after noon, and I've accomplished nothing.  We slept in this morning, and then girls went outside for a bit while I relaxed inside, but they came back in and have settled in to a nice nap while I have been writing.  With temperatures reaching the mid-80s this afternoon, I'm not sure how much time I'll spend working in the yard, but I'm hoping to at least do some work in the garden so I can get my veggies planted this week.  Mina has now woken from her nap and is demanding a trip outside, and it is lunch time for us all too.  So I'll wrap up for this week and maybe go get to work in the yard...or maybe we'll go have a relaxing walk somewhere first.  Whatever we do, it's going to be a great Sunday.

Normalcy

When I ended the blog last Sunday, I was about to head out for a geocaching clean-up event that I was hosting in conjunction with our shelter dog walking club to clean up an area where we walk every week.  There were ten people and a dog that showed up to help, plus I brought Gio along with me while the girls stayed home.  It was a good turnout, and we made fast work with an area that really needed the clean-up.  I was thankful for everyone that showed up to help!  One of the geocachers came all of the way from the Flint area to help us, and she fell in love with Gio.

After the event was over, I took Gio out for a hike along the Ram Trail and did a little geocaching along the way.  We had a really nice walk and he was very brave.

After our two mile walk, we headed home, where I left Gio for a nap and loaded the girls into the car for a trip to Soldan Dog Park.  They definitely needed to burn some energy.

While I got no pictures of the girls, I did get some pictures of spring flowers that were in bloom, including the last of the trillium.  The girls had a great time too.

After our afternoon of fun, we threw a little ice cream party for Gio in the hopes that maybe he'd get adopted on Monday.  It was a great way to end our day.

On Monday, I had a full day of work.  While I worked, the girls and Gio spent most of the day outside playing.  Finally around 2:30pm, I received the call that the lady who had met Gio on Sunday was coming back to the shelter with her husband to adopt him.  

 

After my final work call of the day, I headed to the shelter with Gio to meet his new family.  They were so excited to take him home, and while he was a little shy about getting into their car, he got in and headed off for his new life.  I'm so happy for this sweet boy.  

After dinner that evening, the girls and I took a drive to Dimondale for our walk.  We checked out the trails at Danford Island Park and then took a walk around town.  It was a beautiful walk  along the river and beautiful weather for it.

Tuesday was a long day.  I spent the morning at work, and then I spent the afternoon and evening working the election.  We had some storms move through the area on Tuesday evening, but nothing like those that moved through the Kalamazoo area which produced tornados in the area.  Boy am I grateful those storms didn't move our way.  With the long day of work and the weather, we didn't get out for any adventures, but I think the girls forgave me.

We had beautiful weather on Wednesday, and the girls spent a lot of time outside during my work day.  I enjoyed a wonderful walk with the shelter dogs on Wednesday night.  It was a great group of dogs and they had the best time.  It always makes me so happy to see how happy they are to be out of the shelter.

I tried to get the girls out for a quick adventure on Thursday during my lunch, but the park I had chosen for our walk was pretty muddy from the storms earlier in the week.  The weather after work was rainy and I wasn't feel well, so a Thursday evening adventure didn't happen either.  The girls got to have their meals in some of their brain games and Mina got to have her collagen chew.  Luckily, they are pretty understanding and both of them relaxed for the evening.  

Finally Friday arrived, and I was determined to get the girls out for a good adventure.  Rain was once again in the forecast for later in the evening, so I made sure we left home right after work. 

I decided a nice walk at Lake Lansing North Park was just what we needed, and the girls were pretty excited to be there too.  

We walked just over 4 miles, and it was perfect weather for it.  There were hardly any bugs, and  we even got some peaks of sunshine along the way.  It was a great day to be in the woods and a much needed adventure for us all.  

Afterward, we made the drive to Durand for their Friday night Fish Fry and then picked up a few geocaches in the areas before heading home for the night.  It had been a great way to start our weekend.

On Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of making the drive to Saginaw County Animal Care and Control to pick up 5 dogs that were being transferred to our shelter.  Saginaw County has a beautiful new shelter that I've wanted to see and I was excited to be able to help them out by picking up some dogs.  

I drove the shelter van to Saginaw and arrived around 10:45am.  While I waited for them to pull together the paperwork and get the dogs, I took some pictures of their shelter.  I also made friends with Travis, pictured above, who is a heartworm positive dog that is available for adoption there.  He was a very sweet boy.

I loved their cat enclosures that are large and open to the lobby, and the section of dog kennels that you can see from their lobby.  I had a few faces peaking out at me.  

This shelter is way over their capacity with well over 100 dogs in their care, and they are in desperate need of help.  There are dogs everywhere and they are doing their best to help them all find homes.  They are short on funds and short on staff and volunteers, and it breaks my heart because I know that they are working hard and doing their best, but they just overwhelmed. 

The staff members and volunteer who helped me load the five dogs into the van were so grateful for this little bit of help and I thanked them several times for the work that they do and let them know that they are appreciated.  Phoebe got to ride nicely with a seat belt harness while the other four dogs were crated in the back.  Everyone was quiet on the drive back to the shelter, and I helped get them all comfortably settled into their new kennels before I finally left the shelter and headed home.  

Here is a rare picture of me doing something I really enjoy.  This was such a worthwhile trip.  

After I finally got home, I loaded the girls into the car and we headed out for a visit with my parents.  We had a nice visit, and the girls got to run and explore.  They had a great time hunting for whatever critter was hiding in the branch pile and I had a nice visit with my parents.  My dad continues to get better and stronger, and my mom seems much less stressed now that he's home and they seem to have a good routine now.  Before I left, I event got to see Brezlyn, who stopped to see my parents on her way to prom.   I told my dad before I left that I realized this was the first week since January that I hadn't made multiple trips to the hospital or rehab, and it seemed weird to not see him a few times during the week, but it also felt nice to know that life was starting to feel normal again.  He agreed.  Normal is good.

After a busy and exhausting week, I was looking forward to a quiet Sunday.  I've been tired and it was nice to get a good night's rest and to wake up with no where to go and no real plans for the day.  After a quiet morning at home, I drove out to the farm to check out their greenhouse and and get some of their fresh made donuts.  The donuts were still warm when I picked them up, and they were as delicious as always.

We then stopped at the Dewitt Dog Park for some fun.  The girls had the place mostly to themselves.  Mina spent most of her time running and Peaches spent most of her time sniffing everything.  We were there about an hour.  Both girls were tired and happy.

On the way home I decided to stop at Lansing Shuffle for lunch.  I love that they have several choices for food and that it is dog friendly.  The girls got a little treat from the restaurant and waited patiently for my order to be done.  Then we headed outside to eat on the patio.

We finished lunch and then headed out for a walk along the Lansing River Trail.  It was nice to see lots of people out enjoying the beautiful day.  We made a quick detour over to the Capitol before circling back to the River Trail and then back to our car.  

With the exception of a little yard work, most of the rest of our late afternoon was quiet and relaxing. 

The best part of my dad was the call I got from Nicol and Fiona.  Fiona yelled Happy Mother's Day as I answered the phone and was very talkative telling me all about their day.  While personally I don't really care much about Mother's Day, I do love being a mom and a grandma and those girls will always have my heart.  I can't wait until I can see them next weekend!

Now I'm off to relax for the evening before the week starts again.  I can't wait to see what fun this week brings us.