11/13 Fun evening

We had our company annual dinner tonight and it was nice. Held at Tony's Old Place, the food was spectacular, as was the company. I sat with people from my area and they are so nice. Finally met three husbands of my colleagues and they are not only sweet, but handsome as well. One guy (Bogdan) is from Poland so I called Beata and then gave the phone to him. They chatted for several minutes in Polish. Beata loved the surprise. :)

She and Rob are leaving early tomorrow morning for California to visit Jill and John (Rob and Jill's dad). I'm very happy they are going so everyone in John's family can meet Beata and vice versa. And tomorrow is Robbie's birthday, so that will make the trip even more special.

More later.

2/22 75 degrees and storming

It's a waste of a perfectly fine day. Seventy-five degrees--that's my perfect temperature. But it's storming. Tomorrow and Sunday will be either sunny or partly sunny, but only 65 degrees. I shouldn't complain since my family is still in the throes of winter.

Because of the rain the last several days Quincy has gotten lots of baths. She loves the baths as much as she loves rolling in the mud. Cookie isn't a bath fan, but will jump in the tub just because I tell her to. She's a good girl, but still kind of skittish about things. Luckily she loves people as much as Quincy does, so I never have to worry about that. Plus she's a great "early warning system" when people are coming to the door.

So much to do to get ready for the move, but that will make the time fly. Of course, I don't want it to fly too much because there's not much time yet. I sure hope I'm able to get everything done. I'd given notice that my last day of work would be 3/21, but found out that's Good Friday, so it's holiday here since we're a faith-based organization. So that will give me an extra day to get home. I can leave early that Friday morning and arrive in Quincy 12-15 hours later. Both dogs are good travelers, but Cookie hasn't traveled more than an hour or so at one time. I've got my fingers crossed. I've asked either Caroline or Genia if they want to drive with me, to help with the pups. That way they can meet "the family" up close.

We're having a case management summit at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino next Friday. I'm going to do a small part of the presentation, and I'm stoked about it. Should be a good conference.

Quincy's graduation from dog training is next Thursday. Unfortunately she and I can't be there. I'm going to be spending the night at the Hard Rock Casino with Caroline and Genia, because C got a $59 rate. It's the night before the conference. I'm having a private training for an hour for Cookie. She's a well behaved dog except on the leash. She pulls more than any dog I've ever had. It's almost like a compulsion to be somewhere. Poor thing. She pulls so hard that her belly almost touches the ground. It's hard on me too, so I'm hoping Erika (the trainer) can do some magic.

1/17 Home at last

I am so very happy to be home. Didn't pick up the puppies because I'd just have to bring them back tomorrow morning. Thought this would be too hard on them (and me). So I'll get them Wednesday when I return from LA.

For now, it's time for my pajamas and bed.

10/17 Packing up

Lots to do at work today, then the landlord sprayed for ants and the smell gave me a horrible headache. So I had to leave around 4, but that's okay. I had lots to do at home too. Am packing for my trip. It's not so easy--everything, including my sleeping bag and mat, have to fit in a duffel bag. So I have to stuff everything for Thursday through Sunday.

I can't wait until tomorrow though. I haven't seen Rob and Beata since May and it'll be wonderful to see them.

But I miss Quincy and Cookie already. What a wuss.

8/21 The day is long

My meetings went so very well in Austin. We accomplished a lot. Unfortunately I missed my connection in Dallas/Fort Worth and am at a Baymont Hotel near the airport. Am very tired because I didn't sleep last night.

Looking forward to going home. How did I ever travel every week when I was a trainer for CPI? I loved it at the time, and still enjoy traveling. But can't imagine doing this all the time. Guess age is catching up with me.

7/6 Fun with puppies and future fun with grandkids

The next door neighbors got a black lab puppy. A tiny little thing maybe six weeks old. Name's Raven. They had a minor emergency this afternoon and Valerie asked if I Raven could play in my backyard while they were gone. Little Kayla brought her over. This Kayla is 7 just like our Kayla, and very sweet. She has a four year old brother, James.

Quincy is this huge giant next to Raven, but Raven kept up with her perfectly. They had such a good time and after about an hour they both just passed out. So cute.

But the big news is that in August Jill and Todd are going to take their vacation celebrating their 10th anniversary. Originally they were going to go in October, but found a good deal in August. They are going to fly to Barcelona and then take the cruise. Sounds delightful. BUT I GET THE KIDS--which is even better. Quincy and I are going to drive to St. Louis where Jill and Todd will drop off the kids at the airport. They're going to have a layover in St. Louis just so this will all work out. Then Q, the kids, and I will drive the two hours to Quincy. and stay several days. I am beyond thrilled.

Don't know the exact week yet, but I'll tell all the relatives as soon as I know.

Yay!

6/5 Home at last

I woke up at 3:30 AM to catch the 4:15 shuttle to O'Hare. My flight was to leave at 6:30 but ended up leaving at 8. Just wasn't too lucky this trip.

Immediately I went to work and got a bunch of stuff done. But by 4 I was dead. So I left and went to pick up Quincy. She was jumping up and down so much it was like she had springs on her feet. It felt so good to be with her again. She was thrilled to come home too. Just like me. It is great to be able to sleep in my own bed. And I have a feeling that I'll be asleep before too long.

4/8 Easter at home

The weather here has been pretty spectacular since I moved. But last night I had to turn on the heat as it got down in the 30s. Unbelievable. Rained all night too. The good thing is that Quincy wasn't scared of it and went outside to do her business. We went to sleep at 11; she woke me up at 2 and at 6. Both times she went right to work outside. I'm still amazed at her ability to know what the outside is for. :)

She's not had one accident with me yet. I am having her sleep in a crate at night, which is probably the secret. Thought I'd let her sleep with me last night but she kept thinking my ankles were a teething ring. Ow. Those little teeth are razor sharp.

At 8 we went for a long walk around the RV park. Long is a relative term--it was probably two blocks but it wore her butt out. She fell asleep immediately when we got back inside so I took the opportunity to leave for a little while. When I returned I opened up the crate she crawled out and kept sleeping. She's still napping on the floor. What a cutie!

As promised here are a few details from the trip yesterday. The 12 hour trip took 15 hours because of several factors. I took another route to miss the Masters' Golf Tournament; there was a huge traffic jam in Atlanta because of a Braves' game; and I stopped 80 gazillion times for Quincy. She was awesome. Didn't make a sound until she had to go to the bathroom and then she'd start whining. There were no false alarms either. We'd play awhile every time we stopped so she'd get tired again. Worked perfectly.

After 12 hours of driving she started HOWLING. I thought, oh no, here she goes. We stopped and she immediately went to the bathroom as soon as her feet hit the grass.

At one rest stop this guy got out of his car and said, "How much will it cost me to get that dog from you?" I told him he didn't have enough money. All along the trip people kept petting her and making over her. I loved that, but she's a puppy and has to concentrate on the job at hand. Still it was very cool.

Many people remark that she looks just like the puppy on the commercial. And I sing it to her all the time--"There ain't no bugs on me. There ain't no bugs on me. There may be bugs on some of you mugs, but there ain't no bugs on me. "

4/6 A HUGE warning

Never try to find a motel near Augusta, Georgia during Masters' week. I left work early and planned to drive 7 hours. Ended up having to drive 9 because I drove through Augusta. Ever been laughed at by a motel clerk? No, not for any nefarious or sexual reason--simply because you dared to ask for a room when it was Masters' week. I had to drive past Columbia, SC to find a place.

I plan to leave early tomorrow morning and drive the whole way home because I have Quincy now. Will post pictures of the little sweetie in a minute.

3/3 In Montgomery, Alabama

I left Rob and Beata's home around 9:30 this morning and drove for nine hours. It was really a pleasant drive, good weather, and no complications. Right now I'm at a Holiday Inn Express in Montgomery, and tomorrow the trip will be easy--three or four hours.

The orientation in Austin went by so quickly--so much to learn and lots of paperwork to complete. Everyone was really nice, and I am psyched to begin this next adventure in Biloxi. Tomorrow I check into an extended stay hotel, and can stay there for 30 days which is what I need because it will take that long to close on a condo or house. My realtor is picking me up Monday afternoon and we're starting the search. I'm really excited about the possibilities.

The other day the Red Cross emailed me and said they really needed mental health people to work with tornado victims in Alabama and Georgia. Had to decline, even though I'd love to help.

While driving through Georgia so many memories flooded--I'd lived there for seven years, and passed by many towns I was familiar with. I called an old friend while passing through. Carolyn and I met in 1978 and were best friends for two years before I moved back to Quincy. We've stayed in touch over the years, and it was neat talking to her.

Enough for now.

2/22 Oops

Sorry I haven't blogged in the last two days. Tuesday was busy and I didn't get home until late. Rob and I stopped at our favorite Thai restaurant in a Raleigh suburb and bought TONS of food. We got three entrees and FIVE orders of sticky rice with mango. Yep, five orders. I had one and Rob and Beata each ate two.

We did this to surprise B after her first day at her new job.

Speaking of jobs, things are moving quickly. On 2/28 I'll fly to Austin for two days of orientation. Will get back here on Friday night (3/2) and will drive from Sanford NC to Biloxi MS, and start work there on 3/5. The company is putting me up in a hotel for a few days while I find an apartment.

Found out today I'll be going to Albuquerque in April for a conference. A good friend lives there, so that's an extra bonus.

And GREAT NEWS! My puppy was born a few days ago. The dog had 14 pups (had 13 the first time). Wow. Anyway, I'm thrilled and am going to visit over the weekend. Will be able to pick her up when I'm back here for Easter.

Can't wait for the job to start!