My Mom Visits the World

My mom is leaving today for a trip to England and France.  While that may not seem like a big deal to some of you, it is a HUGE deal.

Europe will be the seventh continent she has visited.  Yep – that’s right – her seventh continent.  She will have been to them all!  I am so very impressed and also extremely proud of her!

Regular readers already know how much I adore my mom.  She is an incredible person and her influence on and importance in my life cannot be overstated.  She is supportive, generous, encouraging, and kind, and her sense of adventure is nothing short of inspiring.  I love her more than I would ever be able to express in a simple blog post.  In short, she is amazing.

I wanted to get her a small gift in honor of such an extraordinary accomplishment, and I could think of nothing more perfect than an Origami Owl locket filled with charms.  But not just any old charms.  Seven specific charms – one for each continent.

So here are the charms I chose and what they stand for:

North America – a cactus to represent the southwest of the U.S.

South America – a turtle to represent the Galapagos Islands

Europe – the Eiffel Tower to represent France

Asia – a flower to represent the orchids throughout Asia

Africa – a rainbow to represent Victoria Falls in Zambia

Australia – a sea star to represent the Great Barrier Reef

and finally…

Antarctica – an anchor to represent the sea voyage she took to get there!

Here are a few photos:

You'll notice I also got her a camera charm and an airplane charm, but I couldn't fit them in with the other seven charms.  The great thing is that they'll be perfect for another locket she has!

So as we send my mom off across the Atlantic tonight, we will wish her "Bon Voyage!" and look forward with great anticipation to her photos and stories when she returns.

I am still in awe.  SEVEN continents.  We've got a lot of catching up to do…my continent count stands at two and C's stands at three (he was able to go to Australia for work).  I see much trip planning in our future!

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

from The Muppets Take Manhattan

Saying goodbye, going away

Seems like goodbye's such a hard thing to say

Touching a hand, wondering why

It's time for saying goodbye

Saying goodbye, why is it sad?

Makes us remember the good times we've had

Much more to say, foolish to try

It's time for saying goodbye

Don’t want to leave, but we both know

Sometimes it's better to go

Somehow I know we'll meet again

Not sure quite where, and I don’t know just when

You're in my heart, so until then

It’s time for saying goodbye

Written by Jeff Moss

Happy Tails to you...

And Then There Were Three...

Two weeks shy of her 18th birthday, Duchess has joined Molly & Gunni at the Rainbow Bridge.

Duchess enjoying an afternoon nap

It has been a rough few weeks, with Duchess's health deteriorating a little each day.  She had trouble sleeping, resulting in C and I taking turns staying up with her each night.  The past two days have been particularly difficult for her, and last night, she began experiencing such labored breathing that I considered taking her to the vet in the middle of the night.  I spent the night with her on the couch, holding her and trying to soothe her through her restlessness and discomfort.  When C left for work this morning, Duchess was finally sleeping peacefully, but we wanted make a vet appointment just to get her checked out.

I called the vet to see if our beloved Dr. T. was working and was told she had an opening at 10 am.  Between the time of my phone call and the time of the appointment, Duchess had a seizure in the kitchen.  Luckily I was standing right near her when she fell over and started convulsing, but I was terrified.  I scooped her up in my arms and held her until it stopped - which felt like hours but in reality was probably more like two straight minutes.

I've written before about how she does not like the car, so I lined a laundry basket with some soft blankets, placed it on the passenger seat, and put her in it to keep her safe during the drive.  Both C and my mom offered to meet me at the vet, but I told them to wait until Dr. T. saw Duchess so we knew what we were dealing with.

As I drove, I already suspected how everything was going to play out.  I just had a feeling that this was going to be our last car ride together.  She was so good in the car - she didn't try to leap out of the basket or squirm around in any way - but it was obvious that she was in great distress.  It was so difficult for her to breathe that I kept one hand on her for most of the drive just so I knew she was still with me.

When we arrived, we were put in a room immediately and Dr. T. came right in.  She took one look at Duchess and said, "It's time."  I was crying at this point, and she came around to my side of the exam table and told me she was going to take Duchess in the back to put a catheter in and get her some oxygen.  She was gone only a minute or two - during which time I called C and told him what has happening - before she returned to the room alone to console me.  She said such lovely things about what a good mom I was and how lucky my dogs were to be so loved, and although it is likely she says that to everyone when they must make that heart-wrenching decision, I needed to hear those things at that moment.  She hugged me and told me she had a strong suspicion that Duchess had developed a mass that was restricting her airway and making it almost impossible to breathe and that we had to let her go so she could be free from the pain.  I don't know if I could have done it alone if Dr. T. had not been working today and we ended up seeing another vet.  I am so very grateful that she has been the one to be with us when we've said goodbye to our three furry babies.

She went to get Duchess and when she returned, we talked about how tough Duchess was (please recall the spider bite she suffered last year) and how when we adopted her in 2011 at the ripe old age of 15, we never dreamed we would get to love her for as long as we have.

I sat in a chair and held Duchess in my arms and Dr. T. knelt on the floor.  We hugged her and kissed her and told her what an amazing dog she was and how we all loved her so very much.  The process was very peaceful for her and once the medication had taken effect, Dr. T. leaned over Duchess and me and put her arms around us and cried.  She then left me alone with Duchess for a few minutes, and I sobbed and kissed her soft fur and told her we would be together again someday.

While we are heartbroken - and there is no other word for it - we are also incredibly thankful to have loved and been loved by this little dog.  There is something so special about adopting a senior dog - I truly believe they know you've given them a second chance at life and spend every moment you have together demonstrating how grateful they are.

What an honor to have been her family.

Here are some recent photos of her:

Ginny and Duchess

Chelsea and Duchess's Tail   :-)

Maddy and Duchess

C and Duchess  <3

Duchess sleeping with her legs hanging out of the bed  :-)

Duchess sleeping with her arm hanging out of the bed  :-)

As I type this, her three friends are at my feet and they know something is amiss, and as with the times I came home without Molly or Gunni, the house feels remarkably empty without Duchess in it.

Happy Tails to you...

Lovely Lyrics: It's a Small World

Today marks the 50^th anniversary of “it’s a small world” and it is one of our must-do attractions on every trip.  This Disney classic opened at the New York World’s Fair on April 22, 1964 and then subsequently opened at each of the theme parks on the following dates:

Disneyland – May 28, 1966

Magic Kingdom – October 1, 1971

Tokyo Disneyland – April 15, 1983

Disneyland Paris – April 12, 1992

Hong Kong Disneyland – April 28, 2008

It is also expected to open at Shanghai Disneyland in December 2015.

The song's message of peace and friendship is simple and straightforward, while the melody is infectious – perhaps these help explain how it has endured for a half-century – and it is one of those songs that makes me incredibly happy when I hear it!

It’s a Small World

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears,

There's so much that we share

That it's time we're aware

It's a small world after all.

It's a small world after all,
It's a small world after all,

It's a small world after all,

It's a small, small world.

There is just one moon and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to everyone,

Though the mountains divide

And the oceans are wide,

It's a small world after all.

It's a small world after all, 
It's a small world after all,

It's a small world after all,

It's a small, small world.

Written by Richard and Robert Sherman

Happy Tails to you!

Lovely Lyrics: Little Wonders

Meet the Robinsons holds a very special place in my heart for many reasons, not the least of which is the Walt Disney quote shown at the end of the film:

Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long.

We keep moving forward,

opening up new doors and doing new things,

because we’re curious…

and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

For me, this epitomizes my journey in education.  I believe there is always more to read, more to learn, and more to know.  I doubt I will ever be “done” with school because my curiosity keeps leading me down new paths!

My dad came to visit this weekend, and I was thinking about all of the excellent advice he has given me over the course of my life.  He has always encouraged me and supported me, and to this day, he puts things in perspective for me in a way that no one else can.

This particular song resonates deeply for me because its message is the same one my dad continues to impress upon me.  So thanks, Dad, for always cheering me on and reminding me that I while am chasing the big things in life, I must remember the little things in life.

Little Wonders

from Meet the Robinsons

Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder

Don't you know
The hardest part is over

Let it in,

Let your clarity define you

In the end

We will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made
In these small hours

These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate

Time falls away,

But these small hours,

These small hours still remain

Let it slide,

Let your troubles fall behind you

Let it shine

Until you feel it all around you

And I don't mind

If it's me you need to turn to

We'll get by,

It's the heart that really matters in the end

Our lives are made

In these small hours

These little wonders,

These twists & turns of fate

Time falls away,

But these small hours,

These small hours still remain

All of my regret

Will wash away some how

But I can not forget

The way I feel right now

In these small hours

These little wonders

These twists & turns of fate

These twists & turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours

These small hours, still remain,

Still remain

These little wonders

These twists & turns of fate

Time falls away

But these small hours

These little wonders still remain

by Rob Thomas

Happy Tails to you!