Friday, May 3, 2024

California, Disneyland, & Girl Time

Given our lifestyle, Phil and I meet a lot of people from all over the country and beyond.  Two years ago I met C at a conference, and we just hit it off.  She ended up asking me to come to her bachelorette party in California the following month and the rest is history.  Even though we text, call and FaceTime, we have not seen one another in person for two years!  

Well, that all changed last week...


I went out to visit and we went to Disneyland and California Adventures!  This was my first Disneyland experience and it was simply magical.  Along with C, I went with K (C's sister, an incredible human and Navy wife!) and we just had the absolute best time! We found all the pixie dust Disneyland had to offer! 


At California Adventures, we even got to meet Joy from Inside Out!


After two fun filled days at the park, we had five more days to just relax, hang out and pal around.  C and I had some much needed and overdue girl time!  She is one of those people who refills my cup and my cup had been running a bit low.  Nothing like sun, sea air, and best friends to make a person feel energized and reinvigorated! 


As always, our time together flew by, but we made a promise to not go another two years without an in-person visit.  Who knows, maybe we will even let the husbands come along next time ;)




What are some things you do to feel reinvigorated? Any places that I should look into?


Saturday, April 20, 2024

Max, Penny, & Maple

It is true what they say: there is never enough time.  I am one that will focus on time in an abstract way such as, "in two weeks this stress will be behind me", or "three more days until vacation".  It is always on the forefront of my mind, but never the actual focus.  

This time, there just wasn't enough time and there would never have been enough time.  We lost Max on December 10, 2023; two days shy of his 10th birthday.  We woke up that morning and took a walk like we always did, and after the walk he acted a little strange.  Given the fact that he had ACL surgery January 4, 2023, Max acting strange post walk was not unusual.  Sadly, we wouldn't know until it was too late, but a tumor had ruptured on his spleen.  



I often joked that Max was my support dog as no one understood my moods quite like my boy, but it was true.  After we let him go it felt like I was off balance for days, my constant was gone and I was feeling overwhelmed by grief.  He had helped me through 3 deployments, countless field times, 5 moves, fertility struggles, teaching, school, the works.  His loss felt like a tangible entity, a companion that I was not happy to have.  Penny would sit on the couch and just look sad and to be honest, Phil and I weren't much better.  We arrived at my parents house for Christmas looking like the lost souls we felt like. 



But, the saying, "time heals all wounds" is also true and we began healing day by day, little by little.  After she got to spend time with my parents dogs, it was clear that Penny really needed a friend.  Penny is not meant to be an only dog, she has never been one, and that adjustment was not going smoothly.  I probably overwhelmed her with my love and devotion, but what can you do?  

We brought Maple home January 27, 2024 and boy what a fun time this has been! She is the sweetest, cuddliest, goofiest little girl around and we just love her to pieces.  She gets into enough mischief and butt wiggles so big, that I think Mr. Max has been dropping a few hints to help her handle her new humans ;)


She adores Penny and we are in a constant state of canine chaos in our house and I could not be more grateful.  Thinking of Max always gives me a pang (that whole time thing again), but sweet little Maple is definitely helping all of our hearts heal and love fully again.




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