My hubby and I arrived home yesterday from our trip. It is always so good to be back home with the pets. I had been a little stressed about leaving them, but when my friend Sheryl (“Auntie Sheryl” to the pets) came through to pet sit for us, that made it much easier to leave. I had been most concerned about fireworks, but everything went smoothly there too. Sheryl emailed several photos, and even videos of the girls playing ball in the pool, so I could see how well everyone was doing, and that really helped me to relax and enjoy my time away with my family.
Above and below are some of the photos Auntie Sheryl sent.
We had no cell service in the cabin we were staying at, but we were able to walk to their office where we could pick up the Wi-Fi and at least check email and Facebook. There were a few cell phone hot spots close by, restaurants and stores who somehow had their own cell service, but for the most part I was disconnected. That was probably good for me. My sisters may disagree, they picked on me about the number of times I took my phone or tablet down to the office to connect. But trust me, I was disconnected compared to my everyday life! We had a wonderful time enjoying the outdoors and the company of my siblings and their partners.
Here is some of the scenery we enjoyed:



How wonderful it was to get home though! The dogs were so happy to see us….the girls showered us with kisses, and even Kobi, our serious boy, acted happy (he is above the whole kissing thing). Of course, the girls made a beeline for where their balls are kept, convinced that the first thing we would want to do upon arriving home was play ball. Hey, we had gone three days without, how could we not want to play? However, the weather was too hot by the time we got home, so that was going to have to wait.
The cats, of course didn’t come running to see us, but let us seek them out. One happy thing was that when they finally came out to join us, Samantha jumped up on the kitchen counter! Now, that may not seem like a good thing to some……but it has been months since she’s been able to jump up there, and Sheryl said she did it a lot while we were gone. She had started limping months ago, and couldn’t jump at all on the furniture. She had a full workup at the vet, and nothing was found to be wrong. They suggested putting her on glucosamine, and eventually she did stop limping. She was able to jump up on lower furniture, but still couldn’t do the counter. This morning she is not showing off again though, so we’ll see if she continues to do it or not. Either way, it’s a sign she is doing better and we’re happy for that.

It was so nice this morning to wake up and have the dogs hanging out on the bed with us while we had some coffee. Cricket brought up her toy, again, in case we wanted to play! We missed that while being gone, even though it was a little nice to be able to stretch our legs and move around in bed at night! Anyone who shares their bed with their dogs probably knows what I’m talking about.
We are home for a couple more days before going back to work. We wanted some time with the dogs, and time to unpack and get settled back in. Our routines have been so disrupted lately, and our fitness routines are off, and I really need to get my act together. Between the rainy and humid weather, and losing our Moses, everything is really just kind of a mess. Or maybe it’s just me that is a mess! I hope that with some time away, that will help me to regroup and refocus so I can get back in the swing of things. Not only do I need to get back into the exercise routine (though I did get some kayaking and lots of walking on our trip), but there has been so much I’ve wanted to do with the blog that I just haven’t gotten to.


We had just started a game of ball with the girls this morning, when next thing we knew it was raining again. By the time it finally let up, the sun came out and it was just too hot and humid. Even the girls didn’t try to get the game going again. Luckily for the days we were away, we had mostly nice weather where we were, and also Auntie Sheryl got some mornings where she could play ball with them. We are really hoping tomorrow morning will be clear, so we can take all the dogs for a walk to the lake; the girls can go swimming and Kobi can get his paws wet and do some serious sniffing. Fingers crossed that home sweet home can be rain free for at least one day before we go back to work!
Wow, what a beautiful place. I love being disconnected like that. Gat photos from Auntie Sheryl too!
I think Auntie Sheryl takes just as good photos with her cell phone as I do with my expensive camera!
It really was a beautiful place….several lakes, and lots of woods. Very remote and quiet.
Awww, thanks, Jan! 🙂
Sounds like you had a nice time away. It’s always nice to come home though – especially when there are furry faces there for a wonderful greeting! Also nice to have someone you can trust to leave the pets with. We trade dog-sitting with my sis, and it’s SO nice to not have to kennel the dog. Glad your kitty has her sproing back. Hope she’s all better!
I totally got out of my fitness routine when we lost our Abby. I still haven’t gotten it back to the super-committed level I was at before we lost her. It’s hard. I need to try to get back into it too. I do a lot of walking with Rita, but the weights and yoga are hit or miss these days!
It was nice to get away, but also so nice to be back home, with the pets. And to see our kitty still doing better.
I had already been struggling to just get into a new, better fitness routine, so I’m just not sure where I’m at right now. Kind of hit and miss, but I’ll just keep trying!
Oh, how beautiful!! It looks like you had gorgeous scenery for your trip. And I am the same way about being connected… Since it’s a constant in my life, when I’m forced to disconnect, it’s unsettling. I like to “check in” periodically, too,
Hoping for a rain free day for your last day off!
It really is a beautiful area, and the hubby and I are going to go back for our 25th anniversary this Fall.
I think “unsettling” is a good word for it….I always feel like I’m going to miss something when I try to disconnect!
Looks like everyone had a nice time at home or away. That is great that kitty is doing better and jumping again. We know from my sister with her arthritis how a formerly not appreciated behavior becomes so welcome! Take your time to get back into your life. Losing a precious pup takes a lot of time to start healing.
Thank you for saying that, Emma. I feel like I should be jumping back into things, but on the other hand, I just can’t motivate myself. The time away was nice, but it didn’t really change anything.
Samantha really still seems to be doing better, so that is encouraging anyway.
what wonderful photos! It looked like you had a great time and thank goodness you had Sheryl!
Glad to see the girls did well and cats? Well, you know how THEY are! lol
Yes, those cats would not want to let on that they were happy to see us too, but I think they were. 🙂
I loved staying with your fur babies… 🙂 So happy that I could do it. Thank you for showing some of my pictures! Cricket slept on my legs every night (on Alex’s one night–my son). There was even a spell when I had Cricket and Sheba sleeping with me (and this was on a couch…not a bed). lol. Loved every minute of it. Samantha did look great to me. 🙂 I was very happy and surprised when she started jumping up on the counters! I promise you I was feeding her enough (at the same times I fed the dogs). But she started jumping up there in the middle of the day! Hope that continues! 🙂 I’m also glad that you and Tom enjoyed your trip (and your siblings as well).
I can’t thank you enough for taking such good care of them, Sheryl! They seemed very relaxed and happy when we got home. I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
You’re very welcome! You’ve already thanked me plenty. 🙂 It was nice and relaxing for me too. But I never turned off my cell phone the whole weekend. lol